7/15/2023
Pair of top-five's in Iowa for O'Neal and Rocket1 Racing
Hudson O’Neal and Rocket1 Racing embarked on quartet of races last week in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. While Mother Nature claimed the victory at Tri-City Speedway on Friday night, Hudson was able to race to a pair of Top-5 finishes at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway and Davenport Speedway to go along with a Top-10 run on Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway with his Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
“It was a hot and busy week for our team in the Midwest, and my guys gave me a good car every night. We didn’t visit Victory Lane but in three starts we didn’t finish worse than ninth,” O’Neal commented. “I’m looking forward to getting back to Huset’s Speedway this week for the Silver Dollar Nationals. That’s a really cool place, and there’s a lot of money on the line this weekend there. Thank you to each-and-every person who supports our team and makes all of this possible.”
Entering the Rocket1 Racing No. 1 Late Model into battle with the XR Super Series, Hudson O’Neal visited Dubuque Speedway (Dubuque, Iowa) on Monday evening for the Dubuque Key City Clash.
Starting the $20,000-to-win A-Main in fourth via a heat race victory, Hudson suffered a pair of flat tires in the 50-lapper but rallied to salvage a fifth-place finish. After limping pitside on lap 18 while leading due to a flat tire, O’Neal suffered a flat during a lap-42 caution that dropped him into the infield hot pit. He salvaged fifth from the tail, which came behind Bobby Pierce, Devin Moran, Brandon Sheppard, and Ricky Thornton Jr.
For the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned contest on Tuesday at Davenport Speedway (Davenport, Iowa), O’Neal followed up a runner-up finish in his heat with an eighth-to-fourth run in the 50-lap feature.
With Friday’s NAPA Know How 50 at Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, Ill.) falling to wet weather early in the event, the weekend concluded for Rocket1 Racing on Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, Mo.) with the 17th annual CMH Diamond Nationals. With a fourth-place finish in his heat race pinning him on the seventh row for the $15,000-to-win A-Main, Hudson moved forward five spots to register a ninth-place finish.
With the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series awarding bonus money for the drivers making Summit Racing Equipment Super Twelve, O’Neal earned $1,000 for second in the latest standings.
He continues to sit second in the latest LOLMDS points and leads the way in the XR Super Series standings.
Full results from the events are available at www.RaceXR.com and www.LucasDirt.com.
This Thursday – Saturday the team thunders into Huset’s Speedway (Brandon, S.D.) for the 13th annual Silver Dollar Nationals presented by MyRacePass weekend. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event opens with the $12,000-to-win Go 50.
On Friday night double heats for the LOLMDS contingent will be contested as part of the Silver Dollar Nationals prelims, while Saturday night will see a whopping $53,000 top prize on the line for the finale.
Rocket1 Racing picked up the mega win in the coveted event in 2020 at its former location of I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb.
For more information on the weekend’s slate, please visit www.HusetsSpeedway.com.
Article Credit: Heath Lawson image