Tampa, FL — January 25, 2021

Hudson O’Neal held off Brandon Sheppard to win on opening night of the Wrisco Industries 45th Annual Winternationals – Presented by Lucas Oil at East Bay Raceway Park. O’Neal picked up the lead for good on lap 20 and held it to the checkered flag. The win marked his eighth career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and second-ever at East Bay.

Sheppard finished .359 seconds behind O’Neal at the checkers. Brandon Overton came home in the third finishing position. Devin Moran, who started 22nd finished fourth. Earl Pearson, Jr. came from 24th to take fifth.

Kyle Bronson grabbed the lead at the start of the 30-lap race and led for five laps until O’Neal took over the top spot for lap 6. O’Neal would only hold the point for one circuit until Bronson got back around him. Tyler Erb powered to the lead on lap 8 and then held the lead until the 19th lap when he was involved in a caution that relegated him to the tail. Several cautions dotted a competitive battle for the lead that existed throughout the race.

O’Neal inherited the lead due to Erb’s misfortune, and began inching away from the field when a caution happened with two laps remaining. On the final restart of the race O’Neal held off several attempts from Sheppard on the last lap for the victory, his first since last Labor Day Weekend at Portsmouth, Ohio on his 20th birthday.

“We went with a little different tire choice than everybody else. I was a little worried at the beginning rolling down the frontstretch and I saw everybody had on different tires. I was hopeful that the track would get slow enough where that our gamble would pay off. This Rocket Chassis has been awesome. We didn’t have anything to show how good we were at All-Tech, and I am happy to redeem myself here,” said the third-generation racer who was making his second start for his new team.

Sheppard, who has been strong at East Bay the last few years with six victories came home in second. “It definitely felt like a long race out there. Congrats to Hudson, he did a great job. It was definitely a technical racetrack tonight.”

Overton, who won 26 features a year ago, finished in third. “I kind of messed us up at All-Tech the other night. On the first lap there I hit the wall, so this is our first really good run of the year. This is a good way to start off the week at East Bay. It was a like a sheet of ice out there. The steering wheel doesn’t work like it does at most other places, it’s hard to turn and you are basically just hanging on.”

The winner’s Roger Sellers/Double Down Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and is sponsored by Lazydays RV, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Lucas Oil Products, 2150 Enterprises, and WR1 Sim Chassis.

Completing the top ten were Tony Jackson Jr., Tyler Erb, Tanner English, Mike Marlar, and Jeff Mathews.

For additional news visit www.lucasdirt.com