Dirt on Dirt - O'Neal takes One for the Road, $20,000 at FALS

July 22

Fairbury Speedway,

Fairbury, IL

Sanction: FloRacing Night in America (One for the Road) - $20,000

Information provided by: Kevin Kovac, series and track reports (last updated July 23, 3:29 am)

O'Neal takes One for the Road, $20,000 at FALS

One for the Road

Hudson O'Neal
Josh Rice
Shannon Babb
Jason Feger
Brandon Sheppard
Ricky Thornton Jr.
Devin Moran
Ryan Unzicker
Bobby Pierce
Ethan Dotson
Dan Ebert
Nick Hoffman
Daulton Wilson
Kyle Bronson
Chase Junghans
Frank Heckenast Jr.
Kyle Hammer
Tristan Chamberlain
Justin Duty
Dennis Erb Jr.
Clay Harris
Garrett Alberson
Tyler Erb
Brody Smith
Dallon Murty
Michael Leach
Brian Shirley
Ryan Gustin

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Hudson O'Neal (6) battles Shannon Babb (18) and Josh Rice (11) for the lead at Fairbury.

What won the race: Charging back around Shannon Babb exiting turn four and taking the lead for good on the 37th lap, third-starting Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., led the rest of Wednesday's 50-lap One for the Road feature at Fairbury Speedway. O'Neal beat Josh Rice to the line by 2.037 seconds for the $20,000 payday, his first FloRacing Night in America Series victory of the season and seventh of his career.

Quotable: "It was a really good race, had a really good race car. I could roll that middle really, really good and think, maybe, I just tried to live by that middle just a little bit too long and that let (Shannon) Babb slip under me," O’Neal said. "I knew I wasn’t gonna pass him back on the bottom, so it was time to go to the top and get some of the cushion."

Key notes: Sticking primarily to Fairbury's high line, O'Neal led twice for 26 laps (22-33, 37-50) to capture his 14th overall feature win of the season, his seventh aboard the Rumley Engineering No. 6 Longhorn. ... It was his first win with the Rumleys since April 3 at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Va., and his first win of any kind since May 14 at Eagle (Neb.) Raceway. ... O'Neal notched his first FloRacing Series victory since May 2025 at Marshalltown (Iowa) Speedway. ... Polesitter Shannon Babb largely rode Fairbury's hub and emerged as O'Neal's biggest challenger, leading three times for 18 laps (1-9, 16-21, 34-36) before settling for third after a back-and-forth battle with high-flying Josh Rice in the late going. ... The second-starting Rice led once for six laps (10-15) and claimed the runner-up spot after he and Babb traded second five times over the final seven circuits. ... There were five lead changes among Babb, Rice and O'Neal. ... Brandon Sheppard, winner of the previous night's series stop at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway, never made it higher than fourth and finished fifth. ... The race was slowed by two cautions, the first when Rice and Tyler Erb made contact entering turn one as they battled for second on the 29th lap, sending Erb spinning with right-rear damage. ... Eighth-running Dennis Erb Jr. pitted with a flat right-rear tire a couple laps after the restart and soldiered to a 20th-place finish. ... The race, serving as a warmup to the 36th annual Prairie Dirt Classic, lasted nearly 22 minutes with 22 starters completing 50 laps and 26 running at the checkers.

On the move: Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., started 24th and finished ninth.

Winner's sponsors: O’Neal’s K&L Rumley Enterprises Longhorn Chassis carries sponsorship from D&E Marine, Senior Life Insurance Company, Rumley Engineering, Mesilla Valley Transportation, American Racing Wheels, Professional Concrete, Mark Martin Automotive, O’Neal’s Salvage & Recycling, Indiana USSSA Fastpitch, Sunoco Race Fuels, Ohlins by Longhorn Dynamics and Wheeler Metals.

Points chase: After Fairbury: 1. Brandon Sheppard (321); 2. Devin Moran (300); 3. Hudson O’Neal (291); 4. Nick Hoffman (276); 5. Tyler Erb (231); 6. Bobby Pierce (219); 7. Shannon Babb (209); 8. Josh Rice (192); 9. Kyle Bronson (183); 10. Jason Feger (164).

Current weather: Clear, 61°F

Car count: 73

Fast qualifier: Shannon Babb

Time: 12.287 seconds

Polesitter: Shannon Babb

Heat race winners: Shannon Babb, Hudson O'Neal, Tyler Erb, Josh Rice, Jason Feger, Devin Moran

Consolation race winners: Ryan Unzicker, Dallon Murty, Chase Junghans

Provisional starters: Garrett Alberson, Michael Leach, Justin Duty, Kyle Bronson

Next series race: August 18, Marshalltown Speedway (Marshalltown, IA) $20,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

FAIRBURY, Ill. — Updates from Wednesday’s One for the Road at Fairbury Speedway, highlighted by a 50-lap, $20,000-to-win FloRacing Night in America Series-sanctioned feature for Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Charging back around Shannon Babb out of turn four and taking the lead for good on the 37th lap, third-starting Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., led the rest of Wednesday's 50-lap One for the Road feature at Fairbury Speedway. O'Neal beat Josh Rice to the line by 2.037 seconds for the $20,000 payday, his first FloRacing Night in America Series victory of the season and seventh of his career.

Feature lineup

(50 laps)

Row 1: Shannon Babb, Josh Rice
Row 2: Hudson O'Neal, Jason Feger
Row 3: Tyler Erb, Devin Moran
Row 4: Dennis Erb Jr., Brandon Sheppard
Row 5: Nick Hoffman, Dan Ebert
Row 6: Daulton Wilson, Brody Smith
Row 7: Tristan Chamberlain, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Row 8: Brian Shirley, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 9: Kyle Hammer, Ethan Dotson
Row 10: Ryan Unzicker, Dallon Murty
Row 11: Chase Junghans, Ryan Gustin
Row 12: Clay Harris, Bobby Pierce
Row 13: Garrett Alberson, Michael Leach
Row 14: Justin Duty, Kyle Bronson

Consolation results

(12 laps; top two transfer)

First consolation: Ryan Unzicker, Ryan Gustin, Dustin Sorensen, Michael Leach, Chris Simpson, Brent Larson, Austin Howes, Mike Spatola, Carson Hocevar, Mitch McGrath, Logan Zarin, Jerry Huffman, Austin Smith, Chase Osterhoff, Trent Ivey. Scratched: Sam Seawright, Mike Mataragas, Brayton Wallace, Caden McWhorter.

Second consolation: Dallon Murty, Clay Harris, Trey Mills, Mike Marlar, Tim McCreadie, Justin Duty, Max Blair, Jerry Bowersock, Brenden Smith, Mike Provenzano, Tyler Kuykendall, Shane Stephens, Mike Winn, Brian Rickman, Matt Furman, Jake Little. Scratched: Kyle Bronson, Jeffrey Ledford.

Third consolation: Chase Junghans, Bobby Pierce, Tanner English, McKay Wenger, Bubba Roling, Shane Clanton, Jake O'Neil, Garrett Alberson, Kyle Strickler, Ryan Montgomery, Matthew Larson, Kaede Loudy, Eli Johnson, Doug Carls, Neil Baggett, Cam Harris, Lance Brasington, Daniel Adam.

Heat race results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First heat: Shannon Babb, Dennis Erb Jr., Tristan Chamberlain, Chris Simpson, Ryan Unzicker, Michael Leach, Austin Smith, Brent Larson, Trent Ivey, Carson Hocevar, Jerry Huffman, Mike Spatola, Caden McWhorter.

Second heat: Hudson O'Neal, Nick Hoffman, Brian Shirley, Dustin Sorensen, Ryan Gustin, Mitch McGrath, Logan Zarin, Chase Osterhoff, Austin Howes, Sam Seawright, Mike Mataragas, Brayton Wallace.

Third heat: Tyler Erb, Daulton Wilson, Kyle Hammer, Dallon Murty, Mike Marlar, Max Blair, Clay Harris, Brenden Smith, Shane Stephens, Mike Winn, Jake Little. Scratched: Jeffrey Ledford.

Fourth heat: Josh Rice, Brandon Sheppard, Frank Heckenast Jr., Trey Mills, Kyle Bronson, Justin Duty, Brian Rickman, Tim McCreadie, Jerry Bowersock, Matt Furman, Tyler Kuykendall, Mike Provenzano.

Fifth heat: Jason Feger, Dan Ebert, Ricky Thornton Jr., Chase Junghans, McKay Wenger, Bobby Pierce, Matthew Larson, Bubba Roling, Jake O'Neil, Daniel Adam, Garrett Alberson, Lance Brasington.

Sixth heat: Devin Moran, Brody Smith, Ethan Dotson, Tanner English, Kyle Strickler, Shane Clanton, Ryan Montgomery, Eli Johnson, Neil Baggett, Kaede Loudy, Cam Harris, Doug Carls.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 12.287
2. Mike Mataragas (1m), DeKalb, Ill., 12.429
3. Daulton Wilson (58v), Fayetteville, N.C., 12.504
4. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 12.569
5. Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C., 12.579
6. Tyler Erb (1T), New Waverly, Texas, 12.633
7. Tristan Chamberlain (20tc), Richmond, Ind., 12.645
8. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 12.650
9. Kyle Hammer (45), Clinton, Ill., 12.674
10. Chris Simpson (32s), Oxford, Iowa, 12.676
11. Hudson O’Neal (6), Martinsville, Ind., 12.676
12. Dallon Murty (13x), Chelsea, Iowa, 12.690
13. Michael Leach (09), Sun River, Mont., 12.705
14. Dustin Sorensen (19), Rochester, Minn., 12.736
15. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 12.757
16. Mike Spatola (89), Manhattan, Ill., 12.765
17. Brayton Wallace (T2), Peoria, Ill., 12.796
18. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 12.846
19. Caden McWhorter (14), Fairbury, Ill., 12.847
20. Sam Seawright (16), Rainsville, Ala., 12.894
21. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 12.895
22. Ryan Unzicker (24), El Paso, Ill., 12.926
23. Mitch McGrath (74), Waukesha, Wis., 12.950
24. Jake Little (38J), Springfield, Ill., 12.952
25. Austin Smith (11s), Cedartown, Ga., 12.982
26. Chase Osterhoff (130), Kankakee, Ill., 13.033
27. Clay Harris (6H), Jupiter, Fla., 13.045
28. Trent Ivey (88), Union, S.C., 13.053
29. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 13.098
30. Shane Stephens (15s), Arlington, Tenn., 13.135
31. Carson Hocevar (77), Portage, Mich., 13.141
32. Logan Zarin (1z), Moon Township, Pa., 13.158
33. Mike Winn (729), Bourbonnais, Ill., 13.185
34. Brent Larson (B1), Lake Elmo, Minn., 13.190
35. Austin Howes (17A), Lewistown, Mo., 14.637
36. Jeffrey Ledford (8L), Pontiac, Ill., no time
37. Jerry Huffman (36H), Maroa, Ill., no time
Group B
1. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 12.552
2. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Elmo, Minn., 12.556
3. Brody Smith (17sr), Dade City, Fla., 12.682
4. Trey Mills (14jr), St. Augustine, Fla., 12.698
5. Chase Junghans (18J), Manhattan, Kan., 12.708
6. Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., 12.789
7. Josh Rice (11R), Crittenden, Ky., 12.835
8. Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 12.840
9. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 12.841
10. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 12.848
11. Brian Rickman (90), Columbus, Miss., 12.849
12. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 12.850
13. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 12.856
14. Bubba Roling (515), Clay Hill, Fla., 12.905
15. Kyle Strickler (8k), Mooresville, N.C., 12.920
16. Tim McCreadie (9m), Watertown, N.Y., 12.934
17. McKay Wenger (36), Fairbury, Ill., 12.944
18. Neil Baggett (21xxx), Columbus, Miss., 12.978
19. Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 12.999
20. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 13.003
21. Ryan Montgomery (12m), Fairmont, W.Va., 13.010
22. Justin Duty (15), Molalla, Ore., 13.030
23. Daniel Adam (75), Peru, Ill., 13.041
24. Eli Johnson (55E), Clewiston, Fla., 13.045
25. Tyler Kuykendall (8kx), Warsaw, Mo., 13.067
26. Garrett Alberson (99A), Las Cruces, N.M., 13.071
27. Shane Clanton (25c), Zebulon, Ga., 13.073
28. Matt Furman (51F), Iowa City, Iowa, 13.075
29. Jake O’Neil (0), Tucson, Ariz., 13.086
30. Kaede Loudy (126), Rogersville, Tenn., 13.110
31. Jerry Bowersock (95), Wapakoneta, Ohio, 13.192
32. Matthew Larson (8), Lake Elmo, Minn., 13.318
33. Cam Harris (32H), Columbus, Miss., 13.349
34. Mike Provenzano (m27), Marseilles, Ill., 13.477
35. Lance Brasington (11), Lexington, S.C., 13.913
36. Doug Carls (14c), Flanagan, Ill., 13.990

Wednesday’s schedule

(All times local)
9 a.m. - Gates open
6 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Late Model consolation (10 laps)
Intermission/track prep
- Late Model feature (50 laps)