What won the race: Muscling his way by race-long pacesetter Sam Seawright on the 29th lap, second-starting Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., led the rest of Sunday's 50-lap Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series-sanctioned Bama Bash at Talladega Short Track. O'Neal beat Seawright by 2.361 seconds for the $12,000 payday, his second career Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series victory and ninth overall win of the season.

Quotable: “I felt like I had a good racecar and I was kinda just trying a little bit of everything and I never could (pass Seawright)," O'Neal said. "He hung really bad off of (turn) four one time and it just let me get even, front wheels to front wheels down the front straightaway. We got together a little bit down there and I hope it’s not too big of a deal — just hard racing, and it gets really tight getting into one there. We were just racing hard trying to win this thing.”

Key notes: O'Neal notched his second win in as many nights after topping Saturday's $20,000 World of Outlaws weekend finale at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss. ... It's his fifth win of the year aboard Kevin Rumley's No. 6 Rumley Engineering Longhorn; the other four have come with his usual SSI Motorsports team. ... O'Neal's previous Hunt the Front triumph came in January 2025 at Georgia's Needmore Speedway also aboard the Rumley No. 6. ... Seawright, Talladega's two-time and reigning Ice Bowl champ, led the opening 28 laps from the pole before O'Neal gained control with a physical turn-one slider at the start of lap 29. Seawright closed within 0.236 of a second with five laps to go before fading back at the checkers. ... Former Ice Bowl winner Ryan Gustin regained third from Bobby Pierce right after a lap-seven restart and completed the podium finishers. ... Tyler Erb took fifth from Jonathan Davenport on lap 28, relegating J.D. to sixth in the finishing order. … Davenport was involved in the race’s second and final caution a couple laps later when he made contact while trying to pass the lapped car of Josh Putnam, sending Putnam spinning at the entrance of turn three. Putnam expressed displeasure with Davenport under the lap-30 stoppage by driving backwards on the track and swerving towards the oncoming Davenport, causing J.D. to slide sideways and avoiding heavy contact. The two cars made additional contact under yellow before Putnam, who also slowed with nose damage for the first caution on lap seven, retired and was credited with 24th. … The Hunt the Front Series points-paying opener lasted 20 minutes with 17 starters completing 50 laps.

On the move: Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., started 14th 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 Talladega: 1. Hudson O’Neal (100); 2. Sam Seawright (94); 3. Ryan Gustin (92); 4. Bobby Pierce (90); 5. Tyler Erb (88).

Current weather: Clear, 73°F

Car count: 48

Fast qualifier: Jonathan Davenport

Time: 14.631 seconds

Polesitter: Sam Seawright

Heat race winners: Hudson O'Neal, Ryan Gustin, Jonathan Davenport, Sam Seawright

Consolation race winners: Austin Smith, T.J. Brittain

Provisional starters: Jimmy Owens, Dalton Cook, Luke Morey, Jason Lively, Josh Putnam, Jake Jackson

Next series race: April 10, North Georgia Speedway (Chatsworth, GA) $8,000