Dirt on Dirt - Brandon Overton grabs $10,000 Needmore win

January 30

Needmore Speedway,

Norman Park, GA

Sanction: Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series (South Georgia Showdown) - $10,000

Information provided by: Series and track reports (last updated January 30, 11:13 pm)

Brandon Overton grabs $10,000 Needmore win

South Georgia Showdown

Brandon Overton
Cody Overton
Joseph Joiner
Jackson Hise
Mark Whitener
Ryan Gustin
Allen Styck
Josh Rice
Preston Luckman
Dan Ebert
Kyle Bryant
Jason Lively
Austin Howes
Luke Morey

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Photo slideshow Heat highlights Related story Race history

Zack Washington/Simple Moments Photography

Brandon Overton celebrates a $10,000 victory in Needmore's opener.

What won the race: Passing early leader Ryan Gustin with a turn-three slide job on the 11th lap, fourth-starting Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., paced the final 20 circuits in winning Friday's South Georgia Showdown opener at Needmore Speedway. The elder Overton beat his younger brother, Cody, by 4.265 seconds for the $10,000 Hunt the Front non-points season opener, his fourth career series victory and first since the Nov. 2, 2024, season finale at I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, Tenn.

Quotable: “If there’s anything I know I can do, I know I can qualify fast and tonight, when it mattered, I screwed up and left the car too tight and just qualified bad,” Overton said before later adding, “everything worked out in my favor. We come here to get better in the slick, because we were fading last week at Volusia, we were trying to work on our long run package. Couldn’t really tell nothing tonight, but it’s red dirt, it’s what I grew up on, I should be good at this s—t.”

Key notes: Brandon Overton earned his first win since last Halloween night, a $5,000 National 100 opener at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City. ... Sixth-starting Cody Overton grabbed second from Joseph Joiner on a lap-21 restart and trailed his older brother the final 10 laps, but never truly challenged. ... Joiner, of Milton, Fla., finished third in his debut aboard a former B.J. Robinson Black Diamond Race Car after suffering engine issues aboard his Longhorn Chassis in Thursday's practice. ... Mark Whitener, who overcame a flat right-rear tire while running third on the 15th lap, took fifth from Ryan Gustin as they raced towards the checkers; Gustin, who led the opening 10 laps from the pole, settled for sixth. ... The race was slowed by three more cautions after Whitener's lap-15 flat, including a tangle on the ensuing restart that eliminated Austin Howes. ... Preston Luckman appeared to slow with a flat left-rear on the first lap-15 restart attempt, with Howes spinning to avoid; Luckman continued to finish ninth after also spinning to draw the final stoppage on lap 21. ... Jason Lively slowed on the 19th lap and retired. ... The Hunt the Front opener, reduced to 30 laps (from 40) and not paying series points because of the area's frigid temps, lasted 20 minutes with 11 starters completing the distance. ... Blair Nothdurft, Jake Jackson and Trenton Mathis scratched after a crash in the night's first heat race. Nothdurft and Dan Ebert made contact on a restart attempt, sending both cars spinning in front of the field; all drivers were OK, though it took track officials several minutes to remove Ebert’s car from the hood of Luckman’s stopped machine, while Mathis’s car nearly flipped before landing back on its wheels. ... The remainder of the South Georgia Showdown has been cancelled because of cold and wintry weather expected in the area.

On the move: Jackson Hise of Ocala, Fla., started 14th and finished fourth.

Winner's sponsors: Overton’s Riggs Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is sponsored by Budweiser, Dude Wipes, Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Garnto Southern, Riggs Fiber, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Big Dog Stump & Tree Service, RW Powell Construction, ERG Roofing, Harco Construction, Supply Chain Management, Muscle Factory, VG Performance, Bilstein Shocks, VP Racing Fuels, Boswell Oil and Nightowl Design.

Points chase: It’s a non-points season opener.

Current weather: Few Clouds, 41°F

Car count: 17

Fast qualifier: Ryan Gustin

Time: 14.450 seconds

Polesitter: Ryan Gustin

Heat race winners: Ryan Gustin, Mark Whitener

Next series race: February 2, Swainsboro Raceway (Swainsboro, GA) $10,000

Editor's note: Updates daily schedule, corrects feature length to 30 laps (sted 40).

From staff reports

NORMAN PARK, Ga. — Updates from Friday’s South Georgia Showdown opener, highlighted by a 30-lap, $10,000-to-win feature for Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Passing early leader Ryan Gustin with a turn-three slide job on the 11th lap, fourth-starting Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., paced the final 20 circuits in winning Friday's South Georgia Showdown opener at Needmore Speedway. The elder Overton beat his younger brother, Cody, by 4.265 seconds for the $10,000 Hunt the Front non-points season opener, his fourth career series victory and first since the Nov. 2, 2024, season finale at I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, Tenn.

Feature lineup

(30 laps)

Row 1: Ryan Gustin, Mark Whitener
Row 2: Josh Rice, Brandon Overton
Row 3: Joseph Joiner, Cody Overton
Row 4: Kyle Bryant, Allen Styck
Row 5: Preston Luckman, Austin Howes
Row 6: Dan Ebert, Luke Morey
Row 7: Blair Nothdurft, Jackson Hise
Row 8: Jake Jackson, Jason Lively
Row 9: Trenton Mathis

Heat race recap

Ryan Gustin overcame multiple restart attempts and got the jump on Josh Rice to lead all eight laps in winning the first heat race by 0.977 of a second over Rice. Seventh-starting Joseph Joiner completed the podium finishers. After the race’s initial start was called back, Blair Nothdurft and Dan Ebert tangled on the second start attempt, sending both cars spinning and collecting Preston Luckman, Jake Jackson, Kyle Bryant and Trenton Mathis; all drivers were OK, though it took track officials several minutes to remove Ebert’s car from the hood of Luckman’s stopped machine; Mathis’s car nearly flipped over before landing back on its wheels and required a tow back to the pits. Bryant and Luckman were the only two who could continue, finishing fourth and fifth. … Mark Whitener led all eight laps from the pole in winning the night’s final heat race, taking the checkers 1.344 seconds ahead of Brandon Overton, who trailed Whitener the entire way. Cody Overton and Allen Styck held serve in finishing third and fourth, while sixth-starting Austin Howes rounded out the top five.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; all transfer)

First heat: Ryan Gustin, Josh Rice, Joseph Joiner, Kyle Bryant, Preston Luckman, Dan Ebert, Blair Nothdurft, Jake Jackson, Trenton Mathis.

Second heat: Mark Whitener, Brandon Overton, Cody Overton, Allen Styck, Austin Howes, Luke Morey, Jackson Hise, Jason Lively.

Time trials

Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Ryan Gustin (19r), Marshalltown, Iowa, 14.450
2. Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla., 14.672
3. Josh Rice (11R), Crittenden, Ky., 14.773
4. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 14.802
5. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., 14.852
6. Cody Overton (97), Evans, Ga., 14.980
7. Blair Nothdurft (76), Renner, S.D., 14.992
8. Allen Styck (11), Americus, Ga., 15.032
9. Preston Luckman (77), Coos Bay, Ore., 15.038
10. Luke Morey (49), Zeeland, Mich., 15.192
11. Jake Jackson (J1), Gilkey, N.C., 15.263
12. Austin Howes (17A), Lewistown, Mo., 15.281
13. Joseph Joiner (10), Milton, Fla., 15.527
14. Jackson Hise (388), Ocala, Fla., 15.547
15. Kyle Bryant (79), Navarre, Fla., 15.684
16. Jason Lively (21), Jacksonville, Ala., 15.854
17. Trenton Mathis (5m), Phenix City, Ala., 15.912

Friday’s schedule

(All times local)
2 p.m. - Pits open
5 p.m. - Grandstands open
6 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Street stock hot laps
- 604 Crate hot laps
- Factory stock hot laps
- Super Late Model time trials (2 laps)
- Crown Vic group qualifying
- 604 Crate group qualifying
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Street stock heats (6 laps)
- Factory stock heats (6 laps)
- 604 Crate consolations (12 laps)
Feature events
- Super Late Models (30 laps)
- Street stocks (15 laps)
- 604 Crates (30 laps)
- Crown Vics (20 laps)
- Factory stocks (15 laps)