After the Checkers
Instant reaction, analysis of Florence's last-lappers
By Kevin Kovac
DirtonDirt senior writer
Josh Rice (left) congratulated by brother James. (heathlawsonphotos.com)
UNION, Ky. (Aug. 7) — Instant reaction and analysis from Friday’s twin 25-lap Sunoco North-South 100 semifeatures at Florence Speedway, a pair of $6,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned events captured by Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., and Josh Rice of Crittenden, Ky.:
WHAT. A. SHOW.: Why have I become an unabashed fan of Florence Speedway? Nights like Friday. The North-South 100’s second preliminary program produced two absolutely spectacular 25-lap semifeatures that displayed everything I love about the half-mile oval promoted by Josh King. Both races were filled with drivers digging incredibly hard — pounding the cushion, churning along the bottom, dive-bombing into the corners — and ended with dramatic, last-lap passes for the win. The intense Florence fans responded accordingly to the action, roaring louder than the screaming engines as Brandon Overton nipped Mike Marlar in the first semi and somehow cranking up the sound even more to cheer home-track favorite Josh Rice’s buzzer-beating triumph over Bobby Pierce in the nightcap. Marlar remarked that the “nature of this track” makes it “hard to cruise, so it kind of forces people to be uncomfortable.” Watching drivers relentlessly search for the fastest way around can be breathtaking, and it’s why the racing is so darn entertaining and, in turn, the North-South 100 atmosphere is so electric. Florence Y’all, indeed.
HOMETOWN HERO: Josh Rice was so ecstatic upon pulling a final-circuit slider on the indomitable Bobby Pierce to capture Friday’s second 25-lapper that he essentially yelled himself hoarse from his screams inside his helmet and in victory lane. But a majority of his fans likely sported diminished voices afterward as well considering the explosion of noise they created in cheering the 28-year-old Lucas Oil Series regular. What a scene it was after Rice sailed his new Rocket Chassis past Pierce through turns one and two on the last lap and then repelled him at the other end with a smartly-executed slider-blocking line. The track erupted in sound and emotion. I looked up into the backstretch bleaches and saw grown men high-fiving each other and running wildly through the aisle ways in celebration. “I’ve wanted to do something like that so bad for so many years,” Rice said. “Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow.” After seeing the how Florence reacted to Rice winning a preliminary, just try to imagine what him capturing the North-South 100 for the first time would look like.
ADOPTED SON: Brandon Overton might not be a homegrown Kentuckian, but the Florence faithful treated him like one after he lost the lead to Mike Marlar following a lap-23 restart in the first semifeature and then fought back to regain command on the final circuit. The 35-year-old driver who won the North-South 100 in 2021 was clearly a crowd favorite as they roared their approval of his triumphant move — one night after Marlar beat him for a 25-lap victory — and laughed in unison every time Overton offered one of his humorous comments during his postrace interview. The warm reception added extra personal significance to a victory that, despite coming in a split-field event, was his first of any kind in Lucas Oil action since last May and ended an overall checkered flag drought this season dating back to April 15 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. “This is a badass place. The atmosphere is cool,” Overton said, the relief of winning again evident in his beaming smile.
TALKING INVERSION: Under the North-South 100’s format, drivers accumulated event points during the two preliminary nights to determine the starting lineups of Saturday’s six heat races. There’s an announced inversion of 24 cars, however, that has the six highest points earners starting fourth in each heat (one position beyond a transfer spot). It’s a system that does bring the prospect of sandbagging into the equation because finishing up front both nights (like such drivers as Overton, Marlar and Rice did) or even one night (like Brandon Sheppard with a Thursday win before a flat-induced 16th-place finish on Friday) results in starting a Saturday heat in fourth. Bobby Pierce admitted that he would have likely fallen to the back end of the top-10 in Friday’s semifeature if he was running third or worse in hopes of landing a better heat start. Ricky Thornton Jr., meanwhile, did pull the fade in Friday’s first semi; after a late caution flag dulled his challenge of Overton and he didn’t fire off well on the restart, he acknowledged that he slipped back to finish seventh (it left him starting third in Sheppard’s heat). Rocket1 owner Mark Richards is one racer who’s vehemently against the inversion, reasoning that “we’re a professional sport and we don’t need to play games.”
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Josh Rice, his older brother James and their father Jerry boast a combined 20 career starts in the North-South 100 finale. Jerry leads the way with 12 feature appearances, topped by a family-best runner-up finish in 2006. Josh owns eight starts in the 100-lapper, but his fifth-place finish in ’21 stands as his lone result better than 14th. James, meanwhile, entered the event 11 times from 2010-23 but was never able to crack the feature’s starting field.
