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Dramatic Last Lap Pass Puts Dale McDowell in Southern Nationals Victory Lane for Twelfth Time

(July 28, 2023) Dale McDowell was in the right place at the right time on Friday night at North Georgia Speedway and was able to execute a dramatic last lap pass to secure his second win of the season with the Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series! Dale, who timed in fifth quickest in Group A during the qualifying session and finished second in his heat race, started fifth on the ‘Young Memorial’ feature grid and quickly advanced to the second position. Experimenting with different grooves behind race-long leader Carson Ferguson, Dale was within striking distance as the race culminated with Ferguson’s #93 mired in lapped traffic. (Nathan Curtis Photo)

Heading into turns one and two on the final circuit, the Chickamauga, Georgia Hall of Famer got the break he needed when a lapped car slowed abruptly on the bottom of the track in front of Ferguson - allowing McDowell to power around the top side of the racing surface to take the lead and bag the $10,053 first place prize money. A dejected Carson Ferguson, who led the first 52 laps from the pole, was forced to settle for a runner-up performance. Donald McIntosh continued his streak of podium finishes by bringing his Billy Hicks Racing #79 machine home in the third spot. Michael Page vaulted past eight competitors during the 53-lap ‘Young Memorial’ to finish fourth, while Ricky Weiss rounded out the top five in the fifth position.

“Man it’s so hard to win these things and Carson (Ferguson) is becoming a heck of a little racer and was doing everything good,” exclaimed McDowell in Schaeffer’s Oil victory lane. “It’s just you don’t know where to go (to get by lapped traffic). I had been playing with the top down there (in turns one and two) just to try to get a run if we got to lapped traffic and really couldn’t do anything down here (in turns three and four). We just got a little lucky there, you know he got pinned down there on the bottom. I just have to thank all my guys that work on this thing, all of our great sponsors that are involved with Shane McDowell Racing, and of course these awesome fans!”

Dale McDowell, who now has twelve career Southern Nationals Series triumphs to his credit, drove a Shane McDowell Racing Team Zero racecar with a Clements Racing Engine under the hood. Sponsorship on his familiar #17m comes in part from E-Z-GO, Cometic Gaskets, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Connected Strategy Advisors, Northeastern Fabrication, S&H Systems, Fox Racing Shox, Campbell Insulation Specialists, and Shackleford Enterprises.

A total of 36 competitors signed into the historic Chatsworth, Georgia facility tonight for round seven of the Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series presented by Coltman Farms Racing and fueled by Sunoco. After Ricky Weiss laid down a fast lap of 14.062 seconds during Boyd Bilt Spring-Pro hot laps to claim the “Smashing the Clock” award, Carson Ferguson went quickest in FK Rod Ends qualifying with his time of 13.932 seconds. The four heat race wins went to Ferguson, Sam Seawright, Booger Brooks, and Donald McIntosh, while the pair of B-Mains were won by Rob Mayea and Josh Henry. Series provisionals were awarded to Jordan Koehler and Brenden Smith, while Joey Tanner utilized an emergency provisional to start shotgun on the feature field.

Only two caution flags waved during the ‘Young Memorial’ tonight at North Georgia Speedway. The first came when the initial start of the race was called back. Joey Tanner then brought out the final yellow flag when he spun around on lap 15. The 53-lap feature was run in a mere 17 minutes with fifteen drivers still around at the checkers - eleven of which were on the lead lap.

As is customary, for the nineteenth straight year the Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals will wrap up the tour at the bad-fast Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, Tennessee. The annual ‘Ray Varner Ford 53’ will pay $10,053 to win on Saturday night, July 29 and a Champion will be crowned in front of the expected large hillside crowd. Billy Ogle, Jr. ('05), Jimmy Owens ('06), Chris Madden ('07 & '08), Jimmy Owens ('09), Jonathan Davenport ('10), Vic Hill ('11), Chris Madden ('12), Jonathan Davenport ('13), Eric Jacobsen ('14), Vic Hill ('15), Scott Bloomquist ('16), Brandon Overton ('17 & '18), Dale McDowell ('19), David Payne ('20), Dakotah Knuckles ('20), Michael Chilton ('21), and Dale McDowell ('22) have won series events previously at “The Taz.”

Local favorite Jimmy Owens will bring the Southern Nationals Series point lead into Tazewell on Saturday, but finds himself only six markers ahead of Carson Ferguson in the latest standings. With each driver able to drop his worst finish of the tour after the ‘Ray Varner Ford 53,’ five drivers technically have a chance at the Championship including Owens, Ferguson, Donald McIntosh, Ricky Weiss, and Kenny Collins. See how the drama plays out by getting to Tazewell Speedway on Saturday evening or by watching every lap LIVE on FloRacing. Additional information can be found online at www.tazewellspeedway.net.

Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series presented by Coltman Farms Racing
Round 7 Race Summary
Friday, July 28, 2023
North Georgia Speedway - Chatsworth, Georgia

Schaeffer’s Oil Feature Finish (53 Laps):
1. (5) Dale McDowell $10,053
2. (1) Carson Ferguson $5,000
3. (4) Donald McIntosh $3,000
4. (12) Michael Page $2,000
5. (6) Ricky Weiss $1,500
6. (10) Jimmy Owens $1,000
7. (9) Kenny Collins $800
8. (11) Will Roland $700
9. (8) Pearson Lee Williams $675
10. (16) Tyler Clem $650
11. (14) John Ownbey $625
12. (13) Mike Benedum $600
13. (18) Josh Henry $575
14. (22) Brenden Smith $550
15. (21) Jordan Koehler $525
16. (17) Rob Mayea $500
17. (2) Booger Brooks $500
18. (7) David Payne $500
19. (19) Jensen Ford $500
20. (15) Chase Oliver $500
21. (23) Joey Tanner $75
22. (3) Sam Seawright $500
23. (20) Heath Hindman $500

Entries: 36
Lap Leaders: Carson Ferguson (Laps 1-52), Dale McDowell (Lap 53)
Cautions: 2 (Initial Start Called Back, Joey Tanner Spun on Lap 15)

Hot Laps:
Boyd Bilt Spring-Pro "Smashing the Clock" Award: Ricky Weiss 14.062

FK Rod Ends Time Trials:
Fast Time Overall: Carson Ferguson 13.932

Qualifying - Group A: 1. 93-Carson Ferguson, 00:13.932[3]; 2. 16-Sam Seawright, 00:13.949[8]; 3. 1C-Kenny Collins, 00:14.075[10]; 4. 22-Will Roland, 00:14.085[14]; 5. 17M-Dale McDowell, 00:14.129[6]; 6. 8P-David Payne, 00:14.154[11]; 7. 83-Jensen Ford, 00:14.166[7]; 8. 05-Corey Roulette, 00:14.184[1]; 9. 25-Mike Benedum, 00:14.249[4]; 10. 5-Chase Oliver, 00:14.308[5]; 11. 37-Rob Mayea, 00:14.431[17]; 12. 38-Josh Walker, 00:14.449[12]; 13. 187-David McCoy, 00:14.471[9]; 14. 10-Ty Giles, 00:14.651[15]; 15. 87-Andrew Littleton, 00:14.724[16]; 16. 5N-Tyler Nichols, 00:14.733[2]; 17. 7C-Jeremy Cropper, 00:14.743[13]; 18. 117-Stanton Davis, 00:14.759[18]

Qualifying - Group B: 1. 7-Ricky Weiss, 00:13.973[6]; 2. 121-Pearson Williams, 00:14.042[13]; 3. 60-Booger Brooks, 00:14.086[2]; 4. 79-Donald McIntosh, 00:14.140[4]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens, 00:14.146[12]; 6. 18X-Michael Page, 00:14.229[8]; 7. 44-John Ownbey, 00:14.243[18]; 8. 114-Jordan Koehler, 00:14.265[5]; 9. 91-Heath Hindman, 00:14.355[1]; 10. 58-Tyler Clem, 00:14.380[14]; 11. 00-Shawn Chastain, 00:14.390[7]; 12. 17SS-Brenden Smith, 00:14.430[11]; 13. 38J-Jamie Oliver, 00:14.485[3]; 14. B00-Josh Henry, 00:14.599[17]; 15. 01-Tate McCollum, 00:14.652[10]; 16. 46J-Chris Jones, 00:14.865[9]; 17. 46-Joey Tanner, 00:14.892[15]; 18. 8-Chris Chandler, 00:15.162[16]

Sunoco Race Fuels Heat Race #1 Finish (Top Four Transfer): 1. 93-Carson Ferguson[1]; 2. 17M-Dale McDowell[3]; 3. 1C-Kenny Collins[2]; 4. 25-Mike Benedum[5]; 5. 37-Rob Mayea[6]; 6. 83-Jensen Ford[4]; 7. 187-David McCoy[7]; 8. 87-Andrew Littleton[8]; 9. 7C-Jeremy Cropper[9]

American Racer South Heat Race #2 Finish (Top Four Transfer): 1. 16-Sam Seawright[1]; 2. 8P-David Payne[3]; 3. 22-Will Roland[2]; 4. 5-Chase Oliver[5]; 5. 05-Corey Roulette[4]; 6. 5N-Tyler Nichols[8]; 7. 38-Josh Walker[6]; 8. 117-Stanton Davis[9]; 9. 10-Ty Giles[7]

E-Z-GO Heat Race #3 Finish (Top Four Transfer): 1. 60-Booger Brooks[2]; 2. 7-Ricky Weiss[1]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 4. 44-John Ownbey[4]; 5. 91-Heath Hindman[5]; 6. 46-Joey Tanner[9]; 7. 00-Shawn Chastain[6]; 8. (DNS) 38J-Jamie Oliver; 9. (DNS) 01-Tate McCollum

Delph Communications Heat Race #4 Finish (Top Four Transfer): 1. 79-Donald McIntosh[2]; 2. 121-Pearson Williams[1]; 3. 18X-Michael Page[3]; 4. 58-Tyler Clem[5]; 5. B00-Josh Henry[7]; 6. 17SS-Brenden Smith[6]; 7. 114-Jordan Koehler[4]; 8. 8-Chris Chandler[9]; 9. 46J-Chris Jones[8]

American Racer Tires B-Main #1 Finish (Top Two Transfer): 1. 37-Rob Mayea[1]; 2. 83-Jensen Ford[3]; 3. 5N-Tyler Nichols[4]; 4. 05-Corey Roulette[2]; 5. 187-David McCoy[5]; 6. 117-Stanton Davis[8]; 7. 87-Andrew Littleton[7]; 8. (DNS) 38-Josh Walker; 9. (DNS) 7C-Jeremy Cropper; 10. (DNS) 10-Ty Giles

Collins Signs B-Main #2 Finish (Top Two Transfer): 1. B00-Josh Henry[2]; 2. 91-Heath Hindman[1]; 3. 46-Joey Tanner[3]; 4. 114-Jordan Koehler[6]; 5. 8-Chris Chandler[7]; 6. 00-Shawn Chastain[5]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[4]; 8. (DNS) 46J-Chris Jones; 9. (DNS) 38J-Jamie Oliver; 10. (DNS) 01-Tate McCollum

Series Provisionals: Jordan Koehler, Brenden Smith

Series Emergency Provisional: Joey Tanner

Current Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series Point Standings:
1. Jimmy Owens - 1378
2. Carson Ferguson - 1372
3. Donald McIntosh - 1364
4. Ricky Weiss - 1354
5. Mike Benedum [R] - 1254
6. Kenny Collins - 1253
7. Jordan Koehler [R] - 1240
8. Brenden Smith - 1224
9. Tyler Clem [R] - 1195
10. David McCoy - 1034
11. Will Roland - 940
12. Payton Freeman - 906
13. Joey Tanner [R] - 860
14. John Llewellyn [R] - 842
15. Dale McDowell - 590
* Each driver will drop their worst race after the finale at Tazewell Speedway

For more information on the Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series presented by Coltman Farms Racing and fueled by Sunoco Race Fuels, please point your Internet browser to www.SouthernNationalsSeries.com or feel free to call series promoter Ray Cook at 828-360-5353. You can also follow us across social media platforms on facebook.com/southernnationalsseries and on Twitter @sonationals.

The Southern Nationals Series would like to thank all of our marketing partners including: Schaeffer’s Oil & Specialized Lubricants, Coltman Farms Racing, Sunoco Race Fuels, American Race Tires, Delph Communications, E-Z-GO, Vidalia Powersports, Arizona Sport Shirts, Boyd Bilt Fabrication, Capital Race Cars, Collins Signs, DirtCarLift.com, DirtonDirt.com, FK Rod Ends, Hoosier Racing Tire, JM Custom Laser, Knowles Race Parts and Bodies, MasterSbilt Race Cars, SFP Performance Systems, The Joie of Seating, The Steering Buddy, Velocita-USA, Vic Hill Racing Engines, and Wiles Driveshafts.

About Schaeffer’s Oil & Specialized Lubricants:
Schaeffer's Specialized Lubricants: synthetic motor oils, hydraulic fluids, and diesel fuel additives have achieved a world-class reputation for improving engine performance and fuel economy, but their diverse product line includes all types of industrial lubricants, industrial greases, and industrial oils as well as specialty items like their chain lubes and degreasers. Founded in 1839, their philosophy is to provide advanced lubricants for improved performance, reliability, and fuel economy. Learn more or find a rep near you at www.SchaefferOil.com.

Media Contact: Ryan Delph - Delph Communications
www.DelphCommunications.com

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