Jimmy Owens had one of the fastest cars all night racing to the win in his home state of Tennessee with the World of Outlaws Late Models.
The green-and-black No. 20 started on the pole of the 40-lap showdown and finished the night with a trip to victory lane.
“We kept getting tighter and tighter,” Owens said on DirtVision. “That right front tire was a little too soft… Hats off to the crew. The guys work so hard. The bottom looked so good down there and I figured someone would come along down there. I was just waiting for it to come in, but luckily things went out in our favor.”
It worked out in the favor of World of Outlaws points leader Dennis Erb Jr., too, as he recovered from a qualifying effort of P22 out of 28 cars at the race.
While Tanner English timed in near the top, Erb Jr. had to pass cars in his heat race, earning a fourth-place finish in his heat while English fell back.
It put the two drivers vying for the World of Outlaws title in the same starting row for Friday’s race and Erb Jr. made the passes to get just a bit more separation.
After tonight’s result, 104 points separate Erb Jr. and English in the title race, with just 11 races remaining in the 2022 season.
To be on pace to win the title, English would need to gain around 10 points per night on Erb Jr., which is how he made the points battle as close as it is in the first place. That’s around five positions on the race track, and while it wouldn’t be easy for English to do, it’s certainly still in play.
The series gets back on track Saturday with a race at Lavonia Speedway in Georgia to cap off the weekend. Fans wanting to tune into the action can see it live on DirtVision.
World of Outlaws Late Model results
Smoky Mountain Showdown
Smoky Mountain Speedway
Fri. September 2, 2022
1. Jimmy Owens
2. Chris Ferguson
3. Max Blair
4. Dennis Erb Jr.
5. Ryan Gustin
6. Cory Hedgecock
7. Tanner English
8. Josh Richards
9. Boom Briggs
10. Brandon Overton
11. Payton Freeman
12. Brent Larson
13. Dwight Falcon
14. Taylor Pucket
15. Hudson O’Neal
16. Shane Clanton
17. John Blankenship
18. Cameron Weaver
19. Sam Seawright
20. Ricky Weiss
21. Skip Arp
22. Dale McDowell
