1/31/2026
Hunt The Front Super Dirt Series
Overton Slides Past Gustin to Win HTF Series Feature at Needmore
NEEDMORE, Ga. (Jan. 30) — Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., put his red-dirt roots to work Friday night at Needmore Speedway, charging past early leader Ryan Gustin with a decisive slide job on lap 11 and pacing the remaining distance to win the South Georgia Showdown opener for the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series.
Starting fourth, Overton took control in turn three on the 11th circuit and never looked back, leading the final 20 laps of the 30-lap feature to earn the $10,000 payday in the series’ non-points season opener. He crossed the finish line 4.265 seconds ahead of his younger brother, Cody Overton, to secure his fourth career HTF Series victory and his first since the Nov. 2, 2024, season finale at I-75 Raceway.
“It’s red dirt — it’s what I grew up on,” Overton said. “We’ve been trying to work on our long-run package and get better in the slick. Everything worked out in our favor tonight.”
Polesitter Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, led the opening 10 laps before Overton made his winning move. Gustin ultimately settled for sixth after battling traffic and late-race restarts.
Cody Overton, who started sixth, advanced to second place on a lap-21 restart by overtaking Joseph Joiner of Milton, Fla., and trailed his brother to the finish. Joiner rounded out the podium in third in his debut aboard a Black Diamond Race Car after engine trouble sidelined his primary machine during Thursday’s practice.
Jackson Hise of Ocala, Fla., earned the night’s MD3 Hard Charger honors, rallying from 14th to finish fourth. Mark Whitener of Middleburg, Fla., rebounded from a flat right-rear tire while running third on lap 15 to recover and grab fifth at the checkered flag.
The race was slowed by multiple cautions, including a lap-15 flat tire for Whitener and a restart incident that eliminated Austin Howes. Jason Lively retired on lap 19, while Preston Luckman battled tire issues but managed to finish ninth.
Eleven drivers completed the race, which lasted approximately 20 minutes under mostly clear skies with temperatures hovering near 41 degrees. Seventeen Super Late Models were on hand for the opener, with Gustin earning fast time honors in qualifying.
Blair Nothdurft, Jake Jackson, and Trenton Mathis scratched following an incident during heat race competition; all drivers involved were uninjured.
The remainder of the South Georgia Showdown weekend was cancelled due to forecasts calling for wintry weather and freezing temperatures.
The Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series will officially open its 2026 championship chase on Sunday, March 22, with the $12,000-to-win Bama Bash at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala.
Submitted By: Joshua Joiner
