Cody Overton Wins First World of Outlaws Late Model Race at Modoc

Cody Overton converted the front row into his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory, leading all 40 laps of Friday’s Modoc 100 opener at Modoc Speedway in South Carolina. Bobby Pierce made the biggest move of the night, advancing from 20th to second, but couldn’t reach Overton before the finish.

The 4/10-mile dirt oval hosted the first of two nights of racing. Friday’s feature paid $12,000 to win; Saturday’s race was set to pay $25,000 to the winner. Overton started alongside Garrett Smith and took control at the opening green flag.

Overton withstands late pressure

Overton had clear track early, while most of the field favored the bottom groove. By lap 10, he was approaching slower traffic. Jonathan Davenport moved to the high side as he worked through the pack, and Hudson O’Neal gained fourth with an inside pass.

A caution on lap 21 followed contact involving Carson Ferguson and Tyler Erb. At the restart, Chris Madden took second from Smith, who briefly fought back before Madden secured the position. Smith then bobbled in turn one on lap 22 and dropped to fifth.

Another caution came on lap 25 when Eli Johnson spun. Overton again led the restart, with Madden and O’Neal behind him. Pierce was already up to fifth after starting 20th, using the high line to make progress.

On lap 33, Pierce passed Davenport for third with a slide. Davenport crossed underneath, and Pierce struck the wall hard enough to throw sparks, but kept moving forward. Tyler Erb slowed a lap later, bringing out another caution.

On the restart, Davenport and Madden contested the bottom through turn three. Pierce carried speed along the cushion and cleared both for second. He tried a long-range slide with one lap remaining, but Overton stayed ahead to take the win. Pierce finished second, Davenport third and Madden fourth.

Feature results

The 40-lap World of Outlaws Late Model feature finished as follows. Starting positions appear in brackets:

1. Cody Overton [1]; 2. Bobby Pierce [20]; 3. Jonathan Davenport [4]; 4. Chris Madden [3]; 5. Nick Hoffman [5]; 6. Hudson O’Neal [10]; 7. Brandon Overton [7]; 8. Dennis Erb Jr [21]; 9. Trey Mills [16]; 10. Garrett Smith [2]; 11. Ethan Dotson [13]; 12. Daulton Wilson [6]; 13. Tim McCreadie [23]; 14. Dustin Sorensen [24]; 15. Ethan Wilson [19]; 16. Ryan Gustin [18]; 17. Michael Brown [11]; 18. Ross Bailes [17]; 19. Kyle Strickler [15]; 20. Tristan Chamberlain [9]; 21. Tyler Erb [12]; 22. Chris Ferguson [14]; 23. Carson Ferguson [8]; 24. Logan Zarin [22]; 25. Eli Johnson [26]; 26. Brent Larson [25].

Qualifying and heat-race leaders

Mike Marlar topped Group A qualifying with a 15.511-second lap. Garrett Smith was second at 15.541, followed by Madden at 15.730. Nick Hoffman led Group B in 15.750, with Davenport second at 15.845 and Cody Overton third at 15.970. Tim McCreadie’s Group A time was listed as 15.162, but he was marked DQ.

The four heat winners were Madden, Smith, Cody Overton and Davenport. Madden won Heat 1 ahead of Daulton Wilson and Tristan Chamberlain. Smith took Heat 2, followed by Brandon Overton and Michael Brown. Cody Overton won Heat 3 over Hoffman and O’Neal, while Davenport led Heat 4 ahead of Carson Ferguson and Tyler Erb.

Ross Bailes and Ryan Gustin won the two 10-lap Last Chance Showdowns. Pierce finished second in the second showdown to secure his place in the feature. He then turned that transfer into a runner-up finish, despite starting at the back.

Practice leaders

Carson Ferguson set the fastest listed hot-lap time, 15.119 seconds. Smith was second at 15.235, and Ross Bailes third at 15.365. Davenport posted 15.445, Tyler Erb 15.452 and Madden 15.661. Pierce’s practice time was 15.928, placing him 25th in the listed order; his feature pace told a different story as he worked through traffic and challenged for the lead late.

Modoc’s two-night format raises the stakes for Saturday’s higher-paying feature, but Friday’s result belongs to Overton: he controlled the race from the front and handled repeated restarts, while Pierce’s charge showed how much the track’s high line could reward drivers willing to use it.

Modoc Speedway | World of Outlaws

Modoc 100 schedule: October 23 | October 24