2022 Tarheel 50 At Tri-County

The Headline(s)

Dale McDowell scored his first Tarheel 50 victory since 2009 on a night that saw the nation’s biggest late model stars fall by the wayside.

How it Happened

2022 Tarheel 50 (Flo Racing Night in America)
Where: Tri-County Racetrack – Brassville, N.C. (streamed on Flo Racing)
Winner’s Purse: $22,022

A night that was primed for Jonathan Davenport’s 2022 dominance to continue lasted all of three laps in Thursday’s first heat race (Oct. 6), when the nation’s premier late model driver found himself collected in a wreck not of his making.

From there, the regional stars made their presence felt. And while youngster Carson Ferguson led 44 laps and kept Brandon Sheppard at bay, in the end it was veteran Dale McDowell that grabbed the Tarheel 50 victory, scoring his richest win of the 2022 season and his first in the Tri-County staple event in over a decade.

🏁 @DaleMcDowell17m WINS the Tarheel 50 at Tri-County Race Track on @Castrol @FloRacing Night in America!

📺 https://t.co/63wQMR9Rob pic.twitter.com/SnMTkyq2F9

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) October 7, 2022

Ferguson, who weathered challenges from Sheppard and Garrett Alberson during his time up front, saw his lead seriously threatened after a lap 40 caution bunched the field back up and allowed both McDowell and Chris Madden to pounce on runner-up Alberson. From there, McDowell proved untouchable on the bottom, making what would be the race-winning pass exiting turn 4 on lap 45.

The night wasn’t short on hurt feelings, with multiple incidents during the heat races (read on) and Ferguson being unhappy with McDowell after the two did make contact during the race-lead exchange; McDowell in victory lane noted that he held his line down the backstretch and was turned into.

Success Stories

McDowell has to get a shout-out for scoring the Tarheel 50 win. His struggles with cancer and recovery this season have been well-documented, but to return to victory lane after a 13-year absence in an event he didn’t get to contest last year was a feel-good story. And this writer concurs with the veteran’s assessment that he played fair with Ferguson on his race-winning move.

🗣️ @DaleMcDowell17m drove through The Tiger Pit – a.k.a. Tri-County Race Track – from 10th to 1st on @Castrol @FloRacing Night in America!

📺 https://t.co/63wQMR9Rob pic.twitter.com/w7HuCCzLon

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) October 7, 2022

Now, having said that, despite a rocky finish that saw…