The O’Neal family has increasingly focused on getting 17-year-old Hudson O'Neal as much experience as possible, but that does not mean his father, Don, has simply been cheering from the sidelines. 

Father and son are battling head-to-head and the competition has been beneficial to both. Hudson most recently won in the Gateway Dirt Nationals, while Don is far from done at the age of 53. This year Don recorded five wins, 28 top fives and 41 top 10s on his way to the 41st spot in the Flo 50.

The elder O’Neal’s first win came in the third night of DIRTcar Nationals at the start of the season in February. O’Neal came from deep in the field en route to Victory Lane, maneuvering from 13th to first. Leaving Florida with a win made it easy for O’Neal to stay at the top of his game. His next victory came just a week later. It was a little easier to achieve because he started on the pole in Lucas Oil’s first trip to Duck River Speedway in Lewsiburg, TN, but he had to battle with Scott Bloomquist all night for the win.

O’Neal’s biggest payout of the year occurred when he motored from fourth to first in the third night of the USA Nationals in August for a $50,000 check after the 100-lap feature.

The mark of a strong racer is his ability to win marquee events. O’Neal won the odd feature of the Crown Jewel, World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, in September. His performance put him in fourth for the feature, where he was running aggressively until a broken track bar on lap 10 ruined his chances. O’Neal maintained speed to finish 13th in the $100,000-to-win event.

O’Neal’s win in The Pittsburgher in October was his final of the season. He set a new track record at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on his way to his victory. O’Neal led the entire race and survived numerous restarts to cut away his lead over the field.

O’Neal helped keep the age-long battle of young guns versus veterans alive in the 2017 season and shows no signs of slowing as he heads into the 2018 season.

Flo 50

*Percentage points utilize the baseline belief that a win is a win in the major series covered. One hundred points is awarded to first and the points decrement below that as a percentage of the field. For example, in a 25-car field, each position behind the winner is worth four fewer points. In races with incredibly large fields, the points decrement to a less extreme degree. A 50-car field decrements two points per position, and drivers earn points even if they fail to make the A-main.

Introducing The Flo 50