Brandon Overton Wins 2019 Southern Nationals Championship

7/29/2019 Brandon Overton Wins 2019 Southern Nationals Championship

After recording another 2nd place finish at Tazewell Speedway Saturday night, Brandon Overton and Rum Runner Racing were crowned the 2019 Schaffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Champion! Of the 11 races scheduled, the events at Toccoa and Senoia were cancelled due to weather. Out the 9 events run, the Rum Runner Racing team scored a tour high 3 wins (Wythe, Smoky Mountain, & Crossville) along with 3 runner up finishes (Cherokee, 411, & Tazewell). A 4th place finish at Rome left the team with only 2 finishes outside of the top 5. That consistency is what them atop the point standings on Saturday night. 

Consistency is exactly what we spent most of our preparation talking about. There are so many races in such a short time period that it is important to get ahead early and then maintain a high level of performance. A win at Wythe raceway on night one with a 2nd place finish on night two was a good indicator of the potential of the run that Brandon Overton and crew chief Harold Holly could have.

Even with the strong start, there was still plenty of adversity that the team had to overcome. A 16th place finish at Screven Motorsports Park after being spun twice, shrunk the early points lead that had been built up. A broken rear end gear at Tri-County gave the points lead to Jake Knowles going into the event at Crossville Speedway. Overton needed to score 5 pts/race for the last 3 races to come out on top. A win at Crossville Speedway followed by two consecutive 2nd place finishes to end the tour was more than enough to retake the points lead and claim the Championship. 

“The kind of run that we had over the last 2 weeks is the kind of consistency that we have been working towards since January in Arizona. Brandon, Joey, & I have all worked together for years but never on an everyday basis and that kind of adjustment takes time. In the end its all come down to communication between the 3 of us. It took some beatings from our friends like Randell Chupp, who have also been a part of our relationship for a long time. I didn’t realize how consistent we were until Joey text Brandon and I all the stats after Tazewell. I am proud of the whole team and of the way that Brandon and I are working together. Its been our goal to operate like this from the beginning. Now its time to take it to the big dogs and see how we stack up.”
 -Harold Holly, Crew Chief for Rum Runner Racing & Brandon Overton-

“As owners, of Rum Runner Racing are very proud of our team’s efforts in winning the 2019 Schaffer’s Southern Nationals Championship. With Joey Coulter’s help in selecting Brandon Overton as our primary driver, and Brandon and Harold Holly’s long term relationship, we knew it would be a successful partnership. Harold has been part of our family for over 12 years, and without his leadership we would not be where we are today. Rum Runner Racing would to thank all the guys the have worked with us in the shop and at the race track, and a big thank you to all of our partners for their support.”
 -Rum Runner Racing Owners Joe and Susan Coulter-

Once again, we would like to thank all our partners that are a huge part of this team and our success. Schaeffer’s Oil, Penske Racing Shocks, PFC Brakes, SRI, Draco Springs, Simpson Race Products, Stilo, ETG, EZ-GO, Willy’s Carb & Dyno, Wiles Drive Shafts, MoTec, Airshok, Race-fan, Molecule, DriveRefine, B&A Farms, VP Racing Fuels, and Hoosier Tire by Brian. 

Also a special thanks to the entire team for their long hours of hard work. Harold Holly, Brandon Overton, Matthew Nance, Daniel Stolte, Michael “Stix” Reynolds, Dan Tate “the old guy”, and all those that help at the track when and where they can.