FLOMATON, Ala. — Chris O’Connor survived a pair of close calls and led wire-to-wire to win the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series 75-lap race and the $5,000 top prize on Saturday night in front of a packed house at Flomaton Speedway.

O’Connor had an anxious moment in heavy lapped traffic on lap 11 when he got off the inside of the track in turn four and slid up in front of the second-place car of Shep Lucas.  One lap later, O’Connor made contact with the lapped car of Bo Odom and Odom’s Bill Patterson Construction Trick hit the front stretch wall.

“Things were tight early in the race in lapped traffic, and I’ve got to thank Shep Lucas for giving me a break when I got off the track in turn four,” O’Connor said. “I’ve also got to apologize to the 55 car (Odom) for getting into him, and it wasn’t intentional.  I knew the heat was on behind me, and I was trying to win the race.”

O’Connor raced ahead of the field the remaining distance, with Lucas finishing second. Derrick Rainey, Matthew Turner and Mark Clifton, who started 15th, rounded out the top five.

The finish:

Chris O’Connor, Shep Lucas, Derrick Rainey, Matthew Turner, Mark Clifton, Larry Boutwell, Rusty Ellis, Scott Knowles, William Thomas, Chip Brindle, Chris Tays, Stephen Brantley, Jay Blair, Eric Colley, Jeff Fields, Ted Lackey, Josh Huss, Jason Hiett, Jim Till, Frank Ingram, Lucky Keeton, Hunter Peacock, Clint Holmes, Bo Odom.