(Phenix City, AL – September 22, 2025) – Hometown favorite Montana Dudley made the most of a late-race opportunity and scored the biggest win of his career on Sunday night, capturing the 53rd Annual Alabama State Championship for the Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series at East Alabama Motor Speedway.
Starting sixth, Dudley inherited the lead on lap 44 when series points leader Jeremy Steele slowed while dominating the event from the pole. From there, Dudley held off two late restarts and pulled away to the checkered flag, crossing the line 1.170 seconds ahead of Matt Henderson for his fourth career CRUSA victory and a career-high payday of $10,000. The triumph also marked Dudley’s fifth victory of the season at EAMS.
“The way my year’s been, I felt like a little bit of luck finally fell on our side. I’m pumped, I could probably cry right now,” Dudley said after climbing from his car and handing his gloves to a fan. “Like I said it’s been such a rough year, I was starting to wonder if maybe I’d lost the edge or something, but I’m just glad to be back in victory lane. This is my first $10,000-to-win so that’ll be cool hanging on the wall.”
The 50-lap feature saw Steele of York, S.C., set the pace early, leading the first 43 laps before mechanical issues dashed his hopes of a championship crown at EAMS. Joseph Brown challenged Steele early but dropped out on lap 39 with a mechanical issue, while Cody Overton ran inside the top five until late-race damage forced him to fade. Defending champion Hayden Cardwell also battled adversity, recovering from a flat tire to salvage 10th.
Meanwhile, Henderson put on the night’s most impressive drive, charging from 18th to finish runner-up, earning the evening’s Scorpion Race Cars Hard Charger honors. Local standout Russ Ogletree completed the podium in third, followed by Jake Rainey and Josh Ray to round out the top five.
Alabama State Championship – 50 Laps (Unofficial Results):
1.) 55-Montana Dudley[6]
2.) 22H-Matt Henderson[18]
3.) 88R-Russ Ogletree[3]
4.) 87R-Jake Rainey[12]
5.) 77-Josh Ray[17]
6.) 32-Austin Horton[7]
7.) 18B-Austin Yarbrough[21]
8.) 611-Koulten Herbert[23]
9.) 515-Bubba Roling[9]
10.) 17C-Hayden Cardwell[11]
11.) 42-Jake Traylor[15]
12.) 16-Caleb Gay[10]
13.) 97-Cody Overton[5]
14.) 92-Joseph Brown[4]
15.) 22S-Jeremy Steele[1]
16.) 110-Ricky Culpepper[2]
17.) 58-Trent McLeod[24]
18.) 44-Kam Boyd[14]
19.) 7-Corey Neil Jr[19]
20.) 22T-Jimmy Thomas[13]
21.) 5-Wil Herrington[8]
22.) 11S-Lavon Sparks[20]
23.) 21A-Joey Armistead III[16]
24.) 5Q-Colby Quick[22]
Car Count: 44
Bama Sheds & Pole Barns Pole Award:
Jeremy Steele – 15.231 seconds
Chevrolet Performance Heat Race Winners:
H1-Joseph Brown
H2-Ricky Culpepper
H3-Russ Ogletree
H4-Jeremy Steele
Rogers-Dabbs Chevrolet B-Main Winners:
B1-Josh Ray
B2-Matt Henderson
Scorpion Race Cars - Hard Charger Award:
#22-Matt Henderson (+16) 18th to 2nd
Columbus Sports Cards - Tough Luck Award:
#22-Jeremy Steele - Led 43 laps before mechanical issues ended his night.
Up Next:
The Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series will next travel to Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL on Saturday, October 4, for the $4,000-to-win Ice Bowl Qualifier with the winner locking into the 2026 Ice Bowl.
Special Thanks to Our Partners: Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts, Chevrolet Performance, Hoosier Racing Tires, VP Racing Fuels, VP Racing Lubricants, Knowles Race Parts and Bodies, Competition Racing Equipment, Cruise with the Champions, Savage Chassis, Velocita by Melissa Markewitz, Bama Sheds & Pole Barns, MatMan Designs, WesPro JCB, Scorpion Race Cars, Columbus Sports Cards, and MyRacePass.
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Photo By: Montana Dudley Racing Facebook Page