Leading from green to checkers, Hudson O’Neal captured Thursday night’s Castrol FloRacing Night in America-sanctioned FK Rod Ends Tarheel 53 at North Carolina's Tri-County Racetrack. The 23-year-old star turned back a mid-race challenge from Bobby Pierce to beat the Oakwood, Ill., driver by 1.273 seconds for a $23,023 paycheck.

Despite an apparent electrical glitch that caused a slight stumble in his car’s engine at various points during the feature, O’Neal recorded his third Castrol tour victory of the season and the fourth of his career. He closed to within nine points of Pierce in the Castrol standings with only the Nov. 10-11 events at Georgia's Senoia Raceway remaining.

After the feature, O'Neal took extra laps around the Tri-County oval on his lonesome to try and solve the stumbles in the engine, but the Rocket1 team couldn't solve what's led to be an electrical glitch: "Electrical issues are hard to find," O'Neal said. "We'll go back and take all the wiring off it and put everything new on it so that's done and over with and we don't have to mess with it. ... We're going home and finish preparing for Eldora (and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season-ending Dirt Track World Championship on Oct. 20-21)."

Brent Dixon of Elbertson, Ga., represented the regional drivers as a heat race winner among O'Neal, Pierce, and Jonathan Davenport, but engine setbacks in the main event hindered him in a 12th-place finish.

The feature was dotted by five caution flags, most for scrapes involving two or more cars. The largest incident came on lap seven when fifth-place Kenny Collins spun in turn three from apparent contact with Ethan Dotson, triggering a tangle that collected Garrett Alberson — who nearly rolled over upon sliding into Collins’s nose — Tim McCreadie, Ross Bailes, Jimmy Owens and David Payne.

WATCH: Highlights from Thursday's Castrol FloRacing Night in America feature at Tri-County Racetrack. 

Castrol FloRacing Night in America Results At Tri-County Speedway