ROSSBURG, Ohio (Sept. 7) — Chris Madden led Dream XXVIII for nearly three months. But it wasn’t long enough. A costly caution and ensuing restart helped Brandon Overton erase a two-second deficit — an advantage Madden had been protecting since regaining the lead from Hudson O’Neal on lap 18 — and carried the Evans, Ga., star to his third straight Dream victory Wednesday at Eldora Speedway.

When O’Neal, of Martinsville, Ind., and Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., were swept up in a wreck with Dresden, Ohio’s Devin Moran on lap 91, the caution proved to be the catalyst Overton desperately needed. He zipped around Madden on the outside on the restart and drove away to win his third Dream while earning a $128,000 payday.

Madden, of Gray Court, S.C., settled for second place, nearly a full second behind Overton, in an event he led from its outset way back in June 11— except for when O’Neal flashed ahead to lead lap 18. Madden had the field covered in June before rain halted the event on lap 14 and pushed its conclusion to September and appeared headed for his first Eldora crown jewel win, despite returning to the famed half-mile oval with a different car.

Ninth-starting Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., finished third while Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., rallied from 21st to fourth and Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., improved five positions to finish fifth. 

“I shouldn’t have won that race. I probably had a second-place car,” said Overton. “That thing was green I felt like forever. I thought surely we’re not about to run 80 straight (caution-free) laps. And then the caution come out and I kind of had time to calm down and think. (Madden) chose the bottom ... and I really didn't think I had anything for him it seemed like we were kind of the same speed and he could get to the traffic a little better. He could keep circling a little better.

“All I was thinking was, I forgot which (race) it was I was leading and I chose the bottom (on a restart) and he flew around my a-- on the top. So when he chose the bottom I was kinda grinning, but I didn’t want to jinx it. I drove it down in there (into turn one) and I knew I had him cleared, so I just let it rip. I didn’t know what I was doing, good or bad, down there or what. I knew he was gaining so I tried to dirty his air up a little bit. Sometimes stuff goes your way you know.”

VIDEO: Chris Madden discusses his second-place finish in the Dirt Late Model Dream.

Madden, who said he detected a misfire in his car’s powerplant about three-quarters through the 100-lapper, couldn’t get up to speed fast enough and watched helplessly as Overton assumed command to lead lap 92.

“We were fine as long as we didn’t have a caution,” said Madden, who has now led 123 laps without a win in four Eldora crown jewels. “As soon as we had a caution we was in trouble there. We were down a cylinder. We had a plug wire fall off right there maybe with 25 (laps) to go. We were just on seven cylinders just putt putting around. I knew when we had a restart I was a dead duck. I hate it. The best car didn’t win tonight. Thanks to all my guys. They work hard every week. I just can’t break the bad luck streak here for some reason. We had an awesome race car. We just got to get the monkey off our back here.”

Overton knew he finally had a shot once the yellow flag waved, but knew it wouldn’t be easy. 

“We had that caution and I looked at the (video score) board and it was like eight laps or something and I thought, ‘Damn I need to have the best restart of my life and just don't crash for eight laps. I knew I wasn't bad in (turns) one and two. I had kind of moved up when I was behind (Madden). He kind of got away and I moved up and I thought, ‘Man I feel really good here.’ But I struggle with still the same thing. I jumped that hump down there (entering turn three) and instead of landing and it turning, it lands and its scoots. The harder I drive it the more I go (the wrong direction) and not around the track. When there was a little bit of grip there I could kind of maintain with him … just trying to push him as hard as I could.”

Overton said that often Eldora’s large video board which displays the race in live time can assist a driver. But he said in Wednesday’s main event, he was almost too busy to look at it.

“I didn't really know where to go. I usually look at that board,” Overton said. “When you win four straight here or whatever you think, ‘Ahh you can ride around and look at that board or look behind you or whatever.’ Well when you're driving your a-- off, you can't do that. I kept telling myself to look, look and I kept forgetting. But this was my biggest concern down here in this end (in turns three and four). Even when I was behind him, that's where he was better than me, through three and four.”

Notes: The Overton-Madden finish was identical to the last Dream held at Eldora, though that was actually Dream XXVI, held two days after Overton won Dream XXVII. … Tim McCreadie has finished in the top three in two of the last three Dreams, but said he and his crew will have to go back to work in order to figure out the right tire combination is needed on his Longhorn Chassis to give him the feel he’s looking for. He seemed almost relieved to finish third on Wednesday. “We squeezed a top-five out of it, just based off experience,” McCreadie said. … Eight-time Dream winner Scott Bloomquist was scored last after he missed the pre-race tire tech. Officials would not allow the Mooresburg, Tenn., driver across the track from the upper pit area after time had expired. … After leading lap 17, O’Neal fell to sixth, where he was running when Moran shot up the track in turns one and two and collected him and Pierce. O’Neal was scored in 13th. … Only half of the 24 starters were on the track at the finish. … Along with June 11’s red flag for rain on lap 14, the race was slowed by two more cautions. Chris Ferguson of Mt. Holly, N.C., brought out the yellow on lap 15 and the final three-car caution on lap 91 set up Overton’s winning move. … Before the completion of the Dream, there were three 20-lap, $5,000-to-win Chasing the Dream features won by Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa; Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn; and Daulton Wilson of Fayetteville, N.C. To be eligible for those races, I driver could not be in the Dream XXVIII field and must not have ever won a Late Model race at Eldora.