ROSSBURG, Ohio — On a special Saturday at Eldora Speedway, two sons of Hall of Fame drivers turned in Hall of Fame-worthy performances.
For Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., he captured his second consecutive Dirt Track World Championship while Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, clinched his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship.
The 13th-starting Pierce, whose father Bob Pierce turns the wrenches on his No. 32, won a mid-race with front-row starter Chris Madden and pulled away for a $100,000 victory, while Moran, the son of multitude Eldora crown jewel winner Donnie Moran, posted a solid fourth-place finish to finish atop in series points as closest contender Ricky Thornton Jr. fell by the wayside.
“I really wanted this win,” Pierce said in victory lane after leading the final 41 laps at the historic Tony Stewart-owned oval in the Lucas Oil finale. "I was catching Devin, so I was like, 'I think we got a good piece today.’ We threw the kitchen sink at it today. We all put our minds together last night. Overnight, you know, my dad probably didn't get much sleep and shout out to Matt (Langston) and all my guys, just the hard work paid off this weekend. It just feels awesome.”
Pierce, who swapped the lead with Madden three times between laps 50 and 60, won by 1.390 seconds over Madden, who slipped back to fifth before recovering for a runner-up finish. Five-time race winner Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., finished third with Moran, who entered the race with a 15-point cushion over Thornton, finishing fourth for the $250,000 title, and Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C., placing fifth to log his third-top run in as many Eldora crown jewels this season.
Thornton, who blew a tire and hit the turn-one wall on the 62nd lap, lost 14 laps in the pits making repairs and limped to an 18th-place finish, 85 points in arrears to Moran.
Pierce’s victory, his first since Aug. 23, ended the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series points leader's longest warm-season dry spell since a July 14-Sept. 3, 2002 drought.
"I was getting a little worked up there at the scales because it's been a month-and-a-half since I won a race, and that's kind of rare for me,” Pierce said, thanking all his sponsors and supporters. “So this is awesome. I know I've been rattling on, but I haven't been to victory lane in a while, so it feels good.”
Pierce started in the seventh row and broke into the top 10 after 15 laps while Madden was dominating the race’s first half from outside the front row. The winner soon caught the frontrunners and felt comfortable in making his way into the battle with Madden by halfway.
"We all drove each other really clean,” Pierce said. “I know, of course, Devin being up in there, he was gonna, of course not do anything crazy because he's got the points on the line.”
Pierce first inched ahead to lead the 50th lap, but Madden went back out front for laps 51-55. Pierce regained command on laps 56-57, relented to Madden for two more circuits, then took over for good on lap 60.
"I figured when (Madden) was running the top of (turn) three, I was kind of dive-bombing in there and cutting off that corner,” Pierce said. “I figured I was going to do it too soon because once I showed my nose here off (turn) four, he like gassed it down the frontstretch. I was like, 'OK, it's game on now. So I'm gonna have to work a lot harder if I'm going to pass him.' But man, just a heck of a race.”
Madden said he took too long to adjust to the lower groove through turns three and four. He’d preferred the track conditions the previous night, but couldn’t complain about another opportunity for his first Eldora crown jewel.
“We couldn’t get it done tonight. We had 100 laps, and I didn't get it done,” Maddens said. "I think we give it a really good shot today. We raced with Bobby on Bobby's condition racetrack today and we were very close.”
The 31-year-old Moran was in second place as late as the race's final restart on lap 88, but he slipped backward two spots as he became more conservative in securing the title. His steady performance in the five-race Big River Steel Chase for the Championship — fourth was his worst finish — carried him to his first national title.
“It feels amazing,” said Moran, whose crown comes after consecutive runner-up finishes in the standings in 2023-24. “As crazy as it sounds, it’s just a sigh of relief. I feel like we’ve been so good, and so consistent. I felt like we had a really good car throughout the entire playoffs and that was the key for sure.”
For Thornton, he never got close enough to seriously threaten Moran, and a tight-handling car caused him problems all race long. He lost 14 laps in the pits trying to repair significant damage, particularly to the right-front suspension that made steering difficult.
“Track was different than it's been the last few times we've been here, just way faster,” said the series runner-up after shining as 2024’s Lucas Oil champ. “I just overtightened myself. I got in the wall a couple times and finally I blew the right-front out, just clobbered the wall pretty good.
“I hate for that to happen for my guys. You plan to come out here and have a good night and just try to win the championship. Obviously it didn't work out, but congrats to Devin. We'll get 'er beat and battered back up to be ready for next time and give it another shot next year.”
Ten cautions slowed the action, the first for a slowing Daulton Wilson on the eighth lap. Debris drew cautions on laps 14 and 77 while Hudson O'Neal got into the wall exiting turn-two for a lap-31 yellow and Garrett Alberson did the same on lap 35.
A lap-55 yellow flew when Dan Ebert hit the wall and headed pitside, and seven laps later the caution fell for Thornton. On the 76th lap, Josh Rice slowed with damage and five laps later Brandon Overton's lap-81 flat drew the ninth yellow. The final slowdown came on the 88th lap for ninth-running Tim McCreadie's flat.
Notes: Bobby Pierce notched his 30th victory of the season. … He’s the fourth driver to win back-to-back DTWCs (Scott Bloomquist 2014-15; Josh Richards 2017-18; and Brandon Sheppard 2019-20). … Long-shot title contender Jonathan Davenport was charging forward after a lap-54 pit stop to change three tires when he caught a piece of Thornton's car after Thornton hit the wall. Both drivers went to the pits for repairs and Davenport labored to a 14th-place finish with heavy rear bodywork damage. … The 100-lapper lasted 63 minutes and concluded at 6:45 p.m.; the race started early to beat potential wet weather. ... Hudson O’Neal, who was eliminated from the series playoff chase heading to Eldora, retired after 29 laps when he hit the backstretch wall. … Polesitter Chris Ferguson’s starter got hung during parade laps, forced him to get a push start, but he was able to get rolling before the race began. … Donald McIntosh had to start on the tail after switching to a backup car because of apparent engine issues in his primary machine. McIntosh lost oil pressure in the feature after 59 laps. … Haiden Cowan missed the lineup after being stripped of his second consolation victory for an illegal droop limiter. ... Among drivers failing to make the feature were Max Blair and Tyler Erb, who tangled in a Friday heat race. ... Ethan Dotson led the final 13 laps to capture Saturday's $3,000 Jim Dunn Memorial non-qualifiers' race. … Next year’s DTWC will return to West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, W.Va., race promoter Carl Short announced Saturday afternoon; Eldora will continue to be on the Lucas Oil schedule, running a playoff-style doubleheader weekend in October before the DTWC.
45th annual Dirt Track World Championship
Driver (car no.), hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., Longhorn, $100,000
2. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., Longhorn, $20,000
3. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., Rocket, $10,000
4. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, Longhorn, $8,000
5. Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C., Longhorn, $7,500
6. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., Longhorn, $7,000
7. Tim McCreadie (9), Watertown, N.Y., Longhorn, $6,000
8. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., Longhorn, $5,000
9. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., Team Zero, $4,500
10. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., Longhorn, $4,000
11. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., Rocket, $3,500
12. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., Stinger, $3,250
13. Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., Longhorn, $3,000
14. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., Longhorn, $2,750
15. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., Longhorn, $2,700
16. Daniel Hilsabeck (22), Earlham, Iowa, Capital, $2,650
17. Cory Lawler (93), Hanover, Pa., Longhorn, $2,600
18. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., Longhorn, $2,575
19. Josh Rice (11), Crittenden, Ky., Rocket, $2,550
20. Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga., Longhorn, $2,525
21. Joseph Joiner (19m), Milton, Fla., Rocket, $2,500
22. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., Rocket, $2,500
23. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., Longhorn, $2,500
24. Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., Longhorn, $2,500
25. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., Longhorn, $2,500
26. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Longhorn, $2,500
Lap leaders: Madden 1-49, 51-55, 58-59; Pierce 50, 56-57, 60-100
Fast qualifier (among 59 cars): Carson Ferguson, 15.940 seconds
Heat race winners: Chris Ferguson, Moran, Sheppard, Madden, Alberson, McDowell
Consolation winners: Marlar, Rice, McIntosh
Provisional starters: Hilsabeck, Lawler
Non-qualifiers’ race winner: Ethan Dotson
Feature lineup
(100 laps)
Row 1: Chris Ferguson, Chris Madden
Row 2: Devin Moran, Garrett Alberson
Row 3: Brandon Sheppard, Dale McDowell
Row 4: Carson Ferguson, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 5: Nick Hoffman, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 6: Hudson O'Neal, Jonathan Davenport
Row 7: Bobby Pierce, Brandon Overton
Row 8: Clay Harris, Jason Jameson
Row 9: Daulton Wilson, Joseph Joiner
Row 10: Mike Marlar, Josh Rice
Row 11: Donald McIntosh, Brian Shirley
Row 12: Dan Ebert, Tim McCreadie
Row 13: Daniel Hilsabeck, Cory Lawler
Non-qualifiers’ race results
Finish: Ethan Dotson, Mike Spatola, Clint Keenan, Tyler Carpenter, Matt Miller, Kyle Bronson, Rod Conley, Michael Leach, Jerry Bowersock, Tyler Wyant, Jon Hodgkiss, Brenden Smith, R.C. Whitwell, Eli Johnson, Jimmy Owens, Michael Chilton. Scratched: Garrett Smith, Jordan Koehler, Ryan Gustin, Tanner English, Zack Dohm, Brody Smith, Chris Stotts, Forrest Trent, Colten Burdette, Evan Koehler.
Consolation race results
(12 laps; top two transfer)
First consolation: Mike Marlar, Brian Shirley, Ethan Dotson, Jimmy Owens, Ryan Gustin, Clint Keenan, Tyler Carpenter, Rod Conley, Jerry Bowersock, Tyler Wyant, Jon Hodgkiss, Michael Leach. Scratched: Max Blair, Tyler Erb.
Second consolation: Josh Rice, Dan Ebert, Garrett Smith, R.C. Whitwell, Tanner English, Zack Dohm, Mike Spatola, Brody Smith, Matt Miller, Forrest Trent, Colten Burdette, Ryan Montgomery. Disqualified: Haiden Cowan. Scratched: Brandon Moore.
Third consolation: Donald McIntosh, Tim McCreadie, Jordan Koehler, Brenden Smith, Kyle Bronson, Michael Chilton, Daniel Hilsabeck, Cory Lawler, Chris Stotts, Eli Johnson, Evan Koehler, Caden McWhorter.
Schedule shuffle
With updated weather forecasts raising the probability of thunderstorms threatening the area by 7 or 8 p.m., track and series officials announced a change in Saturday’s schedule of events to run the 100-lap Dirt Track World Championship finale immediately after the three B-mains kick off the program. The 25-lap Steel Block Late Model feature and the 25-lap Jim Dunn Memorial for DTWC non-qualifiers will follow with awards presentations ceremonies for the DTWC and the Lucas Oil Series championship likely ending the night.
Heat race recap
Second-starting Chris Ferguson passed his younger cousin, Carson Ferguson, out of turn four and beat him to the line by 0.405 of a second to win the first heat race, with fourth-starting Bobby Pierce grabbing the third and final transfer spot into Saturday’s 45th annual Dirt Track World Championship. … Devin Moran overcame several cautions and restarts to lead all 10 laps in winning heat two by 2.469 seconds over fourth-starting Nick Hoffman finishing second. Fifth-starting Clay Harris grabbed third on a lap-five restart for the final transfer position. The second prelim lasted nearly 20 minutes after the opening incident drew a lengthy red flag when Tyler Erb and Max Blair made contact entering turn one, sending both cars spinning and making hard wall contact, with Blair’s car ending up on top of the front of Erb’s machine. The incident collected Michael Leach; all drivers were OK, but could not continue. … Sixth-running Ryan Gustin slowed on lap five with a soft right-rear tire, then shredded the same tire on the ensuing restart attempt; he continued to finish fifth. … Brandon Sheppard earned a flag-to-flag victory in the third heat, leading the entire distance and taking the checkers 4.441 seconds ahead of Hudson O’Neal. Daulton Wilson held serve in starting and finishing third. … The race’s lone yellow flag flew on the first lap when R.C. Whitwell slowed with a flat left-rear tire and heavy damage following an opening start stackup involving Ryan Montgomery; Montgomery continued to finish seventh while Whitwell, who pitted, could only complete a couple of laps before calling it a night. … Chris Madden overcame an early restart and cruised to win the fourth heat by 6.690 seconds over Ricky Thornton Jr., who overcame opening lap wall contact to finish a distant runner up. Third-starting Brandon Overton held off fourth-starting Zack Dohm by 0.023 of a second to claim the transfer. … The lone slowdown came when Tanner English spun on the opening lap and retired. … Garrett Alberson overcame a couple of early restarts to win the fifth heat by 2.248 seconds over eighth-starting Dennis Erb Jr. with Jason Jameson starting and finishing third. … The race’s first two cautions came for debris (lap three and four). … Dale McDowell led all 10 laps to win the sixth and final heat race, crossing the line 1.395 seconds ahead of a closing Jonathan Davenport. Joseph Joiner started and finished third for the race’s final transfer spot. The lone caution flew when Michael Chilton slowed from second on the opening lap with apparent suspension issues. He could not continue. … The six prelims combined to last for 45 minutes of on-track action.
Heat race results
(10 laps; top three transfer)
First heat: Chris Ferguson, Carson Ferguson, Bobby Pierce, Mike Marlar, Brian Shirley, Jimmy Owens, Clint Keenan, Rod Conley, Tyler Carpenter, Tyler Wyant.
Second heat: Devin Moran, Nick Hoffman, Clay Harris, Ethan Dotson, Ryan Gustin, Jerry Bowersock, Jon Hodgkiss, Max Blair, Tyler Erb, Michael Leach.
Third heat: Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O'Neal, Daulton Wilson, Dan Ebert, Colten Burdette, Josh Rice, Ryan Montgomery, Forrest Trent, Brandon Moore, R.C. Whitwell.
Fourth heat: Chris Madden, Ricky Thornton Jr., Brandon Overton, Zack Dohm, Haiden Cowan, Mike Spatola, Garrett Smith, Matt Miller, Brody Smith, Tanner English.
Fifth heat: Garrett Alberson, Dennis Erb Jr., Jason Jameson, Tim McCreadie, Donald McIntosh, Brenden Smith, Kyle Bronson, Cory Lawler, Eli Johnson.
Sixth heat: Dale McDowell, Jonathan Davenport, Joseph Joiner, Jordan Koehler, Daniel Hilsabeck, Caden McWhorter, Evan Koehler, Chris Stotts, Michael Chilton.
Pre-race notes
The first night of Dirt Track World Championship action for the Lucas Oil Series begins with overcast but dry conditions following an afternoon high temperature that reached the low 70s. … Saturday’s forecast calls for a high temperature in the low 80s, but an approaching weather front is bringing an increasing threat of rain towards midnight. Eldora and Lucas Oil Series officials announced that Saturday’s hot laps will be moved up two hours to 4 p.m. in an effort to complete the action before precipitation enters the picture; Lucas Oil Series director Rick Schwallie said last year’s DTWC finale took four hours so it’s hoped racing will be checkered by 8 or 9 o’clock. … The 59-car field is down two from last year’s DTWC turnout. … A press conference featuring three of the four drivers in the Lucas Oil tour’s Chase for the Championship — Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., and Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind. — was held at 2 p.m. on Friday in Eldora’s infield media center. Missing from the quartet was Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who was not yet at the track because his flight to Dayton landed only at 1:30 p.m. … Davenport, who is seeking his first-ever DTWC victory, has new doors and a fresh wrap (accented with the color orange) on his tried-and-true Eldora Longhorn Chassis. … The last hauler to pull into Eldora’s infield belonged to Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., who arrived as the drivers’ meeting was taking place. He said he left his shop later than he planned but was also held up for about 20 minutes when he had to stop for a passing freight train just a few miles from the track. … Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., is behind the wheel of his Ronnie Delk-owned Longhorn Chassis for the second straight weekend after last month’s World 100 marked his final appearance with Greg Bruening’s Skyline Motorsports team. … Maryland’s Bruce Kane has a pair of brand-new Rocket Chassis machines entered in the weekend’s action with Colten Burdette of Parkersburg, W.Va., driving the Super Late Model and Josh Rice of Crittenden, Ky., piloting the Steel Block Late Model in the undercard. A post on Kane’s Facebook page said his 2025 driver, Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, Ga., was unable to make the trip north because he was feeling under the weather, but Herrington posted on social media Friday that he wasn’t sick and was spending the weekend running a Crate Late Model in the $30,000-to-win Powell Memorial at All-Tech Raceway in Ellisville, Fla. … Former Dream winner Matt Miller of Whitehouse, Ohio, is entered in Rick Delong’s No. 3. He drove Delong’s machine to an eighth-place finish in Aug. 31’s Baltes Classic at Eldora but didn’t run the World 100 a few days later; this weekend marks the first time the 54-year-old Miller has competed in an Eldora crown jewel since 2018 (the Dream and World 100) and his first DTWC attempt since 2010 at West Virginia Motor Speedway. … Friday’s hot laps were rough on a couple drivers: Jason Jameson of Lawrenceburg, Ind., wheel-hopped and smacked the turn-three wall — giving his Rattliff Racing crew right-side damage to repair before qualifying — while Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., experienced terminal engine trouble and was forced to pull out his backup Koehler Motorsports car.
Time trials
Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., 15.940
2. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 15.965
3. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 16.011
4. Chris Ferguson (22F), Mount Holly, N.C., 16.055
5. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 16.059
6. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 16.247
7. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 16.279
8. Tyler Erb (1T), New Waverly, Texas, 16.294
9. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 16.344
10. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 16.350
11. Nick Hoffman (9H), Mooresville, N.C., 16.369
12. Forrest Trent (101), Morristown, Tenn., 16.385
13. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 16.401
14. Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., 16.422
15. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., 16.533
16. Rod Conley (71R), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 16.535
17. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 16.587
18. R.C. Whitwell (69), Tucson, Ariz., 16.642
19. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 16.657
20. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 16.687
21. Ryan Montgomery (12m), Fairmont, W.Va., 16.691
22. Clint Keenan (29), Pataskala, Ohio, 16.723
23. Michael Leach (09), Sun River, Mont., 16.740
24. Colten Burdette (15k), Parkersburg, W.Va., 16.777
25. Tyler Carpenter (28T), Parkersburg, W.Va., 16.810
26. Jerry Bowersock (95J), Wapakoneta, Ohio, 16.883
27. Brandon Moore (39), Bryan, Ohio, 16.953
28. Tyler Wyant (24), Oil City, Pa., 17.088
29. Jon Hodgkiss (69J), Pittsburgh, Pa., 17.434
30. Josh Rice (11R), Crittenden, Ky., 25.733
Group B
1. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 15.998
2. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 16.053
3. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 16.254
4. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 16.313
5. Tim McCreadie (9), Watertown, N.Y., 16.341
6. Michael Chilton (6m), Salvisa, Ky., 16.428
7. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 16.448
8. Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 16.452
9. Joseph Joiner (19m), Milton, Fla., 16.482
10. Zack Dohm (17D), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 16.510
11. Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga., 16.527
12. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 16.601
13. Haiden Cowan (14H), Rincon, Ga., 16.652
14. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 16.734
15. Caden McWhorter (99m), Fairbury, Ill., 16.779
16. Matt Miller (3), Whitehouse, Ohio, 16.853
17. Cory Lawler (93L), Hanover, Pa., 16.882
18. Jordan Koheler (114), Mount Airy, N.C., 16.953
19. Garrett Smith (10), Madison, Ga., 16.975
20. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 16.980
21. Evan Koehler (11k), Mount Airy, N.C., 16.992
22. Mike Spatola (89), Manhattan, Ill., 17.051
23. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 17.200
24. Daniel Hilsabeck (22), Earlham, Iowa, 17.260
25. Brody Smith (17sr), Dade City, Fla., 17.455
26. Eli Johnson (55E), Clewiston, Fla., 17.704
27. Chris Stotts (s8), Shade, Ohio, 17.816
28. Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., 19.395
29. Dustin Nobbe (5n), Batesville, Ind., no time
Saturday’s schedule
(All times local)
8-11 a.m. - Breakfast buffet (Ballroom)
11 a.m. - Ticket office opens, racer registration opens
Noon - Gates open
2 p.m. - Outreach service (fan zone barn)
3:15 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting (victory stage)
3:45 p.m. - Opening ceremonies (victory stage)
4 p.m. - On-track activity
- Limited Late Model hot laps (feature entrants)
- Super Late Model hot laps (consolation entrants)
- Super Late Model consolations (12 laps)
- Super Late Model hot laps (feature entrants)
- 45th annual Dirt Track World Championship (100 laps)
- Limited Late Model feature (25 laps)
- Super Late Model non-qualifiers’ race (25 laps)
Postrace ceremonies
Friday’s schedule
10 a.m. - Ticket office opens, racer registration opens
11 a.m. - Pits open
Noon - Technical inspection opens
4 p.m. - Grandstands open, technical inspection closes
4:15 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
5 p.m. - On-track activity
- Limited Late Model hot laps
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Limited Late Model time trials (2 laps)
- Super Late Model time trials (2 laps)
- Modified hot laps
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heats (10 laps)
- Limited Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Modified feature (25 laps)
- Limited Late Model consolations (10 laps)
