Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Breakdown of Lucas Oil's Big River Steel Big Four
By Kyle McFadden
DirtonDirt staff reporter
A statistical breakdown of the four eligible drivers in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series heading into the five-race playoffs. The champion receives $250,000 with $200,000, $150,000 and $125,000 for the rest of the top four. (Drivers listed alphabetically with 2025 statistics and best career series performances at playoff tracks):
Jonathan Davenport
Hometown: Blairsville, Ga.
Age: 41
Series starts: 44
Series victories: Eight (one semifeature)
Average finish: 5.31
Top-five finishes: 33
Top-10 finishes: 40
Series earnings: $411,700
Series points: 8,025 (second prior to playoffs)
Best Brownstown finish: 1st (2015)
Best Pittsburgh finish: 1st (2024)
Best Eldora finish: 9th (2023)
Super Late Model series titles: Lucas Oil (2015, '18-19); FloRacing (2021); XR (2022); Southern Nationals (2010, ’13)
Why he’ll win the title: He carries the most experience among the Big Four drivers, has the longest-tenured playoff team and two of his finest tracks — Eldora and Pittsburgh — are on the playoff schedule. Surely he won’t have the same engine woes at Eldora that soiled his title hopes in last year’s DTWC.
Why he won’t win the title: Two races at Brownstown, a track his playoff foes thrive at but is among his worst Lucas Oil circuit (9.1 average finish in eight overall Brownstown starts since 2023), doesn’t bode well. With recent wins slipping through his grasp at the Knoxville Nationals and World 100, momentum isn’t on his side.
Kyle McFadden’s prediction: He’ll finally capture that elusive DTWC victory, but finishes outside the top-five at Brownstown puts him too far behind Ricky Thornton Jr., whose 70-point cushion to start the playoffs (bonus points for winning more series races) is too much for Davenport to overcome by Oct. 17-18’s Eldora finale.
Hudson O’Neal
Hometown: Martinsville, Ind.
Age: 25
Series starts: 45
Series victories: Five
Average finish: 7.2
Top-five finishes: 23
Top-10 finishes: 37
Series earnings: $354,800
Series points: 8,015 (fourth prior to playoffs)
Best Brownstown finish: 1st (2019, ’22)
Best Pittsburgh finish: 1st (2021)
Best Eldora finish: 2nd (2023)
Super Late Model series titles: Lucas Oil (2023)
Why he’ll win the title: His Knoxville Nationals victory from 15th may foreshadow another brewing Lucas Oil title run. The playoff schedule fits him very well, accentuated with two races at Brownstown, his home track where the O’Neal name rings out. He gets around Pittsburgh (3.3 average finish since 2021) and Eldora solidly, too.
Why he won’t win the title: Consistency. Ricky Thornton Jr. never finished worse than sixth en route to the 2024 title. Finishing inside the top-five every race might be what it takes to hoist the title. O’Neal has only strung together five top-fives in a row once in 2025 and has five finishes of 15th or worse his last nine races overall.
Kyle McFadden’s prediction: He’ll start the playoffs strong and victorious during Jackson 100 weekend at Brownstown, but the consistency isn’t there for him to be within title reach come the final laps of the DTWC. One poor finish caves his chances.
Devin Moran
Hometown: Dresden, Ohio
Age: 31
Series starts: 43
Series victories: Eight (one semifeature)
Average finish: 5.36
Top-five finishes: 33
Top-10 finishes: 37
Series earnings: $298,849
Series points: 8,015 (third prior to playoffs)
Best Brownstown finish: 1st (2024, ’25)
Best Pittsburgh finish: 2nd (2023, ‘24)
Best Eldora finish: 3rd (2023)
Super Late Model series titles: None
Why he’ll win the title: Riding the strength of 16 straight top-10 finishes on the Lucas Oil circuit, including 14 of those inside the top-four, that steadiness propels to him to his first title. Brownstown (two wins the last four series races) and Pittsburgh (two straight runner-ups) puts him in position for a strong title shot at Eldora.
Why he won’t win the title: He could be as consistent as ever and still not overcome Ricky Thornton Jr.’s 80-point playoff cushion.
Kyle McFadden’s prediction: Notching a victory and top-five runs the first four races, Moran turns out being Thornton’s closest challenger entering Eldora’s DTWC, but falls shy in the championship finale for the third straight year.
Ricky Thornton Jr.
Hometown: Chandler, Ariz.
Age: 34
Series starts: 43
Series victories: 13
Average finish: 5.42
Top-five finishes: 33
Top-10 finishes: 36
Series earnings: $497,050
Series points: 8,095 (first prior to playoffs)
Best Brownstown finish: 1st (2023)
Best Pittsburgh finish: 1st twice (2020, ’23)
Best Eldora finish: 3rd (2024)
Super Late Model series titles: Lucas Oil (2024)
Why he’ll win the title: From his 70-point cushion to the favorable playoff schedule, all the variables are on his side. Thornton’s won three times at Brownstown since 2023, the most among playoff drivers. With nine wins on half-miles in 2025, a three-race sweep at Pittsburgh and Eldora isn’t out of reach, making a runaway title a possibility.
Why he won’t win the title: His 11 finishes of 15th or worse this season are a bit concerning, especially when six straight rather flawless races are needed in order to capture the title. He's admittedly not been the greatest on shorter tracks this year, so despite his runner-up finish in March at Brownstown, two subpar finishes at the quarter-mile could erase his points lead.
Kyle McFadden’s prediction: Finishing inside the top-five both nights at Brownstown before sweeping Pittsburgh weekend, Thornton’s advantages of 70 points over Davenport and 80 points over Moran and O’Neal hold strong all the way to the finish. He becomes the sixth back-to-back Lucas Oil title winner in tour history, joining Tim McCreadie, Davenport, Jimmy Owens, Scott Bloomquist and Earl Pearson Jr. in the feat.
