Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: Pittsburgher review and more
With Jonathan Davenport capturing the Pittsburgher and Devin Moran in the driver’s seat for the Lucas Oil Series points chase, our roundtable checks in for the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
What’s your biggest takeaway from Lucas Oil’s Pittsburgher weekend?
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: Aside from Jonathan Davenport proving his elite level by rebounding from a disastrous Brownstown trip with a convincing second straight flag-to-flag Pittsburgher win, karma just might be on Devin Moran’s side this year after his consecutive runner-up finishes in the Lucas Oil standings. He hasn’t finished off the podium in the four Big River Steel Chase for the Championship events. He topped his qualifying group Saturday to earn 10 crucial bonus points. Friday he took advantage of Ricky Thornton Jr.’s blown tire the best way possible by winning the race, and Saturday he recovered from a mid-race slide out of the top-five with a rally capped by passing Thornton for third — and the points lead — late in the distance. Eldora remains a formidable challenge for Moran — he’s never won a crown jewel there while Thornton is coming off a World 100 win — but, considering the way he’s doing everything right, he’ll find a way to figure it out.
Todd Turner, DirtonDirt managing editor: Not to be Captain Obvious, but after Ricky Thornton Jr.’s blowout while leading Friday, Devin Moran remains the lone driver in the Big Four who hasn’t run into serious difficulty during the playoffs. Thornton’s 70-point edge entering the playoffs saved the series from turning the DTWC into a Moran coronation, but as we mentioned last week, the bad-luck streak among playoff contenders has been shocking. Another takeaway is Jonathan Davenport absolutely willing himself to dominate Saturday’s $50,000 finale. He barged past Moran and ran away from the field, a man on a mission (it’s a shame playoff drivers don’t get bonus points for how many cars they lap — oooh, there’s an idea).
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: That perhaps the circumstances for Devin Moran in this year’s Lucas Oil title race are aligning for him. He hasn’t done anything wrong through four races with championship-worthy consistency while Ricky Thornton Jr. (flat tire leading Friday at PPMS), Jonathan Davenport (multiple incidents last weekend at Brownstown) and Hudson O’Neal (just plain amiss this postseason) inconsistent. Sometimes it’s not about being the best car/driver/team in the playoffs. It’s about being mistake-free. Moran’s done that.
Mike Ruefer, contributing DirtonDirt photographer: I've been saying this a lot lately about big tracks. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway and the famed Pittsburgher is back. I went once, only to be rained out, but the size of this old jewel mesmerized me. It’s a cool place. Other thoughts: Devin Moran is hot right now after a victory at Pittsburgh and six consecutive Lucas Oil finishes (four in playoff events). A few weeks ago I’d bet all my chips on Davenport at Eldora, but I’m holding on that and going to Double Down with Moran to win it all at the DTWC. The Pittsburgher weekend convinced me.
Any suggestions to improve the format of Lucas Oil’s Big River Steel Chase for the Championship?
Turner: I’m of two minds here (I had a boss that said that all the time and it got on my nerves, but here I am). The traditionalist part of me likes the full season-long points, but everyone likes that until there’s three consecutive years with no drama for the championship in the final race. For a playoff-style chase, I’d prefer a wider variety of tracks (the 3/8-mile oval is the most common and there are none during the playoffs?). I realize Lucas Oil would never want to leave Eldora for its finale, but perhaps the weekend before, how about touring three tracks Summer Nationals-style heading toward Eldora (Wheatland, Tri-City and Haubstadt?). I think I’m good with the points reset plus the bonuses for the regular-season victories. I’m hoping my fellow panelists are more creative.
McFadden: I might draw criticism for this, but I think they need to do away with the whole playoff format. Playoffs are made for stick-and-ball sports, not motorsports, where too many variables are at play to reset a season-long points chase just doesn’t feel right. Look, Devin Moran’s done virtually everything right to this point in the playoffs. Under this format, should he hold serve, he’d do enough to become the champion. I do enjoy the storylines and pressure it puts on drivers and teams to bring their A-game in the playoffs. From my understanding, the playoff format is a big reason Lucas Oil has been able to put up the richest points fund in Dirt Late Model racing. The traditionalist in me would have a hard time embracing Moran has the champ when we all know RTJ has been the far better driver this year. If we’re going to keep the playoffs, more bonus points are needed for regular season wins. There’s no way fast time awards and regular season victories should hold the same value of 10 bonus points in the playoffs.
Ruefer: While I’m a traditionalist and prefer season-long point battles, I admit the current format is growing on me. It's bringing a new interest to the final chapter of the season. I think the Big Four concept could easily grow and it could benefit from a fifth member. Normally anyone sitting fifth in points is in "let's finish the season" mode. What a storybook ending it would be if the fifth member of the group could come back and win it all. The Fab Five. That, my friends, would sell some T-shirts.
Kovac: If there’s going to be a Chase deal rather than a traditional full-season points race, I like the way the format is this year with the Big Four drivers earning bonus points for win during the season. The incentive to chase victories all year long at least partially insulates a prolific winner like Thornton from one bad Chase night knocking him from contention. But I’m on a similar wavelength with Todd here about the Chase schedule. There’s a quarter-mile, a sprawling half-mile and a high-banked half-mile, and the first two each have a pair of points races. Like Todd, I’d like to see a couple 3/8-mile ovals thrown in the mix to make the Chase as well-rounded as possible.
Weigh in on World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series action in Kansas (or another early October result).
McFadden: The resurgence of Tim McCreadie has been refreshing. It’s hard to watch an aging superstar in the sport regress and struggle to find their way, which had seemingly been McCreadie’s case until this year. Also, 13 races removed from his last victory Aug. 23 at Arrowhead Speedway, Bobby Pierce is now amid his longest winless stretch since 2022 when he went 16 races between victories. Even still, Nick Hoffman hasn’t been able to close the points gap. It was 108 points from Pierce to Hoffman after Aug. 23 at Arrowhead and it remains exactly that following Saturday at 81 Speedway.
Ruefer: I’ll point out the season-ending Malvern Bank Series race at Adams County Speedway in Corning. Iowa. What a championship night with Dylan Thornton winning the East Series and Jesse Sobbing the West Series. The championship formality might have been concluded during intermission, but it was an entertaining night. Tad Pospisil won the annual Pumpkin Bash to the delight of his family and team. There’s not a better series to show the world what you can do. Thornton and Dallon Murty did that this year. With veteran drivers like Simpson, Pospisil, Berck, Sobbing, Leighton and others, they earned it.
Turner: Fiftysomethings unite! Graybeards Dennis Erb Jr. and Tim McCreadie each outran multiple drivers half their age with victories at Humboldt Speedway and Park City's 81 Speedway. I do hope the series can continue going to a state and region where a national touring presence solidifies the Dirt Late Model division
Kovac: I loved seeing the weekend swept by early 50s veteran Dennis Erb Jr. and Tim McCreadie. Hurray for my Generation X brethren! It was an especially satisfying triumph for Erb, whose last win on the WoO tour came in June 2023 (ironically also in Kansas). McCreadie, meanwhile, grabbed his first win running the yellow-and-white wrap honoring his late father Barefoot Bob McCreadie, triggering some big-block modified nostalgia. The weekend’s wild news was Bobby Pierce losing his pole position spot in Saturday’s feature at 81 Speedway as a penalty for making an air-pressure change in the staging area. That continued a rare and unusually frustrating stretch for Pierce, who’s been stuck on 29 victories since Aug. 23.
What’s the driver you’d literally never heard of before this season who has impressed you the most in 2025?
Ruefer: Tracking late model results the way I do, I noticed earlier this season the consistency Colten Burdette from Parkersburg, W.Va., was having and his success on the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series. Can’t say I’ve paid much attention in prior years, but this year he's definitely improved and is a force to be reckoned with in his region. I know how tough Rusty Schlenk is because I’ve seen him race many times. To be in a tight point battle with Schlenk tells me something. As Rick Flair would say, “to be the man, you gotta beat the man.” Colten Burdette appears up to the challenge.
McFadden: Probably Minnesota driver Dan Ebert. Sure, he hasn’t made a splash on the Lucas Oil Series as a rookie, but sticking it out with his modified-turned-touring Late Model team and turning in a podium run at the Topless 100 is still quite impressive. Observers, namely social media trolls, are quick to rag on a guy for being a series backmarker, but seldom fail to acknowledge just how daunting it is to compete full time on a national tour.
Turner: Forgive me for not paying attention to lower divisions, but young Iowan Dallon Murty tops my list here and has been most impressive in racing up seven Late Model victories, contending for the Malvern Bank East title and securing that tour’s Rookie of the Year honors. There’s clearly more to come from this kid.
Kovac: I have to repeat Todd here: it’s Dallon Murty, the Malvern Bank Series rookie from Iowa. I was unaware of his great success in lower divisions before he came bursting onto the Dirt Late Model scene this year, most notably with his sweep of a three-race weekend in mid-August. I saw the kid make his Super Late Model debut at the Knoxville Nationals and he immediately caught my eye on opening night by qualifying well and running up front in his heat until his borrowed motor gave out. He returned for Saturday’s finale with his limited engine and promptly transferred to the big show through a B-main. I think someday I’ll be regularly noting I witnessed his first Super Late Model appearance.
When Dirt Late Model diehards bring novice fans to the track, what are among the biggest challenges to explain about what’s going on?
Kovac: If you’re bringing a new fan to the track, you better be ready to spend the night right alongside them so you can do plenty of explaining. It might be detailing why two, or even more, divisions look the same. Or why, after the national anthem is played and the announcer yells, “Are you ready for racing!?” a support class rather than the headliner rolls onto the track. Or why they have to wait so long to see the marquee event of the program. There’s a lot to process for a newbie, who will have to be schooled as to why so many “junior varsity” races are run between the “varsity” division they’ve come to see.
McFadden: How the starting lineup for the main event is set. Every time cars hit the track, novice fans I bring to the races are usually confused at first and need a primer of what’s going on, whether that’d be hot laps, qualifying, heat race action, consolation races or even the redraw. Best way I can explain it is that everything leading up to the main event is preliminary action, and that every lap matters.
Ruefer: I used to try this with my old work friends and acquaintances, and then just stopped doing this all together. It’s frustrating for me to try to describe what’s happening when it’s just my second nature to know. I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I have been to a couple of races and county fairs in my lifetime. I even try to avoid race talk with my family outside of the chosen few who I have groomed from diapers. So my best answer is don’t try. Sit them down in the bleachers, buy them some beers and pretend you can’t hear them because of the noise.
Turner: I’m partly projecting here, because my data set (and memory of bringing newcomers to the track) is limited, but two things jump to mind. The commencement of hot laps always seems to confuse people who think the races have already begun. And secondly, most tracks have too many cars that look exactly the same divided into different divisions (I’m looking at you, tracks that have Late Model-style cars among four classes — ridiculous). My takeaway is that novices make good points. Hot laps should somehow more clearly be separate from the program, and a track’s three divisions (yes, three) should be absolutely distinct.
