Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: Lucas Oil title, DTWC on line at Eldora
After Ryan Gustin and Zack Mitchell captured the weekend’s richest paydays, our roundtable looks ahead to the Carl Short’s 45th annual Dirt Track World Championship in the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
Discuss a weekend winner (or loser) that interests you.
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: Ryan Gustin knows how to turn around a slump. In his next 10 World of Outlaws starts following his career-high $100,000 USA Nationals win on Aug. 2 at Cedar Lake Speedway, the Iowan didn’t finish better than sixth. On Friday he was 24th in the opener of the tour’s Bayou Classic at Louisiana’s Boothill Speedway. Then he promptly went out and captured Saturday’s 70-lap finale for a $50,000 top prize after outdueling Bobby Pierce in an entertaining run to the finish. That 50-grand payoff more than doubled what Gustin had earned in his 10 post-Cedar Lake WoO outings combined. He’s still searching for consistency, but when he’s on, he’s really on.
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt.com staff reporter: How about the grand reopening of West Virginia Motor Speedway won by Tyler Carpenter? Though the entire program didn’t finish well into the wee hours of Sunday morning (the marathon-like event, after all, drew 240 race cars), I thought the newly constructed third-mile in Mineral Wells, W.Va., couldn’t have been supported better. The classic father-son battle between Tyler and Freddie Carpenter from nearby Parkersburg, W.Va., gave fans a hometown storyline, too. I watched the highlights of that race, and while the track surface looked pristinely smooth for its first race, I hope track workers can figure out how to widen out the track so it’s not so bottom dominant. Other than that, I’m looking forward to a potential visit to WVMS sometime in 2026.
Aaron Clay, DirtonDirt weekend editor: Carson Ferguson now has two victories in the last 10 days after topping Friday's Blue-Gray 100 prelim at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C., worth $8,022. Although his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory continues to elude him — his other win was Oct. 3's RUSH Crate Late Model Series Bill Hendren Memorial prelim at Pittsburgh — Ferguson's recent performance reminds us that it's difficult to judge the success of a team that competes nationally. Victories will always be hard to come by on a national tour, but many of those teams often find success elsewhere.
Bryan Ault, DirtonDirt contributing reporter: Taking a week off ahead of Eldora's Dirt Track World Championship was the plan for Josh Rice, but evidently those plans changed. The Crittenden, Ky., standout took an unexpected trip to Atomic Speedway to race with the JRR Motorsports team and took home the checkered flag, piloting part-time racer Justin Rattliff’s car. Rice has raced against the Rattliff bunch several times this season and team owner James Rattliff is undoubtedly aware of his talents. Rice, the Florence star and reigning Northern Allstars champion, appears primed for a big jump into the national foray.
How do you see the season-ending Dirt Track World Championship shaping up on the Lucas Oil Series?
McFadden: Following their World 100 podium finishes, you have to think Nick Hoffman and Dale McDowell are going to be in contention come Saturday at the DTWC. I suspect Tim McCreadie, should he make the trip to Eldora, and Brandon Sheppard to have a shot at spoiling the Lucas Oil playoff party as well. As entertaining as it’d be to have the DTWC winner be a Lucas Oil playoff driver, the odds of that are probably slimmer than a non-playoff driver winning. We can’t forget about Bobby Pierce either. I actually think he’ll snap his 15-race losing streak this weekend while playoff drivers Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Jonathan Davenport all finish inside the top seven.
Clay: Unfortunately for Jonathan Davenport and Hudson O'Neal, it appears their shots at the 2025 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series title likely ended after the last couple of weekends at Brownstown and Pittsburgh. Davenport (-115) and O'Neal (-365) each trail points leader Devin Moran by triple digits entering this weekend's Dirt Track World Championship, leaving a fierce title fight between Moran and reigning Lucas Oil Series champ Ricky Thornton Jr. I hope we're treated to an event where some, if not all four, of those drivers battle for the race win this weekend at Eldora.
Ault: For the title, I think it figures to be an interesting two-way fight between Moran and Thornton down to the last lap. I’ll pick my winner below, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we had a race winner not involved in the title chase (I’m thinking Dale McDowell, who says he’s planning on running the event). I’m also wondering what track we will get — Eldora’s normal slick-and-smooth surface we’re accustomed to for crown jewels, or will autumn weather play a part in a more rugged surface, like the epic DTWC we saw two years ago? Either way, we should be in for a real treat.
Kovac: We’re still a few days away, but the forecast does indicate a chance of rain late Saturday, so that could play a role. Obviously it could change, but it’s not the almost perfect weather outlook there was for last month’s World 100. Wet weather could create heavier track conditions and a thicker cushion that’s right up defending DTWC winner Bobby Pierce’s alley, or maybe a threat of rain alters the timing of Saturday’s feature and thus produces a different surface. Weather is the biggest factor for me, the one that could shake things up. Otherwise, expect the usual suspects who excel in Eldora’s slick to be battling it out up front.
Does it take away from the DTWC if the series points championship is decided between drivers who aren’t remotely in contention to win the race?
Clay: I'd be lying if I said the Lucas Oil Series championship battle didn't take away from the Dirt Track World Championship event, itself. In a perfect world, at least two of the four title contenders battle for the DTWC victory, ultimately making it a "winner take all" for the $250,000 series title and $100,000 event payday. However, I believe the series title battle will likely take the spotlight if the DTWC happens to be won by a non-title contender. As with other racing disciplines that utilize a playoff system to crown its champ, the DTWC event winner will be celebrated briefly, but all eyes would quickly shift toward the title celebration.
Ault: I don’t think so. If anything, the format adds some spice to the race. Even if a driver like Davenport is half-tracking the field at his beloved Eldora like he did at last June’s Dream, the championship battle between Thornton and Moran further back in the field adds some excitement to the race and gives the fans something to watch and the announcers something to talk about.
Kovac: As far as I’m concerned, it just adds to the drama. The 2011 WoO championship was decided on the final lap of season-ending World Finals feature at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Josh Richards was running ninth — four spots ahead of his title challenger Rick Eckert — when he slowed with a flat right-rear tire heading to the white flag. Eckert sailed past to snatch the points crown in unforgettable fashion. A championship conclusion makes a race even more exciting, especially if the race winner is running away out front.
McFadden: To some degree, but I don’t expect that to happen come Saturday. The title contenders have been there to battle for the DTWC victory the last two seasons since the Lucas Oil Series instituted the playoff system. It’d be surprising should Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton Jr. and/or Jonathan Davenport not be within striking distance of Saturday’s DTWC victory. They’re too good not to be in contention at Eldora.
Predict a series champion and race winner.
Ault: I think J.D. picks up the win and gets some Eldora revenge after falling short at the World 100. For Davenport, the victory will be bittersweet because it comes without his fourth Lucas Oil title. Meanwhile, Moran finishes just ahead of Thornton to capture his first series championship. No matter what, this will be my first race of the season attending as a fan, so I’m looking forward to sitting back in turn one with a friend without the worries of late-night reporting and writing duties.
Clay: I'm predicting a battle among this year's Dream winner, Jonathan Davenport, and World 100 winner, Ricky Thornton Jr. However, I also predict Devin Moran will stay within striking distance and collect his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship. You never know, though, we could also see a fairytale ending where Moran picks up his first career Eldora crown jewel and the Lucas Oil title in one fell swoop.
Kovac: I picked Devin Moran to win the title before the season started, so I can’t change now. He’s in position to grab it after consecutive runner-up finishes in the standings and podium finishes in each of the first four Chase races, but his margin of error is small with a 15-point edge over Ricky Thornton Jr., who enters the weekend as the most recent crown jewel winner at Eldora. If Moran can run in Saturday’s 100-lapper more like he did in June’s Dream (fifth) than last month’s World 100 (14th) and stick with RTJ, he’ll be the champ. As for the race, after seeing Jonathan Davenport dominate the Pittsburgher following a frustrating start to the Chase that greatly reduced his championship chances, I see him being on a mission and finally adding a DTWC victory to his resume.
McFadden: Though I picked Devin Moran to start the year to end up as the series champ, I’ll take Ricky Thornton Jr. overcoming the 15-point deficit while Bobby Pierce ends up as the DTWC victor. I think RTJ runs on the podium Saturday at Eldora while Devin Moran finishes sixth. Jonathan Davenport takes the third and final podium spot, but doesn’t get the misfortune from RTJ and Moran to go his way.
Why do so many dirt racing promoters often lack imagination, stick with outdated ideas or fail to be more adventurous?
McFadden: I just think our sport lives and dies by traditionalism. The same promoters that lack imagination and uniqueness are probably the same promoters that don’t care for, or even despise, streaming. Let’s face it: streaming isn’t the reason for our sport’s struggles economically and from a fan engagement standpoint. I saw one promotor on Facebook (I forget who, rats) post a PSA to fellow promoters to stop calling their traditional, weekly events regular programs. That using the term regular program does not excite the novice or even average race fan. Give fans a reason to visit your racetrack.
Ault: Many are stuck in their ways because it’s the way they’ve been doing things all the time, and change doesn’t naturally come to human beings. Sadly, I’m concerned about the future of our sport, specifically with gaining new fans. I took a group of new fans to a race this season and it lasted way too long, partly because of track prep and delays in-between support classes. They left 30 laps into the feature because they were concerned about getting home at such a late hour. They enjoyed the experience before the A-main, but their primary gripe was that the show ran way too long. As the 2025 season draws to a close, I hope Dirt Late Model’s movers and shakers can come up with fresh ideas in 2026.
Kovac: It’s a lot to do with the old-school mentality of being resistant to change, because, after all, change is hard. And while change is part of life, with so many promoters operating tracks on razor-thin financial margins, a conservative approach often prevails. What I find especially frustrating is the way so many promoters won’t even shake a race-night schedule of events up on the fly to ensure that the headline division feature isn’t contested at a late hour. There’s this prevailing thinking that heats and consolations for every division must be run before features start, but why? There’s one class that’s the headliner and the fans shouldn’t have to wait hours to see its A-main. A promoter who recognizes that is a promoter who’s not stuck in their ways.
Clay: While I've never promoted a race, I believe the perfect recipe contains a balance between what the competitors and fans want. It seems many promoters attempt to add a certain flair or individuality to their event, to give it a unique feel, but it doesn't necessarily make it a better product. I think the promoter's job is to give the competitors a good track, give the fans a good show and get them out at a reasonable hour. I don't mind an added level of entertainment provided the program concludes by 10 p.m.
