Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: Firecracker's pop and Pierce's sizzle
With Devin Moran collecting a $50,000 Firecracker 100 victory and Bobby Pierce rolling with the World of Outlaws, our roundtable checks in for the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
Discuss Lernerville Speedway's Firecracker 100 weekend.
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: Rainy weather was again an issue, but Lucas Oil and track officials smartly navigated the precipitation to spin off both the Friday and Saturday shows in timely fashion. What stood out to me was the racing in Saturday's 100-lap feature. The track surface didn't develop one dominant groove, which kept drivers dicing right down to the wire. The Devin Moran-Brandon Sheppard battle over the last 20 laps was classic — and if you glanced back in the pack, Brandon Overton and Josh Rice were moving forward and tussling for fourth in the closing circuits as well. Often Lernerville's surface becomes so slick during the 100-lapper that cars are seemingly tip-toeing around the track. This time, though, there was still a thin cushion left that drivers could rail, which made for an entertaining race. It ranks among the best Firecrackers I've seen (and I've covered 18 of 20).
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: Major kudos to everyone involved for getting the rest of the weekend in after Thursday's rainout. At the beginning of the week I thought the forecast looked bad enough that the tour could've easily pulled the plug early. Thankfully, it never came to that. That 20-lap duel between Devin Moran and Brandon Sheppard was as good as it gets. Sheppard had the car to beat all weekend, but when it mattered most, Moran found another gear to snap the slump that had kept him winless since April 24. Those final laps were Lernerville Speedway at its finest — two of the sport's best racing door-to-door virtually every lap in a high-speed chess match. Moran needed that win more than Sheppard, who has been a model of consistency this season while Moran's campaign has been dotted by stretches of frustrating inconsistency. Moran's breakthrough comes at the perfect time heading back to his home state of Ohio for a pair of Lucas Oil races this weekend. Sheppard, meanwhile, feels destined to win a 100-lapper this year. The only question: which one?
Aaron Clay, DirtonDirt weekend editor: Other than the usual wet weather that always seems to haunt Lernerville's Firecracker 100 weekend, I thought the event was a success. Lernerville's track conditions offered multiple lanes and the weather actually provided a couple interesting curveballs in making the surface more wet than usual, leading to a significant cushion at times. Brandon Sheppard is really starting to hit his stride and his Rocket1 team might be the best on the Lucas Oil Series circuit right now, but that wasn't enough to keep Devin Moran from earning his biggest payday since July 20, 2024's Silver Dollar Nationals at Huset's.
Mike Ruefer, contributing DirtonDirt photographer: Having covered that event a couple times, I can relate to the rain issue. I really liked the show being moved up in time on Friday and Saturday. It was a racy track and when you can have a 100-lap race come down to the final laps like we saw between Sheppard and Moran slicing and dicing for the lead and win, it continues the history making event that the Firecracker 100 has become. It's one of those races that I suggest all in the central Midwest to trek over to Western Pennsylvania for at least once. The red clay and wall-free action create some interesting drama.
Reflect on the continuing World of Outlaws Late Model Series tour of the Upper Midwest.
McFadden: If you're not Bobby Pierce, everyone else is seemingly racing for second these days on the Outlaw tour. Five straight series victories — and nine wins in his last 10 starts overall — is simply absurd. He'll be licking his chops again this weekend when the series heads to Deer Creek Speedway, where last year he won the first prelim before suffering that jaw-dropping lap-two rollover in the second prelim feature before the Gopher 50 was ultimately rained out. You can bet Pierce hasn't forgotten it. As for everyone else, Nick Hoffman suddenly finds himself 72 points behind after surrendering 63 points over the last seven races, leaving him in desperate need of a few Pierce miscues to climb back into title contention. Tim McCreadie, meanwhile, has quietly pieced together an eight-race top-10 streak with three podium finishes over the last six races. But is it enough to slow down Pierce? Right now, the answer appears to be an evident no.
Clay: Bobby Pierce continues to flex his muscle as the best Dirt Late Model driver in the country right now and everything seems to be going his way. Pierce used an inside of three-wide pass for the lead in winning Sunday's rain-shortened World of Outlaws stop at Nodak Speedway for his fifth consecutive tour victory. Pierce now has nine wins in his last 10 starts aboard a brand new Longhorn Chassis that he debuted in winning June 4's Dream XXXII prelim at Eldora Speedway and, overall, has 11 victories since May 24's Show-Me 100, earning more than $350,000 over that span.
Ruefer: One of the many things I like about the Outlaw circuit are all the one night stops they make as they crisscross their schedule. It's a big deal when they come to town, especially in markets like this where there's not be a lot of open-competition Dirt Late Model action. It's become a long standing tradition with strong fan support. Stop by vendor row at one of those events and you'll see the excitement with the fans. With the dominating wins that Bobby Pierce is displaying the drama each night is who can knock him off? Right now he looks almost unbeatable. The North Dakota wind and hail of Nodak was no match for him.
Kovac: As Nick Hoffman spent the early portion of the WoO schedule swapping the points lead with Bobby Pierce, it remained clear that as strong as Hoffman was performing, he'd have to be nearly perfect to stick with Pierce. Well, now we're heading into July, and while Hoffman is certainly not slumping — over his last eight WoO starts he five podium finishes among six top-fives — he had one bad weekend (ninth and 12th at West Virginia Motor) and he's now 72 points in arrears of Pierce, who is on a super-heater with five straight wins. Pierce is just performing on an otherworldly level. He's won all five races run so far on the WoO Upper Midwest swing, which reminds me of an eight-race 2012 WoO stretch in the same region (with a two-week pause in between) that saw Darrell Lanigan capture six straight victories.
What's a non-national touring topic worth pondering?
Clay: Willie Milliken picked up a much needed victory Saturday night at the newly-renovated Oak Level Raceway in Bassett, Va. While the Roanoke Rapids, N.C., driver only topped a field of 12 at Oak Level, it was his first touring series victory in more than three years, since an April 15, 2023, triumph on the Carolina Clash Series. It was Milliken's second win of the month, adding to an unsanctioned Limited Late Model victory June 19 at Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City, N.C. Oak Level's 3/8-mile oval was recently spruced up by Bo Miller and featured a new track configuration, new lighting and new grandstands among other facility upgrades.
Ruefer: The question I hear the most is whether it's ever going to quit raining. It's affecting everyone from promoters to drivers to fans. Let's face it, everyone has to travel far and wide to race and the doom and gloom forecasts tend to drive down car counts and fan participation at the regional level that I'm mostly involved with. When we get that perfect day the pits and grandstands are full but we've had very few of those. The national tours receive a bulk of the accolades but the soul of the sport is at the local and regional level. When Mother Nature won't let you open the doors to race, at some point racers and fans might decide to do other things.
McFadden: It's been encouraging to see many of the drivers I featured in my Top 25 Drivers 25-and-Under rankings last December taking meaningful steps forward this season. Hayden Cardwell just banked $10,000 at All-Tech. Tucker Anderson picked up his sixth overall victory of the year Saturday and leads the Southern All Stars points. Lane Snook (Bruce Kane's No. 15K) and Jeremy Steele (Billy Hicks's No. 79) have each landed quality rides. Ashton Winger has rattled off three straight Hunt the Front victories. Michael Leach won a DIRTcar Nationals semifeature back in February. Trey Mills has knocked on the door of his first national touring victory. Dallon Murty has flashed his potential with Skyline Motorsports, while Sam Seawright is traveling more than ever as he appears to be positioning himself for a national tour run in 2027. The sport is always searching for its next wave of stars, so it's healthy to see so many young drivers not just showing promise, but beginning to deliver results the first half of 2026.
Kovac: Echoing Mike's point, this run of rainouts for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals is mind-boggling. There's been 11 washouts, including the last five nights in a row. Just nine shows have been completed. Does everyone maybe to do a ceremonial group smoking of DIRTcar director Sam Driggers's Marlboros to exorcise the weather demons? It's just crazy that a five-race stretch at tracks across four states was entirely wiped out. I did check the forecast for tonight's Summer Nationals event in Camden, Tenn., and I found no chance of rain — but as a nice return-to-action treat for the racers, temperatures will soar into the upper 90s with a heat index value near 110 degree. Welcome back, Hell Tour travelers.
Can you think of a driver primed for success in the second half of the season?
Ruefer: I think maybe instead of primed for success is someone who needs success in the second half of the season. Brian Shirley comes to mind. I've watched Brian race his entire career and usually he starts off slow especially in Florida and starts to pick it up by late spring and early summer. This year that just hasn't happened. Last year the PDC win set his ship right and hopefully something like that happens again. His talent is proven and the team is as good as it gets. I'll be happy to see him get back to his winning ways.
Clay: Maybe Saturday's Firecracker victory will propel Devin Moran and his Double Down Motorsports team to a successful second half of the season. The Dresden, Ohio, driver picked up his first win in a little over three months — since April 24 at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway — but it's not like he hasn't been up front. While they haven't won as much as they'd like, Moran and company have been highly consistent, with only one finish outside the top 10 over their last 10 starts and six of those being inside the top five. They'll need to continue that wave of momentum to have a chance at their second straight Lucas Oil Series title.
Kovac: I'm looking at Josh Rice. He's had his struggles as a first-time national touring rookie, but he's been showing signs that he's turning a corner. His Show-Me 100 prelim win. A runner-up finish in Muskingum County's Dirt Cup. And on Saturday, after he finished fifth in the Firecracker 100, I saw a driver whose spirits were high over the fact that he came on late in the long-distance race to crack the top-five. Something's starting to click with him and JRR Motorsports team. He's going to be up front more often in the coming months.
McFadden: It's hard not to pick Brandon Sheppard and Rocket1 Racing here. Outside of Bobby Pierce, they've been the most consistently fast, well-rounded team in the sport this season. They're unquestionably back to elite form. The thing is they've let several races slip away through circumstances as much as speed — a tire choice that didn't work, a wrong lane on a restart, traffic at the wrong time, or simply coming up just short. Sheppard realistically could have 15 victories. Ten wins is nothing to scoff at, but it feels like they've left plenty on the table. If they continue running at this level, more paydays — and perhaps a crown jewel or two — are coming. On the flip side, there are several heavy hitters lagging behind entering the second half. Jonathan Davenport has been uncharacteristically quiet during the Upper Midwest swing. Brandon Overton hasn't won on the Lucas Oil tour since last May. Ricky Thornton Jr. is too sporadic. Devin Moran can't go another two months without a victory. Even Hudson O'Neal, despite a podium finish in the Firecracker 100, is still looking to snap a 17-race winless streak. All five are too good to stay quiet for long.
Dirt Late Model racing and World Cup soccer operate in different realms, but can you think of any similarities or comparisons?
Clay: It's tough for anything to compare to the World Cup's global popularity, but I feel like each game compares to some of the biggest events in Dirt Late Model racing. After attending my first Late Model crown jewel in last season's Dream at Eldora Speedway, I realized the unmistakable feeling offered at a huge, national-level event. While Dirt Late Model racing may never be as popular as soccer is, worldwide, I feel each game offers a similar major-event feel comparable to Dirt Late Model racing's biggest races.
Ruefer: Let me start this off by saying that I'm not a soccer guy at all. When soccer was introduced to me as a youth I couldn't believe there was a sport dedicated to nothing else but kicking a ball and running after it, only to kick it again! Now what I have seen with the World Cup is the active crazy fan participation from the different countries and all dressed in the country's colors. So in a way it's kinda like race T-shirts. When you walk around at the races and see a dominant drivers shirt being worn you know who the crowd favorite is. That's all I've got.
McFadden: Not many, honestly. For the record, I'm not a soccer guy. Dirt Late Model racing doesn't have any sort of global identity that makes the World Cup so unique. About the closest comparison we have is the World 100, where fans take pride in drivers representing their home states — and, on occasion, their home countries. We have Canadians, Australians and a handful of other international drivers, but not nearly enough to stage a true United States-versus-the-world event. That said, I think there could be something fun in borrowing the World Cup's regional pride. Imagine a team event featuring the top five drivers from the Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, South Central, West Coast and an International squad. Maybe each squad can have a team captain (highest-ranked driver on national tour points or year-end DirtonDirt Top 25?) and have them draft their rosters. That would be fun.
Kovac: I'm a big sports guy but have absolutely no interest in soccer, so the first comparisons to Dirt Late Model racing that come to my mind would be snarky. You know how a rubbered-up racetrack creates a boring racing? That's a typical soccer game to me. You know how drivers will sometimes pull up lame without having a flat tire to bring out a caution? I equate that to soccer players delaying the action by writhing around on the ground feigning injury. But enough of the snark. There's no doubt that, like Aaron mentions, every World Cup game has an atmosphere like Dirt Late Model racing's crown jewel events — the fans are just simply fully invested in them.
