Poll Position presented by Keyser Manufacturing
Top 25: Sizzling Pierce grips No. 1 tighter
By Kevin Kovac
DirtonDirt senior writer
Bobby Pierce (Emily Schwanke/woolms.com)
Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., continued his summer assault on the Dirt Late Model world, dominating the World of Outlaws Late Model Series’s Upper Midwest swing to earn unanimous recognition as the No. 1 driver in DirtonDirt’s power rankings for the fourth consecutive week.
The 29-year-old superstar ran his WoO winning streak to five with three more victories since the last installment of the Keyser Manufacturing-sponsored Top 25 poll. He scored increasingly rich triumphs, pocketing $12,000 Wednesday at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn., $15,000 Friday at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., and $20,000 Sunday at Nodak Speedway in Minot, N.D.
A winner in nine of his last 10 starts and 20 times overall this season, Pierce received all 10 first-place votes as he extended his run at the top of the rankings to five straight weeks.
Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., maintained the No. 2 position in the poll following a strong weekend on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. He scored his 10th win overall of 2026 in a Friday semifeature before finishing second in Saturday’s Firecracker 100 after leading the first 79 laps.
Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C., stayed at No. 3 with a solid three-race stretch on the WoO tour that saw him register two runner-up finishes and a fourth. Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, who outdueled Sheppard to capture the $50,000 Firecracker 100, jumped three spots to land in a tie for No. 4 with Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., who finished third in Lernerville’s headliner.
Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., fell one spot to No. 6 after a quiet stretch with on the WoO’s Upper Midwest swing during which he failed to crack the top-five in three starts.
Movement among the remainder of the Top 25 was modest as the lone multiple-position riser was Josh Rice of Crittenden, Ky., who gained three spots to reach No. 13 following a fifth-place finish in the Firecracker 100.
Returning to the rankings was Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., at No. 25 while Zack Mitchell of Enoree, S.C., dropped out.
Voting is done by a 10-member committee made up of staffers and contributors to determine the Top 25 power rankings: Richard Allen, Bryan Ault, Jeff Broeg, Kelley Carlton, Ryan Delph, Josh James, Kevin Kovac, Kyle McFadden, Mike Ruefer and Kyle Symons. Results are compiled and tabulated by Todd Turner, who serves as a voting alternate along with fellow staffer Aaron Clay.
Voting was completed before Monday's DIRTcar Summer Nationals event at Camden (Tenn.) Speedway.
Rankings appear Tuesdays through mid-November provided at least half of the drivers in the current rankings are in action in the previous week.
1. Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, Ill.
Comment: Adds three more WoO wins on Upper Midwest swing, running streak to five in a row. Looking to close trip strong with four races in Minnesota. Series points: 1st (WoO); 9th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 1st (nc)
2. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, Ill.
Comment: Wins Firecracker 100 semifeature but falls just short in finale, finishing second to Devin Moran after late-race duel. Lucas Oil stops at Mansfield and Muskingum County on tap. Series points: 2nd (Lucas Oil); 1st (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 2nd (nc)
3. Nick Hoffman, Mooresville, N.C.
Comment: Two seconds and a fourth is a solid three-race WoO burst, but he loses more ground in points chase to sizzling Bobby Pierce. Norman and Gopher 50 tripleheader at Deer Creek coming up. Series points: 2nd (WoO); 2nd (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 3rd (nc)
T4. Devin Moran, Dresden, Ohio
Comment: Outruns Brandon Sheppard down the stretch for $50,000 Firecracker 100 triumph. Two home-state Lucas Oil shows next at Mansfield and Muskingum County. Series points: 3rd (Lucas Oil); 3rd (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 7th (+3)
T4. Hudson O'Neal, Martinsville, Ind.
Comment: Clear third-place car in Firecracker 100. Moves on to Lucas Oil’s Buckeye State twinbill. Series points: 1st (Lucas Oil); 4th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 4th (nc)
6. Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, Ga.
Comment: No celebrations in Upper Midwest with sixth at River Cities his best finish with Outlaws. Sticking with WoO for four more nights. Series points: None. Previous ranking: 5th (-1)
7. Tyler Erb, New Waverly, Texas
Comment: Three top-fives in as many WoO starts, including runner-up at River Cities. Takes momentum to Norman County and Deer Creek. Series points: 3rd (WoO); 5th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 6th (-1)
8. Brandon Overton, Evans, Ga.
Comment: Falls to 18th in Firecracker 100 before rallying during second half to finish fourth. Mansfield and Muskingum on agenda. Series points: 4th (Lucas Oil); 7th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 8th (nc)
9. Max Blair, Centerville, Pa.
Comment: Follows sixth-place finish in Firecracker 100 with a $20,000 victory in RUSH Crate Late Model’s Bill Emig Memorial. Plans a midweek ULMS start at Mercer before joining Lucas Oil in Ohio. Series points: 5th (Lucas Oil). Previous ranking: 10th (+1)
10. Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.
Comment: Captures semifeature at Lernerville but experiences rough-and-tumble 100-lap run with 18th-place finish. Moonlighting in a midget at Indianapolis dirt track before unloading at Mansfield and Muskingum. Series points: 6th (Lucas Oil). Previous ranking: 9th (-1)
11. Tim McCreadie, Watertown, N.Y.
Comment: Sandwiches a seventh with two thirds on WoO Upper Midwest swing. Looking to continue consistent stretch in Minnesota. Series points: 4th (WoO). Previous ranking: 12th (+1)
12. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, Ga.
Comment: Logs 10th-place finish in Hunt the Front’s Senoia stop. Next action to be announced. Series points: None. Previous ranking: 11th (-1)
13. Josh Rice, Crittenden, Ky.
Comment: Shows patience in coming on late for fifth-place finish in Firecracker 100. Primed for Mansfield and especially Muskingum, where he finished second second in recent Dirt Cup. Series points: T8th (Lucas Oil); 8th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 16th (+3)
14. Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa
Comment: Tallies fourth at I-94 EMR but settles for top-10s runs in next two WoO events. Minnesota WoO shows includ $40,000-to-win Gopher 50. Series points: 5th (WoO). Previous ranking: 15th (+1)
15. Garrett Alberson, Las Cruces, N.M.
Comment: Nets ninth-place finish in Firecracker 100. Staying out east for Ohio doubleheader. Series points: 7th (Lucas Oil). Previous ranking: 13th (-2)
16. Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif.
Comment: Runs third at River Cities but fails to crack top-10 in other two WoO races. Four Minnesota starts ahead. Series points: 6th (WoO). Previous ranking: 18th (nc)
17. Jason Feger, Bloomington, Ill.
Comment: Places third in June 23’s Summer Nationals event at Benton, Mo., but then sits through five straight Hell Tour rainouts. Hoping for better weather as month-long series winds down. Series points: 2nd (MARS); 2nd (Summer Nationals). Previous ranking: 17th (nc)
T18. Drake Troutman, Hyndman, Pa.
Comment: Drops off WoO tour after surprising departure from G.R. Smith’s Team 22 Inc. He’ll run a Colton Flinner car in holiday-week ULMS shows at Mercer and Genesee while readying Late Models for new team owner Jerry Foster. Series points: None. Previous ranking: 14th (-4)
T18. Chris Madden, Gray Court, S.C.
Comment: Bypasses Firecracker 100 trip for Hunt the Front’s visit to Senoia, where he finishes fifth. Upcoming action not yet posted. Series points: None. Previous ranking: 19th (+1)
20. Ashton Winger, Hampton, Ga.
Comment: Pushes Hunt the Front win streak to three with $15,000 triumph at Senoia. Next races listed on schedule is July 10-11’s HTF double at Lavonia and Cherokee. Series points: 1st (HTF). Previous ranking: 20th (nc)
21. Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
Comment: Bags a $5,066 win in Hayden Ross Memorial prelim at Oklahoma’s Thunderbird Speedway on Comp Cams Series. Schedule TBA. Series points: 1st (Comp Cams). Previous ranking: 22nd (+1)
22. Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, N.C.
Comment: Records pair of top-10s in three Upper Midwest WoO starts. Big Frog trailer moves along to Minnesota. Series points: 7th (WoO). Previous ranking: 21st (+1)
23. Chris Ferguson, Mount Holly, N.C.
Comment: Takes weekend off with upcoming schedule to be determined. Series points: None. Previous ranking: T23rd (nc)
24. Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, Ill.
Comment: Keeps hauler at shop with holiday-week Summer Nationals tripleheader looming. Series points: 9th (Summer Nationals). Previous ranking: 25th (+1)
25. Brian Shirley, Chatham, Ill.
Comment: Finishes seventh and 12th at Lernerville. Ohio Lucas Oil shows next. Series points: T8th (Lucas Oil). Previous ranking: Unranked
Dropped out: Zack Mitchell
Others receiving votes: Zack Mitchell, Gregg Satterlee, Tanner English, Ryan Unzicker, Dan Ebert, Dennis Erb Jr., Kyle Bronson, Mike Marlar, Sam Seawright, Trever Feathers, Hayden Cardwell, Billy Moyer.
