Dirt on Dirt - Moran snaps Lucas Oil skid, wins Huset's opener

July 17

Huset’s Speedway,

Brandon, SD

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (Silver Dollar Nationals first prelim) - $10,000

Information provided by: Kyle McFadden, series and track reports (last updated July 18, 9:18 am)

Moran snaps Lucas Oil skid, wins Huset's opener

Silver Dollar Nationals first prelim

Devin Moran
Ricky Thornton Jr.
Bobby Pierce
Garrett Alberson
Hudson O'Neal
Brian Shirley
Jonathan Davenport
Brandon Sheppard
Tyler Erb
Donald McIntosh
Brandon Overton
Ethan Dotson
Dennis Erb Jr.
Spencer Hughes
Clay Harris
Dan Ebert
Blair Nothdurft
Daniel Hilsabeck
Carson Ferguson
Brenden Smith
Cory Lawler
Matthew Larson
Drake Troutman
Daulton Wilson

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Devin Moran on his way to victory in Thursday's Silver Dollar Nationals opener at Huset's Speedway.

What won the race: Snapping a nearly three-month victory drought on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, grabbed the lead from Ricky Thornton Jr. on lap five and went on to capture Thursday night’s 40-lap feature to open the Silver Dollar Nationals. The event's defending champion handled lapped traffic late in the distance to defeat Thornton by 0.917 of a second for the $10,000 top prize.

Quotable: “Man, this is nothing like I really grew up on, but for some reason, when the track gets like that, I just feel like I can drive it really good,” Moran said. “I really wasn't worried about (lapped traffic). I felt like my car was so good I could just be patient, and once I found a gap I could go. And I knew if I couldn’t get by, Ricky couldn’t get by me, so I was just kind of biding my time.”

Key notes: After winning five of the first 12 Lucas Oil A-mains of 2025, Moran was winless in 18 races dating back to April 25 at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway. ... It was Moran’s 20th career full-field victory on the Lucas Oil Series. … Thornton, who led laps 1-4, ceded second to Brian Shirley on a lap-21 restart but regained the spot on lap 26. He couldn’t draw closer than a few car lengths of Moran over the remaining distance but his runner-up finish put him back atop the Lucas Oil Series points standings over Jonathan Davenport, who finished seventh. … Bobby Pierce, who swept last year's prelim features, climbed from 11th to reach third on lap 36. He made an unsuccessful bid to overtake Thornton on the final lap. ... Fourth-place finisher Garrett Alberson's left-rear tire was flat when he pulled in the pits after the race. ... Shirley slipped to sixth in the finishing order. ... Two cautions slowed the event. … Daulton Wilson triggered the first yellow flag on lap two when he slowed with his car’s engine smoking heavily while Drake Troutman brought out the second yellow with a lap-21 spin. … Carson Ferguson had to change tires after presenting his car with NLMT 2’s for the fourth heat race. His Paylor Motorsports team hastily switched to NLMT 3’s and he tagged the field. ... Huset’s hosts the Silver Dollar Nationals for the third straight season with an event-record purse exceeding $315,000. … Action continues Friday with another $10,000-to-win preliminary program plus the 30-lap, $6,053-to-win Malvern Bank West Series main event with the 80-lap, $75,000-to-win finale set for Saturday.

On the move: Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., started 11th and finished third.

Winner's sponsors: Moran’s Double Down Motorsports Longhorn Chassis carries a Clements Racing Engine and sponsorship from Lazydays RV, Big River Steel, McHugh Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Ram Fiat, CarSourceAuto.com, Red Oak Pub, C&W Trucking & Sons, Inc., Bomag, Southeastern Equipment, VP Race Fuels, Eibach Springs, Bilstein Shocks, Accu-Force Dynos, Lucas Oil Products, Smoky Mountain Speedway, Haulin’ Haskel’s, Lincoln Smith Racing, GE Auto Sales and WME Detailing.

Points chase: After Huset’s Thursday: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (5,915); 2. Jonathan Davenport (5,895); 3. Hudson O’Neal (5,600); 4. Devin Moran (5,570); 5. Garrett Alberson (5,390); 6. Brandon Sheppard (5,315); 7. Brandon Overton (5,135); 8. Daulton Wilson (4,805); 9. Carson Ferguson (4,590); 10. Donald McIntosh (4,430).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 66°F

Car count: 30

Fast qualifier: Ricky Thornton Jr.

Time: 12.859 seconds

Polesitter: Ricky Thornton Jr.

Heat race winners: Ricky Thornton Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Brian Shirley, Devin Moran

Consolation race winners: Ethan Dotson

Provisional starters: Clay Harris, Matthew Larson

Next series race: July 18, Huset’s Speedway (Brandon, SD) $10,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

BRANDON, S.D. — Live updates from Thursday’s 15th annual Silver Dollar Nationals first prelim night, highlighted by a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win feature for Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Snapping a nearly three-month victory drought on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, grabbed the lead from Ricky Thornton Jr. on lap five and went on to capture Thursday night’s 40-lap feature to open the Silver Dollar Nationals. The event's defending champion handled lapped traffic late in the distance to defeat Thornton by 0.917 of a second for the $10,000 top prize.

Feature lineup

Row 1: Ricky Thornton Jr., Brian Shirley
Row 2: Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran
Row 3: Daulton Wilson, Garrett Alberson
Row 4: Brandon Sheppard, Tyler Erb
Row 5: Drake Troutman, Hudson O’Neal
Row 6: Bobby Pierce, Cory Lawler
Row 7: Brandon Overton, Daniel Hilsabeck
Row 8: Spencer Hughes, Donald McIntosh
Row 9: Ethan Dotson, Blair Nothdurft
Row 10: Dennis Erb Jr., Brenden Smith
Row 11: Carson Ferguson, Dan Ebert
Row 12: Clay Harris, Matthew Larson

Consolation results

(10 laps; top six transfer)

Finish: Ethan Dotson, Blair Nothdurft, Dennis Erb Jr., Brenden Smith, Carson Ferguson, Dan Ebert, Matthew Larson, Clay Harris, Brody Smith, Ben Sukup, Shane DeMey, Lane Brenden, Brock Carlson (DNS) Junior Coover.

Heat race recap

Ricky Thornton Jr. controlled all eight laps from the pole to win the first heat race by 1.701 seconds over Daulton Wilson, who trailed him the entire way. Drake Troutman started and finished third, while fifth-starting Brandon Overton finished fourth after getting the jump on Dan Ebert at the start. The top-four finishers clinched a starting spot in Thursday’s 40-lap Silver Dollar Nationals first prelim feature. … Second-starting Jonathan Davenport dominated the second heat, leading the entire distance and winning by 2.201 seconds over polesitter Brandon Sheppard. Bobby Pierce held serve in third, with sixth-starting Spencer Hughes grabbing fourth from Blair Nothdurft on the second lap and claiming the final transfer position into the $10,000-to-win prelim. … Second-starting Brian Shirley commanded the third heat, winning by 1.384 seconds over pole-starting Garrett Alberson. Hudson O’Neal and Daniel Hilsabeck completed the top-four finishers. … Devin Moran was slated to start third, but inherited the second starting position and led all eight laps to win the fourth and final heat race by 1.530 seconds over fifth-starting Tyler Erb. Polesitter Cory Lawler slipped to third, with Donald McIntosh rounding out the top four. Carson Ferguson was slated to start second, but tagged the field after his Paylor Motorsports team hastily switched from NLMT 2 Hoosier tires to the approved NLMT 3’s. He could only muster a sixth-place finish.

Heat results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

First heat: Ricky Thornton Jr., Daulton Wilson, Drake Troutman, Brandon Overton, Ethan Dotson, Matthew Larson, Dan Ebert, Brock Carlson.

Second heat: Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, Bobby Pierce, Spencer Hughes, Blair Nothdurft, Clay Harris, Shane DeMey.

Third heat: Brian Shirley, Garrett Alberson, Hudson O'Neal, Daniel Hilsabeck, Dennis Erb Jr., Ben Sukup, Lane Brenden. Scratched: Junior Coover.

Fourth heat: Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, Cory Lawler, Donald McIntosh, Brenden Smith, Carson Ferguson, Brody Smith.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 12.859
2. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 12.949
3. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 12.968
4. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 12.988
5. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 13.027
6. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 13.031
7. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., 13.058
8. Blair Nothdurft (76n), Renner, S.D., 13.082
9. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 13.159
10. Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., 13.291
11. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 13.314
12. Spencer Hughes (19m), Meridian, Miss., 13.401
13. Matthew Larson (8L), Lake Elmo, Minn., 13.412
14. Shane DeMey (15m), Denison, Iowa, 13.459
15. Brock Carlson (49c), Winside, Neb., 14.558
Group B
1. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 12.998
2. Cory Lawler (93L), Hanover, Pa., 13.050
3. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 13.097
4. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., 13.117
5. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 13.141
6. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 13.142
7. Daniel Hilsabeck (22), Earlham, Iowa, 13.212
8. Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga., 13.235
9. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 13.286
10. Tyler Erb (1T), New Waverly, Texas, 13.291
11. Lane Brenden (8), Mitchell, S.D., 13.452
12. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 13.494
13. Ben Sukup (07), Norfolk, Neb., 13.628
14. Brody Smith (17sr), Dade City, Fla., 13.736
15. Junior Coover (10), Norfolk, Neb., 14.081

Thursday’s schedule

(All times local)
2 p.m. - Pits open
2:45 p.m. - Tech and registration opens
4 p.m. - Grandstands open
5:45 p.m. - Tech and registration closes
6 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Limited Late Model hot laps
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Super Late Model qualifying (2 laps)
- Limited Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Limited Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Super Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Feature events
- Super Late Models (40 laps)