Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: Series storylines after twinbills
DirtonDirt’s roundtable assesses the action from dueling World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Series doubleheaders and muses on some Easter holiday fun at the racetrack for the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
What’s your top weekend storyline of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series weekend?
Todd Turner, DirtonDirt managing editor: I love that Nick Hoffman is bringing the fight to Bobby Pierce. Not backing down. Not going away. And still smiling in victory lane even if he loses to Pierce, as he did at Senoia a night after his late-race victory in his East Alabama debut. This isn’t treading new ground, but Hoffman’s ascent among the sport’s best is among the most significant post-Covid developments in Dirt Late Model racing. I’m here for a Pierce-Hoffman title showdown.
Aaron Clay, DirtonDirt weekend editor: It feels like reigning WoO champ Bobby Pierce has finally hit full stride after he slipped by Nick Hoffman and Ashton Winger late to win Saturday’s Billy Clanton Classic at Senoia (Ga.) Raceway for a $20,000 check. Hoffman has kept Pierce honest, however, and briefly took the series points lead following his victory in Friday’s Chattanoochee Clash at East Alabama Motor Speedway, but he now trails Pierce by three markers following the weekend doubleheader. Hopefully this back-and-forth championship battle will continue throughout the remainder of the season.
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: No one can deny that Pierce and Hoffman have separated themselves from the rest of the WoO pack. Just consider the stats: through 14 WoO events, both drivers have four wins, neither has finished outside the top 10, and their top-five finishes (12 for Hoffman, 10 for Pierce) blow away their rivals (Tim McCreadie’s five is the next best total). And since both went winless in January’s season-opening Sunshine Nationals, they’ve combined to win eight of the last 11 races, including a victory for each over the weekend. Considering they’ve pulled away in the standings over the three weekends while racing outside their usual wheelhouses down south, it’s clear these two are operating on a higher level.
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: Three points separate Pierce and Hoffman, with the two-time champ Pierce holding a slight edge over the ever-evolving Hoffman. In January and February, it was expected that Hoffman would have the upper hand, especially at Volusia. But March revealed the Hoffman isn’t just a threat to Pierce, he’s right there with him, and this championship has the makings of a season-long, neck-and-neck battle that could rank among the sport’s best. Hoffman and Pierce have now won four of the last five WoO features and eight of the last 11. They’ll have another slugfest April 10-11 at Farmer City Raceway on the Illinois black dirt both are so familiar with.
And your top storyline on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series?
McFadden: It was only fitting that Devin Moran delivered Saturday’s victory at Brownstown in his first race back as a father — with 2-week-old daughter Poppy Jane and wife Lakia in attendance. Dirt Late Model racing has watched Moran grow up before its eyes — from a baby-faced kid known as Donnie’s son to carving out his own distinct legacy. Fatherhood is now part of that. Being a national touring driver is demanding enough, and now Moran carries the added responsibility of caring for a daughter — one who feels destined to take to the Moran racing life naturally. But with a strong support system led by his tight-knit family and car owner Roger Sellers, he’s in a position to fully enjoy it. We’ve talked a lot about Hudson O’Neal’s dominance and Brandon Overton’s resurgence, but don’t look now — new father Moran leads the Lucas Oil points.
Kovac: Aside from Moran’s fairy tale story witnessed by Kyle, Ricky Thornton Jr.’s return to victory lane was a major development. We’ve almost become numb to RTJ’s prolific ways over the past three years — a combined 45 full-field Lucas Oil triumphs while reaching double-figures each season — that seeing him go winless for the entirety of Georgia-Florida Speedweeks was shocking. It’s almost unthinkable that he could go five races without a win, let alone 11 during Speedweeks. His win Sunday at Atomic was more workmanlike than spectacular as he made the right moves in traffic to down Brandon Sheppard, but it put him back on top. It’s likely his momentary checkered-flag lull will lead into a serious hot streak.
Turner: I’ll leave riper storylines for others (Moran winning his first race as a father — that’s tough to beat), but I’ll say the weekend proves that Josh Rice is clearly the happiest driver that an extended Speedweeks is in the rear-view mirror. At two of his better tracks, the young Kentuckian posted impressive fourth-place finishes, rallying from 17th at Brownstown and 10th at Atomic (where, for just a split second, he put his car in the frame among the Ricky Thornton Jr.-Brandon Sheppard battle for the lead). In his rookie national touring season, Rice will have his share of rough outings, but there are first-time tracks on the schedule where he’ll find familiarity and more top-five finishes (and a win somewhere?).
Clay: At the risk of sounding repetitive, my top storyline features another back-and-forth early-season championship battle, this time involving Devin Moran and Hudson O’Neal on the Lucas Oil side of things. Moran, the reigning series champ, led the final 37 laps of Saturday’s Brownstown opener, earning his third straight Indiana Icebreaker triumph in taking control of the Lucas Oil points chase. O’Neal’s pair of sixth-place finishes don’t quite match up to Moran’s first and ninth-place efforts over the weekend, so Moran holds a slim 15-point advantage following Sunday’s action at Atomic.
Too soon to suggest there’s a greater balance, if not parity, among winners on the 2026 national touring scene?
McFadden: Having this very conversation with Ricky Thornton Jr. after Sunday’s victory at Atomic, it sure seems like the sport’s superstars are hitting their stride almost simultaneously as spring takes hold, creating this level of parity that’s fascinating rather than run-of-the-mill. If there’s any driver bound for a 30-win season, it’s Hudson O’Neal, who’s already at nine victories. But O’Neal was a non-factor all weekend at Brownstown and Atomic. The question is whether that’s an outlier for O’Neal or more telling that he’ll plateau. In that same vein, are RTJ’s two victories in 24 races an outlier? Or is his Sunday victory and four straight podiums an indicator that he’s about to heat up? All told, RTJ, O’Neal, Devin Moran, Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman, Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Overton and Jonathan Davenport are all capable of ripping off multiple victories in a row. Shoot, we’ve seen it already with pretty much all these guys except Thornton. This season sure does have the makings of a handful of guys reaching 15 victories, with 20-win seasons coming at a premium.
Kovac: I think the key phrase here is “greater balance,” at least when considering wins among the regulars of each national tour. Just three WoO regulars have won through 14 events with Pierce and Hoffman accounting for eight of the nine Outlaws victories (McCreadie has the other win). Lucas Oil has had four regulars reach victory lane in 13 events with Moran (four) and O’Neal (three) claiming the majority of the 10 triumphs for the points-chasers (Sheppard has two and Thornton owns one). The only drivers with national-series wins so far who aren’t tour regulars are Jonathan Davenport and Chris Madden, two veterans who are anything but surprise victors. True parity would bring way more different winners, but it can be argued that the checkered flags will be split among more drivers this year than the past few where one standout seemed to dominate the win column on each tour.
Turner: Late March is too early to set absolutes, but it does feel like the elite level has evolved into a larger group this season. When two or three guys are dominating (most recently Bobby Pierce and Ricky Thornton Jr.), you’re going to have huge victory totals of 20- and 30-victory seasons. Again, there’s a looooong way to go, but right now it feels like those victories in national touring events and the sport’s biggest events will be more evenly distributed. Teams can feel free to cut this clipping (is that a thing anymore?) and post on the bulletin board (is that a thing anymore?) if two drivers win 40 or more by October.
Clay: It certainly feels like there’s a greater balance among national tour winners, but it’s still early in the season. Obviously the immediate aforementioned favorites of Bobby Pierce and Nick Hoffman (in WoO) along with Devin Moran and Hudson O’Neal (Lucas Oil) aside, you still have guys like Tim McCreadie, Ryan Gustin, Tyler Erb and Daulton Wilson who seemed poised to win multiple World of Outlaws races, while Brandon Overton, Garrett Alberson and Josh Rice appear destined to win a Lucas Oil event in the near future. We may never have complete parity in Dirt Late Model racing, but both national tours are on the healthily competitive side.
What’s a recent news item (or random driver update) that caught your eye?
Clay: I feel like I need to give an update on Cade Dillard’s season after the Robeline, La., driver swept this past weekend’s Fujita 50 doubleheader at Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, Okla., earning more than $20,000 in Comp Cams and Revival Super Dirt Series co-sanctioned action. Dillard is now a perfect 3-for-3 at Arrowhead in 2026, including Jan. 3’s non-points Comp Cams First Blood event that was worth $5,026. He has wins in his last five Revival Series starts, dating back to a Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track sweep last fall and leads the early season points standings on both regional tours.
Kovac: Shout out to Max Blair for his March performance on the Lucas Oil Series. He’s the only series regular to finish among the top-five in all six races contested during the month, including runs of third and fifth over the weekend at Brownstown and Atomic. That’s a heck of a streak for the western Pennsylvania driver, whose six top-fives this season is already nearing his total of nine in 2024, his last season as a Lucas Oil regular. What’s also notable is that his only single-digit starting spots during the stretch came in his last two starts (eighth both nights); he’s had to charge from deep for all of his strong finishes, which has made it seem commonplace for a bottom-running Blair to suddenly appear in the mix late in the distance. It seems he gets better the longer the race goes so he figures to be a solid pick to win a 100-lapper later this year. He’ll likely bag a shorter feature soon, too, if he can qualify just a little better to start right near the front.
Turner: Maybe this fudges as a “news item,” but how about that the Lucas Oil features were both run before nightfall — and both provided compelling, multigroove races. Before the track prep guys go bananas, I realize that spring weather is not sizzling midsummer weather. But, particularly in the undeniable era of streaming, early starts and early finishes are not forbidden, just like late finishes are not required for a good race (we’ve seen some duds end after midnight, for sure). My point isn’t absolute, but I guess I’m saying don’t give up on earlier programs (or gasp) daytime races if the conditions are accommodating.
McFadden: It’s of note that Josh Rice is now working closely with Bilstein Shocks insider Vinny Guliani, who’s given the Lucas Oil rookie a noticeable leg up the last few weeks, especially over the weekend at Brownstown at Atomic. Rice looked back to his familiar, high-flying self at a pair of tracks he’s far more comfortable at than anywhere in Florida. A pair of fourth-place runs for him seemed to right the ship and ease some of the sting from a humbling Speedweeks.
Be creative in developing a track’s Easter egg hunt promotion for the coming weekend.
Kovac: To start, I’d make sure I schedule no more than a two-division show for my Easter egg special; just like my philosophy for fireworks nights, I want to make sure the program runs quickly so the influx of kids will be awake for the feature and some post-race visiting in the pit area. As for an egg hunt, I wouldn’t have one in the traditional sense of the activity. The “hunts” I’ve seen are usually just dozens, or hundreds, of kids dashing across open space rather than really hunting for anything, so I’d give every kid an egg stuffed with goodies — candy, food/merch vouchers, etc. — when they walk through the gate and have some activities planned where they could earn extra eggs. And all the eggs would have something that pairs each child with a driver to root for and, if the racer finishes in the top-five, the kids will visit those drivers afterward to receive another prize (provided by me as the promoter, although the drivers can certainly throw in some items as well).
McFadden: This might seem like mayhem, but I’d scatter lots of eggs for kids along the frontstretch, with plenty of prizes available. Aside from the classic Easter-themed chocolate tucked inside typical eggs, I’d have every driver entered that night submit a unique giveaway — from merchandise to hauler tours, meet-and-greets or honorary crew roles — placed in random eggs. If I’m a promoter, I’d much rather have my drivers help plan and be part of the experience than take on a large-scale event like this on my own.
Turner: I’d find the best place for a pre-race hunt where folks can watch, which will widely vary from track to track. My promotion starts with having perhaps hundreds of eggs with simple candy in them, to assure all the youngsters get something. But I’ll have 10 or 12 or 20 larger eggs that come with a racing-connected prize — a die-cast car, another small piece of merch, a driver’s autograph, etc. — for the luckiest hunters. Then, if one of those drivers wins the feature, the child that found that driver’s egg joins him and the Easter bunny for victory lane photos.
Clay: Completely avoiding the immediate fear of discovering snakes inhabiting the infield tires, if I’m a track promoter, I’m hosting an Easter egg hunt on the grounds of my track. My crew will set up some early hidden eggs in the infield and we can sprinkle a few more along the frontstretch for good measure before we let the kids loose during an extended intermission. Maybe we can have the Easter Bunny make an appearance and be available for pictures while possibly inviting drivers to participate in a staged meet-and-greet before racing action resumes.
