After the Checkers
Instant reaction, analysis of tight Firecracker 100
By Kevin Kovac
DirtonDirt senior writer
Devin Moran (99) and Brandon Sheppard (1) battle for the lead. (heathlawsonphotos.com)
SARVER, Pa. (June 27) — Instant reaction and analysis from Saturday's Firecracker 100 finale at Lernerville Speedway, a $50,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event captured by Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio (RaceWire):
MASTER CLASS: At 31, Devin Moran has firmly established himself as one of Dirt Late Model racing's brightest stars; winning last year's Lucas Oil Series championship made that abundantly clear. But his next step on the road to superstardom is excelling in long-distance, crown jewel events, and his performance in capturing the Firecracker 100 for the first time showed he's figuring them out. Moran may well have authored the best 100-lap run of his career. He was patient early to save his tires on a highly technical track that can bite drivers who push too hard, too quick. He picked his spots to make passes. And, after finally overcoming Brandon Sheppard for the lead on lap 80, Moran never flinched as he changed lanes and negotiated lapped traffic while facing B-Shepp's intense pressure right to the end. "A master class" is what Vinny Guliani, the shock guru who serves as Moran's technical consultant, called the performance. No one would argue with Guliani's assessment.
FALLING SHORT: For three-quarters of the Firecracker 100's distance it appeared that Brandon Sheppard was on his way to his first-ever victory in the event, which made his runner-up fate so heartbreaking. The Rocket Chassis house car driver certainly wondered if perhaps there was a move he could have made to regain command from Moran in the waning laps, but he couldn't pinpoint anything. Yes, his softer right-front tire — he ran a 2-compound while Moran chose a harder 3 for his right-front — gave out and caused him steering problems through turns three and four, but he just couldn't seal the deal. Sheppard could take one substantial positive away: he's been a serious contender to win all three crown jewel races contested so far this season, including last month's Show-Me 100 (finished second) and Eldora Speedway's Dream where he was stalking eventual winner Bobby Pierce when his car's right-front blew late in the distance. "We're gonna win us a big one soon," Sheppard asserted.
HOMETOWN STANDOUT: Sarver, Pa.'s own Michael Norris repeated several times that he was "happy" with his seventh-place finish in the Firecracker 100, which was no small feat considering every other driver in the top-10 at the checkered flag was a Lucas Oil Series regular. What's more, the 34-year-old was making just his seventh start of the 2026 season. But he also conceded that he was more than a little disappointed with the outcome because it could have been so much better. Norris drove his 3-race-old Rocket Chassis forward from the 12th starting spot to settle into fourth place on lap 58, making the advance in an impressive, under-control manner. He said he never felt like he pushed his car too hard and had visions of bettering his career-best Firecracker finish of fifth in 2020 (the one year the event was run over the 50-lap distance to facilitate a live television broadcast). But over the last seven circuits he lost three spots to settle for seventh. Did he fade because of his decision to run a softer 3-compound right-rear tire? It's likely the worn rubber indeed hampered him, dooming him to the conflicted emotions he expressed.
DESERVING OF PRAISE: Lernerville and Lucas Oil Series officials once again battled the weather on Saturday with light rain dancing around the area. In fact, there was nearly an hour-long delay between the end of the Lucas Oil heats and the start of the B-mains due to a persistent mist keeping the track too slick for competition. But all the right moves were made by the track and series — from pushing the start of hot laps up one hour (to 5 p.m.) to sending the 100-lapper onto the track before 8 o'clock and skipping out-of-car driver introductions in order to not waste a single minute. The feature concluded at 8:56 p.m. and was an entertaining affair that went down to the wire on a racy track surface that Rocket Chassis co-owner Mark Richards — a guy who has seen plenty of racing at Lernerville over the decades — said was "great" and "one of the best tracks they've had here in years."
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Devin Moran recorded his fourth career crown jewel victory but first since celebrating his 30th birthday. His previous triumphs came in 2018's Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway (worth $30,000), 2023's Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. ($50,000) and 2024's Silver Dollar Nationals at Huset's Speedway in Brandon, S.D. ($53,000).
