Poll Position presented by Keyser Manufacturing

Top 25: Rice rockets up with Pierce at No. 1

August 11, 2026, 8:04 am

By Kevin Kovac

DirtonDirt senior writer

Josh Rice (heathlawsonphotos.com)

Following a Sunoco North-South 100 weekend that saw the top two drivers in DirtonDirt’s power rankings eliminated in the same crash, Josh Rice of Crittenden, Ky., seized the spotlight with a spectacular victory in the crown jewel event at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., that rocketed him forward.

Rice, 28, lit up the massive crowd at his family’s home track, scoring a $75,000 triumph in the race he’s coveted for over a decade. He came back from three pit stops and four tire changes to outduel Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., in a breathtaking late-race battle that wasn’t decided until he pulled off a crossover move exiting turn four to beat J.D. to the checkered flag.

The unforgettable performance — plus Rice’s last-lap win in a 25-lap Friday semifeature — gained him a burst of support in the Keyser Manufacturing-sponsored Top 25, vaulting him eight spots to No. 10. His success came in his first weekend back running a Rocket Chassis after spending the first seven months of the season campaigning Longhorn machines for JRR Motorsports.

Pierce, who finished second in Friday’s semifeature at Florence after being passed by Rice on the final circuit, remained No. 1 in the rankings for the second straight week despite seeing his bid for a fourth consecutive North-South 100 victory end on lap 12 due to his involvement in a huge multi-car restart wreck. He received nine of the 10 available first-place votes.

Sheppard won a Florence semifeature on Thursday, but he was also swept up in the lap-12 restart crash and forced out of action with significant damage to his Rocket Chassis house. He picked up one first-place vote and stayed No. 2 in the poll.

Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., remained at No. 3 after logging a pair of third-place finishes in Florence’s preliminaries and placing 11th in the North-South 100. He rallied into contention after repairing damage sustained in the big crash but faded in the late stages.

The idle Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C., held onto the No. 4 spot while Davenport’s hard-earned runner-up finish in the North-South 100 — he went to the rear midway through the race after he was spun into the inside wall on the backstretch from contact with Kyle Bronson of Brandon, Fla., while going for the lead — moved him up two spots to No. 5.

Florence’s North-South 100 weekend provided a giant boost in the rankings to Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., who rose seven spots to a tie for No. 17. He was eliminated early from the finale when Sheppard landed on his car amid the restart accident, but his results in the preliminaries — a $6,000 victory on Thursday and second-place finish on Friday — showed his strength.

Joining the poll were three drivers who tied for the No. 25 spot: Sycamore Speedway MARS winner Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., North-South 100 seventh-place finisher Clay Harris of Jupiter, Fla., and Zack Mitchell of Enoree, S.C. Sam Seawright of Rainsville, Ala., dropped out of the poll.

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.

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: Up-and-down North-South 100 weekend includes last-lap prelim loss and early end to bid for fourth straight event victory due to involvement in massive restart crash. Time for a break until Aug. 18’s FloRacing Night in America stop at Marshalltown kicks off two-week stretch of Iowa action. Series points: 1st (WoO); 6th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 1st (nc)

2. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, Ill.

Comment: Wins a Florence prelim but doesn’t get chance to strut stuff in North-South 100 finale because he’s swept up in multicar accident. Hopes for rebound at Topless 100. Series points: 1st (Lucas Oil); 1st (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 2nd (nc)

3. Hudson O'Neal, Martinsville, Ind.

Comment: Places third in both Florence prelims and rallies into contention in North-South 100 after sustaining damage in early wreck before fading to an 11th-place finish. Ready to chase first Topless 100 since 2021. Series points: 2nd (Lucas Oil); 3rd (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 3rd (nc)

4. Nick Hoffman, Mooresville, N.C.

Comment: Takes first of two straight weekends off from competition. He’ll be back next week for big shows in Iowa. Series points: 2nd (WoO); 4th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 4th (nc)

5. Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, Ga.

Comment: Settles for second in North-South 100 after ferocious battle to the wire with Josh Rice. Headed to car owner’s home track in pursuit of third Topless 100 victory in five years. Series points: None. Previous ranking: 7th (+2)

6. Devin Moran, Dresden, Ohio

Comment: Produces increasingly better finishes of sixth, fifth and fourth at Florence, where he comes back from involvement in early wreck to lead 100-lapper before slipping back in top-five. Gunning for first-ever Topless 100 triumph. Series points: 3rd (Lucas Oil); 2nd (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 5th (-1)

7. Tyler Erb, New Waverly, Texas

Comment: Runs top-10 in prelims at Florence but runs into trouble while contending in North-South 100 and finishes 16th. Next up on published schedule is next weekend’s action in Iowa. Series points: 3rd (WoO); 5th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 6th (-1)

8. Brandon Overton, Evans, Ga.

Comment: Shines in Florence prelims with runner-up and last-lap victory, then runs as high as second in North-South 100 before crossing finish line in fifth. Batesville trip on agenda. Series points: 4th (Lucas Oil); 7th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 10th (+2)

9. Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.

Comment: After trying to hit North-South 100 invert with prelim finishes of ninth and seventh, looks strong in finale until battery trouble ends hopes. Can he become a Topless 100 winner? Series points: 6th (Lucas Oil). Previous ranking: 9th (nc)

10. Josh Rice, Crittenden, Ky.

Comment: Returns to Rocket Chassis fold and immediately blasts away, excelling in Florence prelims (third, last-lap win) and topping off weekend at home track with a monumental $75,000 North-South 100 victory that sends crowd into a frenzy. Can he carry the momentum to Batesville? Series points: T8th (Lucas Oil); 8th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 18th (+8)

11. Tim McCreadie, Watertown, N.Y.

Comment: Briggs Transport team sitting idle until stretch of racing in Iowa as T-Mac awaits his Thursday induction into DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame for his Northeast modified success. Series points: 4th (WoO). Previous ranking: 8th (-3)

12. Max Blair, Centerville, Pa.

Comment: Plagued by mechanical misfortune in prelims at Batesville, then finds himself in huge North-South 100 tangle but salvages 14th-place finish. Moving on to Batesville. Series points: 5th (Lucas Oil). Previous ranking: 11th (-1)

13. Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa

Comment: Spends weekend regrouping with big stretch of racing in his home state coming up. Series points: 5th (WoO). Previous ranking: 12th (-1)

14. Ashton Winger, Hampton, Ga.

Comment: Continues hot summer with $10,000 Southern Thunder victory at Florida’s Southern Raceway. Eyeing next weekend’s Hunter the Front doubleheader at Tazewell and Smoky Mountain. Series points: 1st (HTF); 1st (Southern Thunder). Previous ranking: 15th (+1)

15. Jason Feger, Bloomington, Ill.

Comment: Racks up back-to-back second-place finishes in MARS features at Sycamore and Macon. Ready to pursue $20,000 MARS check at La Salle. Series points: 2nd (MARS); 2nd (Summer Nationals); 10th (FloRacing). Previous ranking: 13th (-2)

16. Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif.

Comment: Break from WoO action gives ASD Motorsports chance to reset before national tour resumes next weekend in Iowa. Series points: 6th (WoO). Previous ranking: 16th (nc)

T17. Garrett Alberson, Las Cruces, N.M.

Comment: Starts Florence weekend with runner-up finish in prelim, but North-South 100 hopes end in painful fashion when hit to helmet from rock or mud clod sends him to hospital with broken nose and facial bones and laceration above eye. Uncertain when he’ll be able to climb back into cockpit. Series points: 7th (Lucas Oil). Previous ranking: 17th (nc)

T17. Mike Marlar, Winfield, Tenn.

Comment: Strong prelim performance at Florence (win, second) crashes down in Saturday’s 100-lapper with involvement in early wreck. Next start TBA. Series points: None. Previous ranking: 24th (+7)

19. Tanner English, Benton, Ky.

Comment: Steps away from competition for weekend with $20,000-to-win MARS show coming this weekend at La Salle. Series points: Champion (Summer Nationals); 8th (MARS). Previous ranking: 14th (-5)

20. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, Ga.

Comment: Brother’s hauler stays in shop. Next starts currently set for next weekend’s Hunt the Front twinbill at Tazewell and Smoky Mountain. Series points: None. Previous ranking: 19th (-1)

21. Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.

Comment: Frustrating Comp Cams weekend yields only 15th-place finishes at Crowley’s Ridge and Riverside. Series points: 1st (Comp Cams). Previous ranking: 20th (-1)

22. Trey Mills, St. Augustine, Fla.

Comment: Enjoys break from racing amid busy summer schedule. Readying for two weeks of Iowa action. Series points: 7th (WoO). Previous ranking: 22nd (nc)

23. Cody Overton, Thomson, Ga.

Comment: Stays away from track for weekend with next racing to be determined. Series points: None. Previous ranking: 23rd (nc)

24. Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, N.C.

Comment: No racing for Big Frog team as excursion to Iowa lies ahead. Series points: 8th (WoO). Previous ranking: 21st (-3)

T25. Clay Harris, Jupiter, Fla.

Comment: Shows flashes at Florence, where weekend concludes with seventh-place finish in North-South 100. Topless 100 next. Series points: 11th (Lucas Oil). Previous ranking: Unranked

T25. Zack Mitchell, Enoree, S.C.

Comment: Keeps Team 22 Inc. engines silent with trip to Iowa coming up. Series points: 48th (WoO). Previous ranking: Unranked

T25. Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, Ill.

Comment: Consistent season rolls on with MARS victory at Sycamore and fourth-place run at Macon. More MARS racing on tap at La Salle. Series points: 1st (MARS). Previous ranking: Unranked

Dropped out: Sam Seawright

Others receiving votes: Sam Seawright, Drake Troutman, Chris Madden, Gregg Satterlee, Dustin Sorensen, Dillon McCowan, Rusty Schlenk, Kyle Bronson, Brian Shirley, Luke Morey.