After the Checkers
Breakdown, analysis of Moran's Pittsburgher win
By Kyle McFadden
DirtonDirt staff reporter
Devin Moran takes the checkered flag in the Pittsburger. (heathlawsonphotos.com)
IMPERIAL, Pa. (Oct. 3) — Takeaways and analysis from Saturday’s 38th annual Pittsburgher 100, a $50,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series feature captured by Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio (RaceWire):
ALL MORAN: A beatdown. A statement. A blowout. However you classify it, Devin Moran delivered one of the year’s most dominant performances Saturday, winning the Pittsburgher by 7.5 seconds on a track where laps took roughly 20 seconds to turn. The lap times tell the story. Moran’s 19.818-second circuit on lap 66 was faster than his 19.845 on lap 16. He even dipped into the 18-second bracket on lap 41. Tim McCreadie didn’t turn another 19-second circuit after lap 47. Nick Hoffman didn’t after lap 49. It has to rank among the most convincing victories of Moran’s career, and the timing couldn’t be better. He erased 60 points from his Lucas Oil Series deficit Saturday, pulling within 65 of leader Brandon Sheppard and 25 of second-place Hudson O’Neal with three races remaining. Oh, and he did all that in a brand-new Longhorn Chassis he debuted Saturday. Remember, Moran entered Pittsburgher weekend last year trailing Ricky Thornton Jr. by 80 points and went on to win the championship by 85. Eldora’s doubleheader next weekend just got even more compelling.
WHO’S AT FAULT?: I get it. There are plenty of opinions about the Jonathan Davenport-Drake Troutman incident in the opening corner of the first heat. On harder tires, Davenport didn’t get the best start, leaving a narrow window for Troutman to make an aggressive move. Troutman pulled the trigger, contact followed, and Davenport’s night was effectively derailed by the nose damage from hitting Troutman's rearend that forced him to the pits. His Double L Motorsports team rolled out the backup car, but an 11th-to-sixth B-main run left him out of the feature. I didn’t get a chance to talk with Troutman afterward, but Davenport said the young Hyndman, Pa., driver was upset about it. Davenport also acknowledged that some are likely blaming him for not lifting. Sometimes these incidents are a byproduct of tight, close-quarters racing, especially on bigger tracks where starts and restarts offer the best opportunities to make moves before a heat gets strung out. Davenport struck me as more disappointed than angry, which is understandable. He also seemed willing to cut Troutman some slack. Davenport’s been a sounding board for Troutman this season, and knows the youngster means well. They’ll move on quickly if they haven’t already.
TITLE-SAVING NIGHT?: We probably won’t look back on Brandon Sheppard’s sixth-place finish in the 2026 Pittsburgher as anything special. But considering how bleak his night looked, it might stand as his most valuable salvage effort of the season. Sheppard went a lap down on the 21st circuit while mired in 19th, and he wasn’t even first in line for the Lucky Dog when the first caution flew on lap 34. A stoppage for Chris Madden on lap 39 changed everything. By then, Sheppard had worked into the lucky-dog position. With Madden dropping out and Drake Troutman pitting, he restarted 13th, back on the lead lap and with new life. By lap 41, he passed Hudson O’Neal for ninth. What began as a night threatening to cost Sheppard considerable championship ground ended with him doubling his lead over O’Neal — from 20 to 40 points — with three races remaining. Those are nights that amount to championships.
T-MAC ON RISE: Chalk up another productive night for runner-up Tim McCreadie, who recorded his fourth second-place finish and fifth top-two result — counting his Sept. 18 ULMS victory — in his last 12 races. All 12 have produced top-10 finishes, his longest such streak since a 14-race run from Sept. 19-Dec. 2, 2022. It’s a noteworthy upswing for the 52-year-old, who managed just four podium finishes in 32 races from May 15 — the night after his most recent World of Outlaws victory at Selinsgrove — through Aug. 19. Like Moran, McCreadie also debuted a new Longhorn on Saturday and feels mighty good about his chances at ending 2026 strong.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Devin Moran became the first driver to win the Hillbilly 100, Firecracker 100 and Pittsburgher in the same season. Scott Bloomquist won the Hillbilly when it was at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va., and Firecracker in 2016, but finished second to Josh Richards in the Pittsburgher that year.
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