Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies

Fast Talk: RTJ's sweep and organic title chase

October 12, 2026, 10:29 am

While Ricky Thornton Jr. swept Lucas Oil action at Eldora and the tour’s title chase heads to the DTWC, our roundtable checks in for the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):

Give some insight on Ricky Thornton Jr.’s Clash on the Wabash sweep.

Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: We’ve been waiting all season for Thornton to get truly hot, but … it didn’t happen. Every time he won a race and appeared primed to stack victories in succession it just didn’t happen, whether because bad luck or missteps with setup on on-track decisions. There was just something ever-so-slightly off with RTJ’s campaign, which has been one of the biggest mysteries of 2026 in Dirt Late Model racing. Just one of them years? Perhaps, but Thornton had risen to such superstar heights, it did seem possible that he would come, in relative terms, back to earth. Eldora, though, was Thornton back at his dominant best. I think just getting over that hump of winning back-to-back features for the first time in over a year will fire him off into a sizzling close to the season and a prolific number of checkered flags next year.

Todd Turner, DirtonDirt managing editor: Is Thornton the new master of Eldora? I won’t proclaim that, but I do feel like panelists here and other Dirt Late Model commentator often want to have some assurance of who Eldora’s best drivers are at a moment in time. And the simple truth is Eldora doesn’t like to make that easy on prognosticators. The World 100’s best drivers (winner Nick Hoffman and longtime leader Ryan Gustin) weren’t factors. Recent Eldora dominators Jonathan Davenport and Bobby Pierce? Same. The shorter races vs. 100-lapper play a role in that, no doubt, but the Big E is a fickle mistress.

Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: When he’s crossed the checkers in Eldora features this year, no driver has been more consistent than RTJ — fifth in his Dream prelim (before a broken right-front tie rod forced him out of the Dream finale), runner-up in the Baltes Classic, runner-up in Friday’s World 100 prelim, runner-up in the World finale and now the Lucas Oil sweep. So while this was his first weekend sweep since last August, his success at Eldora shouldn’t surprise anyone. The half-mile suits his ability to stay on the fuel and generate runs that separate him from the rest. I’ve learned over the years that Eldora favors a driver who can get out and run while also knowing how to deftly navigate the slick. RTJ can do both. He’s as versatile off the track as he is on it, too. Anthony Burroughs told me that RTJ doesn’t need a crew chief — he knows his way around the car well enough himself. That speaks to how much Thornton has grown as a driver who can both figure out what his car needs and get the most out of it on the track.

Bryan Ault, DirtonDirt contributing writer: It’s been a weird season for Thornton, especially compared with his success of the past three years. He was the odds-on favorite to win practically every night on the Lucas Oil tour for the past few seasons, but 2026 has been a different story for the Koehler Motorsports driver. He drove a superb race Friday, closing on Brandon Sheppard quickly in the closing laps with a great pass on Eldora’s frontstretch to pocket the win with two laps to go. On Saturday, he trailed Dale McDowell for the first half of the 50-lapper before passing the veteran for the lead on lap 25 and never looking back. Thornton is definitely closing out his season on a high note, giving himself momentum and confidence heading into 2027.

Does anyone miss the Lucas Oil playoff format?

Turner: Not me. I never really followed (or necessarily felt the inclination to understand) NASCAR’s playoffs as a casual observer, and it didn’t do anything for me at the grassroots level. It seems like an overengineered and inorganic way to make people excited about something, rather than letting observers decide for themselves whether something’s worthy. And as I’ve mentioned before, while I appreciate the bonus system that “replaced” the playoffs, except for the occasional James Essex mention, it’s not something that catches the attention of the masses (while I also completely understand the extra money is great for the tour’s regular teams). Spectators like to see exciting racing and meaningful finishes that produce the sport’s best moments, not outcomes that require an explanation for why something is intriguing.

Ault: Not really. Much like NASCAR’s playoff-style format, the Lucas Oil championship has felt like manufactured drama. Even without reshuffling the top four drivers, we’ve still had a nice points battle all season that’s provided compelling storylines. Hudson O’Neal started off as a clear frontrunner. The summer brought the spotlight on Brandon Sheppard, and in the closing weeks, we’re seeing a late charge by Devin Moran. I’m generally against switching playoff formats for any sport, including NASCAR and college football. Sometimes it’s wise for governing bodies to just let things happen and stay out of the way, not fix what’s not broken.

McFadden: Nope. Never have. Never will. A playoff can work, to some degree, in the pavement and NASCAR world. Actually, I’m a fan of NASCAR’s Chase format. I’ve tuned into more NASCAR races recently than I had all year combined because of it. In dirt racing, we don’t need any sort of playoffs for the season-long championship. Let the teams and drivers get what they deserve, and let’s accept the outcome without trying to manufacture a storyline or boost ratings. There are too many variables in play, from the pill draw to the different types of dirt and soil around the country. Ohio’s dirt is different from the Midwest’s black dirt, and neither is comparable to the red clay found in the South. A playoff puts more emphasis on certain tracks and regions than on the season-long body of work. I hope a playoff never returns to our dirt world.

Kovac: I don’t think so. I certainly haven’t heard anyone pining away for the playoff-style format that was in place for the past three years. It seems the consensus of the Dirt Late Model world is that the sport doesn’t need any manipulated drama because the real thing — like we have with a close points battle between Brandon Sheppard and Devin Moran entering this weekend’s Dirt Track World Championship season finale — feels even bigger when it happens naturally like it has this season.

Who’s your pick to secure the Lucas Oil championship?

McFadden: As much as I appreciate Devin Moran making things interesting atop the standings of late, it’s hard not to pick Brandon Sheppard. He and his Rocket1 Racing team are too consistent to let their guard down with one race remaining. If they were to lose it, something catastrophic would likely have to happen. Around the close-quarters third-mile West Virginia Motor Speedway oval, where nobody is safe, anything can occur. But Sheppard’s off night is a back-end top-10 run, whereas Moran’s off night is outside the top 10. Sheppard’s floor is safe enough for me. Moran’s ceiling, though, is quite high right now. He’s yet to finish off the podium in his brand-new Longhorn Chassis and just won the Hillbilly Hundred last month at WVMS. Saturday should be fun.

Ault: I think Moran is going to overtake Sheppard for the title, successfully defending his series championship from 2025 and becoming the first back-to-back series champ since Tim McCreadie. Momentum is heavily in Moran and his Chuck Kimble-led crew’s favor. On his first night out with a brand-new car, he dominated the Pittsburgher and came up just one spot short on Saturday’s Clash finale at Eldora. As Kevin wrote on Sunday, Sheppard posted finishes of fourth and 13th during the World of Outlaws show there in mid-June; meanwhile, Moran won the Hillbilly Hundred with a different car. Give me Moran for the title.

Kovac: Devin Moran is absolutely hotter than Brandon Sheppard entering the finale, but Sheppard isn’t exactly struggling. B-Shepp nearly won Friday’s Eldora preliminary. He nearly was a group fast-timer — which would have earned him 10 bonus points — but was beat out by Nick Hoffman. Sheppard is showing plenty of speed to deal with Moran’s late-season surge. What has me bullish on Sheppard holding on for his first-ever Lucas Oil title at West Virginia is just seeing how he was able to survive losing a lap early in the Pittsburgher and salvage a sixth-place finish and, in Saturday’s feature at Eldora, refire his car when it momentarily stalled during a caution period with three laps to go and finish sixth again. It gives me the feeling that it’s meant to be for Sheppard and the Rocket1 team.

Turner: I’m leaning Sheppard over Moran. As Rocket1 did at PPMS recently in salvaging what might’ve been a disastrous night, this is a team that can gut it out when it has a task ahead. (I should also mention here Sheppard averted another disaster when Sheppard’s car revived after apparent ignition issues late in the Eldora feature). Moran’s Hillbilly Hundred victory wasn’t over a national touring-level field, so I put less weight on his WVMS success. What I mostly hope for is some title drama.

Do we like the DTWC returning to West Virginia Motor Speedway?

Kovac: Absolutely. Carl Short’s crown jewel event began in West Virginia — at Pennsboro Speedway, of course — in 1981 so it just feels right to be back in the state. The DTWC was the third-wheel on Eldora’s major-event schedule for the past three years but now it’s No. 1 at WVMS. That fact itself is going to bring a huge burst of energy to the weekend. Throw in the rebuilt, shorter racetrack layout that many visitors will see for the first time, and there’s a special aura building. I know I’m looking forward to making the autumn drive through the West Virginia hills to Mineral Wells. I just hope Mike Hurley, Cody Watson and their WVMS team can find enough space to park all the campers and fans that will inundate the place.

McFadden: I’ll second Kevin’s answer — absolutely. I think the facility will do everything in its power to give the longtime crown jewel the treatment it deserves. The DTWC started in West Virginia and deserves to return after all these years. Mike Hurley and his staff have worked wonders on the third-mile oval, which is starting to find its identity after a rough first couple of races. Seating won’t be an issue. Parking, however, is a concern of mine because of the uneven terrain and tight confines of the property. As long as the WVMS staff has a plan for that, all should go well.

Ault: Yes. I still like the move to keep Eldora on the schedule (as I detail why below), but Carl Short’s big event is back where it belongs. WVMS has undergone significant upgrades, and I’m anxious to see how the track races for the Lucas Oil drivers. The first couple of races at the reshaped oval were rough-and-tumble, but they’ve probably worked out those kinks. I’m sure it will be packed with fans, and we’ll get a race that will crown a worthy champion and live up to its billing.

Turner: Yes, the race feels right in its native West Virginia and I was never a fan of yet another Eldora crown jewel. Regarding WVMS specifically, I always enjoyed the aura around the tiered hillside and autumn chill in attending DTWCs and major races there, but never the racing style on its 5/8-mile configuration. The smaller layout is much more compelling and could produce some tense moments in close quarters racing, especially when leaders are negotiating lapped traffic. The Mike Hurley-owned track’s promotions are impressive, too, and he seems determined to make this the track’s biggest-ever weekend.

Provide perspective on a recent news item, happening or development.

Ault: I loved every aspect of Eldora’s inaugural Clash on the Wabash weekend. Compared with the Dream and World 100, there was ample space for parking and plenty of legroom. There weren’t huge lines at the restrooms or concessions. It felt like a breath of fresh air to walk freely under the covered grandstands without bumping into people. September’s World 100 is definitely a treat, but with back-to-back years of sold-out crowds, it’s becoming an impersonal spectacle. I couldn’t disagree more with Kyle about the Lucas Oil program needing more laps just because of a big payday. Why? Just to see drivers putt around the bottom for half the race and play it safe on Eldora’s high banks? No thanks. As Dustin Jarrett discussed with me afterward, the shorter races required drivers to be “elbows up” and proved to be entertaining. This weekend's twin bill required the field to “go now,” and made the event unique compared with the other crown jewels at Tony Stewart’s oval. Another thing: no manufactured drama, no spinning that stupid Wheel of Misfortune, no driver intros, no worrying about the inverts, no wasted time. Quite honestly, it might be my favorite race weekend of the year, and I hope nothing changes about it in 2027.

McFadden: Volunteer Speedway isn't lost just yet. Yes, I know Vic Hill announced Sunday in a since-deleted post that Oct. 22's FloRacing Night in America event would be the final race at the 52-year-old facility, explaining that it would no longer operate as a racetrack. But after speaking with Hill on Sunday evening, it appears there may have been some miscommunication between the promoter and track owners Joe and Phyllis Loven. No sale has been finalized. I can't blame Hill for wanting to get the word out if he was under the impression that Oct. 22 would indeed mark Volunteer's final race. He's the promoter, after all, and has poured his heart and soul into keeping the East Tennessee oval a beloved dirt track, particularly in a region near Knoxville and Gatlinburg that must be increasingly attractive to real estate investors. But for now, the bottom line is that no sale has been finalized. Volunteer's future remains uncertain, which is both scary and hopeful.

Turner: The first MARS racing at Lucas Oil Speedway since 2008 was intriguing with Chase Junghans winning his second race of the season at the Wheatland, Mo., track (and first-ever MARS race) while Hall of Famer Terry Phillips captured his first Late Model race at the track in a whopping 17 years. Excruciating is a description Ryan Unzicker’s limping to the series championship. In a season where virtually everything went his way, the script flipped the last two weekends with Unzicker barely holding on to end Jason Feger’s three-year stranglehold on the crown, ending Saturday’s race with a damage-battered car.

Kovac: Here’s hoping that Hunt the Front’s Joiner family can get their Southern Raceway in Milton, Fla., back running quickly after it was swamped by Hurricane Isaias over the weekend. The storm caused some significant damage to the facility that the Joiners have greatly improved this year under their ownership. The blow is a hit to the momentum they’ve built there and adds more work to their preparations for a huge Speedweeks schedule coming up in January and February — including a first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event — but I’m sure they’ll get the place patched up and ready for their time in the national spotlight.