| Ricky Thornton Jr. and Hudson O’Neal each won a 25-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series preliminary feature Saturday night at West Virginia Motor Speedway, opening the 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment weekend. Thornton passed early leader Tyler Carpenter for the lead on lap 10 of the first $5,000-to-win feature. Carpenter led the opening nine laps. Thornton went on to win his third straight LOLMDS feature after sweeping both races at Eldora Speedway last weekend. Thornton earned his 65th career series victory by 1.358 seconds over Dillon McCowan, who started 10th and climbed to second. Championship contender Devin Moran completed the Big River Steel Podium in third. Chris Ferguson finished fourth, and Max Blair rounded out the top five. “Early on, we just let Tyler and Devin go, and we were looking for the right opportunity. Those guys took off on the top, and I thought a yellow might give me the perfect opportunity. I knew Tyler wasn’t going to stay down there for very long. I thought if I could make a couple of good laps down there, we were going to be in good shape. When I got to third, I was watching Tyler and Devin. Their cars were a little better through the center than mine. I hit the yuke tire and knocked the nose down, and I thought, ‘I’ve really got to go now.’ I got a really good run off turn two and thought I could slide them going into turn three. Our car was good enough to do that.” McCowan, in his rookie season with the series and making his first career start at WVMS, advanced from 10th to finish second. “We’ve had a tough couple of weeks. Hats off to my guys. The track around the bottom was soupy, and then we ran around the top like a bullring. The car was good. Congrats to Ricky and Devin; they did a good job. Hopefully, we can tune on it some more tomorrow.” Moran, seeking a second straight LOLMDS championship, trails Brandon Sheppard by 45 points heading into Sunday’s season finale. “The track was a bit different from when we were here for the Hillbilly. It didn’t have as much grip on the bottom then as it did tonight. We weren’t expecting that. We know we have a decent car, so we know what to work on for tomorrow.” Thornton’s Koehler Motorsports Longhorn Chassis, owned by Bobby and Jessica Koehler, is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine. Sponsors include Hoker Trucking, Knight’s Companies, Capital Waste, Coltman Farms Racing, Strange Oval, Certified Inspection Services, SI Towing and Recovery, Sunoco Race Fuels, and D&E Outside Services. Completing the top 10 in the first feature were Dennis Erb Jr., Eddie Carrier Jr., Tyler Erb, Kyle Bronson, and Drake Troutman. |
| Thornton and O’Neal Win Dirt Track World Championship Preliminary Features Ricky Thornton Jr. and Hudson O’Neal each won a 25-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series preliminary feature Saturday night at West Virginia Motor Speedway, opening the 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment weekend. Thornton passed early leader Tyler Carpenter for the lead on lap 10 of the first $5,000-to-win feature. Carpenter led the opening nine laps. Thornton went on to win his third straight LOLMDS feature after sweeping both races at Eldora Speedway last weekend. Thornton earned his 65th career series victory by 1.358 seconds over Dillon McCowan, who started 10th and climbed to second. Championship contender Devin Moran completed the Big River Steel Podium in third. Chris Ferguson finished fourth, and Max Blair rounded out the top five. “Early on, we just let Tyler and Devin go, and we were looking for the right opportunity. Those guys took off on the top, and I thought a yellow might give me the perfect opportunity. I knew Tyler wasn’t going to stay down there for very long. I thought if I could make a couple of good laps down there, we were going to be in good shape. When I got to third, I was watching Tyler and Devin. Their cars were a little better through the center than mine. I hit the yuke tire and knocked the nose down, and I thought, ‘I’ve really got to go now.’ I got a really good run off turn two and thought I could slide them going into turn three. Our car was good enough to do that.” McCowan, in his rookie season with the series and making his first career start at WVMS, advanced from 10th to finish second. “We’ve had a tough couple of weeks. Hats off to my guys. The track around the bottom was soupy, and then we ran around the top like a bullring. The car was good. Congrats to Ricky and Devin; they did a good job. Hopefully, we can tune on it some more tomorrow.” Moran, seeking a second straight LOLMDS championship, trails Brandon Sheppard by 45 points heading into Sunday’s season finale. “The track was a bit different from when we were here for the Hillbilly. It didn’t have as much grip on the bottom then as it did tonight. We weren’t expecting that. We know we have a decent car, so we know what to work on for tomorrow.” Thornton’s Koehler Motorsports Longhorn Chassis, owned by Bobby and Jessica Koehler, is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine. Sponsors include Hoker Trucking, Knight’s Companies, Capital Waste, Coltman Farms Racing, Strange Oval, Certified Inspection Services, SI Towing and Recovery, Sunoco Race Fuels, and D&E Outside Services. Completing the top 10 in the first feature were Dennis Erb Jr., Eddie Carrier Jr., Tyler Erb, Kyle Bronson, and Drake Troutman. |
In the second feature, O’Neal took the lead from early pacesetter Jonathan Davenport on lap 16 and pulled away for his 41st career LOLMDS victory. Davenport finished second, and Brandon Sheppard completed the Big River Steel Podium in third. Josh Rice and Dan Ebert rounded out the top five. With the win, O’Neal broke a tie with four-time series champion Earl Pearson Jr. for seventh on the series’ all-time wins list. “We’ve been pretty good; we just haven’t been able to show all the speed we had. I feel like over the last few months, we’ve gotten better and started working in the right direction. All my guys have worked their tails off to give us the best shot. It really crushed all of us after we fell out of the championship race last weekend. My dad told me that night, ‘Hey, there’s no pressure. Just go chase a hundred grand and try to win it.’ We want to race for a championship, but it’s cool to come here and have speed,” said the Martinsville, Indiana, native. “I felt okay. Jonathan was making it tough on me. He was up, down, in the middle, left and right, just trying to find exactly where he needed to be. Then when we got to traffic, I think he got concerned about losing the lead on the bottom. I had a free lane to get up there and just let it sing. I felt good on the bottom, through the middle and against the cushion. I feel like we had a really good balance.” Like O’Neal, Davenport will be looking for his first win in the DTWC, a crown jewel event that has eluded both drivers. “We needed a good finish. We’ve had a pretty rough month. I wasn’t going to do anything stupid when we’re in a good starting spot for tomorrow. I pulled back down in traffic, and then Hudson got by us. My guys did an excellent job. We might have tightened it up a little too much for the tires we were on, just to see if we could overtighten this thing. We’ve been loose since July.” Sheppard heads into Sunday’s DTWC with a chance to win his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship and a record sixth DTWC title, which would break his tie with Freddy Smith. “We want to win, just like everybody else here. But at the end of the day, points are obviously on our mind, too. We’re just going to do the best we can. It’s going to play out like it’s going to play out. We’ll do our best, get a good balance under this thing and try to put it up front tomorrow. Getting our sixth Dirt Track World Championship would be really cool. These guys are super tough, obviously. I feel like I needed to roll the bottom a little bit better, so if we can do that, we’ll be better.” O’Neal’s SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine. Sponsors include Big River Steel, Wheeler Metals, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Merrill Bonding Company, Professional Concrete, Cutting and Drilling, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Lineal Contracting, Beeman Lumber, Indiana USSSA Fast Pitch Softball, Sunoco Race Fuels, Lucas Oil Products, and Penske Racing Shocks. Completing the top 10 in the second feature were Garrett Alberson, Zack Dohm, Ryan Gustin, Carson Ferguson, and Daniel Hilsabeck. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment | Night 1Saturday, October 17, 2026West Virginia Motor Speedway | Mineral Wells, WV Group A Results: Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A1: Dennis Erb Jr | 14.378 secondsFast Time Group A2: Devin Moran | 14.472 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #A1-1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 28-Tyler Carpenter[2]; 2. 74X-Ethan Dotson[4]; 3. 12M-Ryan Montgomery[6]; 4. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 6. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 7. W1-Cory Workman[7]; 8. S8-Jordan Stotts[8]; 9. (DNS) 8W-Wyatt Ervin Summit Racing Products Heat Race #A-2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 5T-Drake Troutman[4]; 2. 75-Eddie Carrier Jr[2]; 3. 22F-Chris Ferguson[5]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 5. 17SS-Brenden Smith[1]; 6. 9 11-Corey DeLancey[7]; 7. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[6]; 8. 21G-Corey Galbreath[8] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #A-3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 55-Benji Hicks[3]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[4]; 4. 111-Max Blair[6]; 5. 22M-Corey Miller[2]; 6. 18C-Chris Carpenter[7]; 7. 17KN-Brock Morris[5]; 8. 12R-Ryan Payne[9]; 9. 17K-Kenny Newhouse[8]Simpson Race Products Heat Race #A-4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 10-Garrett Smith[2]; 3. 27L-Michael Lake[6]; 4. 99H-Kyle Hardy[4]; 5. 6-Clay Harris[3]; 6. 12L-Dave Loudin[7]; 7. 47W-Brandon Weigle[5]; 8. R3X-Matthew Bosley[8] Fast Shafts B-Main Group A Finish (12 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 2. 18C-Chris Carpenter[2]; 3. 9 11-Corey DeLancey[3]; 4. 17KN-Brock Morris[6]; 5. W1-Cory Workman[5]; 6. 12L-Dave Loudin[4]; 7. 47W-Brandon Weigle[8]; 8. 12R-Ryan Payne[10]; 9. R3X-Matthew Bosley[12]; 10. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[7]; 11. S8-Jordan Stotts[9]; 12. 17K-Kenny Newhouse[14]; 13. 21G-Corey Galbreath[11]; 14. (DNS) 8W-Wyatt Ervin 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment |Group A – Feature Finish (25 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 4 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $5,0002 – 10 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $3,0003 – 2 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $2,0004 – 11 – 22F – Chris Ferguson – Mt. Holly, NC – $1,5005 – 14 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $1,2506 – 13 – 28E – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – $1,0007 – 7 – 75 – Eddie Carrier Jr – Fairmont, WV – $9508 – 17 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $9009 – 15 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $85010 – 3 – 5T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – $80011 – 16 – 99H – Kyle Hardy – Winchester, VA – $70012 – 20 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $60013 – 12 – 27L – Michael Lake – Uniontown, PA – $60014 – 6 – 55 – Benji Hicks – Mount Airy, NC – $60015 – 19 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $60016 – 21 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $60017 – 22 – 18C – Chris Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $55018 – 23 – 11-Sep – Corey DeLancey – Parkersburg, WV – $50019 – 24 – 17KN – Brock Morris – Charleston, WV – $50020 – 9 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – Fairmont, WV – $50021 – 18 – 22M – Corey Miller – Parkersburg, WV – $50022 – 8 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – $50023 – 5 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – $50024 – 1 – 28 – Tyler Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $500 Group A Race Statistics Entrants: 68Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Tyler CarpenterMD3 Lap Leaders: Tyler Carpenter (Laps 1-9); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 10-25)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Margin of Victory: 1.358 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Tyler Erb, Kyle Bronson (initial start); Debris (Lap 6); Benji Hicks, Garrett Smith (Lap 13); Garrett Smith, Brock Morris (Lap 13 restart); Tyler Carpenter, Ethan Dotson, Chris Carpenter, Ryan Montgomery, Corey Miller (Lap 13 restart); Garrett Smith (Lap 20)MyRacePass Series Provisional: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dillon McCowan, Devin MoranPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dillon McCowan, Devin Moran, Chris Ferguson, Max BlairBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dillon McCowan, Devin MoranPEM 4th Place Feature: Chris FergusonDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Max BlairWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Eddie Carrier, Jr.Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Kyle HardyVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Michael LakeXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Brenden SmithHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Max Blair (Advanced 9 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (15 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Brandon SheppardO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | Lap 9 | 14.635 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Tyler CarpenterVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr.Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Justin TharpARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 14.0443 secondsTime of Race: 24 minutes 23 seconds Group B Results: Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group B1: Jonathan Davenport | 14.328 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B2: Dan Ebert | 14.497 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #B-1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2]; 3. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 4. 76-Brandon Overton[5]; 5. 31-Lincoln Smith[8]; 6. 09-Michael Leach[4]; 7. 14-Corey Conley[7]; 8. 7*-Logan Hitt[6]; 9. J0Y-James Joy[9] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #B-2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 4. 0-Braeden Dillinger[4]; 5. 11M-Michael Chilton[7]; 6. 44-Dave Hess Jr[6]; 7. C9-Brandon Morrow[8]; 8. 00-Justin Cooper[5] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #B-3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 2. 60-Dan Ebert[1]; 3. 93F-Carson Ferguson[2]; 4. 39-Henry Hornsby III[4]; 5. 3-Chase Hunley[6]; 6. 49M-Luke Morey[5]; 7. 32X-Chad Roush[7]; 8. 44M-Lucas McDonald[8]; 9. 72X-James Nicely Uhler[9] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #B-4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 11-Josh Rice[1]; 2. 17-Zack Dohm[2]; 3. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[4]; 4. 17SR-Brody Smith[6]; 5. 2-Brandon Francis[3]; 6. 50-Kevin Davis[5]; 7. K2-Kristopher Southern[7]; 8. U2-Kristin Uhler[8] UNOH B-Main Group B Finish (12 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 09-Michael Leach[1]; 2. 44-Dave Hess Jr[3]; 3. 49M-Luke Morey[2]; 4. 50-Kevin Davis[4]; 5. 7*-Logan Hitt[9]; 6. 14-Corey Conley[5]; 7. 44M-Lucas McDonald[10]; 8. K2-Kristopher Southern[8]; 9. C9-Brandon Morrow[7]; 10. 32X-Chad Roush[6]; 11. U2-Kristin Uhler[12]; 12. 72X-James Nicely Uhler[14]; 13. J0Y-James Joy[13]; 14. (DNS) 00-Justin Cooper 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment |Group B – Feature Finish (25 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 2 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $5,0002 – 1 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $3,0003 – 3 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $2,0004 – 4 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $1,5005 – 6 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $1,2506 – 7 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $1,0007 – 8 – 17 – Zack Dohm – Cross Lanes, WV – $9508 – 5 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – $9009 – 10 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $85010 – 9 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $80011 – 12 – 25z – Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA – $70012 – 17 – 31 – Lincoln Smith – Belmont, OH – $60013 – 13 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $60014 – 14 – 39 – Henry Hornsby III – Bradley, WV – $60015 – 22 – 44 – Dave Hess, Jr. – Waterford, PA – $60016 – 11 – 32 – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – $60017 – 20 – 2 – Brandon Francis – Parkersburg, WV – $55018 – 16 – 17SR – Brody Smith – Dade City, FL – $50019 – 21 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – $50020 – 18 – 3 – Chase Hunley – Salyersville, KY – $50021 – 24 – 50 – Kevin Davis – Plainfield, OH – $50022 – 23 – 49M – Luke Morey – Zeeland, MI – $50023 – 19 – 11M – Michael Chilton – Salvisa, KY – $50024 – 15 – 0 – Braeden Dillinger – Dawson, PA – $500 Entrants: 68Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Jonathan DavenportMD3 Lap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-15); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 16-25)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Jonathan DavenportWieland Feature Winner: Hudson O’NealMargin of Victory: 2.213 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Braeden Dillinger (lap 1)MyRacePass Series Provisional: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon SheppardPenske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, Josh Rice, Dan EbertBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon SheppardPEM 4th Place Feature: Josh RiceDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Dan EbertWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Zack DohmWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Mason ZeiglerVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Brandon OvertonXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Dave Hess, Jr.Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Dave Hess, Jr. (Advanced 7 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (15 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Brandon SheppardO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal | Lap 2 | 14.655 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: n/aVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Hudson O’NealOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason DurhamARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brandon Sheppard | 14.1698 secondsTime of Race: 9 minutes 57 seconds Dirt Track World Championship Preliminary Points:Pos – No. – Competitor – Hometown – Total – Fastest Lap in Qualifying1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 250 – 14.4842 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 250 – 14.7673 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 240 – 14.3284 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 230 – 14.4725 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 230 – 14.7106 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 220 – 14.3527 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 215 – 14.4978 – 28E – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – 210 – 14.3789 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 210 – 14.50310 – 22F – Chris Ferguson – Mt. Holly, NC – 210 – 14.64211 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 205 – 14.87312 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 200 – 14.44513 – 75 – Eddie Carrier Jr – Fairmont, WV – 195 – 14.50914 – 17 – Zack Dohm – Cross Lanes, WV – 195 – 14.65715 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 190 – 14.35316 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 190 – 14.51717 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 185 – 14.56118 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 185 – 14.63019 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 180 – 14.58620 – 5T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 180 – 14.60821 – 99H – Kyle Hardy – Winchester, VA – 175 – 14.73722 – 25Z – Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA – 175 – 14.92023 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 170 – 14.61024 – 31 – Lincoln Smith – Belmont, OH – 170 – 15.06925 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 165 – 14.78426 – 27L – Michael Lake – Uniontown, PA – 165 – 14.97827 – 55 – Benji Hicks – Mount Airy, NC – 160 – 14.60828 – 39 – Henry Hornsby III – Bradley, WV – 160 – 14.86929 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 155 – 14.46330 – 44 – Dave Hess Jr – Waterford, PA – 155 – 14.88531 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 150 – 14.61132 – 32 – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 150 – 14.67633 – 2 – Brandon Francis – Parkersburg, WV – 145 – 14.84234 – 18C – Chris Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 145 – 15.05135 – 17SR – Brody Smith – Dade City, FL – 140 – 15.06836 – 9-11 – Corey DeLancey – Parkersburg, WV – 140 – 15.53037 – 09 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 135 – 14.70938 – 17KN – Brock Morris – Charleston, WV – 135 – 14.74739 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – Fairmont, WV – 130 – 14.86940 – 3 – Chase Hunley – Salyersville, KY – 130 – 15.02841 – 28 – Tyler Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 125 – 14.48642 – 22M – Corey Miller – Parkersburg, WV – 125 – 14.51743 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – 125 – 14.53344 – 74x – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 125 – 14.60745 – 0 – Braeden Dillinger – Dawson, PA – 125 – 14.76346 – 49M – Luke Morey – Zeeland, MI – 125 – 14.92347 – 50 – Kevin Davis – Plainfield, OH – 125 – 15.02148 – 11M – Michael Chilton – Salvisa, KY – 125 – 15.05149 – 7* – Logan Hitt – Buckhannon, WV – 120 – 14.85650 – W1 – Cory Workman – Gratiot, OH – 120 – 15.50251 – 14 – Corey Conley – Wellsburg, WV – 115 – 15.01052 – 12L – Dave Loudin – Volga, WV – 115 – 15.19353 – 47W – Brandon Weigle – Middlebourne, WV – 110 – 14.81254 – 44M – Lucas McDonald – Good Hope, WV – 110 – 15.45855 – K2 – Kristopher Southern – Jane Lew, WV – 105 – 15.10456 – 12R – Ryan Payne – Pennsboro, WV – 105 – 15.42257 – C9 – Brandon Morrow – Apple Creek, OH – 100 – 15.14758 – R3X – Matthew Bosley – Parkersburg, WV – 100 – 15.39159 – 32x – Chad Roush – Reedsville, OH – 95 – 15.09660 – 69 – Jon Hodgkiss – Pittsburgh, PA – 95 – 15.40261 – U2 – Kristin Uhler – Creston, OH – 90 – 15.46462 – S8 – Jordan Stotts – Pomeroy, OH – 90 – 15.63963 – 17K – Kenny Newhouse – Elkview, WV – 85 – 15.31364 – 72X – James Nicely-Uhler – Creston, OH – 85 – 15.76665 – J0Y – James Joy – Parkersburg, WV – 80 – 16.35966 – 21G – Corey Galbreath – Mineral Wells, WV – 80 – NT67 – 00 – Justin Cooper – Wheelersburg, OH – 50 – 14.84568 – 8W – Wyatt Ervin – Charleston, WV – 50 – NT 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment (100 Laps):Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN2 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH3 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL4 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 28E – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL5 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 22F – Chris Ferguson – Mt. Holly, NC6 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM7 – 75 – Eddie Carrier Jr – Fairmont, WV – 17 – Zack Dohm – Cross Lanes, WV8 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX9 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 93F – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC Fast Shafts B-Main 1 (12 Laps | Top 2 transfer):Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 25Z – Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA2 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 39 – Henry Hornsby III – Bradley, WV3 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 18C – Chris Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV4 – 09 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 3 – Chase Hunley – Salyersville, KY5 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – 49M – Luke Morey – Zeeland, MI6 – 7* – Logan Hitt – Buckhannon, WV – 12L – Dave Loudin – Volga, WV7 – K2 – Kristopher Southern – Jane Lew, WV – R3X – Matthew Bosley – Parkersburg, WV8 – U2 – Kristin Uhler – Creston, OH – 72X – James Nicely-Uhler – Creston, OH9 – 00 – Justin Cooper – Wheelersburg, OH UNOH B-Main 2 (12 Laps | Top 2 transfer):Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 5T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL2 – 27L – Michael Lake – Uniontown, PA – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL3 – 32 – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 17SR – Brody Smith – Dade City, FL4 – 17KN – Brock Morris – Charleston, WV – 28 – Tyler Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV5 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 50 – Kevin Davis – Plainfield, OH6 – W1 – Cory Workman – Gratiot, OH – 47W – Brandon Weigle – Middlebourne, WV7 – 12R – Ryan Payne – Pennsboro, WV – 32X – Chad Roush – Reedsville, OH8 – S8 – Jordan Stotts – Pomeroy, OH – J0Y – James Joy – Parkersburg, WV9 – 8W – Wyatt Ervin – Charleston, WV MyRacePass B-Main 3 (12 Laps | Top 2 transfer):Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 99H – Kyle Hardy – Winchester, VA – 31 – Lincoln Smith – Belmont, OH2 – 55 – Benji Hicks – Mount Airy, NC – 44 – Dave Hess Jr – Waterford, PA3 – 2 – Brandon Francis – Parkersburg, WV – 9-11 – Corey DeLancey – Parkersburg, WV4 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – Fairmont, WV – 22M – Corey Miller – Parkersburg, WV5 – 0 – Braeden Dillinger – Dawson, PA – 11M – Michael Chilton – Salvisa, KY6 – 14 – Corey Conley – Wellsburg, WV – 44M – Lucas McDonald – Good Hope, WV7 – C9 – Brandon Morrow – Apple Creek, OH – 69 – Jon Hodgkiss – Pittsburgh, PA8 – 17K – Kenny Newhouse – Elkview, WV – 21G – Corey Galbreath – Mineral Wells, WV |
In the second feature, O’Neal took the lead from early pacesetter Jonathan Davenport on lap 16 and pulled away for his 41st career LOLMDS victory. Davenport finished second, and Brandon Sheppard completed the Big River Steel Podium in third. Josh Rice and Dan Ebert rounded out the top five. With the win, O’Neal broke a tie with four-time series champion Earl Pearson Jr. for seventh on the series’ all-time wins list. “We’ve been pretty good; we just haven’t been able to show all the speed we had. I feel like over the last few months, we’ve gotten better and started working in the right direction. All my guys have worked their tails off to give us the best shot. It really crushed all of us after we fell out of the championship race last weekend. My dad told me that night, ‘Hey, there’s no pressure. Just go chase a hundred grand and try to win it.’ We want to race for a championship, but it’s cool to come here and have speed,” said the Martinsville, Indiana, native. “I felt okay. Jonathan was making it tough on me. He was up, down, in the middle, left and right, just trying to find exactly where he needed to be. Then when we got to traffic, I think he got concerned about losing the lead on the bottom. I had a free lane to get up there and just let it sing. I felt good on the bottom, through the middle and against the cushion. I feel like we had a really good balance.” Like O’Neal, Davenport will be looking for his first win in the DTWC, a crown jewel event that has eluded both drivers. “We needed a good finish. We’ve had a pretty rough month. I wasn’t going to do anything stupid when we’re in a good starting spot for tomorrow. I pulled back down in traffic, and then Hudson got by us. My guys did an excellent job. We might have tightened it up a little too much for the tires we were on, just to see if we could overtighten this thing. We’ve been loose since July.” Sheppard heads into Sunday’s DTWC with a chance to win his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship and a record sixth DTWC title, which would break his tie with Freddy Smith. “We want to win, just like everybody else here. But at the end of the day, points are obviously on our mind, too. We’re just going to do the best we can. It’s going to play out like it’s going to play out. We’ll do our best, get a good balance under this thing and try to put it up front tomorrow. Getting our sixth Dirt Track World Championship would be really cool. These guys are super tough, obviously. I feel like I needed to roll the bottom a little bit better, so if we can do that, we’ll be better.” O’Neal’s SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine. Sponsors include Big River Steel, Wheeler Metals, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Merrill Bonding Company, Professional Concrete, Cutting and Drilling, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Lineal Contracting, Beeman Lumber, Indiana USSSA Fast Pitch Softball, Sunoco Race Fuels, Lucas Oil Products, and Penske Racing Shocks. Completing the top 10 in the second feature were Garrett Alberson, Zack Dohm, Ryan Gustin, Carson Ferguson, and Daniel Hilsabeck. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment | Night 1Saturday, October 17, 2026West Virginia Motor Speedway | Mineral Wells, WV Group A Results: Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A1: Dennis Erb Jr | 14.378 secondsFast Time Group A2: Devin Moran | 14.472 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #A1-1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 28-Tyler Carpenter[2]; 2. 74X-Ethan Dotson[4]; 3. 12M-Ryan Montgomery[6]; 4. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 6. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 7. W1-Cory Workman[7]; 8. S8-Jordan Stotts[8]; 9. (DNS) 8W-Wyatt Ervin Summit Racing Products Heat Race #A-2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 5T-Drake Troutman[4]; 2. 75-Eddie Carrier Jr[2]; 3. 22F-Chris Ferguson[5]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 5. 17SS-Brenden Smith[1]; 6. 9 11-Corey DeLancey[7]; 7. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[6]; 8. 21G-Corey Galbreath[8] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #A-3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 55-Benji Hicks[3]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[4]; 4. 111-Max Blair[6]; 5. 22M-Corey Miller[2]; 6. 18C-Chris Carpenter[7]; 7. 17KN-Brock Morris[5]; 8. 12R-Ryan Payne[9]; 9. 17K-Kenny Newhouse[8]