Moran Earns Career-Best Payday in Silver Dollars Nationals at Huset’s

(Heath Lawson photo)

 

Devin Moran took the lead at the start of the 14th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals Presented by MyRacePass on Saturday night Huset’s Speedway and led all 80-laps to pick up a career-best $53,000 for his victory in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned event.

It was Moran’s first career win in the crown jewel event that was held at I-80 Speedway in Nebraska for 12 years before moving to the South Dakota facility.

Moran fought off two former Silver Dollar Nationals winners, Bobby Pierce and Brandon Sheppard, to take the win.

Pierce, the Silver Dollar Nationals winner in 2019 and Sheppard who won in 2020 and 2023, trailed Moran across the finish line. Tyler Erb, who started 13th finished fourth with another former Silver Dollar Nationals winner, Tim McCreadie rounding out the top five drivers. 

In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the sixth time this season, Moran celebrated with his team after taking the biggest win of his career. Moran’s previous best finish in the race was third in 2022.

“I guess this officially is the biggest race I ever won you know. In the last 25 laps I was literally ripping every straightaway. I am out of breath. I knew Bobby and Sheppy were ripping, and I was just doing everything I could to stay in front. I saw Sheppy just keep poking, keep poking. I tried to run on the bottom, but I felt so slow. That was a workout,” said the driver who has now recorded 14 consecutive top four finishes since mid-June.

“Roger Sellers put his faith in myself and my great crew you know. He got us on board last year and it was a little shaky to start with, but we just kept working and working,” said the Dresden, Ohio native who became the tenth different winner of the race that began in 2011.

Pierce, who led every lap the previous two preliminary nights came home in second earning a $20,000 payday after he and Sheppard swapped the second spot on several occasions during the race.

“I really don’t know what more I could have done. Devin was good and I think we just missed a little on the right front set-up. It was kind of bouncing around in the corner and we scared ourselves out when we hot lapped, we kind of had a different set-up on. The track just a got a little more characteristic in it than we thought and going through the corner I guess just how the car bounced is how I went. I had my hands full for a while. It was fun battling with Brandon and Devin. He [Moran] drove a heck of a race there at the very end.”

Sheppard, who was attempting to become just the second driver to win three Silver Dollar Nationals, rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. He was asked if he could have done anything differently during the 80-lap affair as he collected $10,000 for third.

“I don’t know. I like to think I should have picked the bottom on that first restart when I got to second. After I got second back later in the race, I picked the bottom where I thought I needed to be, and I didn’t take off as good and I bounced coming out the corner. I think I got up on the berm a little bit too much and that allowed Bobby to get back by me. All-in-all we had a good weekend; really it had just awesome balance. It was a pleasure to drive.”    

The winner’s Roger Sellers, Double Down Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, C&W Trucking, Lazydays RV, McHugh Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, CarSourceAuto.com, Red Oak Pub, Smoky Mountain Speedway, Lincoln Smith Racing, Pee Wee’s Wrecker Service, Southeastern Equipment, and Haulin’ Haskell’s.

Completing the top ten were Mike Marlar, Hudson O’Neal, Garrett Alberson, Daulton Wilson, and Jonathan Davenport.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 

Race Summary 

14th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals Presented by MyRacePass

Saturday, July 20, 2024

Huset’s Speedway – Brandon, SD

Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (12 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[3]; 3. 7-Ross Robinson[2]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[4]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[5]; 6. 07-Ben Sukup[7]; 7. 10-Junior Coover[8]; 8. 37-Scott Ward[10]; 9. 15C-Curt Schroeder[9]; 10. (DNS) 93-Cory Lawler

14th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals Presented by MyRacePass Feature Finish (80 Laps):

Race Statistics  

Entrants: 26

Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Bobby Pierce

Lap Leaders: Devin Moran (Laps 1-80)

Wieland Feature Winner: Devin Moran

Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: Devin Moran

Brandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Devin Moran

Margin of Victory: 0.816 seconds 

Dave Warren Powersports Cautions: Clay Harris (Lap 11); Mike Marlar, Curt Schroeder (Lap 32); Ross Robinson (Lap 33); Carson Ferguson (Lap 44); Blair Nothdurft (Lap 62); Jimmy Owens (Lap 67)

Series Provisionals: n/a

Fast Time Provisional: n/a

Series Emergency Provisionals: n/a

Track Provisional: n/a

Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Devin Moran, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard

Penske Shocks Top 5: Devin Moran, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Tyler Erb, Tim McCreadie

Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Mike Marlar (Advanced 12 Positions) 

PEM 4th Place Feature: Tyler Erb

Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Hudson O’Neal

Deatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Ricky Thornton, Jr.

MD3 Most Laps Led: Devin Moran (80 Laps) 

Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tim McCreadie

Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.

O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Brenden Smith

Coltman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Sheppard (Lap 4 | 13.373 seconds) 

Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Devin Moran

Miller Welders Hard Luck Award: Ross Robinson

Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Chuck Kimble (Devin Moran)

ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing Engines

Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis

Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ross Robinson (12.834 seconds)

Time of Race: 34 minutes 59 seconds

Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

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