Moran Goes Back-to-Back in Melvin L. Joseph Memorial at Georgetown
COLUMN BY: LUCAS OIL LATE MODEL DIRT SERIES – GEORGETOWN, DE – Devin Moran captured the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial for the second consecutive year Friday night at Georgetown Speedway, taking home the $21,049 top prize in the feature event honoring the track’s founder.
The defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion started fifth and charged to the lead on lap seven, passing Hudson O’Neal before pacing the remainder of the 49-lap event for his fifth Series win of the 2026 season.
O’Neal finished second, while ninth-starting Max Blair rounded out the Big River Steel podium in third. Brandon Sheppard finished fourth, and Josh Rice impressed in his Georgetown debut, advancing from 16th to complete the top five.
O’Neal grabbed the early lead with Ricky Thornton Jr. in pursuit. After leading the first six laps, O’Neal was overtaken by Moran, who made a decisive move to the front on lap seven. Thornton’s night came to an abrupt end shortly after when a broken driveshaft forced him to retire to the infield.
Following the restart, Moran steadily extended his advantage over O’Neal and Blair. He ultimately crossed the finish line 0.570 seconds ahead of O’Neal, extending his championship points lead to 35 as the Series heads to Hagerstown Speedway on Sunday after Saturday’s event at BAPS Motor Speedway was canceled due to weather.
Moran’s victory marked the 29th of his Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series career, capping off a challenging night filled with adversity.
“Today was pretty much what racing is like sometimes—we went from low to high, then back to low again,” said the Dresden, Ohio native. “We couldn’t hot lap, had to pull out a backup car, set fast time, and even had an oil line come off that caused a fire under the hood. To come back from all that and win is pretty special.”
“I want to thank Garrett Alberson—he offered us one of his cars if we needed it—and the Rocket 1 team for helping us throughout the night. It was a tough one, but we kept fighting.”
“I wasn’t sure how good the top would be. This is a brand-new car and motor, but we overcame a lot tonight. I was excited to go to BAPS tomorrow, but unfortunately that’s canceled. We’ll be ready for Hagerstown.”
O’Neal, who entered the race as the nation’s winningest dirt late model driver with 11 victories, came up just short of his fourth Series win of the year.
“He showed us a different part of the racetrack,” O’Neal said of Moran. “I thought the top would dominate early, but by the time I realized he was making the bottom work, he was already by me. He did a great job, and his car was really good. We just need to be a little better to start the race.”
Blair’s third-place finish moved him up to fourth in the championship standings.
“I thought I had a shot—I had just passed Garrett (Alberson), but we didn’t get that lap in,” Blair said. “I wish we had one more lap so I could’ve lined up in the second row, but it all worked out. We weren’t great in the heat race, but we improved for the feature.”
Moran’s winning Double Down Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and backed by Big River Steel, Millwood Plumbing, C&W Trucking, Phillips CPA, BOMAG, Haulin’ Haskell’s, CarSourceAuto.com, Anthony’s Pizza, Hazen Services, Northeastern Fabrication, McHugh Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Elliott Farms, and Pee Wee’s Wrecker Service.
Completing the top ten were Carson Ferguson, Daniel Hilsabeck, Garrett Alberson, Clay Harris, and Dillon McCowan.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
The Melvin L. Joseph Memorial
Friday, April 24, 2026
Georgetown Speedway | Georgetown, DE
The Melvin L. Joseph Memorial Feature Finish (49 Laps):
Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings
1 – 5 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $22,449
2 – 2 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $8,300
3 – 9 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $5,900
4 – 4 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $4,900
5 – 16 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $4,000
6 – 7 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $3,400
7 – 13 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $2,400
8 – 3 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $3,200
9 – 14 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $3,100
10 – 8 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $3,000
11 – 10 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $2,900
12 – 21 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $2,700
13 – 20 – 0 – Willie Milliken – Roanoke Rapids, NC – $1,600
14 – 22 – 11AC – Trevor Collins – Seaford, DE – $1,500
15 – 6 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,300
16 – 24 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $1,300
17 – 11 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,100
18 – 23 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $1,100
19 – 19 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $1,900
20 – 17 – 55L – Donald Lingo Jr – Millsboro, DE – $1,000
21 – 18 – 4S – Danny Snyder – Green Lane, PA – $1,000
22 – 15 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $1,000
23 – 12 – 24 – Rick Eckert – York, PA – $1,000
24 – 1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $2,400
