Ricky Thornton Jr Wins 2026 Dirt Track World Championship at West Virginia Motor Speedway

Thornton wins a late-race fight at West Virginia

Ricky Thornton Jr turned a crowded, caution-interrupted Dirt Track World Championship into a victory at West Virginia Motor Speedway on October 18, 2026. He won the 100-lap finale on the 1/3-mile dirt track, while Brandon Sheppard finished second and clinched the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship.

The event paid $100,000 to the winner. Thornton Jr started on the front row beside Hudson O’Neal, with Devin Moran and Sheppard entering the race in a title contest. Moran trailed Sheppard by 45 points before the feature, making their changing positions part of the race’s central story.

O’Neal leads early, then loses ground

Thornton Jr initially moved toward the high side, but O’Neal crossed underneath and took the lead into turn three. The pair then worked through heavy traffic, with Thornton Jr staying close as the laps counted down. Moran and Sheppard were also trading places as they ran near the top five.

With 68 laps remaining, Thornton Jr found a route along the inside and briefly cleared O’Neal. O’Neal responded on the high line and regained the advantage two laps later, using slower cars on the bottom to get past Thornton Jr. A caution for Daniel Hilsabeck followed with 63 to go. Further interruptions and restarts kept the leaders from settling into a long, uninterrupted run.

Moran made his own progress after the restart sequence. With 38 laps remaining, he passed Jonathan Davenport for third, bringing his title challenge back into play. Six laps later, Moran reached Thornton Jr’s rear bumper as they contested the lower groove. Their close fight added pressure at the front while O’Neal still held the lead.

Late caution reshapes the finish

A flat tire for Brandon Overton brought out a caution with 26 laps left, and Tyler Erb also headed to the pit lane. O’Neal remained in front after the restart, but his run ended a lap later: he went over the cushion in turn three, struck the wall and slowed with a problem. The tires remained inflated, according to the race account, and the caution gave Thornton Jr the lead.

Sheppard and O’Neal battled for second as Thornton Jr took charge. Dan Ebert moved past Davenport for fourth. More cautions followed when Drake Troutman slowed with 11 laps remaining and Hicks stopped with a flat tire at 10 to go. On the restart after Troutman’s stoppage, Moran missed the bottom and Sheppard took second. The final restart left Thornton Jr ahead of Sheppard and Moran, and that order held to the finish.

Thornton Jr’s win capped the feature, while Sheppard’s runner-up finish was enough to claim the 2026 series championship. Moran completed the podium in third. O’Neal, who had led early and again after a restart, finished eighth.

DTWC feature results

The 100-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series A-Main results were:

1. Ricky Thornton Jr (20RT), started first
2. Brandon Sheppard (1), started sixth
3. Devin Moran (99), started fourth
4. Zack Dohm (17), started 14th
5. Jonathan Davenport (49), started third
6. Dan Ebert (60), started seventh
7. Max Blair (111), started 11th
8. Hudson O’Neal (71), started second
9. Dennis Erb Jr (28E), started eighth
10. Josh Rice (11), started ninth
11. Brandon Overton (76), started 19th
12. Chris Ferguson (22F), started 10th
13. Kyle Bronson (40B), started 17th
14. Clay Harris (6), started 20th
15. Daniel Hilsabeck (22), started 26th
16. Garrett Alberson (58), started 12th
17. Brian Shirley (3S), started 25th
18. Tyler Erb (1T), started 16th
19. Dillon McCowan (8), started fifth
20. Eddie Carrier Jr (75), started 13th
21. Drake Troutman (5T), started 23rd
22. Benji Hicks (55), started 28th
23. Carson Ferguson (93F), started 18th
24. Dave Hess Jr (44), started 24th
25. Mason Zeigler (25Z), started 22nd
26. Ryan Gustin (19R), started 15th
27. Brenden Smith (17SS), started 27th
28. Kyle Hardy (99H), started 21st

Qualifying races and non-qualifier

Brandon Overton won the 12-lap Fast Shafts B-Main 1, ahead of Mason Zeigler and Hilsabeck. Clay Harris took UNOH B-Main 2, with Drake Troutman second and Brenden Smith third. Kyle Hardy won MyRacePass B-Main 3; Dave Hess Jr and Benji Hicks followed. Those three races determined the final feature positions for drivers still seeking a place in the main event.

Hicks later won the 25-lap Jim Dunn Non-Qualifier, ahead of Brody Smith and Logan Hitt. The meeting’s hot-lap listings also recorded the quickest times in each B-Main group: Ryan Montgomery led the third group at 13.495 seconds, Michael Leach topped the first at 13.590, and Ethan Dotson led the second at 13.603. These are practice times, separate from the B-Main finishing order.

The result leaves the night with two clear takeaways: Thornton Jr converted his front-row start into the DTWC win, and Sheppard’s second place settled the series title despite Moran’s late push. October 17 race results | October 18 race results

West Virginia Motor Speedway | Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

DTWC Race Results: Lucas Late Model Finale (October 18, 2026) appeared first on Racing News.