With the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season concluded, DirtonDirt's Kevin Kovac and Kyle McFadden bring out the report card to grade regulars on the national tour (listed by points finish):

Brandon Sheppard

Hometown: New Berlin, Ill.

Age: 33

Team: Rocket1

Series points finish (series tenure): Champion (fifth year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st (nine times; richest worth $30,000 on May 9 at Fairbury, Ill.)

Good news: Returning to his vintage form in second season back with Rocket Chassis house car team, Sheppard triples his Lucas Oil win total from ’25 and displays superb consistency (28 top-fives and 39 top-10s in 47 features) to hold off Devin Moran’s late push for a 55-point title margin. His first Lucas Oil crown makes him the fourth driver to win both Lucas Oil and World of Outlaws championships, joining Josh Richards, the late Scott Bloomquist and Tim McCreadie.

Bad news: Hard to find find any fault with a championship season, but Sheppard was unable to win any of the six crown jewel events under Lucas Oil sanction — though he did record runner-up finishes in the Show-Me 100, Firecracker 100 and Dirt Track World Championship.

2026 letter grade: A-

Devin Moran

Hometown: Dresden, Ohio

Age: 32

Team: Double Down Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 2nd (sixth year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st (seven times; richest worth $55,000 in Oct. 3’s Pittsburgher at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway)

Good news: Adds first-time Firecracker 100 and Pittsburgher victories to growing crown jewel résumé, outdueling Brandon Sheppard at Lernerville and leading all 70 laps in a Pittsburgher romp worth $55,000. Closes season with five straight podium finishes to keep championship defense alive until the final race.

Bad news: Falls 55 points short of back-to-back championships as top-five finishes drop from 38 to 27. Fails to crack top 10 in five Wheatland starts, including 15th-place Show-Me 100 finish, and goes winless on tour between June 27’s Firecracker and Oct. 3’s Pittsburgher.

2026 letter grade: B+

Hudson O’Neal

Hometown: Martinsville, Ind.

Age: 26

Team: SSI Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 3rd (eighth year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st (seven times; richest worth $25,000 on Feb. 28 at Ocala, Fla., and May 2 at Kentucky’s Florence Speedway)

Good news: Enjoys most prolific series season of his career with a personal-high in victories — all but one in full-field features — and leads all drivers in top-10 finishes with 40.

Bad news: After starting hot by winning five times in the season’s first 19 events through May 14, captures just two checkered flags — one a semifeature — over the final 28 races and, falls from points lead in early July and ends season with Eldora DNF that extinguishes championship hopes and heartbreaking DTWC loss from nose-bending encounter with mud clod while leading.

2026 letter grade: B

Ricky Thornton Jr.

Hometown: Chandler, Ariz.

Age: 35

Team: Koehler Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 4th (sixth year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st (10 times; richest worth $105,000 in Oct. 18’s Dirt Track World Championship at West Virginia Motor Speedway)

Good news: Recaptures vintage form down the stretch, winning final four series races with weekend sweeps at Eldora and West Virginia to finish as tour’s winningest and highest-earning driver. Second career DTWC triumph accompanies $100,000 Big River Steel Bonus Program title, and finishes no worse than sixth in final 11 starts.

Bad news: Late surge can’t erase unsteady first two-thirds of season as he slips outside top three in points for first time since rookie campaign. Goes winless during Speedweeks with just two top-fives in 10 starts and records seven finishes of 17th or worse from April through July.

2026 letter grade: B

Brandon Overton

Hometown: Evans, Ga.

Age: 35

Team: Riggs Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 5th (third year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st (Aug. 7 semifeature at Florence Speedway)

Good news: Starts season strong with five straight top-five finishes, increases total top-fives from ’25 (13 to 21) and wins on Lucas Oil Series for first time in 15 months with dramatic semifeature triumph during North-South 100 weekend. Also logs career-best finish in points standings.

Bad news: Goes entire season without full-field feature win, never strings together more than three consecutive top-fives after Speedweeks and limps to finish line without a top-10 in four of last five points races.

2026 letter grade: C-

Max Blair

Hometown: Centerville, Pa.

Age: 36

Team: Centerline Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 6th (third year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st (twice; richest worth $25,000 on July 4 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio)

Good news: Breaks through for first full-field Lucas Oil victory with spectacular 15th-to-first Muskingum charge, making every pass to the lead under green. Adds Topless 100 semifeature triumph and establishes career-best points finish, improving three positions over previous best of ninth. Strings together nine consecutive top-10s, including eight top-fives, from March through early May.

Bad news: Can’t sustain early consistency, recording just eight top-fives over final 29 starts after collecting 10 in first 16. Topless prelim victory gives way to last-place finish in 100-lapper, and finishes outside top 10 in both Eldora races put him 50 points shy of fifth in final standings.

2026 letter grade: B

Josh Rice

Hometown: Crittenden, Ky.

Age: 28

Team: JRR Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 7th (first year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st (three times; richest worth $75,000 in Aug. 8’s North-South at Florence)

Good news: On way to Rookie of the Year honors and establishing himself a bonafide rising start, Rice scores prelim victory during Show-Me 100 weekend and provides the season’s most memorable moment with a victory in his home track’s North-South 100.

Bad news: Comes out of 2026 gate slow with just two top-10s in 11 Speedweeks starts and experiences typical rookie-traveler inconsistency, failing to tally more than two top-five finishes in a row.

2026 letter grade: B

Brian Shirley

Hometown: Chatham, Ill.

Age: 45

Team: Bob Cullen Racing

Series points finish (series tenure): 8th (first year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st ($55,000 Jackson 100 victory on Sept. 26 at Brownstown Speedway)

Good news: Makes long-awaited first Lucas Oil victory count with Jackson 100 breakthrough, charging from ninth and leading final 77 laps to fulfill a career goal after more than two decades of entering series events. Also strings together three straight top-fives during July’s Iowa swing.

Bad news: Goes first 17 starts without a top-five and manages just five overall, with 20 top-10s in 46 starts. Jackson triumph provides brief relief amid difficult closing stretch with finishes outside top 10 in 10 of final 12 starts, including all five races after Brownstown.

2026 letter grade: C+

Garrett Alberson

Hometown: Las Cruces, N.M.

Age: 37

Team: Roberts Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 9th (fifth year on tour)

Best race finish: 2nd (four times, including May 22 and July 11 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.)

Good news: Continuing to show he can be a contender, Alberson falls short of victory lane but records four runner-up finishes, including back-to-back seconds in July at Wheatland and Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa.

Bad news: Going winless after a four-victory 2025 was frustrating enough, but making Alberson’s campaign even more forgettable were the serious facial and eye injuries he suffered after being struck in the helmet by flying debris during Aug. 8’s North-South 100. He missed four events while recovering but received hardship points to help him preserve a top-10 finish in the standings.

2026 letter grade: C

Kyle Bronson

Hometown: Brandon, Fla.

Age: 36

Team: Kyle Bronson Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 10th (fifth year on tour)

Best race finish: 3rd (Feb. 26 at Ocala Speedway)

Good news: Completes first full Lucas Oil campaign since 2021 and secures top-10 points finish after abandoning WoO chase early in ’25. Late-season addition of veteran crew chief Anthony Burroughs precedes encouraging Eldora weekend with fourth- and fifth-place finishes.

Bad news: Lucas Oil winless streak stretches through fifth consecutive season, and manages just four top-fives overall. Goes 27 consecutive starts without a top-five after Ocala podium. Leads opening 23 laps of Jackson 100 but fades to 16th.

2026 letter grade: C-

Clay Harris

Hometown: Jupiter, Fla.

Age: 25

Team: Clay Harris Racing

Series points finish (series tenure): 11th (third year on tour)

Best race finish: 2nd (Feb. 20 at All-Tech Raceway in Ellisville, Fla.)

Good news: Attracts plenty of attention during Speedweeks with run of four straight top-five finishes and six overall top-fives in 11 races. Establishes Lucas Oil career highs in top-fives (seven), top-10s (16) and points finish (improving from 13th in ’24 and ’25).

Bad news: After ending Speedweeks fourth in points standings, can’t maintain momentum and fades in points standings with only one top-five finish over the remaining 36 events.

2026 letter grade: C-

Carson Ferguson

Hometown: Lincolnton, N.C.

Age: 26

Team: Paylor Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 12th (third year on tour)

Best race finish: 2nd (Aug. 14 semifeature at Batesville Motor Speedway)

Good news: Opens season with pair of fifth-place finishes at All-Tech, including 19th-to-fifth charge in opener, and records season-best runner-up finish in Topless 100 semifeature. Rallies from 24th to 10th in Jackson 100 for best finish in tour’s six crown jewel finales.

Bad news: Remains winless on Lucas Oil circuit and loses three positions from ’25 points finish. Top-five total drops from four to three, with just one over final 42 starts after All-Tech, and manages only two top-10s in final 10 starts.

2026 letter grade: D+

Dan Ebert

Hometown: Lake Shore, Minn.

Age: 38

Team: Triple B Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 13th (second year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st ($50,000 Topless 100 victory on Aug. 15 at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark.)

Good news: Makes noticeable strides in second season of Super Late Model racing, specifically during second half of season with all three of his top-fives and the majority of his 11 top-10s. There was no bigger upset in ’26 than Ebert’s breakthrough first-ever Lucas Oil victory coming in Aug. 15’s Topless 100.

Bad news: With a single top-10 finish in first 15 races, gets buried in points. Five straight outings without a finish better than 13th late in season also dive-bombs Ebert’s hopes of improving upon 12th-place finish in ’25 standings.

2026 letter grade: C

Dillon McCowan

Hometown: Urbana, Mo.

Age: 22

Team: Dillon McCowan Racing

Series points finish (series tenure): 14th (first year on tour)

Best race finish: 1st (twice; richest worth $25,000 in July 11’s Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.)

Good news: Authors storybook home-track weekend with first two Lucas Oil victories on consecutive nights at Wheatland, collecting $40,000 and becoming first driver since Jonathan Davenport in 2010 to win first two series races back-to-back. Shows promise away from home with 10th-to-second charge in DTWC semifeature.

Bad news: Wheatland sweep accounts for only top-fives until season’s final weekend, with rookie inconsistency limiting him to 12 top-10s overall. Struggles out of gate with only two top-10s during Speedweeks and follows July breakthrough with just three top-10s in final 15 starts.

2026 letter grade: C+

Daniel Hilsabeck

Hometown: Adel, Iowa

Age: 36

Team: Daniel Hilsabeck Racing

Series points finish (series tenure): 15th (second year on tour)

Best race finish: 7th (April 24 at Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway)

Good news: A 13th-to-seventh Georgetown run nearly matches Hilsabeck’s career-best Lucas Oil finish of sixth and he also performs well at Wheatland with 10th-place finishes in a Show-Me 100 prelim and July 10’s Salute to Forrest Lucas.

Bad news: Unable to register first top-five finish on Lucas Oil tour, sees top-10 results slip from (five last year, four this year) and slides four positions in final points standings.

2026 letter grade: D

Brenden Smith

Hometown: Dade City, Fla.

Age: 21

Team: JCM Motorsports/Brenden Smith Motorsports

Series points finish (series tenure): 16th (second year on tour)

Best race finish: 4th (Aug. 14 semifeature at Batesville Motor Speedway)

Good news: Sticks it out after JCM Motorsports ride fizzles following Show-Me 100, returning to family-owned team and recording first career Lucas Oil top-five with fourth-place Topless 100 semifeature run. Backs it up with ninth in crown jewel finale and increases career top-10 total from one entering season to six.

Bad news: Finishes outside top 10 in 33 of 38 starts and never strings together three consecutive top-10s. Goes final seven starts without a finish better than 15th and ends season one position below rookie campaign’s 15th-place points finish in ’24.

2026 letter grade: D