Devin Moran shared his thoughts after he suffered a heartbreaking flat tire after a dominant performance with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at All-Tech Raceway.
Moran set fast time during qualifying, won his heat race, and then led much of the feature race albeit Shane Clanton, who would also suffer a flat tire later in the race, did take the lead from him on lap 13. But Moran would reclaim it on lap 18.
Shane Clanton ripping the top around Devin Moran for the lead on night one All-Tech Raceway.#latemodelracing #LucasDirt #lucasoillatemodeldirtseries pic.twitter.com/E4ygakGu15
— The Pit Report Podcast (@The_PitReport) January 31, 2025
Moran would go unchallenged until a lap 30 restart caused by Clanton’s flat tire. Ricky Thornton Jr. made a heroic charge from fourth to second on the restart and began breathing down Moran’s neck. However, Moran expertly blocked Thornton as the two drove into turn 1 on Lap 33. It appeared Moran had it locked down until he suffered a flat tire on lap 39 that allowed Thornton, Max Blair, and Daulton Wilson to pass him.
🏁 Night #1 of @lucasdirt at @AllTechRaceway belongs to @RThornton20rt, as @devinmoran99 suffers a heartbreaking flat tire in the closing laps! #LucasDirt #WinterNationals pic.twitter.com/8mN9HxwNUE
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 31, 2025
Speaking to DirtonDirt.com’s Michael Rigsby, Moran was asked, “It doesn’t get much worse than that does it?”
He responded, “No. Had the perfect night going. I was quick time. Won the heat convincingly. And to be honest I had a really bad right rear vibration the last probably 15 to 18 laps. About five or six laps before that caution. Really, I was going super easy before that. I just got behind Garrett [Alberson] and I felt it rubber so I was just kind of riding. And then on the restart it was definitely still there. So I don’t know what happened. We’ll just have to diagnose and look and see what was going on it.”
“I was just cruising around as slow as possible,” he reiterated. “And then Chuck told me I had to go to the top of 1 and 2 and I just did. I’m not saying that’s what caused it ’cause it was going to happen regardless. Whatever the problem was I just pushed it a little too hard and just couldn’t make it quite to the end.”
🎤 @DevinMoran99 tells @MFRDirtonDirt what happened in the closing laps of Thursday’s #LucasDirt feature at All-Tech Raceway to take him out of contention. pic.twitter.com/NibBA2pTRp
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 31, 2025
Despite, not winning the race, Moran is currently tied for first in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP point standings. He’s tied with Tyler Bruening, who won at Golden Isles, as well as Jonathan Davenport. All three drivers have 430 points.
What do you make of Moran’s thoughts after suffering a flat tire?
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