Max Blair of Centerville, Pennsylvania, charged from the 15th starting position to take the lead with three laps remaining and, despite two caution flags in the closing laps, held off Devin Moran and Hudson O’Neal to earn the biggest victory of his career. Blair collected $25,000 for winning the Freedom 50 on Saturday night at Muskingum County Speedway.
It was Blair’s second career victory with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as the third-generation racer returned to the series full time in 2026.
Moran slipped past O’Neal at the checkered flag to finish second, while O’Neal completed the Big River Steel Podium in third. Clay Harris, who led the opening lap and spent much of the race running second, finished fourth. Ricky Thornton Jr. rounded out the top five.
Blair climbed to fourth with 14 laps remaining and then reeled in O’Neal, Harris, and Moran without the benefit of a caution. Asked in his post-race interview whether he believed he had a chance to win after starting 15th, Blair laughed.
“Not a chance. That was a heck of a run. Going from 15th to fourth was pretty cool, and I was thinking maybe we’d get a yellow and have a shot at it. Then we went three laps, and I’m thinking, ‘Holy cow,’ even in lapped traffic I’m running them down. I can’t believe it. It’s awesome,” said the 36-year-old racer.
“I have won another race that paid the same amount, but this is by far the biggest win of my career. I’m sure my wife and kids were screaming at the TV during those final laps, and then all of those cautions kept coming out. I’m out of breath and speechless.”
“When I took the lead, I knew I was a little better than they were, and I didn’t want to catch those lapped cars because I felt like I didn’t need to. Then I saw Shirley break or have a flat, and I thought, ‘There’s no way this is happening.’ I’ve got to thank my dad. This is what we’ve been trying to do for 20 years, and we finally did it.”
Moran, coming off his Firecracker 100 victory at Lernerville last weekend, continued his strong points surge by taking second from O’Neal at the finish.
“I used to love coming here because it was my home track. Now I love coming here because it’s a badass racetrack. My dad and those guys do a great job, and we always have an amazing crowd here. I thought I had a chance. Congratulations to Max Blair. He’s been really close all year and has had a really good race car. He got the job done. I thought it was Clay underneath me because I had just gotten by him, but it was Max, and I knew there was no way I was beating him tonight.”
O’Neal will head to 34 Raceway in Iowa on Thursday night with a 45-point lead over Brandon Sheppard, who finished seventh in the feature. O’Neal led 46 of the race’s 50 laps.
“I was fading pretty hard at the end. I knew somebody had to be coming. There’s always one guy who comes on late, and I became a sitting duck. We went too soft on tires, and I didn’t have much left. We just weren’t balanced at the end, and that’s something we need to work on.”
The winning Brad Spochaz/Centerline Motorsports Longhorn Chassis was powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Riggs Fiber, Virgilie Iron and Steel, Creekside Auto Sales, Murphy’s Logging, C&J Dairy, Upstate Auto Group, Andy’s Towing, Tavern 618, Gable Inn, and Lakeside Auto Body.
Completing the top 10 were Logan Zarin, Brandon Sheppard, Dillon McCowan, Garrett Alberson, and Brandon Overton.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Freedom 50
Saturday, July 4, 2026
Muskingum County Speedway | Zanesville, OH
Allstar Performance Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Hudson O’Neal | 15.688 seconds (Overall)
Fast Time Group B: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 15.828 seconds
Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 3. 1Z-Logan Zarin[5]; 4. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 6. 93L-Cory Lawler[6]; 7. 156-James Dennis[7]
Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 2. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 3. 93-Carson Ferguson[2]; 4. 111-Max Blair[4]; 5. 20-Todd Brennan[5]; 6. 0-Stephen Prince[6]; 7. (DNS) 59-Larry Bellman
Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 6-Clay Harris[2]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 4. 31-Lincoln Smith[5]; 5. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 6. C4-Freddie Carpenter[6]; 7. 34-Aaron Scott[7]; 8. K11-George Klintworth[8]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 8-Dillon McCowan[5]; 3. 11-Josh Rice[2]; 4. 93J-Donovan Jackson[6]; 5. 17SS-Brenden Smith[4]; 6. 57-Caiden Black[3]; 7. (DNS) S8-Chris Stotts
Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 3. 20-Todd Brennan[3]; 4. 17SS-Brenden Smith[4]; 5. 93L-Cory Lawler[5]; 6. 156-James Dennis[9]; 7. C4-Freddie Carpenter[6]; 8. 34-Aaron Scott[10]; 9. 0-Stephen Prince[7]; 10. 59-Larry Bellman[11]; 11. K11-George Klintworth[13]; 12. (DNS) 57-Caiden Black; 13. (DNS) S8-Chris Stotts
Freedom 50 | Feature Finish (50 Laps):
Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings
1 – 15 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $25,800
2 – 5 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $11,200
3 – 1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $7,300
4 – 2 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $4,800
5 – 6 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $4,700
6 – 9 – 1Z – Logan Zarin – Hookstown, PA – $2,700
7 – 4 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $3,300
8 – 8 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $3,200
9 – 17 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $3,000
10 – 18 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,900
11 – 7 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,800
12 – 11 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,700
13 – 14 – 31 – Lincoln Smith – Belmont, OH – $1,800
14 – 3 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $2,500
15 – 12 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $2,400
16 – 16 – 93J – Donovan Jackson – Hope Mills, NC – $1,500
17 – 13 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $2,300
18 – 25 – 57 – Caiden Black – New Concord, OH – $1,500
19 – 23 – 0 – Stephen Prince – Newark, OH – $1,500
20 – 19 – 20 – Todd Brennan – Zanesville, OH – $1,500
21 – 10 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $2,300
22 – 21 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $1,500
23 – 20 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $1,500
24 – 24 – 59 – Larry Bellman – Wooster, OH – $1,500
25 – 22 – 156 – James Dennis – Lower Salem, OH – $1,500
Race Statistics
Entrants: 29
Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Hudson O’Neal
MD3 Lap Leaders: Clay Harris (Lap 1); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 2-47); Max Blair (Laps 48-50)
Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Hudson O’Neal
Wieland Feature Winner: Max Blair
Margin of Victory: 1.113 seconds
Hellraizer Jacks Cautions: Brian Shirley (Lap 49); Brenden Smith, Josh Rice, Cory Lawler (Lap 49 restart)
MyRacePass Series Provisional: n/a
Fast Time Provisional: Stephen Prince; Larry Bellman Jr.
Emergency Provisionals: n/a
Track Provisional: Caiden Black
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Max Blair, Devin Moran, Hudson O’Neal
Penske Shocks Top 5: Max Blair, Devin Moran, Hudson O’Neal, Clay Harris, Ricky Thornton, Jr.
Behrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Max Blair, Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran
PEM 4th Place Feature: Clay Harris
Diversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Ricky Thornton, Jr.
Wilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Brandon Sheppard
Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Dan Ebert
Velocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Lincoln Smith
XS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Josh Rice
Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Max Blair (Advanced 14 positions)
MD3 Most Laps Led: Hudson O’Neal (46 Laps)
Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O’Neal
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’Neal
O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Dillon McCowan
Pro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal | Lap 5 | 16.796 seconds
FK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Brian Shirley
Victory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Clay Harris
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Rob Blair
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis
Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Max Blair | 15.6405 seconds
Time of Race: 24 minutes 21 seconds
Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:
Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings
1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 4370 – $191,050
2 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 4325 – $188,300
3 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 4220 – $249,324
4 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 3945 – $93,900
5 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 3935 – $107,875
6 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 3850 – $119,825
7 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 3695 – $79,325
8 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 3590 – $66,050
9 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 3585 – $72,175
10 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 3495 – $57,975
11 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 3475 – $71,550
12 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 3440 – $59,300
13 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 3320 – $58,150
14 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 3140 – $44,400
15 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 2920 – $40,875
16 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 2785 – $33,925
17 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 2605 – $23,175
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