Moran gets Monday East Bay Lucas Oil Dirt Series victory

TAMPA, Fla. - Second generation racer Devin Moran scored a long-awaited victory at his favorite race track on Monday Night.

The 25-year-old Ohio native scored his first ever win at the East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida during the opening night of the 2020 Winternationals for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

Moran was the fifth and final different leader of an exciting 30-lap race as the Tye Twarog Motorsports driver recorded his second career Series victory. Kyle Bronson finished second to Moran with Tyler Erb taking third after getting by Blairsville, Georgia’s Jonathan Davenport on the final lap. Chris Garnes, in his first ever start at East Bay, finished fifth.

Tim McCreadie, who won the series’ opening night race on Saturday Night at Georgia’s Golden Isles Speedway, started on the pole and took the lead at the start of the main event. Moran started alongside McCreadie and grabbed second just ahead of Brandon Sheppard on the opening circuit. Sheppard then passed Moran for second on lap two.

McCreadie held the lead until heavy traffic slowed his momentum and Sheppard took the lead on lap 11. A caution on lap 13 would clear the traffic for Sheppard and McCreadie. On the restart, Sheppard held the point with McCreadie and Bronson in tow.

Bronson, who started 10th, charged to the lead by Sheppard on lap 19 to become the third different leader of the race. Bronson and Sheppard then went back-and-forth in a terrific race for the lead.

After a lap 21 restart after a caution, Sheppard and Bronson got together on the backstretch with Sheppard spinning in front of the field, necessitating a caution. After the next restart, Tyler Erb who started 13th charged to the lead to become the fourth different pacesetter. Erb held the lead for one circuit before Moran took over the race lead on lap 22. Moran then pulled away in the final eight laps to score his first series win since 2013, at his home track, Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio.

“Kyle (Bronson) kind of showed me the top up there. I knew turn four was faster up there and then he did that, so I thought I will try it as well,” said Moran. “I didn’t see what happened between Bronson and Sheppy (Brandon Sheppard) because I was above them. We finally got this first win at East Bay and my first Lucas Oil win in a long time.”

Billy Moyer, Jr., McCreadie, Hudson O’Neal, Mike Marlar and Sheppard rounded out the top ten.

Action continues at East Bay Raceway Park with night two of the Winternationals for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. For more information, visit LucasDirt.com.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Wrisco Winternationals – February 3, 2020