Moran Repeats Wieland Winter Nationals Opening Night Win at Ocala

Devin Moran replicated his success from the previous year by winning the opening night of the 2026 Wieland Winter Nationals at Ocala Speedway on Tuesday evening. The 30-lap feature, which ran without any cautions, was completed in just eight minutes.

Moran, the reigning Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion, overtook Brandon Sheppard, who had led the race from the start, on lap 14 and maintained the lead for the remaining 16 laps, securing his fourth victory at Ocala.

Sheppard, aiming for his first Ocala victory since 2017, finished in second place, followed by Clay Harris, Brandon Overton, and Hudson O’Neal.

In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 26th time in his career, Moran took home $7,000 for his win.

“Honestly, Sheppy started strong. The dirt isn’t hard, but it’s a bit gritty. I felt like you build a little heat, so I was just trying to be patient,” Moran said. “I know how this track is with lapped traffic, and if you can maneuver, you’ll do well. My team gave me a Longhorn Chassis that could move anywhere on the track, at either end. So, it was really cool.”

Discussing his second win of the season — both in caution-free races — Moran talked about his strategy for long green-flag runs.

“Honestly, I’ve always performed better during long green-flag runs. I can find a rhythm and spots on the track to gain speed, and that’s what I did throughout the race,” he said. “When you have a car that can navigate traffic, it’s so enjoyable. If not, it’s tough. Bubba (Clem) and his team did a great job providing a track you could move around on. I just love being in Florida for the month.”

Sheppard, who recorded the fastest time and won his heat race, aimed to sweep the night but finished as runner-up.

“I think we had a really fast car capable of winning the race,” Sheppard said. “Congrats to Devin — he did a really good job there. I pretty much lost it in lapped traffic. I was trying to figure out how to pass those guys since I hadn’t passed anyone yet. I went to the top one lap, and Devin was on me and capitalized on it.”

Harris, who achieved two podium finishes last week at All-Tech, began the week at Ocala by securing third place on the Big River Steel Podium.

“It’s much more enjoyable to start the year running up front,” Harris said. “We definitely struggled last year — switching cars, switching teams — and I didn’t have much crew help at the start of the season. We have a strong team this year, good equipment, and good cars. I could run the bottom and maintain, but I couldn’t really make the top work — it would just fall off.”

The winning Roger Sellers, Double Down Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Millwood Plumbing, C&W Trucking, Phillips CPA, Anthony’s Pizza, Bomag, CarSourceAuto.com, Hazen Services, McHugh Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Elliott Farms, Haulin’ Haskell’s, and Pee Wee’s Wrecker Service.

Completing the top ten were Brian Shirley, Daulton Wilson, Tyler Erb, Max Blair, and Drake Troutman.