UNION, Ky. — Hudson O’Neal took the lead on lap three from Jason Jameson and held off Devin Moran to win the 40th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial on Saturday night at Florence Speedway.
O’Neal and Moran entered the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned event tied atop the standings. With the victory, O’Neal now holds a 30-point advantage over Moran heading into next weekend’s events at Farmer City Raceway and Fairbury Speedway.
The win marked O’Neal’s fourth LOLMDS victory of the season and his 12th overall triumph of 2026, earning him $25,000. Moran finished second, 1.060 seconds behind at the finish, while Ricky Thornton Jr., fresh off his win at Circle City on Friday, finished third.
Brandon Sheppard and Garrett Alberson completed the top five.
In his 38th Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory, the 2023 Series Champion is now tied for seventh on the all-time wins list with Tim McCreadie and Brandon Sheppard.
O’Neal survived a tense finish, brushing the turn four wall multiple times in the closing laps, to secure his first Ralph Latham Memorial victory since 2018. The event had not been contested since 2023 due to weather interruptions in recent years.
“I’ve got to tip my hat to Riley (Sheedy), my body guy,” O’Neal said. “With a couple laps to go, I was just trying to get everything I could. I got a little loose and backed it into the fence – I knew it wasn’t too bad, but I hate that for him, especially with a short turnaround. We’ll get it fixed.”
Moran, still seeking his first win in the event that began in 1987, finished second.
“I was really good until that one restart,” Moran said. “I thought the top would be better, but Thornton got the bottom. Then on another restart, I got a good run and slid him, but I ended up messing both of us up. I apologized – I should have committed to the fence and given him a chance to cross over. I didn’t want to race him like that.”
Thornton, who won the event the last time it was held in 2023, finished third and commented on the late-race contact.
“It was just racing – I told him we’re not going golfing together anymore,” Thornton joked. “Nothing to be mad about. The track was pretty good. When we come back in August, I think they’ll widen turns one and two a bit so the top can keep up. Three and four were really good all night. Honestly, these conditions are where I struggle, so to be close to those guys up front, I’m happy.”
40th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial Feature Finish (50 Laps):
Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings
1 – 1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $26,400
2 – 7 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $11,400
3 – 2 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $7,300
4 – 4 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $4,900
5 – 5 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $4,400
6 – 11 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $3,600
7 – 3 – 12J – Jason Jameson – Lawrenceburg, IN – $2,500
8 – 15 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $3,200
9 – 17 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $3,100
10 – 21 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $3,000
11 – 19 – 44M – Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – $2,000
12 – 6 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,800
13 – 18 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,700
14 – 20 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $1,700
15 – 16 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $1,600
16 – 23 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $2,400
17 – 10 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $2,500
18 – 22 – C7 – Adam Stricker – Batavia, OH – $1,500
19 – 9 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $2,400
20 – 24 – 18 – Trevor Landrum – Florence, KY – $1,500
21 – 14 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $2,400
22 – 8 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – $1,500
23 – 13 – 44 – Dave Hess Jr – Waterford, PA – $1,500
24 – 12 – 22F – Chris Ferguson – Mt. Holly, NC – $1,500
