It’s been a learning process for all involved, including Twarog, whom Devin Moran says has never owned a racing operation at such a high level.
“It’s really been an evolutionary process for Tye,” Devin Moran said. “He’s owned race cars for a long, long time but never to this caliber. He just keeps building this team and building this team and getting stuff better and better. Obviously, we’re not even close to being maxed out to where I want to be, but we’re definitely going in the right direction.”
Devin Moran identified a switch from Rocket to Longhorn chassis in 2020 as being a key to the team’s continued evolution, though he admits the COVID-19 pandemic tossed a proverbial wrench into their plans.
“Last year at this time, I was just brand new into Longhorns and, obviously, COVID happened,” Devin Moran said. “There was a lot going on and we didn’t even get to race in March and April and the start of May last year. So we didn’t get the opportunity to do what we’re doing this year.”
Donnie Moran agrees that the move to Longhorn has been a key factor in his son’s recent performance improvements.
“This is his second year he’s run the Longhorn. He knows the car a little better,” Donnie Moran said. “He’s maturing as a driver and as a young man.”
What Devin Moran has done this year has been impressive to put it mildly. The team opened the year with a World of Outlaws triumph at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park, a victory that paved the way for Moran to earn his first DIRTcar Nationals championship.
Moran has continued to build on that momentum.
On April 11, he banked $25,000 for winning the finale of the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. He added a $22,000 triumph at Ohio’s Atomic Speedway on April 22.
These results haven’t come overnight, it’s been a process. Moran admits he needs to continue improving as a race car driver to consistently be in the mix with drivers such as Sheppard, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport and Jimmy Owens.
“To be honest, I’m nowhere close to where I want to be yet,” Devin Moran noted. “As long as we keep working hard, we’re going to get to that point. We’ve just got to, like I said, keep going. At some point I’ll be where I want to be, but we’re not close at all at this moment.”
On the track, Devin Moran continues to improve, but Donnie Moran believes two big factors off the race track have keyed his son’s recent on-track performance.
“When he was in high school he was up at my mother and father-in-law’s and he broke his hand and it never healed right,” Donnie Moran explained. “Last year after the season was over, he had it operated it on, had it fixed properly and let it heal right over the winter.
“He moved out of our house after he moved from Dunn, N.C., and he rented an apartment, him and his girlfriend. I feel now he has to have more responsibility instead of relying on his parents. I believe that’s some of it,” Donnie Moran continued.
Devin Moran has no problem admitting there is still a lot of room for improvement on the race track. He firmly believes he needs a dedicated crew chief to help with car setup so he can focus more on driving. Like any other race car driver, he also needs more sponsors to help take the team to the next level.
It’s all a work in progress, but this is all Devin Moran has ever wanted to do. He hopes to someday take his driving talents to NASCAR, but right now he’s enjoying his life on the road.
He’s living the dream, after all.
“Right now, I’m happy where I’m at. I really like racing for Tye and with Wylie,” Devin Moran said. “Hopefully, I can be a professional racer for the next 30 years.”