Late Decision to Race Pays Off with Top-Five Finish for JRD Motorsports
Photos by Luke Durda/Bruce Laing
Race Recap | September 26 | Delaware Speedway 🏁
JRD Motorsports Caps Off 2026 with Strong Run in Season Finale
After previously deciding that the 2026 season was over, JRD Motorsports made the late decision Thursday to return to Delaware Speedway for one final race.
The decision paid off immediately as the Bingo Country, Jackpot Time No. 28 unloaded with a very strong race car, posting the 5th-fastest time in opening practice. The team felt confident that the car would race extremely well but wasn't quite at pole-winning speed, so several changes were made for the second practice session. The adjustments paid off, with the No. 28 improving to 4th-fastest overall.
Then came qualifying.
Ryan Dyson put it all on the line, posting the team’s fastest lap of the season for the No. 28 and coming just five one-hundredths of a second short of the pole.
Due to the event's format and invert system, the No. 28 would start the 75-lap feature from 5th.
Dyson quickly moved the No. 28 into 3rd and settled into the position through the first half of the race. With the longest event of the season ahead, the team elected to conserve the car and tires early, knowing there would be plenty of racing still to come.
With approximately 30 laps remaining, it was time to turn up the pace.
Unfortunately, the sun had set by that point, creating track conditions the team had not anticipated. The race had originally been scheduled to begin well before sunset, and the No. 28 did not respond as well to the changing conditions as it had earlier in the night.
A handful of late-race cautions further shuffled the field, and despite continuing to fight with a car that wasn't handling perfectly, Dyson brought the No. 28 home with a 5th-place finish in the biggest race of the season.
The result capped off another strong event for JRD Motorsports and an impressive 2026 campaign. What started as a decision to stay home turned into one final opportunity to race, and the No. 28 once again showed the speed and competitiveness that defined the team's season.