The hottest debate to begin the 2025 Dirt Late Model campaign is this: Who should be the No. 1 Dirt Late Model driver from the outset of the spring season?

After two World of Outlaws Late Model Series wins over his last three races, Bobby Pierce reigns supreme atop DirtonDirt's Top 25 poll entering March's final weekend, but Jonathan Davenport (who opened the season as the top-ranked driver), Devin Moran and Ricky Thornton Jr. each have strong cases for the No. 1 spot.

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Davenport, Moran, Pierce and Thornton each have at least four 2025 victories as the quartet have combined to win 21 of 28 events where at least one of them has competed in. Who's in the way-too-early-lead for Driver of the Year?

We break down the numbers and make the strongest case for each driver vying for the No. 1 spot, and let you be the judge (drivers listed alphabetically):

Rankings and points are from Tuesday's latest edition of DirtonDirt.com's Top 25 poll.

Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga.

Stat line: 20 feature starts in 20 appearances with four victories, 14 podium finishes, 16 top-fives and 18 top-10s.

Total earnings: $117,800

Average finish: 4.7

Davenport's case for No. 1: Victories aside, his 14 podium finishes in 20 starts to begin the year puts Superman on another level. For perspective, that 70 percent podium rate is better than his monstrous 2022 season where he finished on the podium 44 times in 81 races (54 percent). He didn't have the prettiest March 21-22 weekend in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competition, tangling with a lapped car Friday at Atomic Speedway near Chillicothe, Ohio, and backsliding from the pole Saturday at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway to finish third, but the only driver with six-figure Georgia-Florida Speedweeks earnings has maintained his consistency.

Where I have Davenport ranked: Though Moran, Pierce and Thornton all won March 21-22, I just couldn't move Davenport off my preseason top spot. I'm just not holding his tangle with a lapped car racing Thornton for the win Friday at Atomic against him. Although I try to stay away from suppositions and stick with sheer results, I thought Davenport was the driver to beat at Atomic. And unlike his fellow superstars, he's yet to miss an A-main, a statistic not to be overlooked.

I’d say jd still is

— Ricky Thornton Jr (@RThornton20rt) March 24, 2025

Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio

Stat line: 18 feature starts in 20 appearances, five victories, nine podium finishes, 16 top-fives and 16 top-10s.

Total earnings: $125,800

Average finish: 3.9

Moran's case for No. 1: With an average finish of 3.9 and 16 top fives in 20 starts (including 11 straight top-fives on the Lucas Oil circuit), Moran's consistency is resounding. His $125,800 in earnings is a mere $550 behind Pierce for most nationally and, like Pierce, he's fresh off a stellar weekend with March 22’s $25,000 victory at Brownstown and Friday's podium at Atomic.

Where I have Moran ranked: I had Moran second in my post-Speedweeks ballot to start the season and I had him at second again, even after his superb March 21-22 weekend. I like Moran’s consistency over Pierce’s and Thornton’s flashy but slightly spotty start. I thought about knocking Jonathan Davenport down to No. 2, but as I said above for Davenport, that didn’t feel right.

Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill.

Stat line: 17 feature starts in 18 appearances, six victories, 10 podium finishes, 11 top-fives and 15 top-10s

Total earnings: $126,350

Average finish: 5.1

Pierce's case for No. 1: Last season's DirtonDirt Driver of the Year has all the numbers to most persuade the Top 25 voting panel and trump his fellow superstars atop the rankings. His $126,350 in earnings leads the nation and his six victories are tied for most with Ricky Thornton Jr. Momentum is on his side, too, with two victories and three podium finishes over the last three World of Outlaws races. 

Where I have Pierce ranked: No disrespect intended, but I had Pierce ranked third in my Top 25 ballot this week. Two wins over his last three races doesn't quite make up for a winless Georgia-Florida Speedweeks where he posted an average finish of 11.5 and 19th-most earnings ($20,100 as opposed to Davenport's $101,600 and Moran's $90,700). Should Pierce win at March 28-29’s Nippy 50 at Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway, he'll have at least another first-place vote in me.

Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz.

Stat line: 18 feature starts in 19 appearances, six victories, 11 podium finishes, 12 top-fives and 13 top-10s

Total earnings: $102,410

Average finish: 6.6

Thornton's case for No. 1: Thornton passes the eyeball test, at least of late, with flying colors. Thornton's A-game might be better than anyone else's A-game with four victories and eight podium finishes over his last 11 starts. Even without a crew chief for the time being and an inexperienced race-day crew, Thornton was nearly flawless over the past weekend where he swept March 21 at Atomic (fastest in hot laps, overall quick time, heat race win, led all 50 laps in the feature) and scored a runner-up finish March 22 at Brownstown.

Where I have Thornton ranked: Sorry RTJ fans, I have him fourth in my ballot. While his 2025 scorecard includes dazzling results, it also has the most blemishes among the four drivers vying for the No. 1 spot. His four combined DNFs and DNQs, along with being one weekend removed from his 14th-place World of Outlaws finish at Smoky Mountain Speedway, doesn't help his case. In a top-ranked battle this close where Davenport and Moran have been nearly mistake-free, every result matters.