The transition is starting to take place at Volusia Speedway Park. Wednesday night, February 12th would be the final night of UMP governance over the Late Models while the Sprint Cars headed out the door last night for Ocala and are being replaced by the Big Block Modified cars and drivers of the Super DIRTcar Series.
The Late Models will get one last chance to race under UMP procedures on Wednesday night and the chase begins for the Super DIRTcar title for the big blocks.
The format is an unusual one for the Late Models and one that probably won't be seen again until next year. The theory behind it is one that has been used for the Modifieds here for two years and that is to give all drivers one night where they get to run a feature race, no matter how slow they might be and no matter how many cars are signed up to race in their class. With the Modified cars, it is a chance for quite a few drivers to race a feature race where they likely will never qualify for a single main held any night. For some of the Late Models, it is not much different as there are certainly drivers on the grounds that won't qualify for a feature race otherwise, except on this night.
This strategy was first used last year and apparently was a hit as it was repeated again this year on the final night of UMP Late Model racing here. And judging by the number of drivers that raced, they must like it a lot. For no doubt the only time this week, all Late Model drivers that were on the grounds competed, meaning that sixty one drivers signed in to race, a number that will likely be the high water number of competitors all week. Stacy Boles, the lone driver that saw out last night, returned to race on Wednesday but using a Capitol chassis as opposed to the car he ran on Monday. And making their first appearances of the week were Dustin Walker, Carson Ferguson, Daniel Hilsabeck, Cory Lawler and Hudson O'Neal. No other drivers are believed to be on the grounds.
And for UMP, it is kind of a way for them to say "Thank You" to all the drivers that have competed here, no matter how fast you were, as these relatively short races do pay $500 just to start, by far the biggest checks that a number will earn all week.
The format is a simple one. The drivers are divided into three groups and they then qualify against only the drivers in that group. The three twenty lap races are started straight up by times. No heats are run. It is a quick and simple program to understand and no provisional hassles will crop up. The three feature races may not be balanced out by skill or speed but everyone has an equal chance to prosper. "Dirt on Dirt" calls these races Semi Features and for a lack of a better name for them, I will go with that also.
The quickest qualifier of the night was Ricky Thornton Jr as the first of sixty one drivers to hit the track. He turned a lap of 15.582 seconds and was joined as a quick group qualifier by Ethan Dotson and Brandon Overton. No surprise to report that time trials are the name of the game for these events, as two of the three semi features were won by quick qualifiers.
However, with all drivers getting the chance to race a semi feature, there are likely to be more slower cars racing to lap and also the opportunity for more yellow flags does also exist, and in fact, both did occur although not to the point of annoyance. It would be only fair to report that there was only a single lead change in the three features combined as the races truly weren't long enough for track conditions to change to the point that there were some movers and losers.
Thornton Jr. continued the strong start he has had in 2025, leading from green to checkered in the first semi feature and never really being challenged. Kyle Bronson moved into second quickly but continuing a week of mechanical issues and DNF's he slowed soon after and was out of the race.
Max Blair and Cade Dillard jockeyed then for the second spot, trading the position after each of three yellow flags that slowed the first half of the race. Continuing what has developed as an irritating and unfortunate truth to dirt track racing these days, most passes for position are done directly after races restart following yellow flags as perhaps John Force or some other really good drag racer might succeed in the new world of dirt track racing.
In any event, Dillard got back into second following that final yellow on lap nine and he would run second the rest of the event. Blair got shuffled back to fourth but fought his way back past Daulton Wilson with Shane Clanton completing the top five.
The second semi feature was the closest of the night, with a pass for the lead and then a last lap battle for the win. Ethan Dotson got the jump on Jonathan Davenport as he was one of the few drivers able to use the inside to get an initial lead. Dotson held the lead for over half the race as Davenport sized him up and periodically pulled close to challenge.
By the halfway point of the race, Devin Moran was up to third with Mike Marlar and Brandon Sheppard next in line. Davenport picked up the pace and as Dotson seemed to be sliding a bit in the corners, Davenport got a big run off turn four and blew past the former lead on lap thirteen to take over the lead.
Moran was on the move also and drove past Dotson for second. And just as Dave Farney was getting the checkered flag ready, Jake Timm slowed on the final lap, setting up another of those annoying green, white and checkers finishes, this time stretching the race by a lap.
Moran dove to the inside of Davenport and got door to door with him as they raced off turn two but Davenport was able to fight him off and stretch his margin just a little as he took the win. Marlar, Dotson and Brian Shirley completed the top five.
The third semi feature was the Overton show as Brandon and Cody finished first and second. Brandon started on the pole and was never challenged as he led from flag to flag. Early on he was chased by Garrett Alberson with Tanner English running third through the halfway point of the race which was slowed twice for yellows.
The driver on the move and the one that passed the most drivers all night was Cody Overton. He started eighth but was on the charge from the green, racing up to fourth by the halfway point as he got by Mark Whitener. As the race continued, Cody continued to move up, taking both English and then, with just a couple of laps left, Alberson for second.
He did, however, run out of time and distance to put the heat on his brother as Brandon drove home comfortably for the win. Tim McCreadie would edge past Whitener on the final tour to complete the top five.
Forty three Big Block Modified drivers signed in for the first of four nights of Modified racing. This seemed like a very fine turn out of drivers, particularly when you consider that while this is a sanctioned DIRTcar event, no points toward the DIRTcar Big Block title are awarded this week, which in itself seems a bit strange. And while all seemed like fun and games in the pits before racing began, once they dropped the green flag, things got decidedly edgy with some mid season behavior breaking out in what must have been the first race, or nearly so, for most of the drivers.
The DIRTcar format, of course different than the other classes as why in the world would any series use the same formats and make things less complicated for the fans? DIRT car divides the field into two groups with drivers just qualifying against drivers in that group. Billy Pauch was the quickest qualifier at 17.078 seconds, just six one thousands faster that Justin Haers from the first group.
Four heats were held, lined straight up with the fop five in each making the show. Two B Features took three out of each, so twenty six made the main event. Starting tomorrow, only two will qualify out of the B Features with the last two spots in the main going to provisional starters. They did throw in one more starter as the quickest driver in qualifying not to make the show got a free pass. DIRTcar also redraws the top two finishers out of each heat to decide where they start the feature. I'm not sure I like this either because if you are going to use qualifying to set the running order, than you should use it all the way and not let luck determine just who starts on the pole.
Interestingly also, DIRTcar also allows the pole starter for the heats and feature to pick whether they want to start on the inside or outside of the front row so it's usually easy to tell just where the leader thinks the quick line is. They also use double file restarts, not the Delaware style used by most tracks and series.
This thirty lap feature proved to be the most problematic of the week so far. Filled with yellow flags, false starts, big wrecks and disagreeable drivers, it was a long lasting and not particularly satisfying event. Matt Sheppard opted for the outside for the start and he took the early lead but the yellow flew after just one lap for a slowing car.
Haers had moved into second but once again the yellow waved after just one more lap for a slowing driver after socking the turn one wall. Then the gamesmanship began between Sheppard and Alex Yankowski who had taken over second. Each took turns jumping the gun on restarts and also rubbing each other as they took the green with two straight starts called off and both drivers showing that they were pissed with the other.
Finally they got back to racing with Sheppard leading but Yankowski threatening strongly. Alex proved he was very fast on restarts and it seemed like only rubbing between the two kept him from taking the lead. When Garrett Krummert hammered the turn one wall and flipped through the air, the red flag was called for and because it was a stoppage before a lap was completed on the previous stoppage, the restart was single file, the only way they seemed on this night to be able to get a decent restart.
However, the yellow flew three more times before the race was completed and the single file restart was resorted to again after back to back tangles. However, once side by side, they just didn't seem capable on this night of getting a good restart and on the final slow down, with twenty three laps completed, Sheppard and Yankowski were at it again, and this time Haers benefitted as he was able to grab second.
The drivers all seemed like they were having troubles making the "heavies" turn as they would drive low into the corners and then bow right up to the wall upon exit, a strategy that made it hard for other drivers to get under them down the chute.
Sheppard was not challenged in the final seven laps and he drove home the winner over Haers, Yankowski, Pauch and Jimmy Phelps. The checkers didn't stop the sniping however as Sheppard and Yankowski were still talking and pointing at each other as the victory lane photos were attempted and the photographers finally had to tell them to knock it off so they could get their victory lane shots. Sheppard's win was greeting by a full chorus of boos from the New York fans but that isn't surprising as he often gets boo'd simply because he wins too much.
I don't get to see the Big Blocks maybe once or twice a year so I don't know if the two have "history" between them and I have never noted that Sheppard was a rough around the edges driver before when I have seen him race but both the combatants were clearly overly aggressive on this night and I suspect DIRTcar officials will be having words with them and perhaps the whole field before the Thursday night event.
Another thing I have noticed down here this week as no matter what class, except for the Sprint Cars that have more sense, when the green flag is dropped, drivers instead of going directly forward into the first turn seem to turn slightly and rub the driver beside them first. I suspect that on this hugely fast and momentum filled track, this is an attempt to kill the other driver's momentum into the first turn but it is a potentially dangerous move also.
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