Chisholm's Roll, Joe Saturday Night USMTS Winner

 The doubleheader weekend of USMTS Modified racing concluded on Saturday night, March 1st at the Heart 'O Texas Speedway in Elm Mott and what a weekend it was for the racing Chisholm family out of Osage Iowa. 

On Friday night, Jim, the defending USMTS Modified Series point champion, started off the new year with a bang as he won the opening night event while younger brother Joe had a solid run, finishing in the fifth spot. Their domination of the weekend continued on Saturday when Joe won his first ever USMTS main event, fighting off Tanner Mullens to get the win. Jim did not have quite as good of luck however, as after starting sixteenth in the main event and working his way into the top five by the halfway point of the contest, a flat tire sent him to the pits for a replacement and he would have to settle for ninth and repassing much of the field for a second time. 

The undercard action saw the Limited Mods and Factory Stocks also run  full program with Louisiana's Coty Tupper winning for the second time this weekend and Boone Evans made a late race pass to take the Factory Stock main event. 

It was a spectacularly beautiful March night for auto racing and a big crowd packed the HOT for the last appearance of the USMTS at this track in 2025. Attrition had taken a small toll on the field by Saturday as forty three drivers signed in for Modified racing. Thus, with this number of entries, the field was split into four big heat races as opposed to six rather small heats that we saw on Friday night. The field was still split in halves for qualifying and the top twelve in passing points automatically moved to the feature. 

Reece Solander and Jamie Burford where the quickest under the clock with Burford, the former Late Model star who is making a return to Modified racing after nine years, was fastest overall at 15.070 seconds. After that he struggled though and came up one spot short of making the feature through a B and had to rely on a provisional starting spot. Burford drew a "5" for the invert, one of the most important events of the night for the drivers. 

Changing up from the previous two nights when the track was just too slimy for fair qualifying for those that drew low pills, the track was considerably drier on Saturday and while qualifying went much smoother, many drivers struggled with their heats, with many more yellows for spins etc. than the previous nights. I also felt that the track was the feature was not as good as the previous nights, while the fast groove seemed narrower and tougher to pass on. 

With the first race of the season in the books, the number of cars added to the feature increased with Trevor Hughes, Gary Christian and Mark Smith joining Burford as additions, making it twenty six cars for forty laps for the top prize of five grand. 

Joe Chisholm drew the outside pole on the redraw and with the top side fast for those that wanted to get up to the top, he jumped into the early lead over Carlos Ahumada Jr and Tanner Mullens. Ahumada Jr would start to slip back in the field though, with Mullens moving to second and both Kyle Strickler and Rodney Sanders moving forward. 

A multi car pileup on lap thirteen slowed the action for a second time and this almost proved to be Joe Chisholm's downfall. The choose cone was in effect once again and for some strange reason that boggled the minds of those paying attention, despite the fact that Chisholm had been ripping the cushion lap after lap, he chose the bottom for the restart. 

Mullens just licked his lips in anticipation and sure enough, when the green dropped, Mullens blew past to take over the lead. He maintained that spot for the next six laps, despite another slowdown for another big crash and having Chisholm all over his rear bumper. 

But Joe showed that he was the faster of the two drivers, as on lap nineteen, after working Mullens hard for several laps, he was able to pull off a slider and race back into the top spot. They raced that way through the halfway point of the event, with Strickler and Sanders joined by Jim Chisholm in the top five. 

Jim may have succeeded his brother as the quickest driver on the track at this point as he has worked his way forward after starting in the eight row and in fact was able to get past  Sanders for fourth before disaster struck. He slowed on lap twenty four with a flat tire and was forced to pit along with Strickler who suffered the same problem. 

Thus the lineup for the restart was really shuffled with both Solander and Kyle Brown appearing for the first time in the top five. After all the yellows in the first half of the race, the last sixteen laps ran off green to checkers and Joe showed that he was quickest of all, pulling to a nearly full straightaway lead. However, his fans could never relax because even though he had a comfortable lead, he made things exciting by pushing so hard and his hammering style of racing saw him twice almost overshoot the second turn and cause disaster for himself. But somehow he bailed himself out each time and saved the night for himself. 

In the last few laps he caught the back of the pack and with passing tough with the fast lane full, they might have helped Chisholm and he wisely slowed down, followed them and eased his chances of flying off the end. Mullens would close up some but Joe still had a comfortable lead at the checkers. 

Terry Phillips made a strong run of his own after starting fifteenth as after not even being in the top five until the very end, he continued to charge and got by both Solander and Sanders to finish a strong third, despite fighting some health issues with his vision over the weekend. Eighteen drivers finished the contest and with the numerous yellows, all were on the lead lap. 

An interesting development occurred in the Limited Mod class. Friday night winner Denny Gieber who won the race on Friday racing a B Mod, switched cars on Saturday night and was instead running a Southern Sport Mod. The move was not a helpful one as he would finish midpack on Saturday. 

The driver that has been hot here all weekend, Coty Tupper, would dominate the Limited Mod feature. Tupper, who has been speedy all weekend, has also faired well when it came to the redraw as he started outside pole on both Thursday and tonight and won both nights. When he started tenth on Friday, he had to work very hard and have some breaks to get up to second at the finish. 

Tupper blew away from Kyle Wilkins as the start and opened up a large lead over the field. There was some good battling back in the pack though, as Jake Smith, Dan Wheeler, Wilkins and Casey Brunson battled hard, exchanging slide jobs in what was an entertaining fight for position. 

After starting tenth, Trevor Cogburn used the same banzai style that he had shown on Friday night to advance through the pack but when he tried to slide job two drivers on the same corner it didn't work out and his spin at the midpoint of the race was the only slowdown of the event. 

The final half of the race ran off green to checkers with Tupper building up nearly a full chute lead over the field. Smith used a couple more slide jobs to work his way into second but he was way too far behind to be a factor. Wheeler finished third and Wilkins had bad luck when he blew a motor on the final lap and gave up a good finishing spot. Brunson ended up fourth ahead of T.J. Evans. 

Things looked pretty cut and dried in the Factory Stock feature until a late race yellow really changed things around. Michael Bowles started on the pole and sprinted away from Steve Grantz in the early going, and eventually opened up a comfortable lead over Grantz. 

Brian Johnson, who had started twelfth, gradually worked his way to the front and moved into third by the halfway point of the race with Boone Evans close behind but both were considerably behind the top two. 

However, this all changed with just five laps to go when a spinning car triggered the first and only yellow of the race. This bunched up the pack and suddenly it was a three car race for the win with both Johnson and Evans pulling up beside Bowles and they went three wide for the win. 

Johnson was able to edge past Bowles with two to go but then Evans dove under Johnson and took over the lead as they saw the white flag. Evans pulled away on the final lap as he came from tenth for the win with Johnson a close second and Bowles a disappointed third as the late yellow certainly cost him the win. 

USMTS was back in rhythm on Saturday night with a show that started right on time, ended much earlier than the previous nights and also saw no breaks at all, rolling right into main events as soon as the last qualifying was done. 

The Modified drivers now have a full week to put things back together and wash up the equipment before they head to Rocket Raceway Park near Petty Texas for the next round of USMTS racing next Friday and Saturday. 

As always, thanks to the folks at USMTS and ARMS for a solid weekend of Modified racing and also to the staff at HOT for their work on what was likely a grueling weekend of racing to begin their long season here in Texas.  

Jim Chisholm With HOT Start in USMTS

 Jim Chisholm served notice that he intends to defend his 2024 National Championship with the United States Modified Touring Series in the strongest manner that he can and he did so by taking the lead on the fifth lap and leading the rest of the forty lap opener for the twenty seventh season of the USMTS on Friday night at the Heart 'O Texas Speedway in Elm Mott. 

Support classes for the USMTS opener on Friday were the Factory Stocks and the Limited Modifieds and the winners in those two classes were Westin Abbey and Denny Gieber. 

It is hard to believe that the USMTS is beginning their twenty seventh season of racing. After all, it seems like just yesterday when Todd and Janet Staley bought the series and changed the name from the USMS to USMTS and then took off and ran with the idea of a traveling series for Modifieds when no one else had even contemplated such an idea. Well, it proved to be an outstanding business decision and the rest is history with the series seemingly in just as strong a position as it has ever been with a solid schedule at some of the finest race tracks in the country. 

A tour of the pits before the races would reveal that last night's quick qualifier Casey Fowler did indeed blow a motor right off the bat in his heat race. They were forced to change engines today in the pits and the word was that the motor they blew was a brand new piece, racing in its first night of competition. They were discouraged, needless to say, but hope springs eternal that Friday night would be a  better night for them. 

An odd situation developed this weekend with the "preliminary" night of ARMS racing on Thursday night actually producing a larger car count that the USMTS did on Friday. Down three cars, the USMTS field of forty eight was still strong and not one to quibble with. A check of last year's point standings did reveal that they lost three of their top ten point drivers from last year in Jake Timm, Dan Ebert and Jason Hughes along with a no show by Tyler Davis. Both Timm and Ebert have moved on to Late Model racing in 2025 and Hughes is reportedly retiring from racing. Jason was in the pits on Friday but just helping his son on his car which now carries Jason's sponsors and even his car looks. It will be hard to imagine USMTS racing without Jason Hughes being in the field. 

The USMTS continues to use a rather different method of qualifying their cars for the main event in 2025. They are back to qualifying the cars with the field split into two groups with three cars under the clock per session. The quickest driver overall, which happened to be Kale Westover at 15.581 seconds, then rolled a dice to determine the invert in the heat races. Tonight the quickest four in each heat were inverted. The drivers then earn passing points for their heats with the top twelve making the main and the rest in a B Feature. Two provisional starters set up the twenty four car field for the main. The method of time trialing and then both inverting heats and using passing points can be debated all night but the bottom line is, that is the way they do it and if you want to race with them, you have to adapt to how they run their show. 

For the second straight night, the track didn't roll in as expected but Todd is true to starting a racing program on time, so the Mods had to qualify on a pretty slimy race track, with the first drivers out really having a challenging track to deal with which, I'm sure, pleased them no end. However, series announcer Erik Chesterman made it clear that their laps were going to be their only laps with no retries or "mulligans." This did help insure that the program started within mere minutes of the advertised time, unlike Thursday night. 

The forty lap feature for the Modifieds would see Chisholm come from the fourth row to take the win. Kale Westover, by the luck of the redraw, started on the pole but on the opening lap he slipped up the track and allowed Keith Hammett to duck under him and record the lead for the first lap. Westover's night dipped even more when he rolled to a halt one lap later, triggering the first yellow of the event. 

Chisholm had already moved to second with Kyle Strickler, Kyle Brown and Philip Houston close behind. Chisholm continued to pressure Hammett for the lead and on lap five Hammett slipped up the track and Chisholm shot under him to take over the top spot. 

Three yellow flags slowed the action in the first eleven laps and with the USMTS utilizing the "choose" cone and also double file restarts even for the front row, after each yellow Chisholm had Strickler, not afraid to try the outside, right beside him. On each occasion however, Chisholm managed to fight off the North Carolina national Modified star and continue to maintain the lead. 

The track started to go low side dominant and both Rodney Sanders and Tanner Mullens started to move up and they both put Strickler behind them by the halfway point of the race. Only Joe Chisholm stayed on the top side of the track and he pounded the cushion with fury while managing to stay up with the leaders. 

Mark Smith collected Brown and Carlos Ahumada Jr. in a turn three pileup and after Smith then pounded the turn two wall five laps later, he was done and the yellow flags also stopped, setting up a fifteen lap race to the checkers. 

Sanders was very strong and several times he got a nose under Jim Chisholm as they battled for the lead. Sanders appeared that he might be the fastest car at this point, but Chisholm was not going to give him the inside line. 

In the last few laps, Sanders slid back a few car lengths with Jim Chisholm then continuing his strong run as he drove home for the win. Sanders, Mullens, Joe Chisholm and Strickler completed the top five. Sixteen cars completed the feature race with all on the lead lap. 

Both the Factory Stocks and Limited Mods had improved car counts for Friday night's show and both provided entertaining feature races. The Factory Stock main saw a great battle between Westin Abbey and Johnny Torres for the win. While the lead position was only officially changed one time, in the early going of the race they were swapping the lead on each end of the track with slide jobs breaking out left and right. 

However, each time, except for lap four, when Torres led at the line, Abbey was scored the lead driver. Cody Dixon was running third by the halfway point but then contact between himself and G.W. Egbert IV led to some hard feelings expressed on the track and a shuffle of the running order. 

Meanwhile, the leaders hugged the low groove and while Torres rode right on the rear bumper of Abbey, Westin was able to hold on and take the win. Last night's winner Cameron Cook crossed the line third but failed in post race inspection, giving third to Egbert over Michael Bowles and Cody Frank. 

Nineteen drivers started the Limited Mod feature race which also had its share of action. Three different drivers led at points of this race and hard feelings also developed over some of the activity during this fifteen lapper. Mark Fox started on the pole and led the opening lap before he was passed by Trevor Cogburn who was running an exciting line high up against the wall in the turns. 

Cogburn led over Michael Dabney with Boone Evans moving up rapidly in the field to crack the top three and then engage in a slide job special as he fought with both Cogburn and Denny Gieber for the lead. Gieber had started seventh but smoothly moved forward and as the other leaders battled hard with each other, he was able to slip by and take over the point. 

Things got pretty physical for second as the slide job intensity got even stronger but that came to an end with just three laps to go when Evans spun his way out of the contest. Gieber was very smooth right on the bottom and he would pull away for the win. Cogburn continued to pound the cushion in a late attempt to make a winning pass but it cost him second as last night's winner Coty Tupper who had started tenth, slipped under him for second on the last lap. Jake Smith and Dabney completed the top five. With the intensity displayed by the support classes for the first racing weekend of the year, I can't imagine how hard they must go at it by the time the heat and humidity of July hit!

Excellent last February weather continued on Friday with the promise of more when we turn the calendar to March on Saturday night. The same three classes will again be in action with the second point race for USMTS paying another five grand to the winner. RacinDirt will have the broadcast for those unable to jump in the car and drive to Texas on Saturday. 

Mullens Tops ARMS Opener at HOT

 The American Racer Modified Series kicked off their 2025 racing season on Thursday night, February 27th at the Heart 'O Texas Speedway located north of Waco in Elm Mott Texas. After losing a pair of races last week also in Texas due to harsh temperatures, Trenton Berry and Eric Chesterman were more than happy to start the season for one of three Modified series that they will be undertaking this year. 

An excellent field of fifty one drivers signed in to race on Thursday, many on hand because they support this series that runs primarily in the Texas and Louisiana area and others on hand for a paid hot lap practice session as they prepare for the USMTS season which kicks off on Friday night at this same track. 

It was a spectacular but then heart breaking night for Anthony New Mexico's Mark Smith who after setting quick time of the night, led the first twenty laps of the main event. However, with a comfortable lead, he spun all by himself which triggered a yellow flag, sent him to the back and took away any chance he had of winning the main. 

Tanner Mullens took advantage of the break he received and led the rest of the event, holding off Jim Chisholm to take the win. 

Factory Stocks and a combination of Southern Sport Mods, B Mods and Midwest Mods formed the Limited Mod class and these two classes also ran a full program with numbers in each class just about right for a mid week show in February. Winners in those two classes were Cameron Cook and Coty Tupper. 

The program has a new look to it this year, in that the drivers for the ARMS Modified series have a new way of qualifying for their main event. I must confess that I was surprised to find out just what the system would be, usually expecting to find some form of passing points used for these well paying Modified series. 

Imagine my surprise when I found out that they would be using a system that almost mirrors that used by the UMP Late Models when they race in Florida. The field was split into two groups for qualifying and drivers would qualify against everyone else in that group. The heat races were then lined straight up based on qualifying times with six heats run for the fifty one cars on hand. The top three in each heat made the main event and everyone else started straight up in one of two B Features that would take another three, thus producing twenty four cars for the main and with this being the first race of the year, there were no provisional starters. Thus the format was almost identical to that used by UMP in Florida. And just like the Late Models, this puts a huge premium on qualifying because a poor time trial lap sets one back so far that digging out of that hole, with only three cars making the main out of eight or so in a short eight lap heat race makes for very tough sledding indeed. When Berry spoke on the microphone he indicated that this method would be used for the time being but seemed to indicate that perhaps at some point they would revisit this plan, based I'm guessing on how the drivers like it and what kind of racing was produced. 

The track had been watered very generously for Thursday night and extra packing was needed to roll in the surface. It produced a screaming fast track with a big berm that many raced off of. The racing seemed to be especially intense for the opener and there was much hard driving seen all night. And even after the whole show was completed, there was not even a whisper of dust to be found as the drivers were still spraying mud clods off the corners. 

When they started qualifying, which was well behind the advertised schedule, the track truly wasn't still ready to be raced on and this produced some interesting results from the qualifying sessions with several surprising entrants at or near the front of heats and some figured to be fast having to dig out of deep holes. But the bright side was that it produced some highly interesting qualifying events with half the heats seeing winners coming from back in the pack, not the sort of racing usually seen in heats whre the fast cars are starting right up front. 

The quick qualifiers were Casey Fowler, who unfortunately then blew up a motor in the first heat race and Smith with laps at 15.005 and Smith quickest overall at 14.608 as the track got faster and faster, the more cars that raced on it. The groove gradually widened out and by feature time they were running side by side, two and three deep with drivers like Rodney Sanders and Reece Solander setting off a shower of sparks every time they came down the front stretch as they rubbed the concrete wall. 

Twenty four drivers started the thirty lap main event which had all the ear marks of a classic race, and likely would have been so except that after some pretty smooth previous races, the Modified feature was plagued by yellow flags with the yellow bunting flying nine times with the longest green flag stretch of racing the last six laps of the contest. 

But for short bursts and stretches, the race was excellent with large packs of drivers battling for position and while many used the berm to walk around the track, there were others making the low side work as well. 

Smith took the lead from the pole after redrawing that spot and he led early over Mullens, Tater Hyde and Nathan Smith. The racing was intense but short lived as the yellow waved five times before the first half of the contest was done. Thankfully, virtually all the yellows were for one car spins and despite how hard they were racing, there were not a lot of serious crashes. 

By the halfway point, Smith was continuing up front and every time the green would wave, he pulled away from the pack. Mullens still ran second but Sanders and Jim Chisholm were both making progress through the field. Sanders was especially impressive as he moved up from eleventh to third, with a shower of sparks down the front chute on virtually every lap as he threw caution to the wind. 

Then, to everyone's surprise and shock, Smith, with a healthy lead, spun all by himself in turn one and forfeited what appeared to be two grand to add to his checking account. He went to the back of the pack and Mullens inherited the point.

The last nine laps Tanner continued to lead but Chisholm tried to pressure him as they had to withstand two more slow downs. However, Mullens was up to the task and he didn't allow Chisholm to close on him as he took the win. Sanders ended up third, with a steady Carlos Ahumada Jr and Kale Westover completing the top five. Fourteen drivers completed the contest with all on the lead lap. 

The support classes both did their jobs very well and they both produced entertaining features while at the same time not taking a lot of time as both mains went off smoothly. And throw in the fact that the Factory Stock feature was a nail biter with the margin of victory being about a half car length. 

They only had ten cars on this week night but the Factory Stocks put on a very good main event. After a first lap yellow that saw Michael Bowles surge into the lead and then stall before he made the first turn, the rest of the race would go without a single yellow flag. 

Cameron Cook took the early lead and built up some distance on the field as the pack was batting behind him, giving him a chance to pull away. However, Westin Abbey finally cleared to second and he set off after the leader. With the race staying green, it didn't seem possible that he would catch up but he continued to press and as the laps ran down, he was able to catch Cook for the lead. 

The last few laps they raced nearly side by side with the margin of the lead getting smaller on each lap. The final tour saw then side by side with Abbey on the bottom. Much respect should go to both drivers as with the circumstances as they were with a still heavy and slick track, each could have easily booted the other out of the way, but they chose to race clean and side by side with Cook holding off the charging Abbey by perhaps half a car length at the line. Frank Lackey finished third. 

Sixteen Limited Mods from various disciplines took the green flag for their fifteen lap main event. Remington Budd started on the pole and he managed to hold off Coty Tupper for two laps as the two Louisiana drivers fought for the lead. 

Finally, Tupper was able to make the pass for the top spot after the yellow waved twice in the first two laps but followed with thirteen straight under the green. 

There was some great infighting for spots back in the pack with a great gaggle of cars all fighting for third after Tommy Williams broke free into second. Tupper continued to maintain his lead and he drove on for the win with Williams and Minnesota drivers Jake Smith and Dan Wheeler trailing. So the score was USRA B Mod first, Southern Sport Mod second and WISSOTA Midwest Mod third. 

A very scary moment occurred that triggered a yellow flag on lap twenty one of the Modified feature when an errant car spun quickly into the infield in turn one and veteran Minnesota photographer Buck Monson was clipped by the spinning car. He tried to dive out of the way but was struck by the car and then thrown into a barrier designed to protect the infield light poles from the cars. Buck was beaten up pretty good but at last word had no broken bones and vowed to be back at the track on Friday in some shape or manner. It was ironic because just earlier in the evening Buck and I were giving each other grief, I because he was riding around the pits on an electric bicycle and he because I came all the way down from Wisconsin to watch this race weekend. You just never know what is around the corner. 

While the racing was good and the show itself was tightly run once it got going, it was a slow night to develop with the extra track packing and seemingly some first night disorder about lineups etc. While the actual racing was accomplished in three hours, the first heat didn't hit the track until just before 9 pm, hardly what one would like to see on a week night. The time trial format takes more time and they hadn't properly budgeted for that and the whole show just needed some tightening up, something that hopefully will be accomplished by Friday. Nevertheless, thanks to Berry and Chesterman for their help and after all, we are racing and it's still just February. 

Rudolph and Davenport Top VCS DIRTcar finales

 The Federated DIRTcar Nationals completed its run on Saturday night, February 15th at the Volusia Speedway Park located near Barberville and De Leon  Springs Florida. Wrapping up their run this week were the World of Outlaws Late Models and the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds. Both classes were running their longest and richest races of the week with fifty lap mains in both classes. 

The weather has been spectacular all week here in central Florida and Saturday night was no    exception as partial sunshine and temperatures in the eighties greeted another big crowd of fans from near and far to see the two classes wrap up their week of racing and see "Big Gator" champions crowned. 

Jonathan Davenport has been in victory lane many times here at VSP and he earned another win after a hard fought battle with both Drake Troutman and the track over the fifty lap distance. 

In the Big Blocks, Erick Rudolph, who has shown lots of speed all week, finally put it together at just the proper time to make a midrace pass and then pull away at the end for his first win during Speed Weeks

Another strong field of drivers were on hand in both classes although the numbers in each of the classes were down slightly after a week of attrition took its toll. Fifty two Late Models signed in to race with their race format unchanged while the biggest news of the night for the Big Blocks was the addition of Stewart Friesen in a back up car for Alex Yankowski. Friesen's truck duties at the "Big Track" are now completed and even though he blew up his Big Block on Wednesday night, with Yankowski's help he was still able to make an appearance on the final night. Remarkable too was the fact that Friesen later turned the quickest time and was the only Mod in the sixteen second bracket at 16.966.Friesen later ran in the top five through the first half of the feature until fading slightly at the end. 

Twenty eight drivers would see the green flag for the fifty lap Modified feature, twenty more laps than for any race earlier this week. Larry Wight and Rick Laubach battled on the first lap before Wight would claim the early lead. Larry was riding the top side of the track and making it work although Laubach was having a good run and keeping close to the leader. Matt Williamson, Jack Lehner and Friesen filled out the top five as the first yellow flew when Matt Caprara slowed on the track. 

At this point, Rudolph had not yet cracked the top five after starting eleventh  but this was the point when he made his strong move. In the next ten laps, he moved up to challenge for the lead with a spectacular "two for one" pass of Williamson and Laubach further elevating his position. 

As the halfway signal came out from Dave Farney, Rudolph powered past Wight down the front chute and he took over the lead. Rudolph was on a joy ride after that as he pulled away from Wight and Laubach. The yellow flew with forty three laps complete and unfortunately for Wight, he triggered  a second yellow right after when he blew a tire and his potential fine finish was a thing of the past. 

The last seven laps saw Rudolph pull away from the field as his win was a strong one without challenges. Laubach stumbled in the last few laps with Williamson driving into second while Matt Sheppard came from tenth to complete the top three. Only two drivers failed to complete the distance and all were on the lead lap at the end. 

Yankowski drove a conservative race, starting ninth and never cracking the top five but his strong and consistent finishes all week including one win, earned him the Big Gator as the point champion in the class. 

Nick Hoffman and Ryan Gustin topped the speed charts for the Late Models wit Hoffman quickest overall and over a second faster than the Big Blocks. Hoffman, however, almost ended his night very early when in his efforts to "Whoa Up" his car after completing his two laps before he missed the driveway to the pits which would have resulted in his lap being taken away from him, he it the driveway "hot" and slammed into a protection barrier but fortunately, did most cosmetic damage to his car as he was able to continue racing without having to break out a back up car. 

Provisionals were doled out like cookies and Christmas day and thirty one drivers were allowed to start the Late Model fifty lap main. The first half of the race belonged to Drake Troutman as the Pennsylvania driver got the jump on Bobby Pierce to take the early lead. Pierce was off his game on this night as he slipped back in the pack with Hoffman, Brandon Overton and Devin Moran moving in behind Troutman who continued to maintain a healthy lead over the field. Davenport, however, was the driver to watch as he tore to the front after starting twelfth on the grid. 

Just as the drivers reached the halfway point of the race, the track started to take rubber and quickly the drivers all migrated down to the bottom lane. That is however, except for Davenport who boldly hammed the high side of the track and gained a number of positions as many of the leaders settled for just following each other around the track with their speed being reduced as they tail gated each other. 

But somehow was able to keep his speed up and he continued picking off contenders, one by one and sometimes two at a bite. As the second half of the race continued, he tail tailgated leader Troutman on a single file restart, called for due to track conditions, after Dustin Walker blew a tire and ended the green flag run. 

Davenport aggressively continued to move the track with several attempts close but not quite good enough to get past Troutman. Finally, Jonathan got a good run off turn four, pulled up beside Troutman down the front chute, caught a streak of rubber in turn two and accelerated away from Troutman. 

One more late restart bunched the field but Davenport was gone on the green, with all others settling for their positions on the track. Troutman finished a disappointing to him second with Hoffman, Overton and Moran completing the top five. Again, the race was an easy one of the drivers and cars with only four not finishing the event. 

Ricky Thornton Jr didn't have his best night but he still won the Late Model Gator for the first time in his Late Model career. 

In every aspect, the final week of the DIRTcar Nationals was a very successful venture. There were very good car counts in both classes and many of the most talented drivers in the sport were on hand. Crowds were exceptional all week, as was the weather. 

For me personally, this event wraps up my Winter racing adventure. From New Mexico to Arizona and then on to Florida, it was a spectacular time. We saw lots of great racing at many fine tracks. We saw lots of familiar faces and made friends with many new people, both in the pits and in the grandstands. And of all the races, there was only one cancelation and that was the snow event at Vado. Otherwise, all races scheduled were held and I even caught one new track during the journey. We are very blessed and lucky to be able to do this kind of trip and all the promoters, track workers and officials were great to work with. Thanks much to all of them. We leave Florida with temperatures in the eighties and should return home just in time to be met by some double digit below zero temps. What fun!

What will be next on the racing calendar? That's a good question that depends on the weather, the checkbook and other factors. We'll see what develops as there are several interesting possibilities but no certainties. Stay tuned. 

Good On Ya Peter Britten at VSP; Moran Also a Winner

 They were cracking open a few tinnies after the Big Block Modified feature was completed on Friday night, February 14th at the Volusia Speedway Park when popular Australian driver Peter Britten topped his first main event in three years during the DIRTcar Nationals to highlight the racing program on the next to last night for racing in 2025. Devin Moran also put on a show as for the second straight night he made a charge up through the field and this time it resulted in a thirty five lap World of Outlaws Late Model triumph. 

Thursday night's racing action was a bit tough on some of the competitors as particularly in the Big Blocks, a couple crashes sidelines a few competitors for the remainder of the mini series with five less drivers signing in to race on Friday night. Still, the program was unaffected for them with four heats and a pair of B Features setting the field for their thirty lap main event. In the initial but very important time trials, Matt Williamson would be quickest overall at 17.227 seconds while Britten topped group B with a 17.236 second lap. Both would win heat races later and after the redraw of the top two finishers in each heat, Alex Payne would start on the pole. 

Payne got the early jump on Britten, who started on the outside of him and then led the first two laps. Then Britten picked up the pace and with a power move down the back chute, he took over the lead. This would mark the first lead change in the Big Blocks this week as drivers have complained about the difficulty to pass, citing track conditions, the high speeds here and the placement of the pan hard bars on the cars now, which I understand little about but do know that it is currently a huge source of controversy. 

In any event, Britten then put some distance on the field as Payne then battled for second with Erick Rudolph to keep the second spot. There were three slowdowns in the first half of the event, with two being for Matt Sheppard as he blew a tire on lap ten and then parked on the track once again two laps later. He ended up being one of only two drivers that wouldn't complete the race. 

By the halfway point of the contest, Matt Williamson had moved into fourth with Jake Lehner in the top five also. Britten seemed to slow slightly just after that point with both Payne and Rudolph closing on him. Payne, in fact, got to the inside of the leader at the two thirds mark of the race but Britten was able to fight him off and then seemed to find a faster line as he then began to pull away again. 

Over the last few laps of the event, the drivers got pretty well spaced out with them settling into their positions and Britten had no difficulties as the Aussie drove home for the popular win amongst the Big Block crowd. Payne, Rudolph, Williamson and a charging Alex Yankowski completed the top five in a race that saw the last eighteen laps run off green to checkers. 

The car count has held up well in the Late Model division with fifty eight still on hand to race on Friday night. The second Outlaw show of the week followed their normal format with two groups of qualifiers then split into six heat races with the top three in each making the show. Only two come out of the three B Features with the rest of the starting grid filled with provisional and emergency provisional starters. Ricky Thornton Jr. continues to be the master of qualifying as for the third straight night he stopped the clocks quickest at 15.534 seconds while Ethan Dotson at a .569 topped group B. 

Kyle Strickler topped the drama in the heat races when he finished third in a heat, only to fail inspection as the car's nose was too wide and this ultimately ended his night as he failed to race out of a B Feature. 

The track was fast on Friday but it also had quite a berm and this lip seemed to cause the drivers difficulty all night as countless drivers jumped the cushion and lost positions or worse as a result of this. There were a couple significant moments in the Late Model feature that were a direct cause of drama happening and while the drivers seemed to enjoy the track, it was also a very technical and tricky oval to drive. 

This race was broken into two parts as the first nineteen laps saw the yellow wave seven times for various calamities and then the last sixteen laps ran off nonstop. 

Garrett Alberson got the jump on the green but Thornton Jr, showing great speed, blasted past Alberson before one lap was completed to take the early lead. Dotson, Alberson and Davenport funneled in behind him in the early going. Moran redrew poorly, starting eighth and this gave him the chance to show the speed that he had broken out on Thursday as he moved up to fifth by the time the first yellow waved as Pierce had already jumped the cushion once and lost a few spots. 

Just a lap later, Bobby would again jump the cushion in turn four and get tagged by Sheppard who had no where to go and the yellow would wave. The field then got stuck on lap seven as first Mark Whitener stalled on the track and then Pierce, slow to leave the hot pit after work under yellow, just parked on the back chute to trigger the yellow and allow him to catch up to the pack. 

Now, at any short track in America, such a move would be followed by an immediate black flag from the starter and a chorus of boos from the stands for the action, but on this night, it was tolerated and with not an eye being blinked by series officials. You think about that one. 

Meanwhile, back at the race, Thornton Jr. continued to lead but Moran was on the move, picking off Davenport and Alberson and moving up to third. On lap twelve, Thornton Jr. jumped the cushion in turn one and Dotson, with no where to go, piled into the back of Ricky's car. And while Thornton Jr. was able to keep going and retain the lead, even while showing front end damage, Dotson was an unlucky victim and his night was done. 

Thornton Jr. was now a sitting duck however, and while he managed to fight off Moran for a few laps, his poor handling caught up with him and on lap nineteen, Moran would drive past him and take the lead. The last sixteen laps would be a cruise for Moran as he pulled away from the field without a challenge for the front spot. 

Davenport got past Thornton Jr. on the final restart on lap twenty when Brandon Overton rolled to halt and he would finish in that spot. Thornton Jr, Alberson and Ryan Gustin then completed the top five with a number of top running cars like Pierce, Drake Troutman, Dotson and Mike Marlar sitting in the infield by the time the checkers waved. 

Saturday night the Federated DIRTcar Nationals wrap up another Speed Weeks season at VSP. The World of Outlaws Late Models will be going fifty laps for their largest prize of the week while the Big Blocks will match that with their own fifty lapper. Dirt Vision will provide the viewing for those not in attendance in central Florida.

Alberson Holds On At VSP; Yankowski Gains Vindication

 Garrett Alberson used a strong run and a bit of luck in catching a yellow flag at just the right time to win the thirty five lap World of Outlaws Late Model race on Thursday night, February 13th at the Volusia Speedway Park as the Federated DIRTcar Nationals rolled into its fourth day of Late Model racing. 

For the "Beasts of the East", the Big Block Modifieds of the Super DIRTcar series, twenty year old Alex Yankowski, denied a win on Wednesday night after some wheel banging with Matt Sheppard, came back strong to lead all laps and take the thirty lap feature win for that group. 

For the first time all week, weather played a factor in the Thursday night racing program and although the rain didn't cancel the event, it certainly played a big part in track conditions and the late hour with which the racing was completed. Showers at mid afternoon rolled through the western Volusia County area and while they weren't especially heavy, they did affect a racing surface that had already been prepped for racing and made both the track and the pits a bit on the muddy side. 

However, Mike VanGenderen and his crew of workers, whipped the racing surface back into shape but it required some extensive packing by both the race cars and all equipment on hand with the first racing event not to hit the track until 9 pm. Time was saved by shaving back the track interviews and doing the redraw in the pits, quite frankly something that I believe no one would miss if it was never done on the track as most folks either use the redraw time to head to the bathrooms or concession stands anyway. Redrawing for starting spots after drivers already have earned those positions doesn't seem fair anyway, but that's a discussion for another time. 

Previous to all this happening, the two driver's meetings were quite entertaining as not surprisingly, after last night's difficulties getting races started and restarted, along with the considerable contact between drivers just as the racing began, there was plenty to chew on between the drivers and series management. There was plenty of talk and counter talk at the DIRTcar meeting which I happened to attend and while I walked away feeling that they didn't exactly have everything resolved, the starts were much fairer and cleaner on Thursday night for sure. 

Fifty eight Late Models signed in to race on Thursday night with South Carolina's  Zack Mitchell joining the field while four other drivers likely have called it a week with a variety of car problems. 

Outlaw procedures divided the field into two groups for qualifying with Ryan Gustin and Ricky Thornton Jr setting fast times with Thornton Jr quickest overall at 15.430 seconds. They would run six heat races started straight up with the top three making the show. Two drivers each came out of three B Features but the biggest change was that provisional starters were now added for the rest of the week with additional six drivers added to the back of the pack, thus making thirty that took the green flag. 

Alberson redrew the pole position for the thirty five lap feature paying twelve grand to the winner and Garrett took off strong, taking the early lead from Mike Marlar who settled in behind him. Thornton Jr, Brandon Sheppard and Pierce moved into the top five. 

Eleven laps were completed before Mark Whitener slowed and the yellow waved for the first time. Marlar jumped the cushion as the field returned to green, something that would befall several other drivers before the race was over as the cushion kept getting deeper and deeper. 

Thornton Jr. moved into second but Pierce was on the move as he pulled in to challenge Thornton Jr for second and eventually slid past him to take over the second spot. At the halfway point, Pierce was starting to close the gap as Alberson caught the back of the pack and was having some difficulties getting through the traffic. 

Pierce smelled the blood in the water and made his move, diving low as Alberson was hung up high in the traffic and Bobby drove into the lead. But before that lap could be completed, Nick Hoffman pulled up lame on the track and the yellow waved, negating Pierce's pass for the lead. Thornton Jr., Ethan Dotson and Sheppard completed the top five at this point. 

Alberson did some of his finest driving at this point, as he pulled away from the field and was benefitted by a war for second between Pierce and Thornton Jr. that saw them crisscross each other several times but allowed Alberson to put distance on both of them. 

Devin Moran was a driver to watch at this point. Not even scored in the top five at the final yellow, he came on like gangbusters over the last dozen laps after starting eleventh. Thornton Jr. took himself out of contention when he jumped the cushion in turn one and was passed by several cars while Moran continued his charge. 

Alberson was doing great work getting through traffic and his lead appeared safe, but the battle for second heated up considerably as Moran threw a slider on Pierce to take over second but Bobby wasn't quite done as he used the same maneuver on the final lap to retake second behind the winning Alberson. Dotson was fourth across the line and Thornton Jr. salvaged fifth. Despite the high speed race and lots of traffic, only three drivers didn't finish the event and only two were a lap down. 

For Alberson, it was his second straight Outlaw win at VSP, having won the Sunshine Nationals back in January. 

Forty one Modified drivers signed in to race on Thursday with big favorite Stewart Friesen apparently done for the week due to commitments at the "Big Track" down the road and Jim Britt out of motors. Not surprisingly, no new entrants made the late trip from the Northeast. 

For the second straight night, one Big Block driver would lead all laps of the Modified feature and Thursday it would be Alex Yankowski. Yankowski was involved in the somewhat controversial start and restart battles with Matt Sheppard on Wednesday night, but he would not allow that to happen on Thursday as he was far enough ahead of the field at most points of the race to make that a moot point. 

Yankowski didn't grab the start initially as Peter Britten beat him off the mark on the start but with a big run down the back chute, he took the lead before a single lap was completed. Erick Rudolph moved quickly into second and seemed to be closing on the leader. Rudolph made two charges to take over the top spot, once near the halfway point of the race and again in the last few laps. 

In between, Yankowski ran smoothly up front and weathered a couple of restarts, one on lap nine following a more mellow yellow, when a big pile up occurred in turn three that turned into quite the grinder, with five drivers eliminated and much damage to several cars. 

Rudolph used the restart to charge up beside the leader, but Yankowski was able to fight him off and continue on the point. Matt Williamson moved into third by the halfway point with Larry Wight and Britten next in line. 

The final twelve laps ran off nonstop and Yankowski seemed comfortably in front as he maintained his gap over Rudolph. Meanwhile, Williamson and Wight were putting on a show for third as they battled side by side and then took turns sliding each other. Williamson would eventually prevail but it was entertaining racing. 

Just when things looked comfortable for the leader, he jumped the cushion with just a couple laps to go and Rudolph closed dramatically. However, Yankowski regained control and didn't let Rudolph get closer than a couple car lengths as he drove on for his first ever DIRTcar Nationals win. Williamson, Wight and Britten completed the top five. 

The two divisions will gather together again on Friday night for another round of racing. The program should be identical in format and laps but will likely see the Late Models put wheels on the track first as these two divisions generally alternate was the week winds down. 

Thornton Jr, Davenport and B. Overton Top Semi's; Sheppard Wins Edgy Modified Feature

 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.