Friesen Tops Big Block Opener, Leach, Hoffman and T. Erb Wrap Up UMP Late Model Action

 The final week of Speed Weeks at Volusia Speedway Park drew to its halfway point on Wednesday night, February 11th as the UMP sanctioned portion of the Late Model action wrapped up while the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds made their first appearance of four straight nights at the track. 

A couple of significant accomplishments headlined the midweek action as Big Block Modified driver Stewart Friesen took his first feature win since a midyear grinding crash last Summer put him on the sidelines recovering from his injuries for a significant period of time. 

Also, the Late Model action saw Montana driver Michael Leach win his first ever Super Late Model feature win in one of the triple Late Model mains staged on Wednesday. 

It was not surprising and almost predictable but after a Tuesday night show that saw the track rubber up badly and hamper the racing action, the track prep people decided to "stick it" to all those that had been complaining and they "juiced up" the track on Wednesday with the mud flying and "hammer down" racing the norm as we flipped polar opposites in just twenty four hours. This is one of the things that makes dirt track racing so maddening from time to time while also making it very challenging as even for an event of this magnitude, track prep is very inconsistent and a challenge for all involved just to predict what will happen next. 

Wednesday was the last night for racing under the UMP sanctioning which is more about procedures than it is the racing and rules but UMP does a few things in terms of lining up races that are different that what the Outlaws will bring in starting on Thursday. 

For instance, their final show for the last few years has been a "features only" show with just qualifying and the field then split into three feature races that all pay the same and start the same number of drivers. Typically in years past, this night has produced the largest field of drivers for the entire week and so far, that is the case again in 2026 as fifty nine drivers signed in to race, down just two from last year's high water mark which also was for the Wednesday night show. Is that because everyone gets to race a feature and get laps on the track, I do not know for sure but can only speculate. This night typically can produce some upsets and that would be the case again this year. 

And UMP likes to play around with the lineups sometimes as on this night they invert the fastest four in each feature race and while inverts on starts are generally not in their vocabulary at all, on this night they make an exception. 

For the Big Blocks, the Wednesday night show generally produces their largest car count of the week as all their drivers travel from the Northeast, primarily New York and if they're coming, they are here for the week. Forty nine of them signed in to race on Wednesday which is up a half dozen over last year's group but they will need them all as with their wild and unpredictable racing styles with these cars, there will likely be some eliminated from the rest of the week's action quickly. 

The three Late Model features were interspersed throughout the night's racing action and it is a rare thing indeed when the first racing event is a Late Model feature but that was the case on Wednesday and with the track far from being in prime shape, the mud flew as the Late Models did their twenty lap thing. 

Time trials were also a bit jumbled up on Wednesday as they started these too before the track was in prime shape and many of what are normally the quickest drivers got to qualify in the mud and the result was some unpredictable looking lineups. 

One of the "feel good" stories of the night and week so far came in Late Model feature number one, when Montana driver Michael "his friends call him Mikey", Leach took the win, which was his first ever victory in the Super Late Models. Some know that he is the son of Longhorn co-owner Paul Leach but he has had to work his way up through the ranks on his own, and not being spoon fed to the top of the sport. 

I first got to know him when he was spending the Summer a few years ago living in Minnesota with Modified driver Dave Cain and learning the ropes as he ran his 525 crate motored car in WISSOTA competition. Now he lives near the Longhorn shop and works there and runs a varied schedule across the Eastern half of the country. 

He started on the pole for the first feature race and after letting Ryan Gustin get past him on the opening lap, Leach responded by driving back under Gustin to grab the lead one lap later and then he led the rest of the race to get the memorable win. 

The track was still lightning fast and a bit slimy for the first feature so it was important to hit the proper marks and he did so for twenty laps, enduring three yellow flags that brought the field back to him. Late in the race, Daulton Wilson got past Gustin for second but Leach failed to make any mistakes which would have opened the door to Wilson and he drove home for the win. Gustin settled for third with Trey Mills and Dan Ebert completing the top five. A number of generally speaking top names, having qualified poorly, made a few laps in this race and pulled off. 

Feature two saw Austin Smith start on the pole and take the initial lead with Brandon Overton and Nick Hoffman chasing him. Smith felt the heat from the two star drivers but continued to hold his line and neither was able to make a pass on him. However, as so often happens, a yellow flag was the downfall for Smith but it took a real power move by Hoffman to make it happen. 

On the green following the lap twelve yellow, Hoffman blasted off the line and was able to pass both Overton and Smith on the next lap, taking over the lead by using the "hammer down" upper lane on the track. 

After that, Hoffman was able to pull away with Overton and late charging Hudson O'Neal both able to get past him  for position. Max Blair completed the top five finishers.  

The third and final Late Model feature saw Tyler Erb start on the pole and led all twenty laps to take the win. Early on, Chris Madden worked his way forward after being the quick qualifier of the group, moving into second and seemingly drawing close to Erb. In fact, he seemed ready to try a pass just before the halfway point of the race when the yellow flew. 

However, instead of a challenge for the lead, Erb instead pulled away from Madden and widened his margin considerably and there was never a threat to "Turbo's" lead after that. Madden settled for second with Cody Overton, Josh Rice and Garrett Alberson, in his first appearance on the week, completing the top five. 

The Big Blocks saw four big heat races and a pair of B Features set their field for their thirty lap main event that completed the evening's racing entertainment. Using provisional starts earned from last year's event, twenty eight drivers would start the main event. 

With Friesen starting on the pole, it seemed that the outcome of the race would be determined early and while eventually that turned out to be the case, the manner in which it played out was considerably different than expected. 

Felix Roy, returning to the track after a devastating shop fire that destroyed his shop and running a car that he would not normally use here at Volusia, surprised everyone by quickly challenging Friesen for the lead. Stewart was running the low side of the track after taking the initial lead and Roy quickly closed up on him and then motored on past on laps seven to take over the point. 

Roy would then pull away from Friesen during the mid portion of the race, with Stewart having to deal with a charging Larry Wight by the midpoint of the contest with Erick Rudolph and Mat Williamson also on the move. 

Again, late yellows payed a big part in the outcome of the contest. The yellow flew with nineteen laps completed for a slowing car and on the restart, Friesen stayed right with Roy this time, as Felix wasn't able to put any distance on the second place runner. And then, another yellow flew just four laps later to bunch things up again. 

And then, for some reason, while Roy had been so successful running the top side of the track earlier, now he chose to run just a bit lower in the corners and it was apparent immediately that this helped Friesen. 

The top side still had plenty of "juice" and Stewart was able to build a head of steam up and four laps after the final yellow flew and with just four laps left in the race, he blew past Roy on the top side and then pulled away. Friesen extended his advantage the rest of the way to score the win. 

Roy held on for second with Rudolph, Williamson and Jack Lehner completing the top five. There were three yellow flags in the race to slow it down but only four drivers that didn't complete the contest and all were still on the lead lap at the finish. 

As might be expected, the Big Blocks brought a considerable number of fans from the Northeast and a big crowd was on hand for the action with most of the Late Model fans staying around to watch the final feature. 

Racing will continue on Thursday night.  The World of Outlaws Late Models make their first appearance on Thursday for a points paying show that will see some of the bigger names that seemingly have been cruising so far this week seek to up their game while the Big Blocks will also be running a full show. 

Swanson and O'Neal Win VSP "Snoozers"

 Every race track, racing series and promotional team, no matter how hard they try and no matter how skillful their efforts, occasionally produce a "clunker." That's why even as Volusia Speedway Park puts on excellent races for multiple divisions of racing, night after night for weeks on end, they occasionally have one of "those nights" where things just don't play out as they might have hoped. 

Such was the case on Tuesday night, February 10th when the USAC Sprint Cars were hosted for their finale plus the UMP Late Models ran their second of three week night events. And in the case of Tuesday night, the problem was simple and basic, they just didn't get enough water into the racing surface and it rubbered up quickly and repeatedly, despite a couple of efforts to bring the track back to life. 

Things started out on a strange note for the night when large clouds of smoke began drifting over the track from the West and when fire equipment starting moving past the track and helicopters were spotted flying by toting large baskets to catch water, it was clear that a fire was raging West of the track. 

This area is tinder dry this year with many fire hazard warnings posted so it was not surprising that something could break out. The announcement that highway 40 was closed due to smoke, the main road between Daytona and Ocala and one that runs right by the track, was a bit distressing to those planning to head back West after the show, but it was reopened before the night was over. The smoke was very heavy over the track for awhile and I was concerned that I might suffer a wild fire induced cancellation which would be the second for me this year and certainly some kind of international record for sure. Fortunately, things settled down and I didn't have to challenge the record books!

Tuesday night was the second and final night for the USAC Sprints before they move on to Ocala for the weekend while the UMP Late Models were competing in the second of their three appearances before the World Of Outlaws moves in to supplant them. 

Twenty seven Sprints with only Brian Ruhlman not returning made up their field while the Late Models were again at fifty six, gaining two drivers while also losing two, the most notable being Brian Shirley who went home down two motors already during Speed Weeks despite the fact the Late Models are just getting started with at least three more weeks or grinding racing left for them. 

Timing first, the Sprint Cars for the first time probably ever turned faster qualifying laps than the Late Models as that's how fast the track gave up. The quickest Sprint was nearly three tenth faster that the quickest Late Model when last night the Late Models, with something to get hold of, were nearly a second quicker. The quickest qualifier for the Late Models was also a surprise with South Dakota's Blair Nothdurft being the fastest, surely the first time he has recorded that honor here. 

The Sprints ran three heats and a B Feature to set up their main event while the Late Models ran their UMP produced program of six heats and three B Features to qualify for their main. 

A couple long track prep sessions that made the show nearly an hour longer than the previous night really didn't help the situation much as the Sprints reported that the track  was starting to lock down during their thirty lap main event, although that wasn't nearly as apparent to me as when the Late Models took to the track. 

C.J. Leary started on the pole for the Sprint Car feature, their biggest of the two nights and one that would bring the winner twelve grand along with the drivers fighting for a big Gator. Leary lead the first five laps when the lone yellow of the race and indeed, the only feature race yellow for the Sprints in two nights of racing, took place. 

On the restart, Jake Swanson powered past Leary to take over the lead and once he got the top spot, he pulled away from the field with authority. He was just much faster than the field and no matter the track conditions, there was no one that was going to catch him on Tuesday. It didn't hurt that the race remained under green but he continued to expand his lead, working the slower traffic well. 

By the later portions of the race, he had a full straightaway over the pack as he continued to sashay through the slower cars. There was a good battle for second for many laps with Logan Seavey running second and Kevin Thomas Jr trying his hardest to get past. This may have shown the track conditions best as Thomas Jr seemed faster but he just couldn't find a line that would allow him to make the pass. 

As they battled for position but far back from the leader, Justin Grand, Leary, Briggs Danner and Brady Bacon were in a tight group also racing for position. 

The last twenty five laps of the race ran off nonstop and Swanson continued to dominate, driving to a resounding win, his second ever with USAC. Seavey held off Thomas Jr for second while also earning himself the big Gator as the overall winner. Grant and Danner completed the top five. Bacon passed the most cars as after losing a motor early, he rebounded from eighteenth to finish sixth. 

With the Late Models taking to the track last, there was not much left for them to race on and it quickly showed as the field lined up quickly in single fashion order and pretty much rode around. Hudson O'Neal started on the pole which made him a favorite to begin with, much less track conditions. He took the lead early with there being a rush to line up behind him. Cody Overton, who has been a revelation so far this week, wormed his way up from the third row to take second with Ricky Thornton Jr next in line. 

The single yellow flew with eight laps completed when Max Blair slowed with tire issues and on the restart, Thornton Jr went for it. He pulled out of line and when for the win and nearly pulled it off but he came up just short, running out of momentum before be could get by both Overton and O'Neal and in fact, came together quite hard with Overton who while he has been fast so far this week, has already had his share of run ins with other competitors. 

By the time Thornton Jr found a hole in the train to pull in on, he was out of the top five. O'Neal then rode around, going just fast enough to keep challengeres behind him while not going so fast so as to wear out his tires or catch the back of the pack, which would have been a problem given they were all running the same line and not wanting to move. 

Overton briefly battled with Ryan Gustin for second with Gustin nearly getting by but in the end, he settled for third. Brandon Sheppard and Tim McCreadie were next in line. All twenty four drivers that started the event were still on the track at the finish, which surprised me given the fact that often drivers pull off when they are going no where to save their equipment but I guess they figured they had already ruined their tires just by running a few laps as drivers were reporting they were wrecking tires in the eight lap heat races alone!

Wednesday night UMP officials tinker with the format once again. This time all drivers will qualify and then be divided into three groups. No heats will be run and all will get to race one of three feature races, their only competition of the night. The problem being that these races are I believe scheduled to be only twenty laps and that hardly gives time for anyone to make a move, much less produce much passing. 

The Dirt Car Big Blocks will also make their first of four straight nights of racing on Wednesday with a full program for that group also on the card. 

Overton Family Sweep, Seavey Slides to Sprint Win as VSP Continues

 The Late Models and non winged Sprint Cars made their first appearance of 2026 Speed Weeks on Monday, February 9th as the 2026 Speed Week activities at Volusia Speedway Park begin their final week. As many know, this year the schedule for races surrounding the Daytona 500 have been completely flopped, as Volusia's week of Late Model racing was typically the final week for Late Model racing in Florida. However, that all changed for 2026 and instead, the appearance of the Late Models at VSP is the first time they have been seen in Florida so far this year. Several weeks ahead will see Late Model racing with both the World of Outlaws and the Lucas Oil Late Model Series putting on events at Florida tracks in the coming days and weeks. 

VSP traditionally starts out with the UMP Series sanctioning the first three nights of action with their slightly different format involving qualifying, lineups and such and that will be the case again this year. Joining the UMP Late Models will be the USAC Sprint Cars who are also a staple of the final week of dirt racing at VSP. They will run full programs here for two nights before moving on to Ocala for more nights of racing on the shorter track. 

A strong car count was on hand for the Late Model opener as fifty six drivers signed in to race with at least another four or five already also in the pits but choosing for a variety of reasons not to participate on opening night. Just about all the stars from the two major series were in the pits and it would be a very stout field that raced on Monday. 

The Late Models were divided into six groups and drivers qualified only against drivers in their own groups. Heat races were lined straight up with only three drivers advancing and three B Features would take a pair of drivers out of each of three of them. No provisional starters for this night so only twenty four drivers out of the big field would start the main. Not much imagination to the lineup either, as first heat winner drew the pole, second heat winner the outside pole and so on and so forth. 

Only twenty five laps for seven grand doesn't give much time for strategy as it is basically go fast and see how many drivers you can pass. Brandon Overton, on a hot streak so far this year, drew the pole but everyone was surprised when Cade Dillard, to his outside, got the jump and edged past Overton to lead after one lap. 

However, that didn't last long as Overton edged into the top spot on the second lap and he was gone after that. While there was some interesting racing going on behind him, Overton controlled the lead for the rest of the quick race. 

Dillard held second for several laps before being passed by Nick Hoffman, who was showing a lot of speed. As is often the case in dirt track racing these days, the majority of meaningful passes are made directly following yellow flags and such was the case on Monday with both yellows causing a considerable scrambling of the running order.

A yellow with twelve laps completed when Chris Madden suffered a flat saw a shuffle when they got back to racing. Cody Overton surprised by passing Hoffman for second with Tyler Erb and Max Blair both on the move. Cody and Hoffman had a nice battle for second during the following laps before the yellow waved again with seventeen laps complete when Dillard slowed and pulled off the track. 

This time it was Devin Moran who came out of nowhere as he wasn't in the top five for the restart yet suddenly appeared as he rushed to the front, throwing a slider and getting past Cody Overton for second. 

Brandon was long gone but the battle for second was intense and on the final corner, Cody threw his own slider and squeezed up under Moran to take the second spot on the paying lap and claim a top two sweep for the family. Moran settled for third with Blair and a fading Hoffman completing the top five. Overton had also been the quick qualifier at 15.853 seconds with the fastest in each group mostly within a couple tenths of each other.

The USAC Sprints arrived in Volusia a little light in number. They had twenty eight drivers sign in, a full half dozen down for last year and with six hard nights of racing ahead of them, they will be hard pressed to keep enough cars on the track for the whole week and since their point season starts on Monday, unlike other years when their Florida trip was a nonpoint show, there likely will not be any reinforcements arriving anytime soon. Fortunately however, their opening night race was a very smooth one with just a single yellow during their B Feature and no big crashes taking place. 

Three heats and a B Feature would set the stage for their main event and they inverted six in their heats, a huge number except for the fact that they also took six out of the heats so it wasn't quite as dramatic as it sounded. 

Twenty four drivers started their twenty five lap main which flew by quickly as this race went green to checkers. And while Logan Seavey started on the pole and won the race, it wasn't near as easy for him as it might sound.

He got beaten on the first lap by Brady Bacon and Bacon then led the first nineteen laps of the feature. Seavey moved into the second spot and he dogged Bacon lap after lap.

With the nonstop race, there was considerable traffic for the leaders to pass and Seavey's distance to make up varied from almost nothing to several car lengths but Bacon just couldn't shake him. With two cars in front of him, Bacon found the going complicated and Seavey jumped at the opportunity, making what would be the winning pass with just five laps to go. 

It was hardly guaranteed however at this point, as Seavey still had traffic to deal with and Bacon was motivated to regain the lead. On the final lap, Bacon threw a slider to take over the lead but Seavey was able to counter it and crossed the line with a .646 second margin for the win. 

Justin Grant moved into third by the halfway point of the race but was never able to cut into the margin held by the two leaders as he settled for that spot. C.J. Leary and Briggs Danner completed the top five. 

A very big crowd for a Monday night was on hand with excellent weather to make that possible. But with a smooth operating crew on hand from both UMP and USAC, the show moved quickly along with the final checkers waving just around 10 pm. 

Tuesday night will see the exact same show and format presented once again except the USAC drivers will be racing for twice the money while the UMP drivers run for the same amount as on Monday. 

Bayston Tops WoO Sprints, A Six Pack of Modified Winners Also

 Wednesday night, February 4th marked the opening night of the forty ninth season for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series, beginning as it has for a number of years at the Volusia Speedway Park near DeLeon Springs Florida as a part of the many Speed Weeks taking place in the Daytona area. Along with the Sprint Cars, the UMP Modifieds, in full force once again, ran off another one of their features only format series events. It made for a full night of racing that was viewed by a large mid week crowd, with at least fifty per cent of the viewers on their way to the parking lot as soon as the Sprint Cars were finished racing. 

The WoO feature saw a bit of a surprise as Spencer Bayston was an upset winner, visiting victory with the Outlaws for the first time in eighteen months with the Outlaws while the Modified winners included Ricky Thornton Jr, Evan Koehler, Kyle Strickler, Tyler  Nicely, Jordan Koehler and Mike McKinney, none of which were upsets. 

The unusual format of the evening saw the Sprint Cars ran off the first half of their program before the Modifieds ever hit the track. The Modifieds then raced their first three features, the Sprint Cars then completed their portion of the program including their twenty five lap feature and then the Modifieds wrapped up the evening with their last three main events. And while the Sprint Cars visited the track for multiple hot lap and then qualifying laps, the Modifieds never got on the track until their feature race was called as they received no warm up laps and their lineups were formulated using the qualifying that they had done the previous night. 

It was no surprise that a strong field of Sprints were assembled for the night with all the regular of the WoO on hand, along with some High Limits drivers and unaffiliated Sprint drivers from several different regions, particularly the Pennsylvania Posse drivers. 

Qualifying was divided into two flights with Ashton Torgerson and Bryce Lucius tying for fast time at 13.023 seconds with the nod going to Torgerson on the tie breaker. David Gravel was quick in the second flight at 13.264 but he created early drama when his car shut off after lap one and it was thought that a motor change would be necessary. That turned out to be not the case but nevertheless got his fans stirred but not shaken. 

The second driver to have trouble early was Donny Schatz who broke during his heat race, thus forcing him to run and win the B Feature to make the show. Four heats, a C and B Feature were used to set the starting order for the Sprint Car main with a Dash setting the running order for the first four rows. And even the Sprint Cars use provisional starters with Bill Balog, Garret Williamson and Kasey Jedrejck being added to the field. 

The Sprint Car feature was kind of a scrambled and disjointed affair, slowed by four yellow flags while also seeing an early wreck that really upset the running order. 

Early on it was Pennsy stars Brock Zearfoss and Anthony Macri trading the lead back and forth at least four times in the first eight laps as they slid each other. Meanwhile, Buddy Kofoid, Gravel and Logan Schuchart all raced quickly into the top five.

Things really got scrambled on lap nine when Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild tangled on the front chute with Gravel nosing into the wall right in front of me. Somehow, everyone avoided him in what could have been a big crash, but several other drivers did suffer enough damage that they had to pit which really scrambled up the running order. 

Gravel also dodged a bullet, even though he was out of the race but this was a WoO "practice night" with no points awarded so he did not find himself in a hole following opening night. 

The restart found Macri in the lead with Kofoid in second. Meanwhile, Bayston who had started way back in tenth, was gradually working his way to the front and was up to third following the Gravel incident. He then gained second, passing Kofoid before the yellow slowed the action when Daison Pursley slowed. 

Drivers had been working both the inside and outside lanes but Bayston found a fast line right up against the concrete and when racing resumed, he worked that line and passed Macri for the lead on lap sixteen. After that, with the last eight laps going green to checkers, he pulled away from the pack and drove on for the win. 

Carson Macedo, who started beside Bayston in row five, drove up strong in the late going to get past Macri and finish second with Kofoid and Schatz rounding out the top five. It was quite the drive for Schatz also as he started in the tenth row. All but four drivers finished the contest but only a single one was a lap behind. 

The Modified features started between fourteen and sixteen cars a piece, depending on how many had been lost in previous nights due to crashes and mechanical issues. 

Feature one saw Late Model driver Tristan Chamberlain lead the opening lap before he was passed by Zeke McKenzie. McKenzie then led Charlie Mefford but it was just a matter of time before Thornton Jr moved up from the second row and drove into the lead at the halfway point. After that, he drove away from the field to produce a large lead and cruise home for the win with Mefford and Chamberlain next in line. 

Chris Wilson, going for his second straight feature win, took the early lead in feature 2 with Tyler Spaulding and Evan Koehler following him after a first lap crash eliminated David Stremme. Wilson led the first twelve laps but Koehler was relentless as he chased Wilson down and moved into the lead on lap twelve. 

After that, he pulled away from the pack for the second straight win of the night for the Koehler team and the first at VSP for Evan. Spaulding and Brad DeYoung finished behind him. 

The other Chris Wilson(a bit confusing, yes?) led the first fifteen laps of feature 3 after starting on the pole. Kyle Strickler and Cole Falloway battled for second, trading the spot back and forth but not able to catch Wilson. 

A lap fourteen yellow for a slowing car dramatically changed things. The restart saw Strickler, on the inside, blast into turn one as he said he was done "being a nice guy" and slid past both drivers to take over the lead. And once in front, he pulled away over the next six laps to score the win, with Wilson and Falloway trailing. 

Nicely led from start to finish to win feature 4 after starting on the pole. He powered away from the pack, being slowed on lap two for a yellow but after that the last eighteen laps went green to checkers. Will Krug chased him for the whole race, making a bit of ground up over the last ten laps but never getting into position where he could seriously challenge. Nicely had to negotiate through quite a bit of lapped traffic but he handled it well and took the win. Trent Young came from the third row to complete the top three. 

It was a big night for the Koehler team as Jordan joined his brother in victory lane after winning feature 5 for his second straight win of the week. After pole sitter Todd Neiheiser failed to show for the race, UNOH driver Aidan Hinds inherited the pole and then led the first seven laps of the race, with first Jonathan Taylor and then Koehler chasing him. 

As with his brother, Jordan Koehler was relentless and he finally edged into the lead just two laps before the halfway point and then after, pulled away under green flag conditions to earn a big win. Hinds drove a nice race and was rewarded with second with Michael Altobelli from the third row for third spot. 

Feature 6 saw a surprise just at the halfway point of the contest that completely changed things. Kenny Wallace started in the second row but he was shot out of a cannon at the start, pulling out to the top side of the track and driving into the lead before a lap was over. He then proceeded to build up a big lead over Mike McKinney who was unsuccessfully trying to track him down. 

Wallace had nearly a full straightaway on the field when he suddenly slowed just at the halfway point with a suspension issue that saw him pit and not return. McKinney inherited the lead and despite a strong run by Michael Ledford, who charged up from ninth to move into second, McKinney drove on for the win. 

Lucas Lee also had a big charge as he started thirteenth in the feature and moved up to the third spot before the checkers waved. 

A very full night of racing was completed just before 11 pm on what turned out to not be quite as cool an evening as was feared and the threat of nippy conditions did obviously not hinder the crowd. 

 

Six UMP Modified Drivers Earn Gators at VSP

 Two long days on the road and we have made it from Arizona to Florida and have arrived just in time to pick up the early action at Volusia Speedway Park. 

On Tuesday night, February 3rd, the UMP  Modifieds were the special attraction, running a one division show that highlighted the drivers in that division of open wheel racing. Normally when the Modifieds are running at VSP as a part of Speedweeks, they are the secondary division to some kind of winged class, but on Tuesday night this year, they got to run a program where they were the entire show. 

Actually the Monday night previous was also scheduled to be a one division program for them but because of a wind driven postponement, the ASCS Sprints also ran with them last night.

Ninety six Modified drivers signed in to race on Tuesday night with them scattered from in the infield to all around the Gator Pond back behind the track on the North side and even beyond. The prime pit area off turns one and two however, are reserved for the WoO Sprint Cars who were arriving during the course of the show as they nestle in for their four nights of racing starting on Wednesday. 

Much has been made about the new clay applied to the track here at VSP and it certainly is different than the surface that was on the track previously. It has a very greasy feel and almost feels like "Silly Putty" and not surprisingly, some drivers really like it while others, not so much. It does really seem to hold the moisture and on a cool night like Tuesday with just the one class racing, the track remained greasy virtually throughout the program. Cleaning up the race cars, many of which had numbers on the right side covered with dirt, is a real task for the crews and I'm told that if it isn't taken off quickly, it stains, much like Lake Superior Red Clay. 

Most of this week, an interesting and unusual format is used for the Modifieds, one that is not seem at other tracks but one that VSP has been using for a number of years. 

Of course, all cars will qualify for after all, this is UMP and they normally qualify everything except the Food Trucks. The drivers are then split into six feature races where everyone gets to race a main event, no matter how slow they are. The top four drivers in each feature are inverted and along with purse money, drivers are racing for points that will help line up the "Big Gator" events that they will be racing later this week. 

With ninety six drivers on hand, sixteen are scheduled for each feature with twenty laps the distance. A relatively quick, six race program is both good for a mid week show, especially on a night like Tuesday was as the Winter blast that has struck Florida was in full effect with temperatures dropping into the thirties over night and with the dampness here, a cold night doesn't feel much more penetrating than in Florida. 

The cars are split into two flights with each flight setting up three heat races. Quickest timer overal was Ricky Thornton Jr as 17.058 seconds which would give him a second row starting position. The track slowed down for group two with Zeke McKenzie quickest at 17.571. 

It was feature racing early and often with six mini features starting right after the opening ceremonies. 

Feature one saw Lethal chassis owner David Stremme battle with UNOH driver Aidan Hinds on the opening lap. Hinds surprisingly got the better of Stremme to lead the opening lap but then David was able to get around the college driver to take the lead. Three yellows in the first two laps kept things bunched but the last eighteen would go green to checkers. Thornton Jr eventually got to second and he set out after Stremme. 

The slick track saw Thornton Jr push up in the corners several times, slowing his efforts but eventually, as the race laps went by, Ricky caught Stremme and made a hard challenge, diving low in the corners but he wasn't able to steal the lead with Stremme driving on for the win. Hinds settled for third with Kyle Hammer coming from twelfth for fourth ahead of Treb Jacoby. 

Feature two had Mike McKinney on the pole and he took the initial lead with Ray Kable and the Koehler brothers, who just had to be in the same race to confuse things since they both carry the #114. 

A spin with one lap complete slowed things and on the green, Jordan Koehler made a power move, blasting past both Kable and McKinney to take over the lead. Jordan Koehler pulled away from the field with the next yellow for McKinney who slowed with a flat tire. 

Kable spun on the green, Even Koehler slowed eventually and suddenly Ray Bollinger, who didn't pass a car on the track, suddenly found himself in second after starting twelfth. Jordan Koehler had a big lead and despite nearly knocking down the wall on the last lap, he came home for the win easily, with Bollinger, Evan Taylor, Dave Wietholder and Michael Altobelli next in line but far behind. 

Feature three saw a dominating run by Trevor Neville. He battled on the opening lap with Trevor Spaulding, fought him off for the lead and then simply drove away from the field, despite the race being bogged down by four yellow flags. 

Each time Neville would pull away from the pack and run alone. Kenny Wallace eventually found his way into second but he was well behind Neville who earned an easy win. Spaulding settled for third with Drake Troutman and Cole Czarneski completing the top five. 

Feature race four had a wild last lap that had the crowd excited on on their feet. Chris Wilson started on the pole and led the opening lap. Justin Stone moved into second but both McKenzie and Charlie Mefford were drivers to watch. McKenzie got to second by the halfway point and was putting pressure on Wilson, while Mefford, who started seventh, drove up to fourth by that point also. 

McKenzie continued to shadow Wilson and on lap fifteen, he was able to drive into the lead, despite Wilson fighting hard to hold him back. A debris yellow with just two laps to go set up a wild finish. McKenzie still led but Mefford made a wild move form third, passing Wilson and then going for the lead down the back chute on the final lap. He threw his car very hard into the corner as he tried to get under McKenzie but instead the two made contact with Mefford nearly parking on the nose of the McKenzie machine. 

While these two were sliding around the track and trying to disengage from each other, Wilson zigzagged through the action, found clear track and drove on for the win. McKenzie got loose from the tangle and was able to finish second with Brad DeYoung crossing the line third. Mefford dropped all the way back to ninth. 

Tyler Nicely led from start to finish in feature five but he got a scare late in the race from Kyle Strickler. Nicely started on the pole and led the opening lap, after which a big crash on the following lap caused a delay and sent a number of drivers to the pits. 

As Nicely drove away from the field on the restart, Strickler started to move, slowly but surely cutting into the lead of Nicely as the final nineteen laps would go green to checkers. Gradually, as Nicely had to work the heaviest lapped traffic of any of the races, Strickler continued to close in and with a few laps to go, he was with in striking distance. 

He threw a spectacular slider at Nicely in turn one but his car got all out of control and only a great save kept him from spinning out. Nicely used this issue to gain ground and he then drove on for a comfortable win. Strickler recovered to finish second over Pierce McCarter. Dalton Lanich finished fourth, the last car on the lead lap with the frantic pace set. 

Michael Ledford sat on the pole for feature six but on the green he shot straight up the track toward the wall as the moisture kept coming to  the surface on the damp night. Will Krup took advantage of the situation to drive under Ledford and take the lead. 

Those two were the story of the rest of the race as Ledford continued to chase Krup through four yellow flags. But no matter what Ledford tried, he simply couldn't cut into the lead of Krup. 

However, this race had a crazy finish also as approaching the final corner with a comfortable lead, Krup got into some water on the track dumped by a slower car and he slid up and plowed into the wall hard, but he did have a big enough lead to limp across the line for the win in his damaged machine. Ledford settled for second with Trent Young third. 

All racing was complete well before 10 pm on what was a very brisk February night in central Florida. All I know is that I didn't have to get bundled up like this last week. 

Beckendorf Finally Gets CAR Modified Win in Series Finale

 It has been a grueling series for the IMCA drivers that have been racing in the Winter Nationals here for the last eleven days at the Central Arizona Raceway at Eleven Mile Corner near Casa Grande Arizona. Eight full racing programs plus a ninth race for the Hobby Stocks along with two practice nights has been a chore for even the largest of racing teams. But the drivers and their teams stuck it out and even on the last night of racing, there were some excellent races with the highlight being yet another last corner pass for a feature race win. 

On Saturday night it was the Modifieds that put on the show and for Brandon Beckendorf, who himself was the victim earlier this week of a final corner pass that cost him a feature race, Saturday was vindication as he pulled the same kind of maneuver, passing Ethan Braaksma coming to the white flag and then holding on for the win. 

Cole Suckow became a first time winner in the series as he topped the Sport Mod feature while Austin Jahnz scored back to back wins, taking both the Friday night and Saturday night Hobby Stock feature wins. 

Not to be left out was Stock Car driver Cameron Starry. The most successful of all the drivers that raced here over the past weeks, he won a series high fifth feature race to wrap up the Stock Car portion of the program. 

There can be no doubt that the drivers really supported this series in 2026 as for the final event of the long grind, one hundred and seventy seven drivers still signed in to race including a half dozen that were making their first starts of the series. It was also quite surprising that the Sport Mods, with fifty eight drivers signing in to race, had their largest car count of the entire series for the finale. 

There were no changes in the format for the finale and a total of twenty six qualifying events would set the field for the four feature races. Using the rotating order they have done all week, the Stock Cars would see the track first for their main event. 

"Wahoo" Mike Albertsen earned the pole position and he would grab the initial lead with Mike Vondrak and Curt Lund pulling in behind him. Six laps of racing were held before the first yellow flag for a spinner in turn one and Starry, who started eleventh, was already up in the top five. He was "married" to the low groove, a line that has served him well all week and he was able to drive to the inside of driver after driver and then beat them out of the corners to gain positions. 

By the halfway point of the race, he was up to third when another yellow slowed the action. Vondrak selected the high side for the restart and Starry was likely thrilled as when the green  flag dropped , he blasted into the corner low and on exit, became the new leader. 

While Starry was now in control, Jeremy Richey seemed to have found momentum on the high side of the track after restarting fifth, he surged up to second and seemed to be perhaps a challenger to Starry. 

However, following the final yellow on lap fourteen, Richey seemed to have lost that burst and he started to fade back as the laps ran down. Starry, meanwhile, was in command and no one offered any challenges to his leadership of the race. Blake Clark had by far his best run of the series as after starting sixteenth on the grid, he worked his way up to fifth by the last restart and then just kept on moving forward, as he took the second spot away from Vondrak at the end. Curt Lund came home fourth with Richey trailing. 

The Modifieds served up another in what has been a series of thrilling finishes in their feature. Early on, it appeared to be an Ethan Braaksma benefit night as he started on the pole and took the initial lead with Beckendorf quickly finding second. A grinding crash with just one lap completed in turn four eliminated several drivers but on the restart, it again was a two car race with Braaksma leading and Beckendorf trying to find a way to catch him. 

A tough battle for third found Bryson Yeager and Kollin Hibdon exchanging slide jobs on nearly every corner as they jockeyed for position. After a lap four yellow for another spin, the last sixteen laps of the race would go nonstop with Beckendorf continuing his chance. 

As the race started to go into its second half, Brandon was slowly catching the leader as the distance between the two shrunk a little each lap. With just a few laps to go, Braaksma came up on a slower car, however not so slow that he could just motor past him and this gave Beckendorf a great opportunity to close up on the leader. 

Braaksma was between a rock and a hard place as he didn't know whether to try to pass the slower car on the top or the bottom. With Beckendorf right with him, Ether opted to try and drive around the slower car on the top side and this opened the door to Beckendorf who was able to squeeze between Braaksma and the slower car and clear Ethan to take the white flag. 

Braaksma tried to catch back up on the final lap but Beckendorf was in control as he drove under the checkers to score a very thrilling win. Yeager held off Hibdon for third and Dylan Thornton, who started ninth, was able to crack the top five late. 

Suckow has been in the running all week with both of his race cars but until Saturday, had not put it all together to record that first win. However, that changed in the Sport Mod feature as he led from start to finish to score a resounding win. After grabbing the initial lead, he had Tyler Johnson chasing him after starting right behind him in the twenty lapper. 

A lap six yellow bunched the field and back on green, Ben Reierson surprised Johnson by driving past him to take over the second spot. Also on the move was previous winner Trevor Noonan who also got past Johnson by the halfway point of the race. 

A late yellow set up a five lap dash to the finish but Suckow was in control and Reierson was not able to close the advantage held by Suckow. Noonan gave Reierson plenty of pressure at the end before settling for third. Johnson finished fourth with Bubba Stafford Jr. coming from eleventh to complete the top five. 

For the second straight night the Hobby Stock feature saw Austin Jahnz come home the winner. He started on the pole, jumped into the lead immediately and then pulled away from the pack for the win. The feature would go green to checkers and Jahnz established a solid line up front and no one else was able to challenge him. 

While he was able to open up some ground on the pack, the battle for second through fifth was a tight one with drivers taking turns trying to slid inside of each other in the corners on what was a fast groove up against the wall. And while they kept pushing the issue with each other, Jahnz was comfortably in front of them and didn't have to worry as long as he didn't make a mistake. 

With a flawless run, he crossed the finish line as the winner. He was trailed by Joel Magee, Morgan Olmstead, Zach Bierman and Steve Bitting Jr. For the second straight night, all drivers that started the main event were still on the track at the finish. 

Along with the feature winners, point champions in all four classes received awards following the racing action. The point champions included Thornton, Starry, Noonan and Magee. 

Dates have already been announced for the 2027 IMCA TV Winter Nationals with nine nights of racing with a practice session on January 21st and racing to start on the 22nd through the 31st with the Gene Freeman Pit Stop Contest held on the 27th. This will give the track crew just a bit more time to prep the grounds following the Wild West Shootout before the Winter Nationals starts. 

The series just concluded was certainly a great success with what ever measuring tool you use. Lots of drivers from many states and nice crowds in the stands also. Lots of excellent racing, a good track surface and speedy programs all make this a most attractive Winter destination. This is an event that race fans should put on their "to do" list. 

Thanks to promoter Brad Whitfield and his great staff. They must be exhausted after going nonstop for nearly a month. Surprisingly, they don't even take a week off after the completion of these two huge series run back to back as they are right back at it next Saturday with a program featuring Sprint Cars. 

Baca Jr and Noonan Last Lap Victors at CAR

 Friday night, January 30th the IMCA Winter Nationals continued with round seven of the series at the Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande. Things started out a little bit slower than had been the norm for this series with more yellows, more crashes and even a bit of controversy between drivers and  drivers and track officials in the early going that seemed to bog things down. 

However, whatever had slogged things down early was gone by feature time as the drivers presented four excellent main events with both open wheel classes determining their winners with last corner exciting passes that had the crowd excited. 

The car count remained strong for the Friday night session here during week two with one hundred and ninety three teams signing in to race in just four classes with eight new teams making their first appearances of the Winter Nationals. 

The format for the events remained the same as it has with only the Hobby Stocks not needing a B Feature while the other three classes needed multiple ones to determine the twenty six starters for feature racing action. It would seem that some drivers felt a strong need to get into the features as more aggressive driving seemed to be the order across the board with several instances of drivers upset with each other due to some perhaps overly hard racing moves. However, in the end the only driver to visit victory lane that hadn't been there previously this week was Stock Car driver Shelby Williams. 

The Modified feature was one of the two events to produce a last lap pass for the win. With Dylan Thornton starting on the outside pole, many assumed that he would again add to his feature win total of the week and while he did take the initial lead, it was not to be for the Belle Plaine Iowa driver on this night. Chaz Baca Jr started right behind Thornton and quickly moved to the second place with Bryson Yeager, Brandon Beckendorf and Troy Morris III next in line. 

Baca Jr began to pressure for the lead and on lap six he drove to the cushion and powered past Thornton to take over the top spot. The second yellow of the race flew with eight laps complete and Beckendorf had moved up to third at this point. Before another lap could be completed, a grinding crash in turn one sent several cars to the pits with damage and yet another yellow for a spin topped off the first ten laps of racing. 

Finally everyone settled down and the last half of the race would produce much drama. Baca Jr. continued to lead with Beckendorf moving past Thornton into second and beginning to close on the leader. They got side by side and fought it out for a couple laps before Beckendorf drove past on the outside to take over the top spot. 

Brandon would pull away for several laps after grabbing the lead but Baca Jr refused to yield and began to mount a charge of his own to catch back up. As the laps ran down, he got closer and closer as Beckendorf pushed as hard as he could be he seemed to have lost just a bit of grip running the top side of the track. 

As the white flag waved, the lead was down to a car length and the pro Arizona crowd was cheering on the efforts of Baca Jr. They came out of the final corner side by side but Baca Jr had the momentum and he crossed the line the winner by a car length as Beckendorf's efforts for a feature win were again short cutted. 

 Thornton drove a steady race for third with Kollin Hibdon and Troy Morris III completing the top five in a race that saw about a third of the starters in the infield before it was completed. 

Bud Martini led nineteen and three quarter laps of the Sport Mod feature but unfortunately for the Minnesota driver, twenty laps was the racing distance on Friday night and Trevor Noonan made an exciting last corner pass to take the win. 

Martini had gotten the jump on Tyler Johnson to start the race and he led early with Cole Suckow and Danny Wagner chasing. After an early yellow for a lap three spin, there was a long period of green flag racing and Martini was flying as he opened up almost a half straightaway lead over the pack. Noonan, who had started fourth but had fallen back out of the top five, had fought his way back to fourth at the halfway point of the race with Eric Winemiller next in line. 

Martini's big lead, however, was lost after a lap thirteen spin and pack style racing was the order of the day for the rest of the event. Martini had Johnson trying to pass him in every corner with Tyler looking to his inside. Meanwhile, Noonan was picking up the pace in fourth as he race Suckow hard for that spot and all four were closely bunched. 

The white flag saw the top four still tight together with Johnson working the low side and Martini trying to seal him off but this opened the top lane for Noonan. With the top four still tight together on the final tour, Johnson tried again to get inside Martin but this gave Noonan an open lane on the top side and he drove very hard into turn three where he got traction. As Martini slid up off the final corner, there was just a lane open on the top and Noonan blasted off the final corner and edged past Martini to win an exciting race. Johnson was a very close third with Suckow and Bubba Stafford Jr completing the top five. 

Shelby Williams finally got off the snide in the Stock Cars as he won his first feature of the series but had to fight off another driver also looking for win number one. Braden Richards used the outside pole to take the early lead over Bo Partain. Partain, however, would fight back and drive under Richards on lap three to take the top spot. Some great racing took place between the two over the next few laps as they raced side by side and swapped the top spot back and forth three times at the line. 

With a lap six pass by Partain, he finally secured the top spot which he would hold for a number of laps. Williams started seventh on the grid and slowly worked his way to the front, moving to second at the halfway point of the race, only to have to fight to hold off Richards for that position. 

However, Williams really started to pick up the pace at this point as he pressured Partain for the point, finally taking over the lead on lap fifteen as the top six drivers continued to run in a tight pack. One last yellow with seventeen laps complete when Partain and Angel Munoz got together which enraged Partain, led to a short sprint to the finish. 

Williams was up to the task and he fought off Richards to take the win. Curt Lund, who spun on lap two and had to go tail back, worked his way back up to third at the finish with Dillon Richards and Munoz completing the top five. 

Austin Jahnz led from start to finish to win the Hobby Stock feature, his second win of the series. It ws tough duty though, as he had a group of drivers riding his rear bumper for the entire race and one slip up would have cost him. Jahnz made a great move on the opening lap as he got under Joel Magee and was able to edge past him to take over the lead as the pack lined up single file and rode the outside wall, a pattern that the Hobby Stocks have found over the series is best for them come feature time.

Momentum is huge and the best way is to line up behind each other and then dive down a lane to try and made a pass. Tyler Thompson was having his best run of the series so far as he moved into second spot and rode the bumper of Jahnz while Magee, Morgan Olmstead and Zach Bierman jockeyed for position behind those two. 

Jahnz never made the mistake that might have cost him and he drove home for the win. Last lap maneuvering found Magee taking second over Thompson, Bierman and Olmstead. 

The final evening of the IMCA TV Winter Nationals will be held on Saturday night with all four classes again racing a full show with point titles also on the line.