Moran Edges Out Sheppard In Traffic at Ocala Opener

 The final week of racing for the Late Models in Florida during Speed Weeks 2026 opened up on Tuesday night, February 24th at the Ocala Speedway on the Northwest side of Ocala Florida. This entire week will feature the Late Models at Ocala with five straight nights of Late Model racing before the troops head North to Georgia to wrap up what has been a very long Speed Weeks presentation. 

This week's racing is produced by the Lucas Oil Late Model Series officials and FLO TV with the entire staff of the FLO broadcasts on hand for this set of racing. It should be noted that both the Tuesday and Wednesday night events, while LOLMS races, are non point nights toward their championship and because of that, several of the title contenders either did not race on Tuesday or have not yet even arrived on the grounds. Daniel Hilsabeck and Cory Lawler both worked on their cars on Tuesday before loading them back up and Tyler Bruening did not even upload his car while allowing rookie Dallon Murty to race and get more experience. Thornton Jr, Davenport and perhaps several others will arrive before Thursday night when point racing resumes. 

However, the fact that not everyone was on hand didn't diminish the racing as there were still thirty six drivers that signed in to race with still many of the top stars of the Late Model world on hand and ready to test Ocala. 

The track itself looks and races just a bit different than in years past with one hundred loads of new dirt added and the banking seemingly changed in subtle but noticeable ways to the drivers. Track prep experts from Eldora were brought in this week to prepare the track and it it remains like it was for the Tuesday night show, we should be ready for some excellent racing this week. 

This year the decision has been made to make all five nights of racing here just a one class program which should please the Late Model fans no end. It should also make for some quick programs that everyone seems to appreciate. The only danger is that with a one class program, particularly one that starts with qualifying where everyone tends to pound the same groove on the track, that the track is made to be wide enough for passing to take place. That did not seem to be an issue on Tuesday as they spent some extra time packing the outside so I would not expect it to be a problem the rest of the week. 

Everyone associated with Lucas seems devoted to running off a quick program and I think that is appreciated by the fans, especially on a Tuesday night when the temperatures are supposed to dip into the 30's and a fairly strong breeze blows out of the West. 

The two drivers that would settle the score later on who would stand in victory lane were both quick early with Brandon Sheppard turning quick time at 14.040 seconds and Devin Moran topping the second group at 14.227. Eight minutes after the final car took time trials, the opening ceremonies began and racing started. 

The program on Tuesday saw four heat races, a pair of B Features and a thirty lap main to round out the program. Between each set of races, an eight minute break was all that was allowed with a twelve minute break following the final B Feature before the main started. As a non point night, there were no provisional starters and twenty four drivers would take the green for the thirty lap feature. 

Sheppard started on the pole with Moran tucking in behind him and the race was on. Sheppard opened up a slight lead over Moran while Clay Harris, Daulton Wilson and Brian Shirley battled for third. 

With the hot pace, it took Sheppard only eight laps to catch the back of the pack and then the battle heightened. Moran was able to close up on Sheppard while Wilson slipped back and Brandon Overton moved up to battle Harris for third. 

Back of the pack traffic is always an interesting facet of nearly every race and so it was also on Tuesday. Sheppard seemed the fastest driver in the house but he still had to navigate the traffic and any mistake would likely be pounced on by Moran. 

To the dismay of Sheppard, he came up on a couple of slower cars that were running side by side and he had to hesitate for them to clear. This gave all kinds of momentum to Moran and when Brandon opted to try and pass the slower cars on the high side going into turn one, he got just a bit high and out of the groove for a second, killing his momentum and allowing Moran to duck past him into the lead. 

That was all it took with the pass executed just one lap short of the halfway point and while Sheppard then chased Moran, Devin was in his own groove and could not be caught. But that's the way it works with lapped traffic, sometimes it helps and sometimes it punishes. The race for third remained close with Harris and Overton swapping the spot back and forth near the end with Harris holding on for the podium finish. Hudson O'Neal got very fast in the second half of the race, moving up to fifth after starting eleventh and was perhaps the fastest car on the track at the end. 

Four drivers failed to finish the event which ran off thirty laps nonstop to complete a night of quick racing. There were only three yellow flags waved all night, all in the preliminaries with the feature concluding the theme of fast racing. 

Check out this stat. From the time the first green flag was waved in the first heat race until the checkered flag was waved over the winner, the total racing time was one hour and seventeen minutes! Unbelievable! And on this cold Florida night, I heard not a single complaint that the program got over too soon!  Quite frankly, every fan appreciates a fast program so they can move on with their life and those promoters that can figure this out are among those that survive and prosper. 

Another similar program is promised for Wednesday night before the points race kicks back in on Thursday and the purses began to rise also. 

Braaksma Switches Coasts, Results the same-Victory

 Monday night, February 23rd provided an interesting change of pace for us. We have been watching the Late Models almost exclusively of late and Monday gave us the opportunity to see the IMCA group back in action with Modifieds, Stock Cars and Sport Mods all racing at the first night of the Clash on the Coast, an event promoted by Peyton Taylor and family. 

To do so, we had to motor about five hours West and North toward Florida's peninsula, a region of the state that we had not had much contact with. The Clash on the Coast has been struggling to get their series started as the weather has been fighting them, particularly with much new construction ongoing at our destination. Finally however, things dried out enough that they were able to hold practice on Sunday night with the first race scheduled for Monday. 

Just about everything here was new or different, even the name of the track. Long known as Northwest Florida Speedway, we were on hand as the name was officially changed to Blackwater Speedway by new track owner and promoter Ron Wolverton with the start of Monday night's racing action. 

Wolverton just took over ownership of the track and the first upgrades to the track and facility didn't start until January 9th of this year. The amount of change they completed in that short period of time was quite staggering  and while many projects are still to be either completed or done, the changes were quite noticeable. 

Of course, I had never been here before so while I could see that some things were fresh, I had to rely on those familiar with the place to point out some of the other changes, along with a very informative article on Speed Sport written by IMCA's Ben Detherage. 

It was easy to see that both the pits and spectator parking had been increased recently with a lot of dirt moved and some driveways a bit on the soft side. There were new bleachers, new boards on existing bleachers and a major rework of the track itself. The concession stand was in the midst of updating, new bathrooms are to be built with temporary ones used currently and just about everything on the grounds in the process of being spruced up. 

Blackwater is called a quarter mile but it just might be a bit bigger than that with a pronounced D shape to the racing surface. The track had seen the application of a major amount of new dirt and it was soft, making for some bumpy conditions for the drivers to race on with the insides of the corners especially challenging. Finally, to keep the drivers from racing through the holes and making them worse, a number of large ute tires were hauled on to the track and set in the holes, forcing the drivers to race around them. One of the busiest employees of the night was the gentleman in the infield spray painting the tires orange before they were placed on the track. 

Track lighting was good and they had a very nice scoreboard in the infield that was visible to all. The track did have one noticeable inherent flaw and that was a very high concrete wall down the front chute. With the grandstands quite close to the track, the cars were impossible to see as they raced down the front chute as the wall covered them. I call this the "Cedar Lake Syndrome" where it's impossible to see cars race down the front chute if you are sitting on that side of the track and there are several other tracks that have the same issue. 

Despite having a solid announcing team on hand headed by Jerry Van Sickle, we didn't hear them all night as p.a. problems kept there from being any sound in the grandstands. You realize how much you appreciate announcing, and especially good announcing, when it isn't available and you have to "wing it" for yourself, trying to figure out what is going on and who is who. It also hurts the track itself not being able to plug the sponsors and let the fans know just who all the drivers are. 

A practice night had been held so there were no hot laps on Monday night, just as it should be. This way, with such a large field of racers, racing can begin at the advertised time, not an hour's worth of hot laps first as we have been having to deal with from time to time lately. 

A great field of drivers were on hand for the first night of the Clash with seventy Modified drivers along with thirty nine Stock Cars and thirty five Sport Mods. The Sport Mods were added to the program this year and they turned out a solid field for their first chance to be a part of this race. 

While they race IMCA Mods locally and in this area, I don't believe they have either Stock Cars or Sport Mods so virtually the entire field in those two classes were comprised of drivers from the Midwest and Heartland and many fans watching on tv from home must have thought they were at any number of local tracks where these drivers race weekly. Particularly strongly represented were drivers from the Hawkeye State, which is understandable but I felt like I must be at some Iowa track I recognized so many of the teams in action. 

The format was the typical one used by IMCA with a draw/redraw component used. Ten heat races and three B Features were used to set the field for the thirty lap Modified feature race. The action got off to a wild start with Slade Hartwick flipping in the first heat race. He would return to run a B Feature later but didn't qualify for the show. 

Some of the early heats were a bit rugged before the drivers figured out the track and settled in a bit. Some extra packing was used during the early races to pound in the cushion while a bit more water was added but after that, it was racing and non stop right to the finish. With twenty eight races including three extra distance main events, there was plenty of racing for everyone. 

The Modifieds ran first all night with their thirty lap feature the first up. Twenty six drivers took the green with two that had made the event not starting. The opening lap saw Time Ward and Joseph Joiner battle for the lead with Ward scored the leader by inches. One lap later Joiner took over the top spot and he would lead the next eight laps. 

This was the only one of the three features to not run off very smoothly and there were four yellows in the first five laps for spinning and stalling cars. As Joiner continued to lead through the opening part of the race, it took Ethan Braaksma little time to move into second and he challenged Joiner hard for the top spot. 

Driving the same car that he had so much success with in Arizona, he slipped under Joiner on lap ten when Joseph went high in turn one and took over the lead. From that point on, the race was his and while he had to endure five more yellows that brought the field back to him, he never was seriously challenged after that. 

There was much movement behind him though, as each yellow saw some shift in the running order. Probably the strongest challenge to Braaksma came after the final yellow on lap twenty two when Troy Morris III got up on the cushion and stayed close following the yellow. 

However, Braaksma continued to be smooth and run his line and he then eventually opened up some distance as he drove on for the win. Morris III came home second with Jed Freiburger having a strong run to come home third. Joel Rust and Dylan Thornton completed the to five with Iowa drivers controlling the race. In fact, the first non Hawkeye across the line was Chris Spaulding who seems to have a Modified for just about every sanctioning bodies' rules. 

Reed Wolfmeier led from start to finish to win the Sport Mod feature which came next. Twenty four drivers started this race and were much better behaved than the Modifieds, as they had only three yellow flags in their feature and the majority of the drivers finished the race while the Modified feature saw only ten drivers on the track at the end. 

Wolfmeier was dominant from start to finish but there was a good battle for second with Mike Smith, Joe Docekal, Ben Chapman and Cam Reimers dueling for the spot. The battle between Smith and Docekal was especially intense with Joe getting the second spot back following a late yellow and then fighting off Smith for runner up honors. 

Brayton Carter had car problems early and had to run a B Feature but he then raced up from fourteenth to finish fourth with Cole Suckow completing the top five. Again, all familiar names from Hawkeye tracks. 

One "Cheesehead" did do the state proud though, as crafty veteran "Hot" Rod Snellenberger led from start to finish to win the Stock Car feature. Snellenberger, who usually drives a rather "used up" looking car despite the fact that they are fast, had a sparkling looking ride for this show and it was fast as well as he pulled away on the green and drove away from the pack. He only had one yellow flag to deal with as the Stock Cars put on a smooth show and only four drivers didn't finish the race. 

Nathan Ballard and Owen Barnhill ran second and third for much of the early going with Barnhill moving into second by the halfway point but Curt Lund was the driver on the move. He got up to second by the halfway point and then slipped past Barnhill for second. 

In the closing laps, Lund started to put some pressure on Snellenberger, closing the lead down to just a couple car lengths but then Hot Rod adjusted his line and closed up the inside groove where most of the drivers were running after a long night of track pounding. 

Snellenberger would then stabilize his advantage at a few car lengths and drive on for the win over Lund. John Oliver Jr was among the leaders the whole race and he ended up third. Mike Vandermark Jr made a nice move up from twelfth to finish fourth and Mike Albertson completed the top five. 

It was a long night of racing with action wrapping up somewhere around 11:30 pm on what was a very cold night in February with temperatures dipping into the 30's. However, considering the less than ideal weather and the fact it was indeed a Monday night, I thought the crowd to be very good. 

Due to their adjusted race schedule because of the weather issues, Monday night's race will be the only one of the series that we will be able to attend but we thank Peyton Taylor, all his workers and all the track employees for their efforts at both running off this show and putting the Blackwater Speedway in a very good place for the future.  

Hoffman Edges Pierce in Hendry Co. Thriller

 Saturday night, February 21st, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series wrapped up their southern experiment with the Swamp Cabbage finale, a sixty lap race paying a strong twenty grand to the winner. The two drivers that seem destined to battle it out for the World of Outlaws Late Model point championship, Bobby Pierce and Nick Hoffman, went at it for sixty laps on Saturday night and on this occasion, it was Hoffman who got the better of his rival, edging out Pierce by just over a car length to win the main event and earn the big cash. 

And as it had also on Friday night, the track raced very well. allowing plenty of side by side racing, passing and providing good racing action. But on the downside, a few other things didn't change from Friday that took something away from the overall experience. 

It was another beautiful southern Florida day on Saturday, with temperatures in the upper eighties and plenty of sun shining. It actually felt hot to me but my blood still hasn't thinned out totally after escaping the cold temperatures of the North Country. 

In preparation for the Saturday night show, we made a stop at Harbor Freight for some necessary supplies and boy, was I glad that we purchased face shields for the night. They worked slick at deflecting the sand and gravel that was spewed into the grandstands like bullets fired from a machine gun and while we still were dust covered from head to toe, at least we were able to keep our eyes open most of the time as the shields deflected the spray away from out eyes. 

All different manner of protection was used by the crowd from the veteran fans here who wore goggles or sunglasses to cobbled together protection that made some of the fans look more like they were crossing the Nairobi Desert rather than witnessing dirt track racing. It was not a fashion show but nobody cared. 

The same twenty seven drivers that were on hand to race on Friday night returned for round two while the 4.6 Fords had a few more entrants with thirty seven of them showing up to race. I won't say this is a "down home" type of crowd but many in the stands seemed to get just as much entertainment value out of the 4.6 Ford driver that tried to continue racing after his hood came up and instead plowed into a ute tire as those that cheered on the duel between Hoffman and Pierce. 

It appeared there was a concerted effort to get more moisture into the racing surface than on Friday night as a nearly endless amount of packing and hot lapping was necessary which pushed the start time back almost an hour. Still, in the end, the surface still turns bone dry after a few laps on it and with the close proximity of the track to the stands, the machine gun action begins quickly. 

Upsetting the apple cart slightly, Sam Seawright, the first driver out for time, turned in the quickest lap of the night at 13.877 seconds and after winning a heat and having a nice redraw, Seawright would start the sixty lapper from the pole. 

Wisely starting the Late Model feature first again after initially scheduling them last on Friday until a change was made, the eight yellow flag "clown fest" that the 4.6 Fords would later produce as the last race would have set the hair of the Late Model fans in attendance on fire if they had to wait for the Late Models to appear. As it was, they were in line trying to get out the drive way when the 4.6 Fords finally hit the track. 

Seawright led the first five laps of the feature race before Pierce, who started sixth, motored around him on the top side to take over the lead. Most were hugging the inside line early but Pierce immediately went to the cushion with success. Once in front, Pierce pulled away slightly as Hoffman, who started fourth, moved into the runner up slot. He was running the low side as the leaders lines couldn't have been much different. 

Hoffman started to get a great burst on the bottom off turn four and he quickly closed in on Pierce, surprising him as he drove under him to take over the top spot. One lap later, however, Hoffman jumped the cushion in turn one and Pierce regained the lead but the pass was negated because a slowing car triggered the yellow. 

After that, there was a long stretch of green flag racing with the two leaders playing a game of cat and mouse. Hoffman stayed low for the most part but occasionally ran the cushion in turns one and two. Pierce was primarily up against the wall but would try racing lower on the track, particularly if Hoffman moved up in front of him. Several times Pierce got close but not so near as to attempt a passing maneuver. 

With just over ten laps to go, the two leaders finally caught the back of the pack for the first time and this made things even stickier as they tried to decide the best line to both pass slower cars but not open the door to their rival. It was exciting as Piece slipped past on lap fifty three, only to see Hoffman respond and get the lead back one lap later. 

A late yellow set up a six lap dash to the finish and after Ryan Gustin, who ran third for just about the entire race, almost gave Pierce a problem, it again turned into a two car battle. Pierce was pounding the cushion which was still big but was a long way around while Hoffman tip toed around the inside, trying not to break momentum or spin his tires coming off the turns. 

Pierce edged closer as the laps ran down, drawing the rear quarter panel of Hoffman. Bobby gave it his best effort on the final lap, blasting off the final corner cushion but Hoffman was just a bit quicker, holding on by just over a car length. Gustin finished third with Drake Troutman and Ethan Dotson completing the top five. Dustin Sorensen had worked his way up to fourth but the final restart saw him in the wrong lane and he lost a couple spots. Sixteen of the twenty four starters were still on the track at the finish. Early leader Seawright faded to tenth at the finish. Without a doubt it was a good entertaining race. 

Unless you were a fan of one of the 4.6 Ford drivers or perhaps a former owner of a Crown Vic, their feature was not quite so entertaining. They started twenty two cars in their main event but there were very few periods of steady racing as the yellow waved early and often and about five consecutive laps of racing was about the best they could do. 

Dalton Ellis started on the outside of row one and he led the first nine laps which also featured three slow downs. Moving up from the third row, Stephen Bruner, the only driver to move up the track, was able to find traction and speed on his lonely path and he was able to drive around Ellis to take over the lead. 

Through five more yellows and Ellis trying his best to regain the lead, Bruner held on and drove to the win. David Bruner, Friday night winner Blake Ridgdill and Cody Allen completed the top five. 

I found out that both the Friday night and tonight's 4.6 Ford feature paid a grand to win. And here we go, down that slippery slope that leads to problems with these supposedly "entry level" classes. Start paying them much more money for specials than they receive for most events and some teams are going to start "pushing the cushion", trying to earn the big bucks. Others will follow and soon you will have a class out of control, cost wise. We've seen this happen about a million times over the years and paying them too much for what they should have invested in their cars is the first step to the undoing of the class. 

Overall, this weekend of races probably far exceeded most folks expectations. There was a question of how well this track would race for open Late Models and I guess that was answered emphatically. The crowd on Saturday was gigantic and perhaps the largest in track history. The Outlaws staff was all a glow and even the drivers were surprised and pleased with the racing. However, none of them had to sit in the stands and be blasted by sand and gravel like the fans. Will the spectators put up with that again next year after the novelty of the race wears off? I think the only way to cure this problem is with a complete resurfacing of the track with some different material and I don't think that's going to happen. 

Of course no one can know at this time what the schedules for the major series will look like in 2027 but I feel that the Outlaws were pleased enough with this event to have it again next year. Where it will fit on the schedule remains to be seen and will the local fans who formed the majority of those attending be willing to pony up a hundred bucks to see the races again are all questions that right now have no answers. 

Thanks to everyone at the WoO for their help and all the employees of the Hendry County Motorsports Park for their hard work. This race had been a dream of theirs for a long time and in 2026 they brought it to fruition. 

Pierce Tops Hendry County As WoO Visits for First Time

 Extending their visit to Florida after the completion of the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia County, the World of Outlaws Late Model series traveled over two hundred miles further South to the Hendry County Motorsports Park located in the middle of no where but nearest to the city of Clewiston Florida for a weekend doubleheader of point racing. 

On a track that looked and raced much like any number of Illinois short tracks, Bobby Pierce feasted on the familiarity of such a set up as he drove to any easy win in the forty lap main event and earned twelve grand for his efforts. 

The 4.6 Fords(called Crown Vics in my neck of the woods), also ran a complete program and Blake Ridgdill was the winner of their twenty five lap feature. 

Called the Swamp Cabbage 100 and with a local Swamp Cabbage festival to go along with the races, I did actually see some Cabbage growing in the fields near Clewiston. Billed as the "Southern Most Dirt Track in the USA( I would have thought there might be a track in either California or Texas that might hold this honor, but I will will go along with their claim), the track is somewhere between a quarter and a third mile although the official description lists it as a third, it is a wide track with progressive banking that allows for side by side racing. 

It is also known as the "Fastest Sand Pit" and there will be no argument there, particularly on the sand pit part of the phrase, but more on that later. 

This is the first time that I had been at Hendry County and these days I don't get to a lot of new, to me, tracks so let's take a moment to talk about what I saw. The entrance is a bit of East Bay and the old Stateline Speedway in Tennessee before they cleaned it up. The driveway off a busy highway is a rough and bouncy dirt trail that winds between an abandoned boat yard of some sort with junked cars lining the driveway . It is not impressive.  

The parking lot is very small with many of the spectators actually driving into a field behind the pit area in turns three and four to park. To their credit, management was offering golf cart rides to the ticket gate for spectators that parked far from the gates. 

Interestingly, the tickets to get into the races were "all inclusive" with one price paid to get in which then allowed the spectators to roam the grounds at will, including walking into the pits once they had signed the waiver form. Fifty bucks got you everywhere you wanted to go. 

I was told that some extra bleacher seating had been added recently at the track with their being grandstands down the front chute, in turns one and two and also in turns three and four. They were of various size and construction and offered various levels of both comfort and visibility but there was plenty of seating available. The track lightning was good and the track p.a. system was very good with the announcers easy to hear. There was a small scoreboard behind turn two but it was a little hard to read from the main stands but at least they had something. There were several bathrooms around the grounds and most were of the permanent variety, not the "satellites" type. 

Observations on how the track would race for the Late Models were varied with some folks that had been there feeling that it would be a train around the inside of the track while others said that the racing had improved there over what it used to be. They do race crate Late Models and 360 Sprints here for specials so there must be some kind of passing available , right?

As it turned out, the racing itself was quite good. The heat races especially were excellent with two and three wide racing and the powerful motors in the Late Models allowed them to do what some classes don't and that it to get up to the top side of the track, clean off the track and even establish a cushion for them to race off which even makes the side by side racing easier. 

Then there is the down side to report. There is a reason that they call this track the "Fastest Sand Pit" because that seems to be exactly what they race on, sand. And it is dirty. Very dirty. Almost intolerably dirty. I witnessed fan after fan get up and leave early after they got sand blasted to the point they couldn't see the track. It was easy to spot local weekly fans as they all came equipped with goggles, snorkels and more . 

Without doubt, it was among the top five dirtiest tracks that I have ever been to and that includes a lot of tracks and a lot of race nights. It was miserable and about the only track that I can compare it to that I have been to in recent years is Charlotte for the World Finals and folks know how dirty that track is. But here you sit right on the track and much closer than at Charlotte and it was brutal. Honestly, I would never even consider taking someone here on a "date night" or introducing any new fan to racing here as they would never go to a race again, and I wouldn't blame them. 

It was too bad because the racing was good to the point of even edging into the very good category but it was hard to even see it because of the dirt. Honestly, if I had to put up with what we sat through on Friday on a regular basis, I would find some other activity to be a part of, that's how bad it was. 

Twenty seven drivers signed in to race with WoO on Friday, fortified by about four or five drivers from the region, some with crate cars and some with equipment not likely to make most shows. It would appear that the idea to extend Speed Weeks for the WoO put them on the short end of the stick, car count wise. Drake Troutman was quick qualifier at 13.875 seconds. 

Three excellent heat races and a B Feature would qualify the field with only three drivers left sitting on the sidelines for the main. Only the B Feature was substandard with everyone hugging the low line for that race. Track prep then took place for the main and the groove widened out immediately for that race. No complaints should be issued about the quality of the racing all night. Complaints about he persistent sandstorm blowing into the stands however, should be legitimate and fair. 

The original running order of the event was tossed and the Late Model feature was first up. The drivers put on an excellent show for those able to see it. Troutman redrew the pole and led the first seven laps of the race, running the low line. Pierce, who started third, moved to the cushion immediately, and with the help of a couple of other drivers, cleaned up that line and he then stormed past Troutman to take over the lead. 

Bobby then pulled away, at times opening up nearly a full straightaway lead over the field. However, there was still a good race going on for the second through fifth spot that was entertaining and Pierce had to fight through a bunch of lapped traffic which made his route to victory not easy. 

There was only one yellow in the race and that with just five laps to go when Tyler Erb spun. Ethan Dotson had started seventh and moved up to second, also pounding the cushion and he was Pierce's biggest competition at the end, but Bobby got away good on the lone restart and pulled away again for the win. 

The battle for second came down to the final corner with Dotson holding off Daulton Wilson as Wilson started to make the low groove work well at the end. Amazingly, there were only two drivers that didn't finish the race and all those extra drivers still racing during the contest on the relatively small oval added to the fun. 

4.6 Fords were the support class for this race with they apparently being a very popular class at this track. Thirty four of them signed in to race on Friday, necessitating four heats and a B Feature. Fortunately, they raced OK with not a lot of yellow flag events. They also ran their feature race last which allowed the parking lots to clear and spread out the rush to head home. 

Twenty two of them started the main with pole sitter Blake Ridgdill leading from start to finish with the main stopped three times for yellow flags with most being of the minor variety. 

Late in the race he received a challenge from Billy Evans but he clung to the inside lane with the 4.6 class not having the power to move up the track, and held on for the win. Evans finished second with Codey Allen, Stephen Bruner and Alan Smith trailing. The final checkered flag waved somewhere just after 10 pm in what was a fast moving show. 

The same two classes will race again on Saturday night with the Late Models going an extra twenty laps for an extra eight grand. 

 

Sheppard and Wight Win VSP Finales, Hoffman and Williamson Big Gator Champions

 Saturday night, February 14th the Volusia Speedway Park wrapped up what was a very successful DIRTcar Nationals with one final performance by the World of Outlaw Late Model division and the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds. 

Saturday night's show would mark the longest races for both classes this week with a pair of fifty lap finales presented and correspondently, the most money to the winners with the Late Models racing for twenty grand and the Big Blocks for seventy five hundred dollars to the winner. 

Strong fields of drivers still remained after a long week of racing with fifty six Late Model drivers signing in as their car counts have held stout all week. The Big Blocks had a bit of an exodus with forty one of them racing, but their numbers have been larger all week than for last year's event and even on Saturday they still fields a half dozen more entrants than in 2025. 

Other than the laps in the main events, the format would remain the same as it has the last few nights and the track prep crew seemed to have found that happy medium that many track prep crews are constantly working to get, a track that is fast but not blindingly so, not muddy but also not to the point of rubbering up and ruining the racing. It is a constant battle, no matter the region and no matter the time of year. This is part of what makes dirt track racing so interesting while also being so maddening from time to time. 

While most spectators sleep through the time trials(not literally), they are just about the most important part of the entire racing program as without a decent starting spot for a qualifying event, you might be advised to just put the car in "the box" and call it a night. Chris Madden was the quick qualifier for the night at 15.227 while Garrett Alberson, who has run just a partial week here, topping the second group about two tenths of a second slower. 

Six heats were again run for the Late Models and for those at home keeping score, the front row provided the winners for all six heats, thus emphasizing the importance of a good qualifying effort. 

The B Features are brutal events, starting twenty or more drivers and only moving up three but it was noted on Saturday that more drivers were scratching out of their B Features and hitting the road home early, cutting their losses and beating traffic. 

For the second straight night, there were a number of drivers that are WoO regulars that struggled to qualify and thus had to rely on one of several different categories for those who failed to make the main but wished to participate. This swelled the field to thirty one drivers that took the green for the Late Model event, a traffic jam for even this large and wide a racing track. 

With Nick Hoffman, the fastest and winningest driver here this week starting from the pole, the odds were heavily in his favor for another big win. But as they say, that is why the race is run and while Hoffman led for a large chunk of the race, when the checkers flew he failed to even earn a podium finish. 

Hoffman led early over Blair Nothdurft, the young South Dakota driver that is rapidly turning into a qualifying wizard and sending the "railbirds" searching their programs to find out who this #76 was. 

Unfortunately, while Nothdurft has gotten the qualifying part of the racing down, he is still learning how to pace a race and still have his car under him at the end as he faded back rapidly in the pack after the first few laps had been completed. 

Nineteen green flag laps started the race after a shocking first lap yellow when Tyler Erb broke before he got the motor oil warm, and by that time Brandon Sheppard had moved up to second. Hudson O'Neal and Ryan Gustin had also worked into the top five. 

As the race moved into its second half, Hoffman seemed to be slowing down while Sheppard was also picking up the pace and on lap thirty three, Brandon moved into the lead. When the yellow waved two laps later, Bobby Pierce, who started nineteenth, first showed in the top five in the running order and he didn't hang back long as when the green flew once again, he made a spectacular move, splitting the drivers in front of him and suddenly finding himself in the runner up slot. 

The last dozen laps saw a battle between the two Illinois drivers with Pierce pushing very hard and able to close the gap to a few car lengths. Several times it looked like he just might sneak under Sheppard and take over the lead but Sheppard fought off all challenges and with a couple nifty moves in the last five laps, put just a bit of distance between himself and Pierce. They would cross the line first and second with both likely happy that they had gotten their programs straightened out after some shaky moments by both this week. 

O'Neal also made some positive advances as after starting tenth, he raced past Hoffman to finish third. Ricky Thornton Jr has also been pretty quiet this week but he did manage to move up from thirteenth to complete the top five. Twenty two drivers were still on the track at  the finish with three of them being a lap behind. 

The Big Blocks also went for fifty laps on Saturday and there were three different leaders in that race. Many were hoping for good luck for "The Aussie", Peter Britten after he redrew the pole but things went South for him quickly when he hooked a rut on the first lap, went shooting up the track and took himself out of serious consideration for the win immediately. 

A different face was up front early as Justin Stone grabbed the lead after Britten's bobbleand he paced he field for the first seventeen laps of the race, a period that was broken up by numerous yellows. The most serious was a lap four red flag when Danny Creeden clobbered the turn three wall and then went for a couple of quick flips. He was rattled just a bit but eventually clambered out of his wrecked car. 

Stewart Friesen and Matt Sheppard were putting the pressure on Stone and when he slipped up the track on lap eighteen, Friesen was right there to motor into the lead. Larry Wight started sixth and it took some time for the track to open up so that he could get to his "sweet spot", which is the cushion. However, when things settled down, he quickly charged forward and by halfway point, was side by side with Friesen for the lead when the yellow flew once again. 

Steward couldn't hold back Wight however when the green again flew and Larry shot into the lead. It was one of the those nights when the Big Blocks just couldn't keep racing without the yellow waving often and while it made the battle for second between Friesen and Sheppard interesting, it was frustrating in that they just couldn't seem to get any consistent racing. A total of nine yellows flew during the race with the last coming with just seven laps remaining in the race. 

Wight was on a roll and there was no one able to keep up with him. Sheppard went for the lead on the last restart but pushed up the track and forfeited positions to both Friesen, who came home second and Mat Williamson who finished third. At the line, Sheppard nipped Felix Roy for fourth. 

Twenty one of twenty nine drivers were still racing at the end and with the frequent yellows, everyone was still on the lead lap. 

And just that quickly, the DIRTcar Nationals are in the books again for another year. Thanks to all the  many folks from DIRTcar and VSP for their help and  for their efforts over the last week plus for me. It is a grueling stretch of racing and all the employees do a great job and still maintain their smiles after night after long night of work. 

The crowds have been great all week and a block buster crowd was on hand for the Saturday night finale. The weather has been good all week, albeit cool but the shining sun always helps improve attendance. 

Things were a little slow at the Gator Pond in 2026 with just one little one spotted a couple of times. On the plus side, there were no reports also of missing children and small dogs!

   

Hoffman and Williamson Both Repeat at VSP

 One would think that with over one hundred of the finest teams in the country in the pits for World of Outlaw Late Model and Super DIRTcar Big Block Modified racing that it would be quite difficult to repeat as a feature winner. However, such was not the case on Friday the 13th of February at Volusia Speedway Park as both Nick Hoffman in the Late Models and Mat Williamson in the Big Block would repeat their Thursday night wins by going to victory lane once again. And in Hoffman's case, it was actually his third straight win, having won one of the three twenty lappers on Wednesday as a part of the final night of the UMP action at the same track. 

And neither would be a close run either as both dominated the final laps of their respective mains, leaving no question as to who was the fastest car on the track. However, the Friday the 13th stigma did play out somewhat as there were some strange goings on over the course of the night, a bit of controversy and certainly some new faces playing a part in the night's action. 

Fifty seven Late Models and forty six Big Blocks signed in to race on Friday on a night when the Florida weather was again sub part, producing some cold wins that found most fans bundled up like they were witnessing racing up North. Nevertheless, a large crowd was on hand for the action as it builds towards its conclusion on Saturday night. 

Both classes would use the format that they ran on Thursday night with the exception that the Late Models would run first with the Big Blocks wrapping up the action. Tyler Erb, who has been showing good speed this week was the quickest overall qualifier at 15.467 seconds with Ricky Thornton Jr topping the second half of the field at 15.493 seconds. 

If you have been keeping track this week, you know how important qualifying is, especially with straight up starts in the heats and only the heat race winners redrawing for feature spots. So it was again that all six heats were won off the front row. However, there were some different faces in heat race victory lane with Michael Leach, Austin Smith and Dan Ebert winning heats, which did give the front rows a different look for the feature. 

With some different drivers up front, at least early, it did leave some of the old steady faces on the outside looking in and as a result there were more point provisional and emergency provisional starters than normal with thirty drivers taking the green for the feature. Some of these same faces have been having nightly emergencies for the past several years! Actually make that twenty nine drivers for the green as Dallon Murty hurt his motor getting qualified and he opted not to start the main, not a good way to get his open motor season started. 

I was at the driver's meeting where series officials gave specific new directions about starts and restarts to avoid some of the jumps and unseemly starts that have been happening. Those directions apparently went in one ear and out the other for the drivers as the Late Model feature started with a big stack up before half the drivers even got to the starting line, something you would more expect to see in Bomber racing. Several cars were damaged and hopes for Brandon Sheppard, Chris Madden and a couple others were flushed. 

Leach redrew the pole and it was interesting to see a new face lead the pack as he was able to fend off the challengers for the first ten laps of the thirty five lapper. However, eventually the masters of the sport were able to track him down with Thornton Jr taking over the lead on lap eleven. 

Hoffman was moving quick after starting fourth and he got by Leach for second and then, two laps later, blew past Thornton Jr for the lead. This was a race marked by fits and spurts as the yellow waved way too often for slowing cars and flat tires with six slowdowns needed. The battle for second was interesting though, as Thornton Jr and Brandon Overton exchanged that position a couple times. 

The last yellow, with twenty six laps down was for Ryan Gustin who had charged up to fourth with a battered up car before the motor let go. The final restart saw Hoffman drive off from the field once again, with Thornton sacrificing second when he plunked the turn two wall, giving Overton that spot for the duration of the race. 

Bobby Pierce made a successful drive, passing a number of cars and also inheriting a number of spots when others dropped out or back and he came home third, his best finish of the week. Tyler Erb and Drake Troutman, both with used up looking cars, completed the top five. There were not a huge number of drivers that didn't finish the race (7), but there were quite a few that looked as if they had lost a war. 

The Big Block feature saw another dominating performance that was also sparked with just a bit of controversy. At least that's how one driver saw it. 

Things started out very strangely when as they were ready to take the green, Matt Caprara lost a rear wheel on the front chute before the race event started. A wrecker quickly whisked him to the work area where the wheel was replaced and the crew man assigned to that task likely sent packing for another job. 

Matt Sheppard, who has not been himself so far in his Florida visits, started on the outside pole and got the jump to take the early lead. Mat Williamson quickly moved to second and the race was on between two of the "king pins" of Big Block racing. They were putting on a good battle for the lead, interspersed among the two yellows that flew early for other drivers parking on the track as the pace in this race was no better than for the Late Models. 

Sheppard was running a line right through the middle of the track that seemed to work for him as he was able to hold off Williamson. However, the yellow flew once again with twelve laps complete and this is when things got spicy.

The side by side restart used by the Big Blocks saw Sheppard and Williamson door to door and when they fired off turn four, Williamson got a great jump and immediately took over the lead. Sheppard believed that he got "jumped" by Williamson I believe, and I was also looking for the yellow to fly and bring back the field because I also thought that Williamson jumped. 

However, no such action was taken and Williamson then pulled away from the field. It appeared the Sheppard let his emotions get away from him at this point as he started driving a bit wild and he lost several positions because of that. 

When the yellow flew again with twenty laps complete, Sheppard drove by the front stretch several times with his arm in the air out his window, either appealing the previous non ruling, or checking to see  if it was raining. It turns out that neither happened and he had to settle back in line. 

Williamson then pulled away once again over the final ten laps to drive away for a relatively easy win, with Alex Payne making a nice drive up to second and Jack Lehner recovering from a smoking car in his heat to race home third. Alex Yankowski and Justin Haers completed the top five but it was too bad that Sheppard didn't finish on the podium as his post race interview might have been quite interesting. 

Only four drivers failed to finish the race but because of the frequent yellow flags, Williamson was not forced to lap a single car. 

Quite frankly, neither class shined on this night with too many yellows for slowing and stopped cars really bogging down both features and not producing much attractive racing for the fans. It was also the longest night of the week with racing getting done much later than it should have. Hopefully everyone gets back on their "A" game and produces a better show for the Saturday night finale. 

Nick Hoffman Dominates WoO Late Model Opener at VSP, Williamson Tops Big Blocks

 The DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park has moved into the "meat" of its schedule now, with Thursday night, February 12th featuring the first of three straight nights of World of Outlaws Late Model points paying events while the Super DIRTcar Series Big Blocks ran their second of four nights with all racing wrapping up on Saturday of this week.

The Late Models would provide the most dominant run of the week to date as Nick Hoffman "smoked" the troops, winning by a resounding five plus seconds over the pack while defending DIRTcar Series Big Block champion Mat Williamson found victory lane over a strong field of racers in that class. 

Car counts have remained remarkably similar to previous years with the Late Model field of fifty eight drivers the exact same number as took the green for this event last year while the Big Blocks continue to remain just a bit stronger than last year. 

Track conditions split the difference between Tuesday night's rubber race and Wednesday night's mud bath and while a few complained that the slick conditions still weren't good, most of the competitors were happy with the track on Thursday night. 

The WoO Late Model format is slightly different than that of UMP with the field split in half and each half of the field qualifying against drivers in their flight with six heats in total and only the top three in each heat moving on. The B Features are most brutal with twenty cars fighting for just two spots and then to fill out the starting grid, the emergency provisional, point provisional and provisional provisional starters that would make up the twenty eight car field. 

Cody Overton continued his impressive runs of the week, turning the quickest lap overall at 15.567 seconds while Brandon Sheppard led group B just under a tenth slower. 

Twenty eight drivers started the thirty five lap Late Model feature and despite some whining about track conditions from Chris Madden, he still redrew the pole position. However, at the drop of the green, he pushed up the track and Nick Hoffman, who started outside of him, cut under and took over the lead and that would be the closest that anyone would get to him over the next thirty five laps. 

Overton likely lost the "Big Gator" point lead when he slowed with mechanical ills just four laps into the race and was done but Hoffman continued to lead following the slowdown over Madden, Drake Troutman, Tyler Erb and Sheppard. However, Madden continued to push up the track on the next restart and he faded back as Erb particularly began to advance. 

Ryan Gustin moved into the top five but then he spun with twelve laps complete, slowing the action for the second and final time of the night. Erb was up to third and for the first time all week, Bobby Pierce appeared among the front runners after starting tenth. 

The final twenty three laps of the race ran green to checkers and this long green flag run allowed some of the drivers to use the extra laps to work their way forward for the first time this week. By the halfway point of the race, Pierce was up to second while Tim McCreadie, who started twenty second, had also cracked the top five. 

Hoffman had built up nearly a full straightaway lead over the pack but then he ran into a major hurdle with a considerable amount of slower cars, ready to go a lap down, to fight his way through. Pierce used this problem to get as close as anyone all night, getting to within a few car lengths and looking like he might challenge.

However, at just the right time, Hoffman made a couple of excellent moves in the heavy traffic, clearing space for himself with some sharp driving that opened up his advantage once again. And at the finish he had four lapped cars and considerable space between himself and the field. 

McCreadie continued to be the story late, as his drive to the front saw him slip past Pierce on the final lap and take second which was quite the drive from where he had started. Pierce settled for third with Erb and Madden finishing out the top five. 

Eight drivers were a lap in arrears at the finish but there were only four drivers that weren't on the track when the checkers flew, adding much to the challenging traffic situation. 

Jimmy Phelps and Williamson were the quickest in the two groups of Big Blocks for time trials but just over a second slower than the Late Models. Four heats and a pair of B Features would set their twenty eight car field for their thirty lap main as they also have their share of provisional starters. 

Bobby Varin took the early lead, using the pole starting spot to beat Phelps and Larry Wight and hold the front spot for the first four laps as he held on through two very early yellows. 

However, following the second slow down, Wight made a power move and took over the point and one lap later, Williamson moved into second and the chase was on. Those two stepped away from the field while Justin Haers, Alex Payne and Varin battled for third. Wight remained in control and seemed to be able to weather Williamson's challenges. 

That is, until the yellow flew with seventeen laps down for a slowing car and while it has been well documented time and again, in the modern racing world most passed occur just after yellow flag situations. 

And once again, that is what happened here as on the green, Wight pushed up the track in turn one, Williamson cut left and drove under Larry and took over the lead. Conveniently for Williamson, that was the last yellow of the race so he didn't have to face the same situation. 

Wight stayed close but could never muster a challenge to take back the top spot. Lapped traffic played into things late and Williamson mastered that well, snuffing out any chances Wight had of retaking the top spot as Mat made some nice moves and put two slower cars between himself and Wight as he drove on for the win. 

Payne had a strong run, coming from the fourth row to claim the third spot, ahead of Haers and Phelps. In this race, only four drivers also failed to finish but the more frequent yellow flags made the lapped traffic not nearly so much an issue. 

It was a cold night for February in Florida with an uncomfortable wind blowing right into the grandstand but the crowds continue to be large, split about half and half for the Late Models and Big Blocks. An identical program will be provided again on Friday night with the hopes that the Friday the 13th jinx will not be a part of the show.