Mullens Tops ARMS Opener at HOT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rudolph and Davenport Top VCS DIRTcar finales

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alberson Holds On At VSP; Yankowski Gains Vindication

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 The transition is starting to take place at Volusia Speedway Park. Wednesday night, February 12th would be the final night of UMP governance over the Late Models while the Sprint Cars headed out the door last night for Ocala and are being replaced by the Big Block Modified cars and drivers of the Super DIRTcar Series. 

The Late Models will get one last chance to race under UMP procedures on Wednesday night and the chase begins for the Super DIRTcar title for the big blocks. 

The format is an unusual one for the Late Models and one that probably won't be seen again until next year. The theory behind it is one that has been used for the Modifieds here for two years and that is to give all drivers one night where they get to run a feature race, no matter how slow they might be and no matter how many cars are signed up to race in their class. With the Modified cars, it is a chance for quite a few drivers to race a feature race where they likely will never qualify for a single main held any night. For some of the Late Models, it is not much different as there are certainly drivers on the grounds that won't qualify for a feature race otherwise, except on this night. 

This strategy was first used last year and apparently was a hit as it was repeated again this year on the final night of UMP Late Model racing here. And judging by the number of drivers that raced, they must like it a lot. For no doubt the only time this week, all Late Model drivers that were on the grounds competed, meaning that sixty one drivers signed in to race, a number that will likely be the high water number of competitors all week. Stacy Boles, the lone driver that saw out last night, returned to race on Wednesday but using a Capitol chassis as opposed to the car he ran on Monday. And making their first appearances of the week were Dustin Walker, Carson Ferguson, Daniel Hilsabeck, Cory Lawler and Hudson O'Neal. No other drivers are believed to be on the grounds. 

And for UMP, it is kind of a way for them to say "Thank You" to all the drivers that have competed here, no matter how fast you were, as these relatively short races do pay $500 just to start, by far the biggest checks that a number will earn all week. 

The format is a simple one. The drivers are divided into three groups and they then qualify against only the drivers in that group. The three twenty lap races are started straight up by times. No heats are run. It is a quick and simple program to understand and no provisional hassles will crop up. The three feature races may not be balanced out by skill or speed but everyone has an equal chance to prosper. "Dirt on Dirt" calls these races Semi Features and for a lack of a better name for them, I will go with that also. 

The quickest qualifier of the night was Ricky Thornton Jr as the first of sixty one drivers to hit the track. He turned a lap of 15.582 seconds and was joined as a quick group qualifier by Ethan Dotson and Brandon Overton. No surprise to report that time trials are the name of the game for these events, as two of the three semi features were won by quick qualifiers. 

However, with all drivers getting the chance to race a semi feature, there are likely to be more slower cars racing to lap and also the opportunity for more yellow flags does also exist, and in fact, both did occur although not to the point of annoyance. It would be only fair to report that there was only a single lead change in the three features combined as the races truly weren't long enough for track conditions to change to the point that there were some movers and losers. 

Thornton Jr. continued the strong start he has had in 2025, leading from green to checkered in the first semi feature and never really being challenged. Kyle Bronson moved into second quickly but continuing a week of mechanical issues and DNF's he slowed soon after and was out of the race. 

Max Blair and Cade Dillard jockeyed then for the second spot, trading the position after each of three yellow flags that slowed the first half of the race. Continuing what has developed as an irritating and unfortunate truth to dirt track racing these days, most passes for position are done directly after races restart following yellow flags as perhaps John Force or some other really good drag racer might succeed in the new world of dirt track racing.   

In any event, Dillard got back into second following that final yellow on lap nine and he would run second the rest of the event. Blair got shuffled back to fourth but fought his way back past Daulton Wilson with Shane Clanton completing the top five. 

The second semi feature was the closest of the night, with a pass for the lead and then a last lap battle for the win. Ethan Dotson got the jump on Jonathan Davenport as he was one of the few drivers able to use the inside to get an initial lead. Dotson held the lead for over half the race as Davenport sized him up and periodically pulled close to challenge. 

By the halfway point of the race, Devin Moran was up to third with Mike Marlar and Brandon Sheppard next in line. Davenport picked up the pace and as Dotson seemed to be sliding a bit in the corners, Davenport got a big run off turn four and blew past the former lead on lap thirteen to take over the lead. 

Moran was on the move also and drove past Dotson for second. And just as Dave Farney was getting the checkered flag ready, Jake Timm slowed on the final lap, setting up another of those annoying green, white and checkers finishes, this time stretching the race by a lap.

Moran dove to the inside of Davenport and got door to door with him as they raced off turn two but Davenport was able to fight him off and stretch his margin just a little as he took the win. Marlar, Dotson and Brian Shirley completed the top five. 

The third semi feature was the Overton show as Brandon and Cody finished first and second. Brandon started on the pole and was never challenged as he led from flag to flag. Early on he was chased by Garrett Alberson with Tanner English running third through the halfway point of the race which was slowed twice for yellows. 

The driver on the move and the one that passed the most drivers all night was Cody Overton. He started eighth but was on the charge from the green, racing up to fourth by the halfway point as he got by Mark Whitener. As the race continued, Cody continued to move up, taking both English and then, with just a couple of laps left, Alberson for second. 

He did, however, run out of time and distance to put the heat on his brother as Brandon drove home comfortably for the win. Tim McCreadie would edge past Whitener on the final tour to complete the top five. 

Forty three Big Block Modified drivers signed in for the first of four nights of Modified racing. This seemed like a very fine turn out of drivers, particularly when you consider that while this is a sanctioned DIRTcar event, no points toward the DIRTcar Big Block title are awarded this week, which in itself seems a bit strange. And while all seemed like fun and games in the pits before racing began, once they dropped the green flag, things got decidedly edgy with some mid season behavior breaking out in what must have been the first race, or nearly so, for most of the drivers. 

The DIRTcar format, of course different than the other classes as why in the world would any series use the same formats and make things less complicated for the fans? DIRT car divides the field into two groups with drivers just qualifying against drivers in that group. Billy Pauch was the quickest qualifier at 17.078 seconds, just six one thousands faster that Justin Haers from the first group. 

Four heats were held, lined straight up with the fop five in each making the show. Two B Features took three out of each, so twenty six made the main event. Starting tomorrow, only two will qualify out of the B Features with the last two spots in the main going to provisional starters. They did throw in one more starter as the quickest driver in qualifying not to make the show got a free pass.  DIRTcar also redraws the top two finishers out of each heat to decide where they start the feature. I'm not sure I like this either because if you are going to use qualifying to set the running order, than you should use it all the way and not let luck determine just who starts on the pole. 

Interestingly also, DIRTcar also allows the pole starter for the heats and feature to pick whether they want to start on the inside or outside of the front row so it's usually easy to tell just where the leader thinks the quick line is. They also use double file restarts, not the Delaware style used by most tracks and series. 

This thirty lap feature proved to be the most problematic of the week so far. Filled with yellow flags, false starts, big wrecks and disagreeable drivers, it was a long lasting and not particularly satisfying event. Matt Sheppard opted for the outside for the start and he took the early lead but the yellow flew after just one lap for a slowing car. 

Haers had moved into second but once again the yellow waved after just one more lap for a slowing driver after socking the turn one wall. Then the gamesmanship began between Sheppard and Alex Yankowski who had taken over second. Each took turns jumping the gun on restarts and also rubbing each other as they took the green with two straight starts called off and both drivers showing that they were pissed with the other. 

Finally they got back to racing with Sheppard leading but Yankowski threatening strongly. Alex proved he was very fast on restarts and it seemed like only rubbing between the two kept him from taking the lead. When Garrett Krummert hammered the turn one wall and flipped through the air, the red flag was called for and because it was a stoppage before a lap was completed on the previous stoppage, the restart was single file, the only way they seemed on this night to be able to get a decent restart. 

However, the yellow flew three more times before the race was completed and the single file restart was resorted to again after back to back tangles. However, once side by side, they just didn't seem capable on this night of getting a good restart and on the final slow down, with twenty three laps completed, Sheppard and Yankowski were at it again, and this time Haers benefitted as he was able to grab second. 

The drivers all seemed like they were having troubles making the "heavies" turn as they would drive low into the corners and then bow right up to the wall upon exit, a strategy that made it hard for other drivers to get under them down the chute. 

Sheppard was not challenged in the final seven laps and he drove home the winner over Haers, Yankowski, Pauch and Jimmy Phelps. The checkers didn't stop the sniping however as Sheppard and Yankowski were still talking and pointing at each other as the victory lane photos were attempted and the photographers finally had to tell them to knock it off so they could get their victory lane shots. Sheppard's win was greeting by a full chorus of boos from the New York fans but that isn't surprising as he often gets boo'd simply because he wins too much.

I don't get to see the Big Blocks maybe once or twice a year so I don't know if the two have "history" between them and I have never noted that Sheppard was a rough around the edges driver before when I have seen him race but both the combatants were clearly overly aggressive on this night and I suspect DIRTcar officials will be having words with them and perhaps the whole field before the Thursday night event. 

Another thing I have noticed down here this week as no matter what class, except for the Sprint Cars that have more sense, when the green flag is dropped, drivers instead of going directly forward into the first turn seem to turn slightly and rub the driver beside them first. I suspect that on this hugely fast and momentum filled track, this is an attempt to kill the other driver's momentum into the first turn but it is a potentially dangerous move also. 

 

Seavey and Thornton Jr. Cruise at VSP

 Tuesday night, February 11th the Volusia Speedway Park presented the conclusion of Volusia's part of the Winter Dirt Games for the USAC Sprint Car drivers while it was night number two for the Federated DIRTcar Nationals for the UMP Late Models. 

In two quite similar races, the leader would get to the front early and then just cruise on to victory with Logan Seavey topping the Sprint Cars and Ricky Thornton Jr taking the measure of the Late Model field. 

Thirty three Sprint Cars signed in to race on Tuesday night, with a big Gator trophy at stake for the overall point winner of the two nights of racing. And for the second straight night, Daison Pursley topped the field in qualifying with a quick lap of 16.275 seconds. For his efforts, Pursley would then get the privilege of starting sixth in his heat race under the USAC formula for starting races but it made no matter to him as he blew through the field to take the win, probably the best job of passing cars that was seen all night. 

The Sprint Cars presented their show of four heats and a B Feature that set up their twenty five car starting field for their thirty lap main event that for the first time this week, had one provisional entrant which was Kayla Roell. 

A monkey wrench was thrown into the teams' planning for the main event however, as a surprise pop up shower, the kind that Florida is famous for, hit just after the track prep crew started their routine of watering, ripping and then repacking the track for the main events. They continued to do their work as the rain fell as it never came down to the point that they had to get off the track or get stuck. However, that amount of rain, coming as it did time wise, did put more moisture back into the racing surface and the first few laps of racing were very fast before it did it's natural evolution as every track does during a racing night. 

Seavey started on the pole and he strongly took off at the start putting some distance on the field quickly as Monday night winner, Kyle Cummings quickly moved up to second, getting past Jake Swanson and Briggs Danner and setting his sites on leader Seavey. A quick yellow with six laps completed slowed the field, but when racing resumed the field settled in with the top five staying pretty static for a number of laps. 

As the field reached the halfway point, Seavey continued to maintain his lead, despite efforts from Cummings to close in on him. Pursley, not finding the field quite so easy to pass as in his heat race, finally worked into the top five when he got past Robert Ballou. Ballou exploded a tire with ten laps to go, slowing the action once again with Danner and Pursley both getting past Swanson to gain a spot. 

Two late yellows gave Cummings his best shots at a win, the last coming just as it had the night before with the field coming to the checkers before a slowing car set up a two lap sprint to the finish. 

The track was prime for a slide job contest to the finish but most played it pretty clean with no wild maneuvers taking place. Cummings gave it his best, boring low into the corners and trying to beat Seavey out of them, but he gave Seavey room to race and Logan was just a bit too fast to be caught as he drove across the line as the winner, with Cummings a close second and followed by Pursley, Danner and a charging Kale Drake who had started nineteenth. Only four drivers failed to finish the race and only three a lap behind. 

There was a tie for the top point earner for the two nights but based on the tire breaker, Cummings with his Monday night feature win earned the big Gator trophy. The USAC crew will now move an hour East to the Ocala Speedway where they will wind up Winter Dirt Games with four nights of racing at Bubba's place. 

The Late Models again used the UMP format with the field divided into six groups with the drivers qualifying against only the drivers in that group. Ryan Gustin was out with the first group and as the track slowed just a bit after they started pounding the track, Gustin was quick for the night at 15.492. The field of drivers was increased to fifty five on Tuesday as Jimmy Owens, Kyle Strickler, Dillon McCowan, Boom Briggs and Brenden Smith all made their Volusia debuts. 

After the six heat races, three B Features would fill out the field with again, just twenty four drivers making the main as no provisional spots were open. 

While Thornton Jr. started on the pole, it was Tyler Erb from the outside that got the jump and took the early lead as it seems like the outside is the place to be on starts and restarts. In fact, Thornton Jr fell back to third as Bobby Pierce also got past him before the lone yellow of the race waved with three good laps after Brenden Smith rolled to a halt. Jonathan Davenport and Brandon Overton had moved into the top five  before the first yellow as the cream was rising to the surface quickly on the fast track. 

Pierce opted for the inside on the Delaware restart, to which Thornton Jr said thanks as he blew right past the Illinois driver to move back into second while Pierce's bad start saw him nearly fall back to fifth before he made a strong move off turn four to regain the third spot. 

Thornton Jr just seemed to be sizing up Erb, waiting for the proper time and place to make his move. He got a big run off turn four just a lap short of halfway and blew past Erb to take over the lead with the running order remaining the same as the halfway signal was given by starter Dave Farney. 

After that, it was a walk in the park for Thornton Jr who pulled away to develop a comfortable lead. Only when he hit the back of the pack was he pressed slightly but he handled that and was able to maintain a comfortable lead as he flashed under the finish line to complete an impressive run. 

Pierce made a banzai move on the final corner and was able to get past Erb for second with Davenport and Overton running in their same positions to the finish. Only two drivers in the field failed to finish the event. 

The UMP portion of the program will conclude on Wednesday night before the World Of Outlaws Late Models take over management and procedures for the rest of the week. Wednesday night's show is a different type of event, as the field will be split into three groups with no heat races and all drivers getting to start one of the three, twenty lap feature races. Participation awards will go to those in the back of the pack that make their first feature of Speed Weeks (sarcasm alert). The Big Block Modifieds of the Super DIRTcar Series also will be on hand, opening up for their first of four nights of racing action also as the "Beasts from the Northeast" move in. DIRT Vision is the place to catch all the action at home. 

Cummings and Hoffman Top Volusia Opener

 The final week of Florida Speed Weeks kicked off on Monday night, February 11th at the Volusia Speedway Park for the Federated DIRTcar Nationals with the USAC Sprint Cars in action as they shared the stage with the UMP Dirtcar Late Models. 

An excellent field of drivers was on hand in each of the classes and the opening night winners were Kyle Cummings in the Sprint Cars and Nick Hoffman in the Late Models.

The Sprint Car race was the first of the new season for USAC and a number of new driver-owner combinations were debuted here with a program necessary to determine which players were with which teams. Thirty four drivers signed in to race for the Sprint Car program with Daison Pursley topping the qualifying with a lap of 16.156 seconds.

Four heat races were held for the Sprints and using the USAC formula, the top three rows for each of the heats were inverted with the top five drivers in each heat making the feature. One B main qualified four more drivers with two dozen taking the green flag for their twenty five lap feature race. 

Brady Bacon held the pole position and he shot into the initial lead but he would hold that spot for just a single lap. Meanwhile, Cummings started on the outside of row two but he split Logan Seavey and Mitchel Moles on the opening lap to move into second and going to the cushion, he blew past Bacon just one lap later to take over the lead. 

A quick yellow for a stalled car slowed the action one lap later but the green quickly came back out and Cummings pulled away from the pack as Bacon couldn't stay with him and neither could the rest of the pack. Pursley moved up from the third row in the six car invert and drove up into second spot as Justin Grant and Briggs Danner both moved into the top five. 

At the halfway point, that was the running order with Cummings still comfortably in the lead. It looked like the rest of the race would roll off nonstop but then two late yellows bunched the field. First, Kobe Simpson blew up a motor on the back chute with quite the ball of flames as Grant had raced past Pursley for third just before this. 

Then, just as the leaders were coming around to take the checkers, Jake Swanson rolled to a half in turn four and under USAC rules, a green, white and checkered finish was called for. 

This was no problem for Cummings however, as he pulled away strong on the restart to drive under the checkers with a solid win. However, Pursley caught fire on the last two laps, first passing Grant for third and then also getting by Bacon for second with a late dive in turn one. Danner completed the top five in the running order. Only one driver failed to finish what was a very smooth program for the Sprint Cars. 

A large field of fifty one drivers signed in to compete in the UMP sanctioned Late Model portion of the program. Apparently a number of drivers that generally would not run the first few shows of the Volusia week joined in the racing action on this night to get laps in preparation for the points and bigger money to be presented as the week rolls on. 

Along with the fifty one drivers that took the green on Monday night, there were another nine of the grounds and in the pits that chose not to race including Dustin Walker, Carson Ferguson, Brenden Smith, Boom Briggs, Hudson O'Neal, Jimmy Owens, Kyle Strickler, Daniel Hilsabeck and Dillon McCowan who are all expected to join in perhaps as early as Tuesday night. 

With UMP providing the sanctioning of this event for the first three nights, their rules and procedures would be followed. The group was divided into six heat races and drivers would qualify only against the other cars in their group. The heats were straight up with the top three making the show and then there would be three B Features, lined up finishes in the heats with two out of each B making the show. Only twenty four started the feature and there were no provisional starters so a number of top drivers watched the Monday night show from the pits. Cade Dillard was the third driver out for time trials and he turned the quickest lap of the night at 15.672 as the Late Models proved to be quicker than the non winged Sprints. 

All six heats and the three B Features were won from the front row but this pattern was not followed, thankfully, in the main event which was a very good race with much moving and shuffling of positions. And best of all, it went nonstop for twenty five laps.

This was probably a very good thing because just as the Sprint feature ended , the fog blew in with a rush, engulfing the facility with a thick layer of visibility limiting moisture. As the interviews continued, it was got to the point where there was some doubt whether or not the Late Models would be able to run. However, the cars circling the track moved the fog just enough that they could safely race, even though from the stands, it was tough seeing just what was happening on the back chute. 

But what was happening was some darn good racing. Dillard took off like a shot from the pole and opened up some distance over Nick Hoffman and Ricky Thornton Jr.  Ryan Gustin and Jonathan Davenport were both charging too and after a few laps, it was apparent that the pack was catching leader Dillard as he started to fade after his initial burst of speed. 

Hoffman caught him first  and on lap eleven he blew past to take over the lead as the other members of that pack also challenged Dillard. Cade was still second at the halfway point with Thornton Jr, Gustin and Davenport all tight behind him.

As they fought, Hoffman put some distance on the field but then he caught traffic which was difficult to deal with. It slowed his pace and Thornton Jr, who had taken over second, was closing fast and it looked like Ricky was ready to make his move. But just as he sized up Hoffman, Gustin moved to the outside and came rushing forward, pulling up beside Thornton Jr and causing him to take defensive action to hold on to second. 

Then, with just four laps to go, Hoffman made the move of the race as he split two lapped cars on the front stretch which gave him running room and he quickly then pulled back away from the pack. The rest of the battlers were stuck and they duked it out amongst themselves with still, much shuffling right down to the end. 

As Hoffman drove under the flags for the win, Thornton managed to hold off a last lap rush by Davenport for second while Max Blair appeared from virtually no where to steal fourth from a fading Gustin. By the end, it was difficult to distinguish who was who as they came out of the fog on turn four but the race was completed safely and with the final checkers waved, the ceiling sank even lower over the facility. 

The race was a quick one but only one driver failed to complete the contest and only three fell a lap behind the leaders. All racing was done by 10 pm and a large crowd was on hand, a group that will get only bigger as the week progresses. 

Moran Out Tricks Davenport For Ocala Twenty Five Grand

 The fifth and final leg of the Wieland Winter Nationals was held on Saturday night, February 8th at Ocala Speedway on the edge of Ocala Florida. It was another gorgeous February day, as they have been here all week and a reported record crowd was jammed into the venerable speedway to watch the drivers fight over what was also announced as a record purse and a record top payoff to the drivers of the Lucas Oil Late Model Series. 

In a fifty lap feature race that went through periods of boredom and frustration, the last twenty laps were "golden" as Davenport and Moran battled for the top spot, trading lanes on the track and passing strategies before Moran got the better of things in the late going and secured a popular victory. 

Forty seven drivers signed in to race on Saturday night, a high water number for the week with only a couple drivers who pulled out earlier this week not attempting to race. 

The night gave all ear marks of it being an interesting night as early as during hot laps. While practicing to get maximum speed out of their cars, both Matt Nailor and Austin Smith hammered the outside wall and were done with extensive damage for the night. Chase Junghans also had trouble during hot laps and parked his car too. And during time trials one more driver was eliminated when Jason Jack also tried to knock down the outside wall. 

The track was also giving fits to those drivers able to complete qualifying attempts and even though Garrett Alberson was quickest overall at 14.397 seconds and Davenport was quickest in the second group, there were a number of top running drivers that timed in poorly and would have to be doing some fancy driving to make the show through a heat race. Some of those included Kyle Bronson, Ryan Gustin, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Overton, Dennis Erb and Hudson O' Neal. None of the first three mentioned actually even made the show with Pierce so frustrated he didn't even bother to make an attempt in a B Feature. The first part of the program was quite unpredictable but come feature time, the cream would rise to the top. 

Twenty five drivers took the green flag for the feature race with Davenport using the outside, as many drivers have all week, to get the jump and take the early lead. Ricky Thornton Jr didn't want go back to second, but Davenport was just a little bit quicker in the early going. Brandon Sheppard rode in third in the early going with Overton and Alberson next in line. 

With sixteen laps complete Carson Ferguson rolled to a halt with a flat tire, triggering a rash of yellow flags for car slowing for flat tires. The next dozen laps would see this repeated four more times and just as it seemed some hard racing was ready to break out, the yellow would fly again and slow things down. 

As is the case in much of racing these days, the majority of passes occur following yellow flag periods when the fields are bunched back up and a big one happened here when following a lap twenty seven yellow for Dan Ebert's flat, Moran was able to drive around Thornton Jr. for second and then set off after leader Davenport. Thornton Jr. tried to fight back but Moran had moved up the track and found a good run off the corners using that line. 

He closed in on Davenport who was married to the bottom and while Thornton Jr. tried the top from time to time, he seemed contend to let Moran have that line and try to make it work. Devin closed on Davenport several times, getting an especially good run off turn two and nearly squeezing by but each time, Davenport would hold on. 

Then for several laps Moran fell back to the low line, riding in the tire tracks of Davenport. However, just when Davenport felt safe on the inside, Moran moved back to the outside and pulled up beside the leader. They exchanged cross over runs on each other and Moran edged past and then away down the front chute on lap thirty eight. 

Davenport had nothing to offer in the final laps until Moran got way too high on the last corner and Davenport made it close  but not close enough as Moran drove on for the win. Thornton Jr ran third just about the whole last half of the race with Overton fourth and Alberson rounding out the top five. Twenty one drivers would complete the race and only two weren't on the lead lap as the frequent yellows kept there from being many lapped or slower cars for the leaders to contend with. 

Davenport will leave the Winter Nationals with the slightest of point leads over Moran and Thornton Jr with the Lucas Oil drivers not meeting to race once again until the end of March when they head North to Ohio and Indiana. 

With the Late Model portion of Winter Nationals complete, there are many people to thank. Promoter Bubba Clem and track manage Tom Bean head the list along with all the hard working staff members of the Ocala Speedway plus the folks from the Lucas Oil Series and FLO Racing for their help. 

And while the Late Models are done at Ocala, there is still much racing to be done before February is complete. The USAC Sprints move into Ocala with a practice session slated for Sunday of this week and full racing programs to be held on Wednesday through Saturday as Florida is truly the racing capital of the world this month. 

Thornton Jr. Administers a Whipping on the Field at Ocala

 Ricky Thornton Jr. was the story on Friday night, February 7th at the Ocala Speedway as round four of the Wieland Winter Nationals for the Lucas Oil Late Model Series drivers was held. In baseball terms, Thornton Jr picked a "perfect game" as he out qualified the forty three car field, then won his heat race which gave him the outside pole for the fifty lap main event and then he proceeded to drive away from the twenty seven car field to  record a dominating victory. There was never a question during the feature race who was dominant and going to win and the only thing that could have changed that would be for a crash, incident with a lapped car, or a mechanical failure. None of that occurred and Thornton Jr. drove home for the easy win. 

Ryan Gustin and Bobby Pierce were additional entrants on Friday night for the fifty lap, twelve thousand dollar to win program and while Gustin failed to make the show, Pierce would run a steady race and finish in the top five. 

Part of what makes dirt track racing so interesting and challenging is how much conditions can change from night to night and being able to adapt to the changes sets the really good drivers apart. After having a very heavy track on Wednesday night, the track prep folks no doubt caught plenty of criticism from those drivers not liking that kind of track and as often happens, they changed things up quite a bit and the racing surface was much drier for Friday night's show. It was not throwing dust, thankfully, but it was much blacker and slick and was, I would say, bordering on rubbering up by the end of the race although there were still drivers running the outside and they did not line up and run just one lane like a true rubbered up track normally finds. However, those that could read what the track was going to do prospered and that included such drivers as Hudson O'Neal, Devin Moran and Jonathan Davenport who have been fast here all week, not matter the conditions. 

Moran and Thornton Jr. were the quickest in their groups in qualifying and while Thornton Jr was the thirty second car to hit the track, he still set fast time at 14.215 second, only about a tenth off the fastest time seen all week. 

The start of the feature saw Moran get the jump but with a strong move before lap one was completed, Thornton Jr had grabbed the lead and after that, everyone would be fighting for second. Two early yellows in the first six laps kept the field bunched but Thornton Jr was to get the jump each time and continue to hold the lead. 

Brian Shirley got the jump on Moran on a restart and moved into second, with Moran, Kyle Bronson and O'Neal trailing. But as has been the case all week, Shirley just can not shake the black cloud hanging over his head and as the yellow waved with sixteen laps complete for debris on the track, Shirley slowed with a flat right rear tire, one of quite a few having that issue this week. 

Thornton Jr. again took off strong and with a long session of green flag racing then taking place, he began to assert his domination as he pulled away from the field, building nearly a full straightaway over the pack. However, the racing was not without action as O'Neal, who had move up strongly, got past Moran on the restart to take over second and those two went at it for a considerable time, fighting for that position. 

Pierce than also picked up the pac as he moved into fifth, then passed Bronson for fourth and soon it was a three car battle for the second spot. And at the same time, Davenport was on the move and he and Bronson then had an extended battle for fifth. 

While all this was ongoing, Thornton Jr was going on about his business as he carefully worked his way through traffic, putting several fast drivers a lap in arrears, one they never would be able make back up. 

Just when it looked like things were cut and dried, Garrett Alberson slowed with a flat tire with just seven laps to go and the question was would Thornton Jr. still have enough tire to pull away again after maintaining such a hot pace for so many laps. 

The answer came quickly, as he jumped away from the field for the seven lap sprint to the finish and was never in danger of giving up the lead. The battle for second continued right to the finish with O'Neal claiming second over Moran, Pierce next in line and Davenport topping Bronson for that next finishing position. 

A considerable number of drivers in this longer lap event dropped to the infield when they either got lapped or just before to likely both save their equipment on a night when they just didn't have it or to also not get in the way of any up front battles that might be taking place. Thus, only nineteen cars finished the race with five a lap down to the winner. 

On the positive side, the cars looked quite a bit better than they did on Thursday night after racing the main and there was not near as much body damage to be repaired. 

In a week that feels like it has just flown by, the finale of Winter Nationals for the Lucas Oil Series takes place on Saturday night. Another fifty lapper is planned but the ante goes up as the drivers will be racing for twenty five grand to win. The racing action will again be available on FLO Sports for those that would like to watch and can't make it to Florida by Saturday evening. 

Davenport Fights Off Challenges To Top Ocala In Repeat Victory

 Wieland Winter Nationals round three on Thursday night, February 6th at the Ocala Speedway was a dandy with Jonathan Davenport fighting off a series of challenges from several different drivers to hold on for a forty lap victory worth ten grand and set himself up as a serious challenger for the Lucas Oil title in 2025. 

It was a great night for racing as the central Florida weather continued the spectacular trend it has locked into for the past several days and promises to continue for the upcoming week and each night the racing crowds have gotten larger and larger for this quick paced event, a staple of the LOLMS. 

The Thursday night field of drivers increased as the points season starts and the purses go up as well with forty five drivers signing in for racing action with seven drivers making their first appearances of the week. 

A word about the track here this week and particularly so on Thursday was that the track crews have done a masterful job of getting and keeping moisture in the racing surface. The surface remained heavy all night and it seemed that as the evening progresses, the moisture came back up to the surface which provided a continuing horse power track with plenty of bite. The track crew was kept busy once the racing began just scraping the mud off the walls to improve visibility for the drivers and they flew around the track all night. Some of the cars got a little muddy, even to the point that it was hard to read numbers on the right sides of the cars, but that to me was a beautiful sight. 

We must not live in the past and it is not fair to compare apples with oranges but the way the track acted on Thursday and the aggressive way that the drivers raced each other for forty laps certainly reminded many of the days at East Bay where the track could be oh so heavy and the drivers would stomp the throttle from the first green flag of the night until they dropped the last checkers. And not a whisper of dust in the stands either. 

Davenport topped the first group in qualifying but Ricky Thornton Jr shocked everyone by coming out late and setting quick time for the evening at 14.181 seconds which was also the quickest time of the week to date. 

The format would remain the same as previous races this week with four intense heat races highlighting the action. Notable was the comeback made by Davenport to top Spencer Hughes in a heat when he almost let the pole for the feature slip away from himself and Kyle Bronson's run to hold off Thornton Jr and win heat three. 

Two large B Features wrapped up the qualifying action with several "name" drivers either left on the sidelines for the main or hoping to qualify for provisional starts. For as the point season begins for Lucas, so also the provisional starts begin too and on this night, twenty seven drivers took the green for the main event. 

Bad luck hit Hudson O'Neal before the start of the feature as he had to forfeit an eighth row starting position when he was forced to a back up car following engine problems in his heat race. 

Davenport took the initial lead with Bronson going to the top line as he frequently does but it was still just a bit slick out there and he gave up a couple spots as Brandon Sheppard moved into second. The yellow waved early when Drake Troutman spun in the tricky turn four area that has been a puzzle for many drivers so far this week. 

Davenport continued to lead with Sheppard riding him hard while Bronson, Brandon Overton and Devin Moran all raced very hard just to the rear of the leaders. Brenden Smith pulled up lame with twelve laps complete, just as the leaders caught the back of the pack so this helped Davenport avoid the trouble associated with fighting through traffic that was both heavy and fast, thus making it very tough to get past them. 

A Dan Ebert spin and then problems for Tim McCreadie both slowed the action but through it all, Davenport continued to lead while the battle between Bronson and Sheppard raged on. As the field reached the halfway point, Bronson slipped high and forfeited a couple spots with Overton now starting to move forward as he was up to third. 

Overton continued his charge as he got by Sheppard for second with Bronson on the comeback also, working up to third as this pack of cars continued to shuffle positions in a high speed chess match. 

The final yellow, with thirty two laps complete, was a costly one as several contenders got into a tangle on the back chute with Brian Shirley and Mark Whitener calling it a night while Garrett Alberson, Thornton Jr and Daulton Wilson all had to go tail back. 

The last eight laps saw a two car duel between Davenport and Overton. Brandon was all over the track, trying to find a way by Davenport to take the lead. He looked inside for several laps but Jonathan kept his car tucked to the bottom lane. Finally, Overton adjusted his line, trying to work higher off the corners and get past Davenport on the outside. He had a great run off turn two on the thirty eighth lap and very nearly got past but Davenport used the track and was just able to break off Overton's run. Brandon would try one more time on the final lap but again would come up short, but producing a spectacular effort while settling for second. 

Davenport would be scored the leader for all forty laps but that statistic would be very misleading as his victory was anything but a walk in the park. Bronson finished up a strong run with the third place finish, just ahead of Sheppard and Moran. Twenty drivers finished the race and all were on the lead lap as Davenport did catch a break with nicely spaced yellows that limited the amount of traffic that he would have to fight through. 

Friday night the stakes get even higher as the top prize moves up to twelve grand and the feature race length is extended by ten laps. 

Davenport Dominates Wednesday Winter Nationals at Ocala

 The Wieland Winter Nationals continued with round two of the final leg of Georgia-Florida SpeedWeeks at the Ocala Speedway on Wednesday night, February 5th and it was Jonathan Davenport that dominated the racing action. The veteran Georgia driver led from start to finish to claim the thirty lap non point paying event which added seven grand to his early season winnings as he continued to tune up his race car in advance of a run for the Lucas Oil Late Model Series title. 

Davenport was quick qualifier for group A and second quickest overall at 14.378 seconds around the oddly shaped Ocala oval, and after starting on the pole and winning the first heat race, he also then earned the ability to start on the pole for the thirty lap feature race. 

Thirty nine drivers signed in to race on Wednesday night as both Boom Briggs and Ricky Thornton Jr were added to the field while Tristan Chamberlain pulled their unit out of the pits to take a few days off before Volusia starts and they begin World of Outlaw point racing once again. 

Thornton Jr was quickest qualifier overall as his brand new car performed well and his 14.223 lap topped all drivers. He then went on to win heat three and the two titans of the sport currently then started side by side on row one for the main event. 

Brandon Overton and Brian Shirley also were heat race winners on a well watered racing surface that required track workers to take several opportunities to scrape mud off the outside walls so drivers could get their bearings better. Despite this, there were again several instances where the drivers pounded the tricky fourth turn wall, which was no doubt the toughest point on the track and one that could easily make or break a racing lap and race. 

A first lap, first turn incident in the first heat race eliminated Derrick Stewart, Donald McIntosh and Matt Tifft for the night but other than that, everything leading up to the feature race went off smoothly. 

The non point race again offered no provisionals so it was either race your way in or watch the action from the pits come feature time with twenty four drivers taking the green for the main event. A big last minute update four Devin Moran skipping the main with motor problems after he was scheduled to start in the tenth spot and this Kyle Bronson, who couldn't get past Garrett Alberson in a B Feature, the opportunity to race further. 

Davenport got the jump on Thornton Jr to take the initial lead as Thornton got a bit high which allowed Overton and Shirley to move past him in the early running order. Two early incidents reshaped the running order of the feature. First, Brandon Sheppard hammered that tricky turn four wall and gave himself a flat tire, stalling on the front chute and triggering the first yellow with just four laps in the book. He would change the tire but be mired in the field for the rest of the race. 

And just one lap later, Shirley would continue his streak of bad luck, spinning in turn four while again running in the top five. While most of his considerable bad luck of late was unavoidable, this error was self inflicted as he was running the extreme high side of the track in an effort to find open track and it just back fired on him. He was then doomed and ended up being lapped near the end of the race. 

Meanwhile, Davenport continued to lead with Overton trying to stay with him while Thornton Jr, Tim McCreadie and Daulton Wilson followed in the early going. After starting ninth, Drake Troutman was making some ground as he too used the higher line on the track which was fast but also tricky. By the halfway point of the race, Drake was up to fifth and continued to push forward. 

Davenport got a bit hung up as he approached traffic and this allowed Overton one last shot to get past him but Davenport probably made the move of the race when he split the slower cars of Carson Ferguson and Cory Lawler on the front chute and gave himself a nice cushion as the laps ran down. 

Overton then put the reversers on as he backed up in the field, ultimately dropping to fifth and Thornton Jr, McCreadie and Troutman all got past him in the last fifteen laps. 

Troutman was likely the second fastest driver on the track during this time as he continued to push forward, squeezing under McCreadie and then taking a shot at Thornton Jr. While Davenport cruised, all eyes were on that battle for second. Things got tight as Troutman elbowed his way past down the back chute and while Thornton Jr. tried to return the favor on the final lap, he couldn't pull it off and had to settle for third. McCreadie ran a consistent race to finish fourth ahead of Overton. The last twenty five laps of the race were run off clean to the finish and only three drivers didn't finish the race with just a pair down a lap. 

A different way of entertaining the fans during the break before the feature race was held on Wednesday as track Pastor Bubba married a couple of fans on the front chute for all the world to see. 

The IMCA Mod Lites completed their two night run on Wednesday also. A large field of drivers was whittled down to twenty four that started the main event. Corey Babbitt, the fast Texas driver, then led all twenty five laps to top the main. Late in the race his comfortable lead was shaved down by lapped traffic that slowed his progress and second place finisher Ronnie Choate from Tennessee made a last corner attempt that came up just short. Ohio driver Carson Hubbard finished third. 

As had been also the case on Tuesday night, the Mod Lite racing was marked by several wicked flips which fortunately, did not produce any reported driver injuries but did make for several heart stopping moments as cars were flipping in all directions. 

LOLMS action continues on Thursday night with the ante being raised in both laps run and the purse paid out as drivers continue to fine tune their cars for the return of points racing which is upcoming on Friday. 

Moran Tops LOLMS Opener at Ocala

 With the closing of East Bay Raceway Park and the shuffling of the Lucas Oil Late Model Series schedule as a result of this, Ocala Speedway, or Bubba Raceway, as some still prefer to call it, finds themselves as the presenters of the final week of Lucas Oil Late Model racing during the Florida Speed Weeks series. Five nights of racing will be topped by the fifty lap feature event on Saturday night. But before that, there will be four other nights of racing, the last three of which will offer full Lucas points while the first two shows, while being non point nights, are still nice paying events and tune ups for what comes later. 

Thirty eight drivers signed in for opening night racing action with a thirty lap feature race to highlight the evening. At least seven more rigs were also in the pits with those drivers, for a variety of reasons, opting to pass up Tuesday night racing. One crew that was very busy was the Ricky Thornton Jr. team who had a new Longhorn chassis shipped to them over night from North Carolina and they were busy putting the motor in the car and getting everything ready for racing later this week. 

One interesting moment in pre race activity found a pick up truck delivering six new Clements racing engines to the pits where they were distributed by a fork lift operated by Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Rick Eckert to various teams waiting for fresh "bullets" for the rest of this week and beyond. 

It was interesting to note that the banner that East Bay had prepared for last year's final series of February races with pictures of all former winners of that storied series is now hanging over the tech shed here at Ocala. 

Qualifying of a quick race track saw the entire field within a second of each other and showing off a pattern that would continue all night, Devin Moran turned the best lap at 14. 361 seconds, even though he was the thirty fifth driver to hit the track for time trials. Brandon Overton was quickest of group one and those two would later battle it out for the feature win. 

The format would be a familiar one for Lucas, with four heats and a pair of B Features setting up the field for the main event. Because it was a non point race, there would be no provisional starters and just twenty four taking the green. However, on this tight and oddly shaped track, twenty four drivers is plenty. Some good drivers would miss the main including Dennis Erb Jr, Freddie Carpenter and Donald McIntosh as the preliminary action was frantic. The strangely shaped turn four area took its toll as several quarter panels and spoilers were knocked off in that area as some drivers unfamiliar with this track found it to be a tricky exit to the front chute. 

Overton and Moran shared the front row for the main event during the quick paced program with Overton taking the early lead. Moran and Carson Ferguson battled for second with Ferguson narrowing his car up some on that tricky turn four wall. Jonathan Davenport was looking for racing room after he started in the fourth row. 

Luckless Brian Shirley had more bad things happen as he was running in the top five when he got a flat tire, triggering the first yellow flag and spoiling what might have been a promising night. 

Overton continued to lead as racing resumed but Moran was showing strength as he closed in on the leader with Ferguson still third as Hudson O'Neal and Davenport battling with him for position. 

The first long stretch of green flag racing saw Overton catch the back of the pack and they were tough to get by, all being fast and racing for position. Overton's pace was slowed and Moran jumped at the chance, making several serious attempts to get past the leader. 

Finally, on lap twenty four, Moran was able to squeeze past and take over the point, just before the second and final yellow flew for a spinning Daulton Wilson who called it a night. 

Moran would power away on the restart with Davenport and Overton swapping second before Overton reclaimed the position with just a couple laps to go. He made a final corner attempt on Moran but came up short as Devin drove home for the win. Ferguson finished up fourth and O'Neal was right behind him as twenty of the starters were still on the track at the finish, all on the lead lap. 

IMCA Mod Lites were also on the racing card for both the Tuesday night and Wednesday night shows. An all star field of forty eight drivers, from all parts of the country, were on hand to race on Tuesday night. Their twenty four car field would find Riley Clem from Bakersfield California come home with the feature win. He was followed by Corey Babbitt from Texas and Ryan McKenney from Deleware. 

NIcholas A Surprise Winner Among Many At VSP

 Night number one for the DIRTcar UMP Modified racers was held on Monday night, February 3rd  at the Volusia Speedway Park near Barberville Florida. The Modified racers had competed for three nights previously in the preceding week  as a part of the 360 Sprint series held at the track but Monday night would be the first night for gathering points toward the prized Gator trophy to be handed out at the end of the week. And while somewhere near seventy racers completed last week, after the one night break in the racing taken on Sunday, the Modified teams came rolling in out of the weeds from all parts of the country and North to Canada with a pit busting one hundred and two drivers signing in to race on Monday night. Monday and Tuesday night shows would be stand alone races for the Modified drivers before they were joined by the World of Outlaw Sprint Car series to round out the week at Volusia County. 

Florida weather greeted the teams and fans on hand for the night with temperatures in the eighties and humidity not felt since last Fall in the Midwest. In fact, the show would barely be completed before the fog would roll in to the point that racing would not have been possible. we've seen the fog roll in here before and stop shows but the timing turned out to  be just right on Monday. 

A unique format exists for the early races of this series. The drivers qualify and then are split into six feature races with the races themselves divided by speed with the fastest group running feature race number six and the slowest in feature number one. All six feature races are twenty laps in distance and all pay exactly the same prize money. But for those serious about winning Gators at the end of the week, it is all about points earned during each nights show that are tallied up at the end of the week and set the lineups for the most important events. 

Not known until I arrived at the track, I was in for a special treat on Monday. Since WoO officials didn't want the Modifieds qualifying on nights when they were point racing later in the week, both on Monday and Tuesday the drivers in the Modified class would run double time trials with one lap used to se the fields on Monday and the second on Wednesday. On Tuesday they would do the same once again to set the running order for Tuesday and Thursday night. 

Thus, over four hundred laps of time trials would proceed the first race of the night. It was such a treat for someone that just loves time trials to begin with! It also meant that the first race of the night wouldn't start until after 8 pm so my thoughts of this being a very quick program were dashed before they ever began. 

Thankfully though, there were no heat races to follow and once the qualifying was complete, the first of six feature races hit the track. The quickest qualifier for the night was Illinois' Will Krup who turned a lap of 17.558 seconds. Perhaps most amazingly, Krup was the one hundredth driver to qualify which meant that nearly two hundred laps of qualifying had already been done when he hit the track, yet he still got the quickest lap of all. Humid weather conditions could partly explain this unique situation, yet Iowa's own Mike VanGenderen, who is in charge of track prep at VSP for this series, could also take a bow. 

Most feature races had around seventeen or eighteen cars in each with the first four drivers in each inverted in the starting field and the rest lined straight up behind them by time. 

The very first feature race would provide one of the most surprising and perhaps, up lifting moments of the entire night when veteran Arkansas racer Gene Nicholas led all twenty laps to record what was not only his first ever win at VSP but his first ever Modified victory!

Nicholas, who I have seen race at many USMTS shows over the years along with racing in various other sanctioning bodies, started on the pole and shot into the early lead, with racing stopped after just a lap for a spinning driver. Nicholas held the early lead over Clayton Bryant and Dustin Sorensen with those two battling hard for second. As Nicholas set a blistering pace, Bryant and Sorensen traded second back and forth with Sorensen grabbing the spot on lap night but Bryant repassed him at the halfway point. 

Meanwhile, Nicholas was long gone and even a yellow with just five laps to go didn't help the field as on the final sprint, Nicholas again pulled away. Daniel Sanchez made a big rush from row three to pass Sorensen late but he had nothing for the leader as Nicholas drove away from the field and earned his first win ever on a big stage indeed. 

Feature number two was a rocky one with two multi car crashes before the first lap was completed eliminating nearly half the field with the wreckers busy clearing the track. Once racing finally broke out, it was Illinois driver Dave Wietholder that took the lead and showing the same pattern as the previous race, he pulled away to lead from start to finish. 

Once the race got going, there was only a single yellow with five laps complete with the rest of the race going green to checkers. While Wietholder had a comfortable lead, the battle for second was a good one between James Manka and Ray Kable. Chris Beaulieu joined those two and actually moved into second by the halfway point, only to fall out later with mechanical issues. 

And while Wietholder drove on uncontested, the race behind him remained good with Brian Ruhlman picking up the pace late and driving into second spot while Austin Self came all the way from twelfth to complete the top three. 

Feature race number three would be one of the cleanest of the night with just a single yellow flag, that before a lap could be completed. Ryan Thomas grabbed the lead when racing restarted and he maintained control of the top spot for the first fifteen laps. Nick Neville started to cut into that advantage by the halfway point of the track and he continued to whittle into Thomas's lead. 

Closely quickly, with just five laps to go Nick was able to make the winning pass and then pulled away to take the win with Cole Falloway also moving up quickly at the end to take third. 

Another wire to wire win was recorded in feature race number four as Bobby Bagley took off from the pole and was never challenged in taking the win. This race was a tough one with four yellows in the first four laps with spins and wall bangers slowing the action. 

The last fifteen laps did go nonstop and for Bagley, it proved to be easy pickings as he built a large lead that was never challenged. Evan Koehler and Jordan Stotts ran second and third for the entire race too, battling hard with each other as Bagley continued to drive away from both. 

A familiar face to Modified fans all through the country, Mississippi's Chase Holland was dominant in feature race number five. He started on the pole and led all twenty laps to take the win. Evan Taylor pushed him early before Todd Neiheiser moved into second at the halfway point of the race. 

Neiheiser pushed Holland quite hard the second half of the race but Holland made no mistakes and Neiheiser had to settle for a close second with Taylor third. 

There were a batch of strong competitors in feature race number six but when Kyle Strickler starts in the front row, it's usually trouble for the competition. And such was again the case on Monday as Kyle would lead all twenty laps for the win. Jason Beaulieu took second early but the lone yellow flew on the third lap with Krup then moving into second. 

The leaders set a torrid pace and as the track seemed to widen out, drivers were running more varied lines. Krup continued to hold second with David Stremme moving into third. Krup closed up on Strickler but Kyle was running a high line in turns three and four that seemed to work very well for him and despite Krup trying to nose under him, Strickler was able to maintain his lead and drive on for the win. The final race saw just a single yellow and all competitors except one were able to finish the event. 

Another hundred car plus field is expected on Tuesday night when the program will include the same format in a stand alone event for the Modifieds.  

Thornton Tops Late Models; Peery Wins Number four as Mincy Concludes

 The Ernie Mancy Early Thaw Concluded on Saturday night, February 1st at the Central Arizona Raceway near Casa Grande. On the warmest day of the event this year and in front of by far the largest crowd, a series high one hundred and thirty eight drivers signed in to wrap up the series with the largest paying events of the week and to crown series point champions. 

All six divisions had multiple feature race winners who won the point championships topped by Sport Mod driver Ryan Peery who topped his class on four occasions. 

Feature winners on Saturday night included Dylan Thornton in the Late Models, Kollin Hibdon in the Modifieds, Dexton Koch in the Super Stocks, Rob Moseley in the Limited Mods and Peery in the Sport Mods. 

The program began with words from track promoter Brad Whitfield who detailed to the crowd what the Mincy family meant to the sport of racing to the state of Arizona and in particular, how Ernie Mincy had worked to develop and strengthen Late Model racing in the state. The very early efforts of Mincy way back in the early 2000's brought Late Model specials in the Winter to the state which continues on today through the efforts of current promoter Whitfield. The daughter of the late Mincy also spoke to the crowd. 

With the big field of cars, B Features were needed for both the Limited Mods and Modified classes but some smooth running preliminary events allowed the field to get to feature race action early.

The first feature to take the green was the Limited Mods where twenty six drivers would take the green flag for twenty laps. Lucas Rodin held the pole position and grabbed the early lead over Jerod Klein and Rob Moseley who had quickly moved up from the third row. Moseley and Klein continued their good battle for second while running very close behind leader Rodin. 

Following a yellow flag, Moseley nearly snuck by Rodin on the high side of the track but Rodin managed to close him off. After another yellow at the halfway point, the bunched up field again took off and Moseley used his greatest advantage, a quick take off, to get outside of Rodin and edge past him in turn one to take over the lead. Rodin started to slip back in the field, with Jake Smith moving up from his eighth starting spot to take over second and he then tried to slide job Moseley for the lead. 

That didn't work however, and he went high, giving the runner up slot to James Trantina III. Moseley withstood one more late yellow and one more attempted slider to drive home the winner. For "Mr. Rob", it was his first win of the series with him running just the second week here. An issue in post race inspection saw Smith elevated to second with a late charge by Adam Bohlman from twelfth saw him get his best finish of the week. Rodin and Travis Saurer completed the top five. Smith and Rodin each won two feature races with the WISSOTA Midwest Mods winning five of the six features and Smith being crowned the point champion. 

Dylan Thornton came from the thirteenth starting position to make a late race pass on Tyler Peterson to win the Late Model feature. Peterson grabbed the lead in the race from the get go and led the vast majority of the race until Thornton was able to sneak past him in the late going. 

Peterson was challenged early by Ricky Weiss and Austin Kuehl with Thornton gradually moving up through the field. He was up to third by lap twelve when the first yellow flag waved and got by Rob Mayea one lap later for third. 

While Thornton was making a move up through the field, Peterson was holding a fairly comfortable advantage. But that went away on lap sixteen when a scramble in turn four sow Lyndon Bolt turned sideways and then topple over on his roof. He was fine but the resulting red flag bunched the field. 

Thornton got by Weiss on the restart for second and the battle for the lead was on. Several times Thornton tried to get a run off the top side but each time Peterson would slide up the track and block his path. 

Finally, with just six laps to go, Thornton was able to squeeze by and in the clear, he pulled away over the last few laps to to take a resounding victory. The win was his third of the series and he claimed the point title as well. Behind Peterson, Weiss, Mayea and Justin Kay completed the top five. Spec engine cars would win five of six main events. 

Troy Morris III was the clear favorite to win the Modified feature. He had already won three main events  during the series and was starting on the front row for the twenty lap main event. 

And indeed, he took the lead right from the start with Ian Whisler, Luke Silber and Braxton Yeager chasing him in the early going. A lap two spin by promoter Whitfield bunched the field. Whitfield is quite the busy guy. No only does he have all his promoter's responsibilities, he has raced both Stock Cars and Modifieds this week. 

Morris III pulled away again on the restart, eventually extending his lead to nearly a full straightaway. On the move was Kollin Hibdon who had started eighth but had moved up to third by the halfway point. 

One lap later disaster would strike the leader. Barreling into turn one, he jumped the cushion and hit the wall hard and immediately slowed, triggering the yellow. A quick tire change and Moris III was back on the track, eventually finishing thirteenth. 

Whisler inherited the lead but just a lap later Hibdon made a strong move on the low side of the track and drove past Whisler to take over the point and he would extend that advantage over the final five laps.

It was a good night for the Whisler's as Eston would move up to finish third, ahead of Chaz Baca and Bryson Yeager with Braxton right behind him. 

Morris III had three wins during the series but his wall banging incident cost him the point title when he was edged out by Hibdon.who had just the single win but consistent finishes. 

The non stop Super Stock feature saw Dexton Koch, who dominated the clas s all week, drive off from the outside pole and lead from start to finish for the win. Matt Sparby moved quickly into second and held the position for the rest of the race. Koch would expand his lead to nearly a full straightaway as he glided home for the win. Sparby had his best run of the week to finish second with James Trantina III, Beau Brown and Jon Tribble in the top five. Koch won half the feature races and the points title. 

The Stock Car feature went twenty laps nonstop and the driver that had dominated victory lane, Shelby Williams, would visit for the third time this week. He got the jump from the outside pole and controlled the race from start to finish. Kaden Woodie did his best to keep up with the Texas driver but he wouldn't be able to offer any challenges for the lead. 

The race ended at just the right time for Williams however, as on the last lap his hood came loose and was pushing up toward  his wind screen and making visibility a challenge. He manage to get through the final revolution but he might have been in trouble if he would have had to run that way for any distance. 

Behind Woodie, it was Jason Storbakken, Mike Albertsen and Trevor Hidalgo across the line. While Williams won half the feature races, Albertsen's two wins gave him the title when Williams had a couple bad DNF's. 

The last race on the card for the evening and last race of the Mincy was the Sport Mod feature. Unfortunately, it was also the most trying feature of the entire series. Plagued by mostly spins, this race had eight yellow flags and tried the patience of most on hand, including the track officials. 

It had to have been a tough one for Ryan Peery also. Even though he led all twenty laps, he did have some pretty good competition from Joe Docekal and Payce Herrera who kept close to the leader. And every time there was another restart, he had to be careful to get a good break, as both challengers were ready to pounce. Herrera's run was short circuited by a flat tire but Docekal refused to give up, haunting Peery for the whole race. 

But Ryan wouldn't slip up and he drove to his fourth win of the series, plus the point title. A great run was made by Jorddon Braaten  who started twenty fifth and moved all the way up to third at the fiish. Dakota Girard and Kaden Woodie finished off the top five. 

With the Mincy Thaw now complete, we mark the end of our almost three week invasion of CAR. There are plenty of folks to thank, starting with promoter Brad Whitfield and his entire staff, especially Rowdy Briggs, who under took this gigantic task of running back to back multi week shows and they did a great job of doing so. They over saw racing in ten different classes over the nearly month long series of races but they aren't done yet. Next week they have another show and they feature Sprint Cars!

The changes and upgrades to the track were excellent and everybody approved of the looks of the new CAR. More things are planned for the future and we look forward to seeing those changes come early January 2026.  Discussions and planning for the 2026 Ernie Mincy Early Thaw are already under way relative to format, scheduling, sponsorships and classes racing.  Look for further announcements as the season progresses.