Performance Racing Industry Trade Show
Thursday's updates from Indy's PRI Trade Show
Ariel Bloomquist received her father's award. (DirtonDirt.com)
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Dec. 12) — The Indiana Convention Center doors open at 9 a.m. Thursday for the first of three days at 2024’s Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, where more than 40,000 attendees are expected to check out more than 1,000 companies over 750,000 square feet floor space making up more than 3,600 booths, many with a Dirt Late Model focus. Thursday’s blog-style notebook (complete PRI coverage):
5:30 p.m. | On to Friday
We're wrapping up our first-day coverage but rejoin us first thing Friday for more notes from the show floor, including some holdover notes from today's interviews. Kyle McFadden is also planning a story on how Ariel Bloomquist, daughter of the late Scott Bloomquist, is trying to bring back the production of Bloomquist Race Cars.
5:15 p.m. | Fall Clash growing
Jim Bernheisel has added Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway to his Fall Clash miniseries that’ll debut across the Northeast next season, an Oct. 17 date that’ll pay $6,000-to-win and be part of the half-mile’s new-look Octoberfest weekend coinciding with the Short Track Super Series.
“We really wanted Hagerstown to be a part of it,” Bernheisel said. “It’s just an iconic Late Model track in our region. This is designed to be a regional series. Looking at it from a bunch of different angles, what ended up being the best for everybody is trying to resurrect the old Octoberfest and be there with the modifieds on Friday night.”
From 1988-2011, Octoberfest grew into Hagerstown's marquee event of the season as a mini World Finals, drawing in some of the nation's best Dirt Late Model, sprint car, and big-block modified drivers. Tim McCreadie, Josh Richards, and Bart Hartman are among Octoberfest winners in the Late Model.
Bernheisel’s Fall Clash now has nine confirmed dates: Aug. 29’s Labor Day 55 Classic at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway; Aug. 31’s Paul Long Memorial at Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway paying $6,300-to-win; Sept. 6 at Bridgeport (N.J.) Motorsports Park paying $10,000-to-win; Sept. 7 at Action Track USA in Kutztown, Pa., paying $6,000-to-win; Sept. 27’s Darryl Hills Memorial at Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Md. tentatively paying $10,000-to-win; Oct. 17 at Hagerstown; Oct. 24-25’s Keystone Cup at Bedford paying $25,000-to-win; and Nov. 1’s Mid-Atlantic Championship at Georgetown.
With the recent additions of Action Track USA, a quarter-mile oval built for micro sprints, and Hagerstown now has Bernheisel aiming for a 12-race miniseries schedule instead of 10. Bernheisel has also increased the miniseries point fund from $30,000 to $40,000, with the top 20 in points now receiving some kind of reward. The champion will still receive $10,000, and if Bernheisel can find more sponsorship, “the point fund will increase because my business is funding it.”
Bernheisel clarified that Action Track USA will be show-up points only as the Jonestown, Pa., businessman is only comfortable starting 18-20 cars for the feature at the quarter-mile Kutztown racetrack. Action Track USA’s addition to the Fall Clash was a rather surprising one, so much that it shocked Bernheisel, too, when the idea was offered.
“(Bridgeport and Action Track USA promoter) Doug Rose, obviously we negotiated the deal to get that done for Bridgeport. Doug said, ‘Hey, call me one day, I have an idea for you. Let’s run Sunday, (Sept. 7) at Action Track,’” Bernheisel said. “It takes a lot to make me speechless, and that left me speechless. I said, ‘I’ll have to think about it.’
“I hung up and Googled the modified race at Action Track. I called him right back and said, ‘I’m in. This is going to be amazing.’ So, there you go.”
4:18 p.m. | New role
Strolling around this year’s PRI show is different than it’s ever been for Shane Clanton.
The 49-year-old from Zebulon, Ga., is still a race car driver, but he’s not a full-time one anymore. His primary reason for traveling to Indianapolis for the weekend is in his role as the co-owner of Capital Race Cars, which puts him in a new realm.
“The difference is, is when you ask companies for help, knowing that you’re going to spend more money with them (asa business), it’s way easier to ask for help for a certain product versus just walking,” Clanton said. “Somebody says, ‘Hey, I need some help on some problems,’ so when you have buying power, it’s way easier to negotiate versus ‘helping’ power.”
Clanton and partner Chad Smith assumed ownership of Woodstock, Ga.-based Capital in January 2024 from founder Marshall Green. His first year at the helm has gone satisfactorily but he’s hoping for more success heading into the future.
“I mean, we haven't been like break the bank, but we are surviving,” Clanton said. “We’re still building. We got some more (cars that are) hopefully gonna come out in the next couple of weeks. We’re putting some deals together trying to have more cars in Florida (for Speedweeks) and and hopefully that all works out.”
Clanton said having Joseph Joiner and the Milton, Fla.-based Hunt the Front team join the Capital fold has “been an asset to the company” with Joiner stepping up to “run top-five, top-10s.” More strong Capital campaigners like Joiner are needed, Clanton asserted.
“This Late Model sport is all about numbers,” Clanton said. “The more numbers you have out there, the better chance you have to win, so hopefully we can just get more number out there and you feel like you can reach that.”
As for Clanton’s own racing, he said the 22 races he entered in 2024 will likely be around the number he runs next year.
“Somewhere around there, that’s a good fit for me to be able to still be in the race car in the seat and make some adjustments,” Clanton said. “And I do more tests than I do racing, but I need to do it more spread out than I did this year. It all come about the middle of the year and I need to do that over the whole course of the year, so I’m gonna run some Florida stuff and start out in March somewhere.”
3:48 p.m. | New shape
I-70 Speedway will have a brand-new look in 2025.
As Casey Shuman heads into his this year as the general manager of the Odessa, Mo., track, he revealed the oval that’s now just short of a half-mile in length will be rebuilt into a smaller size that’s less strenuous on racing equipment.
“It just races so fast,” Shuman said. “I mean, it’s the same size as Lakeside (Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.), but it just, it races so fast, so we've done a lot over the last two years to try and get it harder and slicker and wider and slower. And I think we have, but it just … it just needs to be smaller.
“People don't want to run big race tracks. I feel like our racing has been pretty good but, you know, I just think it can be better if we get it smaller, get it to where it's like a big quarter- or small third-mile and go that route, I think.
“And it opens us up to where we can schedule almost anything at that point. You know, right now we’re pretty limited on what we can put on there.”
Shuman called the project “a full blown reconfigure.”
“We’re not just going to cut an oval inside the half-mile,” he said. “It’s all going to come in and be completely new, so it’s exciting. Like turn one and two will come in a little bit — it’s kind of offset right now as it is — so it will all kind of shift a little towards the infield on that end. The flag stand will still be kind of the same place and we’ll just get it to where it’s, like I said, a small third-mile or a big quarter-mile.”
Shuman isn’t certain about Dirt Late Model racing on the track’s 2025 schedule, but he’s been in contact with both Rick Schwallie of the Lucas Oil Series (the tour ran at I-70 in 2022) and Steve Francis of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and he’s “doing what we can to try and get something down there.”
“I think a lot of people just had like a bad taste in their mouth about the first time (the Lucas Oil Series) went (to I-70) — you know, too rough, too heavy, too fast and stuff like that,” said Shuman, who hosted an event for the disbanded Lucas Oil MLRA circuit in October. “But, you know, we’ve definitely fixed a lot of the problems that they had in the past and I think they would be happy with now.”
Shuman sees 2025 as a new beginning for I-70.
“It’s kind of a whole rebranding,” he said. “I mean, I know they just did it not too long ago, but I think it’s something that’s necessary to try to keep the place going. I feel like we’ve gained momentum from the first year I started to ’24 and it’s been slowly getting better.
“But, you know, we need a big push. We need something to really mix things up, so it will be kind of like a whole new rebranding again, kind of like a grand reopening again, and I think everyone will be excited about it. The fans and the racers, I think they all will be happy that it’s smaller and more racy.”
3:37 p.m. | Revival 2.0
The inaugural season for the POWRi Revival Late Model Series, an eastern Kansas-based tour promoted by brothers Jacob and Tyler Magee, was a “solid A” in their estimation with the series completing 10 races at nine tracks and Kylan Garner of Neosho, Mo., capturing the points championship.
“Our expectations for what we did we met easily. We knew what we were going to do and we did it,” Jacob Magee said while taking a break from touring the trade show aisles. “But outside of that, the expectations we had from other people in the industry — tracks, drivers, whatever it may be — we blew their expectations out of the water. So with that, there's things we can improve on, we’ll never say there isn’t, but we did a good job.”
The brothers have bigger plans for 2025, in part because their fledgling tour has the opportunity to fill the void of the Lucas Oil Midwest LateModel Racing Association, the 35-year-old tour shuttered by the Lucas Oil Products organization last month. In expanding to what they hope is a 25-race schedule, they expect to land some former MLRA venues while continuing to get their feet under them.
"I know that with how early we are into the game, we'd like to just step in and just be at (MLRA’s) level right now, but we aren't there. Not that we wouldn't be capable of doing it, it's just that the perception of us isn't there yet,” Jacob Magee said. “There'll be tracks that we race at that were MLRA tracks, and hopefully we can put more money towards the events to help out these drivers that are kind of coming from the MLRA fold, and that's what we're working on. That's why we're here (at PRI). We’re talking to people that we've dealt with last year and making new deals and just trying to do the best we can for the racer.”
The Magees are in discussions with many tracks stretching from western Kansas to Texas to St. Louis, Mo. “It's going a little bit of everywhere this year because more people want us,” Jacob Magee said.
They realize they can’t ask every series driver to travel so far, so plans are to create three divisions. Drivers can compete for the overall points title or points fund for the South, West and East divisions, so “a guy can compete in his region and catch a few races outside the region and then he'll be able to race for the total points, which the region will also pay points as well.”
They’re “doing the absolute best we can,” Jacob Magee added, to provide incentives and tow money to support traveling racers.
The series hopes to rise to the challenge of continuing to bring successful events to wherever the Revival tour competes, Tyler Magee said.
"I think our biggest challenge again, with the expansion into new tracks and new areas, for just us, will be being able to promote (events) as well as we have in the past. And that's what we kind of what we got our name for within this first season was how much we promote the track on top of the drivers,” he said. “So figuring out these new areas that we're coming to, how we get to those consumers in that area, to get the crowd numbers that we were seeing at other places. We had tracks tell us, a majority of the tracks tell us, that our show was their biggest show of the year. And we want, we want to make sure that's happening everywhere we go next year. We want the tracks to benefit as much as the racers are benefitting from this also
"And that's the way we've put it this whole time. We're putting racers first, track second, and then us third. And if we keep with that process, it will eventually get to where it's better for all of us and better for the full racing community.”
3:10 p.m. | Summer Nationals prize
The overall DIRTcar Summer Nationals points champion will have a little bonus awaiting them at the end of the Hell Tour’s rainbow in 2025.
DIRTcar director Sam Driggers said Thursday that another $10,000 prize has been earmarked for the driver standing with the most points come the conclusion of the month-long series, adding an extra reward to a Summer Nationals that has morphed into a conglomeration of miniseries with five separate weekly points races.
“Last year we did five weeks of point funds (paying $10,000-to-win and nine other spots) and that's all they got at the end of the year,” Driggers said. “But they fussed about it last year that I didn’t do it (pay the overall champion), so I talked to (World Racing Group CEO) Brian (Carter) and he said to do it so that’s what we did.
“I think it’s just to show the fact that they was there (for the whole schedule), they proved it, they made it, they made it all the way through.”
Driggers released the 2025 Summer Nationals schedule before the start of the PRI show. It’s a typically ambitious slate with 30 races scheduled over a 33-day period from June 11’s opener at at Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, Ill., to July 13’s finale at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio.
“It’s a few more than what I want, but I also need to give these promoters what they need,” Driggers said. “And I like to go to new places and I’ve got some new places in there this year, so it'll be fun.”
The Hell Tour will for the first time visit Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa (June 19) and Duck River Raceway Park in Wheel, Tenn. (July 6) along with making its return to Wilmot (Wis.) Raceway for the first time since 2016. The reopening La Salle (Ill.) Speedway is also back for the first time since 2021 and Montpelier (Ind.) Motor Speedway ends a three-year absence.
“These tracks have called and asked about races during the year, so I called them and checked (if they were still interested),” Driggers said. “They wanted them, so it makes sense to do that.”
2:59 p.m. | Different times
There was a time when Neil McPhillips of Hooker Harness remembers the Freeport, Ill.-based seat-belt manufacturer might target a new or improved product for December’s PRI show.
But with nearly year-around racing for Dirt Late Models and other divisions, and fewer customers who making the trade show a priority, those days are long gone.
“It was exciting because people were talking about it,” McPhillips said, remembering product reveals at PRI from years ago. “There was a buzz about it, so I think that if we could roll new products out at the show, it would be better. But I just don't want to wait anymore. I'm seeing these people at (the previous weekend’s Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals), I'm seeing these people late in the year, I'm seeing them early in the year.
"Unfortunately, it’s just changed over the years,” McPhillips said. “I think it's definitely changed post-Covid a little bit as well in that we want to get (new products) out there as quick as we can.”
The biggest benefit of PRI is hands-on demonstrations, McPhillips said.
"But here you can touch and feel it. I guess that's still a little bit different, but I wish more people could touch and feel for us. Like our big advantage of selling belts at the show is I can put you in the seat and I can strap you in. I can let you try it out, but I need that crowd of people back to be able to do that.”
He’s seen a “little bit of reduction the Dirt Late Model crowd,” in recent shows. “I'd love to see a little bit of more of that come back. But I think it's really tough. We race all year now, like we raced last weekend, there's a big race today, we're racing like next month in Florida and Georgia, we're in New Mexico. We just need some downtime. It's hard to even roll out new products because we're so quick to get new products out there as soon as they're out, we're going to put them out. Nobody's holding them for PRI anymore. I think that hurts (and the show) loses a little luster that way as well.”
The company has done the PRI show for nearly 25 years. Is Hooker Harness in for the long haul at PRI?
“I’d love to stick with it,” he said. “But, you know, we're still trending probably, I feel personally, in the wrong direction. That it’s less of a dirt crowd. I’m not saying that that's all we sell to, but in racing, that's probably the bulk of what we do. I hope we can figure out something to turn it around.”
2 p.m. | Seeking experience
For Luke Morey, everything right now is about turning as many laps as he can behind the wheel of a Dirt Late Model.
The 16-year-old son of Bilstein Shocks representative Aaron Morey just completed his first season in the division with a modicum of far-flung traveling. Year 2 will likely bring even more to continue his education.
“Just kind of trying to get experience. We’re trying get used to any, all the racetracks,” Morey said while touring the PRI show. “It's really the main goal. (In 2024) we went down to the Georgia area, we went all the way up to Indiana, Ohio. We’re going to try to do that even more next year.”
The teenage Morey, who as a home-school student has already finished his schooling early, is a native of Michigan but now lives in Denver, N.C. He entered the motorsports ranks as a driver on asphalt in Legends Cars, Crate Late Models and the CARS Tour Pro Late Models, but after totaling his car he made the move to the Southeast’s dirt tracks with an open-wheel modified. After buying a former Kyle Larson-driven Longhorn Chassis from Kevin Rumley, he went Dirt Late Model racing.
“The switch to dirt just made sense,” Morey said. “We know more people on dirt.”
And as Morey noted of Dirt Late Model action, “I love it. It’s way better. You can travel anywhere in the country and race, and next year we’re going to try to travel a bit more to the Midwest area and try to run some MARS races, some Iron Man Series races, so kind of travel out from the Carolinas a little bit more is our goal.”
Morey is planning to kick off his 2025 campaign in January with the Lucas Oil Series events at Golden Isles Speedway near Brunswick, Ga., and run about half of the Georgia-Florida Speedweeks events. Some attempts at crown jewel shows are in his crosshairs as well.
There’s definitely some knowledge in Morey’s corner as he makes his way forward. His father’s affiliation with Bilstein allows Luke to “work with a lot of the bigger name drivers, talking to them about what they feel with certain shocks,” and he works out of the Carson Brown Motorsports shop where veteran crew chief Randall Edwards toils as the teenage Brown’s head wrench.
1:19 p.m. | Bloomquist honored
The late Scott Bloomquist was named the recipient of the Hoosier Hero Legend award Thursday morning at the PRI Trade Show as the Hall of Fame driver’s daughter, Ariel, was on hand to officially receive the award. The Hoosier Hero program launched in 2022 to honor and recognize 12 active racers who embody Hoosier’s mission of fueling passion, pride and success both on and off the track. Hoosier’s Legend award, meanwhile, honors a member of the racing community who has left an incredible mark in motorsports.
“Scott Bloomquist was a legendary name in the world of not only dirt racing, but motorsports in general,” Hoosier Racing Tire head of marketing Nic Moncher said in a press release. “He was at the forefront for Dirt Late Model racing’s growth and success over the years, as well as played an integral part in helping develop and test Hoosier’s dirt tire lineup. It’s been a privilege to have had Ariel (Bloomquist) here with us this week to honor her father and I look forward to showcasing his legacy for years to come as the 2025 Hoosier Hero Legend.”
The 18-year-old Ariel Bloomquist was of course honored to receive the award on her father’s behalf, adding that “all the experiences I’ve got to experience since my father passed has been awesome." She even donned her father’s purple Hoosier Racing Tire corduroy jacket from his 1988 World 100 victory at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway during Thursday’s Hoosier Hero awards.
“Hoosier gave this to dad I’m guessing in 1988,” Bloomquist said. “When him and my mom got married, she had it. Then mom passed it down to me so I can wear it for this event.”
Hoosier Racing Tire’s Hero program had more than 400 nominations by fan vote that were in the running for the 12-member class and the Hoosier Legend award. Entries were then narrowed to 25 finalists, which were then whittled down to the 12-member class of active drivers and the one Legend award by a voting process that involved fans, media and industry personnel.
12:25 p.m. | Eyeing WoO
Dillon McCowan has his sights set on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2025.
The Urbana, Mo., driver who turns 21 in January isn’t 100 percent committed to chasing the national tour’s Rookie of the Year honors, but he sure wants to take the challenge.
“We’re really heavily leaning towards the World Outlaws and trying to run with these guys I think,” McCowan said while standing in the World Racing Group’s booth. “It’s a really good series and it’s kind of based more where we’re out of and makes sense, you know, for us. So, if we do anything, I would assume it’s going to be with the World Outlaws and just race as much as we possibly can."
McCowan plans to head to Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., for WoO action in January and February with his family-owned team. With a solid start, continuing down the road with the Outlaws could be in the offing.
“We haven’t made any decisions without my parents. They’re an extremely big part in what I do and and my decision making,” McCowan said. “So we're going to talk it over and kind of go from there. I’m really wanting to (follow the series). I’ve wanted to run this deal for a long time. You know, everybody wants to be an Outlaw, and that's kind of what I’ve wanted to do but our program wasn’t quite ready.
“We’re feeling like our program is a little headed in the right direction now, and if we can get all our stars aligned we'll go for it this year.”
Coming off a 2024 season that saw him win three Super Late Model events — one on the MARS circuit, one with Lucas Oil MLRA and one unsanctioned — and finish fourth in the MLRA points standings, McCowan is making the move to campaign Infinity by Wells Chassis.
“I just needed a change,” McCowan said going with Infinity cars. “I felt like what them guys were doing was more focused on what we’re trying to do. I think, you know, we have the same goal in mind, and I really like them guys and they’ve really helped me out a lot.
“I’m really looking forward to this new year (and) getting to race with (WoO Infinity racers) Ryan (Gustin) and Tristan (Chamberlain) and them guys on the same program. Hopefully we can all help each other.”
McCowan is looking at a WoO assault as a way to hasten his learning curve.
“That’s how you get better and,” he said. “I’m really excited to get that (Infinity relationship) going. We’ve been working with them guys and I can’t thank them enough, and my parents for letting me do this and putting me out here on the road and all my amazing spots. Without them, we couldn't be out here and even doing what we do in the off season. It takes a whole village to get these cars ready to go and keep them going for 80 races a year.”
12:12 p.m. | WoO seeks title sponsor
A change in marketing strategy ended Case Construction Equipment’s three-year run as title sponsor of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series at season’s end, but Brian Carter, CEO of WoO’s parent company the World Racing Group said it’s still “full steam ahead” for the series while the national tour seeks a replacement.
“We've got discussions ongoing with a couple of companies that are really interested in supporting the racing. So, working on that. We’re not rushing into anything,” Carter said between discussions on the trade show floor. “We’re just making sure we got the right program for a good marketing partner and for the sport, too.”
Carter hopes he can make announcement during the winter, but “we're going to be really smart about how we approach it and make sure that we get the right partner and can get the right value package for who's coming in.”
The Case sponsorship ended when a change in executives shifted the company’s marketing strategy, Carter said.
“You're not selling a whole lot of $100,000 tractors in our pit area, and really we need to make sure that we're doing the right thing for the marketing partner,” he said. “Their marketing strategy changed during the term of our contract and we appreciate everything they did. We've got Case equipment all over our properties. So we thank them very much for everything they did for us.
“And just they changed strategies, and you've got to be nimble and quick in today's marketing world. The way in which we approach our customers every day changes, and their's changed and we were glad they were with us and they were a huge supporter and we're looking for the next one.”
11:56 a.m. | Odds and ends
Indianapolis is on Eastern Standard Time. … It’s a good day to use the skywalks throughout Indianapolis with temperatures in the teens this morning and not expected to rise above the mid-20s this afternoon (that didn’t prevent, however, a handful of attendees wearing short pants on the show floor). Temps should be in the 30s Friday and rising to the 40s Saturday with rain expected Saturday evening after the show closes. … Bryson Mitchell’s championship car in the weekly 602 Crate Late Model division for Crate Racin’ USA is in booth No. 7166. … Pennsylvania Crate Late Model racer Braeden Dillinger’s No. 14 is on display on a corridor near the coat check room East of the main show floor. …. Iowa driver Ryan Gustin's car is in the Swift Springs booth. ... Veteran journalist and author Dave Argabright is among those touring the PRI aisles. His current project? He’s working on a book with 20-time WoO sprint car champion Steve Kinser. Argabright has often found himself with sore feet if he walks too much at such a trade show, but he’s debuting some black Hoka thick-soled athletic shoes he hopes will be more comfortable. … In news away from the show, Dodge City (Kan.) Raceway Park has confirmed it plans a weekly Dirt Late Model division, running the rules of the United Rebel Late Model Series (formerly the High Plains circuit).
11:05 a.m. | MARS on upswing
More races. More tracks. More money.
With all the positives surrounding the 2025 MARS Late Model Championship Series, third-year owner Matt Curl is extremely bullish on the tour’s future.
“We grew the first two years, we didn’t reach for the stars, you know, right away,” Curl said on Thursday morning. “Now we've really pulled those resources in here so I could see this being a very good, sustainable level. If we can sustain this for many years to come, that’s going to be a huge thing for the area.
"I think if we can sustain this level ... I mean, this is a very high reach for a Midwestern regional series."
Curl’s MARS circuit, which has Jonathan Clayton as its director, is expanding slightly from its Illinois home base of the past two years. The tour’s recently-released 2025 schedule shows 32 events at 20 tracks, a significant increase from the ’24 campaign that saw Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., emerge as champion for the second consecutive year.
“We went from 22 shows to 32 which is a huge bump,” said Curl, whose Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway hosts four MARS events in 2025. “Definitely when (Lucas Oil) MLRA disbanded, it opened up a really good corridor of tracks there through the Mississippi River, which we had good partners with. And the (new) driver loyalty program is a big part of our regional deal to give more back to the drivers, and having the points fund go from $35,000 to $80,000 (with $25,000 to the champion) now. So a lot of those things are trending in the right direction to have a really sporty Midwestern regional feel to it.
"I think the regional deal that we’ve kind of built and sustained here is bringing in different drivers also into the region. When we have good events like we have at each of these tracks, it’s just not the Illinois guys. You are seeing some Missouri guys and Kentucky guys, so they are driving in and that’s just testament to Jonathan and, you know, the team, and being able to provide those shows and having a good show.”
10:35 a.m. | Ascending Larson
Matthew Larson of Lake Elmo, Minn., has watched his father Brent become a national touring series regular. He’d like to follow in his old man’s tire tracks.
Following a standout rookie season of USRA Late Model racing that included 13 victories, two track titles, second place in national points and Rookie of the Year honors, the 18-year-old Larson would seem to be on his way to realizing his greatest desires.
“It was a good year stepping up,” Larson said Thursday morning of his debut campaign in the Late Model ranks after previously running Super Stocks and Midwest Modifieds. “My dad and I worked together a lot to get my stuff really good and we had it rolling for a while towards the middle end of the year.”
Larson spent time on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series road with his father during the 2020-21 seasons, but since then he’s been focusing on his own racing endeavors in the Upper Midwest. The 2024 season was his breakout in USRA competition, highlighted by five wins at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., and two at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., and points championships at both tracks.
What was Larson most proud about this season?
“Probably all the adversity I had to go through with towards the end of the year,” Larson said. “There was just a lot of tech issues and some tracks that had some issues with preferences on people and not liking me that much. But through all that, though, I think it strengthened me as a person to be a better racer so I can’t really complain about that either.
“And a lot of the growth it takes to actually get yourself comfortable in the Late Model is one thing that I think I’m really proud of myself for adapting so fast. The switch from a B-mod to a Late Model is pretty significant, and it was something where you wouldn’t think that at first. But man, it’s really different.”
After graduating from Stillwater (Minn.) High School in June, Larson has plans to continue his ascension in 2025.
“I think we're going to go do some CRUSA (Crate) racing and we’re going to have an open (motor) car at home and go do some open stuff and maybe go travel around a little bit with that stuff, probably race some stuff up in the Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia area,” said Larson, whose father plans to return to the WoO tour in ’25. “My dad and I are going to go travel some together next year still with some open stuff, and any time I can bring a Crate to those shows … it’s kind of a big deal for me.”
Larson doesn’t have any college or technical school plans on his immediate agenda.
“I just drive race cars,” he said with a smile. “That's the dream.”
9:50 a.m. | Tough task
There’s nothing simple about operating a Dirt Late Model series. Ronnie Rogers discovered that fact of life in 2024.
Rogers, who owns Wall 2 Wall Racing Engines, spearheaded the launch of the MS Crate Late Model Series this season to give racers in Mississippi and Louisiana area a modest traveling option. It was just a nine-race tour that hit six tracks, but he had to call on some help from his friends to make it all happen.
“He asked me to help him do the series and I think he took on a lot more than he thought it was,” said veteran Mississippi racer and promoter Charles Thrash, who gladly stepped up to assist Rogers. “He thought it was a pretty easy deal, which it’s not by no means, you know?
“So I agreed to help him and everything, and it went OK the first year … made some mistakes, but everybody does, you know? It’s like I tried to explain to him — it's a lot of work now. It’s not just show up at a racetrack, you know, and everything's hunky dory. It don't work that way.
“He learned a lot,” he added as the doors opened for Thursday’s show, “so we’re gonna go from there and see how it works.”
Thrash said the circuit for 604 Crate Late Model competitors will return in 2025 hopefully with some more tracks joining the schedule that this year included visits to Mississippi’s Hattiesburg, Pike County, Whynot, Jackson and Greenville ovals and Louisiana’s Baton Rouge Raceway. He pinpointed Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., as a facility the tour would like to hit for the first time.
“We didn’t want to kind of hamper the local tracks,” Thrash said of the tour’s focus. “You don’t want to never do that, you know, to a point. But then you had some guys that … I think there was five guys that followed the whole thing, but those guys are, they're gonna go off and race anyhow. It’s not that they're committed to local racing all the time, but yeah, that's something you had to be real careful with and not hurt the local people, you know, and things like that.”
Thrash noted that the circuit is also hoping to increase the car counts for the 604 Crate division, which have “fell off some” while the 602s have “picked up.”
“The expense is not hardly any difference because the only really difference is a shock and the motor,” Thrash said of the two Crate classes. “Everything else is exactly the same — the cars, everything about them tires, everything. I don't know if everybody thinks the mindset it’s easier to win or what (in the 602s). I don't know. You know racers, you know how it goes — they’re gonna do what they can. It’s all about that win.”
8:53 a.m. | Hall of Famers
Trade show founder Steve Lewis and Ed Iskenderian of Isky Racing Cams make up inaugural class of the PRI Hall of Fame. They were inducted at this morning’s breakfast.
Lewis, who founded PRI in 1986 and has been an integral part of its exponential growth each year, was also the owner of Nine Racing and promoter of the Twin 25 midget race events among other roles in auto racing.
The 103-year-old Iskenderian, legendary among racers worldwide, collaborated with other industry pioneers to create SEMA and was SEMA's first president. In 1985, he was inducted as a member of Chevrolet's "Legends of Performance.”
8:38 a.m. | Silliness over?
There's always wags online trolling with unlikely driver-team changes, but in regards to national touring Dirt Late Model teams, it appears most of the Silly Season was held earlier than ever this season (first in March with Hudson O'Neal giving up the Rocket Chassis house car and again in July when SSI Motorsports released Ricky Thornton Jr. and rehired O'Neal, with Thornton quickly landing at Koehler Motorsports).
Of course the more traditional swapping of rides — Silly Season 3.0? — commenced in October with the expected return of Brandon Sheppard to the Rocket Chassis house car he'd vacated two years earlier with Tim McCreadie, who spent most of the season in the Rocket1 after O'Neal's departure, landing with the Briggs Transport team that will work closely with the Rocket operation.
Brandon Overton left his Wells Motorsports ride to replace Sheppard with the Longhorn Factory Team, joining former SSI crew chief Anthony Burroughs.
Among other changes, G.R. Smith’s Team 22 Inc. tapped Pennsylvania youngster Drake Troutman for a planned national touring run while former Team 22 driver Max McLaughlin plans an independent schedule with Niece Motorsports for his second Dirt Late Model season in 2025.
That's not to say something might not pop up at PRI, but it doesn't appear like it'll be a PRI like years gone by when this team or that is announcing a new driver or significant change.
7:50 a.m. | Looking ahead
While we'll be scouring the show floor chatting with folks we find with a Dirt Late Model connection, there are some specific things coming up or issues we'll check on this week:
• Three of the most significant Super Late Model tour schedules that haven't been released are in the hands of multiseries promoter Ray Cook, who is expected to reveal dates for his Schaeffer's Spring Nationals and Schaeffer's Southern Nationals tours on Friday morning, along with the Coltman Farms Southern All Star Series he's newly acquired with a group of partners.
• We've noticed that World of Outlaws Late Model Series no longer lists Case Construction Equipment as the title sponsor, so we'll be checking to see if another title sponsor is in the offing.
• Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., at noon Friday will be signing autographs at the FloRacing booth (No. 7077).
• Comp Cams Super Dirt Series co-owner Chris Sullivan said the Arkansas-based tour plans to announced its schedule during the show.
• As usual at Friday's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series banquet, held Friday night at nearby Lucas Oil Stadium, the Mike Swims Award of Excellence will be presented to a recipient who has "gone above and beyond the call of duty in the racing industry to make a lasting impact on the lives of racers, crews and fans."
7:29 a.m. | Fire run
Firefighters from the Indianapolis Fire department quickly doused a small fire in a garbage can in the basement of the Indiana Convention Center, according to one of the first reponders who exited near the media center. Firefighters entered from the Capitol Avenue entrance and left nearly as soon as they came after the fire was extinguished. No damage or injuries were reported.
7:09 a.m. | WISSOTA perks
Any drivers with the WISSOTA organization should stop by booth No. 3029 during the PRI show. Drivers can register at the booth for a giveaway of two free WISSOTA license. The winners will be drawn Saturday live on Facebook prior to the show's conclussion.
WISSOTA fans might kep an eye on WISSOTA.tv because Jacy Norgaard plans to conduct interviews at the WISSOTA exhibit. He plans for interviews from 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
6:49 a.m | Mark your calendars
Looking ahead to the next few years, the PRI show will remain the second full weekend in December. The dates are Dec. 10-12, 2026, and Dec. 9-11, 2027. The show is slated to remain in Indianapolis, which has hosted the event since 2013 (the show was in Orlando, Fla., prior to that for several years).
6:45 a.m. | Speechifying
Among Dirt Late Model-connected folks presenting or participating in panels at PRI. Check the PRI app for details on locations:
• Chris Graner, the executive director for Speed Sport TV, will speak at three sessions each of the three days of the show: Video 101 for Promoters; Video Production; and Audio Bootcamp.
• Frank Simonetti, the motorsports director at Swift Springs, will moderate an open forum discussion on current Dirt Late Model configurations for the third straight year.
• Ken Schrader's Real Racer of the Year announcement is set for 5 p.m. Thursday with Karl Fredrickson of Speedway Illustrated moderating.
• An event presented by MyRacePass, a Dirt Track Roundtable is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thursday touting and "information discussion of issues facing dirt tracks from dust to dirty diapers."
• Lynnie Doughton of DRP Performance Products will speak in a seminar about how to pick the best spring combination for asphalt and dirt cars on oval tracks.
6:39 a.m. | An early start
With the showroom doors closed floor lights still dim, exhibitors will soon be busily putting the finishing touches on booths. We'll be heading onto the show floor later to check out the Dirt Late Model-focused exhibits and particularly companies displaying Dirt Late Models.
A couple of things are scheduled for PRI this morning including the announcement of the inaugural class of the PRI Hall of Fame (during the on-site breakfast between 730 a.m.-8:30 a.m.). Will the Hall of Fame include folks who’ve long stuffed goodie bags with swag from every booth you can imagine?
There's also a 10 a.m. event at the Hoosier Racing Tire booth (No. 3439) as the Lakeville, Ind.-based company will reveal its 12 Hoosier Heroes for 2024, at least one of which we expect will be Dirt Late Model-connected. The third-year program annually honors and recognizes racers who embody Hoosier’s mission of fueling passion, pride and success both on and off the track. While there were initially 400 nominations the list was whittled to 25 finalists and the final 12 will be revealed. Past honorees include Illinois drivers Dennis Erb Jr. and Brandon Sheppard.
We also expect a release of the Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series, the new venture led by South Carolina colleagues Travis Scott and Kelley Carlton.
Editor's note: Reporting by DirtonDirt.com staffers Kyle McFadden and Todd Turner along with other DirtonDirt.com contributors and staffers (some credited specifically); remote assistance from staffers Kevin Kovac and Aaron Clay.
