DirtonDirt.com exclusive
Best of 2024: Midwest's state-by-state capsules
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com managing editor
Clockwise from from: Tyler Carr; Tom Krob; Emily Schwanke
Dirt Late Model racing’s 2024 superlatives of Midwestern states (individually for states with significant weekly Late Model action; other states combined), primarily focusing on local and regional events (Best of 2024 coverage):
Illinois
Top performer: In a career-best season that ranks among the best all time, Oakwood's Bobby Pierce tallies 38 victories, eight paying $50,000 or more and a sweep of Eldora's World 100 and $100,000 DTWC. He scores 13 World of Outlaws victories (finishing second in series points after an early season tire penalty), seven Lucas Oil victories and four Wild West Shootout victories. Over 15-day summer stretch he won the $50,000 Prairie Dirt Classic, $50,000 USA Nationals and $75,000 North-South 100.
Best national drivers: Bobby Pierce; New Berlin's Brandon Sheppard (World of Outlaws champion with three victories; eight victories overall, two during Florida Speedweeks and $30,000 Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals); Chatham's Brian Shirley (five WoO victories and seventh in points; nine victories overall with three MARS triumphs); Carpentersville's Dennis Erb Jr. (ninth in WoO points; four non-WoO special event victories).
Best regional drivers: Bloomington’s Jason Feger (repeats MARS title with 17 victories overall, 11 paying $5,000 or more and $10,000 triumphs at Macon and Highland); El Paso’s Ryan Unzicker (eight Super victories at seven tracks including season-high $5,098 at Peoria; MARS runner-up); Fairbury’s McKay Wenger (Fairbury champ wins 11 features overall including stretch of four over eight days and two paying $5,000; hits 100-victory mark for career); Manhattan’s Mike Spatola (five victories, including XRSS victory at Kokomo and Gateway Dirt Nationals prelim); Moweaqua’s Shannon Babb (MARS victory at Fairbury; near-miss for $25,000 Lucas Oil payday at Farmer City after losing power late); Benton’s Rodney Melvin ($5,000 Summer Nationals and Ultimate HofA victories); Frankfort's Frank Heckenast Jr. (career-high $36,000 in Merritt's Wood Tic).
Best weekly drivers: Warrensburg’s Dakota Ewing (20 Crate victories en route to DIRTcar weekly title; Fall Nationals sweep at Lincoln); Fairview Heights’s Daryn Klein (10 Super victories; Brownstown Bullring and Bi-State Battle champ) Sterling's Travis Denning (14 IMCA victories and division runner-up with East Moline and Maquoketa titles); Silvis's Evan Miller (eight IMCA victories including $3,500 at Dubuque's Key City Challenge); Carthage's Austen Becerra (seven victories among four tracks); Kankakee’s Chase Osterhoff (nine Crate victories; Charleston champ); Bourbonnais's Austin McCarty (six Crate victories en route to Kankakee crown); New Berlin’s Jose Parga (six Crate victories among three tracks); Highland's Mike Harrison (three Super victories); Justice's Titus Sneed (five Limited victories en route to Sycamore title); Taylorville's Braden Johnson (three Crate victories; Macon and Lincoln titles); Payson's Jason Perry (four Crate victories en route to Quincy title); Jacksonville's Braden Bilger (three Crate victories; Spoon River champ); Leland's Jeremy Spoonmore (three Limited victories at Sycamore); New Berlin's Tommy Sheppard Jr. (two I-55 victories).
Best homegrown performance: Mount Vernon's Blaze Burwell sweeps Super Late Model doubleheader Tri-City weekend to earn $4,500 and stretch a personal-best winning streak to three.
Most improved drivers: Evan Miller; Paloma's Christian Miles (three Crate victories between Quincy and Spoon River); Lincoln's Brandon Sweitzer (three Crate victories); Cullom's Amber Crouch (Farmer City Crate champ).
Best newcomers: Austen Becerra; Quincy's Jackson Frankel (first Crate victory at Lee County); Quincy's Spencer Havermale (first Crate victory at hometown track); New Windsor's Adam Parker (first career victory at 34 Raceway).
Most memorable moment: In another dazzling Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury, Bobby Pierce rallies after spinning out of the top five on the 60th lap to overtake Nick Hoffman on the 100th and final lap to earn $50,000 in a WoO classic.
Biggest news: Brandon Sheppard ends run with the Longhorn Factory Team and returns to Rocket Chassis house car for 2025. ... Eric Turner and Kenny Brown purchase Macon Speedway from Chris Kearns. ... Plans for the $21 million renovation of the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds and Speedway call for rebuilding the racetrack (a larger quarter-mile layout) in the southeast corner of the property. An outdoor event space would be developed at the site of the former track. ... Peru's Daniel Adam, a North Carolina transplant, plans World of Outlaws run in 2025. ... Partnered with Justin and Jenna McCoy of Streator, Ill., Tony Izzo Jr. plans to reopen La Salle Speedway in 2025 for the first time in four years with as many as 14 events. ... Bob Gardner and Myles Moos among drivers in Brent McKinnon Racing ride in 2024. ... Longtime track supporter Tim Neidig steps up to promote Spoon River Speedway after Cloyd Barden's kidney disease diagnosis (rain delays the first WoO visit to the track until '25). ... McKay Wenger runs successful season with East Moline-based Curless Motorsports. ... Brownstown Bullring replaces Highland Speedway on Bi-State Battle Late Model Series. ... Jeff and Renee Delonjay purchase Adams County Speedway and hire new promoter Chance Bailey, who returns the track to its Quincy Raceway name in taking over from Jim Lieurance. ... Ashland's Brandon Eskew moves to the Super ranks from Crates and notches first open-competition victory Aug. 2 at Spoon River. ... Mendota's Tri-County Fairgrounds hosts first action in five seasons with Rich Bell winning Sept. 1's Super Late Model feature. ... Granite City's Tri-City Speedway announces plans to restore weekly Super Late Model racing in 2025 after recent seasons of special-event only scheduling. Track promoter Kevin Gundaker also won a Regional Auto Racing Promoter of the Year award. ... The Midwest Big 10 Crate Late Model Series dissolves.
Indiana
Top performer: Amid a tumultuous season driving for four teams, Martinsville's Hudson O'Neal tallies 12 special event victories, five on the Lucas Oil Series en route to a fifth-place tour finish. He scores four Georgia-Florida Speedweeks triumphs, a pair of World 100 preliminary victories, a Sooner Series victory in his debut in Muskogee, Okla., and a season-high $20,000 Castrol FloRacing Night in America victory at Brownstown. Overall he posts 33 top-five finishes in 84 starts.
Best national drivers: Hudson O'Neal; Richmond’s Tristan Chamberlain (14th in World of Outlaws points in rookie season with one top-five and six top-10 finishes; adds non-WoO Montpelier victory).
Best regional drivers: Columbus’s Devin Gilpin (six home-state Super victories, including $10,000 Northern Allstars triumph at Brownstown and first Ultimate HofA victory at Paragon; Brownstown champ); Lawrenceburg's Jason Jameson (hometown Iron-Man/Ultimate HofA victory and HTF win at Lake Cumberland); Martinsville's Steve Peeden (five Crate victories among four tracks; Circle City champ); Madison's Cody Mahoney (MRP victory; two Iron-Man top-fives); Bloomington's Jordan Wever (MRP victory; Born Free 40 runner-up).
Best weekly drivers: Seymour's Tyler Cain (11 Crate victories between Brownstown and Paragon, including $3,600 Carey Ruwe Memorial and $2,500 Bowman 50); Monticello’s Jace Owens (nine Limited victories en route to Shadyhill title); Bloomington’s Derek Groomer (two Crate victories and first Super triumph at Brownstown); Trafalgar's Jug Wethington (two Crate victories en route to Indiana Late Model Series and Brownstown titles); Edinburgh’s Chad Stapleton (three Brownstown Crate victories).
Best homegrown performance: Tyler Cain reels off six consecutive late-season victories at Brownstown bookended by victories in the Cary Ruwe Memorial and Bowman 50.
Most improved drivers: Tyler Cain; Rockport’s Jamie Bosecker (first Crate victory; Windy Hollow title).
Best newcomer: Wheatfield's A.J. Cooley, who scores his first Late Model victory at Shadyhill.
Most memorable moment: Five days after the passing of his beloved crew chief Jeff Gullett, Jason Jameson rallies from 10th at his hometown Lawrenceburg Speedway for a $5,000 victory that leads to an emotional victory lane celebration for Rattliff Racing.
Biggest news: Bloomington's Don Hobbs, a National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame who racked up 54 victories over two seasons in the C.J. Rayburn house car, dies in August at age 87. The driver with more than 800 multidivision victories suffered from dementia. ... Morgantown's SSI Motorsports makes a midseason driving change, firing Lucas Oil points leader Ricky Thornton Jr. and rehiring home-state Hudson O'Neal, whose previous run with the team began as a teenager. ... Hudson O'Neal in March resigns his Rocket Chassis house car ride, fielding his own team and also making several starts for North Carolina's K&L Rumley Enterprises. ... Late Solsberry racer Ira Bastin, multitime Late Model champion at Brownstown and Tri-State, is posthumously inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame for 2024. … Former Brownstown promoter and current Lucas Oil Series announcer James Essex continues Northern Allstars revival with six completed series events as he plots to expand further in 2025. ... Lucas Oil Series plans first visit to Circle City Raceway in 2025. ... Brownstown's Jackson 100 weekend, part of the Lucas Oil playoff system, is rained out on its original dates but gets reprieve when a rainout at East Bay allows Brownstown to make up the weekend, including the event-record $50,000 payout to Mike Marlar. ... Hall of Famer Don O'Neal ends his retirement and gets back behind the wheel with plans to make more starts in 2025. ... Iowa driver Daniel Hilsabeck suffers severely broken wrist in wreck during WoO visit to Brownstown. ... Jason and Jess Acker purchase the Boswell dirt track (formerly Kamp Motor Speedway) with plans to keep it as a racetrack, but no plans regarding Late Model racing are announced for the oval that formerly ran Super Late Models and DIRTcar Summer Nationals events.
Iowa
Top performer: In his best career Late Model season, Marshalltown’s Ryan Gustin tallies 14 victories overall, five on the World of Outlaws circuit en route to a sixth-place national tour finish. The Todd Cooney Racing driver's richest victory came with the $50,047 Yankee Dirt Track Classic in Farley, one of two XR Super Series victory. He also captured Talladega's Ice Bowl and victories on the MLRA, Mid-East and Hunt the Front circuits, winning in 10 states.
Best national drivers: Ryan Gustin; Decorah’s Tyler Bruening (eighth in WoO points with six top-five finishes in 41 starts of a winless season).
Best regional drivers: Malvern's Justin Zeitner (nine victories overall, including five on regional tours; $7,600 Rallen Zeitner Memorial winner at Shelby County); Oxford’s Chris Simpson (three MLRA victories; series runner-up); Mount Vernon’s Chad Simpson (one victory en route to third straight MLRA title; Malvern East victory at Hamilton County); Oxford's Andy Eckrich (Malvern Bank East champ; $1,500 Muscatine County Fair winner at Maquoketa); Wheatland’s Justin Kay (three victories, two on Malvern East circuits); Muscatine’s Chad Holladay (two Malvern East victories; tour runner-up); Independence's Logan Duffy (five victories, three on the PRO circuit); Moscow’s Nick Marolf (two victories en route to PRO title); Ainsworth’s Derrick Stewart (first MLRA victory and Hamilton County weekly triumph); Waterloo’s J.D. Auringer (three PRO victories).
Best weekly drivers: Keokuk’s Tommy Elston (12 Crate victories; DIRTcar division runner-up and Lee County champ); Malvern’s Jesse Sobbing (six victories among three tracks); Peosta’s Eric Pollard (four victories, including $2,500 Key City Challenge; Dubuque champ); Independence’s Sean Johnson (three victories en route to hometown title); Dubuque’s Luke Merfeld (four hometown victories); Sherrill's Jeff Tharp (three Dubuque victories).
Best homegrown performance: Outrunning Justin Zeitner and Bill Leighton Jr., Cedar Rapids's C.J. Horn captures his first Malvern Bank touring victory in East-West action paying $4,000 at Mason City.
Most improved driver: Danville's Ray Raker, who posts two victories en route to 34 Raceway title.
Best newcomers: McCausland's Mitch Morris (three IMCA victories); Marshalltown's Tom Berry Jr. (two PRO tour victories for modified ace and Oregon native); Fairfax's Josh Foster (two victories at 34 Raceway); Muscatine's Cruz Birkhofer (seventh in Davenport points for son of retired racer Brian Birkhofer); Burlington's Kyle Hollenbeck (sixth in 34 Raceway points).
Most memorable moment: Rallying from sixth in a Skyline Motorsports ride, 62-year-old Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey earns $4,000 in the Maschmann Memorial, a Malvern Bank East-West touring event part of the Knoxville Late Model Nationals.
Biggest news: Knoxville Raceway’s John McCoy wins the 48th annual Auto Racing Promoter of the Year award from RPM. ... Carl Moyer, a longtime racing benefactor through his Karl Chevrolet business in Ankeny and uncle of Hall of Fame driver Billy Moyer, dies in September at the age of 83. His Karl Chevrolet logo (with the backwards "K") was everpresent in his various sponsorships. ... Marion's Fred Horn, who won the 1979 Yankee Dirt Track Classic among more than 250 victories, will be inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2025. He was fourth-place finisher in 1980 World 100 and runner-up in 1978's National 100. ... With the team owner stepping away from driving because of health issues, Todd Cooney Racing fields a car for Hall of Famer Billy Moyer for several races along with Ryan Gustin's ride. ... Earlham's Daniel Hilsabeck misses three months after breaking his wrist in a June WoO wreck in Brownstown, Ind. ... Harlan's Shelby County Speedway in 2025 will pay a track-record $25,053-to-win for a midweek Lucas Oil Series event. ... Victory Ford joins the PRO tour as title sponsor. ... Farley's Jason Rauen fields a car for veteran racer Earl Pearson Jr. for several MLRA events. ... Yankee Dirt Track Classic pays race-record winner's purse of $50,047 with Ryan Gustin scoring his first home-state Super Late Model victory in the XR Super Series event. ... After recovering from severe midseason flooding, Rapid Speedway gets approval from the Lyon County Fair Board to prepare for the 2025 season. ... Back surgery cuts short Jesse Sobbing's season; he returned to run a handful of events in the later months. ... Brothers Nate and Nick Beyenhof of Rock Rapids announce they're stepping back from racing, but Nick goes out in style with late-season victories at Interstate Speedway and Park Jefferson.
Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma
Top performer: York, Neb.’s Cory Dumpert collects 15 victories en route to an unprecedented sixth consecutive IMCA Late Model tire in the modern era. Dumpert adds 39 top-five finishes in 45 starts and track titles at Boone County Raceway and Off Road Speedway. He wins at six of the nine tracks where he raced in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.
Best national drivers: None.
Best regional drivers: Cory Dumpert; Norfolk, Neb.’s Tad Pospisil (nine victories on Malvern West, Tri-State and High Plains tours, including $6,000 at Adams County; Malvern West runner-up); La Vista, Neb.’s Bill Leighton Jr. (four victories on Malvern Bank tours; Malvern West champ); Enid, Okla.’s Kip Hughes (series-leading five Sooner victories; fourth in series points); Muskogee, Okla.'s Eli Ross (three victories en route to Sooner title); Marysville, Kan.’s Dusty Leonard (four High Plains victories); Gibbon, Neb.'s Josh Leonard (four victories between DIRTcar Tri-State and High Plains); Manhattan, Kan.'s Chase Junghans (MLRA runner-up at Lakeside; WoO top-five in Fairbury prelim); Fort Gibson, Okla.'s Brett Hansen (two Sooner victories); Woodward, Okla.'s Jon Herring Jr. (two Sooner victories); Wichita, Kan.'s Delbert Smith (one victory en route to High Plains title).
Best weekly drivers: Platte Center, Neb.'s Anthony Roth (nine victories among four tracks; U.S. 30 champion); Giltner, Neb.'s Alex Humphrey (four victories en route to Junction title); Bellevue, Neb.'s Zach Zeitner (four victories en route to titles at Shelby County and Crawford County); Aurora, Neb.'s Dylan Schmer (two weekly victories and High Plains win at Dawson County).
Best homegrown performance: Scoring his first Late Model victory, Jack Hearty of Omaha, Neb., earned $3,098 at Iowa's Shelby County Speedway finale of the Tiny Lund Memorial and Brandon Saltzman Showdown weekend.
Most improved drivers: Eli Ross; Jon Herring Jr.; Alex Humphrey; Fort Scott, Kan.'s Andy Bryant (two victories en route to runner-up on first-year Revival Series; three victories overall).
Best newcomers: Anthony Roth; Albion, Neb.'s Tyler Iverson (Junction and Boone County victories); Gibbon, Neb.'s Braxten Leonard (High Plains victory at Junction); Marquette, Neb.'s Christian Strobel (first Late Model victory at Junction for Kyle Berck's nephew); Milford, Neb.'s Shane Stutzman (first Late Model victory at Junction).
Most memorable moment: Extending his streak of at least one series victory each of the tour's 17 seasons, Marquette, Neb.'s Kyle Berck rolls at Junction Motor Speedway for his 99th career Malvern Bank West triumph.
Biggest news: Plans are underway to reopen the former Lakeside Speedway in Dewey, Okla., a quarter-mile oval that hasn’t been in operation since 1981, with Late Models among potential divisions beginning in 2025. Promoting brothers Bill and Robert McMurtrie are partnering with land owner Bob Chaney. ... The Caney, Kan.-based POWRi Revival Dirt Late Model Series completes its first season under the ownership of brothers Tyler and Jacob Magee with 10 events. ... Coffeyville, Kan.’s Al Purkey joins the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in the Class of 2024. … The Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 includes Marquette, Neb.'s Kyle Berck, the 15-time regional touring champion with more than 350 career victories. ... Eagle (Neb.) Raceway hosts its first Lucas Oil event in 2024 and prepares for a three-day national touring event in 2025 with a $50,000-to-win finale. ... Kyler Fetters of Outlaw Productions purchases High Plains Late Model Series, adding DIRTcar sanctioning. ... Apex Healthcare Partners becomes title sponsor of the Sooner Late Model Series, replacing Complete Well Testing. ... Outlaw Motor Speedway in Oktaha, Okla., tentatively plans to add Crate Late Models, but the division peters out and the track suspends operations in August after what promoters say was a verbal assault of a family member during a race program. ... Valentine, Neb.'s Tyler Reagle, the 2022 champion on the High Plains Late Model Series, dies in July. He was 41. ... Omaha, Neb., driver Jake Neal lands midseason ride with Giltner, Neb.'s Al Humphrey and grabs Tri-State victory at Interstate Speedway in Jefferson, S.D. ... The refurbished Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson races under the Salt City Raceway name with Dusty Leonard sweeping a June weekend.
Michigan
Top performer: Buckley’s Greg Gokey grabs dual track championships at Merritt Speedway and Tri-City Motor Speedway while splitting nine victories among his title tracks and Thunderbird Raceway. He posts 21 top-five finishes in 25 starts overall.
Best national drivers: None.
Best regional drivers: Ionia’s Travis Stemler (nine victories among four tracks, including $2,500 Allstar Challenge at Merritt); St. Johns’s Chad Finley (seven victories among five tracks, including $4,000 Great Lakes Nationals at Crystal); Houghton Lake’s Dona Marcoullier (five victories among four tracks, including $3,000 at Silver Bullet; Summer Nationals runner-up at Crystal and Allstar Performance Challenge champ); Lake City’s Eric Spangler (five victories at four tracks, including $3,000 at Canada’s Buxton Speedway).
Best weekly drivers: Greg Gokey; Weston's Ryan Davis (seven victories en route to Oakshade Limited title); Midland’s Derrick Hilliker (three Crystal victories); Midland's Steven Hilliker (four victories en route to Mid-Michigan title); Britton’s Devin Shiels (two Oakshade victories); Six Lakes’s Ryan VanderVeen (three Crystal victories); Cedar Springs’s Mike Vandermark (three Crystal victories); Fruitport's Rich Neiser (two victories en route to Thunderbird title); Adrian's Carter Murday (Oakshade Super title); Attica’s Scott Moenaert (five Crate victories en route to Silver Bullet title); Twin Lakes's Jesse Aho (four Crate victories at Wisconsin's Eagle River); Muskegon’s Matthew Sprague (two Thunderbird victories); Muskegon's Jerid Bisson (six Crate victories at Thunderbird); Muskegon’s Tom Sprague Jr. (two Thunderbird victories); Hubbardson's Garrett Wiles (one victory en route to Crystal title); Elkton’s Shawn O’Connor (three Crate victories at Silver Bullet); Midland’s Ryan Lanphierd (Super victories at Crystal and Merritt); Muskegon's Troy Marciniak (three Crate victories at Thunderbird).
Best homegrown performance: Winning twice Sept. 7 in the season-ending programs at Eagle River (Wis.) Speedway, Twin Lakes's Jesse Aho grabs his 100th and 101st career dirt racing victories, one paying $1,500.
Most improved driver: Lake's Rylee Knoll scores two Super victories at Tri-City Motor, the first of the teen's three-season career.
Best newcomers: Muskegon's Jeff Erickson Jr. (three Thunderbird victories); Zeeland's Luke Morey (five top-five finishes; Carolina Clash runner-up at Laurens County); Kinde's Tyler Moore (four Crate victories at Silver Bullet).
Most memorable moment: With frontrunners trading sheetmetal and slide jobs, series champ Tyler Erb rubs past Wil Herrington at Quincy’s Butler Motor Speedway for a $5,000 DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory.
Biggest news: Merritt and Tri-City Motor Speedway owner Mike Blackmer pledges to cover outstanding checks after finding himself in a “challenging financial position” as the season ends because attendance and income fell short of expectations. ... Fundraisers and benefits are held in support of Kolton Hutson, a young crew member for Farwell, Mich., driver Cody Bauer and other race teams who is receiving treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ... Illinois invader Frank Heckenast Jr. pockets a career-high $36,000 with his Wood Tic victory at Merritt. ... Crystal Motor Speedway is part of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals for the first time with Tyler Erb collecting a $10,000 victory. ... April storms damage the press boxes at I-96 Speedway. ... Hartford Motor Speedway mourns June's death of 80-year-old Keith Pompey of Lawrence, one of the track's longtime and avid fans.
Minnesota
Top performer: Among WISSOTA's all-time winningest drivers with more than 900 multidivision victories, Rice's Shane Sabraski adds Late Model competition with a flourish, piling up 17 victories in his rookie season with three five-figure paydays, including a $20,444 triumph at ABC Raceway. Sabraski tallies four WISSOTA Challenge victories and captured Hibbing's Waseleski Memorial ($11,111), I-94's WISSOTA 100 ($10,000) and ABC's Red Clay Classic ($6,000). He wins at eight racetracks and captures the Ogilvie Raceway title. He captures 53 multidivision features.
Best national drivers: Rochester's Dustin Sorensen (World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year in finishing ninth in points with five top-fives in 41 starts; three non-WoO victories including $5,000 at Cedar Lake and two Dirt Kings wins); Lake Elmo’s Brent Larson (12th in WoO points with a single top-five finish and six top-10 finishes in 41 starts).
Best regional drivers: Shane Sabraski; Ham Lake’s Don Shaw (three victories, two in Arizona and one in Montana); Hibbing's Jeff Provinzino (fourth in WISSOTA Challenge points; Grand Rapids champ); Proctor’s Kevin Burdick (WCS victory and sixth in tour points; four victories overall); Alexandria's Ryan Mikkelson (three victories, including $4,553 Stock Car Stampede victory at Jamestown; fifth in WCS points); Hawley, Minn.’s Cole Schill (NLRA runner-up and I-94 champ; one victory).
Best weekly drivers: Hermantown's Cade Nelson (repeats USRA title; 17 Limited victories overall at six tracks); Lake Elmo's Matt Larson (USRA runner-up; 11 victories overall among five tracks; Cedar Lake and Mississippi Thunder champ); Montevideo’s Matt Gilbertson (five victories en route to Fiesta City title); Grand Rapids's Johnny Broking (five victories, including $5,000 at Hibbing; Grand Rapids champ); Litchfield's Adam Prieve (seven Limited victories; Madison champ); Hibbing's Kyle Peterlin (four victories between Hibbing and Grand Rapids); Keewatin’s Jeff Massingill (four victories between Hibbing and Proctor); East Bethel's Dave Mass (four I-94 victories, including NLRA triumph); Rochester's Brad Waits (six Mississippi Thunder victories); Herman's Brad Staples (four Limited victories at Madison); Deerwood’s Danny Vang (two victories en route to Proctor title); Fergus Falls's Ben Wolden (three Limited victories en route to I-94 title).
Best homegrown performance: Coming alive in the final laps, Shane Sabraski overtakes Lee Grosz and repels Mike Greseth for a $10,000 WISSOTA 100 victory at I-94 EMR Speedway.
Most improved driver: Dustin Sorensen.
Best newcomers: Shane Sabraski; Johnny Broking; Matt Larson; East Grand Forks's Tucker Pederson (Devils Lake victory; top River Cities rookie and fifth in points); Walker's Billy Kendall III (seven top-fives, third in $5,000-to-win at Gondik Law after leading 20 laps; second in Gondik Law points).
Most memorable moment: Using a last-lap slide job to overtake Nick Hoffman, Ryan Gustin wins a NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 prelim by 0.009 of a second in World of Outlaws action at Spring Valley's Deer Creek Speedway.
Biggest news: Hibbing’s Bill Engelstad, WISSOTA's technical director and longest serving president of the Iron Range Racing Association, dies in November at 66. ... East Grand Forks Late Model racer Nick Minske dies from injuries suffered in a June motorcycle accident. He was 35. ... Winona's Lance Matthees, the 1986 WISSOTA champ and among the Upper Midwest’s steadiest and most enduring drivers while heading toward 50 years of competition with 300 victories, will be inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2025. ... Lake Shore's Dan Ebert, who has focused on modified racing in recent seasons, plans to return to Late Models in 2025 to run the Lucas Oil Series in his James Trantina-owned Rocket Chassis. ... Amid his impressive rookie Late Model season, Shane Sabraski suffers a mild heart attack in late July; he's back to winning after a single idle weekend. ... Cole Schill wins Bemidji Speedway's second Late Model race in two seasons. ... I-94 EMR Speedway, Norman County Raceway, and Deer Creek Speedway are Minnesota stops on the WoO circuit in 2025. ... Bodie Croninger wins the Limited Late Model event at the Yellow Medicine County Fair Races at Canby's Renegade Raceway. ... Members of the racing community come together to assist veteran racer Darrell Nelson of Hermantown with medical bills from his prostate cancer diagnosis. ... Silver Bay-based XR Events rebounds with a wider-ranging XR Super Series schedule, a slate that includes a thriller at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and the first racing at Pennsboro (W.Va.) Speedway in 22 years. ... Wisconsin interloper Pat Doar captures Ogilvie Raceway's MTH Fall Classic for the sixth consecutive season. Event promoter FYE Motorsports receives the WISSOTA Promoter of the Year Award for the event that drew 327 race cars overall. ... Kelly Lake's Skeeter Estey takes a midseason break after suffering a severe concussion in a violent July wreck in Superior, Wis. ... Mendota Heights's Craig Geller, a longtime Late Model team owner of Hall of Fame driver Rick Egersdorf, dies in September after suffering a stroke. The 69-year-old's Geller Automotive sponsored one of the winningest cars in the Cedar Lake Speedway history. ... Proctor Speedway's Hall of Fame inductees: Dick Christman, Gordy Eliason, Jim Eliason, Gordy Halverson, Terry Inman, Johnny Johnson, Billy Nelson, Rick Popovich, Phil Rannila, Dave Ruby and Jerry Waldholm. ... Grand Rapids Speedway's Hall of Fame inductees: Deb Colwell, Gene Roth, Larry Bishop and Pete Nelson.
Missouri
Top performer: Aurora’s Justin Wells tallies 11 victories at Wheatland's Lucas Oil Speedway en route to repeating his track championship. Wells captures all but two weekly events at the track. He added a $2,000 victory on the first-year POWRi Revival Dirt Late Model Series at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: West Plains’s Logan Martin (two victiories en route to Comp Cams title; Turkey Bowl runner-up); Urbana’s Dillon McCowan (DIRTcar Summer Nationals runner-up with 10 top-five finishes; MARS, MLRA and Turkey Bowl victories); Alton’s Sawyer Crigler (eight victories overall, one on Revival Series and six on Cash Money circuit); Lebanon's Dustin Atkinson (three victories en route to Cash Money title); Neosho’s Jace Parmley (five victories, four with Cash Money tour and one Sooner Series victory); Lebanon's Tony Jackson Jr. (MLRA victory; third in series points); Archie's Matt Johnson (three victories, two on Revival Series); Neosho's Kylan Garner (two victories en route to Revival Series title); Alton’s Brandon Baldridge (two Cash Money tour victories).
Best weekly drivers: Justin Wells; Jefferson City’s Tucker Cox (POWRi weekly champ; seven victories among three tracks); Cameron's Mark Dotson (eight I-35 victories); Rich Fountain's Matt Becker (eight victories among three tracks; Moberly champ); Chillicothe's Tyler Hibner (seven victories at I-35); Lathrop’s Shayne Bailey (six victories en route to Bethany title); Columbia’s David Melloway (Moberly and Lake Ozark victories); West Plains's Kevin Collins (four Limited victories en route to North Central Arkansas title); Festus's Rusty Griffaw (two I-55 victories); Alan Westling (POWRi runner-up; Callaway victory and champ); Bakersfield's Mark Tackitt (four North Central Arkansas victories); Richmond's Aaron Marrant (Bethany and I-55 victories).
Best homegrown performance: Tucker Cox reels off four straight victories at Callaway Raceway.
Most improved drivers: Sawyer Crigler; Matt Becker.
Best newcomers: Tyler Hibner; Mexico's Tyler Shaw (first Late Model victory at Callaway); St. Genevieve's Kyle Stolzer (three Farmington victories); Warsaw's Tyler Kuykendall (nine top-fives, including in MLRA action at Wheatland); Marshfield's Sam Petty (Cash Money top-five; second among series rookies).
Most memorable moment: In the $30,000 Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals finale, Brandon Sheppard avoids a last-lap bid by Bobby Pierce when Pierce’s broken driveshaft forces him to coast the 40th lap at The Dome at America's Center.
Biggest news: Lucas Oil unexpectedly shutters the Lucas Oil Midwest LateModel Racing Association after 36 seasons, refocusing resources on its national circuit and projects at Lucas Oil Speedway. Series director Ernie Leftwich shifts to role as assistant general manager at the Wheatland track. ... Pevely’s Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, owned by Ray and Sue Marlar for 29 years along with Ken Schrader, is sold to Josh Carroll, who operates the Brownstown (Ill.) Bullring. ... Springfield's Rex McCroskey, a fixture in MLRA early years who captured two series championships and whose 20 victories are tied for ninth all-time on the circuit, dies in September at 67. ... I-70 Speedway undergoing offseason reconfiguration to shorten the track to a third-mile from a half-mile layout. ... West Plains driver Logan Martin, 28, sells out family team operation, putting a pause on his racing to focus on his family's Mr. Dent Collision Repair operations. ... Belleville, Ill.-based POWRi expands its weekly Late Model sanctioning in Missouri, but Lucas Oil Speedway returns to an unsanctioned division for 2025 after one year with the organization. ... Lebanon driver Brennon Willard in September donates a kidney to his mother, who had suffered with kidney disease for many years. ... West Plains's Legit Speedway Park remains dark in 2024 with promoter Gary Stolba citing a slumping economy. ... Bethany Fairgrounds Speedway, which hadn't hosted weekly racing since the 1990s, revives with a regular Late Model division at the Northwest Missouri State Fairgrounds oval. ... Kansas City's Lloyd Collins, a longtime MLRA photographer, dies in March after a battle with cancer. He was 65. ... Mike Franks, the founder and owner of Osborn's U.S. 36 Raceway, dies in October after a battle with cancer. He was 61. ... Promoter Cody Sommer upgrades the Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals to $50,000-to-win for 2025 with $10,000-to-win prelims and a 52 percent purse boost overall along with a new driver registration system. ... Pittsburg's Gary Hubert, an instrumental figure in transforming a run-of-the-mill dirt track in rural Wheatland into one of the finest and most modern Dirt Late Model venues and motorsports complexes, dies in April. Lucas Oil Speedway's first general manager was 66. ... Lebanon's Tony Jackson Jr. briefly runs as Capital Race Cars house car driver for a Lucas Oil Series run but quickly abandons the plan. He wins twice in August after returning to a Longhorn. ... Warrensburg's Central Missouri adds five local Late Model events, but retreats late in the season when car counts are low. ... Farmington Empire Speedway runs a handful of Limited Late Model events. ... Greg Clemons, announcer at Valley Speedway and Butler's Electric City Speedway, dies in May. ... Winston's I-35 Speedway renames its flagstand in honor of former starter Bob Reber. .... Monett Motor Speedway is the site of Australia driver Kye Blight's first-ever stateside Late Model victory.
North Dakota-South Dakota
Top performer: Winning his second straight WISSOTA Late Model championship, Hickson, N.D.’s Tyler Peterson wins an organization-best 20 races among 22 victories overall, including five on the WISSOTA Challenge Series and three on the NLRA circuit. Peterson's richest victory came with a $5,000 payday in the Golden Hammer Classic at Devils Lake Speedway. A winner at 10 tracks, he also added two early season victories at Central Arizona Raceway.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: Tyler Peterson; Grand Forks, N.D.’s Dustin Strand (18 victories among six tracks and fifth NLRA championship; WISSOTA points runner-up and champ at Devils Lake and River Cities); Huron, S.D.’s Cole Searing (series-high six WISSOTA Challenge victories en route to second tour title; adds $9,200 John Seitz Memorial at River Cities); Aberdeen, S.D.’s Chad Becker (five Repairable Vehicles.com Tri-State Series victories among 14 overall; $5,000 Challenge Cup winner in Huron, S.D., and winner at seven tracks with Casino and Miller Central titles); Harwood, N.D.’s Mike Greseth (five victories among four tracks; WISSOTA 100 runner-up); Renner, S.D.’s Blair Nothdurft (four victories en route to Tri-State title); Grand Forks, N.D.'s Brody Troftgruben (three victories at three tracks; third in NLRA points).
Best weekly drivers: Aberdeen, S.D.’s Josh Skorczewski (seven victories at three tracks including on Tri-State and NLRA tours; Brown County champ); Watertown's Tony Croninger (six Limited victories between Casino and I-94); Watertown's Trevor Walsh (four Limited victories en route to Casino title); Watertown, S.D.'s Bodie Croninger (three Limited victories); Watertown, S.D.'s Scott Ward (two Casino victories, one on WISSOTA Challenge circuit); Watertown, S.D.’s Jayson Good (Brown County and Casino victories); Aberdeen, S.D.'s Kent Arment (two Brown County victories).
Best homegrown performance: Dustin Strand reels off a seven-race Late Model winning streak from late July through early August among races at Victory Lane Speedway, River Cities Speedway and Devils Lake Speedway.
Most improved driver: Trevor Walsh.
Best newcomers: Huron, S.D.'s Lee Grosz (two victories; leads most of WISSOTA 100); Aberdeen, S.D.'s Konner Sperle (first Limited feature victory at Casino).
Most memorable moment: Squeezing past former race winner Aaron Turnbull midrace, Cole Searing led the rest of the 92-lap John Seitz Memorial at River Cities Speedway for a $9,200 victory.
Biggest news: Brandon, S.D.’s Huset’s Speedway ups ante with 2025 plans for event-richest $75,000 Silver Dollar Nationals finale on the Lucas Oil Series. ... Nodak Speedway in Minot, N.D., is on the 2025 World of Outlaws schedule for its first national touring race since a 1989 WoO visit. ... Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, S.D., uses a late-season break to shorten and reconfigure the track, which also announces plans to run twice-monthly Late Models in 2025 on Fridays (the track ran occasional Thursday events for Late Models in 2024). ... Brandon, S.D.'s Gary Brown Jr. is inducted into the Hall of Fame of his hometown Huset's Speedway; he's the second winningest driver (75 victories) in track history behind Terry McCarl (102). ... Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D., Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Late Model standout Mitch Johnson and late NLRA champion Troy Olson (along with his father and crew chief, Ron Olson); also Jim Smith, Larry Skalet and Tom Cummings.
Editor’s note: Drivers based in the western Dakotas appear in the Western capsule.
Wisconsin
Top performer: In his first season piloting the MB Customs house car, Menomonie's Sammy Mars tallies eight victories among four tracks, including $5,000 paydays at Superior and Cedar Lake's WISSOTA Challenge Series event. He also earns $3,000 in I-94's Gopher State Showdown and $3,000 victory in Cedar Lake's Masters opener.
Best national drivers: None.
Best regional drivers: Sammy Mars; New Richmond’s Pat Doar (seven victories among four tracks, including $4,000 Ogilvie Fall Classic; Cedar Lake and Gondik Law champ); Bonduel's Nick Anvelink (two victories en route to seventh Dirt Kings title; $5,000 Plymouth victory); Elk Mound’s A.J. Diemel (five victories between Cedar Lake and Red Cedar, including $5,555 Duane Mahder Memorial); Shawano's Brett Swedberg (Dirt Kings runner-up with two victories; five wins overall); Bloomer’s Chad Mahder (four victories among three tracks, including $5,107 Punky Manor at Red Cedar); Waukesha’s Taylor Scheffler (six victories at five tracks, two on Dirt Kings, where he's third in points); Seymour’s Mike Mullen (three Dirt Kings victories, four overall).
Best weekly drivers: Elk Mound’s Ashley Anderson (five victories among three tracks; $3,000 Legendary 100 and $4,000 Northern Nationals); Shawano’s Troy Springborn (four hometown victories); Eagle River’s Jason Zdroik (two Crate victories en route to hometown title); Random Lake's Brad Mueller (two victories; Plymouth title); Pittsville’s Eric Pember (three Eagle River victories); Chippewa Falls's Dan Bargender (Cedar Lake and Rice Lake victories); New London's Justin Ritchie (three victories); Tomahawk's Zack Friske (three Eagle River victories).
Best homegrown performance: Leading the final eight laps after a three-wide pass, Sammy Mars notches his first WISSOTA Challenge victory at Cedar Lake, leading a 1-2-3 finish of MB Customs drivers ahead of Dan Bargender and A.J. Diemel.
Most improved drivers: Monroe's Ty Webster (three Lafayette County victories en route to track title); Seymour's Jayden Schmidt (victories at Outagamie and 141, where he notches $4,600 Dirt Kings payday); Jim Falls's Jason McFadden (Eagle Valley Limited champ).
Best newcomers: Spencer's Andy Karl (first Late Model victory at Shawano); New Richmond's Kody Koski (first Limited victory for Hall of Famer Tom Nesbitt's grandson); Chippewa Falls's Cory Crapser (five top-five finishes, one in WISSOTA 100 prelim); Hortonville's Jordan Barkholtz (Shawano champion); Rice Lake's Josh Wahlstrom (two Limited victories).
Most memorable moment: With rain slickening the track from a storm that forced an early start to the program, the checkered flag falls after 56 laps at Cedar Lake's USA Nationals with Bobby Pierce nabbing the $50,000 WoO payday.
Biggest news: Cedar Lake Speedway's USA Nationals set to pay a race-record $100,000-to-win in 2025. ... Shawano Speedway plans to return to WISSOTA Late Model sanctioning in 2026 with transitional rules in 2025. ... Plymouth Dirt Track scales back from weekly Late Models with the Seubert Calf Ranches Super Six miniseries. ... WoO's Dairyland Showdown finale in 2025 at Fountain City's Mississippi Thunder Speedway pays a race-record $75,000. ... Baldwin's Dave Steine fields a WoO ride for Georgia driver Cody Overton, who finishes 13th in series points; the team uses an in-house Excel Chassis for the first half of the season. ... Antigo's Langlade County Speedway returns to action with a pair of Dirt Kings events. ... Seymour’s Outagamie Speedway runs a Late Model division for the first time since 2008. ... The Duane Mahder Memorial, previously at Red Cedar Speedway, is set to shift to Cedar Lake Speedway for 2025 and pay a race-record $10,055-to-win. ... Nick Anvelink ties Pete Parker’s all-time mark of 92 career Shawano feature victories. ... Wilmot Raceway's WoO Late Models debut is spoiled by rain in 2024, but the track is back on the tour's 2025 schedule. ... Gondik Law Speedway's Kapella Machine Electronic-sponsored points fund pays a record $30,000 ($10,000 to champ Pat Doar). ... Haugen's Tony Bahr (who makes a return to Late Models in 2024) and Sand Creek's Paul Gilberts join Rice Lake Speedway's Hall of Fame. Rice Lake operates under the new ownership of Kolby Kiehl, Dean Kiehl and Dick Kalow. ... Track Hall of Famer Warren “Corny” Schmidt, a former flagger and race director at Shawano Speedway, dies in May watching races at the half-mile oval. The former Shawano County Fair Board Director was 88. ... The Gondik Law Speedway Class of 2024: Rick Milinkovich (pioneer), Jody Bellefeuille (active driver), Dave Bjorklund (retired driver), Marshal Andrews, Glenn Hall and, posthumously, A.J. Foat. ... Beaver Dam Raceway plans to scale back to special-event only schedule in 2025; the track rarely runs Late Model events. ... Ashland's ABC Raceway makes midseason improvements including new fencing, improved sound system and additional gravel for pit and camping areas.
Correction: Fixes name of Plymouth Dirt Track.
