Vado Speedway Park
Ten drivers to watch at the Wild West Shootout
By Kyle McFadden
DirtonDirt.com staff reporter
A look at 10 drivers to watch during Jan. 4-12’s Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts at FK Rod Ends Vado (N.M.) Speedway Park, where more than 50 Dirt Late Model drivers are expected for the six-race miniseries bookended by $25,000-to-win programs (drivers listed alphabetically; complete WWS coverage):
Garrett Alberson, Las Cruces, N.M.
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: First (Jan. 12, 2022)
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): 6.6 (18)
2024 season: Six victories in 84 features, highlighted by first-ever Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series triumph Aug. 23 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway and maiden win at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on Sept. 1.
Comment: A regular Wild West Shootout competitor for many years, the home-state driver is always one to watch at the Southwest miniseries. Since the event shifted to Vado Speedway Park in 2022, he has one win, 10 top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes at the 3/8-mile oval in 18 starts. Rounding out a much-improved 2024 season with four wins over his final 21 features, Alberson could have a breakout Wild West Shootout.
Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: First (Jan. 6, 2024)
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): 8.4 (14)
2024 season: One victory in 58 feature starts, that lone win coming in the 2024 Wild West Shootout opener.
Comment: He’s the only driver not named Bobby Pierce to win at Vado Speedway Park last year and enter this year’s Wild West Shootout. Dillard has a strong track record at the 3/8-mile oval, finishing in the top-10 in nine of his last 12 races there. This trip to New Mexico, he’ll try and snap a 57-race winless streak dating back to last Jan. 6’s WWS opener.
Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif.
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: None
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): None
2024 season: Five victories in 58 features, including four his final 10 races, highlighted by $20,000 Cotton Pickin’ victory on the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss.
Comment: Finishing 2024 with four victories, five top-fives and six top-10s over his final 10 races and recently announcing he’ll contend for World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year this year, Dotson’s stock is high entering the Wild West Shootout. Dotson races closer than ever to home, too, as Vado is at least on the same side of the country as his California hometown.
Tyler Erb, New Waverly, Texas
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: First (Jan. 14, 2022)
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): 8.6 (18)
2024 season: Career-high 19 victories among 105 features in eight states, nine of them five-figure paydays and 11 DIRTcar Summer Nationals triumphs en route to title.
Comment: Though the 19-time winner in 2024 finished inside the top-10 in every Wild West Shootout race last year, Erb came away from the miniseries disappointed he didn’t win. It’s worth noting Erb was amid an eventual 75-race winless streak that ended Feb. 7 at Florida’s East Bay Raceway Park.
Kaden Honeycutt, Bridge City, Texas
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: 10th (Jan. 6, 2024)
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): 16.0 (four)
2024 season: Three top-10s in eight Dirt Late Model features; six top-10s in 14 NASCAR Truck Series starts; CARS Tour Pro Late Model champion and Snowball Derby winner at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.
Comment: 2024 Snowball Derby winner (asphalt Late Model racing’s equivalent to the World 100) returns to the Wild West Shootout after showing speed at last year’s miniseries. The 21-year-old only finished inside the top-10 once last year and failed to qualify for two features, but he earned fast-time honors in one event.
Mike Marlar, Winfield, Tenn.
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: First (two wins in 2022, one in ’23)
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): 4.9 (18)
2024 season: Six victories in 88 features, highlighted by Oct. 12’s $50,000 Jackson 100 triumph at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway.
Comment: Sporting a new, gold livery while finishing last year with eight top-fives over his last 10 races, including last October’s Jackson 100 victory at Brownstown, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series campaigner has much to look forward to in 2025. The 46-year-old and 2022 Wild West Shootout champ has a single finish outside the top-10 in 18 Vado starts.
Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, Ga.
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: None
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): None
2024 season: Seven victories in 44 features, highlighted by June 29’s $50,050 victory at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., and runner-up finish at World 100.
Comment: The Hall of Famer is set for his first appearance at Vado in Jan. 4’s opener aboard a Riggs Motorsports-owned Longhorn Chassis. McDowell won’t race every night, though, as he’ll mainly serve as a driving coach to brothers Jack and Jason Riggs during the miniseries. The 58-year-old carries a 17-race winless stretch into 2025, his longest since he went 27 races between victories July 2019 through March 2020.
Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, Ill.
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: First (four wins in 2024; two wins in ’23)
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): 3.9 (18)
2024 season: Career-best 38 victories in 98 features, eight paying $50,000 or more including World 100-DTWC sweep at Eldora. WoO tour runner-up.
Comment: Winning his last six of nine races at Vado Speedway and last year’s miniseries title, expect Pierce, the 12-time WWS winner, to break Billy Moyer’s record of 13 all-time wins at the Southwest miniseries in 2025. With 72 feature victories between 2023-24, Pierce hopes to keep raising the bar in ’25.
Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, Ill.
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: First (two wins in 2022)
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): 7.4 (15)
2024 season: World of Outlaws champion with seven victories overall in 99 features, highlighted by Dec. 7’s $30,000 Gateway Dirt Nationals triumph.
Comment: It just feels right B-Shepp is back in a Rocket Chassis. Sheppard doesn’t start his second stint aboard the Rocket Chassis house car until Jan. 15-18’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season opener at Golden Isles Speedway, but his family’s No. B5 team has the chance to triumphantly represent Rocket again at Vado, looking to build off December’s Gateway Dirt Nationals victory in his Rocket return.
Drake Troutman, Hyndman, Pa.
Best Wild West Shootout finish at Vado: Ninth (Jan. 10, 2024)
Average Vado finish at WWS (starts): 15.2 (six)
2024 season: Three victories in 87 Dirt Late Model features, highlighted by June 21’s Firecracker 100 semifeature victory.
Comment: One of the most ambitious drivers in dirt racing is back for another Wild West Shootout go-around. The 19-year-old who logged 113 total events last year begins his new partnership with G.R. Smith’s Team 22 Inc. at Vado before making the cross-country trek for a full-tilt run at Georgia-Florida Speedweeks. Troutman logged a pair of top-10s at Vado last year and earned the pole for one feature.
