FARMER CITY, IL (April 8, 2026) – April 11, 2025, will always stand out as one of the most special days of Ethan Dotson’s racing career.
The Bakersfield, CA native was nearly a year into his stint as the driver of the ASD Motorsports No. 74X and had completed eight races in his rookie campaign with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. The results had been decent, but a true breakout moment on the national Late Model scene eluded him.
Then came the 2025 Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway.
Friday’s opening night didn’t produce anything out of the ordinary to start. Dotson timed in fifth in his Qualifying group, then finished third in his Heat Race to start ninth in the main event. But once the green flag flew in the Feature, it didn’t take him long to start plotting his way to the front.
Dotson got some help early with several frontrunners falling out of contention. Jason Feger and Ryan Gustin collided on the first lap, then Devin Moran ran into a slowing lap car while leading the race. By a Lap 14 restart, Dotson was up to third.
As the race wore on, it turned into a battle between best friends in Dotson and fellow Modified ace Drake Troutman. Both drivers were chasing their first World of Outlaws triumph, and on that night, it was Dotson’s turn to reach the checkered flag first.
“[Farmer City] wasn’t one of those places I felt like I was substantially better at,” Dotson said of his expectations going into the weekend. “But I feel like those tracks out there kind of fit my driving style a little bit better. A little more moisture, up on the wheel and stuff. But it’s definitely one of the places I look forward to going to every year.”
That Farmer City score was far from the first major victory of Dotson’s career. He’s a former IMCA Super Nationals champion, a career-defining accomplishment for anyone who has it on their resume. Dotson has topped some of the biggest races on the DIRTcar side of the Modified world as well, including the World Short Track Championship and the Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial.
But the goal was always to compete and win at the highest level of Late Model racing, and last year’s victory meant accomplishing that lifelong mission.
“It’s pretty high, honestly,” Dotson said. “I mean, our first Outlaw race is pretty special to anyone, I think. Especially to me.”
In the 12 months since that night, the focus for Dotson has been replicating that magic. He picked up a win at Central Arizona Raceway during the Wild West Shootout in January, but the quest for World of Outlaws win number two is still ongoing.
That isn’t to say Dotson hasn’t had speed – he’s stood on the podium three times since Farmer City last year, and he enters this weekend having finished top 10 in six of the last eight Series races. But consistency isn’t enough. Dotson wants to prove to the world that he belongs, and the ASD team made the right decision in hiring him. The way he sees it, the only way to do that is to become a regular in World of Outlaws Victory Lane.
“We run decent, but just not as many wins as I’d like to see,” Dotson said. “I’m not satisfied. I want to be top three every night and winning some races. We’re just going to keep working harder until we can get there.”
Dotson and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will resume the 2026 season at Farmer City Raceway on Friday-Saturday, April 10-11. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.
Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.
Dotson Returning to Site of First World of Outlaws Win Hungry to Repeat
FARMER CITY, IL (April 8, 2026) – April 11, 2025, will always stand out as one of the most special days of Ethan Dotson’s racing career.
The Bakersfield, CA native was nearly a year into his stint as the driver of the ASD Motorsports No. 74X and had completed eight races in his rookie campaign with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. The results had been decent, but a true breakout moment on the national Late Model scene eluded him.
Then came the 2025 Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway.
Friday’s opening night didn’t produce anything out of the ordinary to start. Dotson timed in fifth in his Qualifying group, then finished third in his Heat Race to start ninth in the main event. But once the green flag flew in the Feature, it didn’t take him long to start plotting his way to the front.
Dotson got some help early with several frontrunners falling out of contention. Jason Feger and Ryan Gustin collided on the first lap, then Devin Moran ran into a slowing lap car while leading the race. By a Lap 14 restart, Dotson was up to third.
As the race wore on, it turned into a battle between best friends in Dotson and fellow Modified ace Drake Troutman. Both drivers were chasing their first World of Outlaws triumph, and on that night, it was Dotson’s turn to reach the checkered flag first.
“[Farmer City] wasn’t one of those places I felt like I was substantially better at,” Dotson said of his expectations going into the weekend. “But I feel like those tracks out there kind of fit my driving style a little bit better. A little more moisture, up on the wheel and stuff. But it’s definitely one of the places I look forward to going to every year.”
That Farmer City score was far from the first major victory of Dotson’s career. He’s a former IMCA Super Nationals champion, a career-defining accomplishment for anyone who has it on their resume. Dotson has topped some of the biggest races on the DIRTcar side of the Modified world as well, including the World Short Track Championship and the Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial.
But the goal was always to compete and win at the highest level of Late Model racing, and last year’s victory meant accomplishing that lifelong mission.
“It’s pretty high, honestly,” Dotson said. “I mean, our first Outlaw race is pretty special to anyone, I think. Especially to me.”
In the 12 months since that night, the focus for Dotson has been replicating that magic. He picked up a win at Central Arizona Raceway during the Wild West Shootout in January, but the quest for World of Outlaws win number two is still ongoing.
That isn’t to say Dotson hasn’t had speed – he’s stood on the podium three times since Farmer City last year, and he enters this weekend having finished top 10 in six of the last eight Series races. But consistency isn’t enough. Dotson wants to prove to the world that he belongs, and the ASD team made the right decision in hiring him. The way he sees it, the only way to do that is to become a regular in World of Outlaws Victory Lane.
“We run decent, but just not as many wins as I’d like to see,” Dotson said. “I’m not satisfied. I want to be top three every night and winning some races. We’re just going to keep working harder until we can get there.”
Dotson and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will resume the 2026 season at Farmer City Raceway on Friday-Saturday, April 10-11. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.
Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.