The Des Moines, IA driver will join the 2023 Rookie Class when the season starts at Sunshine Nationals

CONCORD, NC – January 4, 2023 – Todd Cooney is preparing for an opportunity he won’t forget in 2023. 

As the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models get ready for their season opener on Jan. 18-21 during Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, he’ll join the field as a Rookie of the Year contender—all while igniting his passion for racing.

“Late Model racing is my passion,” Cooney said. “I live, eat, and breathe racing. I live for this stuff and it’s what I work for.”

Work commitments and health issues kept the Des Moines, IA, driver from living out his dream in the past. However, that changes in 2023 as Cooney’s ability to work from the road allows him to run a national tour.

“About five years ago, I had a lot of health issues, and I’m at the point where I don’t necessarily be on-site to work,” Cooney said. “I can do some of my work from the road now. It’s always been a dream to do this stuff, and it’s my first opportunity to be able to go do it. I have great guys that work for me, and they basically said go live your dream and have fun.”

While Cooney will battle for Rookie of the Year, he’s no stranger to success. He’s found Victory Lane three times at one of Iowa’s most prestigious events—the IMCA SuperNationals at Boone Speedway.

Despite his success at Boone, where the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models will compete in August, he understands what to expect when the season begins.

“We’ve won (IMCA) SuperNationals three times,” Cooney said. “Then I got sick, and Ricky (Thornton Jr.) won it for me twice. So, we’ve won it five times.

“But as far as the racing goes, there’s no comparison between what I’ve done in the past and what I’m getting ready to get into. So as far as the experience goes, it’s going to be new for me.”

Boone isn’t the only track Cooney has experience at on the 53-race schedule. He also raced at Volusia—a place he started visiting as a kid.

“I’ve been going to Volusia since I was seven years old with my dad,” Cooney said. “We go for (DIRTcar Nationals) every year, and I don’t miss a race. I don’t care if it’s the Sprint Cars, Late Models; I go to every race at Volusia. I’ve just always loved the place.”

“We did decent there with the Limited (Late Model) stuff, and we went in there last year (at DIRTcar Nationals) and sucked,” Cooney said. “We tried to go into last year prepared, but because of the shortage of parts, shortage of this, and shortage of that. Honestly, we weren’t as prepared as we should’ve been.”

That experience at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” gave him a new perspective on what’s to come at Sunshine Nationals.

“Something I learned is that when you go into one of these deals with the World of Outlaws, you better have your shit together,” Cooney said. “That was a big learning curve last year, and it’s still a big learning curve.”

Cooney won’t let the opportunity to live out his dream go to waste when he straps in his Longhorn by Wells at Sunshine Nationals. He said he feels it’s only a matter of time before he is ready to contend.

“From where I’m coming from, we’re just working-class people, and we’re going to go try to race,” Cooney said. “I think with a little time, we’ll be in the game.”

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models kick off their 2023 season at Volusia Speedway Park during Sunshine Nationals Jan. 18-21. They’ll be joined by the DIRTcar Pro Late Models and 602 Late Models, making the event a True Late Model Palooza.

GBARBERVILLE, FL (Jan. 3, 2023) – With Florida-based Germfree joining as the title sponsor, the inaugural Southern Sprint Car Shootout is set to bring fans an exciting new event, Jan. 26-28.For the first time in 18 years, the United Sprint Car Series will return to Volusia Speedway Park for the doubleheader weekend to open its 2023 season.The best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the country and beyond will gather in Barberville, FL for a $3,000-to-win prize Friday, Jan. 27, and then an impressive $5,000 top prize on Saturday, Jan. 28. There will be an open practice on Thursday, Jan. 26.Continuing its support for Volusia Speedway Park – which it will do throughout 2023 as the track’s preferred BioTech partner – Germfree joined as the event’s title sponsor looking to enhance the event and further reach fans.“We’re excited to partner with this inaugural event and continue to support Volusia Speedway Park and the racing community,” said Jessica Miller of Germfree. “Working with Volusia has created a tremendous opportunity to educate race fans about our company. We can’t wait for everyone to enjoy the Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout.”The United Sprint Car Series’ inaugural visit came in 2001 and was won by former World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series driver Terry McCarl. The Series was also a part of Volusia’s DIRTcar Nationals in 2004 with the World of Outlaws Late Models.Tyler Clem, of St. Petersburg, FL, has already locked himself into the event by winning the Sprint Car race during the Battle in Barberville in December.“That’s a big deal,” Clem said. “You never know what can happen in Qualifying… It’s a cool deal we’re getting to do this.”Joining them during the weekend will be Street Stocks on Friday and Thunder Stocks on Saturday – both competing for $1,000 paydays.The full list of former USCS winners at Volusia include, McCarl (2001), Sport Allen (2001), Kenny Adams (2003 x2, 2004, 2005), Joey Saldana (2004), Chad Kemenah (2004) and Terry Gray (2004).Tickets will be available at the track. If you can’t make it, you can watch Friday and Saturday night’s event live on DIRTVision.

Volusia Speedway Park — The World’s Fastest Half Mile — has been in operation for racing since 1968. The track was originally built by Benny Corbin as a way for dirt racing to grow in the Volusia County area. He owned the facility until 1982. Today, World Racing Group owns and operates Volusia Speedway Park, which plays host to the prestigious DIRTcar Nationals, Sunshine Nationals and Dale & Emil Reutimann Memorial in addition to its weekly racing program.

No Qualifying on Wednesday, Qualifying moves to Thursday-Friday

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 30, 2022 – This January, the biggest dirt Late Model event in Florida is undergoing the biggest change since its inception with a new format for two divisions.

The fourth annual DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Jan. 18-21, puts the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series, the DIRTcar Pro Late Models and the 602 Late Models on the same stage for a true Late Model Palooza.

With rapidly growing car counts among the three popular divisions, all-new formats have been established for the DIRTcar Pro Late Models (in conjunction with the Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series) and local 602 crate engine Late Model division to enhance the overall program. The World of Outlaws will run their normal program each night, highlighted by a $20,000-to-win Feature on Saturday.

DRIVER REGISTRATION
PRO/602 LATE MODEL COMPETITOR GUIDE

The new format focuses on the accrual of points over a series of Qualifying Features on Thursday and Friday, lined up by Hot Lap/Qualifying times on each night. Those points totals will lock the top-20 drivers into the Championship Features on Saturday and take an additional number of drivers in from the Last Chance Showdowns.

The DIRTcar Pro Late Models will contest a 30-lap, $10,000-to-win Championship Feature on Saturday, while the 602 Late Models will battle 20 laps for $3,000-to-win. Each day’s procedures under the new format are detailed in the sections below.

Wednesday, Jan. 18

An evening of practice for all three divisions will take place from 6-9pm before racing gets underway Thursday night. This is an optional session and is not required of drivers to participate.

Thursday-Friday, Jan. 19-20

Every driver in the DIRTcar Pro Late Model and 602 Late Model divisions will draw at sign-in and be seeded into one of two Hot Lap/Qualifying groups in their respective division. Drivers will qualify against only the other drivers in their group, putting a maximum of eight cars on the track at a time for two timed laps.

Each driver’s best time will be used to set that night’s Qualifying Feature lineups, staggered from fastest-to-slowest. The number of Qualifying Features for each division will be determined by car counts.

After Hot Lap/Qualifying, both divisions will then contest their set Qualifying Features – 20 laps, $1,500-to-win each for Pro Late Models and 15 laps, $1,000-to-win, for 602 Late Models. Each driver will earn points according to their finish in the Qualifying Features, giving everyone a final points total after the completion of Friday’s events.

The top-20 drivers in the standings will be locked into Saturday’s Championship Feature, while everyone else will be staggered into a Last Chance Showdown event on Saturday.

Saturday, Jan. 21
A redraw will take place to set a portion of the Championship Feature lineups within the top-20 cars locked-in via points; the details of which will be explained at Saturday’s drivers meeting.

Last Chance Showdown events will take another determined number of cars into the Championship Feature, followed by the addition of provisional starters at officials’ discretion. Once the lineups are set, the Pro Late Models will run 30 laps for $10,000-to-win, while the 602 Late Models will contest 20 laps for a $3,000 grand prize.

Every driver who starts at Last Chance Showdown or Feature will earn points toward the overall standings on Saturday, awarding the driver with the most points after the Championship Features with a special trophy as DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals champion of their respective division.

Tickets for the fourth annual DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals are on sale now at WorldofOutlaws.com. If you can’t be at the track, catch all the action live on DIRTVision with a FAST PASS subscription.