January 23, 2025 — DAYTONA BEACH, FL

• Nick Yelloly qualifies his Acura MSR ARX-06 second for Saturday’s season-opening Rolex 24
• Tom Blomqvist shows speed in #60 Acura MSR machine, will start sixth

Nick Yelloly led the way for Acura in qualifying for the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, putting his #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian ARX-06 second on the grid for the twice-round-the-clock classic.

Yelloly’s qualifying effort marks a strong showing for the #93 team, a joint effort between Meyer Shank Racing and Honda Racing Corporation USA. HRC US is taking on a larger role in engineering and strategizing for the team for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Yelloly will be going for his first Rolex 24 win on Saturday, alongside two-time Rolex winner Renger van der Zande, three-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou, and HRC-backed driver Kakunoshin Ohta.

The sister #60 Acura ARX-06 qualified sixth in the hands of Tom Blomqvist. The two-time Rolex winner’s pace looked good enough to join the #93 on the front row, before an altercation with the slower #63 cost him significant time on what was likely to be his fastest lap. Blomqvist and teammates Colin Braun, Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist will start the Rolex 24 from sixth.

Rolex 24 at Daytona Acura Qualifying Results

• Qualified 2nd – #93 Nick Yelloly, Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06. Co-drivers will be Renger van der Zande, Alex Palou and Kakunoshin Ohta.
• Qualified 6th – #60 Tom Blomqvist, Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06. Co-drivers will be Colin Braun, Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist

Quotes
Nick Yelloly (#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06) Qualified 2nd: “My very first Acura qualifying and we’re lining up on the front row for Daytona, which is nice. There was a bit of confusion regarding the amount of time we had left, so it was lucky that I started to get on with it when I did, because in the middle of the lap they said it was the last lap and I thought I had two or three more. Let’s say the racing gods helped us out a little bit there, but the car felt nice. I still think there’s more in it. Now we just have to concentrate on the race. Happy for all the MSR and the HRC crew to get a good start to the season in terms of qualifying, but the points are mostly in the race!”
Tom Blomqvist (#60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06) Qualified 6th: “Car is good, car is fast! We just got ourselves in a difficult spot there with the traffic and the track position. It’s a little annoying for me, it’s a little annoying for him as well. I was just trying to complete my lap, but in the end it just wasn’t meant to be. It’s a bit disappointing because I think we had the car to fight for pole. It’s a long race so it doesn’t really matter, but let’s see!”

How to Watch the Rolex 24 at Daytona
Television coverage for the 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona starts Saturday, January 25, at 1:30 PM ET on NBC for the initial hour of the event. Coverage continues on the USA Network from 2:30 – 6:30 PM Saturday before returning to NBC 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Sunday for the conclusion of the race

Live flag-to-flag coverage will be available on NBC Peacock in the US and on IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. Additionally, Radio Le Mans will have live flag-to-flag coverage via IMSA.com.

Acura and HRC US social media content and video links can be found on:

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• TikTok 
• YouTube

www.instagram.com/hondaracing_us www.twitter.com/hondaracing_us
www.linkedin.com/showcase/honda-racing-corporation-usa/ www.facebook.com/HondaRacingUS
www.tiktok.com/@hondaracing_us
www.youtube.com/@HondaRacingUS

CONCORD, NC (Jan. 23, 2025) — Seth Bergman finally accomplished his goal of winning the ASCS National Tour title in 2024, but even with the Emmett Hahn Trophy in hand, he’s not satisfied.

“Now that we’ve got one, I want to come back and back it up,” Bergman said. “I want to show that it wasn’t just a one-time thing, that we’re building something consistent here that can consistently compete and win championships at this level.

“For me, I think that’s just the competitive drive I have in me. I’ve worked so long to get one, and now I’ve got one, and I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s go get another.’”

The 37-year-old Snohomish, WA-native is returning to the full-time roster in 2025, driving the Oklahoma Chiller, Rider/Triple X No. 23 for his own Bergman Motorsports team.

Though his first championship — a lifelong goal of the Oklahoma resident — was sweet, Bergman still has areas he wants to improve on.

“It’s about coming back and trying to better some of our areas that we weren’t good in last year,” he said. “There’s certainly a lot of things I didn’t think went great last year that I think we can improve upon. We’re working really hard to have a much better year than we did last year, and also to come and back it up and show that it wasn’t just a one-time thing.”

In 31 races last season, Bergman collected seven wins, the most top-five finishes of any driver (24) and top-10s in all but three races. But he didn’t top every stat column, and that doesn’t sit well with him going into the new year.

Bergman’s biggest rival throughout 2024 was five-time Tour champion, Sam Hafertepe Jr. In 30 recorded starts, the Sunnyvale, TX-native won 12 Features and garnered 13 Quick Time Awards (Bergman was second with three), among other stats columns led, but still came up 146 points behind by season’s end.

“I didn’t win as much last year as I wanted to,” Bergman said. “We had a lot of things changing with our team all year and I never really got a solid footing and really got going. I feel like I was more inconsistent than I wanted to be. I didn’t win near as much as I wanted to.

“Yeah, we were good enough to win the championship, but it bothers me that Sam won more races, he led more laps, and things like that bother me. I know I’m capable of more.”

While the past has frustrated him, Bergman has learned from his experiences and is ready to move on to the new season, which, for him, begins April 12 at Salina Highbanks Speedway. He and his team are assembling all-new cars for the new year and have upgraded their equipment as well — from transporters to mules and tools — and will sit out from the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals events at Volusia Speedway Park.

It’s all part of the off-track preparations he’s making to ensure himself a seat at the championship contenders table come season’s end.

“The past few years, I feel like I’ve been coming into my own as a driver and a man,” Bergman said. “When I climb into the race car these days, I’m confident. I know I’ve put in a ton of work outside the racetrack just on myself, my mental [health]. I work really hard outside of the racetrack to make sure that when I come, I can be ready to compete. So, I get a lot of confidence off that.”

See Bergman make his 2025 season debut and begin his run to a second ASCS National Tour championship on Saturday, April 12 at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, OK.

Tickets for the event will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of every race throughout the season live on DIRTVision.

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R paces three-car contingent in shortened qualifying

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2025) – Cadillac Racing will start the first race of its expanded IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) program from the fourth, seventh and eighth positions in the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Jack Aitken, driving the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, led the Cadillac contingent with a best lap of 1 minute, 34.350 seconds on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn Daytona International Speedway course in the scheduled 15-minute qualifying session that was reduced to 5:50 of green flag running because of a red flag early on.Filipe Albuquerque recorded a best lap of 1:34.933 in the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing entry, while Louis Deletraz was right behind in eighth at 1:34.935 in the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing car. The No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 claimed the pole with a lap of 1:33.895. In 2024, the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R rode to the pole with a track-record lap time of 1 minute, 32.656 seconds, and the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R completed the front row lockout. Cadillac Racing will seek its fifth victory since 2017 in the January 25-26 race. Cadillac has totaled 12 podium finishes, including the four overall victories, in the Rolex 24 At Daytona since 2017. A 90-minute night session today and 60-minute morning session Friday will allow Cadillac Racing teams to further fine-tune the cars for the changeable weather and track conditions during the twice-around-the-clock event.  Cadillac Racing overall victories2020 (Renger van der Zande, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Kamui Kobayashi)2019 (Renger van der Zande, Fernando Alonso; Jordan Taylor, Kamui Kobayashi)2018 (Christian Fittipaldi, Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa)2017 (Jeff Gordon, Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli)Poles2024, 2021, 2018, 2017

What they’re saying Filipe Albuquerque, No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (best lap of 1:34.933): “A hard qualifying for us as the first time in the Cadillac V-Series.R. For sure the red flag didn’t help anybody. I think for us a little bit more in terms of knowing what the car was going to be like. We’re still learning about the car. P7, it’s not the end of the world for a 24-hour race – it’s a long one. We keep going and learning the car, obviously we would have liked to be a little bit further ahead, but we will see come Sunday.” Jack Aitken, No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R (best lap of 1:34.350): “I was happy and it’s a pretty good place to start. We’re hopefully going to be in the mix in the front the start of the race. It was a bit of a weird session, very truncated and I didn’t get many laps in. I had to make that last lap count. The car felt really nice, so I think we’re in a solid position. We have a few more sessions to work on things and build a solid racecar.” Louis Deletraz, No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (best lap of 1:34.935): “Not an easy qualifying with the red flag. I think the pole position lap time was not doable for us, simply impossible. First qualifying together with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing. We are learning every time and know how to improve and get better. The main focus now is the race.”

Three Corvettes in top-eight after qualifying; AWA, DXDT eager to go forward in GTD DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 23, 2025) – The three Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in the GTD PRO class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sped toward the front of the class Thursday in qualifying ahead of this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports entry led the way for the Corvette camp by qualifying fourth in the 15-minute session for the 15-car GTD PRO field with a lap of 1:46.012 (120.892 mph) – less than a half-second off the class pole-winning time. Sims had another half-second in hand over Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R from the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports squad that will see both of its cars on the second and third rows for Saturday’s start. The No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R will start on the next row after Connor Zilisch’s effort that saw him qualify eighth in class and barely a tenth-of-a-second off Milner’s time. In the GTD ranks, the DXDT Racing and AWA Corvettes qualified 16th and 17th respectively in the massive 22-car field in class. Charlie Eastwood did the honors in the No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R for DXDT’s maiden qualifying run as a full-season WeatherTech Championship team. His lap of 1:47.592 (119.116 mph) was about eight-tenths clear of Orey Fidani in the No. 13 AWA Corvette. GTD PRO Corvette Z06 GT3.R Qualifying Times· No. 3 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella – 1:46.012 (120.892 mph) – fourth in class· No. 4 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone – 1:46.445 (120.400 mph) – sixth in class· No. 91 Corvette – Trackhouse by TF Sport – Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch – 1:46.579 (120.249 mph) – eighth in class GTD Corvette Z06 GT3.R Weekend Fast Times· No. 36 Corvette – DXDT Racing – Charlie Eastwood, Pipo Derani, Alec Udell, Salih Yoluc – 1:47.592 (119.116 mph) – 15th in class· No. 13 Corvette – AWA – Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Marvin Kirchhöfer – 1:48.334 (118.301 mph) – 16th in class The Rolex 24 marks the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the second season of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program. This year’s group marks the largest number of production-based racing Corvettes in the race since 2007. The Corvette Racing brand has a deep history at the Rolex 24 and includes four GT class victories – one of those an overall win in 2001. In addition, Corvette’s successes at Daytona have bolstered Chevrolet’s impressive record of 122 wins at the circuit across IMSA and NASCAR’s national series. The Rolex 24 At Daytona goes green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 25 with live television segments on NBC and USA plus flag-to-flag coverage on Peacock in the U.S., and IMSA.com for international viewers.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTESALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “First of all, low fuel run here. You’re getting a load of laptime on the straights, and the car is pretty alive. Qualifying at any point is quite exciting when it comes down to two or three laps of the tire peak where you’ve got to try and nail a lap, which is always tough in itself. Simply the fact I was doing qualifying, it was exciting. These conditions, it was really hard to switch the tire on and I didn’t get it. It was just challenging to switch the tire on compared to normal. The car was feeling nice. This Corvette is lovely. It’s great in loads of phases but it’s really exciting when you’re driving it on low fuel. The team gave me a really nice car. We did the best with what we could in terms of the balance of the Corvette out there. It was really nice to drive. Quite a big delta to the Fords. I can imagine where the laptime is gained on that, but well done to those guys, and we’re looking forward to the race. We’ll know more, honestly 12, 14, 16 hours into the race. It seems like the car is working well, and that’s all you can ask for now.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Glad to be at the pointier end of the class. Obviously, P1 is a little bit out of touch there, but otherwise, we’re generally pretty close. We’ve worked very hard in the offseason. The engineers have – based on last year’s data and the car we’ve had – to try and improve our Corvette and I think we’ve done a great job in improving the car. Hopefully, that will translate to a good race for us. So far, reliability-wise, we’ve been very good which is I think is another important part to make this race successful for this team. From that side, all good. It’s been a great week so far with my teammates Nicky and Nico. We’ve got a couple more practice sessions here to work on it a bit more. I think we’re in the hunt. I don’t think we quite have the fastest car, but like I said, we still have two more practice sessions to work on it. I think more than anything, we’ve gone down a good path with the car so far all through the Roar, practice and qualifying as well. Good car balance, so we’ll just continue to tweak on it.”

CONNOR ZILISCH, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It definitely feels good to get qualifying out of the way. It doesn’t mean too much in a 24-hour race. There are a few cars out there that are going to be tough to beat. We’re going to need some help, but overall the car is driving well, and I think we’ll have a good car for race runs and longer stints. I feel like that’s one thing we were really good at in practice. Just hoping we can keep that up in the race and keep our car driving well, and I think that will pay off for us.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Not what we expected. Just didn’t seem to be able to generate a lot of grip. It’s a very different condition than what we had in the Roar, and we seemed a bit more comfortable. Both in FP1 and there in qualifying, we just didn’t seem to be able to gain enough grip. We need to look at the data to see where we’re missing it. Ultimately, if it heats up again for the weekend, we might be in a better window but we still need to understand why we’re not there at the minute. Bit of work to do, for sure.“Ultimately, we still had the same opportunities as everyone else to be up front and we’re not. For sure it’s not a be all to end all with 24 hours to go to the front, which is very straightforward if we have the pace. But we definitely seem to be missing a bit at the minute. It’s going to be a case of working out where we’re missing that, and go from there.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 AWA CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Qualifying went well. The car felt amazing out there, and it just kept getting better and better with every lap. Huge credit to the team for their hard work dialing it in. I’m feeling confident and excited heading into the race!”

Trackhouse by TF Sport drivers Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch along with TF Sport team owner Tom Ferrier and GM Executive Director of Global Motorsports Competition Dr. Eric Warren met with members of the media at Daytona International Speedway to discuss the program’s effort in this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona with the No. 91 WeatherTech Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in GTD PRO. Full transcript:

Eric, how significant is it for Chevrolet to be a part of this project and with five Corvettes for this race and considering Chevrolet’s history at the Daytona 500? DR. ERIC WARREN: “This is a great project that I’m sure we’ll talk about more. The exciting part for me is having Tom and TF Sport come over and work with the IMSA group and Pratt Miller. There are so many intersections across all our series here. It’s exciting not only to bring an additional Corvette with the history and opportunity, but across IndyCar, NASCAR, sports cars and even Supercars… that’s the relationship part of this. Particularly with Ben and Tom running this year in the WEC, this is a great opportunity. It fell into place and there are a lot of great things from a competition point of view with the great road-racing experiences that these guys have and the history we have here in all our other competitions. There are so many parallel things that I couldn’t be more excited. The car looks great, on top of all that.” For Tom, exciting to start TF’s second year with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R as part of this program and this group?TOM FERRIER: “Definitely with this group, for sure. We had a great year last year, and we got stronger and stronger throughout. We ended it really well in Bahrain with a double-podium. We definitely felt like we were ready to kick off 2025 in a good, strong way. As Eric said, it’s a lovely combination to have. We have Been with us in WEC this year, and it’s great to get going with him. Obviously these three guys (McLaughlin, van Gisbergen and Zilisch) are pretty special to work with as well. We’re really looking forward to it and are excited about this.” For Connor, how the LMP2 win last year at Rolex 24 set the stage for where you are now.CONNOR ZILISCH: “It was a big confidence-booster for one and opened up so many opportunities for me on this side of the paddock. I felt like I had to make a name for myself before I got the opportunity to jump into a GT car and race with a team like TF Sport and race with Corvette. It’s definitely something that I could use to prove myself in this style of racing. That race was incredible last year here. Everything about it and the emotions… everything I learned racing in the WeatherTech Championship last year was so beneficial for me in every series I race in. It made me such a better driver. Working with Era Motorsports last year was so beneficial for me as a person and a driver. I learned so much from that, and that has opened doors for me.” For Scott, what’s it been like to transition to this car and with this group?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: “It’s nice to have a roof over my head in some ways! I’ve missed it. When Eric said the opportunity was going to happen with (Connor, Shane and Ben) and now knowing TF Sport and how they work, it was awesome. I’ve been having a blast and had a lot of fun this past weekend. But for us, we aren’t looking at it as fun or an exhibition. We want to go out there and win and do our best for Team Chevy, Corvette and their whole program. I’m having a blast teaming up with my old buddy here (van Gisbergen) and getting to know Connor, who is a superstar in his own right, is very cool. I’m not taking any of this for granted, for sure.” Shane, talk about coming into this race as a NASCAR driver this year after coming in originally as a star in Australian Supercars.SHANE VAN GISBERGEN: “It’s been awesome to come back to this race. I’ve missed GT3 cars quite a bit. There are certainly a lot more buttons and dials on the dash than a (stock) car, that’s for sure. It’s been fun teaming with these guys, as they’ve touched on, and TF Sport and Team Chevy. It’s been a blast so far. I miss GT racing and the team aspect of it. The car has to suit all four drivers. There are little compromises but thankfully we’re liking the same things. It’s just been fun so far and I’m sure it will be fun in the race. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. So far it’s been an awesome experience to be back here.” Ben, you’re pulling double duty this weekend. How is it going so far?BEN KEATING: “So far, so good. I was excited to get the opportunity to get to do a qualifying sim just now, and pretty happy with those results. I’m grateful to drive this morning.” What is Justin Marks like as a team owner?VAN GISBERGEN: “It’s unreal. He’s such a forward-thinking, open guy. I got to have him in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago on the last few days of my holiday. I hung out with him a bit and got to know him as a person. Just an awesome guy. As a boss he’s great, too, with how he thinks about this stuff. I had some drives that I was trying to get. I really wanted to come and do this race, and had some good potential drivers and he said, ‘No wait a bit. I’m working on something that you’ll like.’ It’s amazing how he makes things come into fruition. Even when he told me that he was going to make me come over here… it’s exploded, the program that I thought I’d be doing. What an amazing person.” ZILISCH: “I can relate to what Shane said. He’s so innovative and creative with everything he does. It’s been a blast to be part of Trackhouse and get to know Justin and everyone who works at Trackhouse. It’s a great place to be. Everyone loves what they do at the shop. It’s a very positive building to work inside of. Justin does such a great job not only running the business and making sure he does things different. But also making sure it’s a great atmosphere to be in. I do truly feel at home at Trackhouse.” Eric, what’s it like working with Justin compared to some other owners in general?WARREN: “From the beginning when he first came into NASCAR, I was having a lot of conversations with him. So I’ve known him for quite a while and watched him race when he was in (the) Xfinity (series). From a sports car point of view, he’s always had that as his heart. He raced in sports cars and he sees himself as a sports car racer. So I knew that passion was always there. We always talked about different opportunities. It’s exciting because he is thinking about a lot of different things. We’re very fortunate with Team Chevy to have long-standing relationships with Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske… all those people that you see. Creating those intersections for Justin and those individuals and all the different series, it’s great to see him mature as an owner, let’s call it, and all the excitement around the Trackhouse brand. Watching that come together is great. You feel like you’re a part of it. It’s been exciting, and this project has been super-exciting.“To tell a funny story about Connor and Justin, I think it was at VIR and we had had Connor as a development driver for awhile. Justin won the TA1 race and he called me saying on the first lap that Connor was two seconds a lap faster in that car. He was asking how we are going to get him signed up. From that moment there’s always been all these relationships and intersections that you see develop. That’s been exciting.” Eric, you mentioned all these drivers getting signed, and Justin (Marks) has kind of gone the way of Zak Brown with having all these drivers with nowhere to go. Connor (Zilisch) is on lease to JR Motorsports. TRD has run into that problem often. How do you handle that as a manufacturer?WARREN: “As a manufacturer, our objective is to win. We’re in it to win. We want to learn. You develop relationships with teams. You see opportunities with teams and drivers by having multiple teams. You look several years down the road. Unfortunately, at the top level of motorsports, there’s going to be situations where you don’t end up with a seat. Sometimes that’s situational, sometimes that’s competitive. The good thing about Justin (Marks), he’s part of the driver development program we have which has been a little bit organic. We’ve been trying to learn and Connor’s (Zilisch) has been a great example of that as others are on the NASCAR side. It’s hard to say that’s a negative. To be able to sign other drivers, look at Shane (van Gisbergen) coming in. You don’t get access to the talent, you don’t learn. Until you put people in situations, you don’t identify the talent of the driver versus the situation of the team.” Do you worry about losing some of these young kids you develop?WARREN: “As far as at Chevrolet and GM Motorsports, we feel like if we’ve built the most competitive program, they’re going to come back, right? And we see that all the time. We try to get people to a point where they know that GM Motorsports is the place to be. Situationally, let’s say we can’t, we lose one. There are plenty of times when we know where they’re hearts are at. That’s where we’re at. We’re the hearts, the minds, of our fans and customers, so I don’t lose too much sleep over it because I know at some point in time, I’ll get them back.” With NASCAR’s new rules specifically for the OEMs and what happened at Martinsville, what thoughts or talks have gone into how you guys will race at the Daytona 500?WARREN: “There’s a lot of discussion going on behind the scenes there. I think, we as an OEM, and I think that this is shared by others, we’re in it to win. We want to compete. Technology changes a lot. All these strategies and different communications in the sport changes a lot. There are certain types of tracks, and Daytona has kind of been that for a lot of years now, where just by the strategy of it, you have to pit together. Twenty years ago, there was no such thing as a two-car team. Now there’s multicar teams, and now there’s groups of multicar teams. The sport really changes because the manufacturer, the engineering, and the cost required to do simulators and simulation has become such a big part of it. It allows for the engineering and the planning, and the strategy comes from the manufacturers. Some of that kind of group work has been natural. Certainly, we work with NASCAR and all the series we work with, we try to figure out ‘okay, where’s the line?’ We want to keep progressing, make sure it’s clear, what is competing. The situations are so different. Every track there’s a spot where multiple people from the same manufacturer are using the same strategy tools and if the strategy tool says, ‘stay out,’ it could look to an uninformed observer that it was something that it wasn’t, right? It’s just the sport. So, we want to make sure that integrity is protected and understood, and it’s a constant evolution.” Connor, with this morning’s NASCAR Cup Series announcement for your first start in the Daytona 500, do you have any planned after that?“No, nothing yet. We’re going one race at a time and moving into it slowly. I’m still really young and have a long time to grow and progress in this sport. I definitely have trust in Justin (Marks) and what Trackhouse and GM are doing with me. Honestly, I’m very out of the loop on what goes on behind the scenes. They don’t tell me stuff until it’s done. I’m probably the wrong person to ask, but as of right now, I don’t think there’s anything else planned.” This race is known for having a star-studded lineup. Who would you want to see in it?KEATING: “I’d love to see Max Verstappen come out here and play around with us.”  ZILISCH: “I agree.”  VAN GISBERGEN: “I feel the same. I was just messaging (Max) about it before. I think he’d be good here.”  MCLAUGHLIN: “I don’t know. Valentino Rossi has been doing some GT stuff. It’d be cool to see him come here and try it.” ZILISCH: “I’ve heard he’s really good, actually. I’ve talked to one of his teammates and said he’s really good on four wheels. Drivers drive.”  Have you decided who is going to qualifying the car?ZILISCH: “I think I’m qualifying. The lightweight guy (laughs).” With your great outcome last year, what you’ve been able to do in the sports cars has kind of helped you. You said a year ago you wouldn’t be where I was (without it), talk about how that has progressed…ZILISCH: “With COTA being the third race of the year, it made sense to get a start in it early (on a road course) and get a feel for it. The (NASCAR) Cup car is a lot different. I definitely have a lot to learn there. It’s just a whole different level in the Cup series and I want to get my feet wet in it as early as possible and get an understanding of what my future may look like. So, I’m really excited for that. It’s going to be a lot of fun. “Things have progressed really fast. It’s been… the last 16 months, 18 months have been quite a whirlwind but it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve just been trying to take a step back and enjoy it all because things happen fast and life moves fast, and you have to step back and enjoy the time. That’s my main thing is just trying to soak it all in, have fun, and not stress myself out too much about these big moments.”  Have you talked to Justin (Marks) about Project 91 or anything else on the NASCAR side?MCLAUGHLIN: “No. I mean, I remember when Shane (van Gisbergen) got announced and that was all going on, I felt ‘you’ve got a great guy for that.’ So I was super excited (for him). I think it was going to be a great program that he’s got going on there. But no, I haven’t spoken to him on doing that.” You said previously you didn’t like racing GT cars, but now you’re here. What’s changed?KEATING: “As most of you know, I pay to be here by selling and repairing cars. I really enjoy racing what I sell. There’s nobody out there selling an ORECA or a Gibson to a retail customer. So, I’m excited to make that connection. The way GT3s have kind of taken over sports car racing around the world, I don’t know if there are any other options. I’m very excited to be back in a Corvette. I’m very excited to be able to represent Keating Chevrolet on the track and also be able to represent the Corvette brand in Houston at my dealership. There’s a lot of synergies there and having won the World Endurance Championship in 2023 with Corvette, it’s kind of like putting on an old shoe or a glove or something. It just feels great. We’ve won the World Championship with TF Sport in 2022. Everybody involved is kind of all in the family for me.”

The two Hoosiers have joined forces as Hampton is set for his debut campaign, and Rose continues to iron out his driving schedule

CONCORD, NC (January 23, 2025) – Bill Rose has tabbed Zach Hampton to pilot his No. 6 machine full-time with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in 2025.

Hampton becomes the latest driver in a loaded rookie class as the upcoming season will mark his first with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He joins Cole Macedo, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, and Skylar Gee in the chase for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year.

Knowing he wanted to put someone in the seat as he continues to heal from injuries sustained last year, Rose recently reached out to Hampton. It was fortuitous timing for the Mooresville, IN native as he went from an uncertain future to a shot on Sprint Car racing’s biggest stage.

“I’m actually selling most of my stuff, and I was kind of prepared to be done unless I could drive for someone else but didn’t really have anything in the works,” Hampton explained. “Bill was going to buy a few things like my mule and other small stuff, and we got to talking. It kind of started from there. Then he called me while I was at Chili Bowl and asked if I’d be interested. We talked some more and got a deal worked out that works well for both of us.”

Hampton has plenty of Sprint Car laps under his belt. His 2024 campaign was highlighted by several top 10s in weekly Knoxville Raceway action. In 2023 he picked up an impressive FAST victory in his home state at Circle City Raceway. Now he takes the step up to the demanding World of Outlaws calendar where he’ll face off with the best of the best every night.

“I’m really excited,” Hampton said. “There’s going to be a big learning curve in a lot of areas. I think there’s like 90 races on the schedule, and the most by far I’ve ever done in a year is, I want to say, 52. That’s definitely going to be a big step up, but I think that’ll only help me from a driving standpoint being on the track more and more consistently.”

The opportunity is one that Hampton is motivated to take advantage of. It wasn’t all that long ago that he was selling his equipment without a solid situation ahead. The time is now for Hampton.

“It’s nice that people see potential there and that Bill trusts me not only driving his car but to be a part of this team,” Hampton said. “The drivers are usually kind of the face of it. It means a lot that he trusts me enough in all of those aspects to come race with them.”

While Rose has added Hampton to the team, fans can still expect to see Rose himself behind the wheel. He’s still ironing out the details as he continues to await medical clearance, but with it being his 50^th overall year in racing, Rose has no intentions of only being a crew chief all season.

Hampton and Rose kickoff the 2025 World of Outlaws season at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 5-8. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

For the full 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/zach-hampton-joins-bill-rose-racing-for-rookie-world-of-outlaws-season/

Sent on behalf of OTB Racing DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 23, 2025) – OTB (On The Box) Racing is thrilled to announce that Brandon Price will return as the team’s primary rider for the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season in the Mission AFT SuperTwinsclass. After a standout performance in the 2024 season, Price’s return marks an exciting chapter for both the rider and the team as they aim for even greater success in the upcoming year.  Price, a talented and dedicated racer with a history of podium finishes in AFT, has been a vital part of On The Box Racing’s growth. His determination, skill, and passion for the sport have made him a formidable competitor on the track. With a year of experience under their belts, both Price and OTB are ready for a strong and competitive season in 2025.  “We are very excited to have Brandon back for a second year” said Wayne Sody, Team Owner. “I have the upmost confidence in our second year to make a run for the AFT championship. We learned so much from our first year which will put us on a whole new level of competing.”  Brandon Price echoed the sentiment, expressing his enthusiasm for the upcoming season: “I’m pumped to be signing with the OTB Racing team for another year. We made a lot of headway with the Yamaha MT-07s this past season. With being on the same team and on improved equipment, I’m ready to prove I have what it takes to be a contender in the championship race!”  OTB and Price are preparing for a successful 2025 season, with new developments on the bikes, as well as a dedicated team and sponsors. The team consists of Jason Isennock returning as Crew Chief and Mechanic, Wyatt Neal alongside Head Mechanic, Brian Eckhart and Team Manager, Meg Neal.  Supporting this year’s efforts with OTB Racing are Memphis Shades, Corbin, Vinson Construction, Michael Sponseller, Roof Systems, Yamaha Blu Cru, Lisa Niner, Fredericktown Yamaha, Rausch Racing, Lowery Racing, Motion Pro, Glen’s Auto, Small Town Lids, R-Nyne Designs, Vortex Brewing Co, Vortex Racing, Aria Helmets, Earlbeck Gases, Arctic Circle, BCTRA, LP3 Refuse Removal, and Black Hills Powersports.  The 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season will kick off on March 6th and 7th with the first two races in Daytona.  For more updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow OTB Racing on Instagram (@otbracing_) and Facebook (OTB Racing).

The Canadian will follow in the footsteps of his father as he makes his debut season with The Greatest Show on Dirt

CONCORD, NC (January 22, 2025) – Skylar Gee is ready to be a part of The Greatest Show on Dirt.

The 25-year-old out of Leduc, AB, Canada is set for his rookie World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car tour in 2025 aboard the Logan Fenton Racing No. 99. Gee joins Cole Macedo, Chris Windom, and Garet Williamson in the strong class chasing this year’s Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year.

Gee follows in the footsteps of his father, Tim Gee, who competed with the World of Outlaws full-time for multiple seasons in the 1980s and is one of two Canadian-born Feature winners.

“As cliché as it sounds, it’s a dream come true,” Gee said. “Growing up at the racetrack and racing with my dad and everything it’s something I’ve always wanted to do is to go out and race with the World of Outlaws and have that opportunity.”

“We feel that we’re ready for that jump,” team owner Logan Fenton said. “Ultimately, we’re a newer team. This is essentially our third full season. It takes a while to get an organization together like this and especially at the caliber the World of Outlaws demand. We understand there is a different level of commitment from teams at this level and we intend to do just that.”

While 2025 will mark Gee’s debut campaign with the World of Outlaws, he’s far from new to racing with a traveling series.

Back in 2017 and 2018, Gee competed full-time with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS), finishing eighth and seventh and points and picking up a prestigious Grizzly Nationals victory.

Gee graduated to the 410 Sprint Car touring ranks in 2019 as he took on the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) for the first time. He nabbed his first Series victory that season at Abbottstown, PA’s Lincoln Speedway, where the World of Outlaws will visit twice in 2025, and came home seventh in points. The next season he again competed full-time, improving to fifth in the standings.

He’s since shifted to a pick and choose schedule in the last few years, competing in roughly 60-70 races per year since 2021. Gee and Fenton joined forces ahead of 2022 and have proven to be a strong pairing, picking up seven wins together all in the state of Ohio.

“Kind of where I felt like our team was trending,” Gee said on why this year was the right one to make the jump. “We made some big races and raced pretty well. We had some good showings, I thought, and it kind of opened some doors for us to be able to do this.”

Now, the combination is hitting the road with the best Sprint Car drivers in the country. Gee and the Logan Fenton Racing crew will tackle the 90-night World of Outlaws calendar as one of the most competitive rookie battles in Series history continues to take shape. The 25-year-old will face off with Macedo, Windom, Williamson, and potentially more as they all look to etch their names in the history book.

“It’s going to be tough,” Gee said of going after Rookie of the Year. “I’ve raced with Cole, Garet, and Chris now for a handful of years. I think we’ve raced around each other enough to understand it’s going to be tough. I think looking at it right now it could go to anybody.”

“I’m really excited to watch and see how that transpires this year as we run with top level teams,” Fenton said. “I think that translates into some interesting racing this year with Cole Macedo, Chris Windom, and Garet Williamson. That’s four guys that are going to give us a really good, close battle. I don’t think there’s one single driver that absolutely blows the other ones out of the water. You’re going to see one of the better Rookie of the Year contentions that we’ve seen in Sprint Car racing in quite a number of years honestly.”

Gee and the Logan Fenton Racing crew begin the 2025 World of Outlaws season at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 5-8. For tickets, CLICk HERE.

For the full 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Drivers of the three Cadillac V-Series.Rs in final rehearsals for opening show

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2025) – Six test sessions at Daytona International Speedway are in the books with three remaining for the three Cadillac Racing teams and 11 drivers to prepare for the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona. Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) qualifications are scheduled for 3:25 p.m. ET Thursday on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn course that incorporates sections of the famous high-banked oval. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R rode to the 2024 pole with a track-record lap time of 1 minute, 32.656 seconds, and the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R completed the front row lockout.

Cadillac Racing will seek its fifth victory since 2017 in the race with an expanded lineup featuring the Nos. 10 and 40 hybrid racecars run by Wayne Taylor Racing and the No. 31 campaigned by Action Express Racing. “Overall, I think we are leaving the Roar excited but know we have a lot more work to do in the few days leading up to the Rolex,” said Jordan Taylor, co-driver of the No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R.  ”We are super excited to be back with Cadillac. I personally spent my entire career with them other than one year, which was last year, so I feel like I am back with family, a lot of familiar faces. It’s a brand-new car that I love and love to represent, especially being an American driver, so I am excited to get the week started.”

Media ResourcesCadillac Racing information, statistics, photos, history, driver bios and more for the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona is available and will be updated throughout the race week.

Cadillac Racing notes leading into the 15-minute qualifying:* The driver roster represents 8 Rolex 24 At Daytona overall victories (6 with Cadillac Racing), 7 FIA WEC Hypercar/LM1 championships, 11 24 Hours of Le Mans overall/class victories, 6 Twelve Hours of Sebring victories (4 with Cadillac Racing), and 3 IMSA/Grand-Am prototype championships. * Four current Cadillac Racing drivers have won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Cadillac Racing in DPi competition: Kamui Kobayashi (2018, 2019), Ricky Taylor (2017), Filipe Albuquerque (2018), and Jordan Taylor (2017, 2019). * Cadillac Racing won the Rolex 24 At Daytona four consecutive years (2017-2020) and placed first and second in 2017, 2018 and 2019. * Cadillac Racing’s victory in the 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona was the first of five consecutive victories to start the season and led to the manufacturer, team and driver championships. * The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing entry is running the Dallara chassis that won the 2024 Petit Le Mans. The No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R is a new chassis, while the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R was also used in the season-concluding race at Road Atlanta.

See the exciting Cadillac production roster Spectators will have the opportunity for an up-close look at the Cadillac V-Series vehicle lineup at the Cadillac display in the midway at Daytona International Speedway. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday.What they’re saying Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 10)Ricky Taylor, full season driver: “It was nice to get Kamui and Brendon into the team and getting them used to the car. We all, us drivers, are new to the car and program and the team is new to the Cadillac V-Series.R. So, I think we are just learning what makes the car perform and what knobs we can turn for the setup, what performs well and what doesn’t. We tried all our big changes at the Roar, that way for this week we have an idea of scale of how things work and fine tune for the conditions of the weekend. So, it was overall good.” Filipe Albuquerque, full season driver: “The Roar felt good. We have a lot to do on the car and we got to drive the car in the wet as well. It’s just been learning about the car and all the settings that we can play within this car; it’s a work in progress. Qualifying will be about putting the car in the window as best as possible. In terms of pace, we will have wait to see and we will give it our best.” Will Stevens, IMEC driver: “Overall, the Roar was fairly productive for us. The main objective is to get all the drivers through the car and being comfortable, which I think we achieved. Even having the wet session at the end, I think was a nice bonus to having driven the car in the dry and the wet. I think everyone feels comfortable in all conditions. I’d say that is the biggest box to tick. From a performance point of view, we worked through what we needed to try and learn ahead of race week to make sure we understand more of the new car we have and what it wants and needs to be able to be quick.” Brendon Hartley, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “We had a smooth Roar with little to no issues. The team and my teammates did a great job to give me all the info I needed to get up to speed. I’m feeling comfortable in the car and enjoying being back in Daytona. We have a little bit of lap time to find before the 24. We will all be working hard over the next days to see if we can squeeze some more time out of it and also make sure we are as prepared as possible for everything the next days might throw at us.” Cadillac Whelen (No. 31)

Jack Aitken, full season driver: “This past week has gone OK for us. There are a few things on the car which we needed to prove out and we have a couple of guys that are new to the car as well. So, it’s been a lot of ticking boxes. I think Thursday and Friday will be more about finding the performance in the car. The qualifying run, we’ve got half an eye on it, but really our focus will be on the race. We’ve got an eye on the weather as well as it’s pretty hard to say if it’s going to be cold, wet or sunny and we’re having to prepare for all three at the moment.” Earl Bamber, full season driver: “I think it’s been a good build-up from the November test. The cars are super reliable. It’s good to see everyone from GM working with the evo changes that were made. We’ve got a well-handling racecar, so we just have to see where we flush out in qualifying and the race.” Frederik Vesti, IMEC driver: “Being four drivers with quite limited amount of running is something to get used to, but I definitely got some good laps in and I feel very prepared for the race for my first ever GTP race and my first ever race with Cadillac, which is something I’m extremely excited about. We’ve done a lot of work with the car, gone in different directions trying to explore different things ahead of the race. I think we know we have a very solid base with the Whelen Cadillac, and now we just need to sort of fine-tune it and get ready for the race. The conditions might be different to what we had this weekend. So, a bit of fine-tuning before the race will probably be needed, but that’s the same for everyone.”Felipe Drugovich, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “The Cadillac car is a pleasure to drive. I think that track is changing every time and there is not much you can see or predict from this testing. It’s just doing our job and trying to improve ourselves. I think in terms of driving or at least the driver’s perspective it is just trying to enjoy the whole experience because it’s the first time for me. It’s a pleasure just to be driving here and driving the Cadillac with this team.” Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 40)Jordan Taylor, full season driver: “After the Roar, I feel relatively good. It’s hard to look at the timing sheets. I think everyone is working on their own programs and going through what they need to learn. For us, it was the first time doing proper laps in this car and with two cars ready to go in race prep. We checked off a lot of boxes, which was good. We leave the Roar in a good spot. All the drivers are relatively happy with the car and the balance. We have a new engineer on our car, so getting communication down has been a big part of the Roar. Overall, I think we are leaving the Roar excited but know we have a lot more work to do in the few days leading up to the Rolex. We are super excited to be back with Cadillac. I personally spent my entire career with them other than one year, which was last year, so I feel like I am back with family, a lot of familiar faces. It’s a brand-new car that I love and love to represent, especially being an American driver, so I am excited to get the week started.” Louis Deletraz, full season driver: “The Roar was great. We learned every lap and a lot of conditions – cold, sun and even rain – so we discovered the Cadillac V-Series.R even more. I think in terms of performance it’s hard to see because everyone is having different run plans. It definitely seems like it is not easy for us, but we are great team and have great people with us. We are getting better every night and day, and we have a few more nights until the race, so I am sure we can work it out and be competitive for the race and actually be fighting for something good.” Kamui Kobayashi, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “I think being back with WTR and joining the team, we have started working properly as a team here at the Roar. I think as a team we are starting to progressively improve and try to understand what the car needs. Of course, with WTR using the Cadillac for the first time in GTP as well, I think we are still learning it. So far, we need some more work to do on the car this week. I am really happy to be back in the Cadillac with Wayne Taylor Racing again here at Daytona. We have good memories of 2019 and 2020 to win the race and obviously, we have the chance to do it again.”

Grandson of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022

CONCORD, NC (Jan. 21, 2025) — After spending two seasons away from the full-time 360 Sprint Car ranks, Blake Hahn is returning to the ASCS National Tour in 2025 to chase a third championship.

Hahn, 30, of Sapulpa, OK, won back-to-back National Tour championships in 2021 and 2022 before transitioning his program into a 410-focused operation for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. But the grandson of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn is returning to the nation’s premier 360 Sprint Car tour in 2025 for several reasons, and it starts with coming back home.

“For me, the main answer is family,” Hahn said. “Me growing up around Oklahoma, watching ASCS develop and seeing the trade of hands from my grandpa over to [World Racing Group] — I think it’s going in a great direction. I think everything’s going to continue to grow. Their schedule fits really well with us; it leaves us some opportunity to go and still run some other events with the World of Outlaws and some other people.”

Since his last ASCS title, Hahn has refrained from chasing points championships, opting for pick-and-choose schedules for his 410 efforts. But 2025 will be different. Hahn will pilot his signature yellow/pink Smiley’s Racing Products No. 52 at all 42 races on the ASCS National Tour in search of a third championship, which would tie him with Tim Crawley for third-most all-time.

“I really want to come back and win a championship,” Hahn said. “I want to prove to people that I can get it done. I’ve had people say, ‘Well, you were only able to win it because we didn’t have the heavy hitters there.’

“In my opinion, I think we will have a really good chance to compete for a championship when it’s all said and done.”

In November, Hahn shined with ASCS during championship weekend, recording three-straight top-10 finishes, including a Feature win on Friday night of Fuzzy’s Fall Fling at his home track — Creek County Speedway.

“We ran a good chunk of races with ASCS this year and I felt like, toward the end of the season, we finally picked up to be back where we were when we left off with ASCS,” Hahn said. “There’s a lot of room for improvement, but I feel like we’ve got a good, competitive car. I feel like everybody knows that if we come back, we’ll definitely be in the running for a championship win.”

The National Tour has seen an upgrade in competition since Hahn departed the full-time 360 Sprint Car ranks. Five-time champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. rejoined the points chase in 2024 for the first time since his most recent championship in 2020, as did reigning champion Seth Bergman. The two remained the standout contenders for the points title throughout the season, and Hahn plans on battling both in pursuit of a championship for the first time in 2025.

“I have some experience running with those guys, and I think that’ll help, just going out there and knowing their tendencies,” Hahn said. “When you’re running for a championship, you have to drive a little bit differently. I think people saw that with Seth this year.

“With Seth coming back and trying to back up his championship with another, he’ll definitely be another hard car to beat. But there’s no doubt in my mind we’ve got a car and a team that can compete for a championship.”

2025 will also mark his first season as a member of the full-time roster in the new era of ASCS. World Racing Group (WRG) acquired the organization from the Hahn family in March 2024, ensuring the National Tour’s future in America’s Heartland. Now, under the new leadership of Series Director Lonnie Wheatley, Hahn expressed his appreciation for the presence and resources of WRG and his positive outlook for the future of his family’s creation.

“After seeing my grandpa hand the reins over to them and see what they did in their first year, I think it’s been great,” Hahn said. “I think it’s one of the deals where, building the good platform that they have, it’s only going to continue to grow.

“Obviously, having DIRTVision in their back pocket is a great thing. It’s not only great for the fans, but it’s great for me and my sponsors and getting good exposure. The streaming services have been taking off lately, so it really helps for me to be able to sell to some people across the country that won’t necessarily be at every racetrack but can watch on DIRTVision.”

With the offseason nearing its conclusion, Hahn and his team are deep into preparation for the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park, Jan. 30–Feb. 1. His ultimate goal of a third National Tour championship begins at the Florida 1/2-mile, and he’s ready to make every effort to hoist the new trophy — adorned with a statue of his grandfather — at season’s end.

“A top three is great, but looking at it, I feel like there’s no reason we can’t go out there and win a championship,” Hahn said. “We’ve got a good team in line, and our team hasn’t changed a lot of equipment. We’ve kinda stuck with the same manufacturers, so not a lot has changed.

“I feel like there’s no reason we can’t go out there and compete for a win. I’ll be honest, if it comes down to the end of the year and we’re not standing on top, I’ll be a little bit disappointed.”

Don’t miss Hahn begin his quest for a third ASCS National Tour championship in the 2025 season opener at Volusia Speedway Park during the opening nights of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals — Thursday–Friday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

Tickets are available now: CLICK HERE.

If you can’t be there, stream every lap of ASCS action all season long live on DIRTVision.

Volusia Speedway Park welcomes Late Models across three divisions to Barberville, FL for a true Late Model Palooza during the sixth annual DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals.

Local division 602 Late Models and Crate Racin’ USA (CRUSA) 604 Late Models take the track for four nights, Jan. 22-25 – headlined by the World of Outlaws Late Models kicking off their 2025 season.

Read More: WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Sunshine Nationals Set to Open 2025 World of Outlaws Season

Wednesday begins with practice, which allows teams to get reacclimated to the environment of the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.” The 604 Late Models and 602 Late Models will each follow a separate points format throughout the weekend, giving drivers two chances to lock a spot in the finale on Saturday night.

Drivers will qualify with their group ahead of split Features on Thursday and Friday. The 602 Late Models Features offer $1,000 to win, and the Pro Late Models race for $1,500 to win.

The top 20 drivers in each division’s points clinch a position into Saturday night’s Feature. 602 Late Model competitors will battle for the $3,000 top prize, while the 604 Late Model competitors chase $10,000 to conclude the opening race weekend in Florida.

Here are the top storylines to look out for:

Top Jimmy: Standing atop the Crate Racin’ USA Winter Shootout points standings with a Feature win in the Ice Bowl, Phenix City, AL driver Jimmy Thomas holds a mere four-point gap over Sam Seawright, while the top five in Shootout points are within 10 markers of Thomas.

Thomas controlled the opening weekend at the Talladega Short Track by starting on the pole and leading all 40 laps for his first Feature win of 2025. Now, he’ll make his first visit to Volusia Speedway Park to chase more wins and expand his points lead.

New Dawn Arises: There were no repeat Feature winners at Sunshine Nationals in 2024, opening the door for more drivers to add their names to Volusia Speedway Park’s 57-year record books.

Fort Payne, AL native Sam Seawright contended with Brandon Overton and Ashton Winger for the 2024 Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series championship, scoring two wins during the season. He’ll try to take over the CRUSA points lead after the Sunshineweekend.

Hayden Cardwell will visit Volusia Speedway Park for the first time this week as he sits third in the Winter Shootout standings – six points behind the lead. He earned a podium finish during the Ice Bowl – a career-high finish for him.

Where Names Are Made: The 602 Late Model and Pro Late Model divisions became a launching platform for drivers to elevate their racing careers with a win at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile,” since the first Sunshine Nationals event.

Drivers like World of Outlaws Late Model competitors Kyle Bronson and Cody Overton, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular Clay Harris and multi-regional Super Late Model racer Jensen Ford have graduated from the divisions into Super Late Models. And Super DIRTcar Series regular Demetrios Drellos has used the event to expand his racing career, scoring a Pro Late Model win in 2023.

Local Champs Challenge: Mikey Kopka and Kale VanSickle share the honors of being Late Model track champions at Volusia Speedway Park in 2024 while seeking a strong start to their 2025 campaigns in January.

Kopka, of Astor, FL, earned his first 604 Late Model title driving 2022 track champion Joe Kump’s No. 721 Late Model in 2024 – earning seven top-10s, five top fives, and a Feature win at the Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial. Kopka also won the track’s 602 Late Model championship in 2020.

VanSickle, a 15-year-old out of Jacksonville, FL, won his first Volusia Feature in his fourth career Late Model start in 2023, then added three Feature wins and six top fives through seven races in 2024 to clinch his first track championship at the Barberville, FL facility.

Now, they’ll look to add a Sunshine Nationals victory to their collection. If so, they’ll join St. Augustine, FL native David Showers Jr. as the only previous track champion to win the straw hat given to every Sunshine winner.

Tickets for the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals are available now:

SUNSHINE NATIONALS TICKETS

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVIsion – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Sent on behalf of JCS Racing DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 21, 2025) – JCS Racing, with support from Mission Foods and Roof Systems of Dallas, TX, is proud to announce the return of Brandon Robinson as its premier class rider in the Mission AFT SuperTwins class for the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season. The seasoned competitor will once again don the JCS Racing colors, this time aboard the Harley-Davidson XG750R. The move marks a significant new chapter in Robinson’s illustrious career and underscores JCS Racing’s commitment to competing at the highest level. Robinson, a Pennsylvania native, is no stranger to the AFT circuit. With over a decade of professional racing experience, he has established himself as one of the most consistent and skilled riders in the series. Brandon boasts 16 career Mission AFT SuperTwins wins, 45 podium finishes, and numerous top five championship finishes, making him a perennial contender in the 2025 title fight. This announcement also marks a reunion of sorts for Robinson and the Harley-Davidson brand. From 2017 to 2018, Brandon was a factory rider for Harley-Davidson, where he gained valuable experience and demonstrated his ability to push the iconic brand’s machines to their limits. His familiarity with the Harley-Davidson platform, combined with his extensive track knowledge, positions Robinson as the ideal choice to pilot the Harley-Davidson XG750R to championship success. Wrenching on Robinson’s machines this season will be returning crew chief Ben Evans alongside suspension tech Kayl Kolkman. Brandon Robinson on Rejoining JCS Racing: “I’m beyond excited to rejoin JCS Racing and take on the 2025 season. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to try to become the first rider to secure a premier class victory on the XG750. This is an incredible opportunity to deliver big results, and I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got.” Jerry Stinchfield – JCS Racing Team Owner: “Brandon is not just an exceptional talent but a leader who elevates everyone around him, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back for 2025. We believe Brandon’s skill and experience will bring out the best in both the bike and the team.” Fans can expect to see Brandon in action as the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season kicks off on March 6 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Mission Foods Roof Systems JCS racing Team is also supported by Ben Evans Racing, Liqui Moly, R&B, Arai, Vance & Hines, Underground Suspension, Wildwood, Motion Pro, Alpinestars, Saddlemen, ODI, CTI and WCHA. For updates on Brandon Robinson and JCS Racing’s journey in the 2025 AFT season, follow Brandon on social media (@brob44 / @Brandon Robinson) and visit their official website, https://www.jcsracing.com.

INDIANAPOLIS (January 21, 2025) — The 2nd annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout is more than a major league drag racing event. The three-day specialty race at Bradenton Motorsports Park, February 6-8, 2025, will feature a variety of fan engagement activities including a custom car display from Ocala, Florida-based Burnyzz Speed Shop. Owned by Top Fuel team owner and racer Josh Hart, Burnyzz Speed Shop is using the SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout to introduce their custom car and high-performance car business to a national audience.

“I’ll be racing the event for the second year in a row and recently we brought on some new investors to Burnyzz’s with plans for national expansion. Becoming a Premium Sponsor at the SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout was a perfect opportunity to show off some of our killer cars,” said Hart, a multi-time Top Fuel national event winner. “The event is a great way to start the season and begin building momentum for 2025. There are also fans in attendance from across the country that we are looking forward to introducing to Burnyzz.”
 

Burnyzz was founded in 2010 and has grown into an entire city block of everything automotive. The speed shop offers services such as paint and body, vintage and modern full builds, motor swaps, custom interior and existing interior restorations, and dyno tuning. Burnyzz motto is “Quality over Quantity, every time.” Burnyzz is known nationally as Hot Rod Heaven due to its state-of-the-art facilities offering everything a car enthusiast could ask for including a 100,000 sq. ft. auto sales showroom and classic car restoration shop, auto detailing, and a high-tech service center. 

“Having Burnyzz as a Premium Sponsor adds a whole new level to the fan engagement and sponsorship activation for the SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout,” said Scott Woodruff, PRO Board Member. “Josh sees the benefit of the event as a competitor and business owner. It will be cool to see how impressed the fans are with the cars Burnyzz has on display and it will also be a great opportunity for Burnyzz to get in front of new clients.”

Additional announcements including new sponsors and entertainment options are available at www.prosuperstarshootout.com. Tickets can be purchased here.

ABOUT THE PRO SUPERSTAR SHOOTOUT

On February 6-8, 2025, the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) in collaboration with Bradenton Motorsports Park, will host the 2nd annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout. The 2024 inaugural event took the motorsports world by storm with incredible side-by-side racing, a unique chip draw elimination format, record-setting speeds and a fan-friendly atmosphere.

CONCORD, NC (Jan. 21, 2025) – Tanner English and Coltman Farms Racing will take their partnership to the national level in 2025 with a full-time campaign on the World of Outlaws Late Models trail.

For Coltman Farms Racing, it will mark the first time the team has chased a championship at the pinnacle of dirt Late Model racing. And for English, 2025 will see the 2022 MD3 Rookie of the Year make his return to The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet.

The relationship between English and Coltman Farms Racing owner Brett Coltman began at last spring’s Illini 100 as a simple sponsorship agreement. In less than a year, they joined forces to form a team that both sides believe will be a legitimate title contender in 2025.

“I want to race at a high level just like Brett Coltman and everyone at Coltman Farms Racing do,” English said. “I’m hard on myself, but I know I can go out there and win races against the best. That’s what I’m going to try and do each and every night.”

The Coltman Farms Racing brand has become synonymous with the dirt Late Model world over the past several years with their support of several drivers and tours across the region. The goal has always been to grow onto the national scene, and that goal becomes reality this season.

“We’ve been building towards this for a couple years,” Coltman said. “Our entire program has really begun to develop and with the experience Tanner English adds and where we are as a team, the time was right for us to take the next step. We are excited to join the World of Outlaws Late Models. It’s a huge step for our house car program, but it’s one we are ready for.”

English knows what it takes to be successful on tour with the World of Outlaws. His rookie season in 2022 netted him his first three wins and a second-place finish in the final standings.

Season two in 2023 was filled with ones that got away. English finished on the podium nine times – a new single-season high. However, none a win.

English took a step back from a full-time national schedule in 2024, instead making 66 starts across a variety of tours. His first season with Coltman Farms Racing brought three wins – two with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and one with the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series – giving the team a head of steam entering their World of Outlaws return.

With their orientation period out of the way, English and Coltman Farms Racing will dive into their first World of Outlaws season together this week at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25). English has come close to victory before at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” as a third-place run in the 2022 Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals currently stands as his career best result at the track. That’s a mark English said he feels he can beat in 2025 as he looks to start the year off hot.  

“I think it’s attainable to win a race at Speedweeks,” English said. “That’s huge, coming out of Speedweeks with a good points lead. Our goal is to go to Florida and show everyone that Coltman Farms Racing is a championship contender. There is no reason we can’t be, so we just have to go show everyone that we can win races on a big stage.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season kicks off with six nights of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, beginning with DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25) followed by Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 13-15). To find ticket information for both events, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season live on DIRTVision.

CONCORD, NC (Jan. 21, 2025) – Tanner English and Coltman Farms Racing will take their partnership to the national level in 2025 with a full-time campaign on the World of Outlaws Late Models trail.

For Coltman Farms Racing, it will mark the first time the team has chased a championship at the pinnacle of dirt Late Model racing. And for English, 2025 will see the 2022 MD3 Rookie of the Year make his return to The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet.

The relationship between English and Coltman Farms Racing owner Brett Coltman began at last spring’s Illini 100 as a simple sponsorship agreement. In less than a year, they joined forces to form a team that both sides believe will be a legitimate title contender in 2025.

“I want to race at a high level just like Brett Coltman and everyone at Coltman Farms Racing do,” English said. “I’m hard on myself, but I know I can go out there and win races against the best. That’s what I’m going to try and do each and every night.”

The Coltman Farms Racing brand has become synonymous with the dirt Late Model world over the past several years with their support of several drivers and tours across the region. The goal has always been to grow onto the national scene, and that goal becomes reality this season.

“We’ve been building towards this for a couple years,” Coltman said. “Our entire program has really begun to develop and with the experience Tanner English adds and where we are as a team, the time was right for us to take the next step. We are excited to join the World of Outlaws Late Models. It’s a huge step for our house car program, but it’s one we are ready for.”

English knows what it takes to be successful on tour with the World of Outlaws. His rookie season in 2022 netted him his first three wins and a second-place finish in the final standings.

Season two in 2023 was filled with ones that got away. English finished on the podium nine times – a new single-season high. However, none a win.

English took a step back from a full-time national schedule in 2024, instead making 66 starts across a variety of tours. His first season with Coltman Farms Racing brought three wins – two with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and one with the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series – giving the team a head of steam entering their World of Outlaws return.

With their orientation period out of the way, English and Coltman Farms Racing will dive into their first World of Outlaws season together this week at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25). English has come close to victory before at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” as a third-place run in the 2022 Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals currently stands as his career best result at the track. That’s a mark English said he feels he can beat in 2025 as he looks to start the year off hot.  

“I think it’s attainable to win a race at Speedweeks,” English said. “That’s huge, coming out of Speedweeks with a good points lead. Our goal is to go to Florida and show everyone that Coltman Farms Racing is a championship contender. There is no reason we can’t be, so we just have to go show everyone that we can win races on a big stage.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season kicks off with six nights of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, beginning with DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25) followed by Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 13-15). To find ticket information for both events, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season live on DIRTVision.

• 0.034: As in seconds – the winning margin of victory in Corvette Racing’s 1-2 finish at the 2016 Rolex 24. Up until the 2023 LMP2 finish, it was the closest finish in race history • 1: Rolex 24 class win for AWA; the team won in LMP3 in 2023. Current Corvette factory driver Nico Varrone was part of that lineup • 2: Number of the overall winning Corvette C5-R in the 2001 Rolex 24. Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon completed 656 laps for 2335.36 miles in the winning effort • 4: Rolex 24 wins for Corvette Racing as an entrant (run by Pratt Miller Motorsports): 2001 overall (Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell, Kelly Collins, Franck Freon), 2015 GTLM (Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen/Ryan Briscoe), 2016 GTLM (Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler) and 2021 GTLM (Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg)

• 5: Number of Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries for the 2024 Rolex 24 – two from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and one from Trackhouse by TF Sport (GTD PRO) and one each from AWA and DXDT Racing (GTD). It’s the highest number of GT-class Corvettes in the race since 2007 • 7: Corvette factory drivers piloting the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in this year’s race: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella, Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone (Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller) plus Charlie Eastwood (DXDT Racing) • 14: IMSA Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001

MEDIA ADVISORY:PRESS CONFERENCE ALERT ·      What: Trackhouse by TF Sport/Chevrolet Press conference ·      Who: Four drivers of the No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.RTom Ferrier, owner, TF Sport Eric Warren, Executive Director, Global Motorsports Competition for General Motors·      When/Where: Noon Thursday, Deadline room in the Daytona International Speedway Media Center A transcript will be provided following the press conference.

• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Fuji Speedway, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 34: Drivers who have driven Corvette Racing entries at Daytona – Earl Bamber, Justin Bell, Matt Bell, Ryan Briscoe, Nicky Catsburg, Kelly Collins, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Charlie Eastwood, Marcel Fässler, Ron Fellows, Orey Fidani, Franck Freon, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, John Heinricy, Daniel Juncadella, Lars Kern, Chris Kneifel, Robin Liddell, Alex Lynn, Jan Magnussen, Anthony Mantella, Thomas Merrill, Tommy Milner, Simon Pagenaud, John Paul Jr., Andy Pilgrim, Mike Rockenfeller, Scott Sharp, Alexander Sims, Marco Sorensen, Nick Tandy, Jordan Taylor and Nico Varrone • 53: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. DXDT Racing’s Patrick Liddy and Blake McDonald joined the list at Indianapolis in GT World Challenge America • 72: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year • 122: Chevrolet victories across IMSA and NASCAR’s three national series at Daytona International Speedway • 138: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 116 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, three in the FIA WEC and 10 in GT World Challenge America • 309: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2004 at Road America in IMSA • 62,471: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries at Daytona since 1999 • 398.781.86: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program will surpass the 400,000-mile mark at the 2025 Rolex 24 At Daytona by completed 1,218.14 miles – or 343 combined laps by the five Corvettes in the raceCORVETTE RACING HISTORY AT THE ROLEX 241999 – No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 3rd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 12th in GTS  2000 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 10th in GTS 2001 – No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Chris Kneifel/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (overall win)No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2nd in GTS 2014 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 10th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 5th in GTLM 2015 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin pole) 2016 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (Winner by 0.034 second) 2017 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 9th in GTLM 2018 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM 2019 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM 2020 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM 2021 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 2nd in GTLM 2022 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 6th in GTD PRONo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Marco Sorensen – 10th in GTD PRO 2023 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTD PRO 2024 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims/Daniel Juncadella – 5th in GTD PRONo. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg/Earl Bamber – 8th in GTD PRONo. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern/Alex Lynn – 21st in GTDNo. 17 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Nico Varrone/Anthony Mantella/Thomas Merrill/Charlie Eastwood – 18th in GTD

CONCORD, NC (January 20, 2025) – Eleven weeks removed from the season-ending World of Outlaws World Finals, The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet are set to awaken from their winter slumber. 

The 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season will begin at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals this week with four nights of on-track action, Jan. 22-25. 

Teams will have an opportunity to get their machines dialed in during Wednesday’s practice night ahead of the first green flag of 2025. Thursday and Friday will feature full programs concluding with a 35-lap, $12,000-to-win, main event on both nights. The weekend wraps up on Saturday night with $20,000 on the line in a 50-lap Feature. 

Crate Racin’ USA DIRTcar Pro (604) Late Models and 602 Late Models will join the Outlaws on all four nights, making for a true Late Model Palooza in the “Sunshine State.” 

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend: 

RECLAIMING THE CROWN: Bobby Pierce may have been the winningest driver in dirt Late Model racing in 2024, but he still rolled out of The Dirt Track at Charlotte with a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“The Smooth Operator” entered the final night of the season at the World of Outlaws World Finals with a chance at topping Brandon Sheppard for the title. But a flat right-rear tire midway through the Saturday Feature ended Pierce’s shot at back-to-back World of Outlaws championships. 

Pierce has already come back with a vengeance in 2025, winning four times in five races during his time in New Mexico at the Wild West Shootout to become the only repeat winner in dirt Late Model racing so far this season. 

And much like most tracks on the schedule, Volusia Speedway Park has been good to Pierce over the past few years. The Oakwood, IL native is a four-time winner at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” with two of those coming last season in DIRTcar competition. His lone World of Outlaws win in Florida came in the 2023 edition of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals with a thrilling last-lap pass over Brandon Overton. 

One of the few things Pierce has never done at Volusia is park his No. 32 machine in Victory Lane during DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals, and he’ll look to check that box this weekend. 

SQUIRREL GETTING HOT: He may not have been in contention for the championship, but Brian Shirley asserted himself as one of the fastest drivers on tour in the closing weeks of 2024. 

The No. 3S team won four times in the final 10 races of the season, including a stretch of six podiums in seven races between Highland Speedway in August and Rocket Raceway Park in September. Those numbers aren’t typically representative of a driver who finished seventh in the final standings, but Shirley spent most of the season playing catch-up after failing to finish in the top five until Thunderhill Raceway in mid-June. 

If the four-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion can carry his newfound speed through the entirety of his 2025 campaign, he could become Pierce’s top rival in an Illinois-on-Illinois battle for the championship. That process starts this week at Volusia, a track at which Shirley has yet to score a win at. He has come close though, racking up eight top fives since 2017. 

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: A stout group of first-time Outlaws is set to duke it out for the MD3 Rookie of the Year Award in 2025. 

Bakersfield, CA’s Ethan Dotson is set to tackle the full tour in his second season with South Carolina-based ASD Motorsports. The pairing scored four Late Model wins together across the southeast last fall, as well as a pair of top 10s with the Outlaws at Rocket and Charlotte. 

While Dotson made his Late Model debut at Volusia in 2024, he has amassed plenty of experience and success at the track behind the wheel of a DIRTcar UMP Modified. He took the checkers in the 2022 Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial, won preliminary Features three nights in a row the following year at DIRTcar Nationals, and collected one more split-field victory last November at the Reutimann. 

Winona, MN’s Jake Timm is looking to take the Rookie of the Year trophy back to Minnesota for the second-straight year after Dustin Sorensen claimed last year’s honors. The Modified standout will be turning his first laps around Volusia in any vehicle this week, much like he will be at many tracks on the east coast. 

Daniel Adam is set to begin his first World of Outlaws tour with his Volusia debut as well. The North Carolinian relocated to Illinois last year and spent last season competing across the Midwest, including a partial Hell Tour season. Adam collected his first Super Late Model win in August at a MARS event at Tri-City Speedway, where the Outlaws will compete for two nights in September. 

Daniel Hilsabeck planned on making 2024 his rookie year with The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet, but a broken wrist suffered in a crash at Brownstown Speedway kept him out of the seat for two months and ended his bid. The Iowan will be back for more in 2025 starting at Volusia, where he will be aiming to make his first full-field Feature in his second year competing at the track.  

SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS: In addition to the talented rookie class, several drivers will be looking to build on their freshman seasons and continue climbing the Series pecking order in 2025. 

Senoia, GA’s Ashton Winger was the top rookie in 2020, but with that season being heavily altered by the pandemic, 2025 will be the first time he’s taken on the full 57-race grind. Since that maiden campaign, Winger has spent his summers on the road with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, earning the 2023 championship and 14 Feature wins to his credit. 

Winger enters the year hot off a 2024 season that included five Super Late Model wins between the Hell Tour, Spring Nationals, Clarksville Speedway’s Toilet Bowl Classic and the Fall Classic at Whynot Motorsports Park. 

Reigning Rookie of the Year Dustin Sorensen will be back on the road with the Outlaws as he chases his maiden Series victory. In his first crack at Volusia last year, Sorensen collected his first Late Model top 10 and won twice in DIRTcar UMP Modified action at DIRTcar Nationals.  

Cody Overton will be looking to improve on last year’s 13th-place points finish in his second year on tour with Tri-Star Promotions. He’ll roll into Volusia with a new-look No. 2 machine as he goes for his first win at the track since a 602 Late Model triumph in 2020. 

Once again, holding the title of the youngest full-time Outlaw, 17-year-old Tristan Chamberlain is back for his second season with the Series piloting the Wane Gibson-owned No. 20TC. “Tricky Tristan” picked up his first World of Outlaws podium in the closing stages of 2024 at Rocket, and he’ll look to carry that momentum into the opening weeks of 2025 in his second outing at Volusia. 

FLORIDA FAVORITES: The list of names to keep an eye on at Volusia would not be complete without “The Thrill From Mooresville” Nick Hoffman.  

The driver of the Tye Twarog-owned No. 9 won his first Late Model race in Barberville last season, but that’s merely the tip of his career iceberg there. Hoffman has won 22 times in a Modified at Volusia, including two Reutimann Memorials in 2021 and 2023. 

Brandon, FL’s Kyle Bronson is always a threat when the Outlaws roll into his home state, and the Sunshine Nationals have been especially kind to him. Bronson’s lone World of Outlaws win at Volusia came in the 2021 running of the race, and he’s a five-time winner in the DIRTcar Pro Late Model division, including a weekend sweep in 2020. 

WHEN AND WHERE: 

Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 22-25 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL 

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODELS SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Jan. 22 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL (Practice)
Thursday, Jan. 23 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Jan. 24 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Saturday, Jan. 25 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Thursday, Feb. 13 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Saturday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Mar. 14 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN
Saturday, Mar. 15 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN
Friday, Mar. 21 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA
Saturday, Mar. 22 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA
Friday, Apr. 4 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH
Saturday, Apr. 5 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH
Thursday, Apr. 10 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL (Practice)
Friday, Apr. 11 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL
Saturday, Apr. 12 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL
Friday, Apr. 25 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL
Saturday, Apr. 26 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL
Thursday, May 1 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Friday, May 2 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Saturday, May 3 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Thursday, May 15 / Raceway 7 / Conneaut, OH
Friday, May 16 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA
Saturday, May 17 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA
Sunday, May 18 / Bedford Speedway / Bedford, PA
Friday, June 20 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
Saturday, June 21 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
Monday, June 23 / Independence Motor Speedway / Independence, IA
Thursday, June 26 / I-94 EMR Speedway / Fergus Falls, MN
Friday, June 27 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Saturday, June 28 / Norman County Raceway / Ada, MN
Sunday, June 29 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Thursday, July 3 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 4 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Saturday, July 5 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 11 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Saturday, July 12 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Friday, July 25 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Saturday, July 26 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Monday, July 28 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Thursday, July 31 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Friday, Aug. 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Saturday, Aug. 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Wednesday, Aug. 13 / Highland Speedway / Highland, IL
Thursday, Aug. 14 / Spoon River Speedway / Lewistown, IL
Friday, Aug. 15 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Saturday, Aug. 16 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Friday, Aug. 22 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Aug. 23 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 12 / Needmore Speedway / Norman Park, GA
Saturday, Sept. 13 / Senoia Raceway / Senoia, GA
Friday, Sept. 26 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Saturday, Sept. 27 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Friday, Oct. 3 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS
Saturday, Oct. 4 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Friday, Oct. 10 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Saturday, Oct. 11 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Wednesday, Nov. 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thursday, Nov. 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Friday, Nov. 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Saturday, Nov. 8 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/what-to-watch-for-sunshine-nationals-set-to-open-2025-world-of-outlaws-season/

EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/schedule/event-info/?event=6319
TRACK INFO: https://volusiaspeedwaypark.com/

FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

Group of five Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs wrap up three days of Roar testing DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 19, 2025) – The group of five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs set for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona completed their three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday with the four teams focused ahead to next weekend’s twice-around-the-clock classic. The Rolex 24 marks the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the second season of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program. After claiming 11 race wins and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturers Championship in GTD PRO during 2024, optimism is high heading into Daytona.

The five Corvettes combined to complete 980 laps for nearly 3,500 miles – valuable track time considering there are only three practice sessions and qualifying across Thursday and Friday of the coming week before the green flag falls Saturday. The gaps in both GTD PRO and GTD were razor-thin with all five of the Z06 GT3.Rs well entrenched in the top-10 of their respective classes.  Antonio Garcia set the pace among the GTD PRO Corvettes with the fourth-fastest time across the weekend – 1:48.242 (118.401 mph) during Saturday afternoon’s running.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFO Corvette Racing media information for 2025 is updated and available heading into the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, factory driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

In GTD, AWA’s Matt Bell put the No. 13 Corvette fifth class with a 1:48.169 (118.481 mph) in Friday’s opening test for the quickest Corvette lap of the weekend. GTD PRO Corvette Z06 GT3.R Weekend Fast Times· No. 3 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella – 1:48.242 (118.401 mph) – fourth-fastest in class· No. 4 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone – 1:48.515 (118.103 mph) – 10th-fastest in class· No. 91 Corvette – Trackhouse by TF Sport – Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch – 1:48.435 (118.190 mph) – ninth-fastest in class GTD Corvette Z06 GT3.R Weekend Fast Times· No. 13 Corvette – AWA – Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Marvin Kirchhöfer – 1:48.169 (118.481 mph) – fifth-fastest in class· No. 36 Corvette – DXDT Racing – Charlie Eastwood, Pipo Derani, Alec Udell, Salih Yoluc – 1:48.389 (118.240 mph) – 10th fastest in class This year’s group marks the largest number of production-based racing Corvettes in the race since 2007. The Corvette Racing brand has a deep history at the Rolex 24 and includes four GT class victories – one of those an overall win in 2001. In addition, Corvette’s successes at Daytona have bolstered Chevrolet’s impressive record of 122 wins at the circuit across IMSA and NASCAR’s national series. Corvette Racing performance and powertrain engineers made significant improvements to the Z06 GT3.R throughout its first season of competition. Much of the work focused on optimizing performance and enhancing the Corvette’s reliability. The outright pace of the Corvette GT3 is evident with 12 pole positions across three series in 2024, and the reliability took huge steps forward in the second half of the year. The Rolex 24 goes green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 25 with qualifying on Thursday, January 23. The race will feature live television segments on NBC and USA and flag-to-flag coverage on Peacock in the U.S., and IMSA.com for international viewers. JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “From our side, things throughout the Roar were as positive as we could have hoped. All five Corvettes ran without any significant issue during the three days in a variety of conditions. The feedback from the teams has been good and valuable for our collective group. Our goal now is to take that input and what we saw in the data to help the group be in the best possible spot for Thursday’s practice and qualifying, and then ultimately the race.”

SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTESANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The most important thing from this weekend is definitely miles. You need miles and go toward your program for the race. For this race as always, it doesn’t really matter where you start. At some point, you’re going to cycle to the back of the field and then back to the front with the yellows. Unlike Le Mans where you have to be up front from Lap One, here you can sit back a little bit and stay out of trouble. But you need to know as much as possible your setups, how to react to track changes and different approaches. That was the goal last year, and we learned more about that this year.“The GT class splits will be something that helps the overall racing this year. It was always a strange feeling where you were mixing fights in two different classes. I don’t think the GTD cars wanted us in that, so it’s nice that we are split now so we can have our own race and not interfere with each other. This is a good step forward.” TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This is the first opportunity in the offseason after the guys have had a chance to look at everything, to come with some new setup options and ideas. There were things that can be tidied up through the experience of last year. It’s the first chance to prove those things. Then it’s about miles, getting all three guys in the car and getting new guys who are on the team comfortable in their positions. You try to get yourself as prepared as possible not just for the Rolex but for the season. With Nico joining the team, it gives him a good chance to get comfortable again with the team and engineers, do some driver change practices and all that kind of stuff. It’s all a little bit of housekeeping things that you need to do and an opportunity to work on the car to make sure we have our Corvette as strong as we can have it coming into the race.” MATT BELL, NO. 13 SABELT / SONIC / PROJEKT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s like a different planet compared to last year. The team is a better spot, the Corvette is in a better spot and the team is in a better spot with the car. It’s hugely positive on that side of things. I feel like we feel as well-prepared as we have been coming here, even the year we won it. From a preparation standpoint, I think we are as good as you could possibly get going into the Rolex 24.” MARVIN KIRCHÖFFER, NO. 13 SABELT / SONIC / PROJEKT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m still figuring out the car a little bit because it is still new to me. But I’m generally quite impressed with it. The team is really helping me along, and my teammates are giving great advice to help me get up to speed. Overall I’m very impressed by AWA. They are doing a great job giving me all the information and also from the operational side. From Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller, I’ve found it very interesting and very professional. I’m not really used to that, having these kinds of meetings. It’s very good for the teams, very good for the brand and very good to have everyone on the same page. Obviously this gives you the best ingredients to have a strong Rolex 24.“Confidence is one of the most important things – feeling confident with the car, feeling confident with the procedures. This race is about minimizing mistakes and errors. So it’s not ultimately about having the fastest car and fastest drivers. It’s about minimizing those errors and mistakes. I can see here that this is down to Chevy as the manufacturer, Pratt Miller and obviously the team side with AWA. All these three are working very, very well together and the communication is very good.” CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’re on-track with things. DXDT Racing, although its their first full-season IMSA race, they’ve got a lot of great people that have done a lot of IMSA races, especially this one. One of our guys, this is his 42nd Daytona! But then we also have the likes of Bryan Sellers, who has been amazing to work with and is teaching us a lot. We’re on top of the strategy side and are trying to put us on the right side of all the scenarios of what can potentially go wrong in the race or lose you the race… whether that’s doing tricky pit stops, managing the tires and managing the race itself. Twenty hours of the race will be making sure we have a clean car for the end. Hopefully we have enough pace to be there at the end.“You definitely wouldn’t think this their first race in IMSA, I’ll guarantee you that. It’s a really, really nice bunch to work with, which helps because there are no egos or wrong-doings within the team. To have that attitude in that we’re all still learning in individual ways. Everything is going as well as it can at the minute.” PIPO DERANI, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Having the test in November was very useful for me so I got here knowing what to expect. It had been more than five years since I last drove a GT car. You don’t know what to expect. Then you have your first day in the car, then you second day and then things start coming back. You tweak your driving a little bit and start getting better and better. We’ve gone through that phase now. The team has been very supportive and especially Charlie with his experience in the Corvette. I got up to speed quicker than I thought I would, so that’s positive. It’s all about learning the maximum amount for next week.” SCOTT McLAUGHLIN, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Things have been pretty simple so far. Learning the ABS and electronics has been the biggest thing. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve driven a car with electronics like this. Understanding and putting your trust in those is difficult, especially for myself. But you get into a flow reasonably quickly. So yeah, it’s all been good.“The simulator session (before the Roar) was incredible. Having that opportunity to do that work, I’m very thankful for that now. The way that Chevrolet has integrated us from a part-timers perspective, they’ve treated us like we are full-time. They’ve been great and the Corvette drivers have been great. I’ve texted back and forth with Dani Juncadella a couple of times, and he’s been awesome. It’s what I’m used to in IndyCar. The Team Chevy family is full of good people.” SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This event hasn’t changed a lot since I was here last. It’s still the same and has got a nice vibe. It’s awesome to be here with such a cool car. The Corvette is really easy to drive, but of course we want to make it faster which makes it harder to drive. So it’s been great to be back here. I wouldn’t say the race is about luck. It’s about getting all the little things right… preparation, making sure all the drivers are comfortable, making sure the team gets everything right. There are so many factors that go into getting a good result at a race like this. We just have to make sure everything is right.”

WAYNESVILLE, GA (January 17, 2025) – On lap 42, Tyler Bruening reclaimed the lead from Daulton Wilson and pulled away in the closing laps for his first career win in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, during the opening night of the Super Bowl of Racing at Golden Isles Speedway on Friday night. The Decorah, Iowa native led the first six laps before giving the lead to Wilson, who maintained his position until he had to slow down for a car that was crosswise in front of him on lap 41. Though Bruening had dropped to third, he regained speed in the final laps, overtaking Wilson to become the 93rd different winner in the 21-year history of the series.  Jonathan Davenport passed Brandon Overton in the final laps to secure second place. Overton finished third, with Devin Moran and Brian Shirley completing the top five drivers. Not only was it Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the first time in his career, but it was also Bruening’s first-ever win in a national touring series event. “I can’t describe it,” said an emotional Bruening after earning his win. “It’s the hardest thing I have ever done. Those guys [Wilson and Overton] got by me. We had a good hot rod all night; everything was a first for me tonight. I set a new track record; I have never done that before. I won a heat against some of the best in the business. I drove my butt off in the feature. My emotions are high; I don’t know what to say. I am on the verge of just breaking down here. Oh man, I can’t tell you how hard it’s been. The ups and downs, how difficult this sport is, and how good everybody really is.” “I am so blessed to wheel this hot rod here tonight. We’ve been through a lot. We have worked our butt off, and I couldn’t be prouder. My crew chief Zeb [Holksevick] deserves this. My mom, my sister, and my brother, watch me every night.” Davenport, who started in ninth place, came to life late in the race to secure the runner-up spot behind Bruening. “That’s awesome for Tyler to win. I saw he fell back, and then he got rolling on the top, so he did a great job keeping his composure and finding a new line. Congratulations to him. I stole one from him a couple of years ago at Knoxville. I had that in the back of my mind. Thanks to my guys, we had a good car there, we just needed a little bit more. I am never satisfied and think I can be a little better. I know some things we need to work on. We always run well here but haven’t won in a while. It’s really tough.” In his return to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing this year in the Longhorn Factory Car, Overton rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “I was content to running second to Daulton. I knew he had a 2 compound on and I was thinking this is Brunswick. The bottom is going to clean up, we are going to single file and he’ll start backing up, and then all of a sudden here comes Bruening blowing by. What do you do? It’s the first night; I am so excited for this year. We run in the top three of a Lucas Oil race. We have so much more room to go.” The winner’s Greg Bruening-owned Skyline Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Quick Supply Company, Truck Country, Olson Explosives, Bilstein Shocks, Bruening Rock Products, and Brown’s Heavy Equipment. Completing the top ten were Jimmy Owens, Brandon Sheppard, Max Blair, Garrett Alberson, and Daulton Wilson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Super Bowl of Racing | Night 1Friday, January 17, 2025Golden Isles Speedway – Brunswick, GA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Tyler Bruening | 14.687 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Ryan Gustin | 14.711 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[5]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[9]; 5. 2-Cody Overton[4]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[10]; 7. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 8. 60-Dan Ebert[8]; 9. 23-Beckham Malone[6]; 10. 388-Jackson Hise[11]; 11. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[7] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 4. 74X-Ethan Dotson[7]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 6. 19M-Spencer Hughes[8]; 7. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[6]; 8. 44-Chris Madden[9]; 9. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 10. 14-Haiden Cowan[10]; 11. (DNS) 99B-Boom BriggsCool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[2]; 3. 22*-Drake Troutman[4]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[6]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 6. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[8]; 8. 111R-Steven Roberts[9]; 9. 9Y-Levi Yetter[7]; 10. 93L-Cory Lawler[10]; 11. 51-Chad Tuten[11] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 111-Max Blair[3]; 4. 09-Michael Leach[5]; 5. 9-Tim McCreadie[4]; 6. 5-Mark Whitener[8]; 7. 6-Clay Harris[9]; 8. 81J-Jack Riggs[6]; 9. 59-Trey Mills[7]; 10. 79-Donald McIntosh[10]; 11. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[11] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 2-Cody Overton[1]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 4. 19M-Spencer Hughes[4]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens[10]; 6. 60-Dan Ebert[7]; 7. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[6]; 8. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 9. 44-Chris Madden[8]; 10. 23-Beckham Malone[9]; 11. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[13]; 12. 14-Haiden Cowan[12]; 13. 388-Jackson Hise[11]; 14. (DNS) 99B-Boom Briggs UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 9-Tim McCreadie[2]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 3. 5-Mark Whitener[4]; 4. 10-Garrett Smith[3]; 5. 81J-Jack Riggs[8]; 6. 17SS-Brenden Smith[5]; 7. 6-Clay Harris[6]; 8. 79-Donald McIntosh[12]; 9. 93L-Cory Lawler[11]; 10. 59-Trey Mills[10]; 11. 9Y-Levi Yetter[9]; 12. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[14]; 13. 111R-Steven Roberts[7]; 14. 51-Chad Tuten[13] Super Bowl of Racing | Night 1 Feature Finish (50 Laps): Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Pay1 – 1 – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – $12,0002 – 9 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $6,0003 – 5 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $3,5004 – 4 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $2,8005 – 6 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $2,5006 – 23 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – $2,3007 – 19 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $2,2008 – 12 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $2,1009 – 8 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $2,05010 – 3 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – $2,00011 – 20 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $1,60012 – 13 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – $1,40013 – 10 – 22* – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – $1,20014 – 14 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $1,10015 – 15 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – $1,05016 – 7 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $1,00017 – 27 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $10018 – 18 – 9 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – $1,00019 – 24 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $1,00020 – 16 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – $1,00021 – 22 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – $1,00022 – 21 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $1,00023 – 25 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $10024 – 11 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $1,00025 – 26 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $10026 – 28 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – $10027 – 17 – 2 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – $1,00028 – 2 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – $1,000 Race Statistics  Entrants: 44Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Tyler BrueningLap Leaders: Tyler Bruening (Laps 1-6); Daulton Wilson (Laps 7-41); Tyler Bruening (Laps 42-50)Wieland Feature Winner: Tyler BrueningMargin of Victory: 1.134 seconds Coltman Farms Racing Cautions: Donald McIntosh (Lap 6); Ryan Gustin (Lap 12); Donald McIntosh (Lap 19); Ross Robinson (Lap 45) Series Provisionals: Jimmy Owens; Ross RobinsonFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: Clay Harris; Brenden Smith; Dan Ebert; Donald McIntoshTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Tyler Bruening, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon OvertonPenske Shocks Top 5: Tyler Bruening, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, Brian ShirleyHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Advanced 17 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Brandon SheppardDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Dennis Erb, Jr.MD3 Most Laps Led: Daulton Wilson (35 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy OwensMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr. Fastest Lap of the Race: Tyler Bruening (Lap 5 | 15.227 seconds)Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Tyler BrueningHard Luck Award: Daulton WilsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Zeb Holkesvik (Tyler Bruening)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brian Shirley (14.924 seconds)Time of Race: 25 minutes 49 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Pay1 – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 260 – $12,0002 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 230 – $6,0003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 220 – $3,5004 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 210 – $2,8005 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 205 – $2,5006 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 200 – $2,3007 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 195 – $2,2008 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 190 – $2,1009 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 185 – $2,05010 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 180 – $2,00011 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 175 – $1,60012 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – 170 – $1,40013 – 22* – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 165 – $1,20014 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 160 – $1,10015 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 155 – $1,05016 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 150 – $1,00017 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 145 – $10018 – 9 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 140 – $1,00019 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 135 – $1,00020 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 135 – $1,00021 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 130 – $1,00022 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – 125 – $10023 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – 125 – $1,00024 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 125 – $1,00025 – 2 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 125 – $1,00026 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 125 – $1,00027 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 125 – $10028 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 125 – $10029 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – 120 – $10030 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – 120 – $10031 – 76N – Blair Nothdurft – Renner, SD – 115 – $10032 – 81J – Jack Riggs – Nolensville, TN – 115 – $10033 – 44 – Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 110 – $10034 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 110 – $10035 – 23 – Beckham Malone – Rock Hill, SC – 105 – $10036 – 59 – Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – 105 – $10037 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 100 – $10038 – 9Y – Levi Yetter – Cabot, PA – 100 – $10039 – 14 – Haiden Cowan – Rincon, GA – 95 – $10040 – 17Z – Seth Zacharias – Vestal, NY – 95 – $10041 – 388 – Jackson Hise – Ocala, FL – 90 – $10042 – 111R – Steven Roberts – Sylvester, GA – 90 – $10043 – 51 – Chad Tuten – Blackshear, GA – 85 – $10044 – 99B – Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – 50 – $0

CONCORD, NC (January 17, 2025) – Ashton Winger won’t be a rookie when he returns to the World of Outlaws Late Models full-time in 2025, but he said it’ll still feel like his first year.

His maiden voyage with the Series came in 2020, which saw the schedule marred by the pandemic. Now, with a nearly 60-race schedule ahead, Winger said he’s excited to finally experience a complete season with The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet.

“I ran it back in 2020, but it was such a weird year. We went to Florida and then Smoky Mountain and then literally sat around for two months,” Winger said. “I’ve always been a believer in just getting out and racing. That year, we really didn’t get to do that. So, I know I did it in 2020, but this really feels like the first year that I’m actually going to do it.”

In the years since, Winger has stuck to his motto of racing as much as possible by making stops at several Midwest and Southeast events and running two full seasons on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals trail. His 2023 Hell Tour campaign culminated with the Series championship.

Winger said he’s hoping that experience will translate into more successful nights in those regions with the World of Outlaws.

“As far as the Outlaws go, they go to a few more places around home like Swainsboro, Needmore, Talladega. I mean, I was probably going to be at those races anyway,” Winger said. “They go to a fair amount in the Midwest too, and that’s kind of where I’ve made it a point to go try and race. It’s probably my favorite part of the country to go race.”

The schedule isn’t Winger’s only reason to be optimistic heading into the season though – there’s a night and day difference in his level of preparedness compared to his last World of Outlaws effort. In 2020, Winger ran the second half of the season with a pickup truck for a hauler and one chassis, yet he still managed to score a Feature win at Cedar Lake Speedway and the Rookie of the Year Award.

With more funding, more parts and more experience at his disposal, Winger sees no reason why he can’t be a nightly contender in 2025.

“We really wanted to do it last year but didn’t really feel like we had all of our ducks in a row to go do it,” Winger said. “The problem is, if you don’t go in guns blazing, ready to go every night, you get yourself in a hole. Even if we do leave Florida in a hole, it would feel better to me to be prepared to actually do it rather than going halfway. I just felt like it was the right time. Honestly, I felt like the best I’m ever going to be is racing the best guys every night, so that’s what I probably look forward to the most.”

Winger’s first test as a full-time Outlaw will come as soon as the green flag drops next week at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25). Even though he’s a winner at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Winger said he’s never been able to truly get comfortable at the facility but hopes this will be the year he cracks the code.

“I know I won there two years ago, but it was kind of rough and wide open and the racetrack usually isn’t like that,” Winger said. “I really think it’s more me than anything. I’ve been in all types of car brands and all kinds of stuff there and I really don’t think I’ve grasped a hold of that place. Just not really ever comfortable there. But either way, I’m excited for it. Really just ready to get to racing.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season begins with six nights of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, beginning with DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25) followed by Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 13-15). To find ticket information for both events, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season live on DIRTVision.