BARBERVILLE, Fla. — With two weeks of Dash Automotive and DIRTcar UMP Modified motion within the books, The Most Highly effective Late Fashions on the Planet will thunder again into Volusia Speedway Park to place a bow on the 54th annual Federated Auto Components DIRTcar Nationals.
The week will open with three nights of DIRTcar Late Mannequin competitors Monday-Wednesday, Feb. 10-12, earlier than the World of Outlaws Late Fashions take over for the ultimate three nights of the occasion, Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 13-15. Thursday and Friday’s packages will each wrap up with 35-lap, $12,000-to-win Options, whereas the weekend culminates with a 50-lap, $20,000-to-win fundamental occasion and the crowning of a Large Gator champion on Saturday night time.
Drivers will acquire factors from all DIRTcar and World of Outlaws Options for the DIRTcar Nationals Large Gator championship, awarded on the finish of the week. Wednesday’s DIRTcar Late Mannequin occasion will see the sector cut up into three Options for the night time.
The Tremendous DIRTcar Sequence Large Block Modifieds will be part of the Outlaws on all three nights to make for a high-horsepower doubleheader on the “World’s Quickest Half Mile.”
Listed below are the highest storylines getting into the weekend:
FIRST PITCH HOMER
Out of all the brand new driver-crew chief mixtures within the pits this season, none have gelled faster than Ryan Gustin and Cody Mallory.
Lower than three weeks after Mallory formally joined the Todd Cooney Racing squad, he guided Gustin to his first World of Outlaws win at Volusia on the primary night time of the brand new season at DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals.
“The Reaper” could have been unable to duplicate that efficiency on Saturday with an 18th-place end, however he nonetheless finds himself fourth within the standings getting into DIRTcar Nationals, eight factors behind chief Cody Overton. And since a competitor’s three greatest finishes between Sunshine Nationals and DIRTcar Nationals are the one ones that rely towards the season-long factors, some sturdy runs this week may enable Gustin to discard his Saturday end and additional enhance his place within the championship chase.
SOPHOMORE STAR
Following a Thirteenth-place factors end in his rookie season with the Outlaws, Cody Overton anticipated to make main enhancements in his second yr on tour. What he didn’t anticipate, although, was to be main the factors after two races.
The Thomson, Ga. driver had his image taken on the rostrum for the primary time after ending third on Friday earlier than barely lacking the highest 10 on Saturday in eleventh, sufficient to say the highest spot amongst all signed World of Outlaws drivers.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t the primary time Volusia was sort to Overton, as he gained a Crate Late Mannequin Characteristic throughout Sunshine Nationals in 2020, his first of 5 high 10s within the occasion prior to creating the bounce to the Tremendous Late Mannequin division.
Overton has saved his scorching streak going within the weeks since, as he piloted the Large Frog Motorsports Crate Late Mannequin to Victory Lane at All-Tech Raceway on Feb. 1 earlier than scoring his first Tremendous Late Mannequin win in three years at Screven Motor Speedway final weekend in opposition to lots of the identical drivers he’ll face once more this week at Volusia.
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME?
If there was anybody at Sunshine Nationals who had race-winning pace on each nights however walked away with little to point out for it, it will be Nick Hoffman.
The Tye Twarog Motorsports gasser picked up a Warmth Race win on Friday and drew the pole for the principle occasion, organising a fierce battle with Gustin for the highest spot. However simply previous midway, Hoffman received free on Gustin’s inside getting into Flip 1 and his automobile snapped round. After going to the tail of the sector for the restart, Hoffman made his method again as much as ninth by the checkers.
When Saturday rolled round, Hoffman’s pace early within the night time was nonetheless there as he claimed the Simpson Fast Time Award in Qualifying and led each lap of his Warmth Race. Misfortune struck as soon as once more within the Characteristic although, as Hoffman’s right-rear tire gave out whereas working fourth, forcing him to return from the again for the second night time in a row. Hoffman climbed as much as tenth on the finish of fifty laps, leaving him fifth within the standings with two nights within the books.
“The Thrill From Mooresville” could not have strapped a helmet on because the Sunshine Nationals finale, however he’s stayed loads busy within the Volusia pits helping his Elite Chassis prospects throughout 9 nights of DIRTcar UMP Modified competitors. There’s a cause so many opponents flip to Hoffman for recommendation on the “World’s Quickest Half Mile,” as his unbelievable resume on the monitor consists of seven-straight Large Gator championships between 2016 and 2022, two Reutimann Memorials and greater than a dozen different Characteristic wins.
The newest of these got here final yr when Hoffman picked up his first World of Outlaws trophy from Volusia, and he’ll look to additional develop his Gator assortment this week.
BOUNCING BACK
When Brian Shirley’s engine expired whereas he was working fifth with 4 laps to go within the Saturday Characteristic at Sunshine Nationals, he was hopeful that may be the top of his unhealthy luck throughout Speedweeks. Because it turned out, it was solely the start.
Whereas main his Warmth Race in a Hunt the Entrance Tremendous Dust Sequence occasion at Needmore Speedway, Shirley’s powerplant as soon as once more started to smoke. As soon as he introduced the automobile to a cease, the smoke turned to fireplace and the No. 3S grew to become utterly engulfed in flames. Fortunately, Shirley emerged from the automobile unhurt.
The 2 weeks because the incident have introduced much more attrition, as Shirley has battled by means of extra engine issues, tire failures, crashes and extra. A number of journeys have been made up Interstate 95 to Longhorn Chassis and Durham Racing Engines in North Carolina to maintain Shirley’s trailer stocked. With a return to World of Outlaws competitors on the horizon, Shirley would love nothing greater than an uneventful DIRTcar Nationals to get his season again on monitor.
GATOR HUNTERS
Whereas loads of groups are rolling into DIRTcar Nationals on the lookout for a turnaround, a number of others are able to let the nice instances hold rolling within the “Sunshine State.”
Eleven years faraway from his World of Outlaws debut at I-30 Speedway in 2014, Garrett Alberson lastly gained with the Sequence for the primary time three weeks in the past. It was his second win of the season after getting his first in New Mexico on the Wild West Shootout, putting him alongside Bobby Pierce, Ricky Thornton Jr., Devin Moran and Jonathan Davenport as the one drivers with a number of Tremendous Late Mannequin wins in 2025.
All 5 drivers are anticipated to be in attendance this week aiming so as to add to their totals. Pierce leads the way in which with 4 wins to this point this yr, however he didn’t crack the highest 5 in two makes an attempt at Volusia. The document books present that these runs had been the exception reasonably than the norm, because the 2023 Sequence champion is a four-time Characteristic winner at Volusia between World of Outlaws and DIRTcar competitors.
For Moran, Sunshine Nationals was a story of two nights, as he missed the Characteristic on Friday earlier than ending fourth on Saturday. “The Mailman” has gained 5 instances with the Outlaws at Volusia since 2021, greater than every other driver in that span.
Thornton’s first journey to Volusia final month was nothing wanting a nightmare, as he was a DNQ on Friday and completed nineteenth on Saturday. Nonetheless, his Koehler Motorsports teammate Jimmy Owens led the primary 41 laps of Saturday’s Sunshine Nationals Characteristic.
Davenport will return to Volusia this week after doing every thing however win a race at Sunshine Nationals. Not solely did he choose up a pair of runner-ups in his first journey to the occasion, he was the one member of the sector to complete within the high 5 on each nights. “Superman” lastly discovered the highest step of the rostrum at Ocala Speedway twice final week after 4 second-place finishes on the yr, and he’s seeking to carry that momentum into DIRTcar Nationals as he chases his first Volusia win since 2018.
