MANSFIELD, Ohio (May 30) — Nick Hoffman was simply a whirlwind of emotion. A victory worth a whopping $100,057 will do that to a driver.

After overtaking race-long pacesetter Garrett Alberson following a lap-46 restart and going on to capture Saturday’s Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway for a career-high payday, Hoffman found himself trying to process it all.

“You never know if these days will ever come,” Hoffman said. “And you dream of this kind of s---. It’s just unbelievable.”

Hoffman, 34, of Mooresville, N.C., continued his rise to Dirt Late Model stardom with an impeccable march to the checkered flag in the finale of the reopened Mansfield’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series weekend. He beat Las Cruces, N.M.’s Alberson to the finish line by 1.464 seconds in the 57-lap feature for his career-best sixth WoO triumph of the season.

Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., finished third after outdueling Friday’s $100,000 winner Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, in the closing laps. Erb settled for fourth just 0.013 of a second behind O’Neal while 11th-starter Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., picked up five spots over the final 15 laps to place fifth.

Defending WoO champion Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., was the race’s hard charger with a 22nd-to-sixth run that kept him atop the series standings by nine points over Hoffman.

Hoffman was overjoyed with the first-ever six-figure payoff, which was made possible by the largesse of Mansfield locals Dan and Brenda Niss, who for the second straight night provided the funds to boost the winner’s take to a blockbuster level. Saturday’s feature had a posted first prize of $57,000 before the Niss family pushed it up another $43,057 in celebration of Mansfield’s reopening after seven years under new owner Matt Tifft.

“I don't know … I’m at a loss of words,” Hoffman said. “You just never know if this day will ever come again, you know?”

Hoffman appears primed to enjoy many more similarly rich victories as his career takes off, but he pointed to the recent sudden death of NASCAR star Kyle Busch at the age of 41 as evidence that every moment needs to be cherished.

“Going back to that (thought) is, you know, Kyle Busch, losing him last week,” Hoffman said. “He was a big supporter of Millbridge Speedway, which is my family’s racetrack (in North Carolina), and it sucks for the whole racing community but especially down in Mooresville, where I’m at. It’s just a huge loss for everybody, so I wanted to do that bow for him.”

Indeed, Hoffman replicated Busch’s signature bow to the crowd when he climbed atop the roof of his Tye Twarog-owned Longhorn Chassis in victory lane. Then he thanked all of his supporters who “got me to this day,” including his parents who “sacrificed to get me here,” his fourth-year car owner Tye Twarog and his wife, Lacey, and their two young sons.

“It’s so awesome to have my kids here,” Hoffman said while holding his boys close. “They’ll remember this forever … I hope.”

The triumph had Hoffman looking back wistfully to the 2018 Dirt Million event run at Mansfield.

“It’s unreal,” said Hoffman, who finished 21st in that Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned event. “I came here for the Dirt Million. Those were my first couple starts in a Late Model, and that was, hell, eight years ago now. I’ve been through a lot of stuff, a lot of different car owners, great car owners, and if it wasn’t for all of them, I wouldn’t be here either.”

Hoffman employed all the experience he’s gained since transitioning from open-wheel modified racing to full-time Dirt Late Model competition four years ago. He combined a savvy tire choice with a patient approach to tame the unruly 4/10-mile oval’s surface and unseat the polesitting Alberson from the lead with the race winding down.

“The racetrack had character,” said Hoffman, who started from the outside pole but fell to fourth early before finally wrestling second place from Josh Rice of Crittenden, Ky., on lap 34. “I had a little bit different tire combination on than I feel like the rest of the field, so I knew that the late part of that race it would come to me. So I just pressured and pressured and was able to get by (Alberson).

“I was struggling to figure out where I needed to be to try and find the smoothest lines, because my car just doesn’t get through the holes very good. So I finally found a lane down there (in turns three and four) that I could run a little bit lower than (Alberson) and carry speed, and then down here, I could kind of go wherever.

“I just paced him. I paced Josh there for a little while, knowing that I had harder tires on than they did, and then it just came to me and I was able to get aggressive. That last restart (on lap 46), I had hoped that I would get a big enough run off of four that I could slide (Alberson) into one, but it just wasn’t gonna pan out.

“So, man, it’s just wild,” he added, referring to Alberson’s bobble on the top of turn two on the final restart that cleared the way for Hoffman to surge into the lead down the backstretch.

Alberson, 36, controlled the majority of the distance in his Roberts Motorsports Longhorn Chassis but couldn’t quite close the deal for the biggest win of his career. He had to be content with a $25,000 runner-up finish after losing ground to Hoffman over the closing stretch when he attempted to mount a last-ditch bid.

“Man, my guys did a great job,” Alberson said. “My car was good. I even think our tire call was pretty good. The late restarts definitely helped our tire game. I just made one mistake just at the wrong time and … uh, yeah, that one stings. That one really stings.

“I don’t really think Nick was all that much better than we were on that last run right there. I could keep up with them. It’s just, I was trying so hard I kept making mistakes after that, and then he had clean track.”

Alberson blamed himself for the defeat: “I mean, I just gotta stop making mistakes. I know we can win these races.”

The 25-year-old O’Neal, who started eighth in the SSI Motorsports Longhorn Chassis, had to work hard following the lap-46 restart to beat Erb for third place.

“The racetrack was a lot better than it was last night. We raced all over it,” O’Neal said. “I just felt like I was kind of crammed in that bottom after they restart, and me and Tyler raced side-by-side for the last 10 laps or whatever it was. He kept inching me down the front straightaway, but finally I just kind of got up there and got real close to him and made him think about lifting a little bit, and then we drag-raced to the (finish) line.

“I didn’t know who got it. Whenever I came across one and two, I looked at the (score) board to see who had it, so it was really close.”

The race was slowed by four caution flags.

The first caution came on lap three when sixth-running Michael Norris pushed up the track between turns three and four due to a broken right-front tierod and collected Tim McCreadie, who couldn’t squeeze between Norris and the outside wall. Norris was towed off the track while McCreadie returned to the fray after making a pit stop for nosepiece repairs.

McCreadie was involved in the second caution as well, on lap four, when he ended up on Logan Zarin’s nose in a turn-one tangle that also included Daulton Wilson and Dennis Erb Jr. The incident eliminated McCreadie and Erb from further action.

Additional cautions came on lap 38 when Dustin Sorensen fell off the pace with a flat left-rear tire and lap 46 for Rice, who slowed while running sixth due to a broken rear end and punctured radiator that caused his engine to overheat.

Notes: Hoffman’s sixth WoO victory of 2026 exceeded his previous best single-season win totals of five, which he tallied in 2024 and ’25. It was his 17th career triumph on the series. … The feature paid $5,700-to-start from a total purse that exceeded $300,000 with the addition of the Niss family’s last-minute cash. … The 57-lapper was checkered at 10:58 p.m. ... Ethan Dotson and Drake Troutman both went to backup cars after motor issues prior to heat race action.

Feature lineup

(57 laps)

Row 1: Garrett Alberson, Nick Hoffman
Row 2: Trey Mills, Josh Rice
Row 3: Tristan Chamberlain, Michael Norris
Row 4: Chris Madden, Hudson O'Neal
Row 5: Tyler Erb, Tim McCreadie
Row 6: Brandon Sheppard, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 7: Ryan Gustin, Devin Moran
Row 8: Brandon Overton, Max Blair
Row 9: Dustin Sorensen, Drake Troutman
Row 10: Ryan Montgomery, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 11: Dallon Murty, Bobby Pierce
Row 12: Ethan Dotson, Daulton Wilson
Row 13: Brent Larson, Logan Zarin

Consolation race results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First consolation: Dustin Sorensen, Ryan Montgomery, Dallon Murty, Steve Banal, Tyler Wyant, Jon Lee, Ryan Markham, Eli Johnson, Daulton Wilson, Ethan Dotson, Matt Irey. Scratched: Mason Zeigler.

Second consolation: Drake Troutman, Dennis Erb Jr., Bobby Pierce, Brock Pinkerous, Logan Zarin, Dale McDowell, Lincoln Smith, Rod Conley, Larry Bellman. Scratched: Chris Ferguson, Brent Larson, Kyle Moore.

Heat race recap

Nick Hoffman cruised to lead all eight laps from the pole, winning the night’s first heat race by 0.944 of a second over Hudson O’Neal, who trailed him the entire way. Fourth-starting Tyler Erb finished third while sixth-starting Ryan Gustin slipped by Steve Banal on the final lap, punching his ticket into the 57-lap main event along with Erb, O’Neal and Hoffman. … Polesitter Garrett Alberson earned a flag-to-flag victory in winning the second heat by 1.975 seconds over second-starting Tristan Chamberlain. Brandon Sheppard started and finished third with fifth-starting Brandon Overton claiming the fourth and final transfer spot into the $100,057-to-win 57 Special finale. … Josh Rice controlled the entire distance in winning the third heat by 2.184 seconds over second-starting Chris Madden, who pursued Rice for all eight laps. Tim McCreadie and Devin Moran held service in rounding out the top-four finishers. … Trey Mills dominated the fourth and final heat race, leading all eight laps and taking the checkers by 0.819 of a second ahead of Michael Norris. Ricky Thornton Jr. started and finished third with eighth-starting Max Blair charging to grab the fourth and final transfer position. Chris Ferguson and Brock Pinkerous exchanged contact in the closing laps, with Pinkerous prevailing to finish sixth and Ferguson coasting to a stop in turn one on the final lap. … The four prelims were completed without incident and combined to last just shy of 12 minutes.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

First heat: Nick Hoffman, Hudson O'Neal, Tyler Erb, Ryan Gustin, Steve Banal, Dustin Sorensen, Ryan Montgomery, Jon Lee, Ryan Markham, Mason Zeigler.

Second heat: Garrett Alberson, Tristan Chamberlain, Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Overton, Daulton Wilson, Dallon Murty, Eli Johnson, Tyler Wyant, Ethan Dotson, Matt Irey.

Third heat: Josh Rice, Chris Madden, Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Drake Troutman, Dennis Erb Jr., Bobby Pierce, Dale McDowell, Lincoln Smith, Brent Larson.

Fourth heat: Trey Mills, Michael Norris, Ricky Thornton Jr., Max Blair, Logan Zarin, Brock Pinkerous, Rod Conley, Chris Ferguson, Larry Bellman, Kyle Moore.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C., 16.979
2. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 17.184
3. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 17.205
4. Tristan Chamberlain (20tc), Richmond, Ind., 17.357
5. Steve Banal (8B), Lincolnton, N.C., 17.390
6. Brandon Sheppard (1s), New Berlin, Ill., 17.413
7. Tyler Erb (1) New Waverly, Texas, 17.460
8. Dallon Murty (13), Chelsea, Iowa, 17.518
9. Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 17.566
10. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 17.588
11. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 17.642
12. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 17.650
13. Jon Lee (5L), Summerville, Pa., 17.676
14. Eli Johnson (55E), Clewiston, Fla., 17.720
15. Dustin Sorensen (19), Rochester, Minn., 17.798
16. Daulton Wilson (58v), Fayetteville, N.C., 17.812
17. Ryan Montgomery (12), Fairmont, W.Va., 17.854
18. Matt Irey (36), Ashland, Ohio, 18.015
19. Ryan Markham (5m), Ashland, Ohio, 18.072
20. Tyler Wyant (24), Oil City, Pa., 18.164
Group B
1. Josh Rice (11), Crittenden, Ky., 17.361
2. Trey Mills (14), St. Augustine, Fla., 17.370
3. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 17.371
4. Michael Norris (1n), Sarver, Pa., 17.507
5. Tim McCreadie (9m), Watertown, N.Y., 17.517
6. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 17.539
7. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 17.653
8. Logan Zarin (1z), Moon Township, Pa., 17.655
9. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 17.659
10. Brock Pinkerous (555), Ellenville, N.Y., 17.665
11. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 17.715
12. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., 17.743
13. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 17.781
14. Rod Conley (71R), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 17.798
15. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 17.878
16. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 17.958
17. Brent Larson (B1), Lake Elmo, Minn., 18.086
18. Kyle Moore (1*), Mansfield, Ohio, 18.115
19. Lincoln Smith (31), Belmont, Ohio, 18.401
20. Larry Bellman (59), Wooster, Ohio, 18.859

Saturday’s schedule

(All times local)
1 p.m. - Pits open
2 p.m. - Grandstands open (presale ticketholders)
3 p.m. - Grandstands open
4 p.m. - Church outreach service
4:30 p.m. - Driver autograph session
6 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Modified group qualifying
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Modified heats (8 laps)
Intermission/WoO redraw
- Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Feature events
- Late Models (57 laps)
- Modifieds (30 laps)