BARBERVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 15) — Updates and results from Thursday’s fourth round of the 53rd annual Federated DIRTcar Nationals, featuring a 35-lap, $12,000-to-win feature for World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Using a last-lap, turn-three slider to take the point from mid-race leader Chris Madden, fourth-starting Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C., led the final lap to steal Thursday's $12,000 fourth round of the 53rd annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. Hoffman collected his second career full-field World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series victory — his first since May 23 at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y. — and his first career gator trophy in a Late Model after winning several in a modified. The second-starting Madden, of Gray Court, S.C., squeezed past Mike Marlar and led laps 20-34 before giving way to Hoffman on the final lap and finishing 0.208 of a second back.

Feature lineup

(35 laps)
Row 1: Mike Marlar, Chris Madden
Row 2: Ricky Thornton Jr., Nick Hoffman
Row 3: Tyler Bruening, Bobby Pierce
Row 4: Daulton Wilson, Jordan Koehler
Row 5: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran
Row 6: Max McLaughlin, Hudson O'Neal
Row 7: Tyler Erb, Cade Dillard
Row 8: Tim McCreadie, Jimmy Owens
Row 9: Mark Whitener, Brian Shirley
Row 10: Chase Junghans, Max Blair
Row 11: Dustin Sorensen, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 12: Dale McDowell, Ashton Winger
Row 13: Kyle Bronson, Ryan Gustin
Row 14: Cody Overton, Brent Larson
Row 15: Todd Cooney, Dustin Walker

Consolation results

(10 laps; top two transfer)

First consolation finish: Chase Junghans, Dennis Erb Jr., Mike Spatola, Ethan Dotson, Logan Zarin, Stacy Boles, Jason Fitzgerald, Austin Smith, Drake Troutman, Ryan Gustin.

Second consolation finish: Max Blair, Dale McDowell, Parker Martin, Todd Cooney, Daniel Hilsabeck, Mason Zeigler, Mike Benedum, Brian Booze, Dustin Walker, Seth Zacharias.

Third consolation finish: Dustin Sorensen, Ashton Winger, Tanner English, Cody Overton, David Breazeale, Brent Larson, Amanda Robinson, Tristan Chamberlain, Kyle Bronsonl Scratched: Blair Nothdurft

Heat race recap

Chris Madden led all eight laps to win the first heat race by 1.320 seconds over third-starting Daulton Wilson. Fifth-starting Tyler Erb made a last-lap, last-turn move to get by Ryan Gustin, to grab the third and final transfer spot into Thursday’s $12,000-to-win fourth round; Gustin faded to finish eighth. … Nick Hoffman cruised to win heat two, leading all eight laps and winning by 1.365 seconds over Brandon Sheppard. Fourth-starting Tim McCreadie took the third and final transfer position into Thursday’s 40-lapper. … Ricky Thornton Jr. led green-to-checkered to win heat three by 2.256 seconds over Max McLaughlin. Fourth-starting Mark Whitener completed the podium finishers. … Second-starting Bobby Pierce led the entire distance to win heat four by 1.462 seconds over pole-starting Jordan Koehler. Cade Dillard battled Max Blair in the early laps and prevailed to round-out the podium. … Tyler Bruening narrowly repelled Devin Moran for the entire distance, winning heat five by 0.859 of a second. Moran settled for second, with Jimmy Owens starting and finishing third. … Second-starting Mike Marlar narrowly repelled Hudson O’Neal in the closing laps to win the sixth and final heat race by 0.381 of a second; O’Neal was deemed to have jumped the initial start and penalized a starting row. Third-starting Brian Shirley trailed Marlar for much of the race before giving way to O’Neal and finishing third. The second yellow was displayed on lap five when fourth-running Blair Nothdruft slowed before pulling off.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top three transfer)

First heat finish: Chris Madden, Daulton Wilson, Tyler Erb, Stacy Boles, Ethan Dotson, Drake Troutman, Austin Smith, Ryan Gustin.

Second heat finish: Nick Hoffman, Brandon Sheppard, Tim McCreadie, Dennis Erb Jr., Mike Spatola, Chase Junghans, Jason Fitzgerald, Logan Zarin.

Third heat finish: Ricky Thornton Jr., Max McLaughlin, Mark Whitener, Parker Martin, Dale McDowell, Mike Benedum, Seth Zacharias, Dustin Walker.

Fourth heat finish: Bobby Pierce, Jordan Koehler, Cade Dillard, Max Blair, Todd Cooney, Daniel Hilsabeck, Brian Booze, Mason Zeigler.

Fifth heat finish: Tyler Bruening, Devin Moran, Jimmy Owens, Dustin Sorensen, Amanda Robinson, Tanner English, Kyle Bronson, Tristan Chamberlain.

Sixth heat finish: Mike Marlar, Hudson O'Neal, Brian Shirley, Ashton Winger, Brent Larson, David Breazeale, Cody Overton, Blair Nothdurft.

Pre-race notes

Thursday’s first of three scheduled nights of World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series action is being contested under partly skies after afternoon temperatures reached the low 70s. … The 48-car field sets up a six-heat program. … New to the pit area for Thursday’s show is Mason Zeigler of Chalk Hill, Pa., who flew to Florida this morning with crewman Bryan Liverman and will drive Matt Cosner’s No. 66c. Cosner’s hauler has been in the pit area all week but he’s sat out while nursing bruised ribs he suffered one week ago at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. … Another rig that’s been parked in Volusia pits from the start of the week belongs to Jeff Mathews of Brandon, Fla., but it now appears that he won’t enter the final three nights of competition as he had originally planned. Mathews’s driver Ashton Winger of Hampton, Ga., who has raced all week, said his boss has decided to bypass Volusia action. … Tanner English of Benton, Ky., is jumping in fellow Kentuckian Dylan Thompson's car for Thursday's racing. English's father, Terry, has been in the pits this week helping Thompson. ... With Saturday’s forecast looking increasingly dire — steady, and perhaps heavy, rain is likely throughout the day — World Racing Group officials announced during Thursday’s drivers’ meeting that they will raise the WoO purse for Friday’s show in case the finale is lost to weather. The published purses for Friday (nearly $58,000) and Saturday (over $84,000) will be combined and then cut in half to create a $71,000-plus Friday payout that pushes the winner’s prize from $12,000 to $16,000 and start money from $1,000 to $1,250. If Volusia is able to race on Saturday, Friday’s restructured purse will be paid. … Thursday also brought the release of a rules bulletin jointly issued by WoO/DIRTcar and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series that addresses preparation of tires: “Effective immediately, washing tires, or spraying substances of any type on tires will not be permitted within three (3) hours of the scheduled Hot Lap time on any given race day. Dipping tires into large containers (i.e. swimming pools) and chilling or heating tires (i.e. freezers, ice baths, torches, or other means of direct heat) will not be permitted at any point.” WoO director Steve Francis said the announcement came after he met with Lucas Oil Series director Rick Schwallie and the pair decided to respond to increasingly strong discussion during Speedweeks that teams were going to extremes with tire preparation.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 15.290
2. Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C., 15.319
3. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 15.371
4. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 15.412
5. Brandon Sheppard (B5), New Berlin, Ill., 15.479
6. Max McLaughlin (22*), Mooresville, N.C., 15.517
7. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 15.522
8. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 15.597
9. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 15.605
10. Ethan Dotson (174), Bakersfield, Calif., 15.615
11. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 15.713
12. Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla., 15.759
13. Tyler Erb (1T), New Waverly, Texas, 15.777
14. Mike Spatola (89), Manhattan, Ill., 15.855
15. Mike Benedum (25B), Salem, W.Va., 15.883
16. Stacy Boles (11B), Clinton, Tenn., 15.917
17. Logan Zarin (1z), Moon Township, Pa., 15.932
18. Parker Martin (6jr), Miledgeville, Ga., 16.001
19. Austin Smith (11), Rome, Ga., 16.010
20. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 16.044
21. Seth Zacharias (17z), Vestal, N.Y., 16.070
22. Drake Troutman (7), Hyndman, Pa., 16.097
23. Jason Fitzgerald (14jr), Middleburg, Fla., 16.200
24. Dustin Walker (14w), Polk, Mo., 16.582
Group B
1. Jordan Koehler (114), Mount Airy, N.C., 15.485
2. Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 15.517
3. Hudson O’Neal (1), Martinsville, Ind., 15.525
4. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 15.558
5. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 15.566
6. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 15.602
7. Cade Dillard (97), Robeline, La., 15.631
8. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 15.694
9. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 15.716
10. Max Blair (111) Centerville, Pa., 15.808
11. Amanda Robinson (4), Georgetown, Del., 15.821
12. Blair Nothdurft (76), Renner, S.D., 15.834
13. Daniel Hilsabeck (22), Earlham, Iowa, 15.861
14. Dustin Sorensen (19), Rochester, Minn., 15.869
15. Ashton Winger (12), Hampton, Ga., 15.887
16. Todd Cooney (30), Des Moines, Iowa, 16.013
17. Tanner English (99T), Benton, Ky., 16.040
18. Brent Larson (B1), Lake Elmo, Minn., 16.081
19. Mason Zeigler (66c), Chalk Hill, Pa., 16.108
20. Tristan Chamberlain (20tc), Richmond, Ind., 16.172
21. David Breazeale (23), Four Corners, Miss., 16.238
22. Brian Booze (B2), Greencastle, Pa., 16.561
23. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., no time
24. Cody Overton (97c), Evans, Ga., time disallowed

Thursday’s schedule

(All times local)
Noon - Ticket sales, will call, pit pass sales begin
1 p.m. - Pits open
3 p.m. - Pits cleared and re-open
4 p.m. - Grandstands open
4:45 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
5:30 p.m. - On-track activity begins
- Modified hot laps
- Late Model hot laps
- Modified group qualifying (2 laps)
- Late Model group qualifying (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Modified heats (8 laps)
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Modified consolations (10 laps)
- Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Feature events
- Modifieds (30 laps)
- Late Models (35 laps)