Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Consistency not quite enough for Louisianan
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
Brady Walton (Slideline Studios)
Plenty of Dirt Late Model racers actively avoid the grind of points racing. And plenty of those same drivers end up taking a peek at tabulated points midway through the season and find themselves lured into the chase.
Such was the 2025 season for Brady Walton of Greenwell Springs, La., the 46-year-old regular at Baton Rouge (La.) Raceway who initially didn’t plan on chasing the weekly championship for the Crate Racin’ USA division.
"I don't normally get to race a lot,” said Walton, who has been running Late Models for nine seasons, often making just a dozen starts a year. “This is by far my busiest year and really, we got a little past halfway, look up and it's like, ‘Man we're kind of right there.' So we kind of made a push to finish the year up and make a run at the points deal.”
As it turns out, Walton’s going to fall short of the championship with David Williamson of Seminary, Miss., in line for a repeat title. But along with three victories, Walton enjoyed a consistent season with among the highest percentages of top-five finishes in the division. In a points chase where a driver’s best 14 finishes count, he needed to turn runner-up and third-place finishes into victories.
“We gave a few away early. We had flats early in the year while we were leading and you hate to give them away, but we've been qualifying up front and for whatever reason, just hadn’t put them all away, you know?” Walton said. “That's something that, we just gotta get better at just, finishing the night off.”
On some nights, even if he starts up front, he “just may not be in the groove we need to be in and just struggling to pass or whatever. Hey, it’s hard to complain about top-threes, but with this Crate deal, you gotta nail wins down.”
Walton’s time at the track competes with his busy schedule of operating Waltco General Contractors, which primarily builds car washes and express oil-change businesses. He and wife Melissa are also raising three girls with their own interests, including year-round barrel racing at rodeos. That’s why he primarily runs at nearby Baton Rouge, splicing in occasional visits to four other tracks during his points pursuit.
“While it's fun to (run) for the points, and it's a good accomplishment, a big accomplishment,” Walton said, “sometimes it will suck the fun out of it as well and burn you out. It is nice to be able to race when you want and where you want, you know?”
He’s not against another title pursuit next year, but he needs to make his 14 best performances count because he’s not interested in an overwhelming schedule (a few Crate Racin’ USA drivers will likely finish the season with more than 30 starts, one with 40).
“If you can get over there and (win), you don't have to race as much,” Walton added. “So hopefully next year I won't have to race as much. But hey, I wanna win more than anything. If I can figure out a way to grab some wins, then who knows? If you get down to the end and you gotta hustle the last couple of months of the season, then I mean you can do that, I can make that happen. But I can't see myself racing 30 times next year.”
Walton credits much of his racing success to dedicated crew members Robert Sibley and David Ashley, an accomplished racer with five regional touring titles and $15,000 victories in the 2007 Fall Classic at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Miss. and 2005’s Jambalaya 100 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.
Walton connected with mostly retired Ashley through Baton Rouge Raceway owner Donald Watson four years ago with a deal: In exchange for Ashley helping Walton become a better racer, the 59-year-old Ashley gets to make occasional starts when Walton’s away at rodeos or hare scramble dirt bike races.
"I just called him up and he came to the shop and we just kind of hit it off from there,” Walton said. “Hey, this could work for both of us. He didn't have a car. I had a car. I needed help and he could give it to me.”
Indeed Ashley has enjoyed winning a handful of races in recent seasons while Walton’s program has improved, most notably with his eight-victory season in 2023.
“Our track needed my car there just for car counts and David, he's great. So that worked good. He really helped me just as a driver and also, by driving my car, he could feel what the car is doing and understand that better than what I could tell him. And that really helped step us up a lot,” Walton said. “You can work yourself to death and work on your stuff as much as anybody, but when you're not doing it the right way, you're not getting the right results and David was able to come in there and and really help me, just explain things to me and tutor me as a driver as well. That was probably just as much help as the car itself was just tutoring me as a driver.”
Sibley, who years ago crewed for Ashley during his heyday with Southern United Professional Racing and the Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series, is “my ride or die,” Walton said, thankful for his steadfast assistance.
“If I need anything he's there, so I mean, if he wasn't with me, he sure takes a lot of load off of me,” Walton said, grateful for his crew. “They give me confidence, and they’re right there when we struggle and also when we win.”
Whether Walton chases the CRUSA title next season will likely be decided later, but he plans to again be a regular at Baton Rouge, where he won his three 2025 features and is in a tight battle with Kevin Dupont for the track title. The track in Baker, La., is just 15 minutes from home.
“It’s hard to pass it up. We have a good car count. We’ve got really good cars there, good drivers there. It's hard to win. I mean, look, there's other tracks in Mississippi that I like to go to, but Baton Rouge is my home track and when I go there I expect to win and you always like to defend your own turf,” he said. “I've kind of went off and raced other tracks more this year and that probably has led to maybe not as many wins, just because I'm on newer tracks, don't have a lot of experience on those tracks. But we've been consistent. Don't have the wins, but we’ve been up front. Maybe, hopefully next year will be our year to step it up a little bit.”
Weekly highlights
• Reaching the 1,000-victory milestone among various WISSOTA divisions, Shane Sabraski of Rice, Minn., won Sept. 21’s Late Model feature at Granite City Motor Park in Sauk Rapids, Minn. Sabraski’s victory came at the site of his first victory and 500th victory as Granite City added the Late Model divisions after weekend rainout elsewhere. Sabraski later added his 1,001st victory in super stocks.
• Logan Nickerson of Vestaburg, Mich., led all 30 laps of the Katie Huston Late Model Show for a $3,000 payday Sept. 19 at Mount Pleasant (Mich.) Speedway.
• Sweeping the Tiny Lund Memorial, Zach Zeitner of Bellevue, Neb., nabbed Sept. 19-20 victories at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa.
• Posting Sept. 19-20 victories, Ryan Markham of Ashland, Ohio, swept Ohio Dirt Blowout action for Super Late Models at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio.
• Winning his third race in a row, track champ C.J. Field of Chatham, Ontario, captured Sept. 20’s feature at Buxton Speedway in Merlin, Ontario.
• Capturing Winchester (Va.) Speedway’s Small Car Nationals, Gerald Davis of Delray, W.Va., earned $2,000 in Sept. 20’s Limited Late Model feature.
• Matt Cooper of McKenzie, Tenn., earned $2,093 by winning Sept. 20’s Charles “Chico” Zimmerman Memorial for 602 Crate Late Models at Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway.
• Splitting Twin 20s on Sept. 19 at Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway, Gregg Satterlee of Indiana, Pa., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., collected $3,000 Super Late Model paydays.
• Daven Dilbeck of Copperhill, Tenn., won for the first time since 2019 with a Sept. 20 Limited Late Model victory at Tri-County Racetrack in Brasstown, N.C.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Winning Sept. 19 at Latrobe (Pa.) Speedway, Sean Boskovich of Uniontown, Pa., scored his first Crate Late Model victory. The 31-year-old is in his first full season after climbing into a Crate Late Model in July 2024.
• Kaleb Jones of Bloomfield, Mo., notched his first Late Model victory Sept. 20 at Benton (Mo.) Speedway after a three-month recovery from a work-related injury.
Weekly news briefs
• Mitchell’s Motorplex reopened last month in Perkinston, Miss., the first action at the track formerly known as Outlaw Speedway since 2023. Owner George Mitchell reopened the 4/10-mile track with Crate Racin’ USA 604 Crate Late Models among weekly divisions. Operating every other week, the track plans to complete the season with Oct. 4 and 18 events. Visit mitchellsmotorplex.com for details.
• West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, which plans to reopen its shortened configuration this fall under new owner Mike Hurley, postponed Sept. 25’s planned practice to Oct. 2.
• Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway’s closure is imminent with the 500-acre property being sold for industrial/commercial use, promoters announced. “We’ll have our five races left throughout the end of the season, and that’ll be it for the speedway,” co-promoter David Mitchell announced. “That’s very hard to say. It hurts your heart.” The Broadwell Land Company’s 500-acre property that includes the dirt track, drag strip and extra acreage is under contract, said Mitchell, who for six seasons operated the track with Shay Martin. Sept. 27, Oct. 4, Oct. 25, Nov. 8 and Nov. 29 events are planned.
• Late Models have been added to Oct. 11’s Dirt at the Downs program on the dirt-covered Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The division will follow rules for the Karl Chevrolet Pro Late Models.
• With plans to improve the racing surface with new clay, Elkins Speedway in Kerens, W.Va., won’t be in action on Sept. 27. Tim Senic won Sept. 20’s Super Late Model feature at the facility recently purchased by Mike Hurley.
• Fundraisers are being setup to assist the family of Laine Schwehr, the Sanborn, N.D., Late Model racer who suffered serious injuries on Saturday’s opening program of the 54th annual Stock Car Stampede at Jamestown (S.D.). Speedway. Send mail to Schwehr at Sanford Hospital, 5225 23rd Ave. South, Fargo, ND 58104. A benefit account has been setup for Schwehr at First Community Credit Union; donations can be made at any FCCU location. Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D., plans to have driver pass helmets through the grandstands at Sept. 27’s event and gather items for a care package.
• Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway cancelled Sept. 26’s race program while high-voltage electrical repairs that require extensive digging are completed. Electrical issues plagued the track’s Sept. 19 program, hampering concessions along with timing and scoring.
• Hollis Speedway in Heflin, Ala., has scheduled its seventh annual Winter Bash for Dec. 12-13. Limited Late Models will chase a $1,500-to-win purse and 602 Crate Late Models a $1,000-to-win among nine division.
• With the cancellation of the Punky Manor Challenge of Champions, Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wis., postponed this year’s Hall of Fame inductees. The honorees were former ticket-seller Betty Frank along with former drivers Jerry Kadinger and Dave Shackleton.
• I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn., will honor a late track worker for its season-ending event, renaming the weekend the Scott Engfer Memorial Gopher Showdown with the blessing of the Engfer family. The Oct. 10-11 weekend includes a $3,000-to-win WISSOTA Late Model event and a $1,500-to-win event for Viessman Trucking Gen X Late Models, a division Engfer created.
• BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pa. has donated more than $30,000 for various causes and events over the last four seasons, including Newberry Elementary’s “Racing into Reading” program. The track has partnered with Fusion Financial Group and Mike Gallagher donated more than 350 book bags with school supplies in the fall every year. The track has also served as a fundraising took for the local fire department.
Weekly points
DIRTcar (Supers): Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., has 2,565 points to lead Bobby Pierce (2,479) and Tyler Erb (2,328).
IMCA (Limiteds): Zach Zeitner of Bellevue, Neb., has 790 points to lead Logan Veloz (781) and Kale Kosiski (772).
USRA (Limiteds): Cade Nelson of Hermantown, Minn., has 6,230 points to lead Lucas Peterson (5808) and Jason McFadden (5,400).
WISSOTA (Limiteds): Tyler Peterson of Hickson, N.D., has 1,646 points to lead Chad Becker (1,593) and Dave Mass (1,571).
American All-Stars (Crates): A.J. Hicks of Grayson, Ky., has 590 points to lead Justin Williams (558) and Ronnie Martin Jr. (550).
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): Brett White of Kosciusko, Miss., has 699 points to lead Chace Pennington (698) and Devin Whatley (689).
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): David Williamson of Seminary, Miss., has 695 points to lead two drivers tied with 683 points apiece, Sid Scarbrough and Brady Walton.
DIRTcar (Crates): Dakota Ewing of Warrensburg, Ill., has 1,465 points to lead Denny Woodworth (1,433) and Chase Wilson (1,273).
RUSH (Crates): Jason Genco of Frewsburg, N.Y., and Jeremy Wonderling of Wellsville, N.Y., are knotted with 1,334 points with Breyton Santee (1,324) in third.
Ultimate (Crates): Chandi Currence of Clarksburg, W.Va., has 508 points to lead Kolbe Kimbrew (490) and Noah Whited (387).
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
ABC Raceway, Ashland, Wis. (Sept. 26-27): The 50th annual Red Clay Classic pays a record $15,000-to-win for WISSOTA Late Models out of a purse of $250,000 with $500 long haul and hard charger awards among bonuses.
Tri-City Speedway, Granite City, Ill. (Sept. 26-27): Super Late Models are on the undercard of Mod Mania with $2,000- and $2,500-to-win programs.
Duck River Raceway Park, Wheel, Tenn. (Sept. 26-27): The Big Deal 602 Crate Late Model event pays $2,000-to-win on opening night and $10,000-to-win for the finale.
Mid-Michigan Raceway Park, Fenwick, Mich. (Sept. 26-27): The 27th annual Corn Harvest includes a $2,225-to-win event for Super Late Models and a $1,200-to-win event for Crate Late Models.
McKean County Raceway, East Smethport, Pa. (Sept. 26-27): The multi-division Fall Classic caps the season with $1,000- and $1,500-to-win programs for RUSH-sanctioned Crate Late Models.
Madison (Minn.) Speedway (Sept. 26-27): Lou’s Madtown Showdown includes seven divisions in the season-ending event, including Gen X Late Models.
Needmore Speedway, Norman Park, Ga. (Sept. 27): A makeup from an Aug. 23 rainout, the seventh annual Morgan Sheffield Memorial pays $3,016-to-win for 602 Crate Late Models with 604 Crates ($1,516-to-win) among four undercard divisions.
Winchester (Va.) Speedway (Sept. 27): The Sam Crouch Memorial includes a $2,000-to-win event for RUSH-sanctioned Crate Late Models.
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Imperial, Pa. (Sept. 27): A $2,000-to-win Crate Late Model program is on the undercard of the fourth annual Sport Compact Shootout at PPMS.
Coles County Speedway, Mattoon, Ill. (Sept. 28): The invitation-only Rural King Road to the Dome pays $10,000-to-win in a preview for the Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals with Ricky Thornton Jr., Tyler Erb and Tyler Carpenter among expected drivers.
