The Dirt Track at Charlotte
Big Frog a landing spot while Wilson seeks ride
By Kyle McFadden
DirtonDirt staff reporter
Daulton Wilson at Charlotte. (Zach Yost)
CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 8) — All things considered, Daulton Wilson performed respectably during The Dirt Track at Charlotte’s World Finals with the Viper-Big Frog Motorsports No. 58v team.
The 28-year-old entered the season-ending World of Outlaws Real American Late Model Series event having only logged three prior race nights with the Ocala, Fla.-based team, yet he qualified for all three features amid a 71-car field and fell just shy a pair of a top-10 finishes.
“We was pretty good. We kinda got behind a little bit earlier this week, but we’re still trying to learn and grow,” the Fayetteville, N.C., driver said Saturday after his 12th-place finish followed 13th- and 20th-place runs. “I felt like tonight we definitely went in the right direction. We’ll just keep on diggin’ and see where our next adventure takes us.”
As of Saturday, the driver with four years of experience on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series doesn’t have any races planned the remainder of the 2025 season with Augie Burtram's team, a frequently landing spot for drivers between rides. In six races together, since Wilson’s four-year tenure at Campbellsville, Ky.’s JRR Motorsports ended, his best runs have been a pair of top-10 finishes at Nov. 1-2’s National 100 weekend at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala.
“I’d say this will probably be it for me for the year,” said Wilson, who remains on the hunt for a full-time ride in 2026. “Still don’t have anything set in stone somewhere, but as I said, we’ll race somewhere; try to race as much as possible. I appreciate Augie and his guys for all they’ve done, giving us something to race. It’s been a blast racing with them. I really enjoyed it.
“I’m sure we’ll do a lot more of it, if they’ll have me. We had a good little run with them at the end of the year and you never know what might happen for next year.”
Wilson won’t rule out planning more events down the road with the Viper-Big Frog No. 58v team, which last year served as a stopgap for Tim McCreadie at the World Finals as the Watertown, N.Y., veteran transitioned from Rocket1 Racing to Briggs Transport Racing.
But returning to the national touring scene is Wilson’s highest priority in his ride search.
“I enjoy the road life, getting to race on the road for the last four years,” said Wilson, whose Lucas Oil Series points finishes included a career-best seventh in 2023 and eighths in ’22 and ’24. “I feel like that’s something that I want to do. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.”
While driving for James Rattliff’s JRR Motorsports, which has hired Crittenden, Ky., driver Josh Rice, Wilson accomplished several career milestones, including his first-ever national touring series victory with the Lucas Oil Series in February 2024’s Wieland Winternationals finale at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla.
He also won Nov. 7’s North-South 100 split-field prelim at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky.
“James provided me with the opportunity of a lifetime for a kid that always dreamed of racing at this level,” Wilson said. “I feel like we progressed together in four years. You know, we didn’t have a lot of results to show for the speed we had this year. If it could happen and go wrong, it did this year. At the end of the day, this deal takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of money. It’s a business. We had a good run.
“I still think the world of James and the whole team. I appreciate everything they did. Hopefully the four years we put in there has laid a good foundation for my future and theirs.”
Saturday at Charlotte, Wilson was the early candidate for hard-charging honors during the 50-lap feature, powering his way to 10th from the 18th starting spot by the third lap. Wilson made most of his headway along the top side of the racetrack, and starting in the outside lane, he was able to advance swiftly.
“We all got jumbled up there on the first lap … heck, it was the open lane. We was pretty good there for a little while,” said Wilson, who added that “this place doesn’t normally get a cushion like that.”
Overnight rainstorms Friday night into Saturday morning made for abnormally hooked-up conditions on the high side.
“It got pretty aggressive up there,” Wilson said. “Like I said, we had a pretty good tonight.”
On Thursday, Wilson started 10th and ran as high as eighth on lap 24 before a right-front shock failure sent him down the leaderboard where he finished 13th. On Friday, Wilson started 16th, but “gambled on tires.” He couldn’t get anything going in the 35-lap feature to finish a lap down in 20th. All in all, Wilson was pleased with the week in Charlotte.
“Definitely. Obviously you want to win, but really, we’re getting better,” Wilson said. “Just trying to get our feet underneath us a little bit. Everything is one piece, didn’t tear nothing up, had three good nights. That’s all you can ask for sometimes.”
Though he’s only won once in full-field nationally touring competition, Wilson likes to believe he’s shown enough, both on the track performance-wise and off the track in the way he carries himself, to land another full-time touring ride.
“I’d like to think so. Like I said, we put a lot of time, I put a lot of time, into it,” Wilson said. “That’s the name of the game in this sport, is try to continue to progress. Continue to progress my career and wherever that takes me, it’ll all work out.”
Whether it’s the Lucas Oil Series or the World of Outlaws, or the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series or even a pick-and-choose schedule, Wilson plans to have a deal together before Georgia-Florida Speedweeks.
“I’m gonna race somewhere,” Wilson said. “That’s all I’ve ever done. That’s all I’ll ever do.”
