DirtonDirt Dispatches
Best of 2025: Southern state-by-state capsules
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
(Credits clockwise from right: Tyler Carr; Ryan Roberts; Zack Kloosterman)
Dirt Late Model racing’s 2025 superlatives of Southern states (individually for states with significant weekly Late Model action; other states combined), primarily focusing on local and regional events (Best of 2025 coverage):
Alabama
Top performer: Rainsville’s Sam Seawright scores nine special-event victories, including Talladega’s Ice Bowl and three tours: Hunt the Front, Southern Thunder and Schaeffer's Southern Nationals. Four five-figure paydays including a career-high $15,000 HTF victory in Duck River’s Deep Fried 75. He also captured the CRUSA Winter Shootout miniseries title.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: Sam Seawright; Smiths Station’s Dalton Cook (two Hunt the Front victories and two $10,000 East Alabama victories; EAMS champ); Florence’s Josh Putnam (two Super victories, $10,000 at East Alabama and $6,000 at Moulton); Gadsden’s Dillon Tidmore (SAS victories at Winder-Barrow and North Alabama); Phenix City's Jimmy Thomas (four home-state 604 and 602 Crate victories, including Talladega’s Ice Bowl); Phenix City's Richie Stephens (five 602 Crate victories, including on Red Clay tour and $5,000 at East Alabama).
Best weekly drivers: Hanceville's Brandon Brown (19 victories in 604 and 602 Crates); Huntsville's Logan Bradford (nine 604 and 602 Crate victories at four tracks; $10,000 at Duck River); McKenzie's Dale Lucas (nine 602 Crate victories in 13 starts); Russellville’s Bryson Mitchell (five 604 and 602 Crate victories in Moulton); Attalla's Lucas Burns (four Limited victories at Talladega en route to title); Phenix City's Montana Dudley (five 604 Crate victories at EAMS, including $10,000; EAMS champ); Lincoln's David Kay (five 604 and 602 Crate victories at Talladega); Tuscumbia's Billy Flannagan (six Limited and 602 Crate victories at North Alabama); Greenville's Brent Cartwright (five 602 Crate victories at four tracks); Russellville’s Braden Mitchell (four 602 Crate victories, including CRUSA tour at Moulton); Ashford's Dustin Hughes ($7,500 602 Crate victory at East Alabama and $5,000 Needmore win; Dothan win); Moulton’s Greg Wilhite (three 604 Crate victories en route to Moulton title); Talladega's Brodie Thompson (three 602 Crate victories; TST title); Dothan’s John Wright Sr. (three victories en route to 602 Crate title at Dothan).
Best homegrown performance: Restarting fifth with six laps to go, ninth-starting Dalton Cook comes from nowhere for an $8,000 HTF victory at Whynot Motorsports Park.
Most improved driver: Cullman’s Chad Trammel (first career Limited victory at West Alabama); Weaver’s Raeann Gibbs (first 602 Crate win at North Alabama).
Best newcomers: Pell City’s Cooper Swann, sixth in Talladega’s 602 Crate points.
Most memorable moment: Bobby Pierce captures the $50,000 Alabama Gang 100 on the World of Outlaw circuit at Talladega.
Biggest news: Fort Payne-based Seawright Motorsports of brothers J.T. and Sam acquires Category 5 Race Cars, rebranding the car with the Mach X Chassis name. The chassis was originally developed by Stormy Scott and Jason Durham. … East Alabama Motor Speedway’s 2025 action includes a half-dozen $10,000-to-win Super Late Model races with Dalton Cook winning the points. … Danny Carswell, co-owner and promoter of Penton Raceway, dies in January at his Roopville, Ga., home. … Mississippi driver Spencer Hughes departs midseason from Birmingham's JCM Motorsports, which fields a cars for Florida’s Joseph Joiner temporarily but seeks a 2026 driver. … Seale’s Jaxson Griggs, the champ of East Alabama’s beginner 602 Crate division, dies when his pickup truck veers off the road and crashes in October. … Valley’s Johnny Walls, a veteran technical inspector instrumental in recent seasons at Penton and East Alabama, dies in February at age 57. … Brian Mitchell purchases the former Moulton Speedway, renaming it Xtreme Speedway and running a successful season that included the revival of the Bama 100. … Midland City’s Larry Green, who owned and operated Dothan Motor Speedway from the late 1990s until early this season, dies in September at 79.
Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas
Top performer: New Waverly, Texas’s Tyler Erb reels off 14 victories, repeating at East Alabama’s $30,000 National 100, earning $21,000 on the Spring Nationals at Tazewell and $25,000 in WoO action at Mississippi Thunder. Tallies a series-high six DIRTcar Summer Nationals triumphs in finishing second in points and adds Iron-Man, MARS, MSCCS and Comp Cams triumphs as well in making tireless 122 appearances.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: Tyler Erb; Batesville, Ark.’s Billy Moyer (two Comp Cams victories en route to title; 101st Summer Nationals victory); Robeline, La.'s Cade Dillard (two Comp Cams victories and Revival weekend sweep at Texas Motor Speedway); Alexandria, La.’s Rob Litton (seven Crate victories; four en route to Gulf South title); Bridge City, Texas's Corey Neil Jr. (seven Crate victories, four in touring action); Searcy, Ark.’s Tyler Stevens (Comp Cams victory at Batesville); Longview, Texas’s Morgan Bagley (Comp Cams victory; second in series points); Shreveport's Clay Stuckey (Central Arizona, Springfield and Pike special event victories; touring runner-up finishes at Wheatland and Arrowhead); Cabot, Ark.'s Chandler Petty (three Limited victories, one on Legends tour); Springtown, Texas’s Chris Bragg (Revival victory; second in series points); Spring, Texas’s Beau Begnaud (ACLMS champ; three victories overall); Wills Point, Texas’s Patrik Daniel (series-high three ACLMS victories); Pottsville, Ark.’s Geoff Aitken (two victories en route to Legend tour title).
Best weekly drivers: Little Rock, Ark.'s Eric Perry (seven Limited victories between Crowley's Ridge and Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway, where he's champion); Bono, Ark.'s Mark Nichols (five Limited victories en route to Crowley’s Ridge title; first Legends tour win); Amarillo’s Chris Daniel (seven Limited victories en route to Route 66 title); Carencro, La.’s Kevin Dupont (six Crate victories en route to Baton Route title); West Monroe’s Bubba Mullins (seven Crate victories and Super Bee title; two Gulf South wins); Yellville, Ark.’s Kanyan Methvin (four Limited victories en route to North Central Arkansas title); Columbia, La.’s James Shirley (three Crate victories en route to Rev title); Sinton, Texas's Cody Leonard (four Limited victories at I-37); Ethel, La.’s Luke Bennett (six Crate victories); Greenwell Springs, La.'s Brady Walton (four Crate victories at Baton Rouge).
Best homegrown performance: Tyler Wolff’s first two career Late Model victories come on back-to-back nights in early July at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., and Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.
Most improved drivers: Eric Perry; Chris Daniel.
Best newcomers: Kevin Dupont; Fayetteville, Ark.’s Tyler Wolff (five victories including Revival tour triumphs at Lakeside and Lake Ozark); Norco, La.’s Landen Jackson (three Crate victories at three tracks); Newport, Ark.’s Chance Mann (first Limited victory at Old. No. 1); Howe, Texas’s Kason Capps (ACLMS Rookie of the Year with four top-fives on series).
Most memorable moment: Admittedly wrecking Garrett Alberson on purpose, Cade Dillard sends Alberson’s car into a violent backstretch rollover at Batesville and is suspended for six months by the Lucas Oil Series.
Biggest news: Shreveport, La.’s Stuckey Enterprises forms agreement with Longhorn Chassis and ends production of Black Diamond Chassis. … Louisiana’s DP Motorsports shuts down after fielding a longtime Super Late Model program, including 10 years for Bossier City’s B.J. Robinson. … Monroe, La.’s Revolution Park closes permanently after unsuccessful season as David and Misti Smith sell the property after a single year promoting the asphalt-turned-dirt track. …. Health concerns for the promoter shorten North Central Arkansas Speedway’s season. … Semi-retired Billy Moyer Jr. makes a few appearances for Keith Lawson, who fields cars for Moyer’s father. … Young Louisiana driver Jarrett Stuckey battles autoimmune disease that sees him hospitalized during the winter. … After saying in 2024 Batesville Motor Speedway will be put up for sale, owner Mooney Starr doubles down and vows a revival of the track. … West Memphis, Ark.'s Riverside International Speedway renews its Late Model division after a year off. … Greenwood, La.'s Boothill Speedway has a successful $50,000 WoO program and runs it back for a 2026 visit. … Don Schoenfeld, a former Arkansas state champion asphalt stock car racer who founded Van Buren, Ark.'s Schoenfeld Headers in 1974, is in the Class of 2025 on the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. … Texas-based American Crate Late Model Series triples points fund for 2025 with $7,500 to the champ from $30,000 total. … Little Rock, Ark.’s dirt racer Boyd Black dies in August. ... Dale and Josie Payne step away from promotions at Plumerville, Ark.'s Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway at season's end.
Florida
Top performer: Middlesburg's Mark Whitener piles up 13 multidivision victories, including five-figure paydays on the Southern Thunder and Ultimate Southeast tours along with his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals triumph. He finishes fourth in Summer Nationals points with a tour victory at Michigan’s Butler Motor Speedway. Among Crate victories, he wins a season-richest $15,000 at Hendry County. He wins at eight tracks overall.
Best national driver: Jupiter's Clay Harris is 13th in Lucas Oil points with a single top-five and five top-10 finishes. He adds a Carolina Clash victory at Cherokee.
Best regional drivers: Mark Whitener; Brandon’s Kyle Bronson (two $10,000 East Alabama victories and Iron-Man triumph at Eldora); Milton’s Joseph Joiner (four Super victories, including two $10,000 paydays at Cherokee); St. Augustine’s Trey Mills (five Super victories, including $20,000 Comp Cams victory along with Summer Nationals and Southern Thunder triumphs); Clay Hill's Bubba Roling (12 multidivision Crate victories at four tracks; two $3,000 paydays); Fort White’s Nevin Gainey (four Limited and Crate victories, two with Southern Clash).
Best weekly drivers: Milton’s Taylor Jarvis (12 604 Crate victories in 18 starts at four tracks; Deep South champ); Jacksonville’s Trynt Lloyd (seven 604 Crate victories at three tracks; Volusia champ); Milton’s James Gilmore (five Crate victories en route to 604 title at Southern); Pace's Osman Jones (five 602 Crate victories en route to Southern title); Milton’s Ricky Gilmore (four 602 Crate victories); Starke's Jason Garver (four 602 Crate victories; Volusia champ); Fruitland Park's Garret Stewart (two Crate victories; All-Tech champ); West Palm Beach's Christian Augspurger (two Crate victories at Hendry County); Mossy Head's Bud Thompson (three 602 Crate victories at Southern); Middleburg’s Bubba Whitener (three multidivision Crate victories); Ocala's Ivedent Lloyd Jr. (two hometown victories).
Best homegrown performance: Outrunning his talented father, Middlesburg’s Bubba Whitener grabs a $3,000 604 Crate victory at All-Tech, a tuneup for the Harvey Jones Memorial.
Most improved drivers: Trynt Lloyd; DeLand’s Holden Allen (four 602 Crate victories; All-Tech title); Crestview’s Kody Cook (four 602 Crate victories); High Springs’s Dustin Beckelheimer (two 602 Crate victories at North Florida).
Best newcomer: Naples’s Chris Loney, who grabs first Crate victory at Hendry County.
Most memorable moment: Making the high-side work on a rubbered down track, Jonathan Davenport rallies from 12th for a WoO victory at Volusia during February's DIRTcar Nationals.
Biggest news: Florida Speedweeks shifts later for Dirt Late Models in 2026 with the Lucas Oil Series running after the Daytona 500 at All-Tech and Ocala. … Clewiston’s Hendry County Motorsports Park lands first World of Outlaws event set for February 2026. … Kyle Bronson abandons WoO pursuit in June in favor of independent schedule. … Riverview team owner Jeff Mathews continues fielding car for Georgian Ashton Winger with a half-season World of Outlaws run. … The Florida-based teams of Viper and Big Frog Motorsports blend to field cars for Devin Dixon, Jimmy Owens and Daulton Wilson. … St. Petersburg driver Tyler Clem shifts away from Late Models to sprint cars. … Milton driver Joseph Joiner runs several events for Alabama’s JCM Motorsports but elects to stick with his HTF ride for 2026.
Georgia
Top performer: Blairsville's Jonathan Davenport tallies 21 victories overall including Eldora’s $100,000 Dream and three $50,000 paydays on the Lucas Oil Series, where he finishes third in points with nine victories. Firecracker 100, Topless 100 and Pittsburgher victories highlight his season along with four Georgia-Florida Speedweeks triumphs and a $50,000 weekend sweep in the FloRacing Night in America presented by Kubota final weekend at Senoia.
Best national drivers: Jonathan Davenport; Evans’s Brandon Overton (four Super victories overall; he’s seventh in Lucas Oil Series points with one victory and 11 top-five finishes in 47 series starts); Dawsonville’s Donald McIntosh (Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year with one top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 44 national tour starts; $10,053 SAS victory at Dixie); Thomson’s Cody Overton (six multidivision victories overall including three regional tour wins; eighth in WoO points with six top-five finishes in 43 starts).
Best regional drivers: Hampton’s Ashton Winger (eight Super victories on four tours, including season-richest $20,000 at Whynot Fall Classic; WoO triumph at Senoia); Chickamauga’s Dale McDowell (four Super victories, two on HTF tour and two Eldora World 100 prelims; World 100 runner-up); Hawkinsville’s Wil Herrington (five multidivision victories at four tracks and three states; $10,000 East Alabama payday); Whitesburg's Austin Horton (eight multidivision victories at three tracks, including $5,000 and $7,500 paydays at East Alabama); Pine Mountain Valley's Joseph Brown (five CRUSA 604 touring victories at four tracks and six wins overall); Toccoa’s Casey Roberts (Southern Thunder, Spring Nationals and Carolina Clash victories among four overall); Colbert’s Kenny Collins (11 multidivision victories at six tracks; two Red Clay tour victories); Douglasville's Michael Page (Super special event victories at Fort Payne and Duck River); Blairsville's Tucker Anderson (six victories, two with Southern All Stars).
Best weekly drivers: LaGrange’s Jake Traylor (11 multidivision Crate wins at three tracks); Statham’s Chris Woods (12 multidivision victories, all but one at Winder-Barrow, where he’s 602 Crate champ); Blue Ridge's Junior Whitener (nine 604 Crate victories at three tracks); Dublin's Landon Mathews (eight 602 Crate victories between 441 and Swainsboro); Locust Grove’s Koulten Herbert (five 602 Crate victories at three tracks); Locust Grove’s Payton Stevenson (five victories; Senoia Limited champ); Winder's Cade Cagle (six 602 Crate victories at Winder-Barrow); Twin City's Ches Chester (six 602 Crate victories at three tracks); Woodstock’s Cass Fowler (four 602 Crate victories including $4,300 Clarksville triumph); Dublin's Pearson Lee Williams (four multidivision victories at four tracks); Douglasville’s Marty Massey (four 602 victories; Senoia title).
Best homegrown performance: Jonathan Davenport bides his time early in Eldora’s Dream, then blows away a field struggling with tire wear en route to his third straight victory in the crown jewel event.
Most improved drivers: Moultrie’s Jonah Bozeman (first 604 victory at Needmore); Covington’s Ty Ellis (first Limited victory at Senoia); Fortson’s Kayla Burdett (first 602 Crate victory at East Alabama).
Best newcomers: Ball Ground's Ryan West (Limited champ at North Georgia); Thunderbolt's Broughton Boatright (three 602 Crate victories).
Most memorable moment: Michael Page rams Cory Hedgecock’s car on the cool-down lap of July’s Hunt the Front tour event at Senoia. Page was disqualified and suspended 30 days by the series.
Biggest news: Brandon Overton departs the Longhorn Factory Team at season’s end and will continue fielding a Longhorn for Riggs Motorsports, which backed the factory team. ... Legendary Georgia racer, chassis builder, parts shop owner and Hall of Famer Roscoe Smith of Griffin dies in August. The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer was 85. … Hampton’s Ashton Winger is stripped of a Comp Cams victory at Magnolia and MARS victory at Fairbury after tire samples failed lab tests; he denied wrongdoing. … Baldwin's C.L Pritchett, the late driver who won more than 900 races from 1967-90, is inducted with the Class of 2025 into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2025. … Woodstock’s Jackson Croft, a 17-year-old who this season debuted in the 602 Beginner Crate Late Model division at Dixie Speedway, drowns in June in an apparent boating accident. … Hawkinsville’s Wil Herrington competes in several events for Maryland-based Bruce Kane’s team. … Clayton’s Wesley English, a multitime Late Model champion at Toccoa and Lavonia, dies in April after a 23-month battle with cancer. He was 68. … English, late publicist Richard “Paperman” Pearson and former flagger Mike Shelton join the Lavonia Speedway Hall of Fame. … Jammy McCoy purchase Cochran Motor Speedway from Chris Martin and operates the track successfully with Brian Hester as promoter. … Savannah's Casey Barrow, a two-time winner on the Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series and former dirt racer, dies of an apparent heart attack in April. He was 38. … Maysville-based Coltman Farms Racing fields full-time teams for driver Zack Mitchell (independent) and Tanner English (World of Outlaws); at season's end Mitchell leaves the team, which adds Donald McIntosh for a national touring run (McIntosh departed Billy Hicks Racing after his Lucas Oil Run).
Kentucky
Top performer: Crittenden’s Josh Rice tallies 10 Super Late Model specials, including a career-richest $30,000 Eldora victory in a Dream prelim. Other five-figure paydays came at Florence (Northern Allstars), Brownstown (Northern Allstars) and Richmond (Iron-Man and Ultimate Heart of America). In all Rice wins at eight tracks and finishes fifth or better in nearly half his 41 starts.
Best national driver: Benton's Tanner English scores a World of Outlaws victory in Highland, Ill., and MARS victory in Brownstown, Ill., and finishes ninth in WoO points with seven top-five finishes in 42 starts.
Best regional drivers: Josh Rice; Olympia’s Derek Fisher (eight Super victories at three tracks; three on tours and six paying $3,000 or more); Kite’s Brandon Fouts (12 multidivision victories at five tracks, including a career-high $6,500 Ultimate Heart of America triumph); Salvisa’s Michael Chilton (three Super victories and one Crate victory; $10,000 Iron-Man triumph at Mudlick Valley); Walton’s Billy Green (Northern Allstars Rookie of the Year; Moler victory).
Best weekly drivers: Grayson's A.J. Hicks (12 604 Crate victories at two tracks; Willard champ); Princeton’s Dustin Rollins (16 602 Crate victories at five tracks); Campbellsville’s Jeff Watson (10 604 Crate victories at three tracks); Junction City’s Logan Walls (eight 604 Crate victories at three tracks; Thunder Mountain champ); Martin’s Oscar McCown (eight Crate victories between Mountain Motor and 191; Hopkinsville’s Larry Barber Jr. (eight Super victories en route to Clarksville title); Crab Orchard’s Dalton Brown (four Crate victories; Rockcastle champ); Owensboro’s Zach Dennis (four 602 Crate victories; Windy Hollow title); Paducah's Brody Yarbrough (three 604 Crate victories at Clarksville; Paducah champ); Lewisburg’s Cyle Forgy (four 604 Crate victories).
Best homegrown performance: Josh Rice wins a dazzling Dream preliminary at Eldora Speedway, collecting a career-high $30,000
Most improved driver: Grayson’s Lucas Crooks, the grandson of Hall of Famer Charlie Swartz who scores three Super victories at three tracks.
Best newcomers: Paducah’s Cory Balkey (five 602 Crate victories at four tracks); Paducah’s Mat Hartman (three 602 Crate victories at Clarksville); Science Hill’s Caleb Todd (two Crate victories); Paducah’s Trey Davenport (two hometown 602 Crate victories); Corbin’s Bub Carter (second in 604 Crate points at Thunder Mountain).
Most memorable moment: Just past the midpoint of Sunoco’s North-South 100, Bobby Pierce and Jonathan Davenport swap paint and the lead multiple times before Pierce pulls away for a $75,000 Lucas Oil victory at Florence Speedway.
Biggest news: Campbellsville’s JRR Motorsports ends four-year run with Daulton Wilson and hire Crittenden’s Josh Rice with plans for a national touring run in 2026. … Webbville’s Noah Perkins, who built Willard Speedway and was a jack-of-all-trades worker at the quarter-mile oval, dies in July at age 68. … Barbourville racer Brian Smith and his wife Paula purchase Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway with plans to operate the high-banked third-mile oval in 2026. … John Weber, who formerly co-owned Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., and fielded a Late Model team for top regional drivers for more than 30 years, dies in July at age 82. …. Richard Ashby, who owned and operated Morgantown's Cedar Ridge Speedway for the last 15 seasons, died peacefully on the track grounds in September while his grandchildren made laps around the track. The Caneyville resident was 60. … Lawrenceburg’s 127 Speedway lands on the Ultimate Heart of America tour schedule, but the race is cancelled. … Salvisa driver Michael Chilton spends most of the season competing for Campbellsville team owner Danny Hatcher. … The Ryan Willis-owned Ponderosa cancels many of 2025’s races and names Jamie Stumph promoter for 2026. … Benton's Tanner English runs with the Georgia-based Coltman Farms Racing team for the second season. … Brothers Jarrod Breeding (Sitka’s 201 Speedway) and Stephen Breeding (Colson’s Hidden Hollow Speedway) both reopen long-closed eastern Kentucky ovals at midseason with both tracks running a handful of events. … Former Colson Late Model racer Anthony Adams dies in October after a battle with liver cancer. He was 59. … South-Central Kentucky Dirt Racing Hall of Fame inductees for 2026: drivers Jackie Boggs, Glen “Crip” Bolin, Ed Cundiff, Robert Earl, Billy and Dennis Selby, E.M. Snowden, Billy Teegarden and Jackie Wicker. Contributors James Barber, Joe Denny, Don Reed and Hugh “Junebug” Rowland. The Petty Family of Columbia, Ky., will receive the Joe Miller Fan Vote and late crew chief Jeff Gullett will be honored with the Rod Carter Jr. Sportsmanship Award. …. Promoters Darren Slone and Rick Noble close Isom’s Mountain Motor Speedway in July, citing financial issues and the success of keeping the track open until the reopenings of other nearby tracks. … Owensboro’s Jack Vick, who leased Windy Hollow Speedway from 1999-2005, dies at 83.
Mississippi
Top performer: In a career-best season, Meridian’s Nick Thrash tallies 10 604 Crate victories in 25 starts between Whynot and Magnolia, scoring $3,000 (Magnolia) and $5,000 (Whynot) special event victories.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: Seminary's David Williamson (Repeats Crate Racin’ USA weekly title with 10 604 Crate victories among six tracks; three MS Crate tour wins); Meridian’s Chad Thrash (four MSCCS victories); Decatur’s Chris McElhenney (MS Crate tour and Whynot 604 Crate champ; three victories); Meridian's Spencer Hughes ($7,000 Jambalaya 100 victory and two 604 Crate victories; three top-10 finishes in 30 Lucas Oil starts); Leland’s Mike Palasini Jr. (two MSCCS victories at Jackson); Coldwater's Brandon Carpenter (MSSCS champ); Four Corners's David Breazeale (MSCCS victory at Jackson); Columbus's Neil Baggett (MSCCS victory at Magnolia); Columbus's Brian Rickman (MSCCS victory at Whynot).
Best weekly drivers: Kosciusko’s Brett White (13 602 Crate victories en route to Crate Racin’ USA weekly title; Jackson champion); Steens’s Chace Pennington (13 602 Crate victories in 18 starts; CRUSA division runner-up); Florence’s Sid Scarbrough (seven 604 Crate wins; Jackson title); Belden’s Steve Russell (six 604 Crate victories en route to Pine Ridge title); Poplarville’s Ben Davis (six 604 Crate victories); Fulton’s Eric Cooley (five Pine Ridge 604 Crate victories in comeback season); Iuka’s Covy Parsons (six 602 Crate victories; Pine Ridge champ); Guntown’s Jarrett Jones (seven 602 Crate victories); Lumberton’s Shannon Lee (four 604 Crate victories); Kilmichael’s Randall Beckwith (four 604 Crate victories; Magnolia title); Florence's Devin Whatley (three 602 Crates victories at Jackson); Millsprings’s Josh Parkerson (two 602 Crate victories en route to Magnolia title); Booneville’s Morgen Lambert (three multidivision victories); Isola’s Justin Paxton (one victory en route to 604 Crate title at Greenville); West’s Terry Wilson (three 602 Crate victories at Whynot).
Best homegrown performance: Saucier’s Jade Luzenberg captures his first Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series feature at Hattiesburg Speedway.
Most improved drivers: Nick Thrash; Brett White; Iuka’s Clent Busy (five 602 Crate victories); Meridian’s Andy Pippin (three 602 Crate victories en route to Whynot title); Star’s Hayden Cliburn (first 604 Crate victory at Jackson); Meridian’s Ellie Hughes Callahan (first 602 Crate victory at Whynot).
Best newcomers: Ben Davis; Star’s Brody Williams (first 604 Crate victory and nine top-five finishes); Meridian’s Cooper Thrash (602 Crate runner-up at Whynot).
Most memorable moment: Outdueling Tyler Erb mid-race, Ashton Winger becomes the first three-time winner of Whynot’s Coors Light Fall Classic, pocketing $20,000.
Biggest news: First-time dirt track owner Kye Kelley, the popular drag racer and co-star of Discovery Channel’s Street Outlaws programming, reopens his hometown's Pike County Speedway in Magnolia and revives the Jambalaya 100. … Robert Moore of Iuka's Moore Racing Performance takes over promotions of the Corinth oval for 2026, renaming the track Highway 72 Speedway. ... Tupelo’s Waymon Gibson, who operated the No. G-1 Gibson Racing Super Late Model team with standout drivers including Steve Russell, died in May. The Arkansas native was 89. … In 2026, Magnolia Motor Speedway will host the World of Outlaws for the first time. … Mitchell’s Motorplex in Perkinston (formerly Outlaw Speedway) successfully reopens at midseason and draws healthy Crate Late Model car counts. … Columbus’s Trey Rickman, a former Crate Late Model racer and third-generation driver from the Rickman Racing clan, dies in July at 28. … The Mississippi Crate Late Model Series runs its second season. … Meridian driver Spencer Hughes departs Alabama's JCM Motorsports in August, abandoning a Lucas Oil Series run, to focus on car-building business; makes a handful of starts for Mississippi team owner Randy Thompson. … Corinth Motor Speedway and Columbus Speedway remain shuttered. … Pine Ridge Speedway mourns October’s passing of Eddie Alexander, a former owner and operator of the Guntown track. He was 76.
North Carolina
Top performer: Mooresville’s Nick Hoffman scores nine victories, six in national touring action, en route to a runner-up finish on the World of Outlaws circuit. He nabs his first Lucas Oil Series victory at Brownstown and gleans a season-high $30,000 in WoO action at Mississippi Thunder. The Tye Twarog Motorsports driver is also a top-five finisher in three crown jewels at Eldora, including third-place finishes in the Dream and World 100.
Best national drivers: Nick Hoffman; Fayetteville’s Daulton Wilson (three victories including $50,000 hometown Crate triumph, Northern Allstars at Brownstown and Lucas Oil semi at Florence; eighth in Lucas Oil points with eight top-fives in 45 starts); Lincolnton’s Carson Ferguson (Hunt the Front victory at Cherokee and $10,000 Crate victory at Pittsburgh; ninth in Lucas Oil points with three top-fives in 47 starts).
Best regional drivers: Pine Level’s Dustin Mitchell (10 victories at three tracks, six paying $3,000 or more; Clash win at County Line); Lincolnton’s John Ruggiero Jr. (six victories, including $3,000 at Charlotte and $10,000 American All-Stars victory at Natural Bridge); Wilson’s Michael Rouse (four victories, including $7,500 Carolina Clash and Blue Ridge tour wins); Rocky Mount's Michael Batten (five victories including $3,000 County Line triumph; Lake View champ); Wake Forest’s Christian Thomas (four victories; $5,000 Ultimate triumph at Lake View); Denver’s Luke Morey ($3,000 Tyler County victory first in Super division); Fayetteville’s Ethan Wilson (three multidivision victories; Clash triumph at Sumter); Mooresboro’s Dalton Peavy (three 602 Crate victories; Carolina Clash runner-up); Franklin’s Chuck Southard (four victories en route to Southern Wedge title).
Best weekly drivers: Murphy’s Dante Curtis (six Limited victories between Tri-County and North Georgia, where he wins title); Cobb Creek’s Billy Hubbard (four Limited victories en route to Dixieland title); Hamptonville’s Nathan Walker (five Crate victories; Ararat title); Murphy's Colton Berrong (six 602 Crate victories); Mount Airy’s Kendal Tucker (four 602 and 604 victories at three tracks); Elizabeth City’s Larry Jackson (three Limited victories at Dixieland); Elkin’s Daniel Durham (three 602 Crate victories at Wythe); Murphy’s Cooper Twiggs (six 602 Crate victories at three tracks); Parkton’s Zach Blackwell (two 602 Crate victories at Fayetteville); Gray's Creek’s Steven Thompkins (two 602 Crate victories at Fayetteville); Gray’s Creek’s Chase Blackwell (two 602 Crate victories at Fayetteville); Lincolnton’s John Eller (Boone champion).
Best homegrown performance: Leading all 50 laps in his Stinger Race Car, Mount Holly’s Chris Ferguson leads all the way at Cherokee Speedway to win the inaugural Freddy Smith Memorial, his second victory of the season at the track.
Most improved drivers: Dante Curtis; Dalton Peavy; Fayetteville’s Morghan Johnson (first 602 Crate victory; division runner-up at Fayetteville).
Best newcomers: Stanley’s Chris Stowe (four Limited victories); Concord’s Josh Harris (three Limited victories en route to East Lincoln title).
Most memorable moment: Making a low-side move on the final lap, Hudson O’Neal steals the World Finals opener from Brandon Sheppard at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Biggest news: Fayetteville Motor Speedway is tentatively set to close permanently after the Broadwell Land Company comes to an agreement to sell the 500-acre property for industrial-commercial use. … Mount Airy’s Chuck Melton purchases Elkin, N.C., dirt track and returning its name to Friendship Motor Speedway. The facility operated a few seasons as Ultimate Motorsports Park under Bobby Koehler. … Mount Airy-based Billy Hicks Racing runs the Lucas Oil Series for the first time with Donald McIntosh landing Rookie of the Year honors, then plans a 2026 run with Cory Hedgecock after McIntosh’s departure. … The late Jimmy Edwards Jr. of Hope Mills, N.C., is elected to the Class of 2026 with the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. The driver known as Porky won 400 races and 20 track titles. … Mount Airy's Koehler Motorsports continues a four-car operation, including Lucas Oil Series standout Ricky Thornton Jr. and Hunt the Front tour champ Jimmy Owens. … China Grove's Longhorn Chassis has a subpar season in its first year with Brandon Overton, who finishes seventh in Lucas Oil points. … Cornelius-based Team 22 Inc. of G.R. Smith wins WoO Rookie of the Year honors with Pennsylvanian Drake Troutman behind the wheel. … Max McLaughlin’s plans for Late Model action with Salisbury-based Niece Motorsports fizzle. … Greensboro native Kevin Rumley's K&L Rumley Enterprises team fields occasional (and successful) rides for Indiana’s Hudson O’Neal. … The Vision Wheel Steel Block Bandits dissolves early in the season. … Jason Welshman and Jamie Oliver take over promotions of Brasstown’s Tri-County Racetrack after the 62-year-old track sat idle in 2024. … County Line sets a Fast Five Shootout schedule of $3,000-to-win Limited Late Model events, among other specials. … Stanley’s East Lincoln Motor Speedway restores its Limited Late Model division after a two-year hiatus. … Wilmington Late Model team owner Corky Williams gets his 200th career victory with Michael Battin’s June triumph at Lake View.
South Carolina
Top performer: Enoree’s Zack Mitchell tallies nine victories among five regional tours, including a career-high $35,000 in his first Blue-Gray 100 victory at Cherokee. He wins with the Hunt the Front tour, Southern All Stars, Iron-Man, Southern Nationals and three times in five races in his DIRTcar Summer Nationals debut. Overall the Coltman Farms Racing driver scores four five-figure paydays.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: Zack Mitchell; Gray Court’s Chris Madden (three Spring and Southern Nationals victories; DTWC runner-up); Rock Hill’s Ben Watkins (four Carolina Clash and one Southern Thunder triumph; Gaffney’s Dillon Brown (four Blue Ridge Outlaw and one Bandits tour victory); York’s Jeremy Steele (four victories, including three five-figured paydays, en route to Crate Racin’ USA 604 touring title; All-Stars tour win at Natural Bridge); Clover’s Ross Bailes ($10,053 Southern Nationals victory at Beckley); Pageland’s Michael Brown (CRUSA, Ultimate and Southern All Star victories); Union’s Trent Ivey (604 and 602 Crate victories; four top-fives in Supers); Rock Hill’s Bryan Mullins (two Blue Ridge Outlaw tour victories); Hodges’s Dale Timms (five Limited victories among at three tracks, including Blue Ridge Outlaw victory and series title); Layton Sullivan (two 604 Crate victories; third-place Clash tour finish at Cherokee); Rock Hill's Timbo Mangum (four Southern Wedge tour victories); Inman’s David Smith (four multidivision victories at four tracks); Rock Hill's Beckham Malone (602 Crate victory at Carolina; two WoO starts at Charlotte);
Best weekly drivers: Greenville's Devon Morgan (five Limited victories); Greenwood's Billy Rushton (five 602 Crate victories among 10 multidivision wins); Chester Mike Huey (four Limited victories; Lancaster champ); Hopkins’s Justin Mintz (four Limited victories at Sumter, one on the Mid-East 525 tour); York's Justin Fite (four Limited victories at Lancaster); Simpsonville's Jasper Brown (four 602 Crate victories en route to repeat of Laurens County title); Chester’s Thomas Hedgpath (four Limited victories at Lancaster); Woodruff’s Luke Cooper (four 602 Crate victories); Gray Court’s Ray Storay (three 602 Crate victories at Laurens County in comeback season); Greer’s Taylor Puckett (three Limited victories at Laurens County).
Best homegrown performance: Winning the Red Rose Cumble for the fifth consecutive time, Ben Watkins earns a $7,500 Lancaster victory on the Southern Thunder circuit.
Most improved drivers: Inman’s Mitchell Dickerson (four 602 Crate victories at Laurens County); Manning’s William Russell III (track-best two Limited victories at Sumter); Inman’s Preston Dimsdale (three 602 Crate victories).
Best newcomers: Boiling Springs’s Luke Clements (two 602 Crate victories at Cherokee); Blackstock’s Brandon Kinard (first Limited victory at Lancaster).
Most memorable moment: Rebounding from news of a disqualification before the weekend, Zack Mitchell rallies from a pit stop to win Cherokee’s Blue-Gray 100.
Biggest news: Longtime racing official and promoter Kelley Carlton of Woodruff joins the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame with the Class of 2025; Carlton also receives RPM Regional Promoter of the Year honors. … Concord’s Austin Kirkpatrick unveils the first production model of his AK Race Cars, the Rev1. … Ending a stint with Team 22 Inc., Chris Madden spends most of his part-time season competing for Georgia-based Kale Green Motorsports. … North Augusta's ASD Motorsports runs a national touring team for Bakersfield, Calif., driver Ethan Dotson on the World of Outlaws circuit. … Still sidelined by health issues, four-time Carolina Clash champ and Gaffney resident Dennis "Rambo” Franklin fields Late Model for stepson Layton Sullivan. … Modoc’s Ronnie Powell-owned Little River Speedway still hasn’t opened, but it’s on the WoO schedule for 2026. … Aiken's Travis Scott leads an ownership group that launches the 17-race Southern Thunder Dirt Series with Kelley Carlton as general manager. … Hunt the Front partners with Cherokee Speedway for the Cherokee Chief miniseries among several Super Late Model events with $10,000 going to the points champion; the partnership apparently won't continue in 2026. … After Chandra McGinnis and Jay Owens step away from single-year promotions at Cherokee Speedway, track owner Lennie Buff retakes the promoter role for the first time since 2016, tapping Chris Meadows as co-promoter for 2026. … Zack Mitchell is stripped of a Hunt the Front tour victory at Southern Raceway when his tire samples fails lab tests, ending his tour title hopes; the team denies wrongdoing. ... Clover’s Ross Bailes splits the season between Austin Kirkpatrick’s ride and a Brian Nuttall-owned car.
Tennessee
Top performer: Loudon’s Cory Hedgecock tallies 12 victories among five tours. Five-figure paydays come in Hunt the Front action at Lake Cumberland, Southern Thunder action at Talladega and I-75 victories with the Southern All Stars and Crate Racin’ USA. The HTF runner-up posts top-five finishes in half his 54 multidivision starts.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: Cory Hedgecock; Newport’s Jimmy Owens (five Super victories, including $15,000 at Senoia; Hunt the Front champ); Winfield’s Mike Marlar (five Super victories; WoO win at Sharon and Atomic sweep); Knoxville’s Hayden Cardwell (12 victories, seven in 604 Crate action on Red Clay, All-Stars and Best Plumbing tours; $30,000 Powell Memorial at All-Tech and $12,037 Dylan Kennedy Memorial at Wartburg); Winfield's Skylar Marlar (13 victories at nine tracks in 604 Crates; Best Plumber tour champ); Knoxville’s Trevor Sise (five Crate victories, three with All-Stars including $15,000 at Beckley); Knoxville’s Zach Sise (Topless Outlaws champ; four multidivision victories); Winfield’s Camaron Marlar (Southern Thunder and Southern All Star victories); Rogersville’s Kaede Loudy (Schaeffer's Southern Nationals champ; runner-up in Tazewell tour finale); Hohenwald’s Oakley Johns (Hunt the Front Rookie of the Year).
Best weekly drivers: Ripley's Ashley Newman (11 multidivision victories at seven tracks; two Legends tour wins); Matt Cooper (10 multidivision victories at four tracks); Lawrenceburg’s Grayson Brewer (nine Limited victories at three tracks); Knoxville’s Kyle Courtney (11 multidivision victories at six tracks, including $5,009 Topless Outlaws victory at North Georgia); Clinton’s Anthony White Jr. (10 Limited victories between Big South Fork and Wartburg); Knoxville’s Addison Cardwell (10 multidivision victories at Mountain View); Clinton's Anthony White (seven Limited victories between Big South Fork and Wartburg); Chattanooga's Booger Brooks (six multidivision victories at four tracks); Cleveland's Hayden Ownbey (five Limited victories; I-75 title); McKenzie's Ronnie Cooper (five multidivision Clarksville victories); Knoxville’s Cody Courtney (four multidivision victories; Wartburg champ); College Grove’s Jacob Trice (five 602 Crate victories at Clarksville); Decherd’s Logan McClanahan (three victories; Thunderhill and Duck River 602 Crate titles).
Best homegrown performance: Scoring his first victory in seven years, semi-retired Mosheim driver Vic Hill, 61, topped Southern All Star foes for a $4,000 payday.
Most improved drivers: Matt Cooper; Cleveland’s Spencer Cranfield (first 602 Crate victory at I-75); Columbia’s Timmie Cameron (five 602 Crate victories at three tracks).
Best newcomer: Morristown’s Austin Atkins, who scores his first Crate victory at Tazewell.
Most memorable moment: In the Schaeffer's Southern Nationals finale at Tazewell, leader Dale McDowell breaks on the restart, triggering a wreck that ends with the car of Jimmy Owens upside down and sends Mike Benedum to his first series victory.
Biggest news: Morristown’s Double Down Motorsports, owned by Roger Sellers, wins its first national touring title with Ohio driver Devin Moran, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion. …. Winfield’s Mike Marlar ends two-season stint with Iowa’s Skyline Motorsports, reconnects with 10-year car owner Ronnie Delk in autumn. … An NTSB investigation suggests suicide as the probable cause of Scott Bloomquist’s August 2024 plane crash at his Mooresburg farm. … Bloomquist is posthumously inducted into the Smoky Mountain Speedway Hall of Fame. …. Lenoir City’s Jon Ellison founds the Best Plumber 604 Racing Series for 2025. … Veteran Tennessee announcer and publicist Roby Helm joins the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025. Sparta’s Golden Mountain Raceway Park operates for the first time in 20 years. … Huntsville's Big South Fork Raceway reopens after being closed since 2002. … Jesse Lowe takes over promotions at Spring City’s Mountain View Speedway. … Clarksville Speedway ends a 62-year run after owner William Scogins agrees to sell the property to the city for $7 million for a recreation complex. … Winchester’s Christian Hanger finishes seventh in points as lone Tennessean on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals. … Marysville’s Roger Kerr, a key member of a thriving East Tennessee racing family who fielded Late Models for standout drivers and for many years operated Competition Racing Equipment with his sister Cindy, dies in September at age 68. … Gary Hall ends 20 years of owning Tazewell Speedway, selling it to Kentucky driver Brian Smith. … Mountain View Raceway hosts the Southern All Stars for the first time with Rusty Ballenger grabbing the $4,000 victory. … Cooter Harris, who promoted Summertown’s Thunderhill Raceway in 2025, in the fall purchased the track from owner Bill Hibbits. Harris has also promoted Tennessee National Raceway since 2023.
