Georgia-Florida Speedweeks
Georgia-Florida Speedweeks Almanac (Feb. 13)
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
Thursday's race: 10th of 30 originally scheduled Super Late Model events from Jan. 22-March 7.
Venue: Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
Race details: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns to action with a $12,000-to-win event, the first of three for the national tour to conclude the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
Weather forecast: Cloudy during day (13 percent chance of precipitation). High 73F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph; Clear to partly cloudy at night (15 percent chance of precipitation). Low 49F. Winds light and variable.
Who's Hot: Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., has picked right up in his SSI Motorsports ride after early season success in the Rumley Engineering entry with sixth-, first- and third-place Volusia finishes.
Who's Not: After a pair of top-fives at the Sunshine Nationals, Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., has been 17th and 11th this week at Volusia (and missed Tuesday’s feature after a heat race crash).
DirtonDirt prediction: Buoyed by Wednesday's 20-lap semifeature triumph, Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C., leads all the way in Thursday’s WoO action to lengthen his early season points lead. — Todd Turner
Around the Pits: Michael Leach’s victory in the first of Wednesday’s DIRTcar-sanctioned triple 20s made him the first driver to earn a first-ever Super Late Model victory at Speedweeks since Kyle Bronson did it at Volusia in the 2014 finale. … Miniseries points leader Cody Overton of Thomson, Ga., has been no worse than third in three DIRTcar Nationals features. … Nick Hoffman’s Wednesday semifeature victory was his first since September. … Feb. 12 marked the season opener for the WoO circuit on two occasions (2009 and 2016).
Up next: Friday’s WoO action for the fifth night of the DIRTcar Nationals pays $12,000-to-win.
Next week: The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series opens its season with Feb. 19-21 events at All-Tech Raceway in Ellisville, Fla.
This Date in Dirt Late Model History: On Feb. 12, 1998, David Gibson of Ash Flat, Ark., captured his lone career Speedweeks victory, grabbing a $4,000 score on the half-mile at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. He was trailed to the checkers by Bart Hartman, Rick Eckert, Shane Yoder and Tony Izzo Jr.
Speedweeks trivia: What unheralded Kentucky driver captured his lone Speedweeks victory on his 27th birthday at Volusia County Speedway? (Answer in Friday's almanac; Wednesday’s answer: Jackie Boggs wins his first Speedweeks race at East Bay 20 years after his late father Jack's first Speedweeks triumph.
World of Outlaws Late Model Series points
(Through Jan. 24)
1. Nick Hoffman, Mooresville, N.C. (519)
2. Tim McCreadie, Watertown, N.Y. (516)
3. Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, Ill. (508)
4. Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, Ill. (501)
5. Tyler Erb, New Waverly, Texas (499)
6. Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa (491)
7. Drake Troutman, Hyndman, Pa. (480)
8. Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn. (455)
T9. Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, N.C. (446)
T9. Tristan Chamberlain, Richmond, Ind. (446)
Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals points
(Through Wednesday)
1. Cody Overton, Thomson, Ga. (220)
2. Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, Ind. (205)
3. Brandon Overton, Evans, Ga. (194)
4. Nick Hoffman, Mooresville, N.C. (193)
5. Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa (184)
6. Devin Moran, Dresden, Ohio (174)
7. Tyler Erb, New Waverly, Texas (169)
8. Chris Madden, Gray Court, S.C. (164)
9. Max Blair, Centerville, Pa. (162)
10. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, Ill. (161)
Georgia-Florida Speedweeks schedule/results
January
Date, sanction, track, location, winning purse (winner)
Jan. 22, WoO, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $12,000 (Chris Madden)
Jan. 23, WoO, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $12,000 (Hudson O’Neal)
Jan. 24, WoO, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $20,000 (Tim McCreadie)
Jan. 30, Hunt the Front, Needmore Speedway, Norman Park, Ga., $10,000 (Brandon Overton)
Jan. 31, Hunt the Front, Needmore Speedway, Norman Park, Ga., $10,000 (cancelled)
February
Feb. 2, Hunt the Front, Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway, $10,000 (cancelled)
Feb. 3, Hunt the Front, Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway, $10,000 (cancelled)
Feb. 5, Southern All Stars, Screven Motor Speedway, Sylvania, Ga., $5,000 (rained out)
Feb. 6, Southern All Stars, Screven Motor Speedway, Sylvania, Ga., $10,000 (Brandon Overton)
Feb. 7, Southern All Stars, Screven Motor Speedway, Sylvania, Ga., $25,000 (Brandon Overton)
Feb. 9, DIRTcar Supers, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $7,000 (Brandon Overton)
Feb. 10, DIRTcar Supers, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $7,000 (Hudson O'Neal)
Feb. 11, DIRTcar Supers, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $5,000 (Michael Leach)
Feb. 11, DIRTcar Supers, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $5,000 (Nick Hoffman)
Feb. 11, DIRTcar Supers, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $5,000 (Tyler Erb)
Feb. 12, WoO, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $12,000
Feb. 13, WoO, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $12,000
Feb. 14, WoO, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla., $20,000
Feb. 19, Lucas Oil, All-Tech Raceway, Ellisville, Fla., $10,000
Feb. 20, Lucas Oil, All-Tech Raceway, Ellisville, Fla., $12,000
Feb. 20, WoO, Hendry County Motorsports Park, Clewiston, Fla., $12,000
Feb. 21, Lucas Oil, All-Tech Raceway, Ellisville, Fla., $15,000
Feb. 21, WoO, Hendry County Motorsports Park, Clewiston, Fla., $20,000
Feb. 24, Lucas Oil, Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, $7,000
Feb. 25, Lucas Oil, Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, $7,000
Feb. 26, Lucas Oil, Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, $10,000
Feb. 27, Lucas Oil, Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, $12,000
Feb. 28, Lucas Oil, Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, $25,000
March
March 4, Lucas Oil, Golden Isles Speedway, Brunswick, Ga., $7,000
March 5, Lucas Oil, Golden Isles Speedway, Brunswick, Ga., $10,000
March 6, Lucas Oil, Golden Isles Speedway, Brunswick, Ga., $12,000
March 7, Lucas Oil, Golden Isles Speedway, Brunswick, Ga., $25,000
