Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Quincy driver's 'long story' back to Late Models
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
Jake Griffin (Gregg Teel photo)
When beginning to recount his automobile racing path that includes multiple racing divisions on dirt, asphalt and forays into the NASCAR world, Jake Griffin has a mild warning for questioners.
“It's a long story,” said the 27-year-old Quincy, Ill., driver.
But if you boil down Griffin’s story to his Dirt Late Model career, it’s a little easier to manage because the driver who racked up United Late Model Association victories as a pre-teen was out of the Dirt Late Model division for a dozen years. And now he’s back.
Reconnecting with a former crew chief, Tony Warner, Griffin’s long and winding road has returned to the Dirt Late Model ranks in 2026 and the driver who was too young to compete in IMCA racing way back when is suddenly a rookie in the Late Model division despite thousands of laps in multiple motorsports disciplines.
"I don't think that I'm much of a rookie, but to the IMCA world, I am, so we're gonna take everything they'll give us, you know?” said Griffin, whose early season success includes a victory at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. "I think this summer is gonna be a lot of fun … we're gonna run at least a couple of nights every weekend.”
Second in the rookie points early in the season, Warner Racing also plans a bid at the overall IMCA title.
“A lot of those guys are really good, but I think we can hang with them,” Griffin said. “We already got one over a bunch of them, so we'll see if we can (be competitive)."
Griffin's racing journey started as a boy in quarter-midgets, but he was in full-size cars soon enough, including Dirt Late Models as a pre-teen running in United Late Model Association events primarily in Missouri. After dozens of Late Models and modified victories, he added asphalt Late Model success to the mix, and one season he started an incredible 150 feature events.
He and his father Dan, who years earlier co-owned a NASCAR Busch Grand National team, set their sights on NASCAR, but Griffin’s off-and-on bids with different teams on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series never panned out and by 19, Griffin mostly took a break from racing for three years.
“We spent a lot of money for the chance to make it. And I hate saying ‘Oh we got all these bad breaks and stuff,’ but I could go on and on about some different chances that we had with opportunities,” Griffin said. “And NASCAR is so political that, you know, sometimes it’s being at the right place at the right time or knowing the right people and we knew a lot of good people that got us as far as we did, but a few of those opportunities just slipped by us a little bit.
“Just came up a little bit short, ran out of the funding to really be able to do it at the level that I wanted to. I've always been the type where if we can't go out and win, I really don't have any desire to do it, because we did it at such a high level for a long time.”
Griffin returned to Quincy and has become a hired gun for various modified, midget and sprint teams, and even has flown to Alaska to compete in an asphalt Late Model. But in 2026, for the first time since before Griffin had a driver’s license, he’s back in the Dirt Late Model division.
“It's been a journey for sure,” Griffin said, “up and down.”
Tony Warner had served as Griffin’s crew chief years ago, and was operating a Late Model team with his son Robby behind the wheel. A shoulder injury suffered during his job with UPS sidelined the younger Warner, and Griffin climbed into the No. 79 as a replacement.
It provides Griffin a racing outlet during his day job as an entrepreneur. He owns a car dealership, co-owns a coffee shop and is on the verge of a launching a coffee brand — Roost Coffee Co. — with a marketing angle he’s familiar with.
“We're doing a coffee brand that's just gonna be centered around racing and we're gonna start with the dirt track community,” Griffin said. We're gonna put it in the hands of a lot of my friends and a lot of the drivers out there and we’re going to figure it out.”
The name is connected — "the roost that comes off the back of a car or a dirt bike or whatever,” Griffin said — and he’ll use racing friends to get things percolating.
“I think it's gonna be successful,” he said. “I don't think you should do anything in life without the outlook that it's gonna be successful.”
At the track, he’s “knocked the cobwebs off” in the Dirt Late Model division, which he hasn’t run since 2014.
"So it had been 12 years when I sat in this thing (in early May) and we just got our first win. So it felt really good. Definitely the emotions took over me for sure, cause when you can sit in these cars … ” Griffin said, adding that “I'm just super blessed to be able to do it still.”
Late Models are a different beast than a dozen years earlier, but Griffin said his sprint car experience in recent years is adaptable.
“We've had success and, I think a lot of it is racecraft and stuff, I always tell those guys, if I can just get us in a racy scenario, we don't have to be the best,” said Griffin, whose team will focus on Lee County, 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, and his hometown Quincy Raceway. “I think I can outrace a lot of these guys just from experience. So we found what works and we've just been having fun with it. I don't think I'm that far behind. I think a lot of the cobwebs are off now.”
With his wide-ranging background and NASCAR connections, Griffin’s perspective of being a weekly racer is different than most.
“What a lot of people don't understand, is when you're trying to be a professional driver, it's your life. I mean it's every waking moment, whether you're looking for sponsors, working on the car, doing everything needed, that's your life,” he said. “A lot of these guys, if they make a lot of money, you know, doing something outside of racing, then they can come and do it for fun and they don't really have to do much … and that's kind of where I'm at in life.”
Does he have any regrets about his 100 percent racing focus as a youngster?
"No, my dad and I talk about it all the time. We just go back and, and we're like, ‘If you could do it all again, would you change anything?’ And we don’t. We say nothing,” Griffin said. “I think there's different ways we could have done things to make us more successful, as far as giving us a better chance to make it with the funding we had at the time, but hindsight is 20-20 and you just never know how things are gonna play out.
“And if we did things differently, it probably would have still worked out that way cause I'm a believer and everything happens for a reason. I definitely wouldn’t take anything back. I think I was one of the most blessed kids to be able to do what I love every weekend at that high level.
“Even now when these (car owners) call me and, and I have three businesses or whatever and everything going on, I'm still like, ‘Yeah,’ I'll drop everything to go do it. So I definitely don't regret anything. I think my childhood was very blessed for sure.
“We talk about it a lot, about the whole journey and everything else, and it just seems like a lot longer than it's actually been, but we've done so many different things and it's been fun. It's been a journey, so I'm happy I can still do it. Hopefully for a lot longer, but we'll see.”
Weekly highlights
• Greg Oakes of Franklinville, N.Y., swept June 6-7 Super Late Model features at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., and Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.
• In his first victory since tip-toeing out of retirement, Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., won June 6’s Super Late Model feature at I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo. The Hall of Famer won for the first time since 2014.
• Leading all the way, Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., earned $3,500 in capturing June 5’s Super Late Model feature at Elkins Speedway in Kerens, W.Va.
• Christian Thomas of Wake Forest, N.C., earned $2,545 in winning the Limited Late Model feature on Fan Appreciation Night at Lake View Motor Speedway in Nichols, S.C.
• Sweeping the night at All-Tech Raceway in Ellisville, Fla., Tyler Clem of St. Petersburg, Fla., won 604 and 602 Crate Late Model features on June 6.
• Jamie Oliver of Murphy, N.C., swept June 5-6 Limited Late Model action in Georgia at Blue Ridge’s Sugar Creek Raceway and Chatsworth’s North Georgia Speedway.
• Scoring a pair of home-state victories, Dustin Rollins of Princeton, Ky., won June 5-6 602 Crate Late Model features at Paducah International Raceway and Nebo’s Western Kentucky Speedway.
• In June 6’s Crate Late Model feature at Winchester (Va.) Speedway, Devin Brannon outran fellow hometown racer Davin Kaiser in a battle between the top two drivers in the RUSH organization’s weekly points.
• Brady Walton of Greenwell Springs, La., saw his five-race win streak at Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, La., come to an end June 5 with Shannon Lee grabbing the victory.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Winning June 6 at Crystal (Mich.) Motor Speedway, Dillon Kohn of Sheridan, Mich., captured his first Super Late Model victory.
• Ian Travis of Hinsdale, N.Y., drove to his first Crate Late Model victory June 6 at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y.
• Hometown driver Rob Hoffman posted his first Late Model victory June 6 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway.
Weekly news briefs
• Independence (Iowa) Motor Speedway on June 13 will induct the Class of 2026 into the track’s Hall of Fame, led by National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Aikey will be honored along with Steve Droste, Vern Jackson, Fred Smock, Casey Lawless and Jeff “Wally” Lawless. Inductees will sign autographs and a silent auction is planned. The Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Model Tour is in action on Hall of Fame Night.
• Less than a week after saying he was "exploring the opportunity to find the right buyer" for Duck River Raceway Park in Wheel, Tenn., Russell Booth said he no longer is planning to sell the quarter-mile oval, according to a June 6 report from Middle Tennessee Racing News. Booth told the outlet that “several things came together that allows us to keep the track and look at continuing to make improvements." Boothe and his wife Angie are in their fifth season of ownership of the 54-year-old track.
• Crystal (Mich.) Motor Speedway will honor its fourth Hall of Fame class for the track. The honorees weren’t announced.
• Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala., issued an apology to fans for a June 6 event that continued past midnight. “We are carefully reviewing the events of the evening and are committed to making changes that will improve efficiency and provide a better experience for everyone moving forward,” the track posted on its Facebook page. The track’s next event on June 20 features the Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series with a $7,542-to-win event.
• Old No. 1 Speedway in Harrisburg, Ark., has cancelled June 13 and June 20 events “to prepare and make some upgrades” for June 30’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals event.
• Because the reopening track’s insurance had yet to take effect, Highway 72 Speedway in Corinth, Miss., was forced to postpone its June 6 practice. Pushing back its planned June 12 opener because of weather and conflicts, the track plans to opens its season June 19 with a six-division program. Limited Late Models and 604 Crate Late Model will run in the same division and there’s a separate Crate Racin’ USA division for 602 Crate Late Models.
• Dubuque (Iowa) Speedway’s June 14 Fan Appreciation Night allows free grandstand admission.
• With the recent closure of Peoria (Ill.) Speedway, nearby Spoon River Speedway in Banner, Ill., plans to change its upcoming schedule. The track’s next event is June 13, a program that includes Super Late Models.
• A deal to transfer ownership of Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park from the track-founding Coleman family to the owners of Kentucky’s Mudlick Valley Raceway is on the table but not yet official, according to a Sunday post on the Ohio track’s Facebook page. Tim Coleman said June 8 that “everything’s looking pretty good” on finalizing a deal with the buyer who plans to reopen and operate the 3/8-mile oval that’s been closed since August 2024.
• Facing a wet forecast, the five-race inaugural Kentucky Speedweek that included $5,000-to-win Super Late Model events was cancelled, promoters announced. The June 9-13 stretch of racing hatched by five promoters in January won’t be rescheduled. Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, Ky., hosting the fifth of five scheduled nights, plans a five-division racing program on June 13 led by Crate Late Models competing for $1,500-to-win. Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky., added a $3,000-to-win Super Late Model program on Friday program with Richmond Raceway giving up its Friday plans to avoid a conflict.
• The Jesse Dillow Memorial won’t be held this season after being run for the past four years, organizers announced. The $2,500-to-win Super Late Model event was originally scheduled for June 13 at Willard (Ky.) Speedway.
• The revival of Golden Mountain Speedway in Sparta, Tenn., is apparently over after a single season. The 3/8-mile dirt track, shuttered since 2005 but remodeled and updated by Deke Waters and his family to host oval track racing again in 2025, cancelled the second half of its modest four-race 2026 season. The Waters family cited money-losing events, employee shortages, equipment problems and the struggles to balance promoting the track amid work-family interests, saying “we have reached a point where we can no longer give the speedway the time, attention, and resources it deserves.”
Weekly points
DIRTcar (Supers): Mike Spatola of Manhattan, Ill., has 789 points to lead Ryan Unzicker (736) and Jason Feger (725).
IMCA (Limiteds): Curtis Glover of Knoxville, Iowa, has 639 points to lead Tommy Elston (518) and Jordan Krug (466).
WISSOTA (Limiteds): Tyler Peterson of Hickson, N.D., has 582 points to lead Chad Becker (469) and Shane Sabraski (468).
American All-Stars (Crates): Logan Walls of Junction City, Ky., has 526 points to lead Dalton Brown (322) and Brandon Fouts (288).
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): Covy Parson of Iuka, Miss., has 516 points to lead Allen Edwards (503). Brodie Thompson and Spencer Moore are tied for third with 492 points apiece.
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): Chris Reid of Wiggins, Miss., has 531 points to lead Shannon Lee (505) and Brodie Thompson (410).
DIRTcar (Crates): Braden Johnson of Taylorville, Ill., has 394 points to lead Chase Wilson (364). Chris Dick and Hudson Dick have 330 points apiece in a tie for third.
RUSH (Crates): Davin Kaiser of Winchester, Va., has 1,126 points to lead Devin Brannon (979) and Jeremy Wonderling (737).
Ultimate (Crates): Brandon Adkins of Jumping Branch, W.Va., has 170 points to lead T.J. Salango (151) and T.J. Hicks (135).
USRA (Crates): Jason McFadden of Jim Falls, Wis., has 2,194 points to lead Josh Wahlstrom (1,836) and Lucas Peterson (1,730).
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis. (June 11-13): Late Models are part of the Masters weekend with $3,000-, $5,000- and $12,000-to-win purses (with USMTS modifieds in action, too).
Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, Ky. (June 12): In lieu of a Kentucky Speedweek rainout earlier in the week, the track added a $3,000-to-win Super Late Model event on Friday.
Thunderhill Raceway, Summertown, Tenn. (June 12): The track has added a $1,500-to-win Limited Late Model feature to the Friday portion of the Jason Maurer Memorial weekend and Stock Car Grand Nationals.
Stateline Speedway, Busti, N.Y. (June 13): The Tops Friendly Markets Super Showdown includes a $5,000-to-win event for Super Late Models. The RUSH Crate Late Model tour is also in action competing for $4,000-to-win.
County Line Raceway, Elm City, N.C. (June 13): The Fast Five Late Model Challenge pays $3,000-to-win for Limited Late Models with five undercard divisions.
Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, Fla. (June 13): The Firecracker Showdown has a five-division program with 604 Crate Late Models chasing a $2,500-to-win purse. The 602 Crates are also in action with the $4,000-to-win Bill Law Memorial.
191 Speedway, Campton, Ky. (June 13): The Doug Stacy Memorial Showdown includes a $2,000-to-win Super Late Model event and $1,000-to-win for Crate Late Models (three other divisions are in action).
Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, Ky. (June 13): While rain a Kentucky Speedweek event, the track is hosting a five-division card headlined by Crate Late Models competing for $1,500-to-win.
Fort Payne (Ala.) Motor Speedway (June 13): The Ray & Charlotte Barksdale Memorial Extravaganza pays $2,000-to-win for the 602 Crate Late Model division; seven other divisions are in action including Limited Late Models and 604 Crate Late Models.
Hidden Hollow Speedway, Colson, Ky. (June 13): As part of the inaugural Brad Centers Memorial, Super Late Models chase a $2,000-to-win purse with Crate Late Model among undercard divisions.
