Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Kopka rubs elbows with Volusia heroes
By Matt Skipper
World Racing Group
Mikey Kopka (Chris Anderson photos)
Mikey Kopka grew up watching drivers he considered icons make a name for themselves at Volusia Speedway Park.
Since 2024, Kopka has gotten to work closely with two greats of Florida’s Dirt Late Model history, piloting a 604 Late Model for Joe Kump and serving as a teammate to former Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series champion Ivedent Lloyd Jr.
Kopka, of Astor, Fla., can trace his family’s racing ancestry to the pioneers in stock car racing who competed on the sands of Daytona Beach. He started his own path in racing by riding in the Volusia tow trucks as a kid with his father Jeff during winter's DIRTcar Nationals.
Family history “goes back to my mom’s side of the family racing on the beach,” said Kopka, atop DirtonDirt's Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends. “My grandfather Bill raced all over the place, and my dad raced all over the place, and then I got to racing all over.
“My earliest memory at Volusia was riding in the wrecker with my dad during (the DIRTcar Nationals). Just getting to enjoy the races and riding around, not really being in the grandstand, just in there watching. But watching him hook up the cars and watching all the (World of Outlaws drivers) that went and talked to him. You know, stuff like that, it was awesome.”
Joe Kump links his early days of racing at Volusia to the 1990s when he won his first race at the former dirt track in the campground, while the familiar half-mile track was covered in asphalt.
The Lake Helen, Fla., driver won three track championships in the Late Models, with his most recent title win coming in the 604 Late Models in 2022.
“I had first gone to Volusia when the go-kart track was the dirt track,” Kump said. “I think I won my first race around 1992. I won my first title in 2010, then again in 2017, but 2022 was the hardest one because it was such a long year, and so many people helped that year. I didn’t really appreciate it until I won it.”
Kump competed at the 2024 season opener, finishing the night with a top-10 result. When work priorities took away his chance to compete at the next Volusia race, he knew who to call to pilot his No. 721 604 Late Model.
“I got extremely busy at work, and that’s when I started having Mikey drive,” Kump said. “He was helping me already because of my car and Ivedent’s. He’d been helping try to maintain both of them, and I was having to work Saturdays a lot, so it was hard for me to get back for the second race. So, my wife (Pam) took the truck and trailer, I called Mikey, and I knew that (work conflicts) was gonna continue for the rest of the year. I told him to go for it, and we won the points title.”
The 31-year-old Kopka made his first 2024 start in the Barry Wright Race Cars machine in the second race of the points season and finished third in the feature.
Kump wanted him to continue racing for the title, and Kopka managed to crawl out from a one-race points deficit to win his first 604 Late Model title by 26 points over Donnie Chappell.
“Joe had to go to work,” Kopka said. “He was not happy about it and wanted to race. He was like, ‘Look, are you heading to the track?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, you know, I’m already on my way, I’m halfway there.’ He was like, ‘Ok, well, Pam’s gonna meet you there, and you can race my car.’ It was one of those deals where I unloaded, then come home to finish third, and he was like, ‘Do you wanna race the next weekend?’ I’ll take every opportunity, absolutely, and that (track title) fell right into my lap.”
The new challenge Kump faces is managing two drivers with different racing styles. What helps him ease that hurdle is keeping every part and piece of his two cars the same to aid the setting up and tuning adjustments to the Late Models.
While Joe expects to return to the driver’s seat once his Saturday nights open up, he is learning to enjoy the life of a team owner with two championship-winning drivers.
“It’s a different opinion from both of them,” Kump said. “Ivedent is a phenomenal driver, and he’s been going for so long. I think it’s that he can drive around handling problems, so to setup their cars is a minimal adjustment. I tried to carry over to Mikey’s car so we don’t have to change a whole lot of stuff.
“We just try to accommodate around the issues as they come up, and (Volusia) last year was different to now. That was a little bit of a struggle last year because I was still used to the older Volusia, and it took us a couple of races to get that figured out. With Mikey’s deal, I try to keep everything the same, so they’re both (Barry Wright cars), same shock package, and I try to keep everything the same just for simplicity’s sake.”
Kopka said he feels honored to race for Kump and be a teammate to Lloyd, as the two Florida figures are his childhood heroes from Volusia.
“We got a lot of confidence right now, especially for me,” Kopka said. “I get to work with Ivedent and with Joe, and they’re two of my childhood heroes. Then I get to put my head in the ring with them guys, and it’s pretty humbling sometimes. These guys knew me a long time; they trust me to drive the car, they listen to me, and we all put our heads together in trying to go faster. I think that’s really why we’re doing so well right now.”
Kopka keeps his racing experience diverse in various divisions at Volusia.
After finishing second to Kump in the 2022 points standings, Kopka took a step back from Late Model competition in 2023 to drive a Tad Olsted-owned modified. Kopka made starts at a variety of tracks in the Southeast and Midwest.
Moments after Kopka celebrated his win in the 604 Late Model Feature in the 2025 season opener, he hopped into the seat of a factory stock and picked up a top-10 finish.
Having to switch mindsets and tendencies with each car, Kopka sees his approach similar to champion NASCAR driver Kyle Larson.
“Honestly, I just get in there and drive it,” Kopka said. “You realize that it’s in something different, but at the same time, it’s just you still looking for traction, and you’re still looking for maneuverability. You’ve got a lot more weight, so the first lap gets you back in the mindset.
“I heard an interview Kyle Larson did, and he explained that when he’s gotta sit there in staging, he thinks about what technique to use to drive this car. For me, it’s like I sit there, and I think about how I’ll drive the car into the corner, how I gotta do this or that. Sometimes, I go out there and I still suck. I’m not the greatest, but I do give it 110 percent effort, so I’m very fortunate to get to drive all these cars. The fact everybody has that much faith in me makes me very appreciative of all of it.”
Weekly highlights
• Leading all 25 laps, Austin Horton of Whitesburg, Ga., pocketed a $2,500 Pollard Memorial victory in the Limited Late Model division April 12 at Senoia (Ga.) Raceway. Matt Dooley’s 604 Crate victory paid $2,000.
• Winning April 12 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway, Tyler Cain of Seymour, Ind., won his seventh straight Crate Late Model feature at the quarter-mile oval stretching back to last season, when he won the final six.
• Andy Nezworski of Buffalo, Iowa, inherited April 12’s Late Model victory at Davenport (Iowa) Speedway when Bryce Garnhart weighed in 15 pounds light. Garnhart had led 25 laps and took the checkers by a half-track margin.
• Capturing the Mike Peters Open for the second time in his career, Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, Fla., drove a Big Frog Motorsports entry to a $3,000 victory April 12 at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway.
• Kyle Lear’s April 13 Limited Late Model victory at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway came just a few hours after a runner-up finish to Jeremy Pilkerton at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway in a Sunday afternoon-evening doubleheader.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Newport, Ark.’s driver Chance Mann won April 12 at Old No. 1 Speedway in Harrisburg, Ark., for his first victory in the division.
Weekly news briefs
• A track celebrating its 100th season, Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will cover its paved quarter-mile layout with dirt this fall for four Saturday’s of racing. Late Models are scheduled to be part of the Oct. 11 action at the track in a promotion by Rick and Corey Dripps, who promote Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa. Scheduling was too late to host a Super Late Model touring event, Rick Dripps told DirtonDirt, but he’s discussing with Hawkeye Downs about potentially leaving the dirt on the track until spring 2026 to host more dirt events.
• With the infield still flooded midweek, Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway will remain idle April 18 and will announce later when racing will resume. The region endured more than a dozen inches of rain of four days in early April.
• A $2,000 reward posted by BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pa., was collected after someone was able to identify an individual who vandalized the property April 11. The track thanked the Newberry Police Department for assistance along with those that paid part of the reward (Dean’s Auto Plaza, CH Recovery, Auto Core Recycling and Kolten Gouse).
• Three-time Red Clay Classic Late Model winner Brent Laursen of Osceola, Wis., headlines the Class of 2025 for the Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame, the track announced. The late Laursen, who died in 2010 at the age of 59 after a lengthy battle with Hodgkin lymphoma, joins his late father and inaugural Hall of Famer Russ Laursen. Brent Laursen, who captured Rice Lake’s Red Clay Classic in 1979, ’86 and ’89, was a 12-time Late Model winner at Rice Lake and two-time track champion. Other Aug. 16 inductees are former drivers Darwin Brown and Dave Havel and contributor Rick Kurshinsky,
• Barb LaBarbera of Sugar Grove, Pa., a longtime pit gate employee at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., and Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., died April 7 at age 71. Her husband, George LaBarbera, and son-in-law, Chris Hackett, were longtime competitors in the Late Model division.
• Cochran (Ga.) Motor Speedway is reopening under new ownership with plans for 12 events from May through December with Crate Racin’ USA 602 Late Models among the divisions. Long connected to racing, Jammy McCoy purchased the track from Chris Martin and will operate the 3/8-mile with Brian Hester remaining as promoter. Upgrades are planned with new gumbo clay for racing surface with plans to cut down the banking. The season opener is May 10 at least one event a month through the Dec. 6 finale.
• Because track conditions aren’t ready for racing, Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., has amended its early season schedule. Practice is scheduled for April 26 while the season opener, originally scheduled for April 19, has been postponed to May 3. The opener includes a $5,000-to-win event for Super Late Models.
• Shawano (Wis.) Speedway announced that drivers Joe Haferkorn and Jeff Teske will be inducted into the tracks’s Hall of Fame along with contributors John and Soon Stezenski. Induction ceremonies are June 7.
• Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex in Markleysburg, Pa., has pushed back its opener to April 25 because of rain that has delayed preparing of the surface, the track announced. Practice is scheduled for April 19.
• Mountain View Raceway in Spring City, Tenn., opens its Lucky 7 Racing on April 19 with special purses and points for all divisions. Limited Late Models pay $1,200-to-win with 602 Crates paying $900-to-win. Other Lucky 7 dates are May 3, June 28, July 12, Aug. 16, Oct. 4 and Oct. 11. The Limited Late Model points fund of $7,500 pays $3,000 to the champion and is sponsored by East Tennessee Dodge Chrysler Ram Ford Jeep.
• Madras (Ore.) Speedway is in the process of adding new lighting in the pit area. The track opens for practice April 19 and the opening event is May 3 for five divisions including Late Models.
• Hollis Speedway in Heflin, Ala., has added payments via Cash and Venmo apps at the gates and concessions stands.
• Bradford Speedway in Rew, Pa., has new bathrooms under construction. Details weren’t available.
• Winchester (Va.) Speedway is mourning the recent passing of Dickie Tharp, a longtime driver, team owner and sponsor of the track.
• Shadyhill Speedway in Medaryville, Ind., is hosting the local fire department for racetrack training at 9 a.m. on May 3. The track needs one or two cars from each division to be on hand for the training to explain the safety features. Teams willing to participate should contact fire chief Shaun Hauptli at (219) 204-1430 or MedaryvilleFire@embarqmail.com.
Weekly points
USRA (Limiteds): Cade Nelson of Hermantown, Minn., has 217 points to lead Ryan Howe (208) and Lucas Peterson (195).
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): Brett White of Kosciusko, Miss., has 293 points to lead Covy Parsons (287) and Colby Ponds (230).
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): Sid Scarbrough of Florence, Miss., has 231 points to lead Shannon Lee (227) and Ben Davis (226).
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
Potomac Speedway, Budds Creek, Md. (April 18): The season-opening event and first under the promotership of David Williams features the $3,999-to-win Danny Garrett Memorial for Limited Late Models topping a five-division program. Bonuses include fast time ($299) and hard charger (fuel jug and 5 gallons of fuel).
Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis. (April 18-19): The Legendary Opener pays $1,500- and $1,800-to-win for the Late Model division in a 10-division, two-night program that includes USRA Limited Late Models.
Fort Payne Motor Speedway, Fyffe, Ala. (April 19): The third annual Legendary Marvin Ford Classic pays $2,038-to-win for Limited Late Models with weekly classes also in competition.
County Line Raceway, Elm City, N.C. (April 19): The Fast Five Late Model Challenge events pays $3,000-to-win for Limited Late Models with four divisions on the undercard.
