Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Stateside success highlights Canadian's season
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
Gregg Haskell (Capture the Hype Photography)
Canadian standout Gregg Haskell has long wanted to win a stateside Dirt Late Model race. But entering the season, Haskell's casual promise to himself to retire from racing at age 50 was bearing down on the driver from Chatham, Ontario.
He slid in under the wire.
Just a few weeks before his 50th birthday, Haskell captured a dramatic feature victory at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park, earning $2,000 by outrunning reigning track champion Kyle Moore on the Fourth of July.
The Independence Day victory for a foreigner didn’t exactly set off an international incident, but Haskell had a good time ribbing his competitors in a text-message group that includes many Attica regulars including Devin Shiels and Ryan Missler.
“They're like, yeah, the Canadian come and stole our American trophy,” Haskell recalled with a laugh. “I said don't worry, I'm just trying to get us ready to be the 51st state.”
The Attica victory ranks as one of the biggest in the career for the driver who’s racing didn’t start until he was 32, but once Haskell broke through in 2012 at his home track of Buxton Speedway in Merlin, Ontario, he’s been a regular winner with more than 30 victories at Buxton, including four wins in the Rick Haskell Memorial honoring his father. Haskell also captured 2023’s Ohsweken Open at Ohsweken (Ontario) Speedway, another $2,000-to-win event.
The 2025 season has been a good one with three victories at Buxton to go along with his Attica triumph. Running a mix of weekly events at Attica, Buxton and Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio, Haskell stands fourth in DIRTcar’s Super Late Model point standings for Northern Region drivers behind Moore, Todd Brennan and Ryan Markham.
While Buxton is just a few minutes from home, Haskell would rather skip the drama of facing the same drivers every week and enjoys the mix of racing at Attica and Oakshade — both within three hours of home — along with occasional Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series events.
In capturing the Attica victory, Haskell led all but two laps of the nonstop feature, but he felt pressure from Moore in the final laps before holding on for glory.
“It still really hasn't sunk in. Every once in a while somebody (sees) the big check and the trophy and everything are sitting up in the shop, and people still ask about even when we went to Millstream (Speedway in Findlay, Ohio), people are still shaking my hand and stuff and said it was a great race. It just puts a smile on my face every time.”
Haskell had a near-miss at Attica another time when Shiels overtook him the final laps to win, but he held Moore off.
"I figured the same thing was gonna happen. I'm glad. I watched the replay and I didn't realize that Kyle Moore was that close and him being a pretty good buddy, I think he made it easy on me. Like, he didn't let me win, but there were times when he could have pushed the envelope a little harder than what he did because he was around the top as well.
"He told me that he had nothing for me, but I think he was being easier on me. If I would've won two or three times (previously), I bet you it would have been a lot closer at the finish line for sure.”
Since then, Haskell has added another victory at Buxton Speedway. And while he turned 50 on July 21, he’s not quite ready to hang it up yet. Even as recently as last week, when crew members — Garry and Sherry Lemesurier (part car owners), Tim Demaeyer, Chris Stephens, Jason Haskell (brother), Kris Quagliotto, Darrin Haskell (cousin) and Bob Coatsworth — gathered for the Whopper Wednesday to eat Burger King and work on the car, and they discussed a possible trip next season — a week on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.
Perhaps, but working on the car, making the international racing trips and keeping up with his job as service manager at MicroAge Computers keeps him plenty busy. He also handles the deskwork for Haulin’ Haskells, the trucking company he co-owns with brother Jason. (Jason is also a successful racer in multiple divisions including Dirt Late Models, but a drunk driver struck a truck he was driving and he’s out with hip and back injuries with Dylan Bonner subbing in his Late Model.)
Besides a Summer Nationals stint, Haskell also has a shot to be the first Canadian with Super Late Model victories at Attica and Oakshade (Chris Ross has also won at Attica and Andrew Reaume is an Oakshade winner, as well as a World 100 and Dream starter at Eldora Speedway).
Haskell had one of his best career Oakshade runs recently with a 15th-to-fourth charge in the Longhorn Chassis he bought that was previously driven by Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series standout Devin Moran.
“I feel like I can compete there now,” he said. “Before this year I've never had any luck there, but I feel like we're a little bit better there now, especially with this new Longhorn.”
Haskell enjoys racing for now, but he knows it won’t last forever.
“The amount of time it takes to get these cars ready, like, it's a nightly thing, especially when you mostly do it yourself, like you have guys come over one night a week to help and then hopefully a couple guys go with you,” Haskell. “But it's a lot of time and a lot of money, especially when the dollar is the way it is and (Canadians are) at the disadvantage of 40 percent right off the bat, right, because everything we buy, you have to add 40 percent to that. All the parts come from the US, so you have to add 40 percent.”
One thing is certain. He doesn’t want to keep racing if he doesn’t have a chance to win.
"I'm still racing, but you always wonder like, is this the day where it's gonna, where I'm gonna start to slow down and not be competitive because I don’t wanna do it when I’m not competitive anymore,” he said. “I’m too much of a competitive guy. I played hockey and baseball and still golf quite a bit. So I'm a pretty competitive guy. So if it gets to the point where you, you can't compete or you feel like you just can't do what you once did, it's like, well, maybe it's time to step back. You always wonder when that time's gonna be.”
For now, he’ll “just keep plugging away and having fun. It’s more of like hanging out with buddies and doing all that stuff just as much it is and hanging out with the people like the Misslers and the Shiels and the Moores at Attica, that’s just as good as racing.”
Weekly highlights
• Mike Harrison of Highland, Ill., swept two Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway features on Aug. 23, topping McKay Wenger in one and Jeffrey Ledford in the other.
• Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., won in the Super Late Model division at Tri-City Raceway Park in Franklin, Pa., for the first time in a triumph that gave him his 400th career dirt racing feature victory. The win paid $5,000.
• Scoring two victories in one month for the first time since 2015, David Hilliker won Aug. 22’s Super Late Model feature at Tri-City Motor Speedway in Auburn, Mich. His other recent victory came at the same track Aug. 8.
• Hometown driver Brayton Wallace won Aug. 23’s Super Late Model feature at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway, his third victory in four August features in the division.
• Scoring a three-victory 602 Crate weekend in the Bluegrass State, Dustin Rollins of Princeton, Ky., won Aug. 22-24 at Paducah International Raceway (earning $2,000), Nebo’s Western Kentucky Speedway and Owensboro’s Windy Hollow Speedway.
• Winning the track title his rookie season, Robbe Ewing of Stockton, Mo., clinched the Lucas Oil Speedway championship with an Aug. 23 Late Model victory at the Wheatland, Mo., track.
• Kyle Moore of Mansfield, Ohio, had a two-victory weekend Aug. 22-23 with Super Late Model triumphs at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park and Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio.
• Winning the Larry Long Memorial, Dustin Mitchell of Pine Level, N.C., pocketed $2,500 on Aug. 23 at Lake View Motor Speedway in Nichols, S.C.
• Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., earned $3,000 on Aug. 23 at Ohio Valley Speedway in Washington, W.Va., in winning the Keith Barker Memorial for the sixth time in a row.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Brock Pinkerous of Ellenville, N.Y., captured his first Super Late Model victory Aug. 23 at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y.
• Hometown driver Jeff Asher, a sprint car regular, captured his first Late Model feature Aug. 23 at Farmington (Mo.) Empire Speedway.
• Winning Aug. 23’s feature at Spoon River Speedway in Banner, Ill., Rickey Frankel III of Quincy, Ill., notched his first Crate Late Model victory.
• Kole Nordquist of Beresford, S.D., notched his first Late Model victory Aug. 22 at Park Jefferson (S.D.) Speedway.
Weekly news briefs
• The WISSOTA Promoters Association is seeking applicants for its head technical advisor role for 2026. Duties include overseeing and guiding the technical performance, vehicle compliance and engineering strategy along with playing a key role in ensuring competitive performance, safety, and adherence to all relevant technical regulations and specifications. Email WISSOTA general manager Nikki Cook (nikki@wissota.org) to apply or with questions.
• I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, Tenn., has added the Nov. 15 Gobbler and Dec. 27 Hangover to its schedule with no immediate details of classes or purses.
• Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio, will be dark Aug. 30 because of a family medical obligation for promoters. The track returns to action Sept. 13.
• Boyd Black, a Dirt Late Model racer from Little Rock, Ark., died recently, the Titan Legends Late Model Series announced. Black was an occasional competitor on the Legends circuit and ran most of the 2015 season on the Southern Outlaws Late Model Series, finishing third in points. He owned and operated Boyd’s Automotive.
• Nick Anvelink of Bonduel, Wis., became the winningest driver in Shawano (Wis.) Speedway history with his 93rd victory in Aug. 23’s Wabam Dirt Kings Tour action. Anvelink broke a tie with Hall of Famer Pete Parker of Kaukauna, Wis., who has 92 victories.
• Joe Blackmer, whose brother Mike Blackmer owns and operates Merritt Speedway in Lake City, Mich., died Aug. 25. “In addition to his love for family,” Mike Blackmer wrote on the track’s Facebook page, “Merritt Speedway held a special place in his heart, and he dedicated many years working at the track.”
• North Central Arkansas Speedway in Flippin, Ark., remained dark Aug. 23 because of an illness in the promoter’s family.
• Latrobe (Pa.) Speedway is mourning the unexpected passing of Chris Piper, the track’s tech inspector. “Chris you will truly be missed and will forever be a part of our family,” the track posted on its Facebook Page. Piper was 53.
• North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala., plans to remain dark Aug. 30, in part because of conflicts with other events and also because North Alabama Dragway is reopening that day after being closed for five years. North Alabama Speedway plans to return to action Sept. 6.
• Brian Birkhofer, Gary Webb and Ronnie Weedon are among eight inductees in the inaugural class of the Davenport (Iowa) Speedway Hall of Fame announced. The inductees, with candidates chosen by a committee and a fan vote, will be enshrined during the postseason banquet. Four individuals preceding 1970 and four following 1970 were elected. The early era: Shorty Bennett, Benny Hofer, Danny Kladis and Weedon. The recent era: Birkhofer, Ray Guss Jr., Justin Kay and Webb.
• Hidden Valley Speedway in Clearfield, Pa., was forced to cancel Aug. 23’s event hours before racing when the engine seized on the water truck.
• Former WISSOTA Late Model driver Dustin Virkus died Aug. 20 in a skid loader accident in his hometown of Clarkfield, Minn., according to police reports. He was 51. The former dirt racer was a multiple-feature Late Model winner at Madison (Minn.) Speedway and Fiesta City Speedway in Montevideo, Minn., in the Late Model division from 2008-14. He went on to become a two-time WISSOTA champion in the hornet division in 2016-17 and in 2018 won the sport compact track title at Murray County Speedway in Slayton, Minn. According to the Yellow Medicine County Sherriff’s Office, Virkus was operating a skid loader that slid into a drainage ditch and became fully submerged, trapping him underneath.
• Rockcastle Speedway in Mount Vernon, Ky., is seeking a technical inspector and an infield worker. Message the track’s Facebook page for details.
• Hagerstown Speedway Hall of Famer Randy Grove, a longtime pit steward and track prep specialist at various dirt tracks, died Aug. 19. The Williamsport, Md., resident was 73. Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Nancy.
• Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park announced that the top 10 driver in Late Model points will receive free registration for Aug. 29’s Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series event. Those drivers: Kyle Moore, Devin Shiels, Ryan Markham, Kent Brewer, Austin Gibson, Nate Potts, Gregg Haskell, Rusty Schlenk, Mike Bores and Colin Shipley.
• Former racer and racing supporter Bob Ruh of Rhine, Wis., died Aug. 16. He served as president for the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Association for five years and was a longtime board member. He was inducted into the Plymouth (Wis.) Dirt Track Wall of Fame in 2023. “The contributions Bob Ruh made to racing at Plymouth are numerous,” the track said on its Facebook page. “His dedication to the sport will live on in the hearts and minds of so many who love it just like him.”
• The Chevrolet Performance CT525 Nationals are scheduled for Sept. 12-13 at Harris Speedway in Rutherfordton, N.C., with the 65-lap feature paying $5,000-to-win. Drivers can register at the event Facebook page.
• The Goldvein, Va., couple that three months ago purchased West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells announced they have acquired 73-year-old Elkins Raceway in Kerens, W.Va. Making plans to coordinate competition with the 5/8-mile WVMS oval 140 miles to the west of Elkins, Mike and Becky Hurley plan a comprehensive revamp of racing, clearer rules, regular technical inspections along with new concession stands and amenities at the 3/8-mile Elkins track that’s long hosted Super Late Model and Crate Late Model competition.
• Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City, N.C., has announced drivers will start at the rear of main events if they don’t attend the nightly drivers’ meeting. Starting Aug. 29, drivers must sign an attendance sheet during the meeting.
• Former Late Model racer Steve Kempt of Shelton, Neb., won the Legends of Lex event for former racers on Aug. 10. Kempt topped another former Late Model racer Kent Tucker, 75, of Hampton, Neb., who hadn’t competed in 30 years. Last year’s winner Scott Blessing finished third.
Weekly points
DIRTcar (Supers): Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., has 2,394 points to lead Tyler Erb (2,256) and Bobby Pierce (2,164).
IMCA (Limiteds): Zach Zeitner of Bellevue, Neb., has 782 points to lead Logan Veloz and Kale Kosiski, tied with 772 points apiece.
USRA (Limiteds): Lucas Peterson of Stockholm, Wis.,has 5,206 points to lead Jason McFadden (4,869) and Cade Nelson (4,679).
WISSOTA (Limiteds): Tyler Peterson of Hickson, N.D., has 1,584 points to lead Kevin Burdick (1,503) and Chad Becker (1,489).
American All-Stars (Crates): New leader A.J. Hicks of Willard, Ky., has 560 points to lead Ronnie Martin Jr. (550) and Justin Williams (546).
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): Brett White of Kosciusko, Miss., has 746 points to lead Devin Whatley (732) and Zack Owens (688).
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): David Williamson of Seminary, Miss., has 685 points to lead Brady Walton (679) and Ben Davis (676).
DIRTcar (Crates): Denny Woodworth of Mendon, Ill., has 1,322 points to lead Chase Wilson (1,223) and Dakota Ewing (1,189).
RUSH (Crates): Jason Genco of Frewsburg, N.Y., has 1,332 points to lead Jeremy Wonderling (1,313) and Breyton Santee (1,309).
Ultimate (Crates): Chandi Currence of Clarksburg, W.Va., has 489 points to lead Kolbe Kimbrew (485) and Noah Whited (360).
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
Big South Fork Raceway, Huntsville, Tenn. (Aug. 29): The track added a $5,000-to-win Limited Late Model feature, an event paying a modest $1,200 for second and $100-to-start.
Crowley’s Ridge Raceway, Paragould, Ark. (Aug. 29): Late Models top the first of two nights of action at Labor Day Classic (no Late Models on Saturday); purse info wasn’t publicized.
County Line Raceway, Elm City, N.C. (Aug. 30): The final Fast Five Late Model Shootout event includes a $3,000-to-win feature among other divisions.
Tyler County Speedway, Middlebourne, W.Va. (Aug. 29-31): The Country Roads weekend includes $2,000-, $3,000- and $20,000-to-win features for DIRTcar Super Late Models with a variety of undercard divisions.
Gillette (Wyo.) Speedway (Aug. 29-31): The East-West Clash has Late Models on the card each night; purses weren’t publicized.
Brown County Speedway, Aberdeen, S.D. (Aug. 29-30): The Agtegra Big Buck Nationals on Labor Day weekend includes Late Models with $1,000- and $3,000-to-win programs.
Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway (Aug. 30): The Butch Renninger Memorial pays $7,333-to-win for the Super Late Model division with Limited Late Models ($3,333-to-win) also on the card.
Spoon River Speedway, Banner, Ill. (Aug. 30): The opening day of the Fall Nationals includes a $2,500-to-win Crate Late Model feature (MARS Super Late Models top Aug. 31’s card).
Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway (Aug. 30): On Meet and Greet Night, Super Late Models compete for a $2,000-to-win payday with four divisions on the undercard.
Rice Lake (Wis.) Speedway (Aug. 30-31): The Dairyland Dash includes a pair of $1,200-to-win events for USRA Limited Late Models.
Moberly (Mo.) Motorsports Park (Aug. 31): The Weiner Nationals include a $10,000-to-win Super Late Model event for non-touring DIRTcar-sanctioned drivers.
Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway (Aug. 31): The $10,063-to-win Paul Long Memorial (no longer on the Fall Clash circuit) highlights a night of action including $2,563-to-win Limited Late Model main event.
Duck River Raceway Park, Wheel, Tenn. (Aug. 31): The multi-division Labor Day Special includes a $6,025-to-win event for Super Late Models (practice is set for Friday).
Potomac Speedway, Budds Creek, Md. (Aug. 31): Limited Late Models chase a $2,000-to-win pay day (Super Late Models were removed from the track’s schedule).
Mudlick Valley Raceway, Wallingford, Ky. (Aug. 31): The track’s third annual Labor Day special pays $3,500-to-win for Super Late Models with five undercard divisions (heat winners receive $100).
Dothan (Ala.) Speedway (Aug. 31): The End of Summer Showdown features fix divisions with 604 Crate Late Models chasing a $2,000 winner’s prize.
Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, Ky. (Aug. 31): Crate Late Models pay $2,500-to-win with for other divisions on the card for a holiday special.
Wartburg (Tenn.) Speedway (Aug. 31): The Hall of Fame Classic pays $2,000-to-win for Limited Late Models with regular divisions in action; Billy Glen Kennedy and Lloyd Paxton will be inducted.
Tri-County Racetrack, Brasstown, N.C. (Sept. 1): The C.T. Barnett Memorial pays $3,000-to-win for Limited Late Models (an Ultimate Southeast Super Late Model Series event was cancelled).
Correction: Reverses purses for Supers and Limiteds at Port Royal.
