105 Speedway
Dispatches: Troutman eyes Charlotte redemption
WoO rookie Drake Troutman. (joshjamesartwork.com)
Among the latest notes and quotes from around Dirt Late Model racing from Oct. 30-Nov. 2 with the concluding Fall Clash weekend and East Alabama’s National 100. Also find a listing of live-streaming video from specials around the country:
Troutman’s near-misses
Every driver loves to talk about the races they won. But often the races that drivers can recall in even greater detail are those they almost won.
The high point of Drake Troutman’s debut season with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series undoubtedly came in June at I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo., the site of his first WoO victory. But had things gone a little differently one year ago at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, that crowning moment could have come seven months earlier.
Against a field of more than 60 of the toughest competitors Late Model racing has to offer, the then 19-year-old Hyndman, Pa., driver earned the pole position in a World Finals preliminary in Concord, N.C. Troutman held his own early on, keeping names like Ricky Thornton Jr., Chris Madden and Mike Marlar at bay for the first 22 circuits.
It wasn’t meant to be that night though, as Thornton eventually found a way by and cruised home to the checkers, leaving Troutman with a career-best second.
“I could tell you every lap about it,” Troutman said. “You don’t really sit back and think about the ones that you won, you think about the ones that you feel like got away. I felt like that was one that could have been a pretty big break for us.
“We went down there, had a motor that was about lapped out, she was getting pretty wore out. I feel like that was definitely one that got away, but we were still ecstatic at the time with the results that weekend. It was a solid weekend all around. I feel like this year, we’re going in a lot more prepared, better equipment. Hopefully, this year we can get her done.”
Showings like that in his own equipment caught the eye of G.R. Smith, who named Troutman as the newest driver for Team 22 Motorsports for 2025. Armed with another year of experience on the road and the best equipment he’s ever had, Troutman signed up for his first full World of Outlaws campaign intending to make waves. He’s done exactly that, scoring three Late Model wins on the year between the World of Outlaws and the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, and enters next weekend’s Charlotte action seventh in the standings with a 166-point lead in the MD3 Rookie of the Year chase.
“I felt like in a lot of aspects, we definitely met or surpassed our expectations,” Troutman said. “Over the last month or so, two months, we’ve been struggling here a little bit, but we changed some stuff around in our program and were able to get things going again. We had a lot of speed this past weekend down there at Whynot (Motorsports Park in Meridian, Miss., for the unsanctioned Coors Light Fall Classic), just didn’t have a whole lot of luck to go with it.
“I think we’re all pretty happy and pretty excited for next year. We’ve got a little bit more of an idea on what we need to do to be better. That’s the biggest thing, just every year, try to keep on growing. We’re all young, it’s a young team, and even G.R.’s a young car owner. Every year, we’re going to try to be better, and G.R. has definitely done a good job at giving us the right equipment to get out here and do this deal to the fullest.’
Troutman is set to debut a brand-new Longhorn Chassis at Charlotte. The team has also picked up local support from LakeHouse Wine Bar & Grill on nearby Lake Norman, which will be adorned on the side of Troutman’s new black ride throughout the week.
“Even though we only race (at Charlotte) one time a year, this is about as close as we get to (Smith’s) house,” Troutman said. “This weekend is really special to the whole race team, and aside from that, there’s probably 20,000-30,000 people there. It’s definitely a really important weekend to take in, and you want to run good, you want to come with your best. I try to do that every weekend, but I feel like there’s definitely a little bit more effort to put in for this race.” — Spence Smithback
Streaming schedule
Among upcoming Dirt Late Model special and sanctioned events available via live streaming:
Friday, Oct. 31
• Bernheisel Racing Components Fall Clash at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway (FloRacing)
• National 100 preliminary at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala. (FloRacing)
• Short Track World Championship prelims at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. (DIRTVision)
• American Crate Late Model Series at Grayson County Speedway in Sherman, Texas (RaceON)
Saturday, Nov. 1
• Bernheisel Racing Components Fall Clash at Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Md. (FloRacing)
• National 100 prelim at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala. (FloRacing)
• Short Track World Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. (DIRTVision)
• American Crate Late Model Series at Grayson County Speedway in Sherman, Texas (RaceON)
Sunday, Nov. 2
• National 100 at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala. (FloRacing)
