DirtonDirt.com exclusive
Best of 2023: Southern state-by-state capsules
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com managing editor
(Credits clockwise from top: Tyler Carr; Zackary Washington; Alex Ostenson)
Dirt Late Model racing’s 2023 superlatives of Southern states (individually for states with significant weekly Late Model action; other states combined), primarily focusing on local and regional events (Best of 2023 coverage):
Alabama
Top performer: Tuscumbia’s Cruz Wallace tallies 16 multidivisional victories at Moulton and North Alabama, including 13 en route to the Crate Racin’ USA title for 602 Crate Late Models. He also captures North Alabama’s 602 crown.
Best national drivers: None.
Best regional drivers: Florence’s Josh Putnam (inaugural Hunt the Front tour champ; $10,000 Magnolia victory); Rainsville’s Sam Seawright (four victories among three tracks, including $10,000 Iron-Man triumph at Talladega); Glencoe’s Dillon Tidmore (three Super victories including two SAS triumphs at Buckshot); Cuba’s Jamey Boland (two Southern Thunder victories en route to title on first-year 602 Crate tour); Millport’s Jeremy Shaw (first Comp Cams tour victory); Smiths Station’s Dalton Cook (two Southern All Star victories); Crossville’s Chase Oliver (two Fort Payne victories); Gadsden’s Jeff Helms ($3,000 Fort Payne victory); Rainsville’s Kasey Hall (UCRA champ).
Best weekly drivers: Cruz Wallace; Hanceville’s Brandon Brown (13 Limited victories among five tracks); Chunchula’s D.G. Hawkins (13 multidivision victories at Tri-County); Tuscumbia's Billy Flannagan (10 multidivision victories at North Alabama); Centre’s T.J. Brittain (nine Crate victories between Rome and Talladega, where he’s division champ); McKenzie's Dale Lucas (10 victories in 602 Crates at Tri-County, Deep South and Southern); Muscle Shoals’s Seth McCormack (nine multidivision victories among three tracks); Margaret’s Adam Cummings (seven 602 Crate victories, including on Southern Thunder tour; CRUSA division runner-up); Eastaboga’s Derek Stewart (six 602 Crate victories en route to Talladega title); Falkville’s Greg Wilhite (five multidivision victories between North Alabama and Moulton); Leighton’s Haden Duncan (five 602 Crate victories); Hollywood’s Mark Bangs (two Super victories en route to Fort Payne title, one paying $3,000); Oxford’s Cruz Skinner (three Crate victories at three tracks); Russellville’s Bryson Mitchell (three victories en route to North Alabama Limited title); Adamsville’s Garrett Glass (three victories en route to Talladega’s Limited title); Smiths Station's Bubba Gorman (two EAMS victories and Dothan's Peanut Classic for 602 Crates); Eldridge's Adam Tidwell (two 602 Crate victories en route to Thunder Valley title)
Best homegrown performance: Capping his comeback season, hometown driver Montana Dudley leads all the way for 604 Crate Late Model victory worth $5,000 during East Alabama’s National 100 weekend.
Most improved driver: Hayden’s Trace Armstrong, a 602 Crate winner at Moulton.
Best newcomers: Florence’s Eli Brewer (two Moulton Crate victories); Danville's Jace Blaxton (first 602 Crate victory at Moulton).
Most memorable moment: Sam Seawright’s flat tire in Talladega’s Ice Bowl opens the door for Ray Cook to win the Super Late Model event for a third time.
Biggest news: Cuba’s Mike Boland, founder of Trak-Star Race Cars and a seven-time Mississippi State champion, is inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame with the Class of 2023. … East Alabama’s 49th National 100 pays a race-record $49,000 with Chris Madden winning for the third time. … Brandon Overton earns a track-record $50,000 in a World of Outlaws event at Talladega. … Colten Miller’s JCM Motorsports hires Mississippi driver Spencer Hughes after running most of 2023 with Wil Herrington, who departs the team. … Extensive improvements are made at Penton (Ala.) Raceway are under way under the new ownership Danny Carswell along with Jamie and Amanda Godbee with plans to reopen in 2024. … Buckshot Speedway expands its special-event programs, including running a track-richest $10,000-to-win Super Late Model event in December. … Connecting with Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist, local driver Richie Stephens drives a Team Zero Race Car at East Alabama’s National 100, earning the pole position. … New promoters take over Winfield’s Thunder Valley Speedway for 2024 with plans to call the track West Alabama Speedway. … Hueytown’s Red Farmer and late Southern All Star founder B.J. Parker of Adamsville are enshrined in Hall of Fame at Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Speedway. ... The Alabama-based Crate Racin’ USA Series gets new title sponsorship from Rogers Dabbs Chevrolet.
Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas
Top performer: Trumann, Ark.’s Kyle Beard tallies five victories including a career-high $12,000 in Batesville's Bad Boy 98. He wins twice apiece on the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series and Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series, finishing second in points on both tours, and adds another victory at Old No. 1 Speedway. He tallies 18 top-five finishes in 58 starts.
Best national drivers: New Waverly, Texas’s Tyler Erb (three victories overall in 110 starts, one victory on Lucas Oil circuit; eighth in Lucas Oil points with eight top-fives in 53 starts); Robeline, La.'s Cade Dillard (three victories overall, one semifeature with World of Outlaws; 10th in WoO points with two top-fives in 35 starts).
Best regional drivers: Kyle Beard; Batesville, Ark.’s Billy Moyer Jr. (five victories overall, including four on Super tours, three en route to Comp Cams title); Jonesboro, Ark.’s Steven Crocker (11 victories among five tracks; Legends tour champion with two series victories); Bridge City, Texas's Corey Neil Jr. (five ACLMS victories); Batesville, Ark.'s Billy Moyer (three victories, including MARS triumph at Farmer City and $6,600 Hayden Ross Memorial in Muskogee, Okla.); Cabot, Ark.'s Chandler Petty (series-leading six Legends tour victories; series runner-up); Searcy, Ark.’s Tyler Stevens (MLRA and Comp Cams victories; $10,000 Super Bee payday and wins Springfield debut); Bossier City, La.'s B.J. Robinson (Comp Cams victory and third in series points with series-high 11 top-five finishes); Boyd, Texas’s Jeffrey Abbey (five ACLMS victories en route to Crate tour title); Aledo, Texas’s Kaden Honeycutt (two ACLMS victories); Brenham, Texas's Austin Theiss (four victories at three tracks, including ACLMS triumph at Devil's Bowl).
Best weekly drivers: Grand Prairie, Texas’s Jim Moon (13 victories en route to Big O title); LaCoste's, Texas's Ryan Doyon (eight victories en route to I-37 title); Greenwell Springs, La.'s Brady Walton (eight Crate victories in 18 starts, seven en route to Baton Rouge title); Marion, Ark.'s Nathan Brown (seven victories, six at Riverside); Yellville, Ark.'s Hunter Duren (five North Central Arkansas victories); Garland, Texas's Trey Langley (five Big O victories); Keithville, La.’s Tony Lindsey (five Crate victories among four tracks; ACLMS triumph at Heart O' Texas); Arlington, Texas's Sloppy Hogg (five Big O victories); Walnut Ridge, Ark.’s Tony Anglin (five victories among three tracks; 602 Crate champ at West Plains); Brookland, Ark.’s Kyle Downs (three Limited victories at Crowley's Ridge); Bossier City, La.’s David Winslett (three Crate victories); Bono, Ark.'s Mark Nichols (three Crowley's Ridge victories); Sweet Lake, La.'s Wyatt Wilkerson (three Crate victories); West Monroe, La.'s Darin Patrick (two victories en route to Crate title at Super Bee); West Monroe, La.’s Chase Delrio (two Crate victories at Super Bee); Flatwood, La.'s Jerry Basco (victory en route to Sabine crown).
Best homegrown performance: After missing most of the season because of severe burns suffered in a May go-karting accident, Ethel, La.’s Luke Bennett captures October's Louisiana State Championship Crate Late Model feature at Baton Rouge.
Most improved drivers: Brady Walton; Castor, La.'s Colton Guin (Super Bee victory).
Best newcomers: Ryan Doyon; Fannin, Texas's Broc Bowen (I-37 victory).
Most memorable moment: Dale McDowell grabs the lead from Jonathan Davenport on the 35th lap at Batesville Motor Speedway and races to a $50,000 Lucas Oil Series victory in the Comp Cams Topless 100 a full 19 years after his first victory in the event.
Biggest news: Yancy Martin, a track worker at Chatham, La.'s Super Bee Speedway, dies from injuries suffered during a Labor Day weekend race program when he's struck by a Crate Late Model that flipped out of the track near the pit entrance at the end of the frontstretch. He was 63. .... Sabine Speedway promoter Bubba Jones and former ArkLaTex Speedway general manager Ralo Pilkington purchase Greenwood, La.'s Boothill Speedway. ... Alexandria, La., native Randall Edwards departs Ohio's Best Performance Motorsports to work with Georgia driver Garrett Smith before a late-season move to the Longhorn Chassis house car program. ... Arkansas-based Legends Late Model Series gets title sponsorship from Jacksonville, Ark.'s Titan Race Cars. ... Paul Tribble, owner of Harrisburg, Ark.'s Old No. 1 Speedway, recovers from injuries when he's struck by a race car during a May racing program. ... Texana Raceway Park cancels a September ACLMS event because of storm damage. ... Houston, Texas-based Hass Horizontal sponsors WoO's bonuses for winningest feature, heat and consolation winners. ... Wichita Falls, Texas's Deatherage Opticians sponsors Lucas Oil's Most Popular Driver award. ... The Comp Cams Super Dirt Series joins DIRTcar's sanctioning umbrella for 2023. ... Texas team owner Chris Bragg fields a Late Model for California driver Ethan Dotson most of the season, then partners with Pennsylvania driver Drake Troutman for fall and winter events. ... Mesquite, Texas's Devil's Bowl Speedway, formerly a weekly Late Model track, closes with promoter Lanny Ross Edwards selling the property. ... North Texas-based American Crate Late Model Series (ACLMS) and South Texas-based All Star Crate Late Model Series merge. ... Glenmora, La.'s Thunder Valley Speedway closes in the spring after hosting three Crate Late Model events. ... Ken Rogers of KR Promoters steps down postseason as promoter of the Donnie Powers-owned ArkLaTex Speedway in Vivian, La. ... West Memphis's Riverside International Speedway in 2024 to become first Arkansas track to host a DIRTcar Summer Nationals event. ... Scott Coleman of Osceola, Ark.'s Big River Steel receives the Mike Swims Award of Excellence from the Lucas Oil Series for his longtime sponsorship and support.
Florida
Top performer: Winning his first Crate Racin’ USA tour title, Middleburg’s Mark Whitener wins a series-best six victories including three five figure paydays at Needmore, Magnolia and Cochran. His 15 top-fives on the series are twice as many as any competitor with a series-best 17 top-10s in 21 starts. He notches nine victories overall.
Best national drivers: Brandon's Kyle Bronson (three victories overall and fourth in World of Outlaws points; 11 top-fives in 38 WoO starts); Jacksonville’s Earl Pearson Jr. (10th in Lucas Oil Series points with three top-five finishes in 54 starts).
Best regional drivers: Mark Whitener; Milton’s Joseph Joiner (six Super Late Model victories among four tours and Hunt the Front tour runner-up; two Crate victories); Jupiter’s Clay Harris (six multidivisional victories at five tracks including Whynot Fall Classic semifeature); St. Augustine’s Trey Mills (Hunt the Front Rookie of the Year with one tour victory; fifth in HTF points); Jacksonville’s Kyle Van Sickle (two Southern Clash victories); Ocala’s Jackson Hise (two top-fives en route to fourth-place finish in CRUSA touring points).
Best weekly drivers: Fort White’s Nevin Gainey (eight multidivision victories among four tracks); Holt’s Colton Leyendecker (five multidivision victories among three tracks, including American All-Star triumph at Buckshot); Clay Hill's Bubba Roling (eight multidivision victories between Needmore and All-Tech, where he's 602 Crate champ); Starke's Jason Garver (three victories, including $10,000 triumph at Hendry County); St. Augustine's David Showers Jr. (four Crate victories between Volusia and All-Tech); Fruitland Park's Garret Stewart (three 604 Crate victories; All-Tech champ); Altha's Eli Johnson (four Hendry County victories en route to track title); Mossy Head's Bud Thompson (three 602 Crate victories en route to Southern Raceway title); Milton, Fla.’s JC Wilson (four 602 Crate victories at three tracks; Tri-County champ); Dade City’s Brenden Smith (two Hendry County victories); Pace’s Osman Jones (two 602 Crate victories at Deep South); Navarre's Kyle Bryant (two 602 Crate victories at Deep South).
Best homegrown performance: Jupiter's Clay Harris scores his first Super Late Model victory in October in a semifeature at Whynot Motorsport Park's Fall Classic in Meridian, Miss.
Most improved drivers: Trey Mills; Bubba Roling; Callahan's Kole Platt (three 602 Crate victories at Volusia and Golden Isles).
Best newcomers: Jacksonville's Adam Bennett (602 Crate victory at Volusia; second in division points); Jacksonville's Kale Van Sickle (602 Crate victory at Volusia).
Most memorable moment: An on-track incident involving racers Ashton Winger and G.R. Smith in March's Southern All Star action at Southern Raceway's Battle at the Beach in Milton boils into physical pit-area altercations leading to the arrests of Winger, his father Gary, and a Smith team member.
Biggest news: Dickie Murphy, a National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer who first rose to fame as a World 100-winning car owner and became the longtime owner and promoter of Florida Speedweeks fixture Volusia County Speedway, dies in May at the age of 81. He owned and operated the high-profile Barberville oval from 1982-92 and again from 1998-2005. ... Gibsonton's East Bay Raceway Park is expected to close in 2024 with the scheduled sale of the track to a neighboring fertilizer producer, but the track announces plans for a $50,000-to-win finale next October. ... Besides East Bay, Speedweeks events in 2023 are held at Volusia, All-Tech and Bubba Raceway Park. ... Ormond Beach-based Germfree sponsors the Rookie of the Year program on the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series circuit. ... Milton-based Hunt the Front Series launches with successful Super Late Model season in the Southeast and announces plans for bigger 2024, including a $50,000 reward to tour champion, among the richest non-national touring payoffs in Dirt Late Model history. ... Riverview team owner Jeff Mathews fields the DIRTcar Summer Nationals-championship winning car for Georgia's Ashton Winger. ... Scott Bloomquist has brief stints in cars owned by Augie Burttram's Big Frog Motorsports of Ocala and Baker's Devin Jones. ... Returning to racing after several years off, West Palm Beach's Christian Augspurger collects a $3,000 victory in September at Hendry County Motorsports Park.
Georgia
Top performer: Blairsville's Jonathan Davenport scores 12 victories for the Double L Motorsports team, topped by his $129,000 triumph at Eldora's Dream. He added a $30,000 victory in Tyler County's Hillbilly 100 during a season where he finished fourth in Lucas Oil Series points after dropping out of the title-deciding Dirt Track World Championship late in the race. He had 52 top-fives in 92 Late Model starts overall. J.D. also made his first NASCAR Cup start on Bristol's dirt and captured a multidiscipline victory on the Camping World SRX Series at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Best national drivers: Jonathan Davenport; Evans’s Brandon Overton (sixth in Lucas Oil Series points with three victories in 53 starts, including $50,000 Talladega payday; nine victories overall with 40 top-fives in 101 starts); Zebulon’s Shane Clanton (11th in WoO points; winless in 74 starts overall with eight top-fives).
Best regional drivers: Chickamauga’s Dale McDowell (10 victories among five tours including $100,000 XRSS payday at Volunteer and $50,000 Topless 100 at Batesville); Hampton’s Ashton Winger (16 multidivision victories including six en route to the Summer Nationals title; victories on four other tours, including first with Lucas Oil, series-best three with HTF and $15,000 Whynot Fall Classic triumph); Evans’s Cody Overton (10 multidivision victories in four states; $10,000 victories at Needmore and Swainsboro and $5,000 tour triumphs at VMS, Swainsboro and Eldora); Hawkinsville’s Wil Herrington (two Hunt the Front victories and Spring Nationals triumph; third in HTF points); Douglasville’s Michael Page (two Super victories including HTF win at Senoia); Dawsonville’s Donald McIntosh (two victories, including Ultimate Southeast finale in Elkin, N.C.); Commerce’s Payton Freeman ($10,570 Russell Thomas Memorial winner at Sugar Creek; eight top-fives); Kingston's Tyler Millwood (Ultimate Southeast and CRUSA tour victories); Dublin’s Caleb Gay (Southern All Star champ; four SAS top-fives and three Crate victories); Ringgold's Dylan Perry (Red Clay Series champ); Statesboro's Jim Rogers (Southern Clash title).
Best weekly drivers: Statham’s Chris Woods (22 Limited and 602 Crate victories at Lavonia and Winder-Barrow); Valdosta's Cole Exum (10 604 and 602 Crate victories among four tracks); Brooks's Matt Dooley (seven multidivision victories, six at Senoia); Winder’s Ken Lampp (10 Limited victories en route to Winder-Barrow title); LaGrange’s Jake Traylor (10 multidivision victories; East Alabama 604 champ); Hamilton's Ricky Culpepper (division-leading six 604 Crate victories at East Alabama); Auburn's Drew Collins (four Limited victories at three tracks, including Topless Outlaw victory); Comer's Bubba Russell (two Limited victories en route to Lavonia title); LaGrange’s Dusty Jones ($7,500 and $5,000 East Alabama victories in Limited division); Senoia's Joey Armistead (three Senoia Limited victories in six starts); Macon's Brandon McDaniel (seven 602 Crate victories at Senoia and East Alabama); Lavonia’s Blake Craft (six Limited victories at three tracks); Hull's Nathan Bray (three 602 Crate victories en route to Lavonia title); Locust Grove's Payton Stevenson (Senoia-leading four 602 Crate victories); Chatsworth’s Jeff Smith (five multidivision victories between Talladega and North Georgia); Harlem's Cameron Tribble (five 602 Crate victories among three tracks); Macon's Hunter Peacock (three Crate victories, including Swainsboro's $3,000 Pine Tree 100).
Best homegrown performance: Rallying from 11th, Gray's Jordy Nipper takes the lead at halfway at Cochran Motor Speedway and races to a $10,000 victory, his first with the Southern All Star circuit and one of four 2023 checkered flags overall.
Most improved driver: Blairsville's Tucker Anderson, six multidivsion victories among three tracks and 27 top-five finishes in 44 appearances. Two UCRA victories at Sugar Creek.
Best newcomers: Moultrie’s Chase Giddens, four 602 Crate victories among three tracks.
Most memorable moment: Swinging wide exiting turn four, Brandon Overton slips around Ricky Thornton Jr. on the last lap of the Super Bowl of Racing finale at Golden Isles for a $25,000 Lucas Oil Series victory.
Biggest news: Evans's Ed Basey, the 2003 Carolina Clash champion who among 300 dirt racing victories won on the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series, Southern All Stars and Clash circuits, dies in September after a battle with cancer. "The Gambler" was 63. ... Ringgold's Boyd's Raceway suspends racing and apparently closes for good after general manager Larry Dismukes in April announces the sale of the third-mile oval to an excavating firm. The 71-year-old track on the Georgia-Tennessee border has hosted national touring events among other specials in recent seasons. ... Former Dixie Speedway Late Model champion Frank Ingram of Kennesaw is killed in an accident on Interstate 75 when he's by struck a vehicle while working as a tow-truck driver. The former Ice Bowl winner was 48. ... Ozzie Altman, best known for his four-year announcing stint with the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series during the national tour’s 1995-98 heyday, is part of the Class of 2023 for the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. The 65-year-old Altman’s Atlanta-based Victory Lane Communications served various racing roles for many years. ... The Swims family reopens Rome Speedway, but Dixie Speedway remains dark. The family paused promotions amid 2022's passing passing of family matriarch Martha Swims, who died at 80 from cancer. ... Eatonton youngster Garrett Smith, 2022's Dirt Track World Champion, goes winless in 2023 amid crew chief and chassis changes. ... Shane Clanton ends a four-year run with Iowa's Skyline Motorsports. ... Wil Herrington ends stint with Alabama's JCM Motorsports. ... Maysville's Coltman Farms team fields Super Late Models for Kenny Collins and David McCoy with California driver Ethan Dotson joining team and Collins departing late in season. ... Norman Park's Needmore Speedway plans for March 2024's Southern Heritage Classic including a $10,000-to-win Southern Clash event. ... Payton Freeman starts season with G.R. Smith's Team 22 Inc. but quickly returns to his family-based operation after Smith is involved in a racing altercation with Ashton Winger in Milton, Fla. ... Donald McIntosh replaces Ross Bailes in the North Carolina-based Billy Hicks Racing entry at midseason. ... Blue Ridge's Sugar Creek Raceway endures concession stand and suite fire in May and goes on to successful season. ... Illinois businessman and modified racer Steve Stevenson purchases Brunswick's Golden Isles Speedway from Kyle Bronson and his race team owner Wayne Hammond. Stevenson makes plans for improvements of the track's camping areas and entertainment possibilities beyond racing. ... Crate Late Model racer Michael Lee Wedincamp works to complete Daisy Speedway, a track patterned after Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway on a 210-acre motocross and concert venue he purchased in 2018. ... Senoia Raceway founder Hence Pollard is posthumously inducted into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame with the Class of 2023. Longtime Dixie Speedway announcer Johnny Clark is honored at the induction ceremonies with the Jimmy Mosteller Media Award. ... Former Dixie Speedway Late Model regular Granger Howell of Kingston dies in January. He was 61. ... Idle the past two seasons, Dixie Speedway announces plans to reopen for racing in 2024. ... Cody Overton lands ride with Dave Steine’s Tri Star team to run with the World of Outlaws in 2024.
Kentucky
Top performer: Verona's Josh Rice tallies 13 victories among four series including four five-figure paydays. His richest victory comes with $15,022 in Lake Cumberland’s Harold Hardgrove and he captures the Valvoline Iron-Man North title. Rice also makes the starting field for Eldora’s Dream (19th) and World 100 (29th).
Best national drivers: Benton's Tanner English finishes ninth in World of Outlaws points with a semifeature victory and 10 top-fives in 38 starts; he won four races overall, including $10,000 paydays at Duck River's Gobbler and MARS action in Brownstown, Ill.
Best regional drivers: Josh Rice; Salvisa’s Michael Chilton (five Super victories including $10,000 Bluegrass Nationals sweep at Richmond); Lancaster’s Dustin Linville (six Crate victories among four tracks, including $5,000 paydays at Brownstown and Richmond; Ultimate Heart of America champ); Hebron’s Josh Dietz (American All-Star Series runner-up; four Crate victories including All-Stars at Beckley and $5,000 at Richmond); Junction City’s Logan Walls (three Crate victories including All-Stars tour at Rockcastle, where he wins title).
Best weekly drivers: Grayson’s A.J. Hicks (14 Crate victories en route to American All-Stars weekly championship); Kite’s Brandon Fouts (nine multidivision victories among three tracks); Olympia’s Derek Fisher (seven Super victories between Mudlick Valley and 191); Milton's Trent Green (eight victories between MRP and Florence, where he’s Crate champ); Inez’s Kenneth Howell (seven Super victories at Mudlick Valley); Campbellsville’s Jeff Watson (nine Crate victories among four tracks; Lake Cumberland title); Martin’s Shannon Thornsberry (six Super victories at Willard); Whitesburg’s Oscar McCown (four Crate victories among three tracks); Murray’s Levi Scarbrough (three 602 Crate victories en route to Paducah title); Princeton’s Dustin Rollins (three 602 Crate victories); Vanceburg’s Robbie Lewis (two Limited victories at Portsmouth); South Shore’s Avery Taylor (Super victories at Willard and Mudlick Valley); Verona’s Brad Rickels (two Crate victories at Florence); Ashland’s Kirk Phillips (Super title at Portsmouth); Evyian Terry (Limited victory en route to Portsmouth title); Smithland’s Adam Ray (Clarksville Crate champ).
Best homegrown performance: Paducah’s Dylan Thompson rallies from eighth to score a last-lap pass over a detoured Shannon Babb at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., for his first career DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory.
Most improved drivers: Owensboro’s Zach Dennis (three 602 Crate victories en route to Windy Hollow title); Liberty’s Shane Irvin (two Crate victories at Rockcastle); Crab Orchard’s Dalton Brown (first career Crate victory at Rockcastle).
Best newcomers: Alexandria’s Daniel Selby, Florence’s Rookie of the Year in Crate division.
Most memorable moment: Two laps after Ricky Thornton Jr. wrestles the lead from Bobby Pierce, Pierce goes back ahead at Florence Speedway to lead the final 11 laps of the $75,000 North-South 100 and complete a three-victory weekend on the Lucas Oil Series.
Biggest news: Grayson’s Jackie Boggs, the barrel-chested driver with a gruff exterior among the Bluegrass State’s winningest dirt racers during his prime, is posthumously inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in the Class of 2023. … Louisville resident Todd Turner, the managing editor at DirtonDirt.com, is set to be inducted with the Class of 2024. … Tanner English joins Viper Motorsports with the team switching to BMF Race Cars from Longhorn for 2024. ... Ashland native and Bowling Green resident Steve Francis completes first full season as director of the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series. ... Campbellsville’s James Rattliff Racing fields team for North Carolina driver Daulton Wilson for the second season on the Lucas Oil Series with Wilson finishing seventh in tour points. … Richmond Raceway owner Bill Lupinos, a former PepsiCo marketing executive who six months earlier joined Fastrak as vice president, purchases the 20-year-old racing organization from founder Stan Lester. … Wallingford’s Mudlick Valley Raceway runs its richest-ever event with Ohio’s Rod Conley earning $10,000 in the Fall 50 presented by Greentree Forest Products. … Pelted by a late-June storm, Richmond Raceway requires midseason repairs to bleachers, power poles and fences. … The Kentucky-based Valvoline Iron-Man Racing Series gets DIRTcar sanctioning for 2023. … Ponderosa Speedway’s Hall of Fame inductees for 2023: Bobby Carrier Sr., Eddie Carrier Sr., Paul “Big Daddy” Feistritzer, Mike Jewell, C.J. Rayburn, Timmy Yeager, Ann and Wayne Bowen, Archie and Donnie Coffman and Jeff Gullett. … Lake Cumberland Speedway’s Hall of Famers for 2023: Tommy Hargis, Carlos Morrow, Doug Smith, Danny Sumpter, Tim Taylor, Chubby Baird, Estill Baker and Jimmy Cundiff. … Somerset team owner Danny McGlothlin ends run with Tennessee racer Camaron Marlar at midseason. … Idle for seven seasons, Campton’s 191 Speedway reopens under new owners Norvell and Miranda Collinsworth with a reshaped and widened track. … Mountain Motor Complex reopens under new management. … More than 20 former Taylor County Speedway drivers along with former team owners, crew members, track officials and fans gather in September for a reunion on the Campbellsville, Ky., track’s former site, the Taylor County Fairgrounds. Fats Coffey, Gerald Dixon, Dale Atwood, Jeff Bland, Tim Tungate, Louis Brady and Buddy Anderson were among former racers on hand. … Derek Fisher notches his 100th career victory in September at 191 Speedway. … Modified champion Tyler Nicely of Owensboro makes several Late Model starts for Campbellsville’s Hatcher Racing. … Semi-retired Hall of Fame driver Darrell Lanigan makes a rare start and wins a $10,000 Crate event at Latrobe (Pa.) Speedway. ... Eric Meade of London’s Map-It-Right Engineering & Land Surveying dies in June. The 43-year-old was a longtime sponsor of Verona’s Rice Brothers Racing. ... Promoter Ray Cook announced Brasstown’s Tri-County Racetrack will remain dark while the Wimpey family attempts to sell the 30-acre property listed at $1.25 million.
Mississippi
Top performer: Perkinston's Chase Cooper piles up 13 victories to capture the Crate Racin' USA weekly championship. The Hattiesburg champ posts 24 top-five finishes in 28 starts and more than triples his victory total (four) from the previous season.
Best national driver: Meridian's Spencer Hughes finishes 12th in Lucas Oil series points during a winless series campaign with six top-five finishes in 54 starts. His lone victory comes in a weekly Crate race at Whynot.
Best regional drivers: Columbus's Neil Baggett (MSCCS championship; two victories apiece on Comp Cams and MSCCS circuits); Leland’s Mike Palasini Jr. ($15,000 Gumbo Nationals sweep at Greenville); Columbus’s Brian Rickman (Comp Cams victory at Jackson); Four Corners's David Breazeale (third place in Cotton Pickin' 100 finale); Plantersville's Evan Ellis (first MSCCS victory at Whynot).
Best weekly drivers: Chase Cooper; Kilmichael’s Randall Beckwith (seven 604 Crate victories among three tracks; Magnolia champ); Chatham’s Ryan Colby (seven 604 Crate victories among four tracks, including $3,000 at Gumbo Nationals); Lumberton’s Shannon Lee (six 604 Crate victories; CRUSA runner-up) Weir's Bailey Callahan (seven 602 Crate victories between Whynot and Magnolia, where he's champ); Guntown's Jarrett Jones (five 602 Crate victories at Columbus); Meridian’s Casey Haney (four 604 Crate victories en route to Whynot title); Poplarville’s K.I. Davis III (four 604 Crate victories; third in CRUSA points); Nesbit's Brandon Poppenheimer (four victories en route to Riverside title in West Memphis, Ark.) Brandon’s Tyler D. Hudson (four 602 Crate victories en route to Jackson title); Iuka, Miss.'s Covy Parsons (four 602 Crate victories, including two on Southern Thunder circuit); West's Terry Wilson (five 602 Crate victories, including one on Southern Thunder series); Seminary's David Williamson (two 604 Crate victories at Jackson); Meridian's Nick Thrash (three 602 Crate victories including Southern Thunder triumph); Decatur’s Chris McElhenney (two 604 Crate victories at Jackson); Meridian's Randy Boyd (two 602 Crate victories en route to Whynot crown); Pontotoc's Kurt Radojcsics (one 602 Crate victory en route to Corinth title); Florence's Sid Scarbrough (Jackson 604 Crate title); Hattiesburg’s Jason Jarrell (two 604 Crate victories at Jackson).
Best homegrown performance: Mike Palasini Jr. collects a career-high $15,000 by sweeping Greenville Speedway's Gumbo Nationals weekend.
Most improved drivers: Chase Cooper; Ryan Colby; Sidon's Anthony Andrews (two Crate victories en route to Greenville title).
Best newcomer: Saucier’s Jade Luzenberg wins Crate debut at Deep South piloting a Zack Hunter-owned car.
Most memorable moment: Florida teen Trey Mills wins a late-race battle with Payton Freeman at Whynot for his first Super Late Model victory and a $5,000 payday in a Hunt the Front-MSCCS event.
Biggest news: Retired racer and veteran promoter Johnny Stokes of Columbus is set to join the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2024. The three-time Mississippi State champ was a frequent Super Late Model touring winner in the 1980s and '90s and first promoted Columbus Speedway before taking his skills across town to Magnolia Motor Speedway. ... The Mississippi-focused Southern Thunder Series runs its first season for 602 Crate Late Models. Former racer Mike Boland of Boland Performance and Trak-Star Race Cars in Cuba, Ala., and Robert Brown of Aberdeen's Brown Engineering Racing Engines found the tour. ... Financial struggles force promoters Billy Barton and Craig Rouse to close Perkinston's Outlaw Speedway before midseason. ... Guntown's Pine Ridge Speedway, a track that’s been idle since 2006, is slated to reopen in 2024 under Charles Moudy, a longtime race team owner and sponsor of nearby Baldwin. Bryan Fortner will promote the track and Matt White will serve as announcer. ... With Indiana-based PCC Motorsports scaling down, Meridian's Spencer Hughes ends his 30-month run with the team and joins Alabama's JCM Motorsports late in 2023. ... Brandon's Rogers Dabbs Chevrolet named title sponsor of Crate Racin’ USA Series beginning in 2024.
North Carolina
Top performer: Lincolnton’s John Ruggiero Jr. races to 15 multidivision victories including a career-high $20,000 payday in Cochran (Ga.) Motor Speedway's Labor Day Shootout for 602 Crate Late Models. He adds another $5,000 victory in Swainsboro, Ga., in spreading success among five tracks.
Best national drivers: Mooresville's Nick Hoffman (fifth in WoO points with his first series victory and 13 top-fives in 38 starts; four victories overall including two on first-year Workin' Man Series); Fayetteville’s Daulton Wilson (seventh in Lucas Oil Series points with 14 top-five finishes in 53 starts; XR-connected victories at Nebraska's Off Road Speedway and South Carolina's Cherokee Speedway).
Best regional drivers: Lincolnton’s Carson Ferguson (five touring victories and Schaeffer's Spring Nationals champ; career-richest $23,000 Hunt the Front victory at Swainsboro); Wilson’s Michael Rouse (12 victories among three tracks including $10,000 Steel Block Bandits triumph and nine en route to I-95 Challenge title); Mount Holly’s Chris Ferguson ($20,000 SAS victory at Cherokee and Lucas Oil semifeature at Smoky Mountain); Pine Level’s Dustin Mitchell (six victories among three tours); Wake Forest's Christian Thomas (two Ultimate Southeast victories); Roanoke Rapids’s Willie Milliken (Ultimate Southeast champion; Clash victory and three Crate wins); Hope Mills's Shaun Harrell (four Limited victories at three tracks, including I-95 Challenge triumph); Mooresville’s Kyle Strickler (15th in Eldora's World 100 and 22nd in Dream; 12 top-10 finishes mostly in national touring events); Ararat's Steve Blackburn (three Blue Ridge Outlaw victories); Rocky Mount's Michael Batten ($10,000 Cash Money 100 winner on Bandits tour at Fayetteville); Stanley's Jay Sessoms (three Blue Ridge Outlaw victories); Clemmons's Preston Blalock (four 602 Crate victories at four tracks); Denver’s Adam Yarbrough (Clash victory at Sumter); Rutherfordton's Gray Parton (first Clash victory and tour's Rookie of the Year).
Best weekly drivers: John Ruggiero Jr.; Murphy’s David Payne (six victories between Tri-County and Sugar Creek, where he scores $5,000 SAS triumph); Bessemer City’s Mark Greene (five Limited victories; Carolina Speedway champ); Murphy's Colton Berrong (five 602 Crate victories; Tri-County title); Danbury's Jamison McBride (six 602 Crate victories between Wythe and Fayetteville); Elm City's John Carroll (four 602 Crate victories; Halifax County champ); Elkin’s Daniel Durham (four 602 Crate victories at Wythe, where he's second in points); Reidsville's Dalton Jacobs (six 602 Crate victories among three tracks); Warne's Danny Ledford (three Limited victories; Tri-County champ); Raeford’s Daniel Parker (two Mid-East 602 victories); Rutherfordton’s Jake Jackson (two 602 Crate victories at Harris); Murphy's Dylan Beaver (three 602 Crate victories at Tri-County); Elizabeth City’s Larry Jackson (two Dixieland victories); Statesville's Teddy Musgrave (Crate champ at Cherokee with single victory).
Best homegrown performance: Winning his richest victory and first Southern All Star race, Murphy's Jamie Oliver earns $10,034 in winning Tri-County Racetrack's C.T. Barnett Memorial, a race honoring his late grandfather.
Most improved drivers: John Carroll; Gastonia's Brandon Dockery (three Blue Ridge Outlaw tour victories); Gray's Creek's Chase Blackwell (two 602 Crate victories).
Best newcomer: Nantahala's Kenny Cope, first 602 Crate victory at Tri-County.
Most memorable moment: Ricky Thornton Jr. rallies from 11th for a $25,000 victory in the finale of Charlotte's World Finals.
Biggest news: A titan of the sport whose championship-winning career spanned from Dirt Late Model racing’s earliest days to the last of 784 career victories coming on its latest-generation tour, the venerable Freddy Smith — forever known as the Southern Gentleman — dies in October after a brief battle with leukemia. The Kings Mountain, N.C., native and record-setting five-time Dirt Track World Championship winner was 76. ... China Grove's Longhorn Chassis ends house car run with Tim McCreadie and Burlington-based Paylor Motorsports, naming Brandon Sheppard the house car driver for 2024. ... Payton Freeman leaves Cornelius-based Team 22 Inc. early in season with team owner G.R. Smith making occasional starts the rest of 2023. Smith taps big-block modified driver Max McLaughlin to tackle the WoO tour in 2024. ... Charlotte’s World Finals goes to full four-day format with WoO qualifying night followed by pair of $15,000-to-win features and $25,000-to-win finale. ... Former publisher and promoter Ernie Elkins of Cherokee Speedway and the Charlotte-based Racing News joins the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in the Class of 2023. ... The Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 will include Rutherfordton's Ricky Weeks, a five-time Carolina Clash champion, and Charlotte native Greg Fielden, a racing historian and prolific author of several NASCAR books. ... Colossal 100 dormant again after run at Charlotte in 2022 on the XR Super Series. ... Franklin's David McCoy runs Super Late Models with Georgia-based Coltman Farms team with a best finish of third in the Hunt the Front Series event at Lavonia. ... Wade's Daniel Adam plots 2024 run on a national Super Late Model tour. ... Stanley's East Lincoln Motor Speedway drops its Limited Late Model division in 2023. ... Double Nickel Race Cars get first major victory when car builder Benji Hicks wins on Carolina Clash circuit at Lavonia. ... Morganton's The Speedway at Horsepower Park, the former Antioch Speedway, plans a bi-weekly racing schedule in 2024 at the track owned by Kaila Savage and Paul Strong with a pair of Ultimate Southeast events. ... Race team owner Bobby Koehler buys the racetrack in Elkin, N.C., and renames it Ultimate Motorsports Park, reopening it for the second half of 2023 with plans for an XR Super Series event in 2024. Wayne Quesinberry will promote the 40-year-old track. ... Koehler fields a touring team for Newport, Tenn.'s Jimmy Owens along with his sons Jordan and Evan. ... The Mid-East Racing Association runs two Super Late Model events at Cherokee with plans for a tour in 2024 to join the organization's Crate Late Model action. ... Mount Airy team owner Billy Hicks in June puts Georgian Donald McIntosh in his car to replace Ross Bailes. ... Jack Wimpey, the founder of Brasstown's Tri-County Racetrack, dies in February at 95. ... North Wilkesboro's Josh Richeson drives his self-designed Legacy Chassis to a May 27 victory at West Virginia's Elkins Raceway. ... Steel Block Bandits land title sponsorship from Vision Wheel for 2024 season.
South Carolina
Top performer: Gray Court’s Chris Madden scores nine victories, including a season-richest $49,000 payday for his third career National 100 victory at East Alabama Motor Speedway. He finishes second in World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series points for the third time with three full-field victories and 20 top-five finishes in 38 starts. Among other victories are a Speedweeks triumph at Volusia, Lucas Oil semifeature at Minnesota’s Deer Creek Speedway and his ninth Blue-Gray 100 victory at Cherokee.
Best national driver: Chris Madden.
Best regional drivers: Clover’s Ross Bailes (three five-figure Super Late Model paydays, including $20,000 Beckley USA 100); Enoree’s Zack Mitchell (seven victories including four on Super Late Model tours and three five-figure scores); Rock Hill’s Ben Watkins (seven Super Late Model touring victories with Clash and Ultimate; Carolina Clash champion); Gaffney’s Dillon Brown (six victories on four Crate tours including $10,000 triumphs at Rome and All-Tech); Union’s Trent Ivey (three victories including $10,000 Mid-East and $5,000 SAS specials at Cherokee); York’s Jeremy Steele (six Crate victories among four tracks, five in touring competition; $10,000 American All-Star victory at Wythe); Woodruff’s Luke Cooper (seven 602 Crate victories, including a series-high six on GM Performance tour en route to title); Swansea's Scott Shirey (two Blue Ridge Outlaw victories en route to tour title); Inman’s David Smith (four GM Performance 602 tour victories); Gaffney’s Jacob Brown (two Mid-East 604 victories, including $7,500 at Lancaster); Hodges’s Dale Timms (eight 602 Crate victories, two with 602 Bandits sweep at Screven and GM 602 tour victory); Pageland’s Michael Brown ($10,000 Ultimate victory at Sumter); Gaffney’s Dennis Franklin (Ultimate Southeast runner-up).
Best weekly drivers: Lancaster’s Timbo Mangum (seven Limited victories between Lancaster and Carolina Speedway); Hopkins’s Justin Mintz (five Limited victories at Sumter); Chester’s Mike Huey (four Limited victories en route to Lancaster title); Hopkins’s Austin Mintz (three multidivision victories); Lyman's Dustin Taylor (602 Crate victory en route to Harris title).
Best homegrown performance: Electing to change tires during a mid-race fuel stop, Rock Hill’s Bryan Mullis rallies from 12th at Cherokee Speedway for a career-richest $20,000 payday in the American All-Star tour’s Summer South Sizzler.
Most improved driver: Luke Cooper.
Best newcomers: Rock Hill's Beckham Malone (11-year-old wins Charlotte's 602 Crate World Short Track Championship in division debut); Fountain Inn’s Michael Smith (three 602 Crate victories at Laurens County); Joanna’s Larry Teal (two 602 Crate victories en route to Laurens County crown).
Most memorable moment: Zack Mitchell turns back a last-lap slide job by Ben Watkins for a $12,000 victory in the Southern All Star-sanctioned Mike Duvall Memorial at Cherokee.
Biggest news: Aiken’s Travis Scott spends the season as announcer for the first-year Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series and is promoted to race director at season’s conclusion in anticipation of the 2024 season. ... Modoc’s Ronnie Powell-owned Little River Speedway remains dark after plans to reopen the track in 2023 fall through. … Ross Bailes splits with Billy Hicks Racing at midseason and shifts to the Barry Wright house car. … Nichols’s Lake View Motor Speedway adds Johnny Ray Calhoun, Lonnie “Roscoe” Gasque Sr. and Jimmy Doyle to the track’s Hall of Fame.
Tennessee
Top performer: Winfield’s Mike Marlar races to 12 prominent victories with six racing organizations including a Castrol FloRacing Night in America victory at Eldora and World Finals prelim victory at Charlotte. Marlar won four World of Outlaws events and three Lucas Oil events along with a Wild West Shootout race in Vado, N.M., and Ultimate Heart of America race in Clarksville, Tenn. Marlar also ended his 10-year run with car owner Ronnie Delk at season’s end, joining Iowa’s Skyline Motorsports.
Best national driver: Mike Marlar.
Best regional drivers: Loudon’s Cory Hedgecock (17 multidivisional victories, seven with five-figure paydays; $15,000 Spring Nationals at 411, $20,000 All-Stars at Beckley and $28,000 CRUSA at All-Tech top list); Newport’s Jimmy Owens (four victories split between HTF and Southern Nationals, where he captures tour title); Hohenwald’s Oakley Johns (eight multidivision victories among four tracks; Tennessee National Limited champ; first career SAS victory at Tennessee National); Knoxville’s Hayden Cardwell (seven Crate victories among three tracks; All-Stars victory at Smoky Mountain and $10,000 Alabama State Championship at EAMS); Crossville's Jesse Lowe (three victories en route to American All-Stars Crate title; four victories overall); Georgetown’s Skip Arp (three victories en route to Topless Outlaws title; $5,000 Bandits victory at Smoky Mountain); Decherd’s Jadon Frame (seven multidivision victories between Duck River and Clarksville, including two Topless Outlaw triumphs); Winchester’s Christian Hanger (six multidivision victories, including $5,000 Super victories at Duck River and North Alabama); Maryville’s Jason Welshan (three Crate touring victories); Knoxville’s Zach Sise (two All-Stars victories at Lake Cumberland); Sneedville's Jordon Horton (Topless Outlaw champ; $5,000 602 Crate victory at Clarksville); Delano's Matt Shannon (three victories, two with UCRA including $7,238 Fort Payne triumph; UCRA runner-up and Rookie of the Year); Newport's Josh Henry (Iron-Man South champ; first Super victory in $5,000 Workin' Man race at Mountain View).
Best weekly drivers: Wartburg's Drew Kennedy (11 multidivision hometown victories); Chattanooga’s Booger Brooks (10 multidivision victories at four tracks); Knoxville’s Kyle Courtney (nine multidivision victories between I-75 and Mountain View); Beech Bluff's Luke Buckley (nine 602 Crate victories at three tracks); Knoxville’s Josh Collins (six Crate victories; Tazewell champ); Ripley’s Ashley Newman (six Crate victories at four tracks); Cleveland’s Hayden Ownbey (six Limited victories between I-75 and Mountain View); Crossville’s Colton Profitt (five Limited victories); Maryville's Bobby Giffin (five Limited victories at I-75); Fayetteville’s Randy Gifford (four Limited victories; Duck River champ); Knoxville’s Addison Cardwell (four 602 Crate victories at Mountain View); McKenzie's Ronnie Cooper (five victories between Clarksville and Camden); Ripley's Brian Woodard (two victories en route to Crowley's Ridge title); Unionville’s Freddie Smith (two Limited victories en route to Thunderhill crown); Woodlawn’s Frank Haar (three 602 Crate victories in winning Clarksville title); Mount Pleasant’s Charlie Ray Howell (two 602 Crate victories en route to Tennessee National title); Lawrenceburg’s Grayson Brewer (three multidivision Moulton victories); McKenzie's Matt Cooper (four victories between Clarksville and Crowley's Ridge); Soddy Daisy's Jordan Rodabaugh (three Limited victories, including Topless Outlaws at Wartburg); Shelbyville’s Clint Nichols (three multidivision victories); Winfield's Skylar Marlar (three Crate victories in Kentucky).
Best homegrown performance: Luke Buckley is unbeaten in four 602 Crate events at Clayhill Motorsports Park.
Most improved drivers: Mohawk’s Brad Dyer (two Crate victories at I-75); Seymour's Terry Poore (three victories, including Southeastern tour triumph at Lavonia).
Best newcomer: Clinton's Anthony White Jr. ($10,037 Dylan Kennedy Memorial among two Wartburg Limited victories); Spring Hill’s Brayden Skinner (six 602 Crate victories en route to Duck River title).
Most memorable moment: Cory Hedgecock goes third to first on a late restart for at WoO victory at 411 Motor Speedway.
Biggest news: Health issues related to his 2019 motorcycle accident and prostate cancer surgery keeps Scott Bloomquist sidelined most of the season, but he makes a few late-season starts with a best finish of seventh at Charlotte's World Finals. ... Seymour's 411 Motor Speedway will be sold to a salvage yard operation, InsideDirtRacing reports in November. ... Multitime Late Model track champion Jason Deal of Copperhill misses the second half of the season after suffering internal injuries in a work-related accident when the 44-year-old is struck by trackhoe bucket. ... Smoky Mountain Speedway's Class of 2023 for its Hall of Fame: Dave Bilbrey, Greg Collins, Red Farmer, B.J. Parker, Steve Smith and Tony Stewart. ... After leaving Ramirez Motorsports, Newport's Jimmy Owens drives for Mount Airy, N.C.-based Koehler Motorsports in 2023, entering a mix of national and regional events. ... Atwood's Clayhill Motorsports Park reopens midseason for bi-weekly action with Justin Newman promoting the 3/8-mile oval for Bakersfield, Calif.-based Elite Automotive Group. ... Dave Marsali-promoted Lexington 104 Speedway reopens for the first time in more than a year and hosts a regular 602 Crate Late Model division. ... Longtime McMinnville racer Jeff Walker dies unexpectedly in September at 64. The likable driver had victories at Crossville, Baxter, Winchester, Duck River, Thunderhill, Atomic and Talladega over more than 25 years of competition. ... Deke Waters, who more than three years ago purchased Sparta’s Golden Mountain Raceway Park with Pat McMillan, announces plans to reopen the 3/8-mile oval in 2024. He plans for Crate Late Models among regular divisions with Super Late Model specials. ... A dirt-covered Bristol hosts Dirt Late Models for the third straight season, but with no national touring events. The track won’t host dirt races in 2024. … The Proffitt family attempts promotions of weekly events at Volunteer Speedway, but depart the Bulls Gap oval at midseason after struggling with car counts and spectator attendance. Crate racer Brad Dyer takes over the track and runs a few more events. ... Maryville’s Smoky Mountain Speedway runs on its shortened 3/8-mile layout after an offseason downsizing from its 4/10-mile configuration. … Ohio’s Devin Moran finishes second in Lucas Oil Series points in his first season with Morristown-based Double Down Motorsports. ... Dean Pugh, co-founder of Duck River Raceway Park with his brother Sam and a long-timer flagger at the track, dies in December at the age of 83. He also held roles at the Winchester and Thunderhill ovals. ... Four-time SAS champ Riley Hickman of Ooltewah, Tenn., plans return to Super Late Model racing in 2024 after stint ends assisting with operations at Boyd’s Speedway.
Editor's notes and correction: Fixes Scott Shirey to South Carolina capsule sted North Carolina; adds Drew Kennedy and Jesse Lowe to Tennessee capsule; clarifies departure of Kenny Collins in Georgia capsule; doubles Jake Traylor's victory total in Georgia capsule.
