DirtonDirt Dispatches
Dispatches: National 100 turns winner emotional
National 100 winner Wil Herrington and crew chief Randy Korte. (joshjamesartwork.com)
Notes and quotes from Dirt Late Model specials during the Oct. 30-31 weekend, including the National 100 at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City:
Oh, what a feeling
Wil Herrington was overcome by emotion as soon as his coveted triumph in Saturday’s 52nd National 100 finale at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City became a reality.
“When I took the checkered flag,” Herrington said, “I started crying like a little kid.”
The 30-year-old driver from Hawkinsville, Ga., continued tearing up once he reached the oval’s victory stage following his dominant, flag-to-flag win in the unsanctioned 60-lap feature. He earned $25,000 for his flawless effort in an event, and at a track, that means so much to him.
“I was sitting there earlier, just when we were just riding around (on the track), and I was just thinking of all the times I stood in turn one at this race and watched all the big names roll through here and qualify, and just looking like, ‘I want to be there one day,’” Herrington said, his voice cracking as he spoke. “I just hoped I could be here one day.”
Herrington lived his dream, capturing a race that’s one of the longest-running Dirt Late Model events in the country. He did it after a bitterly disappointing result in Friday’s 40-lap opener — he spun out of the lead on lap four from contact with eventual race winner Cody Overton of Evans, Ga. — and two months after landing a ride with Steve Lampley’s Illinois-based team that employs former DIRTcar national champion Randy Korte to maintain its equipment.
“Randy Korte, he stuck his neck out for me and got me this deal,” said Herrington, who began driving the team’s Rocket Chassis in late August after running a family-owned machine throughout the season. “Steve Lampley, the whole family, they had no idea who I was … thanks for trusting me to get in this race car.
“We’d been fast and we probably should have won about three or four races now and just had bad luck, but we just keep trying to plug away at it, and I told them, ‘We’re close.’ I kept saying, ‘We’re close.’”
Starting from the pole position, Herrington put his No. 33 into the lead at the initial green flag and never looked back. He built as much as a full straightaway edge over Brenden Smith of Dade City, Fla., who ran second for the entire distance, before winning by a modest 0.750 of a second only because he backed off his pace upon reaching slower traffic with the track laned-up around the bottom.
Herrington was a thankful driver after his first win with Lampley Racing and third overall victory of 2026. He hailed his owners and Korte, of course, but also his wife and young daughter, his parents and his grandmother for sticking behind him “all the time when I’m running up-and-down the road.” He also dedicated the race to his best friend, whose grandfather died Saturday morning.
And he thanked the “good Lord above” for giving him the direction to reach the highest point in his racing career.
“I just keep trying to trust His plan, and when things get rough, I know he’s got a good plan for me,” said Herrington, whose three previous National 100 finale starts (all over the 100-lap distance) yielded consecutive finishes of 17th, fourth and 21st from 2021-23. “I just gotta try to stick with it.” — Track and staff reports
No celebrating
Cody Overton was a $10,000 winner, but he couldn’t bring himself to truly celebrate. Not with his mind burdened by an incident he blamed himself for instigating early in Friday’s 40-lap National 100 opener at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City.
As the 29-year-old driver from Evans, Ga., leaned against his James Trantina III-owned Longhorn Chassis on EAMS’s victory lane stage, he fretted about the fourth lap of the feature when he made contact with leader Wil Herrington that sent the Hawkinsville, Ga., racer spinning between turns one and two.
“Man, I hate it for Wil,” Overton said. “Me and him got into it. Of course everybody on Facebook and the world’s gonna know we don’t get along the best, but that was 100 percent my fault. I knew better than that.
“I should be real happy about this, but I’m disappointed at the same time that I did something that dumb.”
Overton crossed the start-finish line in third place on lap four as Herrington, driving the Lampley Motorsports No. 33, nosed ahead of Carpentersville, Ill.’s Dennis Erb Jr. for the lead. Overton then ducked underneath Erb entering turn one and drove up on Herrington, who also kept his car toward the bottom of the track. The contact ensued as Overton was unable to avoid Herrington.
“I just thought he was gonna keep sliding up and slide Dennis, and he kind of came down,” Overton said of Herrington. “He did nothing wrong. It was all me. I take full responsibility, and I hate it.
“I do wanna tell Wil, whatever’s he got to say to me, I 100 percent deserve it. Whatever he’s gotta do (in response), he’s gotta do.”
Herrington showed his displeasure with Overton during the caution period, driving the wrong direction down the homestretch and pitching his car sideways in the middle of the track near the flagstand as the the Erb-led pack approached in single-file formation. He angrily motioned toward Overton as the eventual winner passed by the nose of Herrington’s car.
While Herrington restarted at the rear of the field and eventually retired on lap 21, Overton went on to pass Erb for the lead on lap 12 and control the remainder of the distance. It continued his recent hot streak — six wins in his last eight starts since mid-September, including a first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series triumph one week ago at Modoc (S.C.) Speedway — and came on a new track surface just laid down by EAMS officials.
“The track was awesome,” Overton said of the gray-colored surface that proved to be icy-slick and slower than the oval’s traditional red clay and produced multiple racing lanes. “Just really hats off to them for working on the racetrack. They’re learning. They’re new to it, we’re new to it. I know they can improve it.” — Track and staff reports
Streaming schedule
Among upcoming Dirt Late Model special and sanctioned events available via live streaming:
Thursday, Oct. 29
• World Short Track Championship time trials at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. (DIRTVision)
Friday, Oct. 30
• National 100 Super Late Model prelim at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala. (FloRacing)
• Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Halloween Nationals prelim at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park (FloRacing or Hunt the Front TV)
• Halloween Bash Super Late Model prelim at Pine Ridge Speedway in Guntown, Miss. (Crate Racin’ USA TV)
• World Short Track Championship prelims at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. (DIRTVision)
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Super Late Model prelims at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway (Diamond State Digital)
Saturday, Oct. 31
• National 100 Super Late Models at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala. (FloRacing)
• Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Halloween Nationals at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park (FloRacing or Hunt the Front TV)
• World Short Track Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. (DIRTVision)
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Super Late Models at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway (Diamond State Digital)
• Halloween Bash Super Late Models at Pine Ridge Speedway in Guntown, Miss. (Crate Racin’ USA TV)
• Save A Lot American Crate All-Star Series at Hidden Hollow Speedway in Colson, Ky. (Dirt Rich TV)
Sunday, Nov. 1
• National 100 604 and 602 Crate Late Models at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala. (FloRacing)
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