Dirt on Dirt - Mills draws pole for Fairbury's Prairie Dirt Classic

July 25

Fairbury Speedway,

Fairbury, IL

Sanction: World of Outlaws Late Model Series (Prairie Dirt Classic) - $50,000

Information provided by: Kevin Kovac, series and track reports (last updated July 25, 9:17 pm)

Mills draws pole for Fairbury's Prairie Dirt Classic

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Hudson O'Neal (6) won the second consolation and will start 18th in the PDC.

Key notes: The 36th annual Prairie Dirt Classic concludes with Saturday’s 100-lap, $50,000-to-win finale at Fairbury Speedway. … Jason Feger, Sam Seawright, Brandon Sheppard and Trey Mills each won one of Friday’s 25-lap, $5,000 semifeatures, clinching their spot in Saturday’s Prairie Dirt Classic along with the top-four finishers from each prelim; Sheppard is a three-time Prairie Dirt Classic champ (2017, ’19, ’22). … Consolations and a 25-lap, $3,500-to-win Prairie Dirt Shootout for non-qualifiers will precede Saturday’s main event. … Hudson O’Neal won Wednesday’s 50-lap FloRacing Series-sanctioned One for the Road event, which wasn’t directly connected with the PDC. … Brian Shirley led the final 77 laps to win last year’s Prairie Dirt Classic, his first victory in his 20th start in his home state’s crown jewel; Shirley earned more than $88,500, including $38,500 in lap leader bonus money ($500 per lap led). … Bobby Pierce rallied from a lap-60 spin to win 2024’s PDC, his first in the lucrative event that had eluded him up to that point in his illustrious career. … Ricky Thornton Jr. had a similar rebound to win 2023’s edition after a mechanical glitch sent him back to sixth with 20 laps to go, leaving him charging to the win. Thornton is fresh off a $52,000 payday in July 18’s Silver Dollar Nationals at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa. … The PDC has won DirtonDirt’s Race of the Year honors four times (2013-’15, ’24), to go along with two DIRTcar Summer Nationals features held at the quarter-mile bullring (2011, ’20). … DIRTcar Summit Modifieds are on the undercard with consolations and 40-lap, $5,000-to-win season finale. … Watch live on DIRTVision.

Who to watch: Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., starts second seeking his fourth career Prairie Dirt Classic finale.

Points chase: Before Fairbury: 1. Bobby Pierce (5,365); 2. Nick Hoffman (5,290); 3. Tyler Erb (5,051); 4. Tim McCreadie (4,957); 5. Ryan Gustin (4,902); 6. Ethan Dotson (4,809); 7. Daulton Wilson (4,756); 8. Dennis Erb Jr. (4,691); 9. Trey Mills (4,680); 10. Dustin Sorensen (4,595).

Current weather: Overcast, 73°F

Car count: 86

Polesitter: Trey Mills

Consolation race winners: Kyle Bronson, Hudson O'Neal, Nick Hoffman

Provisional starters: Tim McCreadie, Ethan Dotson, McKay Wenger, Mike Spatola, Zack Mitchell, Dustin Sorensen

Next series race: July 30, Cedar Lake Speedway (New Richmond, WI) $10,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

FAIRBURY, Ill. — Live updates from Saturday’s 36th annual Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway, highlighted by a 100-lap, $50,000-to-win feature for World of Outlaws Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature lineup 

(100 laps)

Row 1: Trey Mills, Brandon Sheppard
Row 2: Jason Feger, Sam Seawright
Row 3: Shane Clanton, Dallon Murty
Row 4: Chris Simpson, Justin Duty
Row 5: Kaede Loudy, Tyler Erb
Row 6: Dennis Erb Jr., Mike Marlar
Row 7: Ricky Thornton Jr., Bobby Pierce
Row 8: Ryan Gustin, Gordy Gundaker
Row 9: Kyle Bronson, Hudson O'Neal
Row 10: Nick Hoffman, Devin Moran
Row 11: Daulton Wilson, Shannon Babb
Row 12: Tim McCreadie, Ethan Dotson
Row 13: McKay Wenger, Mike Spatola
Row 14: Shootout winner, Zack Mitchell
Row 15: Dustin Sorensen

Prairie Dirt Shootout lineup

(25 laps; winner transfers)

Row 1: Kyle Hammer, Matthew Larson
Row 2: Dustin Sorensen, Brian Shirley
Row 3: Tyler Bruening, Chase Junghans
Row 4: Brent Larson, Tristan Chamberlain
Row 5: Bob Gardner, Daniel Adam
Row 6: Mitch McGrath, Austin Howes
Row 7: Ashton Winger, Bubba Roling
Row 8: Zack Mitchell, Caden McWhorter
Row 9: Trent Ivey, Logan Zarin
Row 10: Eli Johnson, Timmy Dick

Consolation results

(15 laps; top two transfer)

First consolation: Kyle Bronson, Devin Moran, Kyle Hammer, Ethan Dotson, Chase Junghans, Bob Gardner, Mitch McGrath, Bubba Roling, Trent Ivey, Ryan Montgomery, Rich Bell, Alex Wilson, Lance Brasington. Scratched: Max Blair, Brenden Smith, Brayton Wallace, Clay Harris, Dan Ebert, Brian Rickman, Jake O'Neil, Jake Little, Tyler Kuykendall, Collin Rutledge, Garrett Alberson.

Second consolation: Hudson O'Neal, Daulton Wilson, Matthew Larson, Brian Shirley, Brent Larson, Mike Spatola, Austin Howes, Zack Mitchell, Logan Zarin, Timmy Dick, Mike Glasscock, Sean Mattingly, Michael Leach, Tim McCreadie, Austin Smith, Cam Harris, Frank Heckenast Jr., Kyle Strickler. Scratched: Tanner English, Mike Winn, Josh Rice, Brody Smith, Trevor Gundaker.

Third consolation: Nick Hoffman, Shannon Babb, Dustin Sorensen, Tyler Bruening, Tristan Chamberlain, Daniel Adam, Ashton Winger, Caden McWhorter, Eli Johnson, Mike Mataragas, Jerry Bowersock, Matt Furman, Sam Moore, Mike Provenzano, Steven Tippens, Jimmy Miller, Doug Carls, Myles Moos, Ryan Unzicker, Shane Stephens. Scratched: McKay Wenger, Neil Baggett, Chase Osterhoff.

Consolation lineups

First consolation
Row 1: Kyle Bronson, Rich Bell
Row 2: Devin Moran, Ryan Montgomery
Row 3: Bubba Roling, Chase Junghans
Row 4: Max Blair, Brenden Smith
Row 5: Ethan Dotson, Kyle Hammer
Row 6: Brayton Wallace, Bob Gardner
Row 7: Mitch McGrath, Trent Ivey
Row 8: Clay Harris, Dan Ebert
Row 9: Lance Brasington, Brian Rickman
Row 10: Alex Wilson, Jake O’Neil
Row 11: Jake Little, Tyler Kuykendall
Row 12: Collin Rutledge, Garrett Alberson
Second consolation
Row 1: Daulton Wilson, Matthew Larson
Row 2: Tim McCreadie, Brent Larson
Row 3: Hudson O’Neal, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Row 4: Brian Shirley, Kyle Strickler
Row 5: Zack Mitchell, Mike Glasscock
Row 6: Tanner English, Mike Spatola
Row 7: Austin Smith, Michael Leach
Row 8: Austin Howes, Logan Zarin
Row 9: Mike Winn, Josh Rice
Row 10: Cam Harris, Timmy Dick
Row 11: Sean Mattingly, Brody Smith
Row 12: Trevor Gundaker
Third consolation
Row 1: Nick Hoffman, Ryan Unzicker
Row 2: Dustin Sorensen, Myles Moos
Row 3: Shannon Babb, Tyler Bruening
Row 4: Mike Mataragas, Daniel Adam
Row 5: Ashton Winger, Tristan Chamberlain
Row 6: McKay Wenger, Caden McWhorter
Row 7: Shane Stephens, Eli Johnson
Row 8: Matt Furman, Jerry Bowersock
Row 9: Mike Provenzano, Steven Tippens
Row 10: Neil Baggett, Sam Moore
Row 11: Chase Osterhoff, Doug Carls
Row 12: Jimmy Miller

Saturday’s schedule

 (All times local)
7-11 a.m. - VFW Post PDC breakfast (VFW Building on Locust Street)
9 a.m. - Pits open, Second Street grandstands open
11 a.m. - First Street grandstands open
3 p.m. - Suave Talk Live show (turn two backstretch bus)
4-4:45 p.m. - Driver autograph session (backstretch midway)
5 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting (WoO command center)
5:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps (consolation entrants)
- Modified hot laps (consolation entrants)
Opening ceremonies
6:20 p.m. - Redraw and prerace festivities
- Late Model consolations (15 laps)
- Late Model hot laps (feature entrants)
- Modified consolations (12 laps)
- Modified hot laps (feature entrants)
Intermission/track prep
- Late Model Prairie Dirt Shootout (25 laps)
Feature events
- Modifieds (40 laps)
- 36th annual Prairie Dirt Classic (100 laps)