Key notes: The MARS Late Model Championship Series opens a four-race Labor Day weekend with Thursday’s twin 25-lap, $5,000-to-win features at La Salle Speedway. … The Twisted Twin 25s presented by Action Truck Parts were originally scheduled Aug. 14 before getting rain-postponed to Thursday; all major Late Model events scheduled this season at La Salle have been rained out or cancelled thus far. … The heat race finishing order will determine the starting lineup for the first 25-lap feature while the finishing order from the first race will set the lineup for the second 25-lap main event, with as many as the first three rows inverted. … Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., and Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, each split MARS-sanctioned $5,000 semifeatures last May before Pierce pocketed the $25,000 weekend finale. Pierce, a five-time La Salle winner since 2013, is not expected to compete, as many of the nation’s top teams prepare for the 56th annual World 100 on Sept. 10-12 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. … Last year’s races were the first at La Salle since June 23, 2021, when Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., topped a DIRTcar Summer Nationals field. … Points leader Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., earned a $3,000 MARS victory there in May 2021 and enters with three tour wins this season. … Unzicker’s closest challenger Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., has two MARS wins so far this year. … Series rookie Dylan Thornton of Orcutt, Calif., has won two of the last four series events at the Illinois bullrings of Macon and Belle-Clair Speedway. … Modifieds and stock cars are on the undercard. … Pits open at noon and grandstands open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6:30. … Watch live on FloRacing.

Who to watch: Dylan Thornton of Orcutt, Calif., seeks his third MARS victory in his last five series starts.

Points chase: Before La Salle: 1. Ryan Unzicker (952); 2. Jason Feger (865); 3. Dylan Thornton (844); 4. Daniel Adam (688); 5. Bob Gardner (671).

Expected entrants: Brandon Sheppard, Ryan Unzicker, Jason Feger, Dylan Thornton, Shannon Babb, Tanner English, Dennis Erb Jr., Mike Spatola, Bob Gardner, Daniel Adam, Jake Little, Jordan Bauer, Rodney Melvin, Jeffrey Ledford, Myles Moos, Mark Voigt and more.

Next series race: September 4, Farmer City Raceway (Farmer City, IL) $5,000