DirtonDirt exclusive
Best of 2025: Midwest's state-by-state capsules
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
(Credits clockwise from top: Tom Macht; Chris Johnston; Tyler Carr)
Dirt Late Model racing’s 2025 superlatives of Midwestern states (individually for states with significant weekly Late Model action; other states combined), primarily focusing on local and regional events (Best of 2025 coverage):
Illinois
Top performer: Oakwood’s Bobby Pierce piles up 32 victories overall and captures his second World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series championship in three seasons. He repeats at Eldora’s $100,000 Dirt Track World Championship and wins $75,000 apiece for Show-Me 100 and North-South 100 victories, adding a season-ending $70,000 Kubota Gateway Dirt Nationals indoor victory in St. Louis. He captures the FloRacing series title and wins four of six Wild West Shootout races en route to the miniseries title. His WoO stats include 11 victories and 27 top-five finishes in 43 starts.
Best national drivers: Bobby Pierce; New Berlin's Brandon Sheppard (six victories overall, two paying $25,000; fifth in Lucas Oil points with 20 top-fives in 47 starts); Carpentersville’s Dennis Erb Jr. (two victories overall; fifth in WoO points with nine top-fives in 42 starts); Chatham’s Brian Shirley (three victories overall; seventh in WoO points with 19 top-fives in 42 starts).
Best regional drivers: Bloomington’s Jason Feger (Second Summer Nationals title and third straight MARS championship; 17 victories overall and weekly DIRTcar title and five five-figure paydays); El Paso’s Ryan Unzicker (MARS runner-up; six victories including $10,000 at Macon); Highland's Mike Harrison (seven Super victories at six tracks, including $5,000 at I-55); Moweaqua’s Shannon Babb (MARS and Summer Nationals victories); Manhattan’s Mike Spatola (four victories; $10,000 at Coles County).
Best weekly drivers: Warrensburg’s Dakota Ewing (20 Crate victories at six tracks en route to DIRTcar title repeat); Colona’s Logan Veloz (11 IMCA victories; East Moline champ); Mendon’s Denny Woodworth (12 Crate victories; Quincy champ and DIRTcar runner-up); Hoopeston’s Chase Wilson (10 Crate victories at three tracks; Charleston and Farmer City champ); Bourbonnais's Austin McCarty (seven Crate victories; Kankakee title repeat); Lincoln’s Brandon Sweitzer (five Crate victories; Spoon River title); Fairbury’s McKay Wenger (three Super victories; Fairbury champ); Peoria’s Brayton Wallace (four hometown Super victories); New Berlin’s Tommy Sheppard Jr. (four Super victories at three tracks); DeKalb’s Greg Cantrell (four Limited victories en route to Sycamore title).
Best homegrown performance: Rookie Logan Veloz rips off five straight IMCA victories in May.
Most improved drivers: Chase Wilson; Springfield’s Jake Little (Tri-City victory; sixth in MARS points); Lincoln’s Ryan Miller (three Crate victories at three tracks); Lovington’s Kade Ballinger (three Crate victories at Farmer City); Silvis’s Jesse Bodin (career-high three IMCA victories); Argenta’s Jacob Doolen (two Crate victories at Charleston); Wood River’s Mark Pflueger (two Limited victories).
Best newcomers: Logan Veloz; Fairbury’s Caden McWhorter (Ultimate Heart of America victory at Montpelier and Farmer City triumph; 14 top-fives in 29 starts in Supers); Pontiac’s Michael Ledford (mod ace scores Super victory at Fairbury); Quincy’s Rickey Frankel III (Crate victory at Spoon River).
Most memorable moment: In the wake of the double-murder suicide involving his grandfather (a former track champ), Austin McCarty wins to spark an emotional victory lane for his family at Kankakee County.
Biggest news: Moweaqua’s Shannon Babb is elected into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. … MARS suspends East Peoria’s Bob Gardner six months for his July retaliation that rolled Daryn Klein’s car at Farmer City. ... Brandon Sheppard returns to Rocket Chassis house car for 2025. … Peru's Daniel Adam, a North Carolina transplant, abandons WoO rookie run with family team removing him from Late Model ride at midseason in favor for Plainfield’s Mike McKinney (briefly) and then Missouri's Dillon McCowan. … Partnered with Justin and Jenna McCoy of Streator, Ill., Tony Izzo Jr. reopens La Salle Speedway as a special-event track. … Spoon River hosts its first WoO event with Bobby Pierce winning. … Iowa’s Curless Motorsports taps Caden McWhorter after fellow Fairbury racer McKay Wenger leaves ride midseason. … Macon (Ill.) Speedway drops weekly Crate Late Model division. … Mattoon’s Coles County Speedway hosts its first Super Late Model event as a preview for the Kubota Gateway Dirt Nationals. … Work continues on a $4.1 million Belle-Clair Speedway rebuild in Belleville with plans to complete the track in 2026. … Randy Swanson set to retake promotions at East Moline Speedway for 2026 after first-year promoter Rob Parker prematurely ends the track’s season in July, citing financial difficulties. … Rookie Late Model racer Benet Duesterhaus, 22, of Ursa suffers paralysis after an ATV wreck. … Brian Shirley escapes injury when his car goes up in flames during a January event at Georgia’s Needmore Speedway. .. Billy Knippenberg Jr. steps away from promotions at Kankakee County Speedway after three seasons. … Quincy Raceway adds new concrete wall among improvements under Jeff DeLonjay’s ownership. … Bob Metz Estate bequeaths a new public address system for Lincoln Speedway. … Farmer City’s Wall of Fame inductees: Roben Huffman, Darrel Dick, Jay Ledford, Kendra Milliken along with Becky and Kenny Haller (Bernie Nettleton and Dan Mehrkens were inducted posthumously). … Tri-City Speedway adds occasional Limited Late Model events. … Longtime Midwestern short-track photographer Dennis Piefer dies in February at his Freeport home. He was 76. … Quincy’s Hall of Fame adds late driver Brent Slocum, Jeff Carter of Summy Tire and photographer Wayne Walbring, among others.
Indiana
Top performer: Martinsville's Hudson O’Neal tallies 11 special event victories including five on the Lucas Oil circuit while finishing fourth in national tour points. Primarily competing with Morgantown's SSI Motorsports but also winning in the North Carolina-based K&L Rumley Enterprises entry, O’Neal scored $75,000 victories at Huset's Speedway's Silver Dollar Nationals and Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. He also won $20,000 apiece in Hunt the Front action at Needmore and FloRacing action at Marshalltown.
Best national drivers: Hudson O’Neal; Richmond’s Tristan Chamberlain (13th in WoO points with one top-five in 39 starts; two victories apiece at Montpelier and Moler)
Best regional drivers: Lawrenceburg’s Jason Jameson (four touring victories, including five-figure paydays at Lake Cumberland, Mudlick Valley and Paragon; Northern Allstars runner-up); Columbus’s Devin Gilpin (seven victories between Crates and Supers, including four $2,500 Brownstown victories; Super champ at Brownstown); Madison's Cody Mahoney (career-high $7,500 victory at Hidden Hollow).
Best weekly drivers: Seymour’s Tyler Cain (seven victories, including $5,000 Carey Ruwe Memorial; Indiana Crate Late Model Series champ); North Vernon’s Brent McMillan (six Crate victories among five tracks); Bloomington's Jordan Wever (three Super victories, including $2,000 Brownstown Fun Fest); Monticello’s Jace Owens (four Limited victories at Shadyhill); Griffith’s Jacob Kolwyck (two Limited victories en route to Shadyhill title); Hanover’s Joey Kramer (two Crate wins in four Florence starts); Brownstown’s Skyller Lewis (two hometown Crate victories, including his first at Brownstown).
Best homegrown performance: Winning his first race since being sidelined by life-threatening heart issues, Edinburgh’s Chad Stapleton grabs a Super Late Model victory in September at Moler Raceway Park.
Most improved drivers: Jacob Kolwyck; Bloomington’s Zach Stalker (first Crate victory at Brownstown).
Best newcomers: Brent McMillan; West Lebanon’s Braiden Keller (Farmer City victory; seven top-fives in Super competition); Wheatfield’s Kyle Cooper (three Limited victories at Shadyhill); North Vernon’s Parker Perry (two Crate top-fives at Florence).
Most memorable moment: On the opening night of Brownstown's Jackson 100 weekend, and opening night of Lucas Oil’s playoff-style chase, the tour’s Big Four mostly find trouble with Hudson O’Neal spinning after contact with Ricky Thornton Jr. (O’Neal was also in a heat-race skirmish with Tyler Erb) and Jonathan Davenport having a flat leading (before getting into another tangle).
Biggest news: Vincennes’s Bill Claycomb, longtime championship-winning team owner with wife Barb and sons Kevin (driver) and JR (crew member), dies in April of a stroke. He was 87. … Wheeler’s Jim Magill, a longtime DIRTcar official, receives the 19th annual Bob Memmer Award. … Longtime Vincennes Late Model racer Butch Sager, also a longtime racer in Haubstadt and Chandler, where he was a six-time winner, dies in February at age 78. He owned and operated Butch's Janitor Service for 58 years. … Former Brownstown promoter and current Lucas Oil Series announcer James Essex continues Northern Allstars revival with nine completed series events and Josh Rice again capturing the title. … Jason and Jess Acker purchase the Boswell dirt track (formerly Kamp Motor Speedway), but efforts to return the newly named Adrenaline Motorsports Raceway to competition are complicated by the family’s Indianapolis house fire. … The FloRacing Night in America Series presented by Kubota was scheduled to debut at Haubstadt’s Tri-State Speedway, but the event rains out. … The Jeffersonville’s paved Sportsdrome Speedway hosts a summer event for dirt-focused Crate Late Models, won by Brent McMillan. … Brownstown inducts drivers Paul Shafer, Joe Godsey, Mike Fields and Ray Weston into the track's Hall of Fame. ... Charlie Watson, the longtime businessman from Richmond who supported Steve Casebolt's Late Model efforts for many years, dies in November at age 82.
Iowa
Top performer: In a season with a career-high payday of $100,000 at Cedar Lake’s USA Nationals, Marshalltown’s Ryan Gustin wins seven races overall, including five on the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series while finishing third in national touring points. Along with the USA Nationals, he collected a $50,000 victory at Louisiana’s Boothill Speedway and his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory. Gustin finished the season with 14 top-five finishes in 43 WoO starts.
Best national drivers: Ryan Gustin; Earlham’s Daniel Hilsabeck (11th in Lucas Oil points, second in the rookie chase with four top-10 finishes in 41 starts; first Super victory at Lucas Oil Speedway).
Best regional drivers: Chelsea’s Dallon Murty (eight victories, three at $5,000-plus; six Malvern Bank tour wins); Shueyville’s C.J. Horn (eight victories at six tracks, three on the Pro tour); Oxford’s Chris Simpson (two Comp Cams victories in Lucas Oil Speedway sweep); Decorah’s Tyler Bruening (two victories, including first Lucas Oil triumph in tour opener); Cedar Rapids’s Jeff Aikey (five victories at three tracks, four on Pro tour including $3,500 finale at Benton County); Mount Vernon’s Chad Simpson (three Malvern Bank tour victories; East tour runner-up); Moscow’s Nick Marolf (six victories at six tracks; three Pro tour victories); Malvern’s Jesse Sobbing (two victories, including IMCA Super Nationals; Malvern Bank West champ); Waterloo’s J.D. Auringer (one victory en route to Pro tour title).
Best weekly drivers: Knoxville’s Curtis Glover (five IMCA victories at three tracks; 34 Raceway champ); Blue Grass’s Andy Nezworski (four IMCA wins at three tracks); Keokuk’s Tommy Elston (six Crate victories); Peosta’s Eric Pollard (three IMCA victories for Dubuque champ, including Yankee Dirt Classic prelim); Davenport’s Matt Ryan (three IMCA victories at three tracks; Davenport title).
Best homegrown performance: Sweeping Aug. 15-17 weekend, Dallon Murty piles up more than $12,000 in earnings on the Malvern Bank West circuit at Park Jefferson, Shelby County and U.S. 30.
Most improved drivers: Muscatine’s Cruz Birkhofer (first IMCA Late Model victory pays $2,000; fifth in Davenport points); Mount Vernon’s Clay Simpson (first Crate victory at Dubuque); Council Bluffs’s Jarrett Getzshman (first Late Model victory at Shelby County).
Best newcomers: Dallon Murty; McCausland’s Jake Morris (two victories; Maquoketa title); West Union’s Justin O’Brien (two Independence victories); Waterloo’s Brennen Chipp (Pro tour runner-up).
Most memorable moment: Completing a sweep of three starts at Maquoketa in 2025, Bobby Pierce edges fellow Illinoisan Brian Shirley in an August photo finish for a $20,000 WoO-sanctioned Hawkeye 100 victory.
Biggest news: A July state law protects racetracks from legal action over noise and other nuisance complaints. The bill was spearheaded by Jason Reed of Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway and supported by several tracks. … Three Iowa tracks (Southern Iowa, Adams County and Shelby County) to host World of Outlaws for first time in 2026. ... West Burlington’s 34 Raceway promoters Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt are selected by RMP as Regional Promoters of the Year. … Karl Chevrolet becomes title sponsor of the Pro Late Model Tour. … Independence’s Gary Crawford, a winner of more than 300 races and 15 track championships, is set to be enshrined in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2026. Marion's Fred Horn, who won the 1979 Yankee Dirt Track Classic among more than 250 victories, is inducted in 2025. … Muscatine driver Chad Holladay, the 2023 Malvern Bank East champion steps away from action, selling out his race team. … 300 Raceway’s Yankee Dirt Track Classic downgraded to a modest program after paying a race-record $50,000-to-win a year earlier. … Darin Weisinger and family take over Donnellson’s Lee County Speedway promoters for 2026, replacing Neal Kohlmorgan. Plans are to return to restore IMCA sanctioning and Friday night competition. … Late Model drivers Jeff Aikey, Bob Dominacki, Bob Weber and the late Denny Osborn are inducted into the Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum. … IMCA Super Nationals Late Model winner Greg Kastli of Waterloo, Iowa, a longtime winning competitor in IMCA's Late Model and modified divisions still competing past retirement age, dies in September at age 72. … Decorah-based Skyline Motorsports in November taps Chelsea’s Dallon Murty, 20, to replace the departed Mike Marlar. … The Davenport Speedway Hall of Fame inducts Late Model racers Brian Birkhofer, Justin Kay, Ray Guss Jr., Gary Webb, Ronnie Weedon and Shorty Bennett, among others. … The paved Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids returns to a dirt surface in the fall for several events, including a $3,000 Late Model race won by Nick Marolf. … Hudson O’Neal recovers from a rollover wreck two nights earlier for a $75,000 Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals victory. … Longtime 34 Raceway flagger Kenney Dixon steps down with Cody Newman taking the flagstand. … Several Iowa drivers ended long Late Model droughts: Comanche’s Steve Johnson, 68, wins at Maquoketa for his first victory in 24 years; Crescent’s Mike Collins, 57, wins at Shelby County for his first in 13 seasons; and Maquoketa’s Doug Nigh wins at his hometown track for his first triumph since 2012.
Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma
Top performer: Bellevue, Neb.’s Zach Zeitner wins a career-high 17 features in 42 starts en route to the IMCA Sunoco Late Model weekly title. Zeitner grabbed titles at Park Jefferson, Crawford County and Shelby County and posted 34 top-five finishes. He’s the fourth Nebraska driver to claim an IMCA crown, dethroning six-time champ and fellow Nebraskan Cory Dumpert.
Best national driver: None
Best regional drivers: Norfolk, Neb.’s Tad Pospisil (five touring victories, four on Malvern Bank circuits); Gibbon, Neb.'s Josh Leonard (four touring victories, three on Revival tour); Wichita, Kan.’s Tanner Mullens (five Late Model victories, including three in a row on United Rebel Series); Muskogee, Okla.'s Eli Ross (seven victories, five on Sooner Series); Newman Grove’s Cory Dumpert (eight victories among five tracks, including Tri-State win at Park Jefferson); Enid, Okla.’s Kip Hughes (four touring victories); Beloit, Kan.'s Dan Smith (Sooner Series champ); Wamego, Kan.’s Brandon Conkwright (Sooner victory; third in Revival standings).
Best weekly drivers: Zach Zeitner; Platte Center, Neb.'s Anthony Roth (six victories among three tracks); Ralston, Neb.’s Kale Kosiski (three IMCA victories; U.S. 30 title); Plainview, Neb.’s Beau Johnson (four weekly victories); Norfolk’s Chase Osborne (two IMCA victories; Boone County and Off Road titles); Giltner, Neb.'s Alex Humphrey (two victories en route to Red Cloud title); Albion, Neb.'s Tyler Iverson (three Boone County victories); Aurora, Neb.’s Dylan Schmer (tow victories including $8,502 Ray Haase Memorial at Boone County).
Best homegrown performance: Marysville, Kan.’s Dusty Leonard sweeps Sooner and United Rebel competition at Hutchinson, Kan.’s Salt City Speedway’s Super Dirt Showdown in August.
Most improved drivers: Tanner Mullens; Omaha, Neb.’s Drew Baker (three IMCA victories).
Best newcomers: Hutchinson, Kan.’s Jake Nightingale (Dodge City victory; runner-up in Revival event at Texas Motor Speedway); Mayetta Kan.‘s Darron Fuqua (three top-fives in four starts; Revival runner-up at Electric City); Plattsmouth, Neb.’s Jacob Hobscheidt (top Malvern Bank West rookie; four top-fives overall); Hampton, Neb.‘s Landon Rojewski (U.S. 30 victory).
Most memorable moment: Dennis Erb Jr. fights off a lap-25 challenge from Dustin Sorensen en route to a WoO victory at Humboldt (Kan.) Speedway.
Biggest news: Six-time IMCA champ Cory Dumpert of Newman Grove, Neb., is banned from U.S. 30 Speedway for the season and suspended two weeks by IMCA for retaliating against another competitor in a July event. … Eagle (Neb.) Raceway hosts its richest-ever Late Model event with Ricky Thornton Jr. grabbing $50,000 on the Lucas Oil Series. … The planned reopening of Lakeside Speedway in Dewey, Okla., a quarter-mile oval that hasn’t been in operation since 1981, appears stalled with no definitive timeline set by promoting brothers Bill and Robert McMurtrie and land owner Bob Chaney. … The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 includes Marquette, Neb.'s Kyle Berck, the 15-time regional touring champion with more than 350 career victories. … Along with running United Rebel Series tour events, Dodge City Raceway Park runs a few other weekly Late Model events. … Boone County host the $8,502-to-win Ray Haase Memorial, honoring the late co-founder of Riviera Raceway. … Nebraska’s Red Cloud Speed Bowl, which hadn’t operated regularly since 2007, reopens with a regular Limited Late Model division. … Aurora, Neb.’s Mike Wiarda wins at U.S. 30 for his first Late Model victory in 15 years.
Michigan
Top performer: Ionia’s Travis Stemler piles up 11 victories among five tracks as the state’s winningest drivers. He pockets $11,000 at Crystal’s Dan Salay Memorial and a $3,000 special at Silver Bullet.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: St. Johns’s Chad Finley (five Super victories, including first Iron-Man triumph; season-richest $6,000 I-96 victory); Britton’s Devin Shiels (six victories at three tracks; Oakshade champ); Houghton Lake’s Dona Marcoullier (four Super victories at three tracks, including Crystal’s $4,000 Great Lakes Nationals); Lapeer’s Chase Burda (Kokomo Klash victory; I-96 champ).
Best weekly drivers: Travis Stemler; Traverse City’s Brandon Thirlby (six Super victories at four tracks); Vestaburg’s Logan Nickerson (six Super victories among three tracks, including $3,000 at Mount Pleasant); Muskegon's Jeffery Erickson (six Super victories at Thunderbird, including $2,000 Rolling Thunder triumph); Lake's Rylee Knoll (four Super victories); Midland’s Derrick Hilliker (four Super victories, including $2,552 Ron Flinn 52; Crystal title); Lake City’s Eric Spangler (four Super victories; Merritt champ); Buckley’s Greg Gokey (four Super victories); Midland's Steven Hilliker (three Mid-Michigan victories en route to title); Lake’s Cody Bauer (two Super victories at Merritt); Kinde's Tyler Moore (four Crate victories en route to Silver Bullet title); Bay City’s Rob Westergard (three Crate victories at Silver Bullet); Muskegon’s Kevin Juusola (four Crate victories en route to Thunderbird title); Elkton’s Shawn O’Connor (three Crate victories at Silver Bullet).
Best homegrown performance: Winning in early August at I-96 Speedway, Travis Stemler notches his 100th career feature victory.
Most improved drivers: Jeffery Erickson; Six Lakes’s Mason VanderVeen (three Mid-Michigan victories); Muskegon’s Karter Juusola (two Crate victories at Thunderbird); Muskegon’s Ryleigh Beebe (two Crate victories at Thunderbird).
Best newcomers: Muskegon’s Andrew Sprague (two Super victories en route to Thunderbird title); Caledonia’s Jordan Dahlke (fourth in I-96 points); Muskegon’s Robb Sternberg (fifth in Thunderbird points); Caro’s Jason Begeman (top Crate rookie at Silver Bullet).
Most memorable moment: Chad Finley overtakes fellow Michigan native Rusty Schlenk with nine laps remaining at Butler Motor Speedway for his first career Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series victory.
Biggest news: Merritt Speedway owner Mike Blackmer scales back special event purses (the Wood Tic pays a modest $4,000 after more than $30,000 in recent seasons) after financial struggles that required him to cover outstanding checks from the 2024 season. … Blackmer leased Tri-City Motor Speedway to brothers Klint and Kalvin Lewis, who had long worked at the track and enjoyed a successful season with continued weekly Super Late Models. … The eighth annual Dan Salay Memorial moves to Crystal and pays $11,000-to-win. … Hartford Motor Speedway’s lone Super Late Model event rains out. … Rothbury’s Winston Speedway is purchased by Andrew and Crystal Heykoop; previous Scott and Pam Phillips closed the track in 2023. … Crystal Motor Speedway adds a new digital scoreboard. … Crystal’s Brenten DeYoung wins his first Super Late Model feature in the Thirlby Throwdown for non-winners in the division. … Midland’s David Hilliker escapes serious injury when his outlaw-style Late Model crashes in turn one at Crystal while trying to break the track record.
Correction: Updates with sale of Winston Speedway.
Minnesota
Top performer: East Grand Forks’s Dustin Strand wins 14 features overall and grabs his record sixth Northern LateModel Racing Association championship. The River Cities champion is fifth or better in all but two of two of 31 Late Model starts and captures $5,000 Golden Hammer Classic at Devils Lake.
Best national drivers: Lake Shore’s Dan Ebert (third in Lucas Oil rookie points; one top-five finish and six top-10s in 42 starts); Lake Elmo’s Brent Larson (14th in WoO points; three top-10 finishes in 33 starts); Rochester's Dustin Sorensen (11th in WoO points; five top-five finishes and 11 top-10s in 39 starts); Winona’s Jake Timm (third in WoO rookie points and 12th overall; one top-five and six top-10s in 35 starts).
Best regional drivers: Dustin Strand; East Bethel’s Dave Mass (WISSOTA Challenge champ; five victories overall); Proctor’s Kevin Burdick (seven WISSOTA victories at four tracks); Rice's Shane Sabraski (five victories, two on WISSOTA Challenge Series; WCS runner-up); Braham’s Josh Zimpel (four victories, two with WISSOTA Challenge and Ogilvie Fall Classic); Lowry’s Zach Johnson (six victories at three tracks); Hawley, Minn.’s Cole Schill (three victories and third in NLRA points; $9,200 Seitz Memorial winner); Hermantown’s Darrell Nelson ($5,000 Iron-Man winner at Hibbing); Alexandria's Ryan Mikkelson (three victories; NLRA triumph and $4,000 Dacotah Governor’s Cup sweep).
Best weekly drivers: Hibbing’s Kyle Peterlin (nine WISSOTA victories, one on WISSOTA Challenge tour; Proctor champ); Hermantown's Cade Nelson (17 USRA victories en route to third straight title; Cedar Lake champ); Grand Rapids's Johnny Broking (two WISSOTA victories; Hibbing champ); Herman’s Brad Staples (four Gen X victories at Madison); Elizabeth’s Travis Saurer (two victories; I-94 WISSOTA champ); Montevideo’s Matt Gilbertson (two WISSOTA victories at Fiesta City); Fergus Falls's Ben Wolden (three Gen X victories at I-94); Montevideo’s Jordan Tollakson (two WISSOTA victories at Fiesta City); Porter’s Kris Wilke (three Gen X victories).
Best homegrown performance: Winning Sept. 21’s Late Model feature at Granite City Motor Park, Shane Sabraski notches his 1,000th multidivisional dirt racing victory. In 2025, he won 56 features in 164 starts.
Most improved drivers: Josh Zimpel; Walker’s Billy Kendall (two WISSOTA victories including WISSOTA Challenge triumph; Grand Rapids champ); East Grand Forks's Tucker Pederson (two victories at Devils Lake, including first NLRA triumph); Watson’s Parker Gilbertson (five Gen X victories; Gen X runner-up and Madtown Showdown sweep); Fergus Falls’s Jarrett Huus (two Gen X victories; Sheyenne champ).
Best newcomers: Reading’s Jeffrey Larson (Tri-State tour victory; third in series points); Pine Island’s J.T. Wasmund (Tri-State champion with eight top-fives in 17 starts); Foley’s Devin Fouquette (one victory en route to WISSOTA Rookie of the Year; Fiesta City champ); Bluffton’s Jack Koranda (first WiSSOTA victory at Viking); Lonsdale’s Cam Panitzke (first USRA victory at Mississippi Thunder); East Grand Forks’s Kelsi Pederson (three top-five finishes).
Most memorable moment: Eventual WoO winner Nick Hoffman’s early slide job triggers a massive frontstretch wreck in July’s Gopher State 50 prelim at Deer Creek.
Biggest news: I-94 official and WISSOTA board member Scott Engfer dies in September from injuries sustained when he was struck on a four-wheeler by a race car while crossing the track during WISSOTA 100 week. The track honors the 68-year-old with a memorial event a month later. … Silver Bay’s Barry Braun, founder of CEO of XR Event race promotions, is arrested in November after the West Virginia State Police charge him with fraud after an investigation based in Ritchie County, W.Va., where Pennsboro Speedway is located. ... At 71 years old, Duluth’s Tim McMann wins in July at Proctor Speedway for his first Late Model victory since 2019 (and 51st of his career, third on the track’s all-time list). … Rochester’s Dick Sorensen, a racing family patriarch and championship-winning Late Model driver competing from 1967-83, dies in October at age 87. … Glyndon’s Buffalo River Speedway adds a WISSOTA Late Model division during its 70th anniversary season, drawing 29 total entrants for five completed events. … Norman County and Deer Creek hosts WoO events, but Deer Creek's NAPA Gopher State 50 finale is rained out. … Winona's Lance Matthees, the 1986 WISSOTA champ and among the Upper Midwest’s steadiest and most enduring drivers while heading toward 50 years of competition with 300 victories, is inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2025. … Bemidji Speedway’s lone Late Model event rains out. … Kris Wilke wins the Limited Late Model event at the Yellow Medicine County Fair Races at Canby's Renegade Speedway. … Elk River’s Aron Peterson, who owned and operated Blue Earth's Golden Spike Speedway and later promoted Princeton Speedway, dies in March at age 85. … Silver Bay-based XR Events, which operates Hibbing Speedway in 2025, cancels a handful of XR Super Series events with the tour going dormant. … Lake Elmo's Matthew Larson embarks on wide-traveling season in Super Late Models (and posts three Gen X victories at Casino Speedway). … Former Clarkfield racer Dustin Virkus dies in August in a work accident. He was 51. ... Rudy Aho, 25-year racer turned car owner, former tech official and multi-year Iron Range Racing Association president, joins the Hibbing Speedway Hall of Fame..
Missouri
Top performer: Alton’s Scott Crigler wins seven races overall, including three ULRA victories at Monett, a Revival tour triumph and Comp Cams victory at Batesville, Ark., that pays a season-richest $5,000. Crigler adds a $3,000 Spooker victory at Tri-State and a non-touring win at Old No. 1 Speedway.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: Scott Crigler; Lebanon's Tony Jackson Jr. (Two MARS and one Comp Cams victory; $10,000 Fall Nationals at Wheatland); Neosho's Kylan Garner (four victories en route to repeating Revival tour title); Springfield’s Terry Phillips ($10,000 Sooner-Rebel victory at Enid); Urbana’s Dillon McCowan ($6,064 Comp Cams winner at Springfield; third in Summer Nationals points with nine top-fives in 28 starts); Aurora’s Justin Wells (two victories; fourth place Lucas Oil Series finish at Diamond Nationals); Alton’s Sawyer Crigler ($6,000 Turkey Bowl; nine more victories en route to 4 State tour title); Lebanon's Dustin Atkinson (two 4 State tour victories).
Best weekly drivers: Neelyville’s Chris Jones (six Limited victories between Poplar Bluff and Crowley’s Ridge); Jefferson City’s Tucker Cox (four Limited victories between Callaway and Wheatland); Chillicothe's Tyler Hibner (six Limited victories at I-35); Browning’s Tommy Cordray (three Limited victories en route to I-35 title); Rich Fountain’s Matt Becker (three Limited victories); St. Genevieve's Kyle Stolzer (three Gateway victories at Farmington); West Plains's Kevin Collins (two North Central Arkansas victories).
Best homegrown performance: The Griffaw family of Festus enjoys a memorable night Aug. 1 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., with father Rusty winning the Super Late Model feature and son Cruz capturing the KidModz feature.
Most improved drivers: Sawyer Crigler; Warsaw's Tyler Kuykendall (two Super victories, one in Highland, Ill., debut and in ULRA action at Salina, Okla.)
Best newcomers: Stockton’s Robbe Ewing (two Limited victories en route to Wheatland title); New Haven’s Chevy Boyer (I-55 and Poplar Bluff victories); Bloomfield’s Kaleb Jones (three Limited victories between Doe Run and Benton); Park Hills’s Jeff Asher (Farmington victory in sprint car racer's lone Late Model start); West Plains’s Dustin Tiger (4 State victory as tour’s top rookie); Hartville’s Trent Wynn (4 State tour victory).
Most memorable moment: Winning his lone feature of the season, Richmond’s Aaron Marrant inherits a $2,500 Revival tour payday at Central Missouri after flagged winner Darron Fuqua is disqualified for a deck-height infraction. Marrant’s errant slide job caused a last-lap tangle, and Fuqua contended his car’s significant damage didn’t allow for a fair deck-height measurement.
Biggest news: Lucas Oil Speedway founder Forrest Lucas, a longtime benefactor of Dirt Late Model racing, dies in August at age 83. … Amid series shuffling in Missouri, the 36-year-old Midwest LateModel Racing Association is purchased by former series director Ernie Leftwich with plans for a 2026 season (Lucas Oil dissolved the tour in 2024). ... Leftwich spent 2025 directing the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series. ... In other series news, former Billings racer Jesse Stovall’s fledgling United Late Model Racing Association doesn’t last the full season after failing to gain traction, but veteran Missouri announcer and promoter Trenton Berry steps up with plans for a Heartland Late Model Tour with hard-tire Super Late Model events in Missouri and Kansas (and potentially Oklahoma and Arkansas). … Mod racer Jake Crocker takes over promotions of Callaway Raceway for 2026 and plans bi-weekly USRA-sanctioned Limited Late Models. ... Hall of Famer Terry Phillips, 59, of Springfield returns to the Late Model division in a Mann Motorsports entry. … Promoter Cody Sommer upgrades the Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals to $70,000-to-win for 2025 with $10,000-to-win prelims. ... Former WoO director Casey Shuman joins Lucas Oil Speedway as assistant general manager and competition director. … Steve Andrews purchases Monett Motor Speedway and shifts racing to Fridays with Jeff Ogle as promoter; the track’s season ends prematurely with high school football’s start. … Josh Carroll has a successful season operating I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo., formerly owned by Ray and Sue Marlar along with Ken Schrader. … After selling out his own team, West Plains driver Logan Martin makes seven starts (with two top-fives) in equipment from Moody’s Austin Vincent. … Belleville, Ill.-based POWRi’s Late Model sanctioning peters out in Missouri. … Bethany Fairgrounds Speedway drops its regular programs after running Late Models in 2024. … Warrensburg's Central Missouri closes after 31 years of operation by Earl and Susan Walls. The 30-acre property is listed for $1 million. … The Gateway Late Model division for Limited cars, originally only in Farmington, expands to Doe Run Raceway, Benton Speedway and Tri-City in Illinois. … Joplin’s Route 66 Fairgrounds hosts events including a concert, but previous plans to resume racing at the facility for the first time since 2004 haven’t been announced. … Sikeston driver Allan Rettig returns to racing and wins his first Late Model feature in 20 years, then adds a $2,500 Cotton Bowl Cup at Benton Speedway. … Neelyville racer Bobby Prosise and his wife Erin take over promotions of Poplar Bluff Motorsports Park after Butch Knuckles steps down because of health concerns.
North Dakota-South Dakota
Top performer: Aberdeen, S.D.’s Chad Becker tallies 18 victories, six in special events including the $10,000 WISSOTA 100. Third in overall WISSOTA points, he adds two Tri-State tour victories, one paying $5,000 in Huron, S.D., along with independent WISSOTA specials at Southwest Speedway, Big Sky Speedway and his hometown Brown County Speedway. The Casino and Brown County champ is fifth or better in 31 of 47 starts.
Best national driver: None.
Best regional drivers: Chad Becker; Hickson, N.D.’s Tyler Peterson (third straight WISSOTA title; 16 victories overall, including Jamestown’s $5,054 Stampede); Renner, S.D.’s Blair Nothdurft (three Tri-State tour victories and $7,000 Malvern Bank tour triumph at Deer Creek); Huron, S.D.’s Cole Searing (six victories, two on WISSOTA Challenge tour and one with Tri-State Series); Watertown, S.D.'s Scott Ward (back-to-back WISSOTA Challenge victories and Tri-State tour win); Watertown, S.D.’s Trevor Anderson (two victories; Tri-State Series runner-up).
Best weekly drivers: Aberdeen, S.D.’s Mike Stearns (five victories and $5,000 Dacotah Rumble at Brown County; Miller Central champ); Watertown, S.D.’s Trevor Walsh (nine Gen X victories en route to title; I-94 and Madison titles); Aberdeen, S.D.’s Josh Skorczewski (four WISSOTA victories at Miller Central); Hickson, N.D.’s Mitch Johnson (two Buffalo River victories en route to title).
Best homegrown performances: Brothers Keegan Nordquist (June 14) and Kole Nordquist (Aug. 22) of Beresford, N.D., both score their first Late Model victories at Park Jefferson Speedway, the lone weekly drivers to outrun IMCA champ Zach Zeitner at the track in 2025.
Most improved driver: Mike Stearns.
Best newcomers: Valley City, N.D.’s Collin Compson (one Gen X victory; Buffalo River runner-up and third in WISSOTA rookie points); Larimore, N.D.’s Jamie Deitzler (top-five finish at Buffalo River); Jamestown, N.D.’s Jaden Christ (top-five finish at Buffalo River).
Most memorable moment: Rallying from 12th, Tim McCreadie makes a three-wide pass with eight laps remaining at Nodak Speedway for a victory with the World of Outlaws, running at the Minot, N.D., track for the first time since 1989.
Biggest news: Sanford, N.D.’s Laine Schwehr suffers a broken neck among other injuries in violent rollover crash at Jamestown Speedway. Despite a grim prognosis, he regains ability to walk within six weeks. … First WISSOTA executive director Terry Voeltz, who spent more than 20 years promoting his hometown Brown County Speedway and previously managed Jamestown Speedway, dies in August after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 78. … Cole Searing's emergency appendectomy in late May shuffles his racing plans; he won less than 36 hours before the surgery. … Park Jefferson Speedway hosts the $5,086-to-win Bill Kirk Memorial, the second-richest Tri-State Series event. … The River Cities Hall of Fame Class of 2025 includes former NLRA and track champion Troy Schill. … Miller (S.D.) Central Speedway owner and promoter Dale Hargens announces at the Aug. 15 season finale that he doesn’t plan on operating the track in 2026; the 40-acre facility was listed for sale. … Elder, S.D.’s Bandit Speedway drops its Late Model division. … After hosting the Silver Dollar Nationals three seasons with the Lucas Oil Series, Brandon, S.D.’s Huset’s Speedway isn’t on the national tour’s schedule in 2026. … River Cities Speedway continues Hart Luck Award which awards $100 to the 14th-place finisher and pays tribute to former No. 14 Late Model racer and track Hall of Famer Bruce Hart, who died in 2023 at 63. … The Red River Valley Fair Association will take over operations of Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D., in 2026 after promoters Jake and Sharnel Bitker, along with Nick Skalicky, stepped away. … A tornado warning forces the cancellation of July 27’s race program at Watertown, S.D.’s Casino Speedway in Watertown, S.D., with the Weather Channel later reporting a tornado and baseball-sized hail in the area.
Editor’s note: Drivers based in the western Dakotas appear in the Western capsule that appears Dec. 9.
Wisconsin
Top performer: Cameron’s Kevin Eder comes alive in four late-season specials, including a career-richest $15,500 Red Clay Classic victory at his native Ashland track, ABC Raceway. He adds WISSOTA Challenge victories at Hibbing and I-94, along with a Northern Nationals triumph at Superior, all coming over a four-week stretch.
Best national drivers: None.
Best regional drivers: Kevin Eder; Seymour’s Mike Mullen (Dirt Kings champ with three tour victories; seven wins overall and Outagamie champ); Chippewa Falls’s Jesse Glenz (five victories, including $10,555 Duane Mahder Memorial at Cedar Lake and WISSOTA Challenge win); Shawano's Brett Swedberg (four victories at three tracks; one Dirt Kings win and tour runner-up); Bonduel's Nick Anvelink (two Dirt Kings wins among three victories); Hortonville’s Joel Bennett (two victories, one with Dirt Kings and third in series points); Waukesha’s Mitch McGrath (two victories, one with Dirt Kings at Shawano); Menomonie’s Sammy Mars (Cedar Lake points runner-up).
Best weekly drivers: Hudson’s James Giossi (eight victories; Cedar Lake and Red Cedar titles); New Richmond’s Pat Doar (six victories between Cedar Lake and Superior); Elk Mound’s Ashley Anderson (three victories, one with WISSOTA Challenge); Benton’s Jason Robbins (five victories en route to Lafayette County title); Mosinee’s Andy Karl (six victories en route to Shawano title); Monroe's Ty Webster (five Lafayette County victories); Waukesha’s Taylor Scheffler (two victories; Plymouth title); Stockholm’s Lucas Peterson (five victories and runner-up in USRA points; Eagle River title); Alma’s Kory Ressie (four USRA victories at three tracks).
Best homegrown performance: Returning to the Late Model division, Baldwin’s Adam Hensel wins May 31 at Cedar Lake in his first start of the season.
Most improved drivers: Kevin Eder; Superior’s Dave Flynn (two victories en route to hometown title).
Best newcomer: Menomonie’s Cooper Sundby, the lone rookie in USRA action with a victory. He won at Rice Lake with his mother, who was battling cancer, joining him in victory lane.
Most memorable moment: Ryan Gustin win his first six-figure payday by dominating Cedar Lake’s USA Nationals.
Biggest news: Maribel’s 141 Speedway to host World of Outlaws for first time in 2026. ... Eau Claire’s Red Steffen, among Wisconsin’s winningest Dirt Late Model racers from the 1960s-80s, dies in March at 79. The multi-time track champ won the 1983 Punky Manor Challenge of Champions at Red Cedar. … With the track’s weekly Late Model division languishing, Shawano Speedway at season’s end formerly explores long-considered possibility of shortening the track to 3/8-mile from the half-mile layout. The track uses donations from supporters in April to resurface. … Longtime Midwestern racing columnist and publicist Jerry O’Brien of Superior, a multiple-track Hall of Famer who produced copy about cars going around in circles for more 50 years, dies in July at 83. … Baldwin's Dave Steine ponders 2026 plans after second WoO season with Georgia’s Cody Overton. … Red Cedar Speedway’s Class of 2025 for the track's Hall of Fame: former ticket-seller Betty Frank along with former drivers Jerry Kadinger and Dave Shackleton. … Cedar Lake Speedway's USA Nationals pays a race-record $100,000-to-win in 2025 and announces plans for race-record $10,000 Legendary 100 Late Model event in 2026. ... Plymouth Dirt Track runs the Seubert Calf Ranches Super Six miniseries for the second season. … The Duane Mahder Memorial, previously at Red Cedar Speedway, shifts to Cedar Lake and pays a race-record $10,055-to-win. ... Nick Anvelink becomes all-time winningest Shawano driver. … Sturgeon Bay’s The Hill Raceway runs its first Late Model event in 18 seasons with Mike Mullen winning a $5,000 Dirt Kings payday. … Three-time Red Clay Classic Late Model winner Brent Laursen of Osceola is posthumously elected to the Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame along with Darwin Brown, Dave Havel and Rick Kurshinsky. … West Wisconsin Telcom, a longtime track sponsor, installs fiber internet at Red Cedar Speedway to allow electronic payment for ticketing and concessions. … Rhine’s Bob Run, a former racer and racing supporter, dies in August at 84. The Plymouth Hall of Famer served as president for the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Association for five years and was a longtime board member. … Marshfield driver Tim Isenberg wins in September at Cedar Lake for his first victory since 2012. ... Three Lakes’s TNT Speedway reopens and runs a two USRA-sanctioned Late Model events.
