Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Competition drives Arkansas racer, coach
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
David Payne (Kristy Whatley photo)
David Payne hasn’t shied away from battling the best Dirt Late Model racers in his native Arkansas and beyond. The Cabot, Ark., driver has frequently competed with talented drivers on the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series, among other touring events in the region.
And while Payne doesn’t have any major victories to show for it, the high school football and wrestling coach's drive to compete has made for a satisfying racing career.
“We could have probably dialed it back and run a lot more local stuff and probably had a lot more wins, but that's not what drives me,” the 43-year-old Payne said. “I’m a competitive — very, very competitive person — by nature, and I’m not gonna lie. I get a kick out of going out there and going, driving and passing guys that I know have a whole lot more equipment and a whole lot more financial backing and a whole lot more experience, and go out there and roll right on by them. I get a kick out of that.”
Payne has started off his 2026 season with success, including his first back-to-back victories of his career in Limited Late Model competition at Poplar Bluff (Mo.) Motorsports Park and Benton (Mo.) Speedway, where he overcame major front-end damage in his heat race to rally for a feature victory.
And while he failed to make the feature lineup for April 11’s Comp Cams event at Old No. 1 Speedway, he also notched a fourth-place finish at the Harrisburg, Ark., oval early this season in a race won by local standout Kyle Beard.
“It’s been a fun start,” Payne said.
His father Kevin raced years ago, and while as a youngster Payne was pulled away by stick-and-ball sports — he eventually played offensive line at Southern Arkansas University — the younger Payne returned to racing for a competitive fix. Starting with a hobby stock after injuries ended his football playing days, he landed in the Late Model division by 2014 and has sprinkled top-10 finishes in Comp Cams events amid six unsanctioned feature victories.
The family-based team retreated somewhat after breaking its lone open-competition powerplant last season, so Payne has some Limited Late Model events with his steel-block engine along with tour races.
"We get the best equipment we can try to get and not break ourselves financially,” Payne said, adding that “we just go claw our way through it and fight, we try to get everything out of the equipment we have and if that’s at a national level and we're fighting like hell to transfer through a B(-main), then that's what it is. And if it's a local race where we feel like we're unloading and we expect to win the race, then we go out there and we expect to win the race. We just kind of compete.
“I think that’s a contribution from being in the athletic world. You kind of understand the circumstances and you evaluate where you're at and you can just go race as hard as you can. And I think at the end of the night, and the end of the day and the end of the week and whatever you're at there, if you can go out and go compete as hard as you can compete and run the car as hard as you can run the car, and do what you're supposed to do, where you finish, you know, well, it's where you finish. That's where you deserve to finish. If you don't go out there and go run the car hard, you don't deserve to finish well, wherever that is, whether that's not making the show or that's not winning, if you don't do your job, don't deserve to finish there.
“That’s where we’re at. We race as hard as we can, and at the end of the night, what we get is what we deserve. Like I said, the other night at Benton, I felt like that's what we deserved. We worked our freaking butts off and we did everything we should have done and did everything we had to when things didn't go our way. But luckily I went out and I did my job behind the wheel, and it worked out.”
He appreciates help he’s received along the way, from the encouragement of his former principal (and former series director and flagger) Chris Ellis, the guidance from former Comp Cams tour owners Chris and Jack Sullivan, support from Lance and Darla Landers of Double L Motorsports (Payne bought his first open engine from the team that fields Jonathan Davenport’s car) and Comp Cams regular Morgan Bagley, who has assisted Payne with shocks.
Payne's experience on the Comp Cams circuit helped him be prepared at Benton, Mo., when his heat-race altercation forced him to make major repairs before the feature, including swapping radiators and remounting his car’s nosepiece.
"We thrashed, and luckily they had some sprint cars that night with having to push those guys off, it slowed the show down a little bit,” Payne said.
“We got it done just in time. They actually had to open the gate to let me on the racetrack, And then, made a pretty good charge from the back and was able to actually came from the back to win that one. It was an eventful night.
"I've been fortunate enough to travel and race some and be on the road and we had everything we needed to be able to change the nose and had all the parts in the trailer to be able to put the car back where it needed to be, to be competitive again. It made the four-hour drive worth it.”
Whether it’s winning a Limited Late Model race or swapping paint with the sport’s best, Payne is enjoying the ride.
“We've just been super fortunate,” he said. “I always try to keep that in mind that how, in the grand scheme of things, we've got to do a lot of things that a lot of guys talk about. We've been fortunate enough to actually go do it.”
Weekly highlights
• Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., is riding a personal three-race winning streak at three tracks after an April 4 victory at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va., an April 10 victory at Ohio Valley Speedway in Washington, W.Va., and April 11’s $5,000 triumph at West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, W.Va.
• Winning April 11 at Highland (Ill.) Speedway, Rusty Griffaw of Festus, Mo., notched his first Late Model feature victory at the quarter-mile oval since Aug. 4, 2018, according to DirtonDirt records.
• Rallying from his 11th starting spot, Trevor Collins of Seaford, Del., won April 11’s Crate Late Model feature at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Brennen Adkins of Union, Ky., won April 11 at his hometown Florence Speedway for his first career Crate Late Model victory.
• Winning April 11 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Austin Leamon of Lithia, Fla., captured his first 602 Crate Late Model victory.
Weekly news briefs
• After one season of NASCAR sanctioning, Merritt Speedway in Lake City, Mich., is returning to DIRTcar sanctioning for its Super Late Model division in 2026. The Mike Blackmer-owned track cited the lack of other nearby NASCAR tracks in making the change but would consider a return to NASCAR in 2027. Late Models teams will have a runoff period to use American Racer tires, but any drivers aiming for DIRTcar’s regional points must use Hoosier tires all season.
• Willard (Ky.) Speedway postponed its scheduled April 11 opener, and again racing on April 18, amid a project to haul clay and add it to the racing surface (an April 4 practice was previously postponed). Check out the track’s Facebook page for an updated schedule.
• Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Tuesday issued the technical inspection report from Saturday’s races, detailing virtually every issue of what was examined on the winning cars, including the use of safety equipment by drivers. That’s a change from some tracks and series that have been resistant to posting public reports, particularly when drivers are disqualified.
• Sonny Atterberry, the longtime owner of Callaway Raceway in Fulton, Mo., died April 8 at his Fulton home. He was 85. “Sonny meant so much to the Callaway Raceway family, and his impact on this track and community will never be forgotten,” the track posted on its Facebook page. Atterberry’s brother Ricky, previously a co-owner of the 3/8-mile oval that was originally built in 1999, died in 2016 at the age of 60.
• IMCA has set 15 Late Model bonus night dates for 2026 with the highest-finishing eligible driver receiving $300, a jug of Sunoco fuel, a Sunoco hat and trophy (drivers can receive the bonus once per season). Other contingencies during the bonus nights include a Penske Racing Shocks certificate and right-rear quarter panel from STAKT Racing Products. The dates are: May 1 at Highway 39 Speedway in Denison, Iowa; May 2 at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa; May 15 at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa; May 24 at Quincy (Ill.) Raceway); May 29 at Park Jefferson (S.D.) Speedway; June 5 at Davenport (Iowa Speedway); June 13 at Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway; June 14 at Dubuque (Iowa) Speedway; July 18 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa; July 23-25 at U.S. 30 Speedway in Columbus, Neb., Boone County Speedway in Albion, neb., and Off Road Speedway in Norfolk; Neb.; Aug. 9 at Sports Park Raceway in Fort Dodge, Iowa; Aug. 23 at East Moline (Ill.) Speedway; and concluding Sept. 28 at Shelby County Speedway.
• Longtime Late Model racer Steve Laursen of Cumberland, Wis., will be among 2026 inductees into the Rice Lake (Wis.) Speedway Hall of Fame, the committee announced. The 71-year-old driver, still in competition, joins the Hall of Fame that last season elected his brother Brent Laursen posthumously. Steve Laursen is a 21-time winner at Rice Lake between 1980-2018, including an eight-victory season in 1982 when he won the season championship. He was a two-time Midseason Championship winner at Rice Lake, capture the track’s Firecracker Special in 1980 and ’82, and won 1990’s Late Model Invitational.
Weekly points
DIRTcar (Supers): Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., has 240 points to lead Tyler Erb (215) and Ryan Gustin (205).
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): Covy Parsons of Iuka, Miss., has 186 points to lead Allen Edwards (176) and Spencer Moore (166).
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): Taylor Jarvis of Milton, Fla., has 269 points to lead Shannon Lee 230) and Ben Davis (193).
Ultimate (Crates): A.J. Spagnuolo of Shinnston, W.Va., has 35 points to lead Brian Nethers (34) and Dalton Adkins (33).
(Several organizations have yet to have points races)
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
Potomac Speedway, Budds Creek, Md. (April 18): The fourth annual Danny Garrett Memorial pays $3,000-to-win and $300-to-start for Limited Late Models with hard charger, fast time and hard luck awards.
County Line Raceway, Elm City, N.C. (April 18): The first round of the Fast Five Late Model Challenge pays $3,000-to-win with six other divisions in action.
Fort Payne (Ala.) Motor Speedway (April 18): The Marvin Ford Classic pays tribute to the late track owner with a $2,038-to-win event for the Limited Late Models; the 604 Crate Late Models are also on the card.
Senoia (Ga.) Raceway (April 18): The Pollard Memorial puts $2,500 on the line for the Limited Late Models with 602 Crates also in action.
Thunderhill Raceway, Summertown, Tenn. (April 18): The Limited Late Model division chases a $1,500-to-win purse (a candy bash for the children is also part of the night’s festivities).
