Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: Dissecting the USA Nationals
Our roundtable recaps Bobby Pierce’s $100,000 windfall at Cedar Lake Speedway in the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
Discuss Bobby Pierce’s USA Nationals victory.
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: Pierce’s run really did demonstrate just how talented and determined he is behind the wheel. He entered the weekend no longer the No. 1-ranked driver in DirtonDirt’s Top 25 poll with Brandon Sheppard on a hot streak, so what did Pierce do? Coming from 10th, he ran down Sheppard to wrestle away second, then overtook No. 4 Nick Hoffman for the lead, turned back a late challenge from No. 3 Hudson O’Neal and kept Sheppard at arm’s length in the final laps. Winning the USA Nationals for the third time in four years — and running his crown jewel career total to a remarkable 18 before turning 30 — was quite a response by Pierce after losing his two-month hold on the top spot in the rankings.
Todd Turner, DirtonDirt managing editor: Perhaps not particularly incisive, but these things strike me. He’s the best driver on the thinnest of cushions. If he’s not a factor in prelims, it doesn’t mean he won’t win the finale. It ended his longest drought between victories since May. And it had to be special to have father Bob back in victory lane for the first time since his stroke.
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: If there was any thought Bobby Pierce might've been even slightly distracted amid father Bob's recovery from a stroke more than two weeks ago, Saturday eradicated it. The way Pierce attacked the racetrack left little doubt, even before he grabbed the lead on lap 67, as to how this one would end. It was another quintessential Pierce victory drive. As Todd noted, Pierce is remarkably effective along even the thinnest of cushions. When people think of his cushion-riding prowess, they often picture a curb that's high, wide and handsome. Saturday proved otherwise. The cushion wasn't especially pronounced, yet Pierce manipulated every inch of it with precision, only bobbling a few times along the top. Watching him exploit a racetrack like Cedar Lake on Saturday was poetry in motion.
Aaron Clay, DirtonDirt weekend editor: Wow, it's another feather in Bobby Pierce’s cap as he tied Josh Richards (2016) and Brandon Sheppard (2017, ’19) with the most feature victories (18) in a World of Outlaws Series season, and there’s plenty of time left. Pierce now has 24 total wins thus far in the 2026 season, amassing nearly $700,000 in race winnings alone. Oh, and by the way, he’s heading to Florence Speedway for the 44th annual North-South 100 this weekend, a race he’s won four times, including the last three (2016, ’23-’25). We've seen some dominant seasons out of the Smooth Operator before, but this year might be his most impressive.
Pick another topic from Cedar Lake’s big weekend.
McFadden: One thing I keep coming back to is the length of Saturday's program. I understand why Cedar Lake wanted to make up Friday's rainout before the $100,000 finale, and I have nothing but respect for the people who put on one of Dirt Late Model racing's marquee events. But an 8.5-hour program that ends around 1:30 a.m. without weather being the culprit and only one support class is simply too much. My criticism isn't about bashing the event. It's about wanting our biggest races to be as efficient as they are spectacular. When I got back to my hotel around 4 a.m. Central — 5 a.m. for us East Coasters! — even the front desk attendant was surprised to hear the race had run that late. His reaction was basically, “I'd never go to a race that ends that late." Comments like that are a reminder that every extra hour comes at a cost. At some point, even the best racing in the world isn't enough to justify a program that stretches deep into the night.
Clay: I want to give a shoutout to Ethan Dotson, who had a competitive weekend in Cedar Lake’s 39th annual USA Nationals. Dotson showed plenty of speed in Thursday’s opener and was running fifth when Dan Ebert’s failed slide job attempt sent him hard into the turn-four wall in the early going. Dotson and his ASD Motorsports team bounced back by improving three positions for a solid third-place finish in Saturday’s 100-lap finale. I’m sure they’ll look to keep that momentum rolling as they continue to chase their first WoO victory of the season.
Kovac: Saturday’s 100-lapper had to be one of the biggest disappointments of the season for Nick Hoffman. He seemed well positioned for his first-ever crown jewel victory — a milestone I really had a feeling he’s achieve at Cedar Lake — as he assumed command on lap 15 and controlled the middle stages of the race. But his night simply began to unravel after he ceded the lead to Pierce. The next thing you know, Hoffman’s late-race fade left him 18th in the finishing order. (An apparent problem in his car's steering contributed to his tumble.) The frustration of going from contending for a $100,000 to a back-of-the-lead-lap result had to be huge, not to mention it being a huge blow to his World of Outlaws championship hopes, dropping him from 61 to 96 points behind Pierce.
Turner: I fully realize that attendees of a track’s biggest race are there for more than just the racing, so Cedar Lake’s throng, many of them camping out at the track, no doubt enjoyed the annual affair. But after Friday’s rainout, the attempt the squeeze in two programs while not starting until late afternoon Saturday seemed like a lot — and it was. I understand that no one likes day racing, and I also get the track wants to complete the promised racing (and avoid any refunds). But it seems like a daytime program with multiple-hours break before Saturday’s schedule program would’ve, at the least, avoided a marathon lasting into the wee hours, which isn’t befitting of one of the sport’s biggest races.
Mention another result, news item or tidbit.
Turner: This is my own tidbit, but I’d love to see DIRTcar figure out a way to make its weekly points not include drivers who primarily run special events. Regional standouts from the Summer Nationals are typically at the top (and often capture) of DIRTcar’s overall Super Late Model title chases. Ideally these points would reward drivers who race primarily at home tracks instead of what’s, in essence, bonus money for touring drivers. Is there a way to fix this?
Clay: Eli Ross continues to impress at the regional level after picking up his first career Comp Cams Super Dirt Series victory in Friday’s Hayden Ross Memorial prelim, the event that honors his late older brother. Granted, the Muskogee, Okla., driver was literally at home at Thunderbird Speedway, but he fought off Cade Dillard to win nearly $7,000 — including lap bonus money — in Friday’s opener before giving Dillard all he could handle in Saturday’s finale. I don’t believe Ross is ready to contend for wins on a national series yet, but it certainly feels like we’re only a year or two away from him becoming a household name.
Kovac: How about Ashton Winger’s performance over the past month-and-a-half? Aside from a DNQ at Fairbury’s Prairie Dirt Classic (largely because a flat tire knocked him from a transfer spot in a semifeature), his last nine starts show six victories and two third-place finishes. The 26-year-old Georgian has been on fire with the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series, winning five of the last seven events, including Saturday’s Deep Fried 75 finale at Duck River Raceway Park, to build a healthy points lead. A $50,000 HTF title would be a great highlight to a 2026 season for Winger, an aggressive racer who has ridden a roller coaster with his career in recent years but, if he continues to refine his driving, has the talent to be among the generation’s best.
McFadden: Rumors kindled on social media over the weekend that Nick Hoffman and car owner Tye Twarog could partner with Spire Motorsports next season, but I spoke with both at Cedar Lake, and neither offered anything that substantiated the speculation. Twarog's response: "I have no comment because there's nothing to comment on." Hoffman declined to comment on the record. That's one of the challenges of covering the sport today. Rumors catch fire quickly online, often taking on a life of their own before anyone involved has actually said anything on the record. I'd rather wait for verifiable information than chase speculation simply to be first. It may not always satisfy the rumor mill, but it's the approach I believe best serves both the people involved and the readers. As things stand today, Hoffman and Twarog remain under contract together through 2027.
Can anyone stop Pierce from winning a fourth straight Sunoco North-South 100?
Clay: I alluded to Pierce’s domination earlier, but he will be entered as the clear favorite to win his fourth straight North-South 100 and fifth overall. If anyone could stop Pierce, you’d figure Jonathan Davenport’s name would be near the top of that list, as a two-time North-South champ (2015, ’22). Another feel-good story would be Josh Rice getting the most lucrative victory of his career as he enters the weekend with 13 Florence specials dating back to 2021. Hudson O’Neal, winner of May’s Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence, and points leader Brandon Sheppard are aiming to win Florence’s biggie for the first time.
Kovac: Never say never about anything being possible, even though Pierce has developed a special knack for Florence and its crown jewel event. But winning four straight 100-lappers at a single track is a monumental task — just getting through that many long races in a row without some sort of problem takes some good fortune — so Pierce is facing that as an obstacle. Then there’s all the drivers hellbent on stopping him. Jonathan Davenport remembers last year’s fender-bending battle for the North-South 100 lead with Pierce and will certainly will extra focused. Brandon Sheppard and the Rocket1 team are rolling and neither has won the North-South. Josh Rice took the past weekend off and is eagerly anticipating his shot at a crown jewel at his home track. There’s plenty of motivated challengers for Pierce, but that fact also pushes him so he’ll be ready.
McFadden: More than another driver, I'd say the racetrack itself. Pierce is still the favorite, but even he acknowledged after Saturday's USA Nationals that his car was beginning to teeter in the closing laps. A slick, technical Florence Raceway would at least narrow the gap. That's where Brandon Sheppard and Rocket1 Racing have shined all season, giving them perhaps their best opportunity to deny Pierce a fourth straight North-South 100. Of course, Josh Rice is always a contender at his home-track crown jewel. Jonathan Davenport can’t be counted out as well, but will a three-week hiatus slow him down?
Turner: The short answer is yes. The slightly longer answer is that I kind of doubt it. The track where his parents met has also become the track where — for a driver who is excellent at many tracks — he’s arguably at his best. My fellow panelists will no doubt suggest intriguing scenarios with other winners, but this is Pierce’s race to lose until proven otherwise.
What’s your favorite format (and perhaps least favorite?) for big-purse weekends?
Kovac: I prefer two-day shows rather than three-day affairs, though that’s somewhat because I’m attending multiple major events each year so spending three days at a track so many times does begin to drag. A format I’ve come to like if Fairbury’s PDC deal with the four 25-lap semifeatures on Friday, which gives the qualifying night a feature feel, especially with the large fields that the PDC draws. Not every crown jewel could run four semifeatures, but three would generally be possible. I like the hard racing that the format engenders to land a transfer spot, and it does inject a bit of randomness into the game that provides the opportunity for an underdog to hit everything right and slip into the big race. Big-money races need to give those unheralded racers at least a chance of making the show or they won’t even enter and I think Fairbury’s format does that.
Clay: I like the current Dream format at Eldora Speedway with the split field competing in a Thursday prelim and the other half competing in a Friday prelim setting up Saturday’s heat races, consolations and main event. I prefer the two split-field nights as opposed to two semifeatures nightly, which is what we’ll see this weekend at Florence, as that is simply a lot, dare I say too much, preliminary action. I’d prefer the bigger events keep their prelim nights more simple and concise, but I certainly understand wanting to give a large number of entrants a chance at as much on-track time as possible.
McFadden: Like Aaron, I'm a fan of the Dream's new format. I understand why some drivers aren't thrilled about racing only two of the three nights. If you're already at the track, you want to race. But I like that the format still gives the best teams a chance to rise to the top, especially with 50-lap split-field prelims instead of 25-lappers. I've long felt 25 laps simply isn't enough for a crown jewel prelim. Give the drivers — and the fans — enough laps for strategy, tire management and racecraft to matter, and enough time to overcome a bad pill draw or qualifying session. I think the Dream has found a good balance.
Turner: Knoxville for me, although it was more appealing with larger car counts. You see two full-field prelims with inverts that reward racers with passing points on a track big enough to allow fast cars to race forward. Then the finale is truly that (and typically starts at a reasonable hour). I think the Dream is my next favorite and Fairbury’s format is attractive, although a bummer that it sends some drivers packing early. It’s easier to list what I don’t like: double-heat format (blah with too many relatively meaningless laps), split semifeatures (kissing your sister) and other heat-only prelim programs (fans, and drivers, need a nightly payoff). I’ve said it before and I'll say it again: let’s have a throwback Eldora qualifying-only night followed by a traditional program, sans hot laps (and if we must have three days, begin it with a Thursday Nightmare-style program with no time trials, 10 heats and a main event).
Editor's note: Adds reason for Hoffman's fade at Cedar Lake
