DirtonDirt Dispatches
Dispatches: Resetting the WoO rookie chase
Clockwise from top left: Trey Mills, Daulton Wilson, Eli Johnson and Logan Zarin (Emily Schwanke/woolms.com)
Among notes and quotes around the Dirt Late Model world in mid-August along with a streaming schedule of upcoming action (look for coverage of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Ace Doran Topless 100 from Batesville elsewere):
WoO rookie chase
One of the most intriguing rookie classes on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in recent history has lived up to the hype in 2026.
Four drivers are following the World of Outlaws the first time and they’re all doing it with race teams new to full-time national tour competition. Each team has had its struggles and successes and the battle between them for the MD3 Rookie of the Year Award heading for the home stretch. Here’s a reset with 14 series events remaining, beginning with Aug. 21-22’s Hawkeye 100 weekend at Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway:
Trey Mills, St. Augustine, Fla. (first in rookie points; seventh overall): Four months ago, top rookie honors looked like a pipe dream. Not anymore. The 18-year-old Mills didn’t get off to the best start and sat 189 points behind Daulton Wilson leaving Farmer City Raceway in April. Late spring was when Mills started to find his groove, and he’s been chipping away at the deficit ever since. Mills beat Wilson by 11 positions in Cedar Lake's USA Nationals finale, and that was just enough to edge in front by a single point. Mills has 16 top-10 finishes, 11 of them at tracks where he’d never raced. While he’s winless, he’s had some big moments, including earning pole positions for Eldora Speedway’s non-WoO Dream and Fairbury’s Prairie Dirt Classic, leading a combined 87 laps between the crown jewel events.
Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, N.C. (second in rookie points; eighth overall): Less than a year ago, Wilson was wondering if his days as a nationally-touring Late Model driver were behind him. These days, his outlook is brighter than ever. The 29-year-old spent last fall as a free agent after his departure from JRR Motorsports. In October, an opportunity came along from Augie Burttram and Shawn Martin to run a handful of races for the Big Frog-Viper Motorsports operation. The combination hit it off and a short-term arrangement turned into a long-term deal for a WoO run. Wilson had a solid 13 top-10 finishes in 18 races through the spring. He struggled in early summer, but frustrations vanished at New York’s Stateline Speedway with his first WoO victory. The schedule says Wilson should have the upper hand late in the season in the rookie chase with Carolina races at Modoc Speedway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Logan Zarin, Hookstown, Pa. (third in rookie points; 13th overall): In his first full season racing with the World of Outlaws, Logan Zarin has also gotten a taste of victory. Two hours from home at Marion Center Raceway, Zarin took the checkers in his split-field feature ahead of the Connor Bobik Memorial for the first national-level victory. Zarin’s best full-field finish came across the state line at Wayne County Speedway in Ohio, where he finished eighth on May 28. The primary goal for the season has been to learn and build toward a long and successful future in the national Late Model ranks, and that’s exactly what he’s been doing in the first 40 races of the campaign.
Eli Johnson, Clewistown, Fla. (fourth in rookie points; 14th overall): Despite being the oldest member of the rookie class at age 32, Eli Johnson came into the season with the least amount of previous Super Late Model experience. Johnson grew up around racing, but didn’t climb into a car himself until adulthood. Following a handful of seasons of competing locally in Florida, Johnson went all in on Super Late Model racing midway through 2025. The No. 55E team ran the full DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour and attended several other major events to prepare for 2026’s WoO run. Johnson’s best night came at West Virginia Motor Speedway, where he rallied from 23rd up to a career-best 12th. He’s also found more early-night speed by midseason, making a pair of redraws at River Cities Speedway in June and Stateline Speedway in July. — Spence Smithback
Streaming schedule
Among upcoming Dirt Late Model special and sanctioned events available via live streaming:
Thursday, Aug. 13
• Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series at KRA Speedway in Willmar, Minn. (Dirt Race Central)
Friday, Aug. 14
• Lucas Oil Topless 100 prelims at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark. (FloRacing)
• Malvern Bank West Series at Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, S.D. (IMCA TV)
• MARS Championship Series prelims at La Salle (Ill.) Speedway (FloRacing)
• Save A Lot American Crate All-Star Series at Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. (Dirt Rich TV)
• Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series at Princeton (Minn.) Speedway (Dirt Race Central)
• Nutrien Ag Solutions Revival Super Dirt Series at Rush County Speedway in La Crosse, Kan. (ArrowVision Live)
• Wabam Dirt Kings Tour at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour, Wis. (Dirt Race Central)
• Ozark Limited Late Model Series at Electric City Speedway in Butler, Mo. (ArrowVision Live)
Saturday, Aug. 15
• Lucas Oil Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark. (FloRacing)
• MARS Championship Series at La Salle (Ill.) Speedway (FloRacing)
• Ultimate Southeast-Ultimate Heart of America Series at Richmond (Ky.) Raceway (Pit Row TV)
• Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series at Thunderhill Raceway in Summertown, Tenn. (ArrowVision Live)
• Wabam Dirt Kings Tour at The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (Dirt Race Central)
• Topless Outlaw Dirt Racing Series at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway (Tazewell TV)
• Ron Flinn 52 Late Model Special at Crystal (Mich.) Motor Speedway (Crystal Motor Speedway TV)
• Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series at Ogilvie (Minn.) Raceway (Dirt Race Central)
• Malvern Bank West Series at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa (IMCA TV)
• Nutrien Ag Solutions Revival Super Dirt Series at Rooks County Speedway in Stockton, Kan. (ArrowVision Live)
• Save A Lot American Crate All-Star Series at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway (Dirt Rich TV)
• Ultimate Pro Late Model Series at Richmond (Ky.) Raceway (Pit Row TV)
• MS Crate Late Model Racing Series at Pine Ridge Speedway in Guntown, Miss. (Crate Racin’ USA TV)
• 4 State Late Model Series at Springfield (Mo.) Raceway (RaceON)
Sunday, Aug. 16
• Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series at Granite City Motor Park in Sauk Rapids, Minn. (Dirt Race Central)
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