DirtonDirt Dispatches
Dispatches: Hoffman rolling with I-55 sweep
Nick Hoffman leads a heat pack at Pevely. (Emily Schwenke)
Notes and quotes from Dirt Late Model specials during the last weekend in September, including World of Outlaws Late Model Series action at I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo. (look for coverage Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series action at Indiana's Brownstown Speedway elsewhere):
Streaking Hoffman
Nick Hoffman already gave his car owner Tye Twarog a spectacular parting gift with a World 100 victory. But it doesn’t mean he’s done providing the guy who gave him his first full-time national touring opportunity more moments to remember.
With the countdown to Hoffman’s departure from Twarog’s team for a new opportunity with Spire Motorsports on, the 34-year-old standout from Mooresville, N.C., produced another thrilling weekend. Hoffman won Saturday’s 50-lap WoO feature at I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo., to sweep the WoO circuit’s King of the Arch weekend.
“This is badass,” Hoffman said after backing up his $12,000 triumph in Friday’s opener with a $20,000 score in the finale.
Racing at a third-mile oval just across the Mississippi River from where he grew up in Belleville, Ill., Hoffman pushed his win total to three since announcing his four-year run driving for Twarog will end at the conclusion of the 2026 season. What’s especially notable about the hot streak is that Hoffman hadn’t visited victory lane anywhere in over three months before snapping the drought with his $100,000 World 100 checkered flag on Sept. 12 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
“Just an unbelievable couple of weeks now,” said Hoffman, who has at least a dozen races left with Twarog through mid-November. “And the race car was just flawless again tonight.”
Hoffman grabbed the lead from Dallon Murty on lap 18 and kept his Longhorn Chassis in front of Bloomington, Ill.’s Jason Feger down the stretch for the victory one night after earning his first-ever Dirt Late Model win at I-55, a track where he enjoyed plenty of open-wheel modified success earlier in his career.
“I’ve said it so many times, any of these places that I'm really good in my modified stuff and had a lot of success, it just translates right over in the Late Model deal,” said Hoffman, whose back-to-back triumphs ended an 18-race WoO stretch without a win dating back to May 30 at Mansfield (Ohio) Speedway. “It’s just laps, you know, is what it comes down to.”
Hoffman conceded afterward that he “had to turn left” on Feger when the veteran made a bid for the lead late in the race, but Feger didn’t have any ill will over the move after settling for runner-up money.
“I mean, Nick’s on fire right now,” Feger said after shaking Hoffman’s hand in victory lane. “He’s a great driver, and he’s got everything rolling really good right now and I know he’s won everything here in a modified. He really loves this place, so you know, he’s going to be really tough here.
“But I felt like as the race went on, I just kind of kept getting lighter and lighter on the right-rear. I think when we were in dirty air Nick probably was a little light then too and we were a little more equal, but once he got clean air he definitely was on the track harder than me.”
Hoffman relished the close competition with Feger.
“Jason’s one of my buddies and it’s fun racing with him, and that's a hell of a run for them guys too,” said Hoffman, who has eight WoO and 12 overall wins this season. “seen him peeking down there and I knew I had to get back in line just to defend, so I had to turn left down the front straightaway and block.”
Both Hoffman and Feger praised the Pevely track surface and offered their concern for track promoter Josh Carroll, who posted on Facebook that he departed the track Saturday in an ambulance to seek treatment for recent cardiac issues, saying he didn’t take it easy enough on the busy weekend after advice from his cardiologist.
“Hats off to the track prep crew. They did a great job,” Hoffman said. “Hopefully Josh is all right. He’s got to be proud of what the racetrack was tonight. They did a little bit of rework there and it widened it out and got us to where we could race for quite a while there. It was really good … so old school Pevely.”
Added Feger: “And, just, man, what a racetrack. (Carroll’s) taken a lot of heat over the last few years, you know, Josh has struggled to get this thing smooth, but man, it’s been great the last few times here. And hopefully he’s doing all right.” — DIRTVisionm series and staff reports
Hoffman at I-55
Nick Hoffman is racking up some memorable victories in September. Two weeks ago was the career-marking World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and Friday it was his first Late Model triumph at a track just across the Mississippi River from his native Belleville, Ill.
Leading all but the first three laps at I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo., Hoffman scored a $12,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory in the King of the Arch opener. He’ll chase another $20,000 on Saturday after holding off the late-race charge of series points leader Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill.
“The biggest thing is, I think, confidence level and just knowing this place,” Hoffman said in victory lane. “It’s a small version of Eldora, the way it kind of races and stuff. So I took a lot of my notes from what I did at the World (100) for here.
"I grew up in these grandstands. I watched Ed Dixon beat the wall down, Scott Weber, my dad, my uncle Dean (Hoffman). … just all these legends that's raced here, and I grew up watching them guys and learned so much. I didn't get to really race here. So I was probably 15 or 16 years old and just came to a liking of it, you know, just watching so many races, I think helps and then just able to get out here and finally win a Late Model race here means so much to me.
“I've got the arch in the number. I got another arch on my trophy, so, yeah, hopefully get it tomorrow, too.”
Hoffman, who took command on the fourth lap in overtaking polesitter Dallon Murty, ran the low groove with harder tires than his competitors in repelling the high-flying Pierce’s rally.
“Our race car was really good and obviously you get that last caution there and you see (Pierce) is in second, so, just got to make perfect laps,” Hoffman said.
In the waning laps, Pierce knew his chances at victory were slim.
"I was blowing the deck out of it,” he said. “So I realized I was just gonna settle for a second.” — DIRTVision and staff reports
Streaming schedule
Among upcoming Dirt Late Model special and sanctioned events available via live streaming:
Friday, Sept. 25
• World of Outlaws Late Model Series at I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo. (DIRTVision)
• Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series C.J. Rayburn Tribute at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway (FloRacing)
• Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series at Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway (Hunt the Front TV)
• Comp Cams Super Dirt Series at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. (ArrowVision Live)
• Indiana Pro Late Model Series Bowman Family 50 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway (FloRacing)
• Punky Manor Challenge preliminary night at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wis. (Dirt Race Central)
• Stock Car Stampede preliminary night at Jamestown (N.D.) Speedway (Dacotah Speedway TV)
Saturday, Sept. 26
• Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Jackson 100 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway (FloRacing)
• World of Outlaws Late Model Series at I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo. (DIRTVision)
• Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series at Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway (Hunt the Front TV)
• Comp Cams Super Dirt Series at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. (ArrowVision Live)
• Punky Manor Challenge of Champions at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wis. (Dirt Race Central)
• Stock Car Stampede at Jamestown (N.D.) Speedway (Dacotah Speedway TV)
• Topless Nationals Super Late Models at The Dirt Track at Genesee in Batavia, N.Y. (The Cushion TV)
• Save A Lot American Crate All-Star Series at Natural Bridge (Va.) Speedway (Dirt Rich TV)
Sunday, Sept. 27
• Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series at Modoc (S.C.) Speedway (Hunt the Front TV)
• Rural King Road to the Dome Gateway qualifier at Coles County Speedway in Mattoon, Ill. (FloRacing)
