Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: Recapping weekend's big winners
On a weekend of sweeps with Brian Shirley and Nick Hoffman the richest winners, our roundtable checks in for the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
Evaluate Brownstown’s Jackson 100 weekend.
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: Friday’s opener was pretty much a ho-hum affair; Hudson O’Neal controlled the action at his home track to win quite convincingly. Saturday’s Jackson 100 might have seemed similarly mundane judging by Brian Shirley leading from lap 24 onward, but it was anything but uneventful. Shirley moved forward from ninth. He turned back a late challenge from Josh Rice. And there was plenty of upward mobility and dicing throughout the distance. It was so refreshing as well to see Shirley win the 50-grand top prize. He’s one of the sport’s good guys. He’s always thoughtful and introspective with his comments. His first year as a Lucas Oil Series regular has been rough on him, so breaking through for his elusive first-ever victory on the national tour in such a long-running event is a real feel-good story.
Todd Turner, DirtonDirt managing editor: What a shot in the arm for Brian Shirley, a driver who rarely attempted to run Brownstown’s biggest race through most of his career. I was struck by how many drivers mentioned they were glad to see it for him — he’s got a good reputation throughout the pits, and personally his sincere, warm greetings over the 20-plus years I’ve known him are appreciated. I was also intrigued Shirley’s that soft-tire choice was so critical. Sometimes the tire compound stuff can get in the weeds, but I find postrace discussion of the outcome much more compelling when teams make a good call on tires instead of everyone being on virtually the same compounds.
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: Brian Shirley put on an absolute clinic Saturday, and there’s nothing hyperbolic about that. Amid a tumultuous season, the $56,000 windfall surely helps ease some of the disappointment. Typically, an 84-lap green-flag run in which one driver leads the final 77 circuits is a recipe for a rather uneventful 100-lapper. But Saturday was anything but. Shirley had his car hooked up from start to finish, and his patience was especially impressive. Even as he got bottled up in traffic as his four-second advantage disappeared, he remained poised enough to hit his marks along the bottom, knowing someone would have to beat him off that groove. Shirley is widely admired in the pit area for racing his competitors with respect and caring deeply about the sport. It’s hard not to appreciate that.
Bryan Ault, DirtonDirt contributing writer: Shirley’s victory reminded me of a No. 16 seed beating a No. 1 seed in NCAA basketball. No disrespect intended for Shirley, but there were zero indications that the Chatham, Ill., driver would win this race. Going into the weekend, the favorites were either Ricky Thornton Jr. repeating as the 100-lapper’s defending champion, or Devin Moran as a three-time winner of the Indiana Icebreaker. Throw in Hudson O’Neal, too, given that Brownstown is his home oval. I would’ve even picked Josh Rice over Shirley, or Jonathan Davenport. At Friday’s C.J. Rayburn Memorial, Shirley was a non-factor in 17th. I happened to be following him and his crew out of the track and I could tell they were all a bit frustrated. They turned things around Saturday. The way he dominated and controlled that race for three-quarters of it was really shocking. I couldn’t be happier for him. It won’t go down as Race of the Year, but if we had an award for Upset of the Year, it would be a likely pick.
Review Nick Hoffman’s World of Outlaws sweep at I-55.
Turner: The methodical, steady and seemingly destined nature of his victories struck me. This was a driver competitors figured would be out front at a track near his native Belleville, Ill. And once he got out there, catching him was going to be difficult. The Nick Hoffman of September 2026, buoyed by his World 100 victory, is the best version we’ve seen and if he edges up another few notches in his move to Spire Motorsports from his already potent Tye Twarog Racing team, we’re going to be writing a lot of Hoffman stories in the coming seasons.
McFadden: Nick Hoffman’s gone from the weekend of his life at Eldora’s World 100 to having the month of his life. Finalize a deal with Spire for 2027. Win your first World 100. Now sweep a World of Outlaws weekend at what was once your home track, I-55? It couldn't get much better. We all know Hoffman is a consistent frontrunner. In fact, he has more top-five finishes on the WoO tour this year than Bobby Pierce. If there’s been one knock on his game, though, it’s that he can sometimes be too patient or lack the cushion-riding prowess we’ve seen from Pierce and Ricky Thornton Jr. during their electric 30-win seasons. But lately, Hoffman has been excelling the way he wants to race — methodical, smooth, steady and mostly off the top. There’s something old-school about that approach, and it’s clearly working for him.
Ault: I spoke with Nick Hoffman after the FloRacing Night in America event at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind., his first event since capturing the World 100 two weeks ago. With a flat tire dooming his chances for a win and causing him to finish 11th, Hoffman went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, bringing with it mixed feelings after experiencing success and failure in such a short span of time. It was great to see Hoffman bounce back at I-55 near his native Belleville, Ill., and it’s clear he’s the current No. 1 driver in the country in our rankings.
Kovac: With Hoffman having about a dozen starts left this season with car owner Tye Twarog before he heads to Spire Motorsports, it’s looking like he’s going to close his tenure with Twarog on a serious heater. Backing up his World 100 victory with a pair of WoO wins at I-55 tells me that his confidence is at an all-time high. He’s finding that little extra he’s needed to turn second- and third-place finishes into checkered flags. If Hoffman rips off a few more triumphs in the coming weeks to leave Twarog at the absolute top of his game, everyone will really start wondering what heights he could have reached with Twarog if their partnership continued into ’27 and beyond.
Pick another weekend performance to discuss.
McFadden: I’ll go with an update on Garrett Alberson even though he struggled in his return from facial injuries suffered August’s North-South 100. It was a difficult weekend performance-wise, finishing 19th and 20th at Brownstown. Returning after a six-week layoff to heal, he told me Saturday night that he’s “not making excuses” and flatout acknowledged that his program is way off the mark right now. I could tell Alberson was pretty down on himself afterward, despite saying his injured eye performed fine and didn't hinder him behind the wheel. He’s picking up a new Longhorn Chassis this week and plans to debut it at the Pittsburgher, hoping the change can help him rediscover some speed.
Ault: Bobby Pierce’s victory at Lincoln Park Speedway certainly seemed to boost his morale. It’s been a rough-and-tumble few weeks for Pierce, with two blown engines at the World 100. He went to the Cotton Pickin’ 100 and picked up a win in Mississippi last weekend, and landing back in victory lane again on Wednesday night definitely increased his confidence. Even though Hoffman swept the weekend at I-55, getting a taste of victory again was a big deal for the superstar.
Turner: Admittedly I’m stretching the word “performance,” but I loved Bryan’s piece about Jim Curry’s throwback car to his 1988 UMP title making an appearance at Brownstown. Curry was already a graybeard by the time I came along and saw him wins tons of races in that car, and the plain-white look with the it’s-got-to-be-Curry red No. 7 familiar everywhere he raced. Curry's 2003 Jackson 100 victory at the age of 60, which I was fortunate to cover, stands out as one of those nights when a driver was able to turn back time.
Kovac: Has Cody Overton stepped into a dream? It sure seems so after his spectacular three-win weekend that included a $20,000 sweep of the Hunt the Front doubleheader at Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway and a $17,522 victory in Sunday’s Jack Starrette Memorial at Modoc (S.C.) Speedway. Overton’s season has been anything but smooth — it started with major mechanical trouble plaguing his attempt to field his own effort and has included periods of inactivity — but things have been looking up ever since he landed a ride with Minnesota’s Jame Trantina III. Now he’s one of the country’s hottest drivers. Weekends like Overton just had don’t happen often, and drivers who author them are rarely pedestrian talents. He’s showing his brother Brandon might not be the only star in the Overton family.
In an era with relatively regular $50,000 paydays, are tracks getting their bang for the buck with those big outlays?
Ault: That’s a fair question. When I pulled into Brownstown on Friday and Saturday, it didn’t feel like the crowd was as big as it has been in previous years, just based on the number of campers and how easy it was to get my preferred parking spot. There was also plenty of space to find a spot in the bleachers to watch the 100-lapper. I followed up with promoter Jim Price after the race, who told me the crowd was lighter than previous years despite the fantastic weather and strong car count. I definitely think something needs to be done to help out local promoters. Streaming is great, but if it’s the default way most fans watch races, local promoters will feel the pinch on what should be their biggest weekends of the year.
McFadden: It’s hard to say definitively. We’re seeing more $50,000-to-win races than ever, so perhaps promoters are getting something out of those big purses if the events keep appearing — and reappearing — on the schedule.I do think a $50,000 winner’s share gives an event some extra pop when fans and drivers are scrolling through social media or hearing about said event in passing. It certainly sounds more appealing than $20,000-to-win. But the rest of the field’s payoffs matter, too, perhaps even more than the winner’s share. I’m in favor of taking a chunk off the top of the purse and spreading it throughout the field. If a promoter wants to put up $50,000-to-win, by all means, let him. But I’d also like to see more of that money reach the drivers who don’t make it to victory lane. Really, it’s up to the promoter.
Kovac: You could say $50,000 is the new $20,000 — in other words, 50-grand winner’s purses are becoming more routine than ever. Richer races can never be considered a bad development, but the sport needs to be careful about taking away the special aura of a $50,000-to-win show. A promoter won’t necessarily attract more entries by posting a $50,000 top prize; the rank-and-file drivers needed to really boost car counts aren’t the ones drawn in by a big first-place booty, so putting up that kind of cash means a promoter will likely have to be satisfied with quality over quantity. Honestly, a promoter might get a better return on investment by reducing the $50,000 on top by, say, half, and redistributing that money through the rest of the field to ensure more teams collect solid paychecks.
Turner: I guess simply expectations are different with so many lucrative events dotting the schedule. Twenty-five years ago, $50,000 would be a no-doubt draw of the sport’s best drivers, and likely a car count nearing 100. Promotionally, these days you can’t just rely on throwing the big number out there and expect a whopping car count or crowd. If you want more cars, fans or more attention, promotions need a twist. Figuring out the economy of race purses is an imperfect science, and while my gut says a $25,000-to-win race and spreading the other $25,000 liberally among finishers No. 2-10 should draw better, that doesn’t always seem to be the case.
Praise a 2026 driver that you knew little about before the season started.
Kovac: I heard about Iowa’s Dallon Murty last year as he began making some Dirt Late Model inroads running the Malvern Bank tours, and I even caught a glimpse of him when he made his short-lived Super Late Model debut at the Knoxville Nationals. But I can’t say I realized just how much potential he has until this season when he became a Super Late Model regular driving for Greg Bruening’s Skyline Motorsports. This is a youngster who has impressed me throughout 2026. He races with a level head but has still shown he can get after it, which I believe will show up in increasingly strong results as he gains more experience.
McFadden: Lincoln Smith is an Ohio high schooler I met last September but didn't know much about until writing a story on him this summer. At just 15 years old, he's got a bright future ahead of him if he sticks with racing. Already a Super Late Model winner just a year after moving into the division last August, Smith has qualified for multiple national tour events and even started from the pole in this year's DIRTcar Summer Nationals race at Wayne County Speedway. With established consultant Keith Berner in his corner, Smith has a solid foundation to build on. He's certainly someone I'll be keeping an eye on over the next five to 10 years.
Ault: I’ll go with Frank Heckenast Jr. I knew about his dad, but the younger Heckenast didn’t cross my mind much before this season. I first met him after his win at Montpelier Motor Speedway during the DIRTCar Summernationals, where he picked up a few wins on the tour’s final weeks. On Saturday’s Jackson 100, he backed up his summer wins with a sixth-place run against the sport’s national competition, and was right in the mix for the win during most of the race.
Turner: I actually knew quite a bit about Tucker Anderson because I featured the Blairsville, Ga., driver in our Weekly Notebook two years ago, but I wasn’t certain he’d reach the status he has. The 19-year-old is leading Southern All star points and has nearly a dozen victories overall in 2026 as one of the most promising young racers in the Southeast. He clicked off another nice victory Saturday in Winder-Barrow Speedway’s James Foster Memorial. Bigger and better things are surely to come.
