Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: RTJ, National 100 and World Finals
With no national touring series action over the last weekend of October, our roundtable analyzes Ricky Thornton Jr.’s autumn hot streak, the long-running National 100 and the upcoming World Finals for the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
Compare Ricky Thornton Jr.’s October victory explosion to other drivers’ hot streaks this season.
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: It’s right up there with Bobby Pierce’s June rampage, when he won six consecutive World of Outlaws races and 12 of 14 starts overall. But even across that 14-race stretch, Pierce collected $310,000 — short of the $350,000 Ricky Thornton Jr. has amassed in six consecutive victories. For historical perspective, Thornton’s haul even surpasses the $344,400 that Brandon Overton earned while winning nine of 10 races during his remarkable 2021 summer run, including his double Dream sweep. That’s extraordinary for Thornton to reach those earnings in considerably fewer starts. With another $55,000 available this week at Charlotte, he has a chance to push his streak to seven, eight or even nine victories.
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: Really, aside from Pierce’s summer tear on the WoO tour, no other driver has put together a stretch to match Thornton’s current heater. And while Pierce’s streak of six straight and 12 wins in 14 starts encompassed more racetracks, RTJ sweeping the two-race Lucas Oil weekends at Eldora and West Virginia Motor Speedway and the Iron-Man circuit’s Halloween Nationals at Portsmouth has been even more amazing for its financial rewards (Thornton’s six victories have produced $350,000 in earnings, including the the Dirt Track World Championship and the Lucas Oil Series’s $100,000 Bonus Program points title) and the fact that it immediately followed his Koehler Motorsports team’s change in crew chiefs. Everyone knows Thornton is an elite talent capable of ripping off wins in bunches, but this explosion is truly mind-boggling.
Aaron Clay, DirtonDirt weekend editor: Ricky Thornton Jr.’s hot streak immediately reminded me of Pierce’s summer stretch where he won six races consecutively between June 20-30 and captured 12 checkered flags in 14 starts between June 4 and July 14. Thornton’s heater has been impressive, but Pierce’s prowess was more substantial in terms of length and number of tracks, cementing his foothold as the World of Outlaws points leader and increasing the likelihood of a third national touring title in the last four years. Sadly for Thornton, his hot streak came a bit too late for a Lucas Oil championship push, but he's certainly ending the season on a high note.
Spence Smithback, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. director: I’m struggling to think of another example of a driver going on a hot streak like this immediately after a midseason crew chief change. It would have been understandable if the No. 20RT went through a few weeks of mediocre results as Thornton and new head wrench Justin Tharp got acclimated to the team’s new look, but no such time has been necessary at Koehler Motorsports. Combined with the fact that four of Thornton’s six consecutive Late Model wins came against crown-jewel-level fields at Eldora and WVMS, it has truly been one of the more impressive turnarounds in recent history.
Evaluate the National 100 weekend and East Alabama Motor Speedway’s new racing surface.
Kovac: Saturday’s 60-lap finale produced a real cool post-race moment with winner Wil Herrington, whose cracking voice and teared-up eyes as he spoke about how he grew up watching the race and dreaming of winning it made it clear that the victory meant the world to him. The racing on the fresh, gray-tinted clay, though, specifically in Saturday’s headliner, was anything but exciting. Herrington led every lap and there wasn’t a single change in the top-five after lap 16 as everyone lined up around the bottom, which was kind of surprising after Friday’s 40-lapper had cars sliding all over the corners using multiple grooves. It was disappointing to see Saturday’s main event turn one-lane, but Friday’s competitive, icy-slick conditions offers hope that the EAMS team has a surface that will provide entertaining racing once they get more experience working with it.
McFadden: Herrington deserves every ounce of credit for an exceptional, mistake-free National 100 victory. With virtually all 60 laps unfolding single-file around the bottom, precision was paramount, and he delivered. The racing, however, fell well short of what EAMS organizers envisioned when it hauled in more than 180 truckloads of clay and reshaped its surface to encourage multiple grooves. Still, I commend the ambition. Gambling on an entirely new racing surface before your biggest event takes guts, especially when the goal is restoring some pop to a historic race. The first impression disappointed for the weekend’s Super Late Model finale, but the commitment to improving the racing matters. I expect EAMS to learn from this weekend and ultimately figure it out.
Clay: It’s tough to evaluate, as the East Alabama officials needed hours of preparation over the entire weekend with results leaving something to be desired. Friday’s National 100 prelim seemed racy, with drivers negotiating multiple grooves, including the narrow high line while flirting with the track’s edge in each of the set of corners. Saturday’s on-track action, however, seemed much more locked-down and confined to the shorter way around the speedway. Hopefully EAMS officials continue tweaking and dialing in the new racing surface since it seems to offer a level of potential otherwise unseen at that facility in recent years.
Smithback: I admittedly didn’t get to see much of the on-track activity in Phenix City thanks to a busy weekend at Charlotte working the World Short Track Championship. But I did get home in time to catch the Super Late Model feature on Saturday, which left me fairly underwhelmed. The one-groove racing was the exact circumstance the track was trying to avoid when they put down new “gray clay” in recent weeks, but four full days of racing can often be too much, regardless of the type of dirt in play. That said, I know the staff at East Alabama wants to see the National 100 get back to its heyday, and talks are already underway on how to do that in 2027 and beyond.
Detail a result, driver or news item from the last week of October.
Smithback: I witnessed the debut of the 525 Late Model division as part of the World Short Track Championship weekend at Charlotte, and with 51 cars in attendance, I would call it a major success. A debate can be had over how many different types of Limited Late Models is too many, but when each of them receives strong racer support, it’s hard to blame promoters for adding several of them to their schedule. Kudos to Gaffney, S.C.’s Layton Sullivan on picking up the inaugural win against a field that featured several notable names from both the Super and Crate Late Model worlds. He’s up to six on the year and is becoming one to watch in the Southeast in years to come.
Clay: I need to detail Cody Overton’s victory in Friday’s 40-lap National 100 opener, not only for his contact going for the lead with Wil Herrington, the eventual winner of Saturday’s $25,000 finale, but also for paced the final 28 laps to triumph handily. The younger racing Overton brother now has 13 overall feature wins this season with six coming since Sept. 19’s WISSOTA 100 at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn. While Cody hasn’t been on a Pierce- or Thornton-level hot streak, he’s proven to be one of the best Dirt Late Model drivers in the country and a threat to win on the national level.
Kovac: Could Kentucky modified standout Cole Falloway become the next open-wheel racer to make an impact in Dirt Late Models? The 23-year-old will get his chance to enter the full-fender world with the announcement that he’ll drive for Illinois-base Curless Motorsports next season in many Midwest specials event and most of the MARS Championship Series. Dirt Late Model racing’s pipeline of open-wheel modified drivers is impressive — Jimmy Owens, Mike Marlar, Ricky Thornton Jr., Nick Hoffman, Ryan Gustin and Ethan Dotson, to name just a few — and Falloway’s building resume (MARS modified title and five DIRTcar Nationals wins at Volusia in 2025, 14 modified wins this season including during the Prairie Dirt Classic and DTWC) point to him being an intriguing newcomer.
McFadden: Coltman Farms Racing will continue sponsoring Sam Seawright, who left the Maysville, Ga., team last week to return to his family’s Mach X Chassis operation, owner Brett Coltman told me this weekend. It’s a reminder that parting ways professionally doesn’t have to mean parting on bad terms. Sometimes a change simply makes business sense while preserving a strong relationship. I’m also interested to see how Coltman’s program develops with Luke Morey next season. It’s easy to forget Morey is only 18, given how much Dirt Late Model experience he’s already accumulated. That should serve him well as he continues to expand his national footprint.
Give your quick primer on Charlotte’s World Finals with an emphasis on what makes it such a blockbuster event.
McFadden: No other event brings together such a commanding share of dirt racing’s top talent at one venue. That alone makes Charlotte’s World Finals a blockbuster. Add the fans, vendors and campers, and Charlotte has the complete package — an atmosphere that makes the gathering as memorable as the racing. It’s become a can’t-miss event for my dad, who’s making the trip for the fifth consecutive year. It’s the perfect finale to all three national touring seasons and a rare opportunity to appreciate the breadth of talent across the sport. Come for your favorite division, but don’t overlook the others. More on that below.
Smithback: So you’re saying there’s a chance? Nick Hoffman is anyway. With a 76-point deficit to Bobby Pierce in the World of Outlaws championship hunt, Hoffman needs a miracle to deliver Tye Twarog a title in his final year as the team’s driver. But even though Pierce locked up the title in advance last year, Hoffman beat Pierce by 68 points over three nights at Charlotte without winning, so it’s not an impossible task. But whether the championship is in play on Saturday or not, having three star-studded fields from every corner of the dirt racing universe in the same place should be reason enough to pay attention.
Kovac: Will there be any WoO title drama at Charlotte? It’s not very likely unless Pierce experiences some major struggles over the three nights of feature racing to give Hoffman hope, but Pierce has looked mortal in some recent runs so there is at least a sliver of a chance the championship could come down to Saturday. One storyline to watch: can the non-WoO drivers who have shined at the World Finals in recent years — Jonathan Davenport, Hudson O’Neal and the sizzling Ricky Thornton Jr. — steal the show? And speaking of “show,” the World Finals is indeed that. It’s definitely a marathon of racing, but the sheer magnitude of three headline divisions capping their seasons at a showplace facility in front of so many people (probably around 17,000?) always makes me proud to be working in dirt-track racing.
Clay: I love the vibe of Charlotte’s World Finals with all three World Racing Group marquee touring series — the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, WoO Late Models and Super DIRTcar Series big-block modifieds — converging upon the same track for the only time all year to crown their respective champions. Friday’s three-series, four-wide salute might be the best sight in all of dirt racing, one I hope to view with my own eyes one day. It’s really the best of all worlds for dirt racers and fans alike, with the best 150-or-so racers and teams invading Charlotte’s Dirt Track for a weekend of non-stop racing action.
Sell Dirt Late Model fans on why they should watch the sprint cars and big-block modifieds during the World Finals, or why fans of the other divisions shouldn’t miss the full-fender action.
Kovac: I truly find it hard to believe that a fan who’s spent their money to witness the World Finals wouldn’t want to watch all the divisions, no matter which one is their favorite. We’re not talking about lower support classes here. Every division on the World Finals bill has full-time professional racers among its rosters. This is the cream of the crop of short-track racing on dirt. Fans should relish the opportunity to see the body-rubbing action of Dirt Late Models, sheer speed of sprint cars and unique sound and slides of big-block modifieds in one place.
McFadden: While I consider Dirt Late Models the pinnacle of dirt racing, there’s plenty to appreciate about sprint cars and big-block modifieds. Sprint car racing is, dare I say, sometimes the better show simply because of the sheer speed and staggering power-to-weight ratio. How can you not appreciate the bravery it takes to wheel those things at breathtaking speeds? Big-block modifieds, meanwhile, are the contact sport of dirt racing. Those drivers are purebred short-trackers who know how to race hard in tight quarters. The door-banging and constant jockeying for position have their own appeal. All three divisions demand something different from their drivers, and World Finals gives you the perfect opportunity to appreciate each craft up close.
Smithback: Late Model fans will have someone to root for in the Super DIRTcar Series portion of the event, with Tim McCreadie entered in the Vinny Vitale-owned big-block modified. The big-blocks are led into Charlotte by 22-year-old Alex Yankowski, who stands on the doorstep of becoming one of the youngest champions across any of dirt racing’s major tours. I don’t know if he has any desire to follow in McCreadie’s footsteps in making the move to Late Models one day, but there’s no doubt that he has the talent to pull it off if a car owner is looking for an outside-the-box candidate.
Clay: As someone working in the Dirt Late Model industry, I’ll admit sprint cars have the most aggressive and unfathomable power-to-ratio in all of motorsports. These cars have just as much power as anything else on a racetrack, but weigh half as much and, by the way, have open wheels, meaning any contact could send a driver tumbling. The big-block modifieds are interesting and something I’ve never experienced in person, but I’m intrigued by the center-positioned driver, the aerodynamic sail panels and rear suspension that mimics modern dirt-racing technology. I’ll certainly be interested to see how Tim McCreadie fares against the gang of usual ground-pounder modified pilots.
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