The Dirt Track at Charlotte
Breakdown, analysis of Friday's Charlotte action
By Kyle McFadden
DirtonDirt staff reporter
Nick Hoffman celebrates his first-ever World Finals victory with his sons. (joshjamesartwork.com)
CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 6) — Takeaways and analysis from Friday’s 19th Dave Smith Motors World Finals, a 35-lap, $15,000-to-win World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature captured by Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C. (RaceWire):
HOMETOWN VICTORY: Nick Hoffman accomplished what he came to Charlotte for: winning a World Finals feature in front of his friends and family — and giving Tye Twarog another victory to savor before their partnership ends with his move to Spire Motorsports at Dec. 3-5's Gateway Dirt Nationals. Friday’s outcome never really felt in doubt, with Hoffman patrolling his hallmark middle groove and setting sail at the track just down the road from his Mooresville, N.C., home. The championship might have slipped away, but Hoffman keeps delivering on his promise to give his first full-time Dirt Late Model car owner the best farewell possible. First came the World 100 triumph, then the I-55 sweep. Now, a long-awaited Charlotte victory makes their final weeks together that much sweeter.
PODIUM HEARTBREAK: Four laps separated Trey Mills from his first full-field World of Outlaws podium — and a chance to take the Rookie of the Year fight down to the finale. Instead, a flat left-front tire from slight contact with Ryan Gustin on a lap-31 restart sent him to the pits while running third, turning a dazzling performance into heartbreak. Holding that position would’ve drawn Mills within 14 points of Daulton Wilson in the rookie standings. His eventual 21st-place finish instead left him out of contention for the first-year driver prize entering Saturday’s finale. That’s a cruel swing so close to the checkers, especially with both a career-best finish and a meaningful final-race battle within reach.
MAKING GROUND: Now that Bobby Pierce’s third WoO title is official, let’s break down a statistic that’s eye-popping. His 20 victories deserve the attention, but his ability to move forward has been just as consequential in securing the championship. Through 51 WoO features, he’s gained a net 273 positions — an average of 5.35 per race — compared with 44 during his 2023 title season and 17 in 2025. Despite an average starting position of 9.29, he’s posted a 3.94 average finish. Consider that his 56-point advantage over Nick Hoffman amounts to just 28 feature positions under the tour’s two-points-per-position structure. Every recovery matters, and Pierce has spent the season turning difficult starting spots into finishes that ultimately built and preserved his championship lead.
CREDIT DUE: The Charlotte track crew and World of Outlaws officials deserve a tip of the cap for getting Friday’s World Finals program completed. Heavy overnight rain left them with a saturated surface and a nearly four-hour delay to the start of the program, but they kept working and delivered a smooth racing surface, too. The three-division show was completed just after midnight. The wait understandably tested everyone’s patience, but considering the early-night conditions they faced, salvaging the entire night — and giving drivers a smooth track to race on when many doubted the night ahead — was an accomplishment worth recognizing.
CAREER NIGHTS: Nick Hoffman’s first World Finals victory headlined six returning drivers who established personal-best event finishes Friday. Ryan Gustin’s third improved on his previous best of seventh, while Dallon Murty climbed from 26th Thursday to sixth Friday. Max McLaughlin finished seventh, bettering his previous mark of 18th. Jadon Frame’s 14th and Logan Zarin’s 24th also surpassed their Thursday results. Braden Jones (22nd) and Ethan Wilson (27th), meanwhile, made their first World Finals feature starts.
DASH DETAILS: Using each driver’s better preliminary points total from Thursday or Friday, Brandon Overton and Nick Hoffman earned front-row starting spots for Saturday’s first six-lap dash. Ryan Gustin, Chris Madden, Ricky Thornton Jr., Chris Ferguson, Dallon Murty, Jonathan Davenport and Trey Mills complete the lineup, in starting order, with the finish determining positions 1-9 for the finale. Michael Leach, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Max McLaughlin, Tyler Erb, Jadon Frame, Tim McCreadie, Jordan Koehler and Josh Rice will contest a second six-lap dash to settle starting spots 10-18. Both dashes line up heads-up by points; everyone else heads to consolations.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Nick Hoffman became the 15th different winner in World Finals history with Friday’s victory at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, joining Jonathan Davenport, Jimmy Owens, Scott Bloomquist, Brandon Sheppard, Josh Richards, Ricky Thornton Jr., Chris Madden, Darrell Lanigan, Mike Marlar, Donnie Moran, Dennis Erb Jr., Tanner English, Bobby Pierce and Hudson O’Neal.
