Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: Wrapping up the World Finals
Our roundtable discusses a trio of Charlotte winner (Ricky Thornton Jr., Nick Hoffman and Jonathan Davenport) and more in our weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
What’s your prime reaction to Charlotte’s Dave Smith Motors World Finals?
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: To start, the event continues to be a juggernaut. The crowds were typically enormous, and the fields, especially for the Late Models (74 cars), were very healthy. There’s no short-track dirt event created over the last two decades that can top this one. Concerning the racing itself, I liked the fact that there were three winners, which was a bit surprising considering Ricky Thornton Jr.’s powerful victory in the opener that ran his win streak to seven seemed to indicate that he would at least double up with checkered flags. Nick Hoffman spun a great story with his Friday victory — he finally got his World Finals win and gave car owner Tye Twarog one more big one before their pairing ends — and Jonathan Davenport showed his Charlotte prowess once again in the finale. The World Finals wasn’t all it could be because Bobby Pierce clinched the WoO title on Friday to remove any final-race drama, but it remains a huge event.
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: After Ricky Thornton Jr.’s charge from 12th to win Thursday, I thought we might see him win at least twice, maybe even sweep the weekend. He certainly looked the part Friday, rallying from 18th to fourth. Give him a better starting spot and who knows how that one plays out? Then a flat tire in his heat Saturday derailed his bid before we could see what he had for Jonathan Davenport. Meanwhile, Bobby Pierce overcame his faulty spark plug in qualifying to secure his third WoO title — was that ever in question? Nope, Pierce and his team are too good not to figure it out. Nick Hoffman delivered on his promise to give Tye Twarog another farewell victory, and Davenport reminded everyone how good he is when Charlotte gets slick. Throw in Dallon Murty and Trey Mills, two throttle-mashing youngsters providing fresh faces up front, and there was plenty to appreciate, even if Saturday’s finale lacked the suspense you’d hope for.
Aaron Clay, DirtonDirt weekend editor: This year’s World Finals proved to be unpredictable. First off, I was impressed by its 74 entries, but more impressed by the nearly impossible task of predicting who might win on a given night. Just when you thought Ricky Thornton Jr. had the upper hand and would continue his hot streak, a flat tire derailed his efforts Saturday night. Nick Hoffman emerged as a serious contender after Friday’s prelim, but he never ran better than seventh in the finale. Jonathan Davenport took advantage of a front-row starting spot and dominated yet another major event in his Hall of Fame career.
Spence Smithback, WoO publicist: We often talk about how we didn’t have this or that on our bingo cards, but most people probably had all three of this week’s winners on there. Ricky Thornton Jr. entered the week as the hottest driver in the country and already had three Charlotte wins to his credit, Nick Hoffman was at his home track capping off a breakout season, and Jonathan Davenport is the winningest Late Model driver in World Finals history. The cream clearly rose to the top of the 74-car field on the grounds last weekend, leaving no room for a “who saw that coming?” moment when it came to the winners.
Discuss a driver that surprised (or disappointed) at Charlotte.
McFadden: Let’s start with the good. Dallon Murty and Trey Mills are at the top of that list. Both had, at the very least, top-10 runs going all three nights. They also showed they could contend up front, with Mills running third Friday before a flat tire with four laps left ruined that bid. Murty, meanwhile, hung with Jonathan Davenport through the first half of Saturday’s 50-lapper before ceding second to Bobby Pierce. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d had one or two good runs this week, but all three nights? That’s encouraging for two of dirt racing’s top prospects. As for the not-so-good, Devin Moran failing to qualify all three nights has got to be the biggest shocker. Hudson O’Neal failing to qualify Thursday and managing a best finish of only 19th Friday is equally shocking, especially aboard Kevin Rumley's seemingly-unbeatable No. 6 machine.
Clay: I know Kyle briefly touched upon Murty’s impressive World Finals effort, but I’d like to expand upon it further. To start, Murty took care of business in heat race action, finishing second in Thursday’s opener before winning his Friday-Saturday prelims. The young Iowan never started worse than seventh each of the three nights and while he never moved forward, he registered finishes of third (a WoO-best) and sixth. This performance came after Murty’s first career MLRA victory Oct. 24 at West Liberty (Iowa) Raceway. There’s no doubt Murty will only continue to improve with more seat and track time at Dirt Late Model racing’s highest level.
Smithback: Dallon Murty will most likely be running his first full-time national tour campaign in 2027, but it almost feels like he already did in 2026. The Skyline Motorsports team’s decision to spend a year picking, choosing and gaining experience across the country is going to give Murty a leg up in the Rookie of the Year battle no matter which tour he chooses. He had already shown flashes of brilliance in World of Outlaws competition prior to Charlotte with four Heat Race wins and a top five in the Saturday Feature at I-55, but coming to World Finals for the first time and keeping pace with Davenport for as long as he did was his most impressive run yet. Murty is bound to win a national tour race soon, and he’s likely going to win a lot of them eventually.
Kovac: Brandon Overton offered the initial surprise of the weekend when he unloaded a Billy Franklin-owned Rocket Chassis from his Riggs Motorsports trailer so he could try out another brand looking toward 2027. It’s no secret that in recent seasons Overton hasn’t been performing at the superstar level he reached a few years ago. He admits his shortcomings often. Can switching chassis trigger something in Overton moving forward? Charlotte gave an indication that perhaps a Rocket might be a combination that unlocks the vintage Overton. He might have won the opener if not for a mid-race red flag for rain but still finished second, and he was a solid fourth in Saturday’s finale. Two top-fives for Overton in the World Finals probably wasn’t on many observers’ scorecards — or even Brandon’s — entering the weekend. Overton seemed to be in a great mood all weekend and appreciated the attention Rocket’s Mark Richards gave him to dial in the car, so it’s clear he has to be leaning toward a change for next season.
If you made a tweak to the Charlotte format, what would it be?
Smithback: I wouldn’t be opposed to having points from both Thursday and Friday count toward a driver’s heat race starting spot on Saturday, rather than just their better night. It turned into a debate in the series trailer over the weekend when Tim McCreadie came to voice his opinion on the matter, with his reasoning being that the drivers who aren’t chasing WoO points can essentially use Friday as a test night if they have a good Thursday showing, a luxury WoO full-timers like T-Mac don’t have. The current rule was designed so that drivers don’t load up and leave after a bad Thursday, but there are always pros and cons to both sides.
Clay: This year’s World Finals format was nearly perfect, but if I had to look for imperfection, I’d say the starting lineup for Saturday’s finale was decided somewhat unfairly. While I accept that a redraw is part of any WoO format, I have contention with the way the heat race lineups were arranged, including where the transfers started the 50-lap finale. I’d argue the second-highest points earner in prelim action should’ve started on the pole of the fourth heat race, as that heat provided the outside fourth-row starter and outside seventh-row starter. It’s a minor detail, but I hate seeing higher points earners starting further back in the feature without reason.
McFadden: I missed the dashes that had been part of Saturday’s format in recent years. If you remember, the top nine in event points were guaranteed top-nine starting spots, with a six-lap dash determining their order. Drivers 10th through 18th in points ran another six-lap dash to settle those starting spots. This year, the heats were lined up heads-up based on event points. I would bring back the first dash, but make it eight laps and line it up straightup by points. I wouldn’t bother with the second because locking in that many drivers takes away the opportunity for someone to rally through remaining qualifiers. Let everyone outside the top nine decide their fate across six qualifiers — I wouldn’t even have consolations. Speaking of points, they ought to count both prelim nights toward event points instead of taking each driver’s better night. Shouldn’t every lap matter under the Every Lap Matters format? I do like having time trials on Wednesday. I understand that might not help drivers who need a night to gain their bearings, but it makes for a more streamlined format the rest of the week.
Kovac: I wish there was some way to make the entire show more compact because, even without any major weather problems or major race delays, the sheer number of cars and races for the three-division World Finals generally means a program in the six-hour range. That’s a marathon, even if the three classes are all headliners. But the stands remain full, so fans obviously accept the length, and they’ll pick-and-choose what races they watch if they need a break from the action. As for a format tweak, I second the suggestion of both Spence and Kyle — both prelim nights should count for points to determine Saturday’s lineups. A driver shouldn’t be able to bag the second if they did well the first one.
Detail another weekend result, recent news item or upcoming race.
McFadden: Just nine points separate Brandon Sheppard and Hudson O’Neal entering the final two FloRacing Night in America races at Senoia. Even finishing second both nights wouldn’t do the job for Sheppard if O’Neal sweeps. That would hand O’Neal the championship by three points. A win and a finish of fourth or better, however, would seal it for Sheppard. Devin Moran and Bobby Pierce are still alive, trailing by 63 and 72 points,, but both need help. Sheppard can put Pierce out of reach with 105 more points — roughly an 11th-place average — and eliminate Moran with 114, or an average of 10th. O’Neal needs 114 points to eliminate Pierce and 123 to eliminate Moran, equivalent to averages of 10th and 8.5. Just like the Dirt Track World Championship, I like Sheppard and Rocket1 prevailing for another title.
Smithback: The Peach State Classic at Senoia has found a nice home on the schedule as the afterparty following the final national tour races of the year at World Finals. The track’s location south of Atlanta makes it easy for a Midwest-based team to spend a few extra days in the Charlotte area before making the five-hour tow down I-85 for one more weekend of racing. That has historically led to a quality field in attendance if weather cooperates. If I wasn’t taking my postseason vacation to Pomona for the NHRA finale this week, I’d definitely consider making the drive down this weekend.
Clay: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Cade Dillard’s first career championship. While the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series may only be a regional tour, Dillard absolutely dominated the season, including a masterclass performance this past weekend at Oklahoma’s Arrowhead Speedway. Dillard swept Arrowhead’s entire season of high-profile Late Model events, winning six times on the Comp Cams circuit, including March 27-28 and Nov. 6-7 weekend sweeps and earning more than $66,000 at the third-mile bullring. Overall, Dillard notched 15 tour wins, including seven straight to end the season, en route to the 2026 title, the first of his successful multidivision career.
Kovac: Sam Seawright didn’t take long to reach victory lane in his family-owned Mach X Chassis following his recent departure from Coltman Farms racing as he was triumphant in Saturday’s Southern Thunder Series show at Tennessee’s Thunderhill Speedway. The talented Alabaman gained some wider attention this season during his travels with Coltman, including a top 10 in the Dream a Prairie Dirt Classic semifeature win at Fairbury, so it’s notable that his move back to his family team hasn’t stalled, even for a short time, his progress. Perhaps he’ll put Mach X on the map as a bigger player in the chassis game in the coming year.
We won’t hold you to it, but as of now, rank (in order) your top five Super Late Model drivers of the season.
Kovac: Bobby Pierce has been stuck on 29 wins since Sept. 23, but he still has … 29 wins, which is an amazing number, and, considering he’s also the WoO champion and has won three crown jewels, locks him into my No. 1 spot. Then I go Brandon Sheppard (his Lucas Oil title giving him extra cache), Nick Hoffman (became a true Dirt Late Model superstar with a World 100 topping a season with double-figure wins), Ricky Thornton Jr. (seven straight late-season wins, including the DTWC, overrides his rather uneven season up to that point) and Jonathan Davenport (17 victories during his pick-and-choose campaign). I had to decide between J.D. and Hudson O’Neal for the fifth spot, and I leaned Davenport because even though neither J.D. or O’Neal won a crown jewel, Davenport had two mega-money wins ($130,000 at Volunteer and $50,000 at Port Royal) while O’Neal, while winning 19 between two rides, didn’t capture a race paying more than $25,000.
Clay: Although he hasn’t won since Sept. 23, Bobby Pierce is my No. 1 Late Model driver this season on the strength of a 29-win season and his third WoO title in the last four years. Fresh off his dominant World Finals performance, J.D. is my No. 2 and could you imagine if he ran a full national touring series? Brandon Sheppard slots in No. 3 for me after capturing his first career Lucas Oil championship to go along with his six other national touring titles. I ranked Nick Hoffman No. 4 after his best Dirt Late Model season, especially after winning the World 100, sweeping I-55’s King of the Arch and topping one of Charlotte’s World Finals prelims. My fifth driver is a tossup between Hudson O’Neal and Ricky Thornton Jr., but I’m going with Thornton after winning seven of his last 10 appearances since promoting Justin Tharp to crew chief.
McFadden: Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Nick Hoffman, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Jonathan Davenport. Really, those first four are locks while fifth is debatable. Davenport gets my nod over Hudson O’Neal because his 17 victories include a Port Royal's $50,000 and the World Finals finale. O’Neal’s 19 wins are, of course, broader, but he lacks a signature victory. Davenport’s signature victories, along with podium finishes in the North-South 100 and Topless 100, give him the edge in major events. Pierce just enjoyed the best season in World of Outlaws history. Sheppard won the Lucas Oil title against a very competitive roster. Hoffman had one of the finest WoO seasons himself, posting the seventh-best average finish in tour history. Thornton finished as the highest-earning Lucas Oil driver of the year. That’s a solid top five for me.
Smithback: Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Nick Hoffman, Hudson O’Neal, Ricky Thornton Jr. The two national tour champions have to be at the top, followed by two drivers who are wrapping up the best seasons of their respective careers. The fifth spot was the toughest one to decide, and I wouldn’t have picked Thornton if you asked me a few weeks ago. It came down to Thornton and Devin Moran, and I couldn’t find a way to justify ranking someone who won seven national-caliber races in a row over someone who, while he’s had a consistent season, has only won five times since Speedweeks.
