Volusia Speedway Park welcomes Late Models across three divisions to Barberville, FL for a true Late Model Palooza during the sixth annual DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals.
Local division 602 Late Models and Crate Racin’ USA (CRUSA) 604 Late Models take the track for four nights, Jan. 22-25 – headlined by the World of Outlaws Late Models kicking off their 2025 season.
Read More: WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Sunshine Nationals Set to Open 2025 World of Outlaws Season
Wednesday begins with practice, which allows teams to get reacclimated to the environment of the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.” The 604 Late Models and 602 Late Models will each follow a separate points format throughout the weekend, giving drivers two chances to lock a spot in the finale on Saturday night.
Drivers will qualify with their group ahead of split Features on Thursday and Friday. The 602 Late Models Features offer $1,000 to win, and the Pro Late Models race for $1,500 to win.
The top 20 drivers in each division’s points clinch a position into Saturday night’s Feature. 602 Late Model competitors will battle for the $3,000 top prize, while the 604 Late Model competitors chase $10,000 to conclude the opening race weekend in Florida.
Here are the top storylines to look out for:
Top Jimmy: Standing atop the Crate Racin’ USA Winter Shootout points standings with a Feature win in the Ice Bowl, Phenix City, AL driver Jimmy Thomas holds a mere four-point gap over Sam Seawright, while the top five in Shootout points are within 10 markers of Thomas.
Thomas controlled the opening weekend at the Talladega Short Track by starting on the pole and leading all 40 laps for his first Feature win of 2025. Now, he’ll make his first visit to Volusia Speedway Park to chase more wins and expand his points lead.
New Dawn Arises: There were no repeat Feature winners at Sunshine Nationals in 2024, opening the door for more drivers to add their names to Volusia Speedway Park’s 57-year record books.
Fort Payne, AL native Sam Seawright contended with Brandon Overton and Ashton Winger for the 2024 Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series championship, scoring two wins during the season. He’ll try to take over the CRUSA points lead after the Sunshine weekend.
Hayden Cardwell will visit Volusia Speedway Park for the first time this week as he sits third in the Winter Shootout standings – six points behind the lead. He earned a podium finish during the Ice Bowl – a career-high finish for him.
Where Names Are Made: The 602 Late Model and Pro Late Model divisions became a launching platform for drivers to elevate their racing careers with a win at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile,” since the first Sunshine Nationals event.
Drivers like World of Outlaws Late Model competitors Kyle Bronson and Cody Overton, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular Clay Harris and multi-regional Super Late Model racer Jensen Ford have graduated from the divisions into Super Late Models. And Super DIRTcar Series regular Demetrios Drellos has used the event to expand his racing career, scoring a Pro Late Model win in 2023.
Local Champs Challenge: Mikey Kopka and Kale VanSickle share the honors of being Late Model track champions at Volusia Speedway Park in 2024 while seeking a strong start to their 2025 campaigns in January.
Kopka, of Astor, FL, earned his first 604 Late Model title driving Joe Kump’s No. 721 Late Model in 2024 – earning seven top-10s, five top fives, and a Feature win at the Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial. Kopka also won the track’s 602 Late Model championship in 2020.
VanSickle, a 15-year-old out of Jacksonville, FL, won his first Volusia Feature in his fourth career Late Model start in 2023, then added three Feature wins and six top fives through seven races in 2024 to clinch his first track championship at the Barberville, FL facility.
Now, they’ll look to add a Sunshine Nationals victory to their collection. If so, they’ll join St. Augustine, FL native David Showers Jr. as the only previous track champion to win the straw hat given to every Sunshine winner.
Tickets for the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals are available now:
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVIsion – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.