By Spence Smithback
With two weeks of Sprint Car and DIRTcar UMP Modified action in the books, The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet will thunder back into Volusia Speedway Park to put a bow on the 54th annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
The week will open with three nights of DIRTcar Late Model competition Monday-Wednesday, Feb. 10-12, before the World of Outlaws Late Models take over for the final three nights of the event, Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 13-15. Thursday and Friday’s programs will both wrap up with 35-lap, $12,000-to-win Features, while the weekend culminates with a 50-lap, $20,000-to-win main event and the crowning of a Big Gator champion on Saturday night.
Drivers will collect points from all DIRTcar and World of Outlaws Features for the DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator championship, awarded at the end of the week. Wednesday’s DIRTcar Late Model event will see the field split into three Features for the night.
The Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds will join the Outlaws on all three nights to make for a high-horsepower doubleheader at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.”
Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:
FIRST PITCH HOMER: Out of all the new driver-crew chief combinations in the pits this season, none have gelled quicker than Ryan Gustin and Cody Mallory.
Less than three weeks after Mallory officially joined the Todd Cooney Racing squad, he guided Gustin to his first World of Outlaws win at Volusia on the first night of the new season at DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals.
“The Reaper” may have been unable to replicate that performance on Saturday with an 18th-place finish, but he still finds himself fourth in the standings entering DIRTcar Nationals, eight points behind leader Cody Overton. And since a competitor’s three best finishes between Sunshine Nationals and DIRTcar Nationals are the only ones that count toward the season-long points, some strong runs this week could allow Gustin to discard his Saturday finish and further improve his position in the championship chase.
SOPHOMORE STAR: Following a 13th-place points finish in his rookie season with the Outlaws, Cody Overton expected to make major improvements in his second year on tour. What he didn’t expect, though, was to be leading the points after two races.
The Thomson, GA driver had his picture taken on the podium for the first time after finishing third on Friday before barely missing the top 10 on Saturday in 11th, enough to claim the top spot among all signed World of Outlaws drivers.
However, it wasn’t the first time Volusia was kind to Overton, as he won a Crate Late Model Feature during Sunshine Nationals in 2020, his first of five top 10s in the event prior to making the jump to the Super Late Model division.
Overton has kept his hot streak going in the weeks since, as he piloted the Big Frog Motorsports Crate Late Model to Victory Lane at All-Tech Raceway on Feb. 1 before scoring his first Super Late Model win in three years at Screven Motor Speedway last weekend against many of the same drivers he’ll face again this week at Volusia.
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME?: If there was anyone at Sunshine Nationals who had race-winning speed on both nights but walked away with little to show for it, it would be Nick Hoffman.
The Tye Twarog Motorsports gasser picked up a Heat Race win on Friday and drew the pole for the main event, setting up a fierce battle with Gustin for the top spot. But just past halfway, Hoffman got loose on Gustin’s inside entering Turn 1 and his car snapped around. After going to the tail of the field for the restart, Hoffman made his way back up to ninth by the checkers.
When Saturday rolled around, Hoffman’s speed early in the night was still there as he claimed the Simpson Quick Time Award in Qualifying and led every lap of his Heat Race. Misfortune struck once again in the Feature though, as Hoffman’s right-rear tire gave out while running fourth, forcing him to come from the back for the second night in a row. Hoffman climbed up to 10th at the end of 50 laps, leaving him fifth in the standings with two nights in the books.
“The Thrill From Mooresville” may not have strapped a helmet on since the Sunshine Nationals finale, but he’s stayed plenty busy in the Volusia pits assisting his Elite Chassis customers during nine nights of DIRTcar UMP Modified competition. There’s a reason so many competitors turn to Hoffman for advice at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” as his incredible resume at the track includes seven-straight Big Gator championships between 2016 and 2022, two Reutimann Memorials and more than a dozen other Feature wins.
The most recent of those came last year when Hoffman picked up his first World of Outlaws trophy from Volusia, and he’ll look to further expand his Gator collection this week.
BOUNCING BACK: When Brian Shirley’s engine expired while he was running fifth with four laps to go in the Saturday Feature at Sunshine Nationals, he was hopeful that would be the end of his bad luck during Speedweeks. As it turned out, it was only the beginning.
While leading his Heat Race in a Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series event at Needmore Speedway, Shirley’s powerplant once again began to smoke. Once he brought the car to a stop, the smoke turned to fire and the No. 3S became completely engulfed in flames. Thankfully, Shirley emerged from the car uninjured.
The two weeks since the incident have brought even more attrition, as Shirley has battled through more engine problems, tire failures, crashes and more. Multiple trips have been made up Interstate 95 to Longhorn Chassis and Durham Racing Engines in North Carolina to keep Shirley’s trailer stocked. With a return to World of Outlaws competition on the horizon, Shirley would love nothing more than an uneventful DIRTcar Nationals to get his season back on track.
GATOR HUNTERS: While plenty of teams are rolling into DIRTcar Nationals looking for a turnaround, several others are ready to let the good times keep rolling in the “Sunshine State.”
Eleven years removed from his World of Outlaws debut at I-30 Speedway in 2014, Garrett Alberson finally won with the Series for the first time three weeks ago. It was his second win of the season after getting his first in New Mexico at the Wild West Shootout, placing him alongside Bobby Pierce, Ricky Thornton Jr., Devin Moran and Jonathan Davenport as the only drivers with multiple Super Late Model wins in 2025.
All five drivers are expected to be in attendance this week aiming to add to their totals. Pierce leads the way with four wins so far this year, but he failed to crack the top five in two attempts at Volusia. The record books show that those runs were the exception rather than the norm, as the 2023 Series champion is a four-time Feature winner at Volusia between World of Outlaws and DIRTcar competition.
For Moran, Sunshine Nationals was a tale of two nights, as he missed the Feature on Friday before finishing fourth on Saturday. “The Mailman” has won five times with the Outlaws at Volusia since 2021, more than any other driver in that span.
Thornton’s first trip to Volusia last month was nothing short of a nightmare, as he was a DNQ on Friday and finished 19th on Saturday. However, his Koehler Motorsports teammate Jimmy Owens led the first 41 laps of Saturday’s Sunshine Nationals Feature.
Davenport will return to Volusia this week after doing everything but win a race at Sunshine Nationals. Not only did he pick up a pair of runner-ups in his first trip to the event, he was the only member of the field to finish in the top five on both nights. “Superman” finally found the top step of the podium at Ocala Speedway twice last week after four second-place finishes on the year, and he’s looking to carry that momentum into DIRTcar Nationals as he chases his first Volusia win since 2018.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 13-15 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Cody Overton (572 points)
2. Ethan Dotson (-4)
3. Brandon Sheppard (-4)
4. Ryan Gustin (-8)
5. Nick Hoffman (-10)
6. Bobby Pierce (-12)
7. Drake Troutman (-14)
8. Kyle Bronson (-20)
9. Cade Dillard (-20)
10. Max Blair (-24)
FEATURE WINNERS (2):
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 1
HEAT RACE WINNERS (10):
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 2
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 1
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 1
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 1
Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 1
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 1
LANDA PRESSURE WASHERS LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (5):
Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 2
Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 1
Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 1
Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 1
Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1
PODIUM FINISHERS (5):
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 2
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 1
Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1
FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGERS (2):
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1
SIMPSON RACING PRODUCTS QUICK TIMES (2):
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 1
BILSTEIN POLE AWARD (2):
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 1
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 1
FEATURE LAP LEADERS (4):
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 41
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 19
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 16
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 9
2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODELS SCHEDULE & WINNERS
Friday, Jan. 24 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Ryan Gustin (1)
Saturday, Jan. 25 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Garrett Alberson (1)
Thursday, Feb. 13 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Saturday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Mar. 14 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN
Saturday, Mar. 15 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN
Friday, Mar. 21 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA
Saturday, Mar. 22 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA
Friday, Apr. 4 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH
Saturday, Apr. 5 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH
Thursday, Apr. 10 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL (Practice)
Friday, Apr. 11 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL
Saturday, Apr. 12 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL
Friday, Apr. 25 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL
Saturday, Apr. 26 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL
Thursday, May 1 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Friday, May 2 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Saturday, May 3 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Thursday, May 15 / Raceway 7 / Conneaut, OH
Friday, May 16 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA
Saturday, May 17 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA
Sunday, May 18 / Bedford Speedway / Bedford, PA
Friday, June 20 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
Saturday, June 21 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
Monday, June 23 / Independence Motor Speedway / Independence, IA
Thursday, June 26 / I-94 EMR Speedway / Fergus Falls, MN
Friday, June 27 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Saturday, June 28 / Norman County Raceway / Ada, MN
Sunday, June 29 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Thursday, July 3 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 4 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Saturday, July 5 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 11 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Saturday, July 12 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Friday, July 25 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Saturday, July 26 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Monday, July 28 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Thursday, July 31 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Friday, Aug. 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Saturday, Aug. 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Wednesday, Aug. 13 / Highland Speedway / Highland, IL
Thursday, Aug. 14 / Spoon River Speedway / Lewistown, IL
Friday, Aug. 15 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Saturday, Aug. 16 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Friday, Aug. 22 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Aug. 23 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 12 / Needmore Speedway / Norman Park, GA
Saturday, Sept. 13 / Senoia Raceway / Senoia, GA
Friday, Sept. 26 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Saturday, Sept. 27 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Friday, Oct. 3 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS
Saturday, Oct. 4 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Friday, Oct. 10 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Saturday, Oct. 11 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Wednesday, Nov. 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thursday, Nov. 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Friday, Nov. 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Saturday, Nov. 8 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC