DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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Late model silly season set to pop off, race tracks saved, race tracks for sale | Daily 11-6-2024
A ton of stuff today, including the start of World Finals, late model silly season moves, an update on Wayne Johnson and Cole Macedo, we've got track updates and whole lot more. Let's go!
It's Wednesday, November 6th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
World of Outlaws World Finals starts today at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This begins the final four nights of the season for the World of Outlaws sprint cars and late models, and the Super DIRTcar Series big block modifieds. Tonight we'll get qualifying out of the way for the Thursday and Friday shows, with then just racing through Saturday night. David Gravel enters the weekend with 74 points on Carson Macedo for the sprint car championship, that one should be about wrapped up. On the late model side though, still a three way fight with Brandon Sheppard leading Bobby Pierce by 44 and Nick Hoffman by 50. With three races set for the week, that means Pierce needs to gain nearly 15 points a night to draw even by the checkered flag on Saturday. That's close to 7.5 positions per night. I think this is probably Sheppard's championship, and that he'll need to have trouble for Pierce and Hoffman to have a real shot. And Matt Sheppard has a very slight 15 point lead on Mat Williamson in the modified. This side will definitely come down to the end with it being that close. The modified teams are racing for two $10k to win shows, then $15k on Saturday. The sprint cars and late models are $15k and $15k, then $25,000. There is also significant money on the line with all of these championships as well. The weather forecast leading into the week didn't look spectacular, but it does seem as though things have improved, so hopefully we get through all four days unscathed. Coverage is live on DIRTVision through Saturday if you are not headed for Charlotte.
Moving into some silly season stuff, this weekend's World of Outlaws Late Model Series finale will be the last races for Max McLaughlin in the GR Smith owned 22 machine. McLaughlin revealed the news on Tuesday afternoon via Facebook. Max was a rookie on tour this season, having moved into late model competition from modifieds. He had a split field prelim win at Talladega earlier this season, and was a Summer Nationals winner at Adams County. He also had four Outlaw top fives and nine top tens, and is likely headed for an 11th place finish in the standings. He had a stretch in June where it looked like he was really starting to figure it out, but the magic didn't last, and he struggled to find that same pace through the rest of the season. It's not clear whether this is Max leaving, or him being shown the door, but he did say he was excited for 2025. So maybe his plans are already lined up. Besides McLaughlin, the Smith team is also campaigning a second car this weekend with Chris Madden in the seat. Madden drove for Smith during the World 100 as well, and with McLaughlin departing, and Madden's plans up in the air after crew chiefing Ricky Thornton Jr. to the Lucas title, you have to wonder if maybe we won't see this pairing more often next year. I have heard though another driver could be in the mix to replace McLaughlin on a full time basis, with potentially an announcement coming after World Finals. This won't be the last driver and team move we'll hear about in the next few days.
When things get rolling at Charlotte for World Finals tonight, one driver we won't see in the sprint car portion is Cole Macedo. Fresh off the NARC finale at Stockton where he just got nipped late by Justin Sanders for both the race win and the championship, Macedo was set to race at Charlotte with the 2C team, that has campaigned all season with ASCS with Hank Davis in the car. But he shared via social media late on Monday night that the 2C won't make the trip with Wayne Johnson apparently in the hospital. Johnson's sprint car driving career came to an end earlier this year following a crash where he injured his arm and hand in a High Limit series crash at Texas. Johnson is set to crew chief this 2C machine next year when Cole Macedo goes full time with the World of Outlaws for his rookie year. Johnson's family shared to social media that he underwent abdominal surgery, but that he's on the mend and should be released in a few days. We are obviously wishing the best to Johnson and his family, but a tough year for that guy.
One thing we haven't covered here lately is some race track news, and there has been a bunch of it in recent days. LaSalle Speedway in Illinois is set to reopen for the 2025 season, after sitting empty since 2021. The 1/4 mile facility was a regular stop for series like the Summer Nationals, MARS, the MLRA, and the IRA sprint cars. It had also previously hosted national tours like the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, and the World of Outlaws sprint cars. Long-time promoter Tom Izzo is back with the support of local business owners Justin and Jenna McCoy. They plan on a special event schedule, plus monster truck shows, demo derbies, movies, concerts, and flea markets. Work has already begun at the facility on demolition, cleaning up the track, updating infrastructure, and adding a party deck. As you can see from the photos, there is a lot to be done. Make sure to find LaSalle Speedway on Facebook for updates.
Also, Stateline Speedway in New York has new owners, Bill and Lisa Catania. Hopefully I'm pronouncing that right. This ends more than a year for the track on the market, and plans are for it to continue operating as a race track. Stateline hosts weekly Saturday racing featuring local divisions like late models and modifieds, and has hosted other series in the past. Stateline is not far from Erie, PA.
On the flip side, in Arkansas, Batesville Motor Speedway, home to the Topless 100 for Lucas late models, is now listed for sale. The owners have run the 3/8 mile track for 32 years and are stepping away from racing. No price is listed, but they did say the 2025 schedule is already set, so new owners can come in and just keep rolling. If you are interested in buying it, they have contact information their Facebook page.
We are still a little more than a week away from the start of the final run to the finish for the USAC National Midgets on the west coast, but the fields look like they'll be stacked for those two weeks. USAC has been releasing some names over the last few days, and the list includes Tanner Thorson fresh off his first season with High Limit. He'll drive a Tom Malloy car alongside Jacob Denney. Keith Kunz is bringing seven, yes seven, cars west with Ryan Timms, Emerson Axsom, Buddy Kofoid, Cannon McIntosh, Gavin Miller, Kale Drake, and Tanner Carrick all racing. We haven't seen Kofoid in a midget since Turkey Night last year as he's focused on the Roth sprint car all season. And Ronnie Gardner and TJ Smith will share the Six8 Motorsports ride over the two weeks. This is just a handful of drivers expected when things kick off next Friday, the 15th at Placerville for the Hangtown 100.
A schedule note for you today, the USMTS season has very quietly come to an end for 2025, with this weekend's racing at Heart O' Texas Speedway rained out. That means Jim Chisholm is officially the USMTS champion, topping Jake Timm and Rodney Sanders. This is the first title for Chisholm, who led the series with eight wins, in 32 races, along with 20 top fives and 26 top tens. Chisholm's lead was 81 points, so it was likely going to end this way, but it sucks to see the racing end like this.
If you are looking for more dirt racing content this week, check out the various podcasts available. Turn 2 Terribles has Justin Whittall, Getting up to Speed has Payce Herrera, I'm on The Driver's Project with Daryl Turford, and there are new episodes of Winged Nation, and the Dirt Nerds. To see a full list of shows and recent episodes, check out dirtrackr.com/podcasts.
That's the show for this Wednesday. It sounds like we are in for a busy day of news and announcements around dirt racing, so keep your ears and eyes peeled. We may even have some bonus content coming later today.
Hope you have a good day out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow.