DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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World of Outlaws add two more... And they aren't done yet | Daily 1-23-2025
The Outlaws grow their sprint car roster with two more rookies, and they aren't done yet. We'll talk about that today, plus preview the Outlaw late model season, talk Hunt the Front full timers, and more. Let's go!
It's Thursday, January 23rd, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
Get ready, race fans! The motorsports event of the season is here—Racing Xtravaganza, happening Friday, January 31st, and Saturday, February 1st, at the York Expo Center in York, Pennsylvania. This is more than just an event—it's where the racing world comes together to Meet, Compete, and Evolve! Whether you're a driver, fan, or just love the thrill of motorsports, there's something for everyone. From 100s of race cars competing for the $1,000 Renewal by Andersen People's Choice Award, to the $12,000 BAPS Auto Paints Cornhole Challenge presented by Explore York. The stakes are high, and the excitement is real! And don't miss the Front Runner Construction 2025 Ms. Racing Xtravaganza Pageant, a fan-favorite highlight of the show. Plus, check out the MyRacePass Seminar Room for expert sessions, meet your favorite stars on the Sports Insurance Specialists Main Stage, and let the kids enjoy Free RC Racing. Bring the whole family—Kids 10 and under are FREE, parking is FREE, and military veterans, seniors, and students get discounts at the door. Don't wait! Save even more money by grabbing your discount tickets now at TicketHoss.com. Lock in your spot for Central PA's can't-miss racing tradition and be part of the action before the outdoor season kicks off! Racing Xtravaganza—January 31st and February 1st at the York Expo Center. Be there! You can find the Racing Xtravaganza Website and direct Ticket Hoss links below in the video description.
We are not off to a great start so far for dirt late model speedweeks. Three of four original Lucas shows at Golden Isles were lost to weather, and now we've lost the practice night and the Thursday program at Volusia to the same. The World of Outlaws late model season will now start tomorrow at Volusia, with both the Friday and Saturday programs still on as scheduled. Of the 20 late model drivers expected to start the year as full timers, Bobby Pierce will no doubt enter as the heavy favorite for the championship. The 2023 title winner fell just short of back-to-back in 2024 after that tire doping penalty left him trying to battle back all season. He got this season rolling, winning four of five at the Wild West Shootout. Based on what we saw last year, Nick Hoffman would seem to be his closest contender. Hoffman took a big step for year one to year two, winning five teams in 2024, and improving his average finish by a position and a half. He'll need to do that same jump again though to likely stay in the fight with Pierce. Some other names to watch as outside title contenders include Brian Shirley and Ryan Gustin. Shirley was strong to end last season, and if he can keep that pace up for a whole year, he could be right in the mix. As for Gustin, we know he can stack up wins, he had five last year. But he needs to make improvements with consistency to be a real challenger. He's got Cody Mallory on the wrenches, and if they can actually stay together, there is hope. Mallory was a big player in Jimmy Owens' 2020 Lucas title. But Mallory sticking around long is a big if. Behind those four, I have a tough time making a case for any of the other 16 drivers to topple Pierce. There are plenty of race winners down through the order, and all could strike again, but doing it over a full season is another thing entirely. If you want to see the full group of Outlaw drivers, they do have them on the website at worldofoutlaws.com, although Cade Dillard is curiously missing. Following this weekend at Volusia, speedweeks continues next Monday and Tuesday in Georgia at Needmore Speedway. The Hunt the Front series is hosting two $10,000 to win nights, but they are non-points events for the series. Things then head to All-Tech late next week with Lucas.
Sticking with Hunt the Front, they filled some TBAs on their 2025 schedule in recent days, adding a doubleheader at Southern Raceway in Florida. September 26th and 27th, they'll come through for $8000 to win Friday, and $10,000 to win Saturday. Their championship season begins officially March 8th at I-75. The ever expanding roster at the moment for the southeast-based dirt late model tour includes Christian Hanger, 2023 champion Josh Putnam, Cory Hedgecock, Payton Freeman, and Oakley Johns. There should be a bunch more added in the coming weeks, including Hunt the Front's own Joseph Joiner.
For the sprint car fans, we are just weeks away from the World of Outlaws season starting at DIRTcar Nationals, but they are still picking up full time driver commitments. Yesterday came word that Skylar Gee will join the Outlaws for a rookie run in 2025. He joins Chris Windom, Cole Macedo, and Garet Williamson in that growing rookie class. Overall, Gee brings the Outlaws up to 12, including the four rookies, plus Gio Scelzi, Buddy Kofoid, David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, and Bill Balog. Gee ran 68 times last season, picking up 10 top fives and 21 top tens along the way, plus a weekly win at Attica. He had Outlaw top tens at Eldora, Atomic, Beaver Dam, and Route 66, plus top five and top ten runs against High Limit. Gee is no stranger to touring competition, having previously been out with the All Stars. Wins on his total resume have come against the All Stars, FAST, AFCS, OVSCA, and ASCS. As we've talked about with several of the others, this will be a big jump for Gee, who will likely run more races this season than ever before, and against much tougher competition.
But wait... There's more! It's been pretty clear all along that the Bill Rose sprint car would be back with the Outlaws full time, we just didn't know who the driver would be. In 2024, Bill himself was hurt in a crash at Fremont, and ended up sitting out a significant portion of the schedule. In his place, he filled the seat with drivers like Kelby Watt, Robbie Price, Max Guilford, and Dylan Cisney. There have been a bunch of drivers linked to a potential deal with Rose for 2025, but it was announced today that Zach Hampton is getting the seat. Hampton spent most of last season racing at Knoxville weekly in his own car, but did also race the Shophouse 17 a few times, as well as some other appearances in other cars. He finished up 11th in the final Knoxville 410 standings, with five top tens. He also had top tens against the IRA and POWRi 410s. In his career, he's won with the FAST series and at Lernerville. If you've watched any of the sprint car build series we did on the DIRTRACKR YouTube channel, then you know Zach well. This will be a big opportunity for him, and having spent quite a bit of time talking to Zach, my hope is that he settles in, gets comfortable, and uses it as a chance to build. It's a tough rookie class, and it's an even tougher series, so again, a big jump for a driver. Rose himself isn't ruling out a return at some point this season also. He's awaiting medical clearance, but does hope to drive at least part time later this year. The confirmation of Hampton with Rose pushes the Outlaws to 13 officially, and we aren't done. I'm hearing another rookie is coming before Volusia, with things likely already sewed up and signed. That would bump the Outlaws to 14, and there are still a few possiblities out there. I've been asked a bunch about Emerson Axsom, and while I know they've explored a series like the Outlaws or High Limit, I am not aware right now where they stand. Austin McCarl is another name that's floated around, but I don't see them making a jump like that this year. I could see them making a go with POWRi, or the All Stars, while filling in other shows. And it still sounds like Chase Randall could be a High Limit pickup in the coming weeks. We should be at 14 for both national series when the seasons start, with an outside shot at one or two more.
On the USAC side, I ran through their sprint car full timers earlier this week, and since then they did confirm Robert Ballou back, as well as Jadon Rogers. Ballou returns in his own number 12 after a seventh place points finish a year ago, which included a win at Eldora in May. Rogers ran 35 shows last season, picking up 12 top tens and two top fives. Those top fives coming at Ocala and Haubstadt. He'll run the whole season for Amati Racing in their number 66. This takes USAC to 12, with the 10 we talked about the other day including Briggs Danner, CJ Leary, Logan Seavey, Hayden Reinbold, Mitchel Moles, Jake Swanson, Kevin Thomas Jr., Joey Amantea, Kyle Cummins, and Justin Grant. The sprint cars start February 10th at Volusia.
If you want sprint car action this weekend, don't forget it's Classic week down in Australia. A bunch of Americans, plus all of Australia's best racing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Premier Speedway. The Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic is like the Australian Knoxville Nationals, and drivers will be racing for $40,000 to win on Sunday. That's about $25k in US dollars. Coming in, James McFadden has been hot lately, and drivers like Ryan Newton and Cole Macedo have recent wins. Aaron Reutzel won this event a year ago, but he's not down under in 2025 to defend. Other recent winners include Brock Hallett, Lachlan McHugh, and McFadden in 2020. Americans running this year include Cory Eliason, Kraig Kinser, Cole Macedo, Chase Randall, Garet Williamson, Riley Goodno, and Kalib Henry. If you want to tune in this weekend, it's been added late to FloRacing. Action starts very early on Friday morning here in the US, with Flo showing a start time of 1:45 AM eastern. If you need a Flo subscription to watch, hit the DIRTRACKR affiliate link at dirtrackr.com/floracing.
There are other races happening this weekend, so if you want to see the full rundown on your streaming options, keep an eye on dirtrackr.com/watchtonight.
That's the Daily show for this week. Thanks as always for tuning in, commenting, and all the support.
Hope you guys have a great Thurday and weekend out there, we'll see you back here on Sunday!