DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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Was Pierce nice because Longhorn? A 17 year old Outlaw rookie. Any news on Schatz? USAC hits Merced. | Daily 11209-2025
The Outlaws pickup a 17 year old rookie, we'll preview USAC midgets at Merced, plus talk Donny Schatz, schedule releases, track GMs, pick and choose versus series, and if Bobby Pierce would have responded differently to the Brandon Overton run-in had he not been the Longhorn house car driver. Let's go!
It's Thursday, November 20th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
Your dirt racing viewing options are getting fewer and further between as we head towards the offseason, but one place you can still catch some action this weekend is FloRacing. They've got USAC midgets from Merced Friday and Saturday, plus midgets next week as well. If you want to tune in, and don't have a Flo subscription, head over to dirtrackr.com/floracing and sign up. If you get in now, you'll get the races I just mentioned, plus the Dome in December, the Lucas banquet, High Limit in Australia, and the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl. And then you'll be ready to roll straight into the 2026 dirt racing season. I've been a paid FloRacing subscriber myself for a long time, I've got the app on my Roku, phone, and use the website itself regularly to watch. So if you want to join me and thousands of your dirt racing friends, that's dirtrackr.com/floracing.
We had brekaing dirt late model news here just a little bit ago with the World of Outlaws late model series announcing their first rookie competitor for 2026. 17 year old Florida driver Trey Mills will hit the road with the Outlaws next year in search of the rookie of the year award. 17 might seem young, but Mills has been driving late models since he was 11, and was the 604 track champion at All Tech in 2020. This year running a full schedule of super late models, he made 62 starts and had wins with the Summer Nationals, Southern Thunder series, and the Comp Cams series. That Summer Nationals win came at the Herald and Review 100 at Macon. Since 2022, he's appeared with the Outlaws 19 times, with a best finish of 10th at Talladega back in April. He was also third in a Talladega prelim feature in 2024. He's also got 12 Lucas appearances on his resume. When you look around at young prospects in dirt late model racing, Mills has to be pretty high on the list. He's already gone toe-to-toe with the southeast's best and won. He topped Brandon Sheppard at Macon with the Hell Tour. And plenty of made features and good runs on tours. 50 plus races next year against a group like the Outlaws will come with a steep learning curve, but I like the potential here. More rookies are expected with the Outlaws, and the series posted to social media earlier they are quote "in for another stacked rookie of the year class in 2026. The Outlaw season starts at Volusia for the Sunshine Nationals late next January.
Jumping into some Patreon and channel member submissions from recent days. I realized I missed a few from last week, so I want to make sure to cover off on those. Doug Ripperger asked if there were any more updates on Donny Schatz for next year. The answer to that is not really. Things have gone pretty quiet on any new information, but I would fully expect him to be in a car next year and likely full time with the Outlaws. I think it's possible he could start the year maybe with one team, and then switch a little bit into the season. I know the Big Game Motorsports thing has been going around for a long time, but I'm not ready yet to completely say that's off the table. But outside of that, and maybe some sort of continued deal with Sides, I have not heard any other teams mentioned in connection to Schatz.
Ryan Showalter had two questions. The first was in regard to the World of Outlaws late models schedule release, and the silly video that my guy Ross Wece put together. He wanted to know my take on those unique announcements. As someone who used to be right in the middle of social media shenanigans years ago at World Racing Group, I'm all for them. Racing is supposed to be a fun past time, and too often folks try and be too serious or buttoned up. I'd much rather things were more fun. So a big stamp of approval from me. His other question said in part quote "Lakeside Speedway is getting a new GM (again). This is not uncommon in the industry but I am curious the ripple effects of track leadership changes and the series that attend/no longer attend those facilities" unquote. Just like anything else, racing is a business built on relationships, and people bring to these jobs whatever they've created (or destroyed) in the past. Take Mansfield for example. That was a track that wasn't previously part of the World of Outlaws calendar in it's previous iteration, but Matt Tifft comes in and gets those deals done. Or consider a place like Skagit. Kevin Rudeen and Jon Hager get control, then High Limit shows up, and now the Skagit Nationals goes from an Outlaw event to High Limit. Those managers and promoters and GMs have a big impact on what races get scheduled. Lakeside got two High Limit shows for 2026, and the old GM sticking around to help with a transition should secure all of that. But for 2027, that new GM will have work to do to continue that relationship.
Up next, Tim asked quote "Do we think Bobby (meaning Pierce) would have been as polite and respectful about the Overton incident, if Brandon was not in the longhorn house car?" unquote. Tim certainly doesn't believe so, but I think that has more to do with who it was, and not the chassis builder. I'm sure there is a group of drivers that Pierce would have responded to the way he did with Overton, but I also think there are others, and likely some in Longhorns, that it would have gone differently. To me, I think it's more about, again, relationships and past dealings, then it is about it being a Longhorn driver. Pierce is a top guy, Overton is right up there, and I think there is at least some mutual respect. I believe as well, that once they climb in and put the helmets on, there aren't teammates out there.
And finally from Jeremy on Patreon. He asks quote "How come sprint car guys will go pick and choose and it's always considered normal, whereas the late models it's like a big deal if it will be Lucas or WoO?" unquote. We've certainly seen plenty of pick and choose dirt late model drivers in the past, and the most notable one here recently is probably Tyler Erb. But it's not like we haven't see Jonathan Davenport or Brandon Overton do it. I think though the structure of the two divisions nationally makes it different. In sprint car racing, you can still run locally and regionally, like Anthony Macri does, and survive financially. You have to win, and win a lot for it to make sense. But remember that Macri can race for big money not far from his shop and sleep in his own bed that night. And he's capable of winning the biggest races just about anywhere in the country. With dirt late model racing, I think it's a bit tougher to do that. I think some guys can make it work in the southeast, but a lot of others who are technically full time racers are tied to a series. Even a guy like Jason Feger runs MARS and a big portion of the Summer Nationals. The added cash available from a series really helps those teams pay the bills. The lack of exclusivity does a play a part also. The Lucas and Outlaw schedules in late model racing are much smaller when you compare them to a 90ish race slate for the World of Outlaws sprint cars. Most of the late model teams run way more than the 50 or 60 series races. Brandon Sheppard for example is at 111 races. No sprint car driver has even 85. Thanks to everyone for the questions and topics. If you want to participate in the future, this is a perk for Patreon members and YouTube channel members.
As I mentioned off the top, the USAC midgets continue their California trip with two nights at Merced, Friday and Saturday. The Friday show was originally scheduled for the Tulare Thunderbowl, but it's been cancelled, and Merced got a second night out of the situation. It's been a tough trip so far with weather, losing one of two nights at Placerville for the Hangtown 100, and the Plaza Park race earlier this week. With Merced getting this extra night, that takes us back to four races left to go. After Merced, it's Kern in Bakersfield, California next Tuesday, then the season ends at Ventura a week from Saturday for Turkey Night. The last time the midgets were on track, Daison Pursley was getting booed for crashing Kyle Larson at the end of the Hangtown 100. I'll certainly be curious to see if those boos continue the next four races with Pursley running the Chad Boat 86 all four nights. Besides the USAC regulars, other drivers to watch at Merced include Corey Day back in the Willie Kahne machine after that nasty crash at Placerville. Carson Macedo is racing, NASCAR driver Ty Gibbs, Buddy Kofoid, and more. Things are tight at the top for the championship, with Cannon McIntosh leading Justin Grant by just three points. Kevin Thomas Jr. has slipped to 70 points back, and early trouble at Placerville for Xtreme midget champ Jacob Denney sees him now 97 behind. I've got race results in the dirtrackr.com/analytics database for USAC at Merced going back to 2020. Ten races, with wins coming from Thomas Meseraull, Tanner Thorson, Justin Grant, Buddy Kofoid, Carson Macedo, Spencer Bayston, Logan Seavey, Kyle Larson, and Corey Day. Kofoid the only driver with multiple wins. Kofoid has the best average finish of any driver, sitting at 3.1. If you can't get to the track, like I said earlier, watch live on FloRacing.
If you're looking for late model racing this weekend, you do have a few options. Needmore is hosting Crate Racing USA 604s for $10k to win. There is also supers at Pike County in Mississippi Friday and Saturday. I saw the Hunt the Front guys decided to hit that one up before they get ready for the Dome. I also see Clay Stuckey is headed that direction. You can also catch regional action at Lake View and Lavnoia, and the Carolina Clash at Lavonia on Sunday to end their season.
That's it for the Daily this week. Thanks as always for tuning in and supporting what we do here.
Hope you guys have a great Thursday out there, we'll see you back here on Sunday!