DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript

Dirt racing news, results, discussion, analytics. Sprint cars, late models, modifieds, you name it. From national series, to top local shows. Brought to you five days a week. Email the show at info@dirtrackr.com.

A deal FINALLY official, surprising changes, Sunshine is BACK, Overton scores | Daily 2-1-2026

Back on Friday, basically the final big sprint car free agent situation was finally resolved, at least publicly, with the announcement that Sheldon Haudenschild was indeed the new driver for KCP Racing. They new look NOS 18 team will be on track this coming week when the World of Outlaws season starts at DIRTcar Nationals. It was nearly five months from the time we found out that Sheldon and crew chief Kyle Ripper were leaving, to the time this announcement hit. In the meantime, those of us who cover this sport have gotten regular questions about when this would finally become public. Along the way, I did multiple segments on the Daily show, plus social posts, short form videos, and it was brought up on live streams. I said though back on September 5th, the day after the departure was revealed, that the KCP team was the one to watch. This deal between Haud and KCP has been done for months, and it's likely it was agreed to before the announcement even came that Sheldon was leaving the Stenhouse Marshall team. You don't usually want to announce you're quitting until you have the next thing lined up. It was interesting though over the last few months to see all the of the people out there who thought we were bs'ing about the situation, or making things up, or guessing. Some were even thrown off by a short form video Sheldon posted a few weeks ago which showed his 93 cars in the shop. I guess they took it as a recent video, when in reality it was from a decade ago. This was always happening though, regardless of what some out there wanted, or didn't want to believe. And now that it's done, the question will be if Sheldon and Ripper can take a real step forward. Can these guys legitimately find some consistency, run top five or top seven every night, and get closer to the top. Or will this be a lateral move with more of the same. Four to nine wins a season, and fifth to seventh place in the standings each year. Because the issue for Sheldon has never been winning. He has the speed to win almost anywhere. But you don't compete for and win titles the way he races. I think this will be one of the more interesting storylines to follow this season.

If you-re on your feet all day, you already know this, bad boots will ruin a good day fast. That's why I've been wearing BRUNT boots, and more specifically a pair of their Ohman slip-on boots. Brunt's whole thing is comfort, and I mean real comfort. These boots are designed to feel good straight out of the box. No long, painful break-in, no sore feet halfway through the shift. Just solid cushion, support, breathable construction, and BRUNT's Cush'n footbed doing its job. But comfort doesn't mean cutting corners. BRUNT boots are built to hold up in tough environments. Waterproof construction, barnyard-resistant leather, and slip, oil, and heat-resistant outsoles rated up to 572 degrees. They're EH rated too, meaning rated for electrical hazards, so they’re ready for real work. These are tough, comfortable boots, and the value is honestly hard to beat. BRUNT even lets you try them on the job. If you don't love them, just send them back. If you want to grab some BRUNT boots for yourself, you can get $10 off your order with code DIRTRACKR10, or scan the QR code on the screen. That's code DIRTRACKR10, D-I-R-T-R-A-C-K-R-1-0 for $10 off your order with BRUNT.

The other sprint car news from the last few days involves ownership and sponsorship changes for Brent Marks. Alan Murray and M&M Painting and Construction are out, and Logan Fenton and Warrior Buildings are in. Marks will still run High Limit full-time, but there are a lot of interesting moving parts to this deal. Fenton was previously the car owner for Skyler Gee, but that relationship went south after the 2025 Outlaw season ended. Alongside this deal with Brent Marks, Fenton will also run a 410 driver development team, something like 30 to 40 races based around Ohio, and they’re currently looking for drivers and crew members. Marks will offer support and coaching for those drivers, while Fenton handles the business side and management. Marks is also heading into 2026 with a new crew after cleaning house following the 2025 season. When we talk about questions like we just did with Sheldon Haudenschild, Marks is kind of in the same boat. How much can he really accomplish with how much has changed with this team in just the last few months? A few years ago, Marks was in the conversation as one of the best sprint car drivers in the game. SprintCarRatings.com had him P1 in 2022, that magical season where they won all that money in one weekend at Eldora. Up against a High Limit roster now, it’s going to be difficult. You’ve got Rico with TSR, Aaron Reutzel emerging as a contender, Tyler Courtney looking healthy again, Gio Scelzi with Eric Prutzman, and a lot of hungry young guys. I don’t know yet what Brent Marks’ schedule will look like. He didn’t run Volusia in 2025. It’s possible we see him at the Outlaw shows at Talladega and Magnolia in the spring. If he doesn’t run Volusia, we know that’s what Gio Scelzi is going to do. Those races make sense on the way west before High Limit heads to Las Vegas. If Marks skips those, the first time we may see him could be the High Limit opener in Las Vegas.

Speaking of Tyler Courtney, what an incredible return to the seat. He hadn’t raced since Eldora on July 17th last year, when he was injured during Kings Royal weekend in a nasty crash. He had back injuries and had to wear glasses for a while, but he was recently cleared by his doctors and returned this week for the ASCS races at Volusia. He won both 360 shows on Thursday and Friday. This wasn’t a case where he qualified on the pole and just drove away in clean air — he had to make moves and drive through the field. On Friday night, he had the lead, lost it, and then got it back again. This was a challenge, and he passed it with flying colors. He went three-to-one on Thursday and six-to-one on Friday. I don’t want to overreact too much. In 2025, we saw Justin Peck sweep the ASCS Volusia races and then not win a 410 sprint car race until May. So I’m not saying Tyler Courtney is suddenly going to win everything, but it’s extremely impressive for a guy who hadn’t raced anything in nearly seven months. It was also good to see Brian Brown looking fast as he battles back from hand and wrist injuries. Last night’s program was postponed due to high winds, and they’ll try to finish things up on Monday. Credit to the Volusia track crew, they put new dirt down and did a lot of surface work. The racing has looked pretty good so far, and hopefully that continues into the 410 sprint cars next week and then into the World of Outlaws Late Model portion the final week. Charlie Mefford and Ricky Thornton Jr. won the first two UMP Modified events. I was a little worried that Ricky Thornton Jr., in an Elite Chassis at the DIRTcar Nationals, was just going to run roughshod over everyone. That hasn’t happened. He won Thursday, didn’t win Friday, and was a bit further back, with other drivers able to step up, so maybe we’ll see some variety in Modified winners.

The other weekend action involved Hunt the Front Late Models at Needmore. The weather forecast was sketchy, and unfortunately only 17 cars showed up. Brandon Overton went four-to-one, leading the final 20 laps to win $10,000 over his brother Cody Overton and Joseph Joiner. The rest of the Hunt the Front races at Needmore and Swainsboro were canceled due to winter weather and cold temperatures. They were supposed to race through Tuesday or Wednesday, but that’s now off. The Hunt the Front championship season will now start March 22nd at Talladega Short Track. They’ve also begun announcing series full-timers, including Ashton Winger, Dillon Hatcher, Josh Putnam, Trenton Mathis, Dalton Cook, Becca Malone, Jackson Hise, and you can safely assume Joseph Joiner as well.

That's the show for today. Don't forget, if you want even more dirt racing content, make sure to follow DIRTRACKR across social media. That means Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more. Wherever you are, so is DIRTRACKR.

Hope you guys have a great Sunday out there, we'll see you back here in the next one!