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.
Why the 2023 dirt racing season is set to POP | Daily 1-3-2023
Are we on the cusp of one of the most epic dirt racing season to ever play out? I'll make the case today on the show. Let's go!
It's Tuesday, January 3rd, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily.
It's pretty quiet around dirt racing this week, with the lull between the Tulsa Shootout and the Chili Bowl. The Wild West Shootout doesn't start until Saturday, and even racing down under is pretty quiet until the weekend. But as we sit here on January third, I'm wondering if we might be on the cusp of one of the most interesting dirt racing seasons to happen in a very long time. There aren't necessarily big favorites for any of the national tours, there is a lot of big money to be won, and the ground will be constantly shifting, especially with the sprint cars.
Let's start though with dirt late model racing. Both national tours have a group of full timers that's filled out nicely, but both championships are completely wide open. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series has been handled the past two years by Tim McCreadie, but his epic consistency will be less of a factor this season with the addition of the championship playoffs. McCreadie will certainly be in the mix, but with Devin Moran now in full time, Hudson O'Neal in the Rocket house car, Ricky Thornton Jr. back for year three, and the return of Jonathan Davenport, this thing will be a dog fight all the way to and through Eldora at season's end. If Davenport ends up in the final four, he'll have a really strong chance to win that final race at Eldora, but it's not a sure thing. This feels like it will be an incredibly competitive year on that side. With the Outlaws, you have Dennis Erb Jr. back to defend his first ever series championship, but the landscape of the Outlaws has changed significantly from 2022. Brandon Sheppard is back, but with a new team and a new chassis. He's an incredible driver, but with a lot of question marks to figure out. Chris Madden has been close before, and can win anywhere, but he's got to beat Erb and Sheppard all season. And last year's second place driver in Tanner English, is now with the third place team, and it seems like they could be on the cusp of a breakout season. I'm also super curious to see how newcomers Nick Hoffman and Payton Freeman do against this group. From there, XR is still putting up big cash, the Flo Series is back for year three, and the crown jewels will continue to draw us in. And don't sleep on the regional series that have good schedules and will draw in plenty of talent.
On the sprint car side, it's been a long time since we've had this much unrest on the winged side, and who the hell knows what will happen in the coming days and months. The full time fields for both the Outlaws and All Stars are no where near complete, and we could very possibly see a bunch of teams and drivers start the year in one situation, and end the year somewhere else. Tyler Courtney has won two straight All Star titles, but we have no confirmation on his plans for 2023. Brad Sweet is now a four time Outlaw champion, but there remains a reasonable chance he doesn't start or finish the season as a full time Outlaw driver. That means both series are ripe for the taking. There is a million dollar race on the table this summer, and High Limit has everyone reconsidering how they will put their seasons together. I know we will certainly have plenty to talk about as the year unfolds, and I hope you have your popcorn ready, because there will be plenty of drama along the way, both on and off the track.
On the non-wing side, with the Xtreme Outlaw Series wacked, USAC is again the name of the game. A reworked schedule and some driver moves will shake things up for 2023. In midget racing though, a big year is coming up. With no Kyle Larson and no Christopher Bell at the Chili Bowl next week, we will very likely see a driver take home a Golden Driller for the first time. I like Buddy Kofoid, but I wouldn't be surprised by a win from any number of drivers. It's going to be a wild week I think. As for the national landscape, USAC and POWRi have their schedules, but an expanded slate from World Racing Group with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets will add some intrigue, and the fact that you can basically run both USAC and Xtreme opens up a lot of opportunities for those teams. The future of open wheel racing will play out in the midgets this year, so if you want to know who's next, keep an eye there.
In the northeast, Matt Sheppard is coming off one of the greatest seasons ever, and everyone will be gunning for him. We'll see if he can continue the momentum. And the modified scene will change for this year with USMTS champion Dustin Sorensen taking over for hall of famer Jimmy Mars, and Nick Hoffman going full time late model racing. That means UMP titles wide open, and we'll have a new Modified Nationals champion. I don't know about you, but this might be the most excited I've been for a dirt racing season. Drop me a comment, let me know where you are right now about the 2023 dirt racing season, and how you are feeling as we get ready to start rolling for real.
Last night was the sixth of ten rounds for the iRacing World of Outlaws Sprint Cars. They took on Fairbury Speedway and when the night was done, we had a big shakeup in the points standings. Kenny Miller and James Edens started on the front row together, and those two had a really fun battle for the lead, especially late in the going, with Miller throwing multiple sliders at Edens. In the end though, Edens was able to hold him off to bag his second win of the season, and second in a row. Miller settled for second wtih Timothy Smith third. That podium for Smith ended up being a big deal, because both the points leader Alex Bergeron and second place driver Tyler Schell had issues in the feature. Both ended up getting turned, with Schell battling back to 13th and Bergeron ending up 17th. So now, with four rounds to go, Smith is the new points leader by two points over Bergeron, with Schell back to third. The issues for the front runners have also brought Kendal Tucker and Edens much closer. This tight championship battle will continue next Monday night at 9PM ET when the series moves to Cedar Lake Speedway. You can watch these races live and for free on DIRTVision and the iRacing YouTube channel.
The only things on the streaming schedule today are DIRTVision Now and FloRacing 24/7. This should be the last day for a while though with such a quiet schedule. Things start to pick up tomorrow, and there is a bunch of dirt racing to come. To see the full daily streaming schedule with links to watch, visit dirtrackr.com/watchtonight.
Before we go, it's not dirt racing, but I did want to say so long to Ken Block. An incredible life lived in motorsports between the various rally series he competed in and his rampages through a bunch of different cities and places in some of the most insane vehicles ever built. When we talk about creators, Block was an OG with his Gymkhana series of videos, and he really paved the way for an entire genre of automotive content. We are certainly thinking about his family and friends today.
Alright, that's it for the show. Have a good Tuesday. Thanks everyone for tuning in. We'll be back here tomorrow for more DIRTRACKR Daily.