DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript

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Cleetus McFarland and crate late models add to Bristol dirt schedule in 2023 | Daily 1-20-2023

An update today on dirt racing happening at Bristol in 2023, plus we talk about the final World of Outlaws Late Model full timers list that's actually above 20! Let's go!

It's Friday, January 20th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily.

For 2023, Bristol Motor Speedway is again putting dirt down on their surface for the spring, which includes the NASCAR weekend in April for the Trucks and Cup Series. This will be the third year they've done it for NASCAR, but the rest of the dirt schedule has changed dramatically. Unlike the first two years, no XR week this season, and no Outlaw weekends. There are a bunch of reasons why, including the added costs for teams to have cars prepared to handle the speeds and loads, and the fan support just wasn't there. So both organizations have left Bristol behind, but there are going to be some other events on the dirt if you still want a Bristol fix in 2023. The week before NASCAR, the American All-Star Series will bring their crate late models to Bristol on April 1st for a $5000 to win show. This will be an opportunity for the track to fine tune conditions with some actual racing before the trucks and Cup cars come in the following week. And then a couple of weeks after NASCAR, on April 22nd, YouTuber Cleetus McFarland and his Freedom Factory group are having an invite only event featuring sport compacts, danger rangers, and demo drags. This event was announced just this week, and is in addition to the Bristol event that Cleetus is hosting on the pavement later this year in September. Details for the April 1st Bristol Dirt Showcase featuring the American All-Star Series can be found at bristolmotorspeedway.com, and if you want information about the Cleetus McFarland show on April 22nd, go check out the Freedom Factory Facebook page.

The World of Outlaws Late Model season is off and running after last night's opener at Volusia. Tim McCreadie sat on the pole and led the first 19 laps, but Devin Moran, who started third, ran McCreadie down late and passed him with six to go with a slider into turn one. It was Moran's 10th career win with the Outlaws, and a very nice way to kick off his new deal with Double Down Motorsports. McCreadie, Chris Madden, Ryan Gustin, and Ricky Thornton Jr. completed the top five. Brandon Sheppard was the night's hard charger after needing to transfer in through a B-Main. He went 23rd to 10th. We talked on yesterday's show about Bobby Pierce declaring as a full timer, and I mentioned the field was at 17. In reality though, the full time list is actually 23. The series only promoted 19 on their Twitter account yesterday, but a look at the points standings page today shows who has signed on, because they were all given a 300 point bump. So Moran won last night's show, but he's actually 24th in the standings. The full timers were talked about yesterday were Dennis Erb Jr, Tanner English, Sheppard, Madden, Pierce, Max Blair, Boom Briggs, Todd Cooney, Gordy Gundaker, Ryan Gustin, Logan Martin, Dustin Walker, Nick Hoffman, Brent Larson, Shane Clanton, Payton Freeman, and Johnny Scott. We can also add to that Brian Shirley, Kyle Bronson, Cade Dillard, Jimmy Owens, Jordan Koehler, and Austin Kirkpatrick. That deal for Kirkpatrick is the second GR Smith owned car, and both Kirkpatrick and Smith will run races in it. Now obviously, there is not a chance in hell we get all the way to World Finals with 23 full timers, but in this world of so much late model freedom, this is what you get. In this group, there are clearly a number of them who intend on running the full season, and they are in for the long haul. Others are going to start the year probably declared with both the Outlaws and Lucas, and see where they stand leaving Florida. The first conflict isn't until March 17th between the two tours, so drivers will have time to figure it out. And yet others on this list are just taking advantage of the system to get some tow money and provisionals for a while. Teams do pay a fee to sign on, but the added benefits for full time status will pay back their investment in just a few nights. At the end of year, we'll probably be down to 12 or 13, because realistically, that's what the system is built to support. Anybody below that line will have a tough time making money. If you look around today and last night, you'll see criticism from some fans about what's going on here with full timers, and I want the sprint car world to take note. If things ever got opened up on that side, this is what we'd deal with. A whole bunch of teams hedging to start the year, and falling off later depending on how they did or what their plans were. And this in turn leads series to put in refundable deposits based on attendance, and extra points bonuses, etc, to try and discourage the practice. It's not so simple to just say let them race where they want. The law of unintended consequences is always in play, and when racers can, they will exploit any and every rule to their advantage.

Last night's other late model winners at Volusia were Ross Bailes, Kyle Bronson, Michael Page and Rye Faulk. Those were all in 604 features. They'll do it all over again tonight at Volusia, with the Outlaws racing again for $8000, and then Saturday is $20,000 to win. You can either head out to Volusia to watch, or tune in live both nights on DIRTVision.

Before we move on, one more reminder about the sale I'm running at shop.dirtrackr.com. All hats and t-shirts are marked down right now, and through the weekend. I'll end the sale on Sunday night, so grab something now before it's over. Shipping and sales tax in the US is on me, and you can also grab a decal while you're there. This is sort of like an inventory reduction sale so we can work towards some fresh merch orders and some new designs. Thanks for supporting this project with your hard earned money.

A couple of other news items for you today before we shut it down for the weekend. First, Kyle McFadden at Dirt on Dirt is reporting that promoter Cory Penfold is reviving the I-5 Series for late models in the Pacific Northwest. They are planning eight races at five tracks this season, with shows paying $2000 to win. They'll be at Willamette Speedway, the new dirt covered Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Southern Oregon Speedway, Grays Harbor, and Sunset Speedway Park. Penfold is hoping to grow dirt late model racing more on the west coast, but we know he's certainly up against it out there. The first race is scheduled for May 28th.

Also, congrats to Mike Warren on being named the new announcer for the Super DIRTcar Series. He's taking over for the departing Shane Andrews, and will be in the booth when the big blocks take on Volusia for DIRTcar Nationals. Andrews' is on the way out because of extra time needed for his day job. Warren is the current PR guy for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and has done pit reporting for the SDS. So fans will certainly recognize his voice. Warren will supposedly continue his role with the late model series as well.

The streaming schedule continues to ramp up today and through the weekend. Quite a few shows across DIRTVision, FloRacing, Speed Sport, and Clay Per View. To see the full daily streaming schedule with links to watch, visit dirtrackr.com/watchtonight.

Alright, that's it for the show today. Have a good weekend. Thanks everyone for tuning in. We'll be back here tomorrow for more DIRTRACKR Daily.