DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript

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Racers react to new Hoosiers at Chili Bowl, Outlaw late models up to 17 full timers | Daily 1-8-2024

Bobby Pierce looks like he's got no plans of slowing down in 2024, we'll about his Sunday win, plus the Chili Bowl starts today and I've got some reactions from competitors on how the new tire situation could affect racing in Tulsa. Also, the Outlaw late model field grows, and the IRA releases their sprint car schedule. Let's go!

It's Monday, January 8th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily.

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Out in New Mexico on Sunday night, we had the second of six race programs for the Wild West Shootout. At least for Bobby Pierce, things started very similarly on Sunday as they did on Saturday. He started on the pole, but got beat early on by the guy on the high side for the lead, and then faded back through the top five. The difference on Sunday though, is Pierce was able to get all the way back to the front. Mike Marlar led a bunch of laps from that outside front row starting spot, but got nipped late by Pierce after a restart with five to go. The Smooth Operator bagged the $10 grand, with Marlar settling for second and Kyle Larson in third. Things started well for Pierce in 2023 at Vado, and he was able to parlay that into his best season to date. 2024 starting off much the same way. As for Larson, Yung Money is still winless at Vado in a late model, which almost feels a little strange to say. As good as they've been though, it feels like a victory isn't far off. Saturday's winner Cade Dillard finished fifth, but also won again in the modified, topping Rodney Sanders and Gary Christian. The Wild West Shootout goes quiet today, they'll have open practice on Tuesday, and they will be back to racing on Wednesday.

At the Chili Bowl yesterday, they ran through a full day of practice, with everyone getting two sessions. Things seemed to go pretty smoothly for the most part, although we did have Spencer Bayston flipping in the afternoon portion. He got bit by the curb and there was a car around in front of him. He told the FloRacing guys that they'll need to bolt on a few new parts, but that the damage wasn't super bad. Bayston is one of two RMS cars in the building for Chili Bowl, along with regular team driver Justin Grant. The team had three other spots on the entry list as TBAs, but clearly whatever those deals were didn't come together. It's clear that one was probably for David Gravel, who had actually announced back in November on his YouTube channel that he'd be back at the event with RMS, but just a short while later it came out that he was driving for Abacus Racing as a teammate to Tyler Courtney. Who the two other TBAs were for though, I'm not aware. Racing gets going today in Tulsa for the first of five prelim nights. Hot laps are scheduled for 4PM central, with racing set for 5. The Chili Bowl website has 74 cars on the Monday entry list, but there could be a few adjustments. Some names to expect tonight include Nick Hoffman, Chase Briscoe, Sam Hafertepe, Shane Golobic, Noah Gass, Gary Taylor, Taylor Reimer, Joe B Miller, Michael Pickens, Cannon McIntosh, Chris Windom, and Tanner Carrick. Remember the name of the game is passing points through heat races, and then into qualifiers. The top two feature finishers tonight lock into Saturday's A main, with third through eighth in a B, and so on down the order. Tonight's program also features the Invitational Race of Champions, which at the moment includes 18 cars. They are Sammy Swindell, Spencer Bayston, Justin Grant, Chase Briscoe, Karter Sarff, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton Jr., Hank Davis, Logan Seavey, Corey Day, Zach Daum, Brent Crews, Jade Avedisian, Cannon McIntosh, Jesse Love, Tanner Thorson, David Gravel, and Tyler Courtney. One storyline that may or may not become a factor this week is the change in the tire rule. Previously teams could run any tire effectively, with many utilizing the RD12 from Hoosier. But starting in 2024, teams must use the SP3 on the right rear. Versus the RD12, the SP3 is a bit harder of a compound and a narrower tire. For the teams that run regularly during the season, the SP3 isn't a big change, as it's what the major midget sanctioning bodies used in 2023. I reached out yesterday to a few friends in the building and got mixed commentary. Some think it won't be a big deal, with one car owner telling me they didn't change much on their setup package. There are questions about the best wheel to run, with anything from a 9" to a 12" being in play. It does seem as though the new tire has a bit less grip, and one driver told me he thinks the top could be the place to be, with less grip affecting the ability to roll the bottom well. These early prelim nights I think will be watched pretty heavily by the major players, and adjustments will be made through the week. Nick Hoffman shared an interesting video yesterday to Twitter, where he grooved and siped his right rear differently in four sections to see how the wear was. He'll use that information to make decisions on tire setup for the week. If you aren't headed for Tulsa, you can watch live tonight and through Saturday on FloRacing.

Doubling back to some more series announcements, the World of Outlaws Late Model field has grown to 17 with two additions in recent days. The first was Brent Larson deciding to return to the Outlaws for his seventh season on tour. The Minnesota driver was 12th in the standings a year ago, with a top five and eight top tens on the season. His best year, at least in terms of championship finish, was 2022 when he ended up fifth. He is still seeking his first career Outlaw win. The other pickup from over the weekend was Iowa's Tyler Bruening, who will join the Outlaws after running a pick and choose schedule in 2023. Bruening was the Outlaw rookie of the year in 2021, and finished third in the championship. His Skyline Motorsports team has a very different look going into 2024, with Longhorn chassis now being utilized and the team ending their run with Shane Clanton and starting a new deal with Mike Marlar. Marlar started strong with Skyline at World Finals last November, and has been fast out at the Wild West Shootout. Bruening has shown he's capable of stacking up top five finishes, but just like Larson, is still looking for that first national touring win. The Outlaw season kicks off January 17th at Volusia.

Before we close out today, the IRA Sprint Car Series has released it's 2024 schedule. 32 races across six states, running April 5th through September 28th. The 410 series will co-sanction some shows with NOSA in North Dakota in July, and they'll join up with the new Maverick Winged Series in Indiana in June for stops at Lincoln Park, Bloomington, Haubstadt, and Terre Haute. Things should be wide open this season with the IRA, as 2023 champion Brenham Crouch is off to run High Limit full time. That will put the focus on guys like Jordan Goldesberry, Travis Arenz, Russel Borland, and Scotty Neitzel. You can see the full IRA slate over at irasprints.com.

That's it for the show today. Make sure to hit that subscribe button wherever you tune in, so you don't miss future episodes.

Hope you guys have a great Monday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!