Last Minute Decisions Result in Big Paydays!

This weekend we saw two prominent late model drivers make last minute decisions to race; where or what they raced may surprise you! Mother Nature played her usual games this time of the season, causing teams to scramble their weekend plans. A king was crowned, a name you need to know took home a fat modified payday, and all the national and regional late model, modified, and stock car happenings NOW 👇

👟 💨 The Rundown:
🍼 The Nippy 50 got hot and heavy with Bobby Pierce's last minute decision to head to Maquoketa Speedway paying off big time! The Smooth Operator was a late addition to this burgeoning MARS Racing Series event, yet he swept the weekend picking up $10,000 and $15,000 paydays on the weekend. Ricky Thornton Jr, and turn four, made a race of it both nights settling for the runner-up spots on the weekend. The Fan Favorite to win, Brandon Sheppard, rounded out Friday's podium. Brian Shirley finished 3rd Saturday, capping a very solid weekend.

Next Up: The MARS Late Models continue, and the Modifieds begin, their season this weekend. Friday sees the Late Models battle for $10,000 and Mods $2,000 at Paducah International Raceway. Saturday both go again, this time $5,000 and $2,000, from Charleston Speedway. Catch it all on FloRacing.

The undercard of the Nippy featured a stout field of IMCA Modifieds and Stock Cars too. In the Modifieds, Jeff "Bone" Larson bagged the $1,000 payday on Friday and Drew Janssen netted the $1,500 victory Saturday. Dallon Murty 🧹'd the Stock Car weekend, winning $750 Saturday and $1,000 Saturday.

Followers of the page and podcast listeners know Carter was on location at the Nippy 50. We'll talk much more in-depth about the show and Carter's experience on the DirtInfo Podcast this week. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.

👑 All Hail King Cade Dillard XIV! The USMTS King of America XIV had plenty of drama, some of it emanating from the Tech Shed, this weekend.

Ultimately, Cade Dillard won the opener and closer from Lucas Oil Speedway taking home the Crown, and $20,000 and $3,000 victories. Jim Chisholm, Friday's $5,000 winner, finished 2nd in the KoA feature. Bobby Williams impressed everyone as he steadily improved over weekend, ultimately finishing 3rd in his first 60-lap feature on Saturday.

In a nice touch, Dustin Hodges won the $1,500 non-qualifiers feature on Saturday. A nice reward for the class showing out 72 cars deep.

Worth noting, in the first year for the King of America at Lucas Oil Speedway, the drivers showed up in force. By Saturday, there were 181 cars in the pits.

The USRA Iron Man Stock Cars showed up in force with 46 entries. Derek Green was Thursdays $1,000 winner, Jeffrey Abbey took home Saturday's $2,000 feature, and Rodney Schweizer was the finale winner claiming the $3,000 payday.

On the B-Mod side, 64 entries battled over three nights. Kris Jackson won Friday's $1,000 feature, Jon Sheets bagged $2,000 Friday, and Chad Clancy was the finale winner Saturday claiming the $3,000 payday.

Up Next: The USMTS returns this weekend for a pair of $5,000 features at the 12th Annual Cajun Class from Boothill Speedway and live on RacinDirt.com.

Our buddy Brad covered most of the King of America this weekend. You can find that on our Facebook page or here, here, and here. We'll cover the event more in-depth on the Podcast this week, as well.

🪝 The Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series managed to get one of two shows in this weekend for the House of Hook Showdown from Whynot Motorsports Park, seeing Dalton Cook win Friday's $8,000 feature. Jonathan Joiner fought valiantly before coming home 2nd. Jimmy Owens rounded out the podium in 3rd.

Next Up: This weekend from Talladega Short Track for the Bama Bash paying $8,000 Friday & $12,000 Saturday.

☀️ Mother Nature shined upon the Southern Nationals Series Spring Nationals as both Friday and Saturday's show went off without a hitch. On Friday, Garrett Smith topped Cody Overton and Dylan Knowles for the $7,553 win from Buckshot Speedway. Saturday saw Big Sexy big bro'd Uncle T and Cody for the $10,053 victory at East Alabama Motor Speedway.

⭐️ Third time was the charm, as the Northern Allstars Late Model and Modifieds got their season fired off from Florence Speedway for the 49th Annual Spring 50. Josh Rice top Mike Marlar and Devin Gilpin to win the $10,000 opener. In the Mods, Adam Stricker bested Trent Young and Colin Green to bag the $1,500 victory.

Next up: The Northern Allstars Late Models return this weekend to battle for $5,000 at Brownstown Speedway.

🎩 In other DIRTcar/UMP Modified action, Cole Falloway controlled flag-to-flag to take home a fat $7,500 Modified Mafia Tour payday from Needmore Speedway. Ryan Thomas came home 2nd, and Todd Neiheiser rounded out the podium in 3rd.

👀 Looking Ahead:
🔥 The World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns this weekend from Atomic Speedway in a joint show with the American Late Model Iron-Man Series for the Fireball 50 paying $12,000 Friday & $15,000 Saturday.

❄️ 🧨 The IMCA Fostbuster gets cracking this week with $1,000-to-win Modifieds, $750-to-win Stock Cars, and $500-to-win for SportMods and Hobby Stocks. Each class also races for a $1,000 points fund. The schedule:
Thursday: Independence Motor Speedway
Friday: Marshalltown Speedway
Saturday: Boone Speedway
Sunday: Stuart Speedway

👆 Don't forget the USMTS, MARS Late Models and Modifieds, Northern Allstars Late Models, and Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series mentioned throughout above.

✍ Josh's Jotting:
I have just one topic this week, believe it or not! As usual, we're staying in the modified world.

Over the weekend while watching the fabulous coverage on RacinDirt of the King of America, I put my finger on something I've always liked about modifieds but maybe never fully appreciated. The fact that a large number of these drivers fabricate and race their own chassis. It's a refreshing throwback to an earlier era of racing. One, I will full admit I missed.

The winner Thursday and Saturday, Cade Dillard, was a full-time Outlaw Late Model driver about two weeks ago. This weekend, he drove his own CDR modified to multiple victories. The man who bested Cade on the track, but not in the tech shed, Dustin Sorensen builds his own DSR/Longhorn by Sorensen modifieds as well. Ol' TP, Late Model Hall of Famer Terry Phillips battled up front most of the weekend in his own Bloodline Chassis. Tanner Mullens led two-thirds of Saturday's feature in his Mullens Racing Chassis.

The list goes on and on too, Kyle Brown and Harris, Tyler Davis and BOM, Trevor Hughes and Hughes Chassis, his father Jason before him too, Zack VanderBeek and VanderBuilt. I'm sure I am forgetting some too. Heck, Jim Chisholm runs his Balanced Speed shock program and has been a part of the Skyrocket program for multiple years.

It's pretty neat to have successful and current late model drivers testing not just driving skill but mechanical skill side-by-side with some of the absolute best modified drivers and fabricators. They went toe-to-toe and nobody backed down all weekend. They each saw success in one way or another, and they raced clean. It was phenomenal. I'll stump for modifieds all day, any day.

This isn't exclusive to USRA either. There are multiple examples across all sanctions. I also know it happens in other classes. And when it does, it's equal rad. But this weekend was a banger in this regard.