Kyle Strickler Opens UMP Modified Action at Charlotte with All-Star Invitational Win
By Jordan DeLucia
CONCORD, NC (Oct. 26, 2023) – Kyle Strickler is looking to make a bit of history at the eighth annual World Short Track Championship.
Thursday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte was a solid first step as he dominated the Summit Racing Equipment DIRTcar UMP Modified All-Star Invitational Feature.
In his quest to become only the fourth driver to win four World Short Track titles, Strickler – the UMP Modified veteran from Mooresville, NC – started the weekend with a strong performance in the 15-lap All-Star event, leading every lap from the pole and crossing the finish line almost five seconds ahead of his competition.
Despite his excellence in the Invitational and a second-best lap in Qualifying, Strickler said he did not always feel as comfortable in the car as he would have preferred, until the Feature, where he felt a world of difference.
“It was definitely a lot better,” Strickler said. “Didn’t feel great in Hot Laps, didn’t feel great in Qualifying. Then, we made wholesale changes, and it was a lot better. I still think we can get a little bit better.”
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT DIRTCAR UMP MODIFIED RESULTS:
All-Star Invitational Feature (15 Laps): 1. 8S-Kyle Strickler[1]; 2. 99H-Justin Haley[3]; 3. 7-Evan Taylor[2]; 4. 5T-Drake Troutman[6]; 5. 00-Mike McKinney[7]; 6. 8-Austin Holcombe[11]; 7. 21-Taylor Cook[8]; 8. 35-David Stremme[12]; 9. 13-Charlie Mefford[9]; 10. 2T-Ty Norder[10]; 11. 12L-Lucas Lee[20]; 12. 5CS-Curt Spalding[16]; 13. 51-Dalton Lanich[13]; 14. 90-Ray Kable[14]; 15. 5-Jonathan Taylor[15]; 16. 77-George Dixon[18]; 17. 97-Mitch Thomas[19]; 18. 5B-Bobby Bagley[17]; 19. 04-Kaleb Toole[4]; 20. 99W-Chris Arnold[5]
Dillon Brown Opens Eighth Annual World Short Track Championship With Pro Late Model All-Star Invitational Feature Win
By Mike Warren
CONCORD, NC – Dillon Brown planned on using the opening night of the eighth annual World Short Track Championship as a test run for Saturday’s finale.
He earned an A-plus, leading all 15 laps to win Thursday’s Fox Factory Pro Late Model All-Star Invitational Feature at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Jody Knowles, the pole-sitter, led the 20-car field to the green. But that didn’t last long as Brown saw his opportunity to pounce in Turn 1. The Gaffney, SC driver snuck past both Knowles and Justin Hudspeth to take the lead away on the opening lap.
As Brown pulled away from Hudspeth, defending Fox Factory Pro Late Model Championship winner Trent Ivey moved toward the front. He snuck by Hudspeth for second in Turn 1 on Lap 9. Then, the Union, SC competitor, chased Brown in the race’s final stages, getting as close as three car lengths with two laps remaining.
However, it wasn’t enough as Brown held off the #G4 to earn his second Fox Factory Pro Late Model All-Star Invitational Feature win—and third World Short Track Championship win.
“(At the start) we were just trying to position ourselves to second,” Brown said. “But when we came down the front straightaway, I was like, I ain’t letting off; let’s just see where this goes. We got to the lead, but we need to get a lot, lot better.
“We have something to work with. We have a really good piece. But we changed four or five shocks and springs before that race. I wanted to try something you don’t usually get to here in race trim, so I just kind of looked at that race as a test session.”
FOX FACTORY PRO LATE MODEL RESULTS:
All-Star Feature (15 Laps): 1. 6-Dillon Brown[3]; 2. G4-Trent Ivey[4]; 3. 27H-Justin Hudspeth[2]; 4. 18-Ricky Greene[8]; 5. 22-Jeremy Steele[12]; 6. 55-Matt Long[5]; 7. 66-Jody Knowles[1]; 8. 55H-Benji Hicks[13]; 9. 615-Colton Trouille[6]; 10. 18DD-Derek Dent[11]; 11. 31G-Stephen Pedulla[10]; 12. 1-Brent Trimble[15]; 13. 215-Jamison McBride[18]; 14. 78B-Matthew Brocato[7]; 15. 5-Travis Steele[20]; 16. 42-Mark Greene[9]; 17. P4-John Price[16]; 18. 34-Logan Roberson[17]; 19. 7J-Dalton Jacobs[14]; 20. 00R-John Ruggiero Jr[19]
Nelson Mason captures DIRTcar Sportsman win at World Short Track Championship
By Michelina Friss
CONCORD, NC – Nelson Mason will have a difficult time forgetting how his first visit to the World Short Track Championships felt on opening night as the Niagara Falls, ON driver won the All-Star Invitational.
After competing at the track as a child in a Go-Kart, Mason and his father made the eight-hour trek down to the Concord, NC oval to try his luck in a DIRTcar Sportsman. He made every mile count, as he took home his first career victory Thursday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in the 15-lap, DIRTcar VP Racing Fuels Sportsman Feature.
Starting on the pole, Mason found himself accompanied by Derrick McGrew to his outside on the front row to start. He took full advantage of his starting position, shooting out in front. Kevin Ridley, who earlier had posted the night’s Quick Time, aggressively made a move simultaneously, jumping up to second place from fourth on Lap 1. The two frontrunners immediately started their heated battle towards the finish line, with Ridley close behind.
Ridley was able to close the gap significantly on the last lap going into Turn 3 and Turn 4, relentlessly battling until the checkered flag fell. But the #35 was too strong for Ridley and the rest of the field, as he crossed the finish line first to send himself to Victory Lane.
“It’s huge (to get the win here),” Mason said. “I genuinely have been looking forward to (The Dirt Track at Charlotte) the whole year, and honestly the last two years. I wanted to come here knowing we had everything right and in the best position possible. Since I switched to dirt racing last year (from Formula open-wheel car racing), this was the goal. Now we have one win and want to close it out with the big one on Saturday, but I’m super stoked.”
VP RACING FUELS DIRTCAR SPORTSMAN RESULTS:All-Star Feature (15 Laps): 1. 35-Nelson Mason[1]; 2. 20X-Kevin Ridley[4]; 3. 44-David Rogers[6]; 4. 0-Michael Wright[3]; 5. 49M-Derrick McGrew[2]; 6. 22C-Cedric Gauvreau[15]; 7. 318-Dave Richer[7]; 8. 92-Andrew Buff[14]; 9. 35T-Cameron Tuttle[12]; 10. 23-David Dickey[5]; 11. 10-Chelsie Kriegisch[8]; 12. 51-Kreg Crooker[17]; 13. 32C-Carter Crooker[18]; 14. 03-Joshua Jock[10]; 15. 52-Jessica Power[13]; 16. 44S-Gordon Smith[9]; 17. 49-Chris Jakubiak[19]; 18. 5C-Ayden Cipriano[20]; 19. 72-Ray Hall Jr[11]; 20. 813-Jason Quenneville[16]
Luke Horning Adds to Dream Season With First World Short Track All-Star Invitational Win
By Nick GrazianoCONCORD, NC – Two weeks after Luke Horning won his first Super DIRT Week Pro Stock title, he found himself back in Victory Lane for another marquee win.
“Cousin Luke” scored his first World Short Track Championship All-Star Invitational Feature win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Thursday night – also his second World Short Track win overall and 21st Feature win of the season.
“Winning here is huge,” Horning said. “All the competitive guys are here. Nobody came here thinking they don’t have a chance to win this. To win the [All-Star Invitational], it’s one we haven’t gotten before. This is awesome.”
At Super DIRT Week, Horning had to come from seventh to win. Thursday night, he did the same during the 15-lap MSD Performance DIRTcar Pro Stock race.
John Fitzgerald started on the pole with Ken Griffin to his outside. When the green flag dropped for the first time Fitzgerald maintained the lead for the first couple laps while Griffin faded early. Behind him, Horning was on a march.
Hugging the low line, as close as he could to the infield tires, Horning was powering by cars two at a time each corner. By Lap 2, he was second. Lap 3, he was the leader.
“I had a plan,” Horning said. “I was watching the progression of the track. Everyone was migrating to the bottom, migrating to the bottom. Being up here (up on the hill)… we got to watch a little more racing than the guys down there (in the lower pit area). I was watching guys moving down, so I said, ‘Starting back there, maybe the first couple laps we can run tight to the bottom and maybe those guys won’t run tight to the bottom,’ and sure enough they kept giving me room and giving me room.”
MSD PERFORMANCE DIRTCAR PRO STOCK RESULTS:All-Star Feature (15 Laps): 1. 2H-Luke Horning[7]; 2. 8-Marc Lalonde[6]; 3. 72G-Denis Gauvreau[8]; 4. 04-Jaxson Ryan[14]; 5. 44X-Bruno Richard[19]; 6. 54S-Zachary Sorrentino[10]; 7. 2-Pete Stefanski[17]; 8. 15-Guy Viens[5]; 9. 9J-Eric Jean Louis[15]; 10. 5-Ian Bressette[18]; 11. 56-John Fitzgerald[1]; 12. 35-Jonathan Lemay[3]; 13. 14J-Johnny Rivers Jr[9]; 14. 28-Philip DeFiglio[16]; 15. 25Y-Ken Griffin[2]; 16. 09J-Shawn Perez Jr[12]; 17. 33-Bruno Cyr[20]; 18. 8C-Sean Corr[11]; 19. 9-Shane Henderson[13]; 20. 6C-Brian Carter[4]UP NEXT: The eighth annual World Short Track Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte continues Friday, Oct. 27, with Heat Races for nine divisions and Features for the Hornets. Then, Saturday, Oct. 28, will see Features for all divisions.For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.