World of Outlaws Championship Contenders Chasing History, Share Respects to Scott Bloomquist 

Brandon Sheppard, Nick Hoffman, and Bobby Pierce are within 76 points of each other with nine races left in 2024

CHILLICOTHE, OH (August 22, 2024) – With nine races left in a competitive World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models season stands three drivers who are on the cusp of reaching a historical milestone in 2024.

Brandon Sheppard, the four-time World of Outlaws champion, is chasing a fifth title to break a tie with Josh Richards as the driver with the most Series titles.

Nick Hoffman, the sophomore standout who excelled in the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds ranks, goes after his first Series championship to cement his spot as the newest dirt Late Model star.

Bobby Pierce, the reigning World of Outlaws champion, has persisted through an early points deficit to gain himself an opportunity to join Billy Moyer, Richards, and Sheppard as the fourth driver to score back-to-back Series titles.

Though he has the fewest Feature wins out of the three drivers in 2024, Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, leads the points through consistency by holding the most top-10 finishes of all drivers with 26 as he looks to finish the season with a fourth win to better his lead before World of Outlaws World Finals (Nov. 6-9).

“I think we’ve had a good car for consistency,” Sheppard said. “It’s still a learning process with the Longhorn racecar. At the end of the day, we’ll keep learning, figuring out what I like, and doing all the things we need to do to win. We’re trying to find that edge to match Bobby’s pace. He’s class of the field, so we gotta find a way to keep up with him. It’s good to be at tracks I know can be good for me and have some good showings. We’ve had misfortunes, but all we can do is make the most out of what we can throughout the races.”

Hoffman’s hunger for the championship comes with melancholy after the passing of Scott Bloomquist on Friday, Aug. 14. The architect of the “Dirty Dozen” and champion of the 2004 World of Outlaws revival – celebrating its 20th anniversary this year – Bloomquist was a mentor to Hoffman in dirt Late Model racing.

The Mooresville, NC driver raced for Bloomquist in 2021, earning two top-five finishes with the World of Outlaws at Cedar Lake Speedway and Davenport Speedway.

“I’ve been fortunate to have been around really smart people in racing, but Scott was different from everybody,” Hoffman said. “The way he thought and processed things about how the race car should work, even the smallest things away from racing, he just had a different mindset about everything. It was very cool to hang out with him and learn a lot of that stuff and see why he was so successful throughout the years. He was built different for sure.

“I had a lot of great times with him, he was fun to hang around, and everybody knew he enjoyed a party and the late nights. That side was really fun but learning from him as far as his racecraft and everything he did was far beyond everybody else. He worked way harder and that’s why I feel he was so successful through many decades. All he ever knew was dirt racing. Every night I drove one of his cars, he’d give 100% commitment to the race team to get me to win races. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for that opportunity to drive for him. I’m fortunate and honored to be one of few guys that have raced for him.”

Pierce, a native of Oakwood, IL, witnessed the kind of person Bloomquist was at an early age. His father, Bob Pierce, raced against Bloomquist before he got to race against the Mooresburg, TN driver throughout the 2010s and 2020s.

“I was able to see the relationship between (Scott) and my dad,” Pierce said. “From being very fierce competitors back in the day, they always had a great friendly relationship. They were both pretty smart with race cars so they could connect about that. I grew up watching him race and learned some stuff from him. He was the best to ever do it. He’s definitely got the longest streak of dominance. Like, when you saw his trailer pull in, he was the car to beat.

“I think all the drivers have to give him some thanks as to where the sport is nowadays. He shaped the sport of dirt Late Model racing.”

Sheppard got to race compete against Bloomquist in the World of Outlaws and ran second to “Black Sunshine” in his final Series Feature win in 2020 at Thunder Mountain Speedway.

“I think we had a mutual respect for each other,” Sheppard said. “He’d come by and say, “Hi,” and we’d talk every once in a while. Throughout the years, I think mine are the same as everyone else’s. All the stuff he said and things he did made him exciting to watch. That’s what I’ll remember him for is all the crazy stuff he did over the years. The things he said after the race is what I liked the most because he wasn’t scared to say what he was thinking on his mind. It’s a shame, but he went out doing what he loved.”

Bolstered with experience in points racing after winning three Modified National titles and five DIRTcar Modified Summer Nationals championships, Hoffman knows how to get the job done with pressure on his back foot. As the 32-year-old driver goes after his first World of Outlaws title, Hoffman needs every point he can pick up to cap his second full-time Late Model season with his biggest milestone.

“You always expect to go out to win races and a championship,” Hoffman said. “This year has been huge for us and only shows what we can do further down the road in the years to come. It’s going to take winning races to get the title. Bobby may go win a couple more races and Sheppard is consistent at running up front every night. We can’t have issues, we gotta win races, and it’s going to be a big turning point.

“That would be the biggest milestone of my career. Sheppard’s done it four times and Bobby did it last year. Just to win one (title) is a huge deal. Everybody wants to race with the Outlaws as a kid growing up, so to win a championship would be unbelievable and a milestone deal. We just gotta keep digging and get it done.”

Pierce echoed a similar motivation as Hoffman with a need to win as many races as possible to have the No. 32 Low Voltage Solutions Late Model close in points to battle Sheppard at the season’s finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in November.

“We need all the races we can get,” Pierce said. “You never know with how things go. If nobody falls out of races and everybody’s upfront, we have got to win whatever we can. We’ll take it one race at a time with trying to win out the rest of the year and see where we stand when Charlotte comes around. After the beginning of the year, I feel like I had a chance to come back up if I had the same year as 2023. We’ve won seven of the last 11 races, but we’ve had some DNFs hurt us. So, if it wasn’t for those, we’d be right there. We gotta dig in for these last few races, take the opportunity given and we’ll go from there.”

Winning a fifth championship reminds Sheppard of the journey he’s been on as a driver with the World of Outlaws. While he’s racing to extend the points gap to Hoffman and Pierce, “B-Shepp” wants to add more Feature wins to his current total of 86 career Series triumphs.

“It’d definitely mean a lot to me,” Sheppard said. “Everybody that goes up and down the road deals with the ups and downs of dirt Late Model racing. They know wins are hard to come by and the championships are even harder. If you’d told me 10 years ago that I’d have four World of Outlaws championships by the time I’m 30, I’d have told you that you’re crazy. Looking at it now, we’re trying to win the fifth one and we’re still not where we want to be.

“You are always looking at the next day, the next race, the next year, and so on. Without the next race to look forward to, what are we racing for? We’ll try knocking off some wins and see where the points play out. When it comes to points racing, if I know I don’t have a car capable of winning, I make sure to get a decent finish. That’s what it’s going to take to win it all this year, so when it’s your year, it’s your year.”

Hoffman looks forward to the slate of remaining races for the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models, with any position causing implications in the championship hunt. The Series finishes the August slate with the Fireball 50 at Atomic Speedway.

“Atomic will be a good track for all three of us,” Hoffman said. “Then, we’ve got the southern trip to Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. Those will be a pivotal point for what it will take to win the championship. Charlotte can go anybody’s way. You can lose 50 points quick at World Finals, so I feel it’s all going to be decided there and hopefully, we’re right there in the thick of it.”

Pierce sits 76 points back from Sheppard for the Series points lead. His comeback in the championship hunt has the “Smooth Operator” believing that winning his second championship is bigger than his Prairie Dirt Classic performance that featured a 21-place comeback for his first victory in the crown jewel event.

“It’d mean a lot because Scott, Mark Richards, and the Dirty Dozen played a big part in where the World of Outlaws is today,” Pierce said. “Right now, in the moment, we’re very determined to try and win a second championship. It’d be crazy. Maybe even crazier than the comeback win at the PDC. It’ll be awesome if we can do it again, so we’ll give it our best.”

The trio of drivers continue their bid for the 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models title in Chillicothe, OH for two nights in the Fireball 50 on Friday-Saturday, Aug. 23-24.

For more information about the upcoming events in the 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models season, CLICK HERE.