West Virginia Motor Speedway announced that the legendary Hillbilly 100 will return to West Virginia Motor Speedway for its 58th running in 2026.

The race was first run back in 1967 at Pennsboro Speedway and is one of dirt racing’s crown jewels. It was held at Pennsboro every year until 1998 where it moved to Tyler County Speedway. It switched to West Virginia Motor Speedway in 2010 and then to I-77 Raceway Park in 2012 and competed there through 2016. It returned to Tyler County for 2017 through 2024 and was most recently held at Lernerville Speedway.

Previous winners of the prestigious race include Scott Bloomquist, Kyle Larson, Jonathan Davenport, Josh Richards, Brandon Overton, Don O’Neal, Jimmy Owens, Mike Marlar, Ray Cook, Donnie Moran, Freddy Smith, Rodney Combs, Jack Boggs, and Bob Wearing Sr. Don Gregory won the inaugural race back in 1967. Ricky Thornton Jr. won the race last year when it was held at Lernerville.

The 58th annual running race will take place on Labor Day weekend between September 4th and 6th. It will be an unsanctioned race and feature 8 other divisions aside from the super late models including: Steel Block Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models, Sport Mods, Outlaw Street Stocks, EDGE Hotmods, SCDRA Compacts, and STARS Mod Lites.

The late models will have two 30-lap preliminary feature races on Saturday paying $6,000 to-win each. On Sunday, the Hillbilly 100 will pay $25,000 to winner with $1,200 to start. In a press release shared to Facebook, West Virginia Motor Speedway explained, “This format is designed to give 40+ teams the opportunity to compete in at least one Late Model A-Main during the weekend, reinforcing the event’s deep-rooted commitment to racers and fans alike.

Race promoter Carl Short said, “I appreciate everyone’s patience, especially Mike Hurley, the new owner at West Virginia Motor Speedway, and Cody Watson, the promoter at WVMS. There was a little more going on behind the scenes than people realize, but we’re excited to finally share this news.”

West Virginia Motor Speedway promised it will release more details in the coming days especially regarding the schedule and tickets, but it promised that “Fans and teams can expect the same electrifying atmosphere that has defined the Hillbilly Hundred for nearly six decades. Huge car counts, packed grandstands, full campgrounds, and a weekend that feels 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆.”

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