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Nick Hoffman Praises Gateway Dirt Nationals, Says It’s A “F***in Crown Jewel”

December 9, 2024  ·
  John Trent

Nick Hoffman had nothing but praise for the Gateway Dirt Nationals after he ended up fifth on Saturday’s night feature.

During a Q&A on his road trip back to North Cackalacki, Hoffman was asked by dirt late model insider Racin’ Jason if Gateway is a crown jewel. Hoffman replied, “Yes it absolutely is.”

He then added for good measure, “It’s the most watched dirt race in the country. It has the largest attendance of the year. It had all the heavy hitters. And Scott was the first guy to win it. It’s a f***in crown jewel.”

Not only did Hoffman describe the race as a crown jewel, but he noted how fun the racing was. He replied to one individual, “I love it. Last nights feature was the most fun I’ve ever had finishing 5th.”

He elaborated on this point in another response, “As a fan it’s just always action packed and it’s not just a race. They do such a great job keeping people entertained.”

“As a driver it’s so much fun cause it’s elbows up and aggressive every single lap,” he added.

While Hoffman had praise for the race, he did share his thoughts that the late model portion of the show should go to invite only.

He wrote, “It’s getting to that point. 100 cars. 50 per night. As far as the credentials is where it gets tough without having someone investigate every single entry. Obviously we don’t need to investigate someone we all know but there are so many of them guys that could be good or bad.”

The Gateway Dirt Nationals did announce a change to their super late model registration process beginning in 2025. The event’s website shared that “All competitors will now need to enter into a pooling system. After many years of our registration selling out very quickly. This is now the best system to give all competitors a fair chance to race inside The Dome at America’s Center.”

Specifically, they shared, “We will release multiple waves of lottery rounds throughout late Summer and Fall 2025. Once you receive notification that you have been given the opportunity to enter, you will have 72 Hours to complete the registration process. Failure to do so will result in your entry possibly being offered to another competitor in the pool.”

Hoffman would later reiterate just how good the racing was at Gateway. When asked about the state of dirt racing, he replied, “The sport as a whole is in a good spot. Last night showed that. The cost sucks. But the cost of living sucks also.”

And he’s right, the Gateway Dirt Nationals feature put on one of the top five races of the entire year with Hoffman, Gordy Gundaker, Brandon Sheppard, Ashton Winger, Bobby Pierce, Ricky Thornton Jr., Mike Spatola, Tanner English, Ryan Gustin, and Ryan Unzicker putting on absolute show with multiple sliders in back to back corners.

What do you make of Hoffman’s praise for the Gateway Dirt Nationals?

NEXT: Rumor: Ricky Thornton Jr. To Run Independent Schedule In 2025

Author: John Trent