Another long week of racing awaits the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision.
The original plan included three nights of action in the “Buckeye State,” but with Marion Center Raceway’s Connor Bobik Memorial finale getting rained out on May 16, a return trip will open the week on Wednesday, May 27. With $30,000 going to the winner, the event instantly becomes one of the highest-paying midweek races in all of Late Model racing, and multiple star drivers who were unable to attend the original date are now planning to take their shot at the prize.
From there, the Series will travel three hours west for the regularly-scheduled visit to Wayne County Speedway on Thursday, May 28. From there, it’s off to the recently-reopened Mansfield Speedway for one of the most anticipated races of the year, the Blaster 57 Special, paying a staggering $57,000 to win and $5,700 to start on Saturday night.
Wednesday’s stop at Marion Center will also include action for the Semi Late Models and Strictly Stocks, while the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will join the World of Outlaws at both Wayne County and Mansfield.
Here are this week’s top storylines:
BACK ALREADY: For drivers on a nationally-touring circuit, going back to a track for a second time 12 days after the first visit is almost unheard of. But that’s exactly what they’ll get to do at Marion Center.
The situation gives teams a rare opportunity to plan for Wednesday’s show using the exact same chassis, engine, shocks and other components as they ran in the first half of the Connor Bobik Memorial. That’s assuming the team was happy with the combination they brought to Marion Center last time, and there are several names that certainly fall into that category.
Topping that list is MD3 Rookie of the Year contender Logan Zarin, who topped the first of two Showdowns for his first Late Model win at the national level. The second one went to regional standout Jared Miley, who will be looking to replicate that showing on Wednesday in full-field action for his first World of Outlaws win since 2022 at Port Royal Speedway.
As for the two championship contenders, neither Nick Hoffman nor Bobby Pierce were much of a factor in split-field competition, with both drivers recording seventh-place finishes.
RETURN TO WAYNE: Seven years after the last visit, the World of Outlaws are back at one of Ohio’s signature tracks.
The Series has contested six races at the Orrville, OH facility in the past. The first three visits went to Chub Frank (2006), Darrell Lanigan (2012) and Dave Hess Jr. (2013), while Brandon Sheppard swept the last three in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and has plans to go for four in a row with Rocket1 Racing.
Although it’s been absent from the World of Outlaws schedule in recent years, the track has hosted the finale of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals in each of the past three seasons. The last two Hell Tour races were won by current full-time Outlaws in Tyler Erb in 2024 and Nick Hoffman in 2025. Next week’s Lonewolf 40 will be an especially important night for Hoffman, as the race is being organized by his team owner, Tye Twarog.
RACETRACK REVIVED: What started as a dream years ago is set to come to fruition next weekend.
When former NASCAR Cup Series driver and team owner Matt Tifft purchased Mansfield Speedway last year, he had bigger goals than merely bringing the abandoned racetrack back to life. He wanted to put on some of the biggest events in the sport, in addition to utilizing the property for far more than dirt track racing.
The Mansfield staff put together a 2026 schedule that includes everything from racing to concerts, monster trucks, car shows, motocross and more. It all started with opening night on May 15, which featured the Valvoline American Late Model Iron Man Series as well as the FAST on Dirt 410 Sprint Cars. The race generated plenty of buzz ahead of Mansfield’s return to the national stage, which comes in the form of the largest purse on the World of Outlaws calendar at more than $240,000 reserved for Saturday’s Feature starters.
For many drivers, the 57 Special will mark their first laps around Mansfield since competing in the track’s former marquee event, the Dirt Million. Leading that group is Bobby Pierce, who will look to avenge his 2018 defeat when he lost the lead to Earl Pearson Jr. on a late-race restart and missed out on one of the biggest wins of his career at the time. Aside from Pierce, Dennis Erb Jr., Tyler Erb, Nick Hoffman and Tim McCreadie all have Dirt Million experience that they’ll try to translate into a hefty payday in Mansfield’s newest tradition.
HORNET’S NEST: Behind Hoffman and Pierce at the top of the standings, the battle for third through sixth remains a coin flip.
Only 35 points separate Tim McCreadie in third from Drake Troutman in sixth, with Ryan Gustin and Tyler Erb both squished between them. It’s impossible to give any of them the clear edge going forward, as they all have reasons to look forward to different parts of the four races on tap this week.
Gustin needs to look no further than Marion Center, as he won the 2023 Connor Bobik Memorial and finished on the podium last year. That speed appears to have carried over to 2026, as he ran in the top five in his Showdown last weekend.
Troutman is trying to make this the year he cracks the code at one of his home tracks, as he’s never finished in the top 10 in four previous Connor Bobik Memorial appearances.
Erb might call Texas home, but he’s spent the past few years living in Wapakoneta, OH near the Best Performance Motorsports shop in St. Marys, so Wayne County and Mansfield are both home games for “Terbo.”
McCreadie has a long-awaited Wayne County victory on his agenda after finishing second there three times, including twice with the World of Outlaws in 2006 and 2012.
CHASING THE CASH: With the Dirt Late Model Dream looming next week at nearby Eldora Speedway, many of the sport’s biggest stars will be getting to the area a week early to race for some big money while preparing for one of the sport’s signature events.
Hudson O’Neal is on pace to make 2026 the best year of his career to date, as his 14 wins make him the winningest Late Model driver in America this season. Mansfield in particular was a good track for the “New Deal” in its previous iteration, as O’Neal recorded three top fives in five starts and no finishes worse than ninth.
Dresden, OH’s Devin Moran will be spending the weekend in his home state after making his Marion Center debut on Wednesday. The “Mailman” has a best finish of second in four World of Outlaws starts at Wayne County, but was an early DNF in the last two editions of the Dirt Million at Mansfield in 2018 and 2019.
Other drivers who have announced their plans to go World of Outlaws racing this week include Brandon Sheppard, Ricky Thornton Jr., Max Blair, Garrett Alberson, Brian Shirley, Dale McDowell and many more.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Wednesday, May 27, at Marion Center Raceway in Marion Center, PA
Thursday, May 28, at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, OH
Friday-Saturday, May 29-30, at Mansfield Speedway in Mansfield, OH
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Nick Hoffman (3208 points)
2. Bobby Pierce (-10)
3. Tim McCreadie (-195)
4. Ryan Gustin (-217)
5. Tyler Erb (-229)
6. Drake Troutman (-230)
7. Ethan Dotson (-273)
8. Daulton Wilson (-277)
9. Dustin Sorensen (-381)
10. Trey Mills (-443)
FEATURE WINNERS (9):
Bobby Pierce – 8
Nick Hoffman – 5
Tim McCreadie – 2
Brandon Sheppard – 2
Hudson O’Neal – 2
Ryan Gustin – 1
Chris Madden – 1
Mason Zeigler – 1
Mike Marlar – 1
FEATURE TOP FIVES (21):
Nick Hoffman – 21
Bobby Pierce – 16
Tim McCreadie – 9
Ryan Gustin – 8
Tyler Erb – 8
Drake Troutman – 8
Daulton Wilson – 7
Brandon Sheppard – 6
Chris Madden – 5
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 4
Ethan Dotson – 4
Jonathan Davenport – 4
Hudson O’Neal – 3
Mason Zeigler – 2
Dennis Erb Jr. – 2
Dale McDowell – 2
Ashton Winger – 2
Mike Marlar – 1
Brandon Overton – 1
Brent Larson – 1
Tey Mills – 1
FEATURE LAPS LED (19):
Nick Hoffman – 179
Bobby Pierce – 170
Drake Troutman – 99
Brandon Sheppard – 78
Ryan Gustin – 73
Chris Madden – 73
Daulton Wilson – 66
Tim McCreadie – 46
Hudson O’Neal – 45
Jonathan Davenport – 45
Mike Marlar – 39
Mason Zeigler – 25
Ashton Winger – 22
Ethan Dotson – 12
Brandon Overton – 12
Michael Leach – 10
Sam Seawright – 5
Dale McDowell – 4
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 2
BILSTEIN POLE AWARDS (14):
Nick Hoffman – 6
Drake Troutman – 3
Chris Madden – 2
Daulton Wilson – 2
Tim McCreadie – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 1
NEXT: Bobby Pierce Wins Third Career Show-Me 100 After Starting 20th
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