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USA World 50 And Red Hill Rumble To Wrap Up The Month Of May For The MARS Championship Tours

May 26, 2026  ·
  Stock Car Report Staff

An action-packed Memorial Day weekend with some of the best racing action we have seen all season long is now in the rearview mirror for the MARS Championship Tours, but the action will continue to heat up as the tours head south this weekend. A pair of 3/8-mile high banked speedways are next on the agenda for the “Men of MARS” as we head to the Paducah International Raceway and the Red Hill Raceway this Friday and Saturday with the MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends and the MARS Modified Championship powered by Summit Racing Equipment.

Friday, May 29, the MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends and the MARS Modified Championship powered by Summit Racing Equipment will head to the “Bluegrass State” to take on the region’s best at the Paducah International Raceway, in Paducah, Kentucky, for the 32nd annual USA World 50. The night will also serve as the 2ndannual Roy Brown Memorial. After constant battles with mother nature seemingly every time Paducah has popped onto the schedule since 2023, this weekend appears as if it will serve as the first time since 2018 that the MARS Late Models will invade the state of Kentucky, and the first time since 2015 that the tour has made a stop at PIR. This will mark the first ever visit for the MARS Modified tour to Paducah, and the first ever MARS Modified stop in the state of Kentucky. Brian Shirley, Jason Feger, and Terry English are tied at the top of the all-time winners list of the USA World 50 with 4 apiece. Feger has captured the previous 4 MARS sanctioned USA World 50 events. After a plethora of rainouts in early spring for the tour, this will serve as the first 5-digit payday of the season to-date.

PAST USA WORLD 50 WINNERS

1978: Jerry Inmon

1979: Jerry Inmon

1980: Tom Helfrich

1981: Larry Moore

1982: Russ Petro

1983: Phil Gregory

1984: Jeff Purvis

1985: Larry Moore

1986: Larry Moore

1987: Billy Moyer

1996: Kevin Claycomb

1997: Randy Sellers

1998: Terry English

1999: Billy Drake

2000: Terry English

2001: Bob Pierce

2002: Terry English

2003: Don O’Neal

2004: Terry English

2006: Brian Shirley

2007: Billy Frye

2008: Brian Shirley

2009: Brian Shirley

2010: Billy Moyer

2011: Shannon Babb

2012: Jason Feger

2013: Jason Feger

2014: Jason Feger

2015: Jason Feger

2022: Tanner English

2023: Brian Shirley

Following the USA World 50, teams will make the three-hour trek north to the Red Hill Raceway, in Sumner, Illinois, for the 4th annual Red Hill Rumble presented by Bushwhacker Land Management Inc. The night will feature both the MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends and the MARS Modified Championship powered by Summit Racing Equipment at the speedway on the same night for the first time ever. Red Hill has produced stellar Late Model and Modified action over the past few seasons, and Saturday looks to be no different as the track prepares for a huge next pair of weekends with the USAC Sprint Cars making a stop a week after the MARS tour. Last season it was Tony Jackson Jr taking home the MARS Late Model victory over Jason Feger and Shannon Babb. The last time the MARS Modifieds visited Red Hill was inaugural season of the tour back in 2023. That night saw 32 cars checking in for action with Tyler Nicely taking home the victory over Josh Harris and Kyle Steffens. 

PAST RED HILL RUMBLE WINNERS

2023: Brandon Sheppard

2024: Ryan Unzicker

2025: Tony Jackson Jr

After a weekend of three straight podium finishes, Ryan Unzicker will carry the Midwest Sheet Metal red spoiler to Paducah as he has stretched out the points lead to 100 over Tanner English. Jason Feger trails English by only 3 markers, while Dylan Thornton is only 3 points behind him. Daniel Adam rounds out the top 5 in MARS Late Model standings after a podium finish at Spoon River on Sunday.

Dylan Thornton has built a 60-point cushion over Caden McWhorter in the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year battle with Jordan Bauer, Austin Howes, and Myles Moos rounding out the top 5. 

Michael Ledford will carry the LRD Products red spoiler south this weekend as he holds a 37-point lead over Mike McKinney in MARS Modified standings with Cole Falloway, Ray Bollinger, and Trevor Neville rounding out the top 5.

Matthew Baker holds a modest lead in Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year standings for the MARS Modifieds with Owen Steinkoenig, Brayden Doyle, Brayden Doyle, John Dimmitt, and Kyle Barker rounding out the field of rookies remaining.

Event Info

Friday, May 29

Paducah International Raceway

Paducah, KY

32nd annual USA World 50 | 2nd annual Roy Brown Memorial

$10,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends

$2,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship powered by Summit Racing Equipment

CRUSA Street Stocks

CRUSA Sportsman

Factory Stocks

Scrappers

Pits open at 3:00 P.M.

Grandstands open at 5:30 P.M.

Drivers Meeting at 6:00 P.M.

Hot Laps at 6:30 P.M.

Adult General Admission $25

Seniors/Veterans/First Responders $20

Kids ages 6-12 General Admission $10

General Admission for Kids 5 and under FREE

Pit Pass $50

Kids ages 4-10 Pit Pass $40

Pit Pass for Kids 3 and under FREE

Saturday, May 30

Red Hill Raceway

Sumner, IL

4th annual Red Hill Rumble

$5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends

$2,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship powered by Summit Racing Equipment

B-Mods

DIRTcar Hornets

Pits open at 3:00 P.M.

Grandstands open at 5:00 P.M.

Drivers Meeting at 6:00 P.M.

Hot Laps at 6:30 P.M.

Adult General Admission $30

Kids ages 6-12 General Admission $5

General Admission for Kids 5 and under FREE

Pit Pass $45

Kids ages 10 and under Pit Pass $25

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Tire Rule for each night:

LF: Any (90) Hoosier

RF: Hoosier NLMT2 (90)

LR: Hoosier NLMT2 (90)

RR: Hoosier NLMT3 (92) or Hoosier NLMT4 (92)

Grooving and Siping will be permitted.

Event Purses

MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends Friday A-Main payout: 1) $10,000 2) $5,000 3) $2,500 4) $1,600 5) $1,400 6) $1,200 7) $1,000 8) $950 9) $900 10) $800 11) $750 12) $650 13) $600 14) $600 15) $600 16) $600 17) $600 18) $600 19) $600 20) $600 21) $600 22) $600. Non-Transfer Tow Money – $125

MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends Saturday A-Main payout: 1) $5,000 2) $2,500 3) $2,000 4) $1,600 5) $1,400 6) $1,200 7) $1,000 8) $800 9) $700 10) $600 11) $500 12) $500 13) $500 14) $500 15) $500 16) $500 17) $500 18) $500 19) $500 20) $500 21) $500 22) $500. Non-Transfer Tow Money – $120

MARS Modified Championship powered by Summit Racing Equipment Nightly A-Main payout: 1) $2,000 2) $1,500 3) $1,200 4) $1,000 5) $800 6) $600 7) $500 8) $400 9) $300 10) $275 11) $250 12) $250 13) $250 14) $250 15) $250 16) $250 17) $250 18) $250 19) $250 20) $250 21) $250 22) $250. Non-Transfer Tow Money Friday – $75, Saturday – $70

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Point Standings (Top 15)

  1. Ryan Unzicker – El Paso, IL – 482 points
  2. Tanner English – Benton, KY – 382 points
  3. Jason Feger – Bloomington, IL – 379 points
  4. Dylan Thornton – Orcutt, CA – 376 points
  5. Daniel Adam – Peru, IL – 346 points
  6. Caden McWhorter – Fairbury, IL – 316 points
  7. Bob Gardner – Washington, IL – 309 points
  8. Jake Little – Springfield, IL – 307 points
  9. Jordan Bauer – St. Jacob, IL – 302 points
  10. Austin Howes – Lewistown, MO – 296 points
  11. Myles Moos – Lincoln, IL – 269 points
  12. Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – 262 points
  13. Mitch McGrath – Waukesha, WI – 238 points
  14. Jeffrey Ledford – Pontiac, IL – 233 points
  15. Mark Voigt – Marine, IL – 228 points

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Standings

  1. Dylan Thornton – Orcutt, CA – 376 points
  2. Caden McWhorter – Fairbury, IL – 316 points
  3. Jordan Bauer – St. Jacob, IL – 302 points
  4. Austin Howes – Lewistown, MO – 296 points
  5. Myles Moos – Lincoln, IL – 269 points
  6. Mitch McGrath – Waukesha, WI – 238 points
  7. Jeffrey Ledford – Pontiac, IL – 233 points
  8. Mike Mataragas – DeKalb, IL – 169 points
  9. Chevy Boyer – New Haven, MO – 122 points

MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Point Standings (Top 15)

  1. Michael Ledford – Pontiac, IL – 493 Points
  2. Mike McKinney – Plainfield, IL – 456 Points
  3. Cole Falloway – Owensboro, KY – 423 Points
  4. Ray Bollinger – Kewanee, IL – 420 Points
  5. Trevor Neville – Mackinaw, IL – 375 Points
  6. Dave Wietholder – Liberty, IL – 366 Points
  7. Matthew Baker – Kouts, IN – 340 Points
  8. Damian Kiefer – Ste Genevieve, MO – 334 Points
  9. Zeke McKenzie – Claypool, IN – 328 Points
  10. Owen Steinkoenig – Highland, IL – 327 Points
  11. Brayden Doyle – Ashmore, IL – 288 Points
  12. John Dimmitt – Macomb, IL – 262 Points
  13. Michael Long – Fowler, IL – 218 Points
  14. Austin Friedman – Fairbury, IL – 195 Points
  15. Carson Friedman – Fairbury, IL – 180 Points

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Point Standings

  1. Matthew Baker – Kouts, IN – 340 Points
  2. Owen Steinkoenig – Highland, IL – 327 Points
  3. Brayden Doyle – Ashmore, IL – 288 Points
  4. John Dimmitt – Macomb, IL – 262 Points
  5. Kyle Barker – Cooksville, IL – 162 Points

2026 MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends Statistics

Pontiac RV Heat Race #1 Winner

Jason Feger – 2

Mike Harrison – 1

Jordan Bauer – 1

Tanner English – 1

Dennis Erb Jr – 1 

Shannon Babb – 1 

FK Rod Ends 1st Place Finisher

Ryan Unzicker – 2

Ryan Gustin – 1

Jordan Bauer – 1

Brandon Sheppard – 1

Jason Feger – 1 

Shannon Babb – 1 

Swift Springs 4th Place Finisher

Frank Heckenast Jr – 1

Caden McWhorter – 1

Daniel Adam – 1

Mitch McGrath – 1

Ryan Gustin – 1 

Dennis Erb Jr – 1 

Tanner English – 1 

FK Rod Ends 5th Place Finisher

Ryan Unzicker – 1

Brayton Wallace – 1

Caden McWhorter – 1

Austin Howes – 1

Tanner English – 1

Bob Gardner – 1  

Jason Feger – 1 

Fairbury Fasteners 7th Place Finisher

Bob Gardner – 2

Dylan Thornton – 1

Myles Moos – 1

Daniel Adam – 1

Dennis Erb Jr – 1 

Tanner English – 1 

Budda by Bert Transmission 9th Place Finisher

Jason Feger – 2

Austin Howes – 1

Tanner English – 1

Chad Simpson – 1 

Daniel Adam – 1 

McKay Wenger – 1 

Hooker Harness 11th Place Finisher

Jordan Bauer – 3

Dylan Thornton – 2

Kolby Vandenbergh – 1

Austin Smith – 1 

Keyser Manufacturing 13th Place Finisher

Bob Gardner – 2

Mark Voigt – 2

Myles Moos – 2

Jake Little – 1

Fast Shafts 15th Place Finisher

Jeffrey Ledford – 2 

Myles Moos – 1

Mike Mataragas – 1

Mitch McGrath – 1

Chevy Boyer – 1

Austin Howes – 1 

MD3 Hard Charger Award Winner

Austin Howes – 1

Brayton Wallace – 1

Christian Miles – 1

Jason Feger – 1

Caden McWhorter – 1

Mark Voigt – 1  

Dylan Thornton – 1 

Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winner

Rusty Griffaw – 1

Mark Voigt – 1

Rickey Frankel – 1

Jeffrey Ledford – 1

Terry Casey – 1

Austin Smith – 1  

Camden Gardner – 1 

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winner

Dylan Thornton – 5

Caden McWhorter – 1

Mitch McGrath – 1

2026 MARS Modified Championship powered by Summit Racing Equipment Statistics

Multi Fire X Fast Time Award Winner

Trevor Neville – 3

Cole Falloway – 1

Brayden Doyle – 1

Kenny Wallace – 1

Dave Wietholder – 1

Michael Ledford – 1 

Willy’s Carb & Dyno Heat Race #1 Winner

Trevor Neville – 2

Michael Ledford – 1

Matthew Baker – 1

Kenny Wallace – 1

Cole Falloway – 1

Dave Wietholder – 1

Charlie Mefford – 1 

Lethal Chassis Heat Race #2 Winner

Mike McKinney – 3

Cole Falloway – 2

Michael Long – 1

Ray Bollinger – 1

Damian Kiefer – 1

Allgaier Performance Heat Race #3 Winner

Cole Falloway – 2

Michael Ledford – 2

Brayden Doyle – 1

Carson Friedman – 1

Mike McKinney – 1 

Vanquish Race Cars Heat Race #4 Winner

Trevor Neville – 1

Cole Falloway – 1

Charlie Mefford – 1 

Equiplinc Trucks & Equipment B-Main #1 Winner

Owen Steinkoenig – 2

Kyle Hammer – 1

Jeff Curl – 1

Damian Kiefer – 1 

Allen Weisser – 1 

Summit Racing Equipment 2nd Place Finisher

Mike McKinney – 3

Trevor Neville – 1

Ray Bollinger – 1

Michael Ledford – 1

Cole Falloway – 1 

Damian Kiefer – 1 

Fast Shafts 3rd Place Finisher

Michael Ledford – 2

Charlie Mefford – 2 

Cole Falloway – 1

Mike McKinney – 1

Mike Chasteen Jr – 1

Dave Wietholder – 1

Swift Springs 4th Place Finisher

Trevor Neville – 2

Ray Bollinger – 2

Carson Friedman – 1

Jacob Steinkoenig – 1

Mike McKinney – 1

Dave Wietholder – 1

Keyser Manufacturing 7th Place Finisher

Zeke McKenzie – 2

Ray Bollinger – 2

Michael Ledford – 1

Charles Hess – 1

Drew Schwartz – 1

Allen Weisser – 1 

Hooker Harness 11th Place Finisher

Matthew Baker – 1

Owen Steinkoenig – 1

Dave Wietholder – 1

Lyndon Whitfill – 1

Treb Jacoby – 1

John Dimmitt – 1

Jeff Curl – 1 

Trevor Neville – 1 

MD3 Hard Charger Award Winner

Dave Wietholder – 2

Mike McKinney – 1

Damian Kiefer – 1

Zeke McKenzie – 1

Christopher Cole – 1

Austin Freidman – 1

Allen Weisser – 1  

Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winner

Carson Friedman – 1

Dave Wietholder – 1

Kyle Barker – 1

Nash Hilmes – 1

Jeff Curl – 1

Taylor Kerz – 1

Lyndon Whitfill – 1

Mike Chasteen Jr – 1  

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winner

Owen Steinkoenig – 3

Matthew Baker – 2

Brayden Doyle – 2

John Dimmitt – 1

Lethal Chassis Bonus Bucks Award Winner

Trevor Neville – 4

Nash Hilmes – 1

Tyler Spalding – 1 

Josh Allen – 1 

If you are unable to make it to the track, you can catch EVERY MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends event in 2026 live at floracing.com with select events being streamed live on Amazon Prime.

For more information about the MARS Dirt Series, please contact Jonathan Clayton at 731-467- 1316, visit the tour’s webpage at marsracingseries.com, or visit @MARSDirtRacing on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends and MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment would like to thank the following sponsors and marketing partners for their support of the 2026 racing season: FK Rod Ends (MARS Late Model title sponsor), Summit Racing Equipment (MARS Modified title sponsor), Flo Racing (Official streaming provider of the MARS Late Model tour), Racing Electronics (Official communications provider of the MARS Dirt Series), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official tire manufacturer of the MARS Dirt Series), Sunoco Race Fuels (Official fuel of the MARS Dirt Series and proud sponsor of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year chase all season long on the MARS Late Model & Modified Championship tours), Pontiac RV (Official RV Dealer of the MARS Dirt Series), Allstar Performance, O’Reilly Auto Parts, DIRTcar Racing, Driscoll Motors (Official dealership of the MARS Dirt Series), MD3, Josh James Artwork, MWD Signs & Graphix, Fairbury Fastener & Supply, Dirt Draft, Digital Copy Systems, Whelen, Multi Fire X, Budda Bert Transmission, Dyer’s Top Rods, Fast Shafts, Wilwood Brakes, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Keyser Manufacturing, Varsitee Screenprinting, Willy’s Carb & Dyno, Trackside Racewear, Hooker Harness, Lethal Chassis, Remtek Enterprises, QuickCar Racing Products, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Midwest Sheet Metal, Allgaier Performance, Vanquish Race Cars, Swift Springs, LRD Products, Equiplinc Trucks & Equipment, K&S Ford, MatMan Designs, and Angry Duck Graphics.

MARS Championship Upcoming Events

· May 29, 2026 – Paducah International Raceway – Paducah, KY – USA World 50 / Roy Brown Memorial – $10,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends | $2,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

· May 30, 2026 – Red Hill Raceway – Sumner, IL – Red Hill Rumble – $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends | $2,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

· July 17, 2026 – Farmer City Raceway – Farmer City, IL – Jr. Kimler Memorial / Bill Marietta Memorial – $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends | $2,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

· July 18, 2026 – Charleston Speedway – Charleston, IL – Charleston Challenge – $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends | $2,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

· August 7, 2026 – Sycamore Speedway – Maple Park, IL – MARS Sycamore Showcase – $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends

NEXT: Cooney Motorsports And Ryan Gustin Not Leaving Infinity After Debuting Longhorn In Two MARS Events This Past Weekend

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Author: Stock Car Report Staff