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Ethan Dotson Shares His Perspective On The Wreck With Kyle Strickler At Volunteer Speedway

March 16, 2026  ·
  John Trent

Ethan Dotson shared his point of view on what happened with Kyle Strickler at Volunteer Speedway on Friday night during their heat race.

On the first lap of the heat race following a restart that saw pole sitter Forrest Trent spin following contact from Ethan Dotson, Dotson slid Strickler through turns 1 and 2. Strickler pumped the brakes and dove underneath to do a crossover. 

Heading into turn 3 while the two were side-by-side Dotson tried to take away the slider line. The two made contact as they drifted up the high banks of Volunteer. As the rest of the field was beginning to work their way underneath them, Dotson came down the track and pushed Strickler’s car into oncoming traffic. Dennis Erb Jr. had nowhere to go and struck Strickler’s car flipping it multiple times.

Dotson spoke with Stock Car Report about the incident. He said, “The Strickler deal was stupid as hell. Slid him clean. He crossed me over. I drove in to protect the slider and he decided he was going to wreck both of us.” He then sarcastically added, “But I guess that was my fault too.”

“Supposedly I stayed in the gas the whole time, which I didn’t. Were at a race track that’s banked 90°,  one of the most bank tracks were at. He drives me back up the fence and then we roll down the hill. it kind of is what it is,” he continued. “Pretty [expletive] for all my guys. We had to stay up all night and fix our car. He doesn’t even give a [expletive] about this. He just comes here to party and [expletive] off. And we come here and take it serious. Two times in a row this year he’s totaled my [expletive] and ruined us a night at an Outlaw race whenever he just shows up for a day and leaves and doesn’t take it serious. It’s just here for a party for him. We’ll regroup and try to get better and thank all my guys and the sponsors and stuff that help me out and we’ll keep on keeping on.”

Later, when asked if the Outlaws had talked to him after the incident, Dotson shared, “For what? For what? … Did I hit him? Did I beat him up after the race? Did I run into him under caution? Didn’t do none of that. He wrecked me and he got the [expletive] end of the stick. So I don’t know what else they want to do.”

“From my perspective I felt the same. The video shows what I felt. Yea, I drove in there to protect the slider like the three heat races before me did, but they didn’t wreck because the guy on the inside knew that he wasn’t going to clear him and lifted. He drove in there, was going to slide me, and then you can see him get out of it, then you can see him gas it back up, smoke the tires, and drive us up the race track. It is what it is.”

Dotson also spoke with DirtVision about the incident as well. He told them, “I drove into one, I slid him, was plenty clear. He crossed me over. I drove into three to protect the slider like everyone has done there all night long and we got to the center and he decided he was going to drive me to the fence. He drove me to the fence, knocked the left front off, both tie rod and A-arm. I backed it into the fence and then we come down the hill and I get out of the gas. Everybody on the internet’s saying I stayed in the gas, but we’re at Bull’s Gap. I don’t know if anybody knows about banking, but what goes up must come down. Once I backed it into the fence then we all rolled down.”

“It’s a typical deal,” he added. “He’s a piece of [expletive]. Other than that I don’t know what else to say. Tore up a bunch of race cars for nothing.”

“I called him last night and asked him if we needed to talk or if we needed to fight and we could meet somewhere. Leave my guys, leave his guys and we can handle it like men. Instead he decided to get on the internet and talk to DirtonDirt and talk a bunch of [expletive] about me and everything. He had an opportunity and I gave him one for us to talk like me not on the internet. He chose to run his mouth online so I guess I’ll tell y’all what I think about him too.”

Strickler previously spoke with StockCarReport. He shared his view on what happened, “I knew he was going to slide me into turn 1, so I got to the top and then crossed him over. And then he just drove to the bottom and we made a little bit of contact and after that he stayed in the gas and just completely hooked me around and sent me for a ride.”

He later added, “It just sucks that everybody’s stuff got tore up for somebody that we were racing for first and second in a heat race. I thought he was going to the top and then we were going to slide each other or whatever, go on and race for the lead, but that wasn’t the case. So, he ended up tearing up my stuff, his stuff, and a bunch of other people’s stuff too.”

“I think the series needs to do something to him or guys that do stuff like that,” Strickler said. “That are constantly running over people or deliberately hooking people. He drove right [Forrest] Trent’s nose the start before and cause him to wreck into one and ruined his night too.”

At the very least he said, “Hopefully, the series sits him down and talks to him.”

As for the damage done to the car, Strickler explained, “The whole rear clip’s ripped off of it. It broke the J-bar stud and then the rear end moving side-to-side knocked the underrails out of it.”

NEXT: Brandon Overton Shares An Update After The Brutal Wreck At Smoky Mountain Speedway

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Author: John Trent