With an action-packed FALS Frenzy presented by Sunoco Race Fuels in the rearview mirror, the stage is set for MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends Championship Weekend. For the first time since 2008 the MARS tour heads west to the Lucas Oil Speedway, in Wheatland, Missouri, for the Late Model Fall Nationals and to race alongside the Hickamo Super Stocks for their 10th annual Big Buck 50. The storylines are plentiful for the trip west, but all eyes will be on the battle for the championship title as Ryan Unzicker and Jason Feger are separated by only 36 points heading into the pair of feature events.
Championship Weekend will get kicked off on Thursday, October 8, as the Hickamo Super Stocks will run preliminary action for their $25,000-to-win weekend. MARS Late Model competitors will get the opportunity to shake down their rides, and dial in their setups for the weekend, as they are scheduled to receive three rounds of practice throughout the evening. Thursday night is expected to be crucial for the MARS touring drivers specifically, as a number of them have never competed at Lucas Oil Speedway prior to this weekend.
Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10, will consist of complete programs for the MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends including hot laps, qualifying, heat race events, b-mains, and of course, feature events contested each night. Friday night the tour will race 30 laps for $5,000-to-win while Saturday night’s MARS Late Model 2026 finale will race 50 laps for a $10,000 top prize.
In five visits to the speedway, over the span of 2003-2008, Terry Phillips captured 3 victories while Jack Sullivan and Billy Moyer split the other pair. Phillips continues to be the all-time leader with 94 career MARS victories.
The headline of the weekend will be the completion of the season-long battle between Ryan Unzicker and Jason Feger as they both are looking to add to their all-time career total of MARS Championship titles. Unzicker enters the weekend with the Midwest Sheet Metal spoiler, along with a 36-point gap over Feger. After a tough spring season, Feger has hit his stride in crunch time, and has three podium finishes over the course of the last four shows including the $10,000 FALS Frenzy presented by Sunoco Race Fuels victory last Saturday. Dylan Thornton has locked himself into a position to where he can finish no worse than third in overall point standings, but mathematically still has a shot to advance to second in series standings. Daniel Adam continues to hang on to fourth, but enters the weekend only 3 points ahead of Bob Gardner, with Jake Little still within striking distance in 6th.
Dylan Thornton has wrapped up the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year title with a season that has included three victories and ten top-5 finishes in 21 feature events. Jeffrey Ledford has continued to impress the second half of the season and officially has second-place locked up in rookie standings with a pair of top-5 finishes and ten top-10 finishes in his self-built Dynasty Chassis.
Event Info
Thursday, October 8 | Friday, October 9 | Saturday, October 10
Lucas Oil Speedway
Wheatland, MO
Lucas Oil Speedway Late Model Fall Nationals
Open Practice for MARS Late Models on Thursday | $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends on Friday | $10,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends on Saturday
Pits open at 4:00 P.M. daily
Grandstands open at 4:00 P.M. daily
Drivers Meeting at 5:45 P.M. daily
Hot Laps at 6:15 P.M. daily
Adult General Admission FREE Thursday | $25 Friday | $30 Saturday
General Admission for Seniors ages 62+ and Military FREE Thursday | $20 Friday | $25 Saturday
General Admission for Kids ages 6-12 FREE Thursday | $10 Friday | $10 Saturday
General Admission for Kids 5 and under FREE daily
Adult Pit Pass $35 Thursday | $40 Friday | $45 Saturday
Pit Pass for Kids 5 and under $10 daily
MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Tire Rule for each night:
LF: Any (90) Hoosier
RF: Hoosier NLMT2 (90) or Hoosier NLMT3 (90)
LR: Hoosier NLMT2 (90) or Hoosier NLMT3 (90)
RR: Hoosier NRM NLMT3 (92) or Hoosier NRM NLMT4 (92)
Grooving and Siping will be permitted.
Event Purses
MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends A-Main payout for Friday: 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 $115
MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends A-Main payout for Saturday: 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 $120
MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Point Standings (Top 10)
- Ryan Unzicker – El Paso, IL – 1239 points
- Jason Feger – Bloomington, IL – 1203 points
- Dylan Thornton – Orcutt, CA – 1146 points
- Daniel Adam – Peru, IL – 896 points
- Bob Gardner – Washington, IL – 893 points
- Jake Little – Springfield, IL – 853 points
- Jeffrey Ledford – Pontiac, IL – 819 points
- Tanner English – Benton, KY – 763 points
- Mark Voigt – Marine, IL – 694 points
- Mike Spatola – Manhattan, IL – 605 points
Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Standings
- Dylan Thornton – Orcutt, CA – 1146 points
- Jeffrey Ledford – Pontiac, IL – 819 points
2026 MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends Statistics
Pontiac RV Heat Race #1 Winner
Jason Feger – 4
Shannon Babb – 3
Dennis Erb Jr – 2
Tanner English – 2
Ryan Unzicker – 2
Dylan Thornton – 2
Mike Harrison – 1
Jordan Bauer – 1
Aaron Marrant – 1
Billy Moyer – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Michael Leach – 1
FK Rod Ends 1st Place Finisher
Ryan Unzicker – 5
Shannon Babb – 4
Jason Feger – 4
Dylan Thornton – 3
Ryan Gustin – 1
Jordan Bauer – 1
Brandon Sheppard – 1
Tanner English – 1
Mike Spatola – 1
Swift Springs 4th Place Finisher
Dennis Erb Jr – 3
Tanner English – 2
Ryan Unzicker – 2
Rodney Melvin – 2
Jeffrey Ledford – 2
Frank Heckenast Jr – 1
Caden McWhorter – 1
Daniel Adam – 1
Mitch McGrath – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Brian Shirley – 1
Mike Spatola – 1
Matthew Larson – 1
Billy Moyer – 1
Chris Simpson – 1
FK Rod Ends 5th Place Finisher
Bob Gardner – 3
Jordan Bauer – 3
Caden McWhorter – 2
Jason Feger – 2
Mike Spatola – 2
Tanner English – 2
Ryan Unzicker – 1
Brayton Wallace – 1
Austin Howes – 1
Mitch McGrath – 1
Clay Stuckey – 1
Brandon Sheppard – 1
Dylan Thornton – 1
Fairbury Fasteners 7th Place Finisher
Bob Gardner – 5
Daniel Adam – 3
Jake Little – 2
Dylan Thornton – 1
Myles Moos – 1
Dennis Erb Jr – 1
Tanner English – 1
Rich Bell – 1
Ryan Unzicker – 1
Jeffrey Ledford – 1
Wil Herrington – 1
Austin Howes – 1
Mike Mataragas – 1
Kyle Hammer – 1
Budda by Bert Transmission 9th Place Finisher
Rich Bell – 3
Jeffrey Ledford – 3
Jason Feger – 2
Tanner English – 2
Daniel Adam – 2
Austin Howes – 1
Chad Simpson – 1
McKay Wenger – 1
Myles Moos – 1
Tyler Kuykendall – 1
Blaze Burwell – 1
Jake Little – 1
Frank Heckenast Jr – 1
Dennis Erb Jr – 1
Keyser Manufacturing 13th Place Finisher
Daniel Adam – 5
Bob Gardner – 3
Mark Voigt – 3
Myles Moos – 2
Wil Herrington – 2
Jake Little – 1
Lee Williams – 1
Frank Heckenast Jr – 1
Callan Hill – 1
Austin Howes – 1
Michael Leach – 1
Fast Shafts 15th Place Finisher
Myles Moos – 3
Jeffrey Ledford – 2
Paul Parker – 2
Mark Voigt – 2
Mike Mataragas – 1
Mitch McGrath – 1
Chevy Boyer – 1
Austin Howes – 1
Blaze Burwell – 1
Zach Taylor – 1
Rockett Bennett – 1
Bobby Burrows – 1
Eli Ross – 1
Doug Tye – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Brayton Wallace – 1
MD3 Hard Charger Award Winner
Bob Gardner – 3
Jeffrey Ledford – 2
Ryan Unzicker – 2
Austin Howes – 1
Brayton Wallace – 1
Christian Miles – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Caden McWhorter – 1
Mark Voigt – 1
Dylan Thornton – 1
Frank Heckenast Jr – 1
Matthew Larson – 1
Rusty Griffaw – 1
Blaze Burwell – 1
Brandon Sheppard – 1
Doug Tye – 1
Gordy Gundaker – 1
Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winner
Camden Gardner – 2
Mark Voigt – 2
Myles Moos – 2
Austin Howes – 2
Rusty Griffaw – 1
Rickey Frankel – 1
Jeffrey Ledford – 1
Terry Casey – 1
Austin Smith – 1
Keatin Lyons – 1
Mike Winn – 1
Tim Boomer – 1
Dustin Martin – 1
Doug Tye – 1
Morgan Staggs – 1
Tony Wolf – 1
Chase Osterhoff – 1
Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winner
Dylan Thornton – 15
Jeffrey Ledford – 4
Caden McWhorter – 1
Mitch McGrath – 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
• October 9, 2026 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO – Fall Nationals / MARS Late Model Championship Weekend – $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends
• October 10, 2026 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO – Fall Nationals / MARS Late Model Championship Weekend – $10,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship powered by FK Rod Ends
NEXT: Ryan Unzicker Explains How His Night Ended At Fairbury On Saturday Night
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