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The 5 Standout Moments From The 2025 Gateway Dirt Nationals

December 8, 2025  ·
  John Trent

The 2025 Gateway Dirt Nationals at The Dome at America’s Center was not lacking for standout moments, but here are the five most notable ones.

Honorable Mention: Mike Marlar Brings Domestruction

Mike Marlar will probably want to forget this one, but he delivered on his promise to bring Maximum Domestruction, just not the way he likely imagined it. Marlar ripped the fuel cell out of his car during his qualifying lap on Friday night.

5. Tanner English Delivers a Christmas Tree to Hot Laps

In a moment that no one is going to forget for a long time, Tanner English strapped a Christmas tree to the top of his National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation themed car. Not only was it amazing that he was able to put the tree on the car, but he turned everyone’s head when he posted the fastest time with the tree strapped down.

4. Bobby Pierce’s Domination

After a little bit of an up and down ending to his season, where he won the Dirt Track World Championship at Eldora, but then struggled at the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte finishing 23rd, Bobby Pierce turned up the wick and swept the weekend. On Thursday night, Pierce topped qualifying in Group B, won his heat race, and then worked his way past Mike Harrison 4 laps into the 25-lap feature and never looked back.

On Saturday night, he drew the pole in the redraw and jetted off to the lead straight from the green flag. He was never challenged and only looked human when he got into lap traffic during the longest green flag run. However, a caution for a spinning Mike Harrison reracked the field and allowed Pierce to utterly dominate on the restarts and pull out to a nearly three second lead.

The domination marked Pierce’s third win at the Dome, the most overall, and his first since 2018. He also won the race in 2017.

3. Ricky Thornton Jr. and Jason Feger’s Duel For Second

While Bobby Pierce ran away with Saturday night’s feature that did not mean there was not excellent racing happen. In fact, just one spot back and Ricky Thornton Jr. and Jason Feger put on a master class duel. First, Jason Feger pulled off an excellent slider to steal the spot on an early restart. It looked like Ricky Thornton Jr. would secure the spot with a slider, but Feger crossed him over and then got a great drive off through the next corner to secure the spot.

Feger would maintain the spot, but Thornton never let him get away and he decided to pounce when the two got into lap traffic. Halfway through the race and RTJ threw a slider to get in front of Feger, but again, Feger crossed him over and retook the position. The two swapped sliders in each corner for two laps before Thornton was able to grab the position.

2. Ashton Winger’s Driver Introduction With Kyle Bronson

Ashton Winger definitely had the best driver introduction as he featured Kyle Bronson performing his best Stone Cold Steve Austin impression. Winger came out of the tunnel dressed as Brenden Smith. Bronson came storming out of the tunnel after him, lifted him up, and then slammed him into a table. Bronson then smashed two beers together and chugged them down while Winger tore off the Smith shirt.

1. Kyle Bronson Confronts Brenden Smith And Lifts Up Hudson O’Neal

The context to Winger’s driver introduction is Bronson’s reaction to Brenden Smith fencing him during the Friday night feature while the two were racing for second. It started with Bronson throwing a tight slider and dooring Smith and getting him slightly into the wall. Smith gave him a shot in the rear to express his displeasure and then in the ensuing corner slid Bronson and ensured his right rear sent Bronson into the wall and the fence.

Bronson exited his vehicle, gave Smith a new nickname, Purebred, albeit with an expletive and a threat to whoop him. He then confronted Smith at his car, gave him a little helmet shake and shared some more words with him.

However, what really makes this most standout moment is that after he walked into the infield and Hudson O’Neal was able to express his grievances with Mark Whitener for an earlier wreck that ended his night, Bronson and O’Neal were encouraged to get their anger out with each other by FloRacing’s Chris Moore. Bronson did not hesitate to take his advice and easily lifted up O’Neal and gave him a little spin before setting him back down.

NEXT: Carson Hocevar Explains Why Dirt Racing Is “Real Racing”

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Author: John Trent