FAIRBURY, Ill. — This past weekend was the 36th annual Prairie Dirt Classic at the Fairbury American Legion Speedway, nowadays better known as Fairbury Speedway or simply FALS.
It’s not just two days of racing but a happening!
A record 86 World of Outlaws Late Model Series speedsters and 57 DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals competitors visited the Town of Fairbury, some 100-plus miles south of Chicago and pretty much the same distance north of Springfield, Ill.
Entering Fairbury, current population around 3,500 or so, on Illinois Route 24, you are greeted by a billboard, showing two late model stock cars with the greeting – “Welcome to Fairbury, Small Town U.S.A., At Its Finest.”
Matt Curl, born and bred in Fairbury, owns and operates the speedway, and definitely ensures that the Prairie Dirt Classic is an event and not just racing.
“We couldn’t do it without the support of the Town of Fairbury, the American Legion (John Joda Post 54), our sponsors and, especially, our hard-working crew,” said Curl.
The 49-year-old Curl has done it all at FALS including going to the races as a youngster, later handling a tow truck, being a corner worker and then race director. He left Fairbury for a year (the 2018 racing season) to be race director for the World of Outlaws late model tour.
After years of being operated by the Fairbury Fairboard, the speedway, which dates back to a half-mile track in 1922, saw Curl take over ownership for the 2019 season.
“It (the PDC) is good for the town, for businesses and the people,” said Curl. “It brings in a lot of revenue for so many.”
The quarter-mile dirt oval is located on the Fairbury fairgrounds and is situated right in the middle of town. The unique location sees today’s massive transporter-style car haulers headed for the pit area as they roll down 3rd Street.
The street is lined with trees and tidy, well-kept, homes but becomes a bustling avenue during the weekend with garage sales and makeshift concessions popping up.
Parking during the weekend is at a premium with neighbors of the speedway making their yards available for fans’ cars with numerous nearby streets filled with parked vehicles.
The crowds were pretty much capacity both Friday and Saturday with fans numbering 8,000 or so each night. Late model dirt track fans are not shy about sharing their feelings – cheering for their favorite and booing their not so favorite!
Definitely a fan favorite at FALS, 33-year-old Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., became a four-time winner of the PDC, winning the weekend’s 100-lap headliner and picking up over $68,000 including lap prize money.
Sheppard took the lead on lap 64 after chasing Florida racer, 18-year-old Trey Mills, who had led from the green flag. A flat right-rear tire ended Mills’ hopes for a top finish.
After victory lane ceremonies were complete, Sheppard and his winning Mark Richards/Rocket Chassis/Valvoline No.1, ushered by promoter Curl, headed to the local Bank of Pontiac branch in Fairbury for the traditional banking of the team’s winnings.
Winner for the first time in 2017 and repeating 2019 and 2022, Sheppard, a five-time World of Outlaws late model champion, commented about his Fairbury faithful.
“Love these rowdy FALS fans,” said Sheppard. “Appreciate you guys. Love seeing this place packed out. It means a lot to me when I go up to watch the (prelim) races and I can’t find a spot to watch.”
After his victory and checkered flag-carrying lap around the speedway, Sheppard stopped momentarily on the backstretch to salute his fans including a group displaying a sign — “Sheppy till I die.”
Brian Shirley, who calls Chatham, Ill., home, was the PDC winner last year (his first) and said after his win, “It’s so awesome all these fans. I just appreciate the raw emotion from the fans.”
2026 was a different story.
“It’s an event that’s the highest of highs to the lowest of lows,” said Shirley before the Saturday night’s racing. The competition is tough, second to none. There’s some 80 cars here – everything has to fall into place.”
Saturday was the “lowest of the lows” for Shirley as he didn’t make the starting lineup of 29 cars for the 100 lapper.
Mike Spatola, from Manhattan, Ill., is a three-time super late model track champion at FALS. Nicknamed “Opie” – Spatola commented about the PDC.
“It is like the (Ohio’s) World 100 in Illinois,” said Spatola. “All the same guys come — the fastest in the country. Every year it keeps growing. It’s getting close on the Crown Jewel list, maybe number two behind the World 100.”
Spatola finished 20th in Saturday’s 100-lap chase.
Bob Pierce, along with Billy Moyer, are the all-time PDC winners with five victories each. After suffering a stroke earlier this month, Pierce was on hand to help guide his son, Bobby, to a third-place finish in the 100-lap race behind winner Sheppard and runner-up, Hudson O’Neal, who came from an 18th starting spot. Oakwood, Illinois’ Bobby Pierce captured PDC honors in 2024.
The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals came to a close Saturday with 23-year-old Cole Calloway, from Owensboro, Ky., scoring the 40-lap victory. Winning $5,000, Calloway bested Illinois driver Michael Ledford and Missouri’s Damian Kiefer.
It’s not all about racing as Fairbury Speedway helped raise over $100,000 through golf outings, auctions, a dinner and other activities for the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
“Back in the Day” — The first Prairie Dirt Classic was held on September 1, 1990, with Snooky Dehm, from nearby Chatsworth, Ill., grabbing top honors in the 60-lap race. Dehm, an 18-year stock car veteran, took home $3,500 for his effort.
Already planned for 2027, the 37th annual Prairie Dirt Classic is scheduled for July 30-31 with the Town of Fairbury again ready to welcome racers and fans alike.
