SOMERSET, Ky. — Officials with the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man (DIRTcar-sanctioned) Series fueled by VP have been working diligently the last few months putting the final pieces together on the 2026 schedule of events.
Less than a week after finishing a very successful season, next year’s calendar has been released featuring 35 feature events among 34 race dates at 18 race tracks in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and West Virginia. The series champion will earn $20,000.
The Battle of the Bluegrass DIRTcar Series mini-Kentucky tour will again feature events within the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series and stand-alone Kentucky races. That schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
The season will open on Saturday April 11 at Atomic (Ohio) Speedway with the “2026 Lid Lifter” paying $5,000-to-win. The season will end on Saturday October 24 at Montpelier (Ind.) Speedway for the annual “Monster Mash” event.
The series also visits Atomic Speedway four more times on May 9, July 18, August 22 and September 19. Montpelier Speedway has a second series visit on September 5.
Memorial Day Weekend will feature a possible $30,000 Michigan sweep with three events at I-96 Speedway, Butler Motor Speedway and Crystal Motor Speedway paying $10,000-to-win each. The series will again visit Butler Motor Speedway on August 8 with a doubleheader at I-96 Speedway the night before.
One new track on the schedule includes a stop to Matt Tifft’s Mansfield Speedway on Saturday May 2 paying $5,000-to-win in the “Comeback Classic” event. West Virginia Motor Speedway returns to the schedule for the first time since 2021 for three visits.
The first event pays $10,000-to-win on Sunday May 3 while a doubleheader of action co-sanctioned with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision paying $12,000-to-win and $30,000-to-win respectively during the “Race Fest Summer Championship” weekend.
A unique doubleheader weekend at Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio will take place on August 14-15 as the touring late models will tackle the smaller quarter-mile track on Friday racing for $5,000-to-win while racing on the bigger four-tenths-mile track on Saturday for $10,000-to-win.
The famed Eldora Speedway will return to the schedule with two race dates on April 18 for the 73rd season opener followed by the 18th Annual Baltes Classic on September 6 again featuring double A-Mains paying $5,000-to-win each.
Other Buckeye State tracks returning to the schedule include MRP (Moler) Raceway Park in Williamsburg, Ohio on June 19 for the Impact RaceGear 30, July 17 for the record-paying $8,000-to-win Fifth Annual Dustbuster 40 and on August 21 for the 19th annual “The Ike” Moler Memorial. Jeff Burdette’s Skyline Speedway is on the schedule for two visits including June 27 and September 26 for the 41st Annual Harvest 50.
Attica Raceway Park hosts two series visits with the Stephen Wagner Memorial on May 15 followed by the Attica Ambush on September 4. The second-oldest track on the ALMIM schedule, Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio, will host the series on June 20 for the 37th Annual Barney Oldfield Race. Limaland Motorsports Park in Lima, Ohio will also host the series for the second-straight season with a visit on Friday June 26 for Late Model Mania. Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio will again host the Second Annual Ronnie Moran Memorial on May 16 with the series.
Tracks returning to the schedule will include Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. on October 2 (which is under management) for the first time since August 4, 2023. For the first time since August 30, 2019, I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich. will return to the schedule for two series visits on May 22 and August 7.
Finally, Bluegrass State tracks returning to the schedule include Mudlick Valley Raceway in Wallingford, Ky. on Saturday July 4 for the $10,000-to-win Sixth Annual 4B4EVER 40 paying tribute to the late Jackie Boggs as well as the $10,000-to-win Fall 40 on October 3. The tour will again visit Stephen Breeding’s Hidden Hollow Speedway in Colson, Ky. for the second-straight year in the Tim Breeding Memorial on Friday July 3.
“I made a lot of changes to the schedule to help the teams with mileage and travel time,” stated Series Promoter Chris Tilley. “I wanted to pair more events together, boost some purses and make it better for everyone involved. I started working on this schedule in the summer and the group of promoters I have to work with are great and understand the need of getting the dates out in a timely manner,” stated Tilley again. “We have scheduled a lot of races but the last two seasons we’ve done that as well, hoping to at least get 80% of them in with weather being our biggest factor.” I can remember less than 15 years ago, regional series scheduled 35-plus races in hoping to get at least 25 of them in so it’s not a new technique.”
2026 Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Schedule
April 11 Atomic Speedway Waverly, Ohio
April 18 Eldora Speedway Rossburg, Ohio
May 2 Mansfield Speedway-Mansfield, Ohio
May 3 West Virginia Motor Speedway Mineral Wells, W. Va.
May 9 Atomic Speedway-Waverly, Ohio
May 15 Attica Raceway Park Attica, Ohio
May 16 Muskingum County Speedway Zanesville, Ohio
May 22 I-96 Speedway Lake Odessa, Mich.
May 23 Butler Motor Speedway Quincy, Mich.
May 24 Crystal Motor Speedway Crystal, Mich.
June 12-13 West Virginia Motor Speedway Mineral Wells, W. Va.
June 19 MRP Raceway Park Williamsburg, Ohio
June 20 Oakshade Raceway Wauseon, Ohio
June 26 Limaland Motorsports Park Lima, Ohio
June 27 Skyline Speedway Stewart, Ohio
July 3 Hidden Hollow Speedway Colson, Ky.
July 4 Mudlick Valley Raceway Wallingford, Ky.
July 17 MRP Raceway Park-Williamsburg, Ohio
July 18 Atomic Speedway-Waverly, Ohio
August 7 I-96 Speedway Lake Odessa, Mich.
August 8 Butler Motor Speedway Mich.
August 14-15 Millstream Speedway Findlay, Ohio
August 21 MRP Raceway Park Williamsburg, Ohio
August 22 Atomic Speedway Waverly, Ohio
September 4 Attica Raceway Park Attica, Ohio
September 5 Montpelier Speedway Montpelier, Ind.
September 6 Eldora Speedway Rossburg, Ohio
September 19 Atomic Speedway Waverly, Ohio
September 26 Skyline Speedway Stewart, Ohio
October 2 Ponderosa Speedway Junction City, Ky.
October 3 Mudlick Valley Raceway Wallingford, Ky.
October 24 Montpelier Speedway Montpelier, Ind.
