HARTFORD, Ohio — The World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision enters its fourth straight week of racing with a doubleheader in eastern Ohio.
Sharon Speedway has hosted the series 16 times since its revitalization in 2004 and has been on the calendar every year since 2021.
This year’s Battle at the Border will start with a 40-lap, $12,000-to-win feature on Friday night before wrapping up with a $15,000-to-win 50-lapper on Saturday.
THE RACE IS ON
When the World of Outlaws rolled into I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park in June to start the Midwest swing, Nick Hoffman trailed Bobby Pierce by 102 points in the standings. Three weeks later, the gap is cut in half.
Following Hoffman’s win on Friday at Deer Creek Speedway and Pierce’s DNF, thanks to the massive pileup on the frontstretch, only 50 points separate the top two headed to Sharon.
The history books show that the Hartford, Ohio, facility could be a place where the momentum swings back in Pierce’s favor. The “Smooth Operator” swept the weekend in 2024 and has finished off the podium once in five World of Outlaws starts at Sharon. Meanwhile, Hoffman has never finished better than fifth in five series starts, but he did win a DIRTcar UMP Modified race at the track with the Renegades of Dirt Tour in 2022.
KNOCKING ON THE DOOR
While Hoffman has been the top dog on tour over the past five races, his closest challenger in that timeframe has been Dennis Erb Jr.
The Carpentersville, Ill., native’s three podiums since River Cities Speedway on June 27 are more than everyone, other than the No. 9. He’ll look to keep his hot streak rolling at Sharon with experience on his side, as Erb’s nine World of Outlaws starts at Sharon have him tied with Brent Larson for the most of any current full-timer.
If Erb wants this to be the weekend he gets his first series win in two years, he’ll need to take a step forward from his past showings in Hartford.
Only two of those nine starts have resulted in top fives, although he started on the pole of the Saturday feature last year before fading to sixth.
BACK UP FRONT
After going through a dry spell in April and May, Ryan Gustin has reasserted himself as a nightly frontrunner over the past few weeks.
He hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in nine races, and that stretch has included four podiums and six top fives.
Gustin came agonizingly close to his first World of Outlaws victory since March on Thursday at Deer Creek, as he swapped the lead with Pierce lap after lap before coming out on the losing end.
The “Reaper” has 112 points to make up to Pierce to get back into the championship conversation, and that quest continues at one of his best stops on tour.
He finished second in his Sharon debut and then went on to collect two wins (2022 and 2023) and six podiums in eight starts.
THREE-WAY BATTLE
This year’s MD3 Rookie of the Year class continues to prove why they’re one of the most competitive in series history, with all three members capable of winning when things go their way.
Ethan Dotson was the first to break through with his triumph at Farmer City Raceway in April. Drake Troutman had a few near misses early in the season before finally taking the checkers at Pevely for his first World of Outlaws score.
And after spending the opening portion of the year getting the hang of full-time super late model racing, Jake Timm could be next in line for a win – he was making redraws and running in the top 10 more often than not during the Midwest swing.
Troutman will have the upper hand going into this weekend as the only one of the three with prior World of Outlaws starts at Sharon. The Hyndman, Pa., driver secured his first series pole on the opening night of the 2023 Battle at the Border and held his own against Chris Madden and Pierce in the opening laps of the race.
Troutman’s night came to an early end when he got caught up in a crash 13 laps in, but he’ll be back looking to finish the job this weekend.
