COLUMBUS, Miss. — For the first time since 2018, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision is set to battle in Mississippi.
Four different tracks in the state have hosted The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet in the past, and Magnolia Motor Speedway becomes number five this weekend with the inaugural Duel at the Mag. Following a practice night on Thursday, March 19, racing kicks off on Friday, March 20, with a 40-lap, $12,000-to-win World of Outlaws program. The weekend wraps up on Saturday, March 21, when $20,000 will be up for grabs after 60 laps around the three-eighths-mile.
In addition to the World of Outlaws, the schedule also includes CRUSA Modified Sportsman and Crown Vics on Friday and CRUSA Late Model Sportsman and Factory Stocks on Saturday.
BACK ON TOP
There’s a new, yet familiar name on top of the points standings following last weekend’s Tennessee doubleheader.
Two-time and defending World of Outlaws champion Bobby Pierce leads Nick Hoffman by seven markers after a third-place run on Friday at Volunteer Speedway and his second win of the year on Saturday at Smoky Mountain Speedway.
Those two nights extended his podium streak to six dating back to the first World of Outlaws race of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.
Magnolia could be a good place for Pierce to extend that margin. His 10 appearances at the track have included one win in 2020 and four top fives, although he hasn’t been there since 2020. Meanwhile, his closest challenger in Hoffman has never turned a lap at Magnolia.
QUALIFYING BLUES
Tim McCreadie knows exactly what he needs to improve on to join Pierce and Hoffman as a nightly contender, and that’s qualifying.
Through 10 races, McCreadie has the worst average feature starting spot of anyone in the top seven in points and is the only driver in that group who has not yet won a heat race this year. Nevertheless, he still finds himself third in points with the third-best average finish in the field behind Pierce and Hoffman.
Even though he’s been starting toward the back too often, he’s still managing to pass plenty of cars come feature time. He’s gained 65 positions in features this year, second only to Pierce’s 66 cars passed. If McCreadie can find the early-night speed he needs to make his job easier in the feature, he’s proven he has the speed to reach the front and stay there.
This weekend will be McCreadie’s first trip to Magnolia with the Briggs Transport team, but he was fast nearly every time he unloaded there in his past ride in the Paylor Motorsports No. 39. He won at Magnolia in 2020 and finished on the podium in six of his last 10 starts.
ALL BUNCHED UP
If “T-Mac” needs any extra reasons to get up on the wheel this weekend, all he has to do is look at the logjam of drivers right behind him in the points chase.
Only 22 points separate Ryan Gustin in fourth from Dustin Sorensen in ninth, with Tyler Erb, Drake Troutman, Daulton Wilson and Ethan Dotson all packed between them.
Magnolia promises to bring plenty of shuffling amongst them, as the group includes past winners at the track as well as drivers making their first visit.
Wilson is heading to Magnolia with the most momentum out of any of them, as he was the only one to finish in the top 10 at both Volunteer and Smoky Mountain last weekend. Given those results, his lead in the MD3 Rookie of the Year race is already deep into the triple digits entering his Magnolia debut, with Trey Mills sitting 147 points back in second.
Another driver making his first appearance at “The Mag” this weekend is Dustin Sorensen, who is off to the best start of his career in his third season as a full-time Outlaw. His average finish of 13.3 through the first 10 races is already better than last season’s average of 13.8, and the tour has yet to visit any of his best tracks in the upper Midwest.
MISSISSIPPI MISSILES
The Duel at the Mag may be the first World of Outlaws race in Magnolia’s history, but the track is no stranger to hosting high-level late model racing.
In addition to Pierce and McCreadie, three other aeries regulars have a Magnolia win on their resume. Two of them have been victorious in one of Mississippi’s premier events, the Cotton Pickin’ 100, which Dotson won in 2024 and Mills won in 2025.
Additionally, Tyler Erb collected a Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series win at Magnolia in 2017, one of his first triumphs behind the wheel of a super late model.
Those names are part of a long list of late model superstars to reach victory lane at Magnolia, including Billy Moyer, Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Dale McDowell, Jonathan Davenport and more.
SUPERMAN RETURNS
Speaking of Davenport, the driver of the No. 49 has a World of Outlaws race on his agenda for the first time in 2026.
The Blairsville, Ga., native has scaled back his schedule this season to allow for more time at home and more chances to visit some of his favorite tracks, and Magnolia is certainly one of them. He’s a five-time winner there, including a weekend sweep in his most recent visit in 2021.
Several other national stars have announced their plans to battle the World of Outlaws this weekend, including Hudson O’Neal in the K&L Rumley Enterprises No. 6, Sam Seawright, Luke Morey, Michael Leach and more.
