FAIRBURY, Ill. — The last weekend in July can only mean one thing – the Prairie Dirt Classic has arrived.
The dirt late model world is set to converge on Fairbury for the signature event on the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision schedule.
Four Showdown features will be run on Friday to set the lineups for Saturday, which culminates with the 100-lap main event paying $50,000 to the victor.
That doesn’t include the $500 awarded to the leader of each lap, meaning a driver could walk away with a six-figure paycheck if they can lead wire-to-wire.
There won’t be much time for partying afterwards, as the series will return to action less than 48 hours after the winner makes the ceremonial drive to the Bank of Pontiac.
The inaugural visit to Wilmot Raceway goes down on Monday, July 28, featuring a 40-lap, $12,000-to-win feature.
FINALLY GOT ONE
The storylines surrounding Bobby Pierce at the PDC have always revolved around one question – how will he lose it this year?
After 11 failed attempts to win his home state’s biggest race, the “Smooth Operator” finally got it done in 2024 in spectacular fashion.
With one trip to the bank under his belt, the goal has shifted towards becoming the sixth multi-time Prairie Dirt Classic champion.
While last year was Pierce’s first triumph in Fairbury’s biggest event, it was far from his first time finding success at the bullring. He had finished on the podium on four previous occasions, won three Friday Showdown features, and gone to victory lane at the track with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, MARS Late Model Championship, American Late Model Series and more.
Pierce still has four more PDC victories left to go to catch his father, Bob Pierce – whose five victories have him tied with Billy Moyer for the most in event history – and he plans on getting one step closer this weekend.
SO CLOSE
Coming out on the losing end of last year’s thriller was Nick Hoffman, who led 79 laps before the biggest win of his career slipped through his fingers on the final lap.
Hoffman’s four World of Outlaws wins on the year have him in the discussion of best late model drivers in the country without a crown jewel to their name, but that’s a list he’d love to remove his name from this weekend. He’ll be in contention if he can match his pace from the past few years – in four PDC appearances, Hoffman has three Showdown top fives and two top 10s in the 100-lapper.
Much like he has at most tracks in the “Land of Lincoln,” Hoffman has also left Fairbury with the trophy plenty of times in DIRTcar UMP Modified competition. He’s a two-time PDC champion on the modified side, highlighting his list of seven DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals wins at the track.
FORMER CHAMPS
In addition to Pierce, two other Outlaws know what it takes to win the PDC and are hungry to taste victory once again.
Dennis Erb Jr. took the checkers in 2004 in the middle of 13-straight top 10s in the event between 1997 and 2010. Fairbury hasn’t been as kind to him in recent years though, as the Carpentersville, Ill., native has recorded only one top 10 since 2019.
Erb has been on the upswing as of late, as a third-place run at Sharon Speedway was his fourth podium in the last seven World of Outlaws races.
Ten years after Erb took the win, Tim McCreadie came out on top in 2014. McCreadie’s two-decade late model career has only included seven PDC appearances, and that win still stands as his most recent top five.
“T-Mac” will look to turn his Fairbury luck around with momentum on his side, as he spent his off weekend from the World of Outlaws tour scoring a home-state victory in the Pete Loretto Memorial at Freedom Motorsports Park in Delevan, N.Y.
Other former PDC champions planning to race this weekend include Shannon Babb (2002, 2006, 2013), Jason Feger (2012), Jonathan Davenport (2015), Brandon Sheppard (2017, 2019, 2022) and Ricky Thornton Jr. (2023).
FIRST TIME
Everyone else in the field has their eyes set on turning their Fairbury dreams into reality this weekend.
Brian Shirley has done everything there is to do in Midwestern late model racing except hoist the trophy at the PDC.
The five-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion has earned four of his 43 Hell Tour wins at Fairbury, including this year’s visit last month. He also swept the FALS Frenzy weekend with MARS in October, bringing his total to three wins in his last five Fairbury starts.
Ryan Gustin has won one of the Showdown features at the PDC in three of the last four years and has finished top five twice on Saturday.
The No. 19r has been back in form as of late with four top fives in the last five races.
Dustin Sorensen put together an impressive Fairbury debut last season, finishing fourth in his Showdown feature to lock into the PDC in his first attempt. He’ll be looking to improve on his 22nd-place run on Saturday and continue his recent uptick in performance – he’s made four of the last five redraws and finished 10th and 11th last time out at Sharon.
WILMOT RUNDOWN
The only first-time addition to the World of Outlaws schedule in 2025 comes on Monday with the inaugural Wilmot Late Model Showdown.
The biggest fendered race in track history will see many competitors make their Wilmot Raceway debut, but there are a few drivers with limited experience at the third-mile.
Erb, Gustin, Shirley, Drake Troutman, Jake Timm and Brent Larson were all in attendance at last month’s Summer Nationals event, and Troutman came out on top for his second of three Hell Tour wins this year.
Pierce has four Summer Nationals starts at Wilmot, and he won the most recent one in 2016. Tanner English is the only other Outlaw who has been to Wilmot before, finishing eighth with the Summer Nationals in 2014.
