BARBERVILLE, Fla. — Along with NASCAR stars and sprint car champions, the prospective entry list for the Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout that begins tonight at Volusia Speedway Park under the direction of the United Sprint Car Series includes more than 40 all-star names that represent 14 states and three countries.
The event, which also kicks off the seventh annual USCS Winter Heat series, carries the largest purse in the 28-year history of the 360-winged sprint car series. Saturday night’s Sprint Car Shootout finale will pay $10,000 to the winner and $600 to start, while the Thursday and Friday night races will each pay $2,500 to win.
• Since winning the inaugural Southern Sprint Car Shootout finale last January, Tyler Clem has climbed backed behind the wheel of his No. 14 sprint car fewer than a dozen times.
Two of those races were during the Battle in Barberville in December. They’re two races he hopes give him enough of an advantage over the national competitors he’ll be up against this weekend.
“It’s tough. I don’t race much with those guys either,” Clem said. “They race every weekend. I’m lucky to race once or twice a month in this thing. They’re the best in the world for a reason, obviously. They’ve won Outlaw races. They’ve won big races like that. Obviously, the confidence that we got from winning the race [last January] and having the speed that we do here, obviously, it helps us.
“I think we’ll be fine when that time comes and do what we do this year.”
• Pennsylvania 410 sprint car regular Danny Dietrich posted on social media Thursday morning that his season would open with the three-night event aboard his usual Kauffman Racing No. 48.
• Fifteen-time and defending United Sprint Car Series champion and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Terry Gray will open his season during the three-night event.
Gray, who was crowned champion on Jan. 20, has 95 victories in USCS competition.
• Ryan Timms made history at the inaugural Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout and returns this year for a piece of the event’s historic purse.
At 16 years old, the Oklahoma-born driver won the first Southern Sprint Car Shootout race in his first start at Volusia Speedway Park in 2023. Timms, now 17, hopes to capitalize on the event’s increased payout.
“It’s always good to start a year off with a win,” Timms said. “Last year was cool. There were some pretty good guys there. (Ricky) Stenhouse was there. Guys like that. It felt really good to pick up a win early. I’m looking to do the same this year. It’s one night extra, three nights, instead of two, and it’s paying a lot more this year.”
• Before claiming the 2023 Daytona 500, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. claimed two podium finishes at the Southern Sprint Car Shootout. This year, the NASCAR Cup Series star is back for more.
The Olive Branch, Miss., native finished third both nights in 2023 with his dad on the wrenches. This time around he’ll have a trio of opportunities to take his NOS Energy Drink No. 17 to victory lane.
•The pressure to lock into the $10,000-to-win finale is off the shoulders of one driver. Danny Martin Jr. topped December’s Battle in Barberville at Volusia to punch an automatic ticket should he need it. In fact, Martin Jr. swept both nights of last month’s event.
• Justin Peck will trade his normal ride — the Buch Motorsports No. 13 — for the Sean Michael No. 20. Peck owns plenty of 410 laps around Volusia highlighted by top five runs with both the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and All-Star Circuit of Champions.
• World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year contender Landon Crawley will make his Volusia debut. He’ll pilot the Sides Motorsports No. 7s, the same car he’ll wheel during his inaugural World of Outlaws campaign. The 15-year-old Crawley is already a USCS winner, courtesy of topping a race at Magnolia Motor Speedway last year.
• The Southern Sprint Car Shootout will also welcome of pair of McCarls. Father and son duo Terry and Austin are expected to make the tow. Austin’s Volusia experience is somewhat limited, but Terry has won at the half-mile with the World of Outlaws, ASCoC and USCS.
• Other expected entries include Canadians Glenn Styres, Jacob Dykstra and Tyeller Powless, British driver Ryan Harrison and numerous traveling Americans including Brandon Sampson, Elijah Gile, Riley Goodno, Eric Riggins Jr., Creed Kemenah, Chris Martin, Mark Smith, Josh Weller and Ryan Roberts.