Jeremy Steele has placed his focus on the Super Late Model ranks in 2026, but that doesn’t mean he forgot how to drive a Crate car.
The 2025 champion of the Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series added another major accolade to his resume on Saturday, winning the FOX Factory 604 Pro Late Model portion of the World Short Track Championship for the first time in his career.
The early portion of the Feature was a battle between a pair of South Carolinians in Steele and Kale Green, who held the top spot while Steele rode behind in second. As the halfway point approached, Steele found a line on the cushion he liked and ran down Green, making the winning move in Turn 3 on Lap 13 of 25.
A pair of cautions immediately after the pass kept Green in the game, but Steele held his own and never gave Green a chance to get back out front. As the finish neared and traffic became a factor, Trent Ivey got to second and began closing in on Steele. But Ivey’s third World Short Track Championship victory in five years wasn’t meant to be, as Steele made the right moves to stay out front and make his first visit to Victory Lane at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
“Ive ran second up here in two different cars, two different classes,” Steele said. “I come up here every year and Trent and Dillon [Brown] kick my butt. John [Ruggiero Jr.], he’s the best of them all, probably. He kicks my butt every year. This year, that car right there is awesome. Never sat in it before this weekend. Cameron Tribble and Andrew [Stewart] gave me the opportunity to drive it, I couldn’t turn it down and here we are.”
Steele was followed across the line by Ivey, Green, Layton Sullivan and Dillon Brown in an all-South Carolina top five.
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 1-Jeremy Steele[3]; 2. G4-Trent Ivey[8]; 3. 4-Kale Green[2]; 4. 2S-Layton Sullivan[17]; 5. 6B-Dillon Brown[6]; 6. 09-Ross Bailes[13]; 7. 8-Jensen Ford[5]; 8. 44-John Ruggiero Jr[1]; 9. 2C-Wyatt Coffey[15]; 10. 611-Koulten Herbert[4]; 11. 7A-Corey Almond[19]; 12. 6-Chase Blackwell[7]; 13. K7-Keaton Smith[24]; 14. 2A-Jason Altiers[10]; 15. 5Q-Colby Quick[18]; 16. 66D-Preston Dimsdale[9]; 17. 52-Chris Stowe[22]; 18. 2-Mitchell Childress[25]; 19. 4C-Ace Claborn[20]; 20. 67-Austin Yarbrough[11]; 21. 35-Dillon Daves[12]; 22. 8L-Joe Leavell[14]; 23. 75-Joey Whitaker[16]; 24. 22-Nathan Walker[23]; 25. 2M-Shawn Martin[26]; 26. J1-Jake Jackson[21]
