The Dirt Track at Charlotte will celebrate a decade of local heroes making their names known on one of the biggest stages in dirt racing at the 10th World Short Track Championship.
Over 400 cars have pre-registered for competition, which takes place Friday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, and includes a more than $200,000 overall purse for the 10 divisions – a 22% increase from last year.
Competing this year will be the COMP Cams Monster Mini Stocks, DIRTVision South Eastern Hornet Association (SEHA) Hornets, FOX Factory Crate Racin’ USA (CRUSA) 604 Late Models, Hoosier Racing Tire Mid-East Crate Modifieds, MSD DIRTcar Pro Stocks, RaceQuip CRUSA/Mid-East Street Stocks, SRI/Stock Car Steel & Aluminum Monster Thunder Bombers, Summit Racing Equipment DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, VP Racing DIRTcar Sportsman, and WIX Filters Mid-East 602 Late Models.
Hauler load-in and registration for the event begins on Thursday, Oct. 30. Friday fills the slate with Hot Laps, Qualifying, Heat Races, Hornet Features, and Championship Features for the 604 Late Models, DIRTcar Sportsman, DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, and DIRTcar Pro Stocks – made up by the top 10 in Qualifying and track champions. Hot Laps/Qualifying starts at 11 a.m., and Heat Racing is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.
Saturday will close out the 10th annual edition of the racing around the 4/10-mile red dirt facility with Last Chance Showdowns, starting at noon, before deciding the newest event champions with Features for all 10 divisions. Opening Ceremonies are scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
Here are the top storylines to follow in each division:
Fox Factory 604 (Pro) Late Model – 604 Late Models return to The Dirt Track for the 10th year as the keystone division packs the weekend with competitive racing through the two nights.
Last season, John Ruggerio Jr. made a history-making statement in the 2024 running of World Short Track Championship when he became the first driver to sweep both 602 and 604 Late Model divisions. He’ll have two former division winners to battle against, including Dillon Brown (2021 main Feature, 2024 Championship Feature) and Trent Ivey (2022-2023).
The Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series returns to the event as a bonus race for the touring competitors. York, SC’s Jeremy Steele leads the standings into the event while Joseph Brown is seeking to shrink the 50-point gap to the lead with a hefty $8,000 winner’s check from the Concord, NC track.
WIX Filters Mid-East 602 Late Model – The 602 Late Models return to the World Short Track Championship lineup for the eighth year with the top drivers from the Southeast and Mid-East clashing for a race towards a $3,000 payday.
Leading the way into the event is Ruggiero, who’s hunting for his third win in the division aboard his No. 44 Rocket XR1 Late Model and a second consecutive dirt Late Model sweep.
He’ll endure the challenge of going against youthful energy from 12-year-old Wyatt Coffey and 13-year-old Beckham Malone, who shocked the Late Model world when he won two years ago. Regional winners such as Bubba Roling, Ivey, and Luke Cooper will also be on the hunt to score a first division win on Saturday night.
Summit Racing Equipment DIRTcar UMP Modified – Kyle Strickler has the 4/10-mile red dirt track decoded, winning his fourth Feature win aboard his No. 8 Elite Chassis in 2024.
The “High Side Tickler” looks to extend the all-time wins record against a stout field of UMP Modifieds that includes reigning DIRTcar Summit Modified Nationals champ Tyler Nicely, Dirt Track World Championship winner Charlie Mefford, and “Tarheel State” veterans Austin Holcombe, Jordan and Evan Koehler, Ty Norder, and two-time champion Taylor Cook.
Hoosier Racing Tire Mid-East Crate Modified – Austin Holcombe has established himself as the top driver in the Crate Modifieds with Feature wins in three of the last four years.
Holcombe enters The Dirt Track at Charlotte looking to separate himself from Jeff Parsons at the top of the list in all-time division wins. To achieve the feat, he’ll race against drivers that hail from around the Mid-East region.
MSD DIRTcar Pro Stock – The biggest full-fender class of cars from the Northeast is back for competition around the North Carolina area while sharing one of the most diverse batches of winners through all 10 divisions.
In 2024, Denis Gauvreau won his first World Short Track Feature while Slater Baker took Thursday’s Championship Feature victory for his first triumph. They will be back to defend their crowns against a lineup that includes former event winners Pete Stefanski, Luke Horning, and Sean Corr. Amongst the field of Pro Stock stars, Plantagenet, ON native Marc Lalonde will make his final start at Charlotte to chase a World Short Track Championship trophy to close out his full-time racing career.
VP Racing Fuels DIRTcar Sportsman – David Rogers has found a way to The Dirt Track at Charlotte Victory Lane in three of the last four editions of World Short Track Championship, which include Feature wins in 2022 and 2024, plus a Championship Feature triumph from 2023.
The Lafargeville, NY driver is back to hunt for his fourth overall win at the track while going up against 2025 Sportsman winners Tyler Corcoran, AJ Aslup, Jessica Power, Chas Wolbert, Joe Toth, and Dylan Madsen.
RaceQuip Mid-East Street Stock – The top drivers in the mid-eastern region will clash at The Dirt Track in their crown jewel event of the 2025 calendar. Greenville, SC’s Rod Tucker is back to defend his victory against more than 40 Street Stocks, which includes former event champions Ricky Greene (2023, 2021) and Calob McLaughlin (2020).
SRI Performance MMSA Thunder Bomber – Returning for a fourth year on the World Short Track Championship slate, the Mid-East Thunder Bombers are back with over 50 drivers chasing for a coveted World Short Track Championship Feature triumph.
In 2024, Mattison Hoots won his first career Monster Thunder Bomber Feature at Charlotte after finishing on the podium in 2023. The Tryon, NC driver is racing to become the first multi-time event winner in the division while going up against a Carolina-area stronghold, including Holcombe, Laurens, SC’s Rickey Phillips, and Woodruff, SC’s Cruz Mattison.
COMP Cams MMSA Mini Stock – Cody Keith’s visit to Monster Mini Stock Victory Lane at Charlotte in 2024 kept a streak of the division seeing a new winner in eight of the last nine Features. The Franklinton, NC driver seeks to join Brayden Pruitt as the only multi-time winner of the race while going against former World Short Track Championship winners Kevin Cooper (2023), Matt Gilbert (2022), and Rod Tucker (2018).
DIRTVision Hornets – A strong field of 70-plus Hornets will invade the red dirt racetrack for an opportunity to wheel their four-cylinder machine into Victory Lane at The Dirt Track.
SEHA-sanctioned Hornets will return for the second year, with 2024 Hornet victors Kayden Presnell, Newman Presnell, Justin Harris, Austin Haskin, Dylan Douglas, and Joey Kelly returning to chase a win through the Halloween weekend.
