Volusia DIRTcar Nationals Run Six Nights, Big Gator Looms

Volusia Speedway Park will host the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals for six straight nights, Feb. 9–14. The week mixes non-points cards and World of Outlaws Late Model Series (WoO) points-paying mains: two $7,000-to-win shows on Feb. 9–10, a split-field night with three $5,000 features on Feb. 11, WoO $12,000-to-win mains on Feb. 12–13, and a $20,000-to-win Big Gator finale on Feb. 14. AMSOIL USAC Sprint Cars join the opening nights and the Super DIRTcar Series runs Feb. 11–14, creating a stacked week of touring-series competition.

This year’s entry list is expected to be among the season’s strongest, with established stars and in-form contenders entered for the WoO points events and the Big Gator finale. Brandon Sheppard, fresh off a Sunshine Nationals victory, leads the de facto WoO points entering Volusia ahead of Nick Hoffman; two-time defending Volusia champion Bobby Pierce sits fifth, 18 points back. Hudson O’Neal has already posted three wins on the season, and 2025 Big Gator champion Ricky Thornton Jr. arrives having won twice and finished no worse than sixth across last year’s week at Volusia. The list mixes veterans such as Dennis Erb Jr., Chris Madden and Tim McCreadie with rising contenders and newcomers including Daulton Wilson and Trey Mills, giving multiple storylines for momentum and championship trajectories.

The Big Gator trophy — first awarded to Dennis Erb Jr. in 2012 — remains the marquee prize at the finale and often foreshadows season momentum: Josh Richards used Volusia success to power an 18-win championship campaign in 2016; Brandon Sheppard turned strong Volusia weeks into series championships and crown-jewel victories in 2019, 2020 and 2024; Scott Bloomquist and Shane Clanton similarly leveraged Volusia as a springboard, while Devin Moran and Ricky Thornton Jr. translated Volusia form into major wins in recent seasons. With six nights on tap, this year’s DIRTcar Nationals and the Big Gator finale will serve as both a standalone crown and an early indicator of which drivers could carry momentum through the WoO season.