Story By: BEN SHELTON / NICK HOFFMAN RACING – MOORESVILLE, NC – The dramatic finish may not have ended how he wanted, but Nick Hoffman put on an impressive performance on Saturday night at Fairbury Speedway for the 14th annual Prairie Dirt Classic aboard his aboard his Tye Twarog Racing / NOS Energy Drink No. 9 C&W Trucking / Longhorn Chassis / Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model.
After leading laps 21-99, the Mooresville, N.C., native surrendered the point to Bobby Pierce on the final lap, relegating him to second in the 100-lap thriller.
“It was pretty good there for the (78) laps that I led,” Hoffman said. “I don’t know what I could’ve done different on the final lap. You don’t know if you’ll get this opportunity ever again to win one of these races. To be from Illinois, this race means so much to me. Man, it just sucks. Nobody remembers who ran second last year or whatever the case may be. To lose it on the last lap is really heartbreaking for me.”
Despite the second-place finish in the finale, Hoffman earned a $20,000 paycheck for the runner-up honors and an additional $39,000 for leading 78 circuits.
Nick Hoffman’s pursuit for his first Prairie Dirt Classic victory kicked off on Wednesday at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway with the Castrol FloRacing Night in America-sanctioned One for the Road.
Amassing 65 Late Models, Hoffman topped the overall speed charts in time trials with a 12.683-second lap before racing into the A-Main with a consolation victory. With a $20,000 payday up for grabs in the 50-lap feature, Nick was an early retiree on lap 18.
After a scheduled off day on Thursday, Nick returned to the Illinois oval on Friday as the 14th annual Prairie Dirt Classic weekend drew a stout field of 78 World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series entries. With preliminaries on Friday setting the grid for Saturday’s main event, Hoffman followed up the ninth-fastest lap in his time trial group with a fifth-to-second run in his 25-lap prelim.
Locked into the eighth-starting position for Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win Prairie Dirt Classic, Hoffman overtook Brandon Sheppard for the lead on lap 21 and looked to have the race locked up as he set the pace for the ensuing 78 laps. After a lap-95 caution reset the field, Nick lost the top spot to Bobby Pierce on the final lap, relegating him to a disappointing second-place finish.
With a $500 bonus for each lap led, Hoffman earned a $59,500 payday for his runner-up finish and leading 78 laps.
Nick is currently 26 points behind Brandon Sheppard for the lead in the latest World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series point standings.
Earlier in the week on Monday, Hoffman turned in a fourth-place finish in the XR Super Series-sanctioned Davenport Deal at Davenport (IA) Speedway. Tuesday’s finale fell to inclement weather.
World of Outlaws competition has Nick Hoffman ready for four nights of action this week, beginning Monday evening at Wilmot (Wisc.) Raceway with a $10,000-to-win event. From there the team rolls into Cedar Lake Speedway (New Richmond, Wisc.) for three straight nights of action with the 2024 edition of the USA Nationals. Friday and Saturday’s programs include complete $6,000-to-win events, while Saturday’s finale posts a $50,000 winner’s check.