Late Model, NASCAR Worlds Collide at Talladega for Alabama Gang 100
EASTABOGA, AL (April 21, 2026) – Whoever says there’s no night racing at Talladega has never been to Talladega Short Track. Don’t miss · Basketball SUBSCRIBER VIDEO: Mt. Zion at Rockmart Boys Basketball Read more → As they have annually since 2023, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will be part of […]
EASTABOGA, AL (April 21, 2026) – Whoever says there’s no night racing at Talladega has never been to Talladega Short Track.
As they have annually since 2023, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will be part of the spring NASCAR race weekend across the street at Talladega Superspeedway. The Alabama Gang 100 has quickly risen in prominence to become one of the biggest Late Model races in the region, pitting the top drivers from across the country up against many of the southeast’s best regional competitors.
This season is the first in which the Alabama Gang 100 will feature two full-field, points-paying World of Outlaws races. First up on Friday, April 24, will be a 40-lap, $12,000-to-win, main event to kick off the weekend. Then on Saturday, April 25, approximately 30 minutes after the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series takes the checkered flag at the big track, the World of Outlaws will take to the dirt for night two, which pays $25,000 to the winner of the 60-lap Feature.
In addition to the World of Outlaws, the itinerary also includes Crate Racin’ USA 602 Late Models and Modifieds on Friday and 604 Late Models and Factory Stocks on Saturday.
Here are this week’s top storylines:
THE BATTLE RAGES ON: The 2026 season is already 16 races old, but the points lead is still changing hands by the night.
Nick Hoffman and Bobby Pierce remain knotted up at the top of the standings, with two points separating them entering Talladega. The duo maintained their position at the top of the class last time out at Farmer City, as Pierce won the Saturday finale while Hoffman remained steady with two more podium finishes.
Strong showings out of both drivers at the Illini 100 were to be expected given their past success on the Illinois bullrings, but history gives the edge to Pierce on the Alabama clay. The “Smooth Operator” won last year’s Alabama Gang 100, was leading the 2023 edition until a broken wheel took him out of contention, and ran fourth in his most recent visit last month with the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series. On the other hand, Hoffman will likely need to improve on his past Talladega results to maintain the points lead, as he finished sixth and eighth in his two prior Alabama Gang 100 starts.
ON THE RISE: Regardless of what part of the country he’s in, Daulton Wilson has continued to impress in recent weeks.
“Big Perm” put the Series on notice at East Alabama Motor Speedway at the end of March, leading most of the race before getting passed by Hoffman in the closing laps. Two weeks later on the vastly different Farmer City surface, the No. 58V was among the best cars on the property, collecting a pair of fourth-place finishes.
Those efforts have Wilson up to fourth in the standings with a shot at getting to third this weekend, as Tim McCreadie sits only 19 points ahead. Talladega could be a wild card for Wilson, as his only previous start in 2022 ended with a crash while running 11th.
HITTING HIS STRIDE: Trailing Wilson in the MD3 Rookie of the Year chase is Trey Mills, who has several reasons of his own to look forward to Talladega.
The 17-year-old Floridian has been right in the thick of the field night in and night out as of late. Following a rocky start during Speedweeks, he’s finished 12th or better in his last seven starts dating back to Smoky Mountain Speedway on March 14, and three of his last five have been top 10s. That has Mills on the cusp of the top 10 in points, with 80 markers separating Dennis Erb Jr. in 10th and Mills in 11th.
The “Hornet’s Nest” is one place Mills has circled on the World of Outlaws schedule as somewhere he expects to be fast. His resume there is commendable, dating back to a fourth-place run with the Iron-Man Series in 2023 in his first Talladega start. Since then, he finished third in a split-field preliminary Feature on Alabama Gang 100 weekend in 2024, earned a top 10 in the main event in 2025 and swept a twin-Feature night with the Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series last summer.
HERE COMES CARSON: There are always plenty of familiar faces from the NASCAR world on the grounds when the World of Outlaws come to Talladega, and this year, one of them will be behind the wheel.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar is set to wheel a Spire Motorsports-fielded Late Model this weekend as he looks to make his first World of Outlaws Feature start. It marks his first appearance with the Series since 2022, when he drove a Niece Motorsports machine at World of Outlaws World Finals.
Hocevar has made other scattered dirt Late Model outings at the Dirt Late Model Dream and the Gateway Dirt Nationals, with his best night to date coming in last year’s trip to “The Dome.” In the Spire dirt Late Model program’s first weekend of operation, Hocevar raced his way through the 123-car field and into the Saturday Feature, ultimately coming home 10th.
Hocevar won’t be the first NASCAR star to cross the street and take a crack at the Alabama Gang 100. Kyle Larson drove the K&L Rumley Enterprises No. 6 to eighth in 2023, and finished sixth in his prelim Feature in 2024 before rain washed out the remainder of the event.
SOUTHERN STALWARTS: The Alabama Gang 100 has had a knack for bringing out the best in the regional racers in attendance.
Two years ago, Lanett, AL’s own Dylan Knowles won his first national-level race in his prelim Feature, while fellow Alabama driver Sam Seawright finished third in the other race that night. Then in last year’s finale, Cory Hedgecock started on the pole and led the first 13 laps before Pierce drove on to win, with Zack Mitchell and Jadon Frame also scoring top fives.
Plenty of them have announced their plans to join the World of Outlaws again this weekend, including Seawright, Luke Morey, Mario Gresham, Dillard Hatchett and more.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday-Saturday, April 24-25, at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Nick Hoffman (2198 points)
2. Bobby Pierce (-2)
3. Tim McCreadie (-139)
4. Daulton Wilson (-158)
5. Tyler Erb (-173)
6. Ryan Gustin (-178)
7. Drake Troutman (-192)
8. Ethan Dotson (-206)
9. Dustin Sorensen (-261)
10. Dennis Erb Jr. (-267)
FEATURE WINNERS (7):
Bobby Pierce – 5
Nick Hoffman – 4
Brandon Sheppard – 2
Hudson O’Neal – 2
Tim McCreadie – 1
Chris Madden – 1
Mike Marlar – 1
FEATURE TOP FIVES (18):
Nick Hoffman – 14
Bobby Pierce – 11
Brandon Sheppard – 6
Tim McCreadie – 6
Chris Madden – 5
Tyler Erb – 5
Ryan Gustin – 4
Daulton Wilson – 4
Drake Troutman – 4
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 4
Hudson O’Neal – 3
Jonathan Davenport – 3
Ethan Dotson – 3
Dale McDowell – 2
Ashton Winger – 2
Dennis Erb Jr. – 2
Mike Marlar – 2
Brandon Overton – 1
FEATURE LAPS LED (17):
Nick Hoffman – 157
Bobby Pierce – 95
Brandon Sheppard – 78
Chris Madden – 73
Drake Troutman – 47
Hudson O’Neal – 45
Jonathan Davenport – 45
Mike Marlar – 39
Daulton Wilson – 37
Tim McCreadie – 28
Ryan Gustin – 22
Ashton Winger – 22
Brandon Overton – 12
Michael Leach – 10
Sam Seawright – 5
Dale McDowell – 4
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 2
BILSTEIN POLE AWARDS (11):
Nick Hoffman – 3
Chris Madden – 2
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 1
Drake Troutman – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Jonathan Davenport – 1
Ashton Winger – 1
Daulton Wilson – 1
Brandon Overton – 1
Michael Leach – 1
Sam Seawright – 1
SIMPSON QUICK TIME AWARDS (11):
Nick Hoffman – 4
Chris Madden – 2
Drake Troutman – 2
Ryan Gustin – 1
Daulton Wilson – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 1
Jonathan Davenport – 1
Ashton Winger – 1
Brandon Overton – 1
Sam Seawright – 1
Michael Leach – 1
HEAT RACE WINS (28):
Nick Hoffman – 10
Chris Madden – 7
Bobby Pierce – 6
Tyler Erb – 5
Brandon Sheppard – 4
Drake Troutman – 4
Ryan Gustin – 4
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 3
Brandon Overton – 3
Hudson O’Neal – 2
Daulton Wilson – 2
Jonathan Davenport – 2
Tim McCreadie – 1
Mike Marlar – 1
Ashton Winger – 1
Dale McDowell – 1
Dennis Erb Jr. – 1
Devin Moran – 1
Michael Leach – 1
Trey Mills – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Dustin Sorensen – 1
Tristan Chamberlain – 1
Sam Seawright – 1
Austin Smith – 1
Dan Ebert – 1
Blair Nothdurft – 1
Donald McIntosh – 1
LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (23):
Dennis Erb Jr. – 3
Josh Rice – 3
Bobby Pierce – 2
Ethan Dotson – 2
Tim McCreadie – 1
Daulton Wilson – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Michael Page – 1
Jake Timm – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Tristan Chamberlain – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Logan Zarin – 1
Carson Ferguson – 1
Shane Clanton – 1
Dalton Cook – 1
Dallon Murty – 1
Michael Leach – 1
Dan Ebert – 1
Cory Hedgecock – 1
Brian Shirley – 1
Luke Morey – 1
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series Presented by DIRTVision is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners. Official partners include, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), Simpson Performance Products (Preferred Safety Gear Partner), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Toyota (Official Vehicle), and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel). Also supported by : AMKUS, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Bilstein, Capital Race Cars, Coltman Farms, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Dave Warren Powersports, Dirt King Simulators, Evolve Transporters, FAST 1 Speed Shop, ESI Equipment – FIREBULL, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), Gorsuch Performance, Infinity Chassis, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, Jarrett Rifles, Keyser Manufacturing, Lifeline USA, Longhorn Chassis, Mark Martin Automotive, MD3, MSD, Öhlins Shocks, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis, STAKT Products, Swift Springs, and Wieland (Exclusive Racing Aluminum) and WIX Filters.
World of Outlaws
Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.