Questions and answers about October 20-21’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finale at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, Carl Short’s 43rd annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by ARP paying $100,000-to-win.

What’s different about 2023’s Dirt Track World Championship?

First, the race’s venue. Eldora Speedway, which annually hosts two of Dirt Late Model racing’s biggest events in the Dream and World 100, for the first time hosts the Carl Short-founded event (as well as it’s first-ever Lucas Oil Series event). Second, the tour’s longtime season finale caps the first-ever Big River Steel Chase for the Championship, a title format that sends the top four drivers in series points into into the 100-lap main event with an equal shot at capturing a record-setting $200,000 championship prize.

What’s the same about 2023's Dirt Track World Championship?

It’s still promoted by Carl Short, it’s still the Lucas Oil season finale and still carries a $100,000-to-win purse, among the season’s largest in Dirt Late Model racing.

Who are the drivers racing for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship?

Series-dominator Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., the winner of a tour-record 19 full-field series events and series points leader heading to Eldora for his Indiana-based SSI Motorsports team. He’s joined by Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., the Rocket Chassis house car driver who’s second in points with four full-field victories. Third is three-time series champion Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., with Arkansas-based Double L Motorsports (third in points with six full-field victories) and fourth is Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, with Tennessee’s Double Down Motorsports (fourth in points with one full-field victory).

How is the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion determined?

Whichever driver among the Big River Steel Big Four finishes highest in Saturday’s 100-lap main event will collect the $200,000 championship. Second place in the title chase receives $150,000, third $125,000 and fourth $100,000 from a record points fund exceeding $1 million.

How does the series title chase differ from years past?

Going back to its founding nearly 20 years ago, the Lucas Oil Series has operated with a traditional championship format with the top points earner over the entire season collecting the title (last year’s crown paid Tim McCreadie $150,000). Occasionally the title chase came down to the series finale, but often the championship was decided before the green flag flew at the DTWC (most recently held at another Ohio track, Portsmouth Raceway Park).

Why did the series change the championship format?

To assure drama for its season finale as well as add nearly a half million to to the overall series points fund, which paid out more than $60,000 in bonuses throughout the season to drivers for their rankings in the points standings at different junctures.

What do proponents of the new format say?

That the change — controversial though it may be — has drawn maximum attention to Lucas Oil’s DTWC, befitting of the tour’s first Eldora event. The drama assures all eyes will be on the race and the huge increase in the points fund makes every series regular a winner. It’s often been noted that all four drivers fighting for the championship are assured six-figure paydays from the points fund just two years after the series title was worth $75,000.

VIDEO: Michael Rigsby makes a case for why the championship chase is good for Dirt Late Model racing. 

What do critics of the new format say?

That Thornton’s dominating season — with more full-field victories than the other three contenders combined — will be diminished if he falls short of the title. Many Dirt Late Model traditionalists believe a champion is decided by a full season’s body of work and aren’t interested in adopting NASCAR’s chase-style playoff system in which a single race puts a randomness into determining the champion. In addition, it’s clear that determining the champion at Eldora — or any track for that matter — will likely favor one of the four finalists over the others because of their past success at it; in this case, it’s Jonathan Davenport, who owns eight career crown jewel victories at Eldora while his three rivals have combined for just one such win (Hudson O’Neal’s World 100 triumph last month).

Who are among the potential spoilers?

Technically every other entrant besides the Big Four, but the most prominent among Lucas Oil contenders are two drivers who tied for fifth in series points, Brandon Overton and Tim McCreadie. Overton, a three-time crown jewel winner at Eldora, was among the tour’s top four most of the season, including heading into the previous series event at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, but power steering issues forced a pit stop that allowed Devin Moran to grab the fourth spot. McCreadie, the 2018 World 100 winner, is the two-time and reigning series champion but didn’t win a full-field series event in 2023. Other contenders include World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series points leader Bobby Pierce (along with Brandon Sheppard and Dennis Erb Jr., other WoO regulars who, like Pierce, own Eldora crown jewel victories). Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist, a 12-time crown jewel winner at Eldora, is also expected to make only his second racing appearance in more than a year because of assorted health concerns.

How is the DTWC different than Eldora’s other major events, the Dream and World 100?

Instead of the twin-feature preliminary nights at Eldora that set Saturday heat races for Eldora’s traditional events, the DTWC’s two-day format will follow the standard Lucas Oil event procedures with two groups of time trials and heat races on Friday with the top finishers earning the best feature starting spots for Saturday’s feature. Saturday’s main event will be preceded by consolation races and a non-qualifiers’ event with provisional spots also available.

How will we keep an eye on the title contenders?

The Lucas Oil points leader traditionally carries the Midwest Sheet Metal-sponsored orange spoiler at each series event. At Eldora, each of the Big Four drivers will have the colorful spoiler attached to their cars.

What are some other interesting notes about the weekend?

• The DTWC will come just a week after the passing of five-time race winner Freddy Smith, the event’s winningest driver who won four times at the race’s original home of Pennsboro (W.Va.) Speedway. Smith also won Eldora’s Dream twice. 
• Eldora will be the first-ever track to host two six-figure paydays in same season.
• Portsmouth Raceway Park averaged 73 cars per DTWC over the last 11 seasons.