Nick Hoffman may be a 10-time winner at Fairbury Speedway, but it might not make much of a difference during Saturday’s $50,000-to-win Prairie Dirt Classic at the quarter-mile dirt oval.
The reason being: Most of his previous laps at Fairbury were made behind the wheel of a DIRTcar modified.
This time, Hoffman will pilot the No. 9 Tye Twarog Racing dirt late model as he continues to charge forward in his rookie World of Outlaws Late Model Series campaign.
“I’ve been to Fairbury a lot and had success there in the modified,” Hoffman said. “I’ve only ran a late model there, I think, twice … I feel like I get around there OK (in a late model), but it definitely doesn’t fit my style.”
While eyes may be drawn to former Prairie Dirt Classic winners Brandon Sheppard and Devin Moran as favorites to win this weekend, Hoffman has proven he can’t be counted out.
“When we started, there were a lot of doubters out there,” Hoffman noted.
The modified-ace turned dirt late model racer announced his intention to join the World of Outlaws tour full time and battle for the rookie-of-the-year award — worth $10,000 — last December. It seems he couldn’t have picked a more challenging year to make the transition.
“This is probably the toughest year for World of Outlaws that they’ve had in the last five years, as far as the competition level. We’ve got 15 guys and at least 10 of them that can win on any given night,” Hoffman described.
While not everything has gone according to plan since the season began in January, Hoffman believes he and the team have exceeded even their own expectations in recent months.
“A lot of confidence came with getting my first win and knowing I can beat these guys. We’ve been running top five more than most. We’re just really close,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman drove the No. 9 to victory at North Carolina’s Stateline Speedway on May 23, fitting yet another puzzle piece together with the Tye Twarog Racing team. The Moorseville, N.C., native was up to second in the standings for a time, before a crash at North Dakota’s Red River Valley Speedway in June resulted in a hefty points drop.
Since then, he’s worked his way back to fourth — 84 points behind series leader Bobby Pierce.
He is also the leading rookie contender.
While thoughts of the championship aren’t far from Hoffman’s mind, the first thing on his list is making another trip to victory lane.
“Right now, we’re just trying to win anything, but PDC would probably be on the top of the list. You can really make a name for yourself there. There are so many people who watch that race and so many people that attend it,” Hoffman said. “You have to make sure you have every single little thing prepared, because that could change your whole career as a late model driver.”