We’re a little behind with some postings, so let’s get caught up. Here are the links to the last three editions of Late Model Digest:

LMD 35-03 (2/10/23): bit.ly/LMD35-3

LMD 35-04 (2/24/23): bit.ly/LMD35-04

LMD 35-05 (3/10/23): bit.ly/LMD35-05

Mid-March has brought the first-ever ASA STARS National Tour show at Pensacola FL and a loaded CARS Tour opener at Kenly NC, plus next week’s Rattler 250 weekend at South Alabama and more. And there will be more coming to this site in the coming weeks as well.

We’d like to thank some of our loyal advertisers in this spot … looking to give our supporters more exposure in the future. Click on the image!

Have a great week, everyone!

SpeedFest Super Late Model top qualifier Corey Heim (near) steps off his scooter to watch the Pro Late Models of Katie Hettinger (81), Seth Christensen (45), Caden Kvapil (96), Dylan Fetcho (89), Cody Hall (28) and others at Crisp Motorsports Park in Cordele GA.

January brought a handful of special events for pavement Late Models: the Red Eye 50/50 at New Smyrna FL, WinterFest at Showtime FL, the All-Star Showdown at Irwindale CA, and finally SpeedFest at Cordele GA, plus one or two others in warmer-weather climates. We inserted a few more off-season article collections in the first two 2023 editions of Late Model Digest to fill some space and give some exposure to a few more deserving racers and a couple of track promoters.

Here are the links to the two January issues:

LMD 35-01 (1/13/23): https://bit.ly/LMD35-01

LMD 35-02 (1/27/23): https://bit.ly/LMD35-02

Each month we’ll post the two editions here, in case you have missed the emails and the posts on Facebook and Twitter.

The coverage of SpeedFest and a few more races from the week will be in the issue released February 10 (and that night Porsha and I will get to see and hear John Mellencamp in concert in Atlanta … I’m not headed to New Smyrna until the middle of the following week 🙂

Have a fantastic February!

Believe it or not, we’re already about a quarter of the way through 2022, and also through the Late Model Digest publishing season.

Here’s a catch-up on the six editions of LMD from this year (just click on the links or paste them into your browser):

LMD 34-01 (1/14/22) – https://bit.ly/LMD34-01

LMD 34-02 (1/28/22) – https://bit.ly/LMD34-02

LMD 34-03 (2/11/22) – https://bit.ly/LMD34-03

LMD 34-04 (2/25/22) – https://bit.ly/LMD34-04R

LMD 34-05 (3/11/25) – https://bit.ly/LMD34-05

LMD 34-06 (3/25/22) – https://bit.ly/LMD34-06

Remember that the best way to see LMD regularly is to get on our email list. Contact jimcarsonlmd@gmail.com to let us know you’d like to subscribe (and it’s free now). The link will also be shared on the LMD Facebook page on the evening of an issue’s release, or the following day.

If there’s an issue which you’d like to print yourself, we can get you a format which will make that easier; just let us know. We can’t send that printable format to everyone every time, but by request it’s no problem.

Have a great second quarter of the year!

Porsha and I have made a number of trips to Michigan in the last few years, visiting her son and his girlfriend. Last November they moved to Georgia, so the road trip time will thankfully be reduced by a little bit (great for her morale; I couldn’t imagine being an all-day drive from my parents).

The long hauls had their good moments, however. On a Saturday in August of 2019 we were in the car for 12+ hours on what was the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. SiriusXM’s Classic Vinyl channel played the music of artists who played at Woodstock, mixed in with stories of those who were there (including some then-unknown musicians who were there as fans, such as Billy Joel and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry).

Someone else who was at Woodstock was Norm Cote, a Maine native who discovered Late Model Digest in the mid-2000s and began contributing. Norm would take some notes during races and get some quotes afterward, allowing us to put together better stories and look for special pieces. (He also managed to get better English out of Quebec star Patrick Laperle than I usually did.) I only met Norm one weekend (my only trip to the Oxford 250 in 2011), and when he wasn’t talking racing, he was talking Woodstock-era music.

Sadly I won’t get the chance to chat him up about either topic, because Norm passed away in late January. His health had been declining for a few years — I think the last race he attended was the 250 in 2019 — but we didn’t realize it had been this bad.

We wish the best to his longtime partner Jenny Joslyn (who was in quite a few LMD photo credits a decade ago) and the rest of his family. My favorite songs from the Who and CCR weren’t out yet in 1969 and couldn’t be played at Woodstock, so here’s some Jimi Hendrix in Norm’s honor.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jWGOTM46lg8

Happy Monday, everyone! (Yes, that is a possible outcome and not a contradiction in terms.)

This weekend the racing world remembered the great Jack Ingram, whose obituary will appear in the next edition of Late Model Digest to be released July 9. Earlier this year the racing community lost former NASCAR youngster driver Eric McClure, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser, NASCAR pioneer Charlie Glotzbach, former FIA president Max Mosley, MotoGP development-series rider Jason Dupasquier and others.

But one has hit the Late Model world harder than anyone – perhaps even harder than the death of official Rusty Crews on the third night of Florida Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway. On June 18, Todd Ridgeway suffered a serious motorcycle accident in his home state of Ohio, and three days later he passed away.

Todd was best-known as a photographer, usually around his home area on pavement and dirt tracks, but also every February in the Sunshine State where he’d tell me stories about Daytona, Volusia and East Bay between races at New Smyrna. He also wrote now and then, about racing and also high school football. A large part of his day job was pulling a large animal trailer, hauling bulls to farms around the Midwest, and he had some good road stories (usually about food, which as we all know is a crucial part of any road trip).

Todd was only 56. His mom Judy and son Matthew are still around, as are plenty of other relatives and friends who will think about him more than anyone. The news of his passing from a week ago has really put a damper on this racing season for me.

Here are the two most recent editions of Late Model Digest; just copy the links into your web browser, or contact us if you’d like to have a format that would be easier to print yourself. The June 11 issue contains Todd’s last-ever photo in LMD. RIP Todd.

LMD 33-11 (6/11/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/icrd/

LMD 33-12 (6/25/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/brsy/

Hello! We hope you’re having a great Memorial Day weekend. There’s plenty of racing over the holiday, but please remember the reason for the season, so to speak.

Plenty of families have people who never returned home from their time in the service. (And remember that the day to honor living veterans is in November, and the day set aside for honoring those on active duty was about two weeks ago.)

For some, a favorite activity on Memorial Day is binge-watching TV shows. Several channels have marathons of popular shows (or war movies).

Well, here’s another type of marathon which you can enjoy anytime. Here are the links to the 10 issues of Late Model Digest from 2021. Enjoy, especially if you’ve missed one. The next one is scheduled for release June 11; look for it that evening on the LMD Facebook page or get on our email list.

LMD 33-01 (1/22/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/zejm/

LMD 33-02 (2/05/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/wcsy/

LMD 33-03 (2/19/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/qoeo/

LMD 33-04 (3/05/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/fseu/

LMD 33-05 (3/19/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/exfn/

LMD 33-06 (4/02/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/ehuv/

LMD 33-07 (4/16/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/oxbo/

LMD 33-08 (4/30/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/gqhg/

LMD 33-09 (5/14/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/gkxd/

LMD 33-10 (5/28/21): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/zgdx/

The 2020 season has had another dark cloud hanging over it, at least in and near the Carolinas. Before the racing season began, Myrtle Beach Speedway was the subject of rumors of its demise. Then during the coronavirus layoff, the death knell of the historic .538-mile oval was confirmed. By the end of the year – and possibly as early as right after the August 18 Sun Fun 101 race – the track will be sold and earmarked for demolition and development.

The two latest issues of Late Model Digest, found at the two links below, include pieces on the Myrtle Beach track. At least there is a positive spin, with the MBS owners taking over Florence Motor Speedway; frequent Florence race winner Jamey Lee has his thoughts in the issue completed this past Friday.

LMD 32-10 (7/03/20): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/ejkq/

LMD 32-11 (7/17/20): online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/emta/

Anyway, the photo is from the lovely Porsha, during a 2014 visit over Independence Day weekend. Twin-50 Late Model Stock Car races were on tap, and this was the way things looked just after the first race. The storm came a few minutes later, and by then I had congratulated the winner Jeremy McDowell and gotten his phone number for a call later, then Porsha and I got the heck out of there. The bottom fell out about 15 seconds after we hustled into the Beef o’ Brady’s in a nearby shopping center.

Those of you who have been to MBS surely have stories that don’t involve rainouts, but this is definitely the coolest photo we’ve produced from there.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

The latest issue of Late Model Digest, released May 8, contains our judgments of the top current pavement Late Model performers using each of the 110 one- and two-digit car numbers.

Remember that LMD editions are now digital and free. Last Friday’s issue is available here: http://online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/kpvl/

There were some very close races, so to speak, for the top honors of some of the numbers. Some were reflected in the cover images, such as the #02 of Late Model Stock Car standouts C.E. Falk III and Justin Milliken, and the #26 of Super Late Model powerhouses Bubba Pollard and Travis Braden plus LMSC star Peyton Sellers.

One number with surprisingly few Late Model regulars using it was #18. I figured plenty more would try to copy Kyle Busch, the most polarizing driver in NASCAR today, but there weren’t that many regulars. Keep in mind that Georgia superstar Casey Roderick was not considered because he’s switching to #25 with his own team this year, and that outlaw Late Model standout Steve Needles and his car owner Brian Short went to #14 at the start of 2019 in memory of Needles’ former car owner Terry Gentry.

And there were some numbers which not many drivers use at all, like the #62 and #69. Personal story: once I was in the infield at New Paris IN for qualifying of the Summer Sizzler. At that time the cars qualified in the order of their car numbers, with a draw determining the starting point. There were several duplicate numbers in the field (a lot of #10s). I remember chatting with another photographer, saying that if I ever owned a car (don’t count on it), I’d pick a number that no one uses, like #85. And sure enough, there was an #85 in the field; I don’t remember who it was or whether or not he made the feature.

We did a number contest piece like this one other time, in the off-season before the 2007 campaign got rolling. That was 11 years before the digital switch for LMD, so it was still printed on paper. For that article each driver’s accomplishments were almost exclusively judged on the previous season, instead of several recent seasons like we did in last week’s edition. Back then we also considered ARCA, Pro Cup and what was then called the NASCAR Camping World Series (now merged with ARCA); now it’s only about pavement Late Models.

Since we can’t reproduce that article here (it’s buried in a storage unit), we could find the list of selected drivers from 2007 (with refreshers for some of those names which may be unfamiliar):

0 Mark Bliss, Arcade NY (2006 champion at Holland NY and Erie PA)

00 Jeremie Whorff, West Bath ME (won Oxford 250)

1 David Prunty, Brownsville WI (champion at Slinger)

01 Philip Morris, Ruckersville VA (also selected this year; Jason Hierwarter photo)

2 A.J. Curreli, Oviedo FL (Limited Late Model Speedweeks champ)

02 Ricky Bilderback, Rockton IL (Big 8 champion and Michael’s uncle … runs in the family)

3 Joey McCarthy, Mendham NJ

03 Jim Pettit II, Prunedale CA

4 Frank Deiny Jr., Ashland VA (champion at Old Dominion)

04 Mike Osgar, Mansfield OH

5 J.R. Norris, Birmingham AL (final NASCAR Southeast Series champion)

05 Eric Schmidt, Roseville CA (also selected this year; Kevin Peters photo)

6 Jeff Belletto, Salida CA

06 Bobby Gill, Dalton GA

7 Landon Cassill, Cedar Rapids IA (yeah, that guy)

07 Jeff Scofield, Plant City FL

8 Cassius Clark, Farmington ME (six PASS wins in 2006)

08 Deac McCaskill, Raleigh NC (LMSC champion at Southern National … happens a lot)

9 Will Thomas, Sharpsville PA

09 Scott Grossenbacher, San Antonio FL

10 Jack Landis, Edgerton OH

11 Jeff Lane, Knightsville IN

12 Rip Michels, Mission Hills CA (final NASCAR Southwest Series champion)

13 Charlie Menard, Eau Claire WI

14 Kevin Richards, Spokane WA

15 Colt James, Buda TX

16 Peyton Sellers, Danville VA

17 Chris Gabehart, Louisville KY (now Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR Cup crew chief)

18 Ronnie Sanders, Fayetteville GA

19 Fredrick Moore, Gainesville GA

20 Shelby Howard, Greenwood IN (won three Pro Cup races in 2006)

21 Tim Schendel, Sparta WI

22 Matt Hawkins, Canton GA (damn)

23 Eddie Van Meter, Indianapolis IN

24 Mike Rowe, Turner ME

25 John Dillon, Boise ID

26 Bubba Pollard, Senoia GA (also selected this year)

27 Greg Edwards, Poquoson VA (was #21 this year)

28 Jack Smith, Medina OH

29 Andy Loden, Stanley NC

30 Dave Mader III, Irvington AL

31 Kyle Grissom, Concord NC

32 Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton VT

33 M.K. Kanke, Frazier Park CA (became NASCAR Southwest’s all-time wins leader)

34 David Clark, Clayton NC (SLM champion at Southern National)

35 Kris Stump, Tipp City OH

36 Dan Fredrickson, Elko MN (also selected this year; Doug Hornickel/fastlapphoto.com)

37 Terry Senneker, Wayland MI (back when he was just a driver and employee at Lee Anderson’s Perfect Circle Race Cars)

38 Bo Miller, Bowling Green KY

39 Shane Harding, Surrey BC

40 Matt Kobyluck, Oakdale CT

41 Donny Reuvers, Dundas MN (champion at Elko and the old Raceway Park)

42 Andy Hanson, Ramsey MN (champion at I-94 … dang, what happened to Minnesota tracks?)

43 Van Knill, Tucson AZ (champion at Irwindale CA)

44 Clay Rogers, Concord NC (runaway Pro Cup champion)

45 Brian Hoar, Williston VT

46 Troy Conrad, Puyallup WA (Northwest Late Model Challenge champion)

47 Chris Fontaine, Lakeland FL

48 Dave O’Blenis, Boundary Creek NB

49 Rob Clarke, London ON

50 Jamey Caudill, Four Oaks NC

51 Joey Logano, Middletown CT (yeah, that Joey Logano, who won twice in Pro Cup in 2006)

52 Dave Pembroke, Montpelier VT

53 Boris Jurkovic, Joliet IL (won All-American 400)

54 Johnny Clark, Hallowell ME

55 Alex Yontz, Walnut Cove NC (won LMSC at Martinsville VA)

56 Danny Burson, Albuquerque NM (USLMA champion)

57 Joe Winchell, Davie FL

58 Burgess White, Columbus OH

59 Gary Whipkey, Doylestown OH

60 Ron Beauchamp Jr., Windsor ON

61 Mike Olsen, North Haverhill NH (champion of Busch East, now K&N East … er, ARCA Menards East)

62 Eric Holmes, Escalon CA

63 Jim Crabtree Jr., Muncie IN

64 Garrett Evans, Wenatchee WA (also selected this year; Michele Martin/Horsepower Project)

65 Tim Ice, Columbus OH

66 Benny Gordon, DuBois PA (won Pro Cup Northern division)

67 Gordie Ryan, Wellington NS

68 Mike Giessen, Greenacres FL

69 Brandon Riehl, Boring OR

70 Jeff Choquette, West Palm Beach FL

71 John Grega, Fruitport MI

72 Scott Hantz, Angola IN

73 Gary Lewis, Snohomish WA (final NASCAR Northwest champion)

74 Jay Middleton, Lake City FL

75 Mike Doss, Upper Lake CA (his son Jeremy was selected this year)

76 Jason Weinkauf, Merrill WI

77 Steve Portenga, Sparks NV

78 Charlie Bradberry, Chelsea AL (damn)

79 Joe Aramendia, New Braunfels TX (champion at San Antonio)

80 Donald Theetge, Boischatel QC

81 Jesse Smith, Wildwood MO (ASA Late Model Series Northern division champion)

82 Tom Thomas, Grandville MI (also selected this year; Stan Kalwasinski photo)

83 Jim Sikes Jr., Fountain CO

84 J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge ON (also selected this year; Dan Little Jr. Photography)

85 Trent Snyder, Ironton MN

86 Dennis Demers, Shelburne VT

87 Nathan Haseleu, Sun Prairie WI

88 Brent Kirchner, LaCrosse WI

89 Kelly Bires, Mauston WI (ASA Late Model Challenge Series champion)

90 Keeton Hanks, Auburn KY

91 Jason Hedrick, Graham WA

92 Jason Hogan, Cleveland GA

93 Jack Bailey, Stafford VA

94 Mark Smith, Meyersdale PA

95 Shane Brafford, Concord NC (champion at hometown track)

96 Steven Davis, Satsuma AL

97 John Flemming, Halifax NS

98 Brandon Ward, Winston-Salem NC (was #62 this year)

99 Bryon Chew, Mattituck NY

A personal note from Jim Carson, and something which should have been posted almost three weeks ago (can’t totally blame COVID-19 for this delay) …

One of my racing mentors/influences is a radio show host, track announcer and former PR man named Charles Head. His weekly show airs Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. Eastern on WCON FM-99.3 in northeast Georgia, and now it’s also on Facebook Live (and when there’s a Braves baseball conflict, WCON airs it after the game). The show (originally called CHAMP: Charles Head’s American Motorsports Program, before he gave up on the all caps) was on another area radio station at the beginning, and both stations can be picked up in my hometown of Anderson SC.

Nowadays the Champ Show deals mostly with drivers at three northeast Georgia dirt tracks (Toccoa, where Charles announces, plus Lavonia and Hartwell), or out-of-town racers from upcoming touring series which visit the region. But there’s usually one guest per hour-long episode from the pavement world, either someone from Anderson Motor Speedway or a Georgian who has recently done something great on asphalt (Bubba Pollard has been on numerous times, and Chandler Smith called in after his ARCA Menards Series win at Phoenix two weeks ago).

March 5 was the 30th anniversary edition of the Champ Show, now sponsored by Jacky Jones Ford in Cleveland GA. The service bays at Jacky Jones hosted the anniversary celebration that evening, with some BBQ from a nearby greasy spoon, and Charles invited anyone who has been a guest on the show at some point … including me. I’ve been on for a segment every year or two (usually in December when he’s desperate for guests) since joining Late Model Digest, and once from the late 1990s when I was the only sports staffer at the Anderson Independent-Mail daily newspaper who cared about racing.

Here are a few photos from that night. Click on the photos for descriptions. The one on the bottom … well, Porsha had to get that photo of me making a strange hand gesture when I was behind the mike. (Speaking of Mike, that’s area dirt track legend and famed quote machine Mike Head whose shoulder Porsha is shooting around. He was one lap short of winning the last time I attended a dirt track race, at Lavonia, three days after 9/11/01.)

Here’s hoping that pavement and dirt tracks are back in action really soon. Stay safe, everyone!

Barbecue and Cokes will bring people in.

Jacky Jones Ford has been the title sponsor of the Champ Show for several years.

Former pavement Late Model driver Mike Davidson now owns the dirt track in Toccoa.

Longtime pavement Late Model crew chief Jeff Mintz (right) is now the race director at Toccoa Raceway. Former Lanier National Speedway and New Smyrna Speedway general manager Terry Roberts (center) is now Toccoa’s marketing man. They’re shown with Billy Power, who is in charge of facilities.

Host Charles Head (right) and his first producer Dave Sherman (left) chat with dirt Late Model driver Kenny Collins. “Super Dave” competed in sportsman races at Lanier for several years. (The yellow sign is backwards here so it could show up on Facebook Live.

Here are items from the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association, including its quarterly publication Pioneer Pages. GARHOFA co-sponsored the anniversary show.

Former Lanier Late Model driver Tom Schuette (left) is shown with his son Sylvan (center), who now competes at Toccoa.

Toccoa resident and former USAR Hooters Pro Cup driver Jabe Jones (right) is shown with his parents, including longtime area racer Jabez Jones (center).

Hartwell Speedway owners Joyce and Marty Lance were on hand.

Ford dealership owner Jacky Jones (left) disperses an employee meeting, possibly to get barbecue.

Chairs like this one have been around since 1990.

Hello!

It’s one day later than promised, but we hope it’s worth it for you. Here’s a final look from LMD at the 54th annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, run Feb. 7-15 at New Smyrna Speedway in Samsula FL.

Obviously the Speedweeks festivities were the focus of the most recent issue of LMD (if you haven’t seen it, click on this link or paste it into your browser: online.pubhtml5.com/fpdm/rckf/

We couldn’t include many of the photos sent to us throughout the week, so here are some more, thanks to longtime contributors Michael Fettig, Kim Kemperman, Mike Lysakowski and Todd Ridgeway.

Remember that LMD is now free to read. If you’re not on the mailing list, contact us through this site or our Facebook page. The next issue is set to be released March 6.

Enjoy the rest of your winter!

Gus Dean’s primary Florida Speedweeks mission was his ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series starts at Daytona International Speedway, but he found time to run three Super Late Model races at New Smyrna in a car tuned by David “Buggy” Pletcher (Jim Carson photo)

Pro Late Model Sunday race winner Giovanni Scelzi (16) lapping Chuck Tuck – Todd Ridgeway photo

Super Late Model rookie Max Calles-McDonald with his crew chief and engine specialist Jerrad Warren (Jim Carson photo)

Pro Late Model race winners Jett Noland (50) and Nicholas Naugle (08) – Michael Fettig/Action Shots Photography

Multi-time Super Late Model track champion David Rogers drives away from a wreck which ended his Speedweeks two nights early (Michael Fettig/Action Shots Photography)

Stephen Nasse is interviewed after his Super Late Model victory in the next-to-last Super Late Model race of the week (Kim Kemperman photo)

Wimmer Motorsports driver Jesse Love was the only two-time Super Late Model race winner during this World Series (Kim Kemperman photo)

Super Late Model stars Augie Grill (112), Sammy Smith (51) and eventual World Series champion Derek Griffith (12) – Kim Kemperman photo

Pro Late Model driver Phillip Bessette was among the veterans happy to just make laps, often near the back of the field (Jim Carson photo)

Daniel Dye watches the end of a Late Model race. He also suffered a DNF in his ARCA Menards Series East race (Mike Lysakowski/Motorsport Aspects)

Low-budget veteran David Weaver survived for a Speedweeks-career-best second-place finish in the Sunday Pro Late Model race (Michael Fettig/Action Shots Photography)

ARCA Menards Series East teenage stars Ty Gibbs (18) and Sam Mayer (21) lapping Brian Finney (80) – Mike Lysakowski/Motorsport Aspects

Orange Blossom Super Late Model 100 race winner Ty Majeski is joined by Andrew Hart, the son of track owner Robert Hart (Michael Fettig/Action Shots Photography)

Derek Griffith and the LCM Motorsports crew, plus his girlfriend Emily Lanpher, were the top darlings of Speedweeks, with his Super Late Model championship and his second-place finish in the ARCA Menards Series East race in his heavy-car debut (Kim Kemperman photo)

Pro Late Model drivers who peaked with fourth-place finishes: Hunter Wright (29) and Brandon Brilliant (12) – Kim Kemperman photo

ARCA Menards Series East race winner Sam Mayer with two GMS Racing crew members (Kim Kemperman photo)

Pro Late Model champion Jamie Skinner (5) and his top teammate Hayden Sprague (51) – Todd Ridgeway photo

Pro Late Model champion Jamie Skinner with his second full-week protege Christian Rose (Jim Carson photo)

Daniel Dye (43), Jett Noland (50), Jerick Johnson (76), Hayden Sprague (51), Connor Mosack (28) and Jamie Skinner (5) start a Pro Late Model feature (Kim Kemperman photo)