Former Brownstown Speedway late model track champion Cody Mahoney will return to racing in 2024 after a five-year hiatus. His first race is scheduled to be today at Florence Speedway, and then he will compete March 23 at Brownstown in the Indiana Icebreaker.
Submitted photo
Weather permitting, the Northern Allstars Late Model Dirt Series is set to make a triumphant return to Florence Speedway in Union, Kentucky, today for the highly-anticipated 48th Annual Spring 50. This thrilling event promises an evening of high-speed action and fierce competition, with a record-breaking $10,000 prize awaiting the winner.
The Spring 50 will boast an unprecedented purse, offering $10,000 to the winner and an event-record $1,000 to start. This substantial increase is sure to attract a talented lineup of drivers eager to test their skills on the renowned Northern Kentucky Half-Mile.
This event marks a significant milestone, with the Northern Allstars Late Model Dirt Series returning to Florence Speedway for the first time in 21 years. The last visit in 2003 saw Richmond’s Steve Casebolt emerge victorious.
With two consecutive victories under his belt, Josh Rice enters the Spring 50 as the reigning champion, aiming for a historic three-peat at Florence Speedway. His dominance at the track makes him a formidable contender, poised to defend his title against a field of top-tier competitors.
Recent Spring 50 at Florence Speedway winners include Rice (2023, 2022), Ricky Thornton Jr. (2021), Bobby Pierce (2019) and Devin Gilpin (2018).
In addition to the Northern Allstars Late Model Dirt Series, Modifieds and Crate Late models also will be in competition.
There will be earlier starting times than normal today at Florence, with gates opening at noon and hot laps slated to begin at 3 p.m. For more information, visit florencespeedway.com
Kunz Motorsports news
Hot off of his Tulsa Shootout victory in January, Ashton Torgerson has been tabbed to drive for defending championship winning, Keith Kunz Motorsports of Columbus for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget presented by Toyota series. The 17-year-old from Glendale, Arizona, will add a full season of midget racing to his already busy schedule of winged sprint cars, micros and MonsterXtour monster trucks. KKM patriarch Keith Kunz will handle the crew chief duties for Torgerson and is excited to add him to his roster as he saw potential in his brief midget starts last summer when he drove for former KKM alum, Tanner Thorson for a couple Xtreme races. He ran up front in both appearances, led a bunch of laps in one race and had a podium finish.
Keith Kunz Motorsports also has added Cape Town, South Africa’s Luke Drotschie to its driver lineup for the 2024 season. Having spent time in 2023 racing for Cannon McIntosh’s co-owned Micro team, Drotschie is excited to team up with him in full size midgets with a powerhouse team like KKM.
“It’s a dream to be a part of the KKM team, I would like to thank Keith Kunz and Pete Willoughby for giving me the opportunity to be part of their team. It still all feels surreal to me,” Drotschie said.
In addition to McIntosh, Drotschie will benefit from teaming up with returning Xtreme champion Jade Avedisian, multi-race winners Gavin Miller, Ryan Timms, more KKM experienced drivers and KKM’s championship winning crew to guide him and bring him up to speed in short time.
The KKM team will kick off its season with the opening race of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota championship tonight at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Illinois. These, as well as all Xtreme Outlaw Series races, will be live on DIRTVision.
For updates and results for Drotschie and all the KKM team info, follow along on their social media sites, KeithKunzMotorsports.com, Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram and XtremeOutlawSeries.com
Paragon postponed today
Paragon Speedway was slated to begin its 2024 racing season today with the No Way Out 40 for sprint cars and modifieds. The event has been postponed to March 29 because of storm damage from Thursday.
This week in racing history
From 10 years ago in 2014 at Brownstown, Joe Janowski won the season-opening race for late models over John Gardner Jr., Tim Prince, Steve Barnett and Mike Meyers. Jamie Lomax won the modified feature over Devin Gilpin, Kent Robinson, Joe Godsey and David Mielke. Tyler Cain won the super stock feature over Aaron Fields, Marty Cooper, Jeremy Hines and Kenny Carmichael. Mickey Hines took the pure stock feature race over Chris Workman, Brad Kemp, Chris McCoy and Michael Cranmer. Jeremy Reed won the hornet feature over Jacob Owens, Greg Garrison, John Mayer Jr. and Justin Robertson.
Upcoming local racing schedule
Today: Florence Speedway, Union, Kentucky — Spring 50 for the Northern Allstars Late Model Dirt Series ($10,000 to win), plus modifieds and crate late models. For more information, visit florencespeedway.com
March 23: Brownstown Speedway — Indiana Icebreaker for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series ($15,000 to win), plus super stocks and pure stocks. For more information, visit brownstownspeedway.com
March 30: Brownstown Speedway — Spring Meltdown: Midwest Thunder 410 non-wing sprint cars, plus MMSA mini-sprints and hornets.
James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected]
