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World of Outlaws Fireball 50
Atomic Speedway | Chillicothe, Ohio
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Race Recap  

REAPER’S DISPLAY OF POWER: Ryan Gustin Sweeps Saturday Fireball 50 at Atomic Speedway

“The Reaper” goes undefeated at Atomic Speedway on Saturday night through 50 laps of racing

 

Ryan Gustin gave an ode to Scott Bloomquist by channeling his inner “Dirt Track Dominator” on Saturday night at Atomic Speedway.

Topping the scoring pylon in each appearance on the 3/8-mile racetrack, the Marshalltown, IA driver led all 50 laps through a wave of challenges from multiple World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models competitors.

He began the night by grabbing the Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap, then picked up his 11th Simpson Quick Time Award.

In Heat 3, Gustin led every lap to lock himself a spot in the Feature Redraw. He made the most of his luck by drawing the #1 chip for his second Bilstein Pole Award of the 2024 season.

Firing on all cylinders at the commencement of the 50-lap Feature, Gustin ripped the high line to escape New Berlin, IL driver Brandon Sheppard, Robeline, LA driver Cade Dillard, and Oakwood, IL driver Bobby Pierce.

In the battle for the top five, Sheppard followed Gustin until contact with the lapped car of Dennis Erb Jr ripped the left rear quarter panel off his No.B5 Longhorn Chassis, then Dillard caught a piece of Erb to damage his right rear quarter panel. Sheppard and Dillard kept on rolling with the damage lingering on their cars.

Gustin got away on the restart as Sheppard held his own with the damage to his car. Dillard had to retire his No.97 machine with a smack of the Turn 4 wall that sent a dagger into his hopes of salvaging a rebound result at Atomic after a DNF on Friday night.

While leading, Gustin ripped the rear spoiler off his No.19R Infinity Chassis and began to dangle until the caution flew for debris from Sheppard’s left rear quarter panel falling off.

When the green flag flew once more with 14 laps to go, Pierce sent his No.32 Megan’s Mission machine deep into Turn 1, then slid up on Sheppard to force him off the track to claim second place in a move that caused implications the season-long points battle.

Sheppard dropped to seventh place, Chatham, IL driver Brian Shirley took third, and fellow championship contender Nick Hoffman inherited fourth place.

While Gustin had aero troubles with the loss of his spoiler, he maintained the gap on Pierce through the remaining circuits around the Chillicothe, OH racetrack for his fourth win of the season in the Fireball 50.

In Victory Lane, he celebrated with Scott Bloomquist’s infamous “hang loose” signal and a point to the sky to the man that meant a lot to Gustin as a mentor and friend. He also dedicated the win to his son, Bradyn, who turned 12 on Saturday.

Ryan Gustin exits the racetrack with his broken spoiler after winning the Fireball 50 (Emily Schwanke)

“It means the absolute world to me,” Gustin said. “It’s been rough, I’m sure we made him proud up there tonight. We were handicapped pretty bad when you lose a spoiler like that. I thought we were done, but the only way to win was to drive like a madman like we did for the last (14) laps.

“Tim (Douglas) was telling me I had a pretty big lead before lap traffic, but its hard when you got guys that can catch up pretty fast to you. Cautions definitely helped us for sure to get us going again, but anytime you can win with no spoiler is a testament to how good these Infinity Chassis are and these Jay Dickens Engines run flawlessly. It’s also my son’s birthday today so I wanted to get one for him.”

Pierce finished second to finish the weekend by closing the distance to Sheppard in the Series championship hunt to 54 points with seven races left in the season. Pierce is in a tie with Hoffman for second place but has the tiebreaker over Hoffman for finishing higher than him in the Feature.

“I love the finish,” Pierce said. “It’s good to end the weekend with a first and second, but I didn’t like how I got there. When I passed Sheppard, he got off the track and I know he wouldn’t have fell off the track if he had more room there. I did kinda come up into his line. It’s such a tricky deal when the top has so much speed and you’re trying to make passes here.

“Besides that, we held on and didn’t fall off which was one of my main concerns. The track was so treacherous and both corners had it’s characteristics. Turns 1 and 2 was like running at Bristol with potholes. The last two corners were normal to how the track is, but had a dip with a slick spot in Turn 4. I gotta hand it to Gustin, he was fast and turning like he was going for qualifying laps each time. We gotta work on it, see what’s wrong, but we’ll take it.”

Shirley finished third for his fifth consecutive podium finish in August with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models. While he was inside the thick of the drama at the front of the field, Shirley kept his nose clean to finish the night with a podium result.

“The track was really demanding,” Shirley said. “It was one of those deals where we were good, but not the greatest. I just had to bide my time, get by guys when I could on the restarts, and lucky enough for things to fall our way to end up third.

“Nights like tonight, when our car is 85-90%, it shows that we can be patient and take what you can get. That’s what it boiled down to, I was really trying to do all I could on restarts and take what’s in front of us.”

Hoffman finished fourth with an 18-place climb from a 22nd-place starting spot to receive Saturday night’s Fox Factory Hard Charger Award. Batavia, OH driver Adam Stricker finished the night with a fifth-place result to end his weekend with the Series.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Ryan Gustin

Simpson Quick Time Award: Ryan Gustin

Heat Race Winners: Bobby Pierce, Cade Dillard, Ryan Gustin, Brandon Sheppard

Last Chance Showdown Winner: Freddie Carpenter

Bilstein Pole Award: Ryan Gustin

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Nick Hoffman (+18)

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models head south towards Georgia and Alabama for Senoia Raceway on Saturday, Sept. 14, and the completion of the Alabama Gang 100 at the Talladega Short Track on Sunday, Sept. 15.

For more information about the upcoming events in the 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models season, CLICK HERE.      

If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap of the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models season on DIRTVision – through your computer or mobile device.

CASE Late Model Feature (50 Laps): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[1]; 2. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[10]; 4. 9-Nick Hoffman[22]; 5. 68-Adam Stricker[7]; 6. 19M-Spencer Hughes[5]; 7. B5-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 8. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[12]; 9. 40B-Kyle Bronson[15]; 10. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 11. 16-Tyler Bruening[18]; 12. 71C-RJ Conley[16]; 13. 17-Zack Dohm[13]; 14. B1-Brent Larson[24]; 15. 22*-Max McLaughlin[20]; 16. 71R-Rod Conley[19]; 17. 90-Michael LeFevers[25]; 18. S21-Seth Daniels[8]; 19. 1-Tyler Erb[6]; 20. 11-Jared Hawkins[14]; 21. 97-Cade Dillard[3]; 22. C4-Freddie Carpenter[17]; 23. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[23]; 24. 97JR-Cody Overton[9]; 25. 57B-Caiden Black[21]

[Read More]
Results  
Feature Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
11019RRyan Gustin 500.00050Running150$15,000
24+232Bobby Pierce 50-1.757Running146$7,000
310+73SBrian Shirley 50-4.223Running144$4,000
422+189Nick Hoffman 50-6.561Running142$3,500
57+268Adam Stricker 50-7.213Running140$3,200
65-119MSpencer Hughes 50-8.280Running138$3,000
72-5B5Brandon Sheppard 50-9.787Running136$2,700
812+420TCTristan Chamberlain 50-10.601Running134$2,500
915+640BKyle Bronson 50-11.177Running132$2,300
1011+119Dustin Sorensen 50-11.950Running130$2,200
1118+716Tyler Bruening 50-12.539Running128$2,100
1216+471CRJ Conley 50-14.875Running126$2,000
1313017Zack Dohm 50-15.818Running124$1,700
1424+10B1Brent Larson 49-1 LapsRunning122$1,600
1520+522*Max McLaughlin 49-1 LapsRunning120$1,400
1619+371RRod Conley 47-3 LapsRunning118$1,300
1725+890Michael LeFevers 47-3 LapsRunning116$1,200
188-10S21Seth Daniels 36-14 LapsDNF114$1,200
196-131Tyler Erb 34-16 LapsDNF112$1,200
2014-611Jared Hawkins 30-20 LapsDNF110$1,200
213-1897Cade Dillard 22-28 LapsDNF108$1,200
2217-5C4Freddie Carpenter 22-28 LapsDNF106$1,200
2323028Dennis Erb Jr14-36 LapsDNF104$1,200
249-1597JRCody Overton 8-42 LapsDNF104$1,200
2521-457BCaiden Black 4-46 LapsDNF104$1,200
FOX Factory Hard Charger: Nick Hoffman
Last Chance Showdown 1 Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
110C4Freddie Carpenter 100.00010Running0$0
22016Tyler Bruening 10-0.932Running0$0
33071RRod Conley 10-2.652Running0$0
46+222*Max McLaughlin 10-3.214Running0$0
54-157BCaiden Black 10-3.846Running0$0
611+59Nick Hoffman 10-4.128Running0$0
75-228Dennis Erb Jr10-5.038Running0$0
880B1Brent Larson 10-6.370Running0$0
910+17Audie Swartz 10-6.401Running100$110
109-157Matt Tifft 10-7.173Running100$110
117-4B1BJosh Bocook 10-10.139Running100$110
1213+105Jeff Davis 10-13.088Running100$110
1314+190Michael LeFevers 10-14.648Running0$0
1412-214WDustin Walker 0-10 LapsDNF100$110
1515021Kirk Phillips 0-10 LapsDNF100$110
1616029CClint Keenan 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
Heat 1 Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
12+132Bobby Pierce 80.0008Running
21-168Adam Stricker 8-0.895Running
34+197JRCody Overton 8-1.751Running
43-117Zack Dohm 8-3.718Running
56+1C4Freddie Carpenter 8-4.123Running
65-128Dennis Erb Jr8-4.896Running
77057Matt Tifft 8-6.892Running
88005Jeff Davis 7-1 LapsRunning
Heat 2 Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
13+297Cade Dillard 80.000Running
22019MSpencer Hughes 8-1.185Running
36+319Dustin Sorensen 8-2.728Running
44040BKyle Bronson 8-3.534Running
55071RRod Conley 8-4.126Running
67+1B1BJosh Bocook 8-6.118Running
71-69Nick Hoffman 4-4 LapsDNF
88021Kirk Phillips 0-8 LapsDNF
Heat 3 Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
11019RRyan Gustin 80.0008Running
2201Tyler Erb 8-1.144Running
3303SBrian Shirley 8-2.469Running
44011Jared Hawkins 8-3.680Running
55016Tyler Bruening 8-5.817Running
67+122*Max McLaughlin 8-9.012Running
76-17Audie Swartz 8-10.064Running
88090Michael LeFevers 7-1 LapsRunning
Heat 4 Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
110B5Brandon Sheppard 80.0008Running
24+2S21Seth Daniels 8-2.242Running
32-120TCTristan Chamberlain 8-2.834Running
46+271CRJ Conley 8-3.978Running
53-257BCaiden Black 8-5.087Running
65-1B1Brent Larson 8-6.428Running
77014WDustin Walker 8-11.898Running
88029CClint Keenan 0-8 LapsDNF
Qualifying Flight 1 Results
POSStartCarDriverHometownTimeDifference
1368Adam Stricker Batavia, OH13.1300.000
2169Nick Hoffman Mooresville, NC13.205-0.075
31332Bobby Pierce Oakwood, IL13.267-0.137
4719MSpencer Hughes Meridian, MS13.378-0.248
51117Zack Dohm Cross Lanes, WV13.379-0.249
61297Cade Dillard Robeline, LA13.413-0.283
71097JRCody Overton Evans, GA13.450-0.320
8240BKyle Bronson Brandon, FL13.473-0.343
9928Dennis Erb JrCarpentersville, IL13.553-0.423
10571RRod Conley Wheelersburg, OH13.683-0.553
1115C4Freddie Carpenter Parkersburg, WV13.684-0.554
12819Dustin Sorensen Rochester, MN13.742-0.612
13157Matt Tifft Hinkley, OH13.904-0.774
144B1BJosh Bocook Wheelersburg, OH13.956-0.826
151405Jeff Davis Waverly, OH14.883-1.753
16621Kirk Phillips Ashland, KY14.883-1.753
Qualifying Flight 2 Results
POSStartCarDriverHometownTimeDifference
11419RRyan Gustin Marshalltown, IA13.1000.000
29B5Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL13.256-0.156
361Tyler Erb New Waverly, TX13.288-0.188
41020TCTristan Chamberlain Richmond, IN13.418-0.318
5153SBrian Shirley Chatham, IL13.428-0.328
6257BCaiden Black New Concord, OH13.475-0.375
7811Jared Hawkins Fairmont, WV13.484-0.384
812S21Seth Daniels Jackson, OH13.538-0.438
9416Tyler Bruening Decorah, IA13.567-0.467
101B1Brent Larson Lake Elmo, MN13.675-0.575
11137Audie Swartz Minford, OH13.714-0.614
12771CRJ Conley Wheelersburg, OH13.768-0.668
131622*Max McLaughlin , 13.854-0.754
14514WDustin Walker Polk, MO14.728-1.628
15390Michael LeFevers Cincinnati, OH14.852-1.752
161129CClint Keenan Pataskala, OH14.852-1.752
Hot Laps Results
POSStartCarDriverHometownTimeDifference
13019RRyan Gustin Marshalltown, IA13.4730.000
225B5Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL13.483-0.010
31857BCaiden Black New Concord, OH13.548-0.075
4313SBrian Shirley Chatham, IL13.584-0.111
53222*Max McLaughlin , 13.628-0.155
6221Tyler Erb New Waverly, TX13.705-0.232
7169Nick Hoffman Mooresville, NC13.745-0.272
82620TCTristan Chamberlain Richmond, IN13.761-0.288
92016Tyler Bruening Decorah, IA13.783-0.310
101297Cade Dillard Robeline, LA13.787-0.314
1128S21Seth Daniels Jackson, OH13.802-0.329
121097JRCody Overton Evans, GA13.821-0.348
131117Zack Dohm Cross Lanes, WV13.880-0.407
141332Bobby Pierce Oakwood, IL13.891-0.418
15928Dennis Erb JrCarpentersville, IL13.916-0.443
162411Jared Hawkins Fairmont, WV13.928-0.455
172371CRJ Conley Wheelersburg, OH13.947-0.474
18297Audie Swartz Minford, OH13.953-0.480
1917B1Brent Larson Lake Elmo, MN14.004-0.531
2015C4Freddie Carpenter Parkersburg, WV14.154-0.681
21571RRod Conley Wheelersburg, OH14.202-0.729
22240BKyle Bronson Brandon, FL14.218-0.745
23368Adam Stricker Batavia, OH14.387-0.914
24819Dustin Sorensen Rochester, MN14.407-0.934
252114WDustin Walker Polk, MO14.444-0.971
26157Matt Tifft Hinkley, OH14.584-1.111
274B1BJosh Bocook Wheelersburg, OH14.606-1.133
281405Jeff Davis Waverly, OH14.698-1.225
291990Michael LeFevers Cincinnati, OH14.723-1.250
30621Kirk Phillips Ashland, KY15.803-2.330
31719MSpencer Hughes Meridian, MS15.803-2.330
322729CClint Keenan Pataskala, OH15.803-2.330
DIRTVision Highlights  
Event Info  

World of Outlaws Fireball 50

Friday, August 23rd to Saturday, August 24th

Atomic Speedway

2535 Blain Hwy

Chillicothe, Ohio, 45601

Event Description

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models travel to Ohio for two nights of Atomic Speedway action, Aug. 23-24, with Saturday's finale being the Fireball 50.

Series Racing
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
To Win Amount
$15,000.00

Event Schedule

Friday, August 23
2PM Pit Gates open
4PM Grandstand Gates open
6PM Hot Laps/Qualifying
7:30PM Racing Begins

Saturday, August 24
12PM Pit Gates open
2PM Grandstand Gates open
6PM Hot Laps/Qualifying with Racing to follow

*All times Eastern

Ticket Options  
Ticket Phone
(740) 703-9749
Options And Prices

Adult General Admission: $30
Kids General Admission: $15
Senior/Military General Admission: $20
Adult VIP: $200
Adult Reserved: $35
2-Day Adult General Admission: $50
2-Day Kids General Admission: $20
2-Day Senior/Military General Admission: $20
2-Day Reserved: $60

Grandstand Type

Bleachers

Family Section Location
Turn 4
Handicapped Seating Location
Front row
Pit Pass Price

2-Day Adult Pit Pass: $70
Adult Pit Pass: $40
Kids Pit Pass: $20

Pit Age Requirement
None
Handicapped Parking Location
At front gate
Camping Availability
Onsite
Camping Cost
Rates vary per event
Frequently Asked Questions  
To Win Amount
$15,000.00
Type of Grandstand

Bleachers

Stadium Seating

No stadium seating allowed

Handicapped Seating
Front row
Handicapped Parking
At front gate
Pit Age Limit
None
Personal Coolers
14 inch coolers or smaller are permitted. No alcohol or glass bottles.
Alcohol Sales
Alcohol is available at track (Not allowed in)
Smoking Policy

Family Section
Turn 4
Camping Availability
Onsite
Camping Cost
Rates vary per event
Track Info  

Atomic Speedway

2535 Blain Hwy

Chillicothe, Ohio, 45601

Track Phone
(740) 703-9749
Ticket Phone
(740) 703-9749
Track Size
0.375
Closest Airport
Chillicothe
Other Airport
Columbus
Track Map
Competitor Info  
Tire Rules

Left Front Tire: Open (Hoosier Only)

Left Rear & Right Front Tire: Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3 

Right Rear Tire: Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4

** Grooving and siping will be allowed. **

 

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