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MARS Late Model & Modified Championship Tours 2024 Season Statistical Review

MARS Late Model & Modified Championship Tours 2024 Season Statistical Review

FAIRBURY, IL (January 1, 2025) With year number two completed for the MARS Championship tours under the ownership of MC Promotions, we take one final look back on the memorable 2024 season with a statistical review.

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends

2024 Season Schedule

DATE - TRACK - CITY, STATE - CAR COUNT - WINNER
4/26 - Brownstown Bullring - Brownstown, IL - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
4/27 - Peoria Speedway - Peoria, IL - 36 - Ryan Unzicker
4/28 - East Moline Speedway - East Moline, IL - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
5/17 - Kankakee County Speedway - Kankakee, IL - 28 - Dillon McCowan
5/18 - World Famous Highland Speedway - Highland, IL - 36 - Jason Feger
5/25 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 31 - Jason Feger (2)
5/26 - Spoon River Speedway - Lewistown, IL - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
7/19 - Farmer City Raceway - Farmer City, IL - 35 - Brian Shirley
7/20 - Federated Auto Parts Raceway @ I-55 - Pevely, MO - 42 - Jason Feger (3)
7/21 - Adams County Speedway - Quincy, IL - 26 - Dennis Erb Jr
8/9 - Sycamore Speedway - Maple Park, IL - 27 - Ryan Unzicker (2)
8/10 - Macon Speedway - Macon, IL - 23 - Jason Feger (4)
8/11 - East Moline Speedway - East Moline, IL - 18 - Ryan Unzicker (3)
8/23 - Tri City Speedway - Granite City, IL - 25 - Daniel Adam
8/24 - Red Hill Raceway - Sumner, IL - 18 - Ryan Unzicker (4)
8/30 - Farmer City Raceway - Farmer City, IL - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
8/31 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 29 - Shannon Babb
9/1 - Spoon River Speedway - Lewistown, IL - 30 - McKay Wenger
9/13 - Brownstown Bullring - Brownstown, IL - 31 - Brian Shirley (2)
9/14 - Paducah International Raceway - Paducah, KY - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
10/4 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 40 - Brian Shirley (3)
10/5 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 39 - Brian Shirley (4)

Nightly Award Winners

Pontiac RV Heat Race #1 Winners

Jason Feger - 4
Shannon Babb - 2
Brian Shirley - 2
Colby Sheppard - 1
Mike Harrison - 1
Allen Weisser - 1
Gordy Gundaker - 1
Dennis Erb Jr - 1
Garrett Alberson - 1
Kye Blight - 1
McKay Wenger - 1
Myles Moos - 1

FK Rod Ends 1st Place Finisher

Jason Feger - 4
Ryan Unzicker - 4
Brian Shirley - 4
Dillon McCowan - 1
Dennis Erb Jr - 1
Daniel Adam - 1
Shannon Babb - 1
McKay Wenger - 1

FK Rod Ends 5th Place Finisher

Bob Gardner - 2
Matt Bailey - 2
Allen Weisser - 2
Kye Blight - 2
Shannon Babb - 2
Kevin Weaver - 1
Jake Little - 1
Chad Simpson - 1
Justin Duty - 1
Dennis Erb Jr - 1
Brandon Sheppard - 1
Jason Feger - 1

Fairbury Fasteners 7th Place Finisher

Kye Blight - 3
Mark Voigt - 3
Ryan Unzicker - 3
Mike Spatola - 2
McKay Wenger - 1
Justin Duty - 1
Mitch McGrath - 1
Rich Bell - 1
Bob Gardner - 1
Brandon Eskew - 1

Budda by Bert Transmission 9th Place Finisher

Bob Gardner - 2
Joe Chalmers - 2
Myles Moos - 2
Chad Finley - 2
Rich Bell - 1
Turk Letizia - 1
Daniel Adam - 1
Donny Walden - 1
Aaron Marrant - 1
Mitch McGrath - 1
Allen Weisser - 1
Jayme Zidar - 1
Tanner English - 1

Hooker Harness 11th Place Finisher

Kye Blight - 1
Justin Duty - 1
Darrel Moser Jr - 1
Daniel Adam - 1
Aaron Marrant - 1
Rusty Griffaw - 1
Rickey Frankel - 1
Mike Provenzano - 1
Jake Little - 1
Shawn Mulvany - 1
Doug Tye - 1
Terry Bolin - 1
Brayton Wallace - 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Matt Bailey - 1
Myles Moos - 1
Blaze Burwell - 1

Keyser Manufacturing 13th Place Finisher

Daniel Adam - 2
Bob Gardner - 1
Dale Markham - 1
Jason Suhre - 1
Jeffrey Ledford - 1
Allen Weisser - 1
Gordy Gundaker - 1
Jason Perry - 1
Curtis Eller - 1
Gary Webb - 1
Justin Duty - 1
Kyle McMahon - 1
Devin McLean - 1
Mark Voigt - 1
Mike Provenzano - 1
McKay Wenger - 1

Fast Shafts 15th Place Finisher

Tucker Finch - 2
Kye Blight - 2
Brian Shirley - 1
Jake Little - 1
Jordan Bauer - 1
Timmy Dick - 1
Trey Mills - 1
Colby Sheppard - 1
Jeremy Spoonmore - 1
Dakota Ewing - 1
Camden Gardner - 1
Lee Williams - 1
Daniel Adam - 1
Mark Voigt - 1
Bob Gardner - 1

MD3 Hard Charger Award Winners

Bob Gardner - 3
Dale Markham - 2
Mark Voigt - 2
Frank Heckenast Jr - 2
Turk Letizia - 1
Kye Blight - 1
Jason Perry - 1
Mike Provenzano - 1
Allen Weisser - 1
Rich Bell - 1
Terry Bolin - 1
Ryan Unzicker - 1

Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winners

Mark Voigt - 1
David Marlow - 1
Michael Kloos - 1
Frank Heckenast Jr - 1
Rich Bell - 1
Dustin Hodges - 1
Dale Markham - 1
Colby Sheppard - 1
Greg Kimmons - 1
Matt Ryan - 1
Terry Bolin - 1
Blaze Burwell - 1
Thomas Hunziker - 1
Logan Moody - 1
Doug Tye - 1
Jeffrey Ledford - 1
Doug Drown - 1

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winners

Justin Duty - 6
Allen Weisser - 5
Jake Little - 2
Daniel Adam - 2
Tommy Sheppard Jr - 1
Mitch McGrath - 1

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends 2024 Final Points

1. Jason Feger – Bloomington, IL – 991 points
2. Ryan Unzicker – El Paso, IL – 944 points
3. Justin Duty – Molalla, OR – 771 points
4. Bob Gardner – Washington, IL – 729 points
5. McKay Wenger – Fairbury, IL – 658 points
6. Daniel Adam – Peru, IL – 641 points
7. Kye Blight – Bunbury, Western Australia – 635 points
8. Mark Voigt – Marine, IL – 575 points
9. Allen Weisser – Peoria, IL – 556 points
10. Dale Markham – Maple Park, IL – 510 points

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends 2024 Top 10 Driver Breakdown

Jason Feger

Point Position: 1
Events Entered: 17
Wins: 4
Top 5’s: 14
Top 10’s: 16
Average Feature Finish: 3.82

Although Feger had misfortune strike the first couple of shows in 2024 and didn’t capture as many wins as he did in the previous year, he was able to do enough to become the series champion two years in a row. The #25 did not move into the points lead until after the halfway mark of the season, but once he got there, he never looked back. Feger may have only had 4 wins in 2024, but his consistency was better than ever as he finished on the podium in 65% of the races held. He picked up feature wins at World Famous Highland Speedway, Fairbury Speedway, Federated Auto Parts Raceway @ I-55, and Macon Speedway.

Ryan Unzicker

Point Position: 2
Events Entered: 17
Wins: 4
Top 5’s: 11
Top 10’s: 14
Average Feature Finish: 6

Much like his 2023 season on the MARS tour, Unzicker experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows over the course of the year. At the beginning of the season, he came out of the gate with a twelth to first run at Peoria to open the tour, followed by two consecutive DNF’s that left Unzicker wondering if he would even continue with the series in 2024. Nonetheless he stayed committed and stuck on the tour where he then collected three wins and eight podium finishes during an eleven-race span during the middle of the season and started applying pressure towards Jason Feger for the series championship. Ultimately, he finished the season in second for consecutive years as he finished the last three races with a pair of seventh-place finishes and a DNF in the season finale at FALS.

Justin Duty

Point Position: 3
Events Entered: 17
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 4
Top 10’s: 13
Average Feature Finish: 7.94

The spring-time decision to switch to a run at the MARS Late Model Championship title proved to be the right call for the Oregon racer, as Duty was able to capture a third-place finish in season standings along with the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year title. Duty finished the season with one podium finish although he led significant laps during the KerbyStrong 100 at Macon Speedway and was making a late race charge at Tri City Speedway until misfortune struck on both occasions. The #15 seemed to get in a good groove towards the latter part of the season where he captured five consecutive top-six finishes from mid-August through early October.

Bob Gardner

Point Position: 4
Events Entered: 17
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 5
Top 10’s: 10
Average Feature Finish: 9.18

The beginning of the year started almost as well as Bob Gardner could have hoped for as he collected three top-5 finishes in his first four starts. Splitting time throughout the season between his 4G machine and the Brent McKinnon owned 26M ultimately hindered the consistency throughout his season as Gardner only collected two top-5’s in his final thirteen events. With only a few finishes outside of the top-10 on the season, Bob was still able to finish the fourth in the points standings for the second consecutive year.

McKay Wenger

Point Position: 5
Events Entered: 14
Wins: 1
Top 5’s: 4
Top 10’s: 9
Average Feature Finish: 9.57

2024 was a challenging year for McKay Wenger on the MARS tour that was highlighted with a victory at Spoon River Speedway for the Plowboy Nationals in September. After missing three events midseason due to engine woes, Wenger bounced back strong in the final five events of the tour by only finishing outside of the top-10 once. Along with his victory at Spoon, he racked up top-5 finishes at Fairbury Speedway & Adams County Speedway (4 total). After it was all said and done, he was credited with a fifth-place finish in series standings as a tour regular for the first time since 2022.

Daniel Adam

Point Position: 6
Events Entered: 17
Wins: 1
Top 5’s: 1
Top 10’s: 6
Average Feature Finish: 12.35

Building a notebook and learning the bullrings of the Midwest was the priority for the North Carolina transplant, Daniel Adam, in 2024. He transferred to all seventeen features throughout the tour and found victory lane in August at Tri-City Speedway for the Gary Gerstner Memorial. Sixth in season standings was also good enough for a runner-up finish in the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year battle.

Kye Blight

Point Position: 7
Events Entered: 14
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 3
Top 10’s: 9
Average Feature Finish: 8.62 + 1 DNQ

Kye Blight had some of his best runs of his American career throughout the 2024 MARS campaign, including a stretch of five races where he never finished worse than seventh. Unfortunately, attrition set in on the BAR31 team the second half of the season, after a grueling summer, and parts failures and engine woes sidelined Blight for three events including Championship Weekend at FALS. His best finish of the season was a third-place finish at Kankakee County Speedway.

Mark Voigt

Point Position: 8
Events Entered: 16
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 0
Top 10’s: 5
Average Feature Finish: 12.92 + 3 DNQ

The 2024 season proved to be a major improvement compared to 2023, but still had its fair share of challenges. After a DNF on night one at Peoria Speedway, Voigt came out on the second weekend and finished seventh at Kankakee County Speedway and a season best sixth at World Famous Highland Speedway. Unfortunately, a string of issues for the team kept the #30 from finishing top-10 again until mid-August when Voigt bagged three consecutive top-10 finishes at Tri-City Speedway, Red Hill Raceway, and Fairbury Speedway. For the second consecutive season Voigt earned an eighth-place finish in overall points.

Allen Weisser

Point Position: 9
Events Entered: 11
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 5
Top 10’s: 7
Average Feature Finish: 8.55

One of the biggest stories of the season was how strong Allen Weisser came out the gate on the MARS circuit. At the halfway break of the season, Weisser was actually leading the season standings. Unfortunately, the decision was made to park the Late Model after the KerbyStrong 100 at Macon Speedway and was not seen in MARS competition until Championship Weekend at FALS. His strong first half of the season was good enough to keep him inside of the top-10 at seasons end.

Dale Markham

Point Position: 10
Events Entered: 17
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 0
Top 10’s: 1
Average Feature Finish: 16.08 + 5 DNQ

Completing the MARS tour ended up being one of the most grueling things in Dale Markham’s racing career, but with his never quit mentality he was able to accomplish his goal. The season started out rough with tough competition every single night at many places that he had never seen in his racing career, but as the season went on, he was able to find his way logging important laps in each feature event. He finished third in Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year standings and had his lone top-10 finish in August at East Moline Speedway.

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Final Point Standings

1. Justin Duty – 771 points
2. Daniel Adam – 641 points
3. Dale Markham – 510 points

Tidbits of the 2024 Season

• Car Count average of 30.24 cars per race.

• 8 winners in 17 events.

• 9 full-time drivers.

• Winner’s shares included: (1) $12,000, (2) $10,000, (1) $5,098, (1) $5,012, and (12) $5,000 events.

• Events were contested at 14 racetracks in 2 states.

• 149 total different competitors.

MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

2024 Season Schedule

DATE - TRACK - CITY, STATE - CAR COUNT - WINNER
April 12 - Farmer City Raceway - Farmer City, IL - 47 - Michael Long
April 13 - Farmer City Raceway - Farmer City, IL - 45 - Mike McKinney
April 19 - Tri City Speedway - Granite City, IL - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
April 20 - Highland Speedway - Highland, IL - 41 - Michael Long (2)
April 26 - Brownstown Bullring - Brownstown, IL - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
April 27 - Peoria Speedway - Peoria, IL - 33 - Michael Long (3)
May 17 - Kankakee County Speedway - Kankakee, IL - 31 - Michael Long (4)
May 18 - Highland Speedway - Highland, IL - 26 - Michael Long (5)
May 23 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 122 - Michael Long (6) / Mike Harrison
May 24 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
May 25 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 125 - Mike Harrison (2)
May 26 - Spoon River Speedway - Lewistown, IL - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
July 19 - Farmer City Raceway - Farmer City, IL - 31 - Michael Long (7)
July 20 - Federated Auto Parts Raceway @ I-55 - Pevely, MO - 28 - Michael Long (8)
July 21 - Adams County Speedway - Quincy, IL - 20 - Will Krup
August 31 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 53 - Cole Falloway
September 1 - Spoon River Speedway - Lewistown, IL - 41 - Cole Falloway (2)
September 13 - Brownstown Bullring - Brownstown, IL - 23 - Cole Falloway (3)
September 14 - Paducah International Raceway - Paducah, KY - RAIN OUT - RAIN OUT
October 4 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 40 - Mike McKinney (2)
October 5 - Fairbury Speedway - Fairbury, IL - 40 - Michael Long (9)

Nightly Award Winners

Multi Fire X Fast Time Award Winners

Mike McKinney - 5
Austin Friedman - 2
Michael Long - 2
Will Krup - 2
Derek Losh - 1
Hunt Gossum - 1
Lyndon Whitfill - 1
Ray Bollinger - 1

Willy’s Carb & Dyno Heat Race #1 Winners

Michael Long - 3
Mike McKinney - 2
Will Krup - 2
Charlie Mefford - 1
Derek Losh - 1
Ray Bollinger - 1
Zeke McKenzie - 1
Dylan Woodling - 1
Michael Ledford - 1
Mike Chasteen Jr - 1
Adam Pockrus - 1

Lethal Chassis Heat Race #2 Winners

Michael Long - 5
Mike McKinney - 3
Josh Harris - 1
Michael Ledford - 1
Dean Hoffman - 1
Austen Becerra - 1
Lyndon Whitfill - 1
Trent Young - 1
Ray Bollinger - 1

Summit Racing Equipment 1st Place Finisher

Michael Long - 9
Cole Falloway - 3
Mike Harrison - 2
Mike McKinney - 2
Will Krup - 1

Fast Shafts 3rd Place Finisher

Mike McKinney - 3
Michael Ledford - 3
Zeke McKenzie - 2
Kyle Steffens - 1
Trey Harris - 1
Dillon Nusbaum - 1
Dean Hoffman - 1
Austin Friedman - 1
Ryan Thomas - 1
Trent Young - 1
Charlie Mefford - 1
Lyndon Whitfill - 1

Keyser Manufacturing 7th Place Finisher

Ray Bollinger - 2
Treb Jacoby - 2
Kyle Hammer - 2
Dylan Woodling - 2
Dave Wietholder - 2
Allen Weisser - 1
Chad Sellers - 1
Brad Deyoung - 1
Mason Duncan - 1
Frank Marshall - 1
Will Krup - 1
Lyndon Whitfill - 1

Hooker Harness 11th Place Finisher

Dylan Woodling - 2
Cole Falloway - 1
Trevor Neville - 1
Rick Salter - 1
Caden McWhorter - 1
Lyndon Whitfill - 1
Jeremy Pate - 1
Lucas Lee - 1
Jason Hollon - 1
Blake Brown - 1
Jarrett Stryker - 1
Shawn Deering - 1
Steven Brooks - 1
Josh Allen - 1
Kenny Wallace - 1
Derek Losh - 1

MD3 Hard Charger Award Winners

Zeke McKenzie - 2
Dylan Woodling - 2
Cole Falloway - 1
Lucas Lee - 1
Ray Bollinger - 1
Jason Hastings - 1
Lyndon Whitfill - 1
Austen Becerra - 1
Mike Harrison - 1
Allen Weisser - 1
Kelly Kovski - 1
Treb Jacoby - 1
Dave Wietholder - 1
Michael Long - 1
Trevor Neville - 1

Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winners

Ryan Thomas - 1
Rick Frasure - 1
CJ Springer - 1
Noah Faw - 1
Mason Duncan - 1
Cody Zobrist - 1
Tim Nash - 1
Kyle Strickler - 1
Nick Allen - 1
Justin McCoy - 1
Josh Harris - 1
Justin Reed - 1
Charlie Mefford - 1
Lyndon Whitfill - 1
Billy Knebel - 1
Adam Pockrus - 1
Kelly Kovski - 1

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winners

Kyle Hammer - 7
Lyndon Whitfill - 4
Trey Harris - 2
Mason Duncan - 2
Treb Jacoby - 1

MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment 2024 Final Points

1. Michael Long – Fowler, IL - 955 points
2. Mike McKinney – Plainfield, IL - 900 points
3. Zeke McKenzie – Claypool, IL - 682 points
4. Ray Bollinger – Kewanee, IL - 656 points
5. Kyle Hammer – Clinton, IL - 595 points
6. Lyndon Whitfill – Fairbury, IL - 566 points
7. Dylan Woodling – Warsaw, IN - 485 points
8. Cole Falloway – Owensboro, KY - 458 points
9. Jarrett Stryker – Breese, IL - 425 points
10. Mike Chasteen Jr – Peoria, IL - 421 points

MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment 2024 Top 10 Driver Breakdown

Michael Long

Point Position: 1
Events Entered: 16
Wins: 9
Top 5’s: 15
Top 10’s: 15
Average Feature Finish: 2.75

After an unprecedented run during year 1 of the MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment tour, Long backed it up in year 2 with even better numbers. He picked up nine victories in sixteen events and managed to finish top-5 in every single event minus a night that ended with a DNF at Fairbury. Long was the undisputed top performing driver in DIRTcar UMP Modified racing in 2024 as he picked up his second consecutive MARS Modified title to go along with his first ever DIRTcar National Championship.

Mike McKinney

Point Position: 2
Events Entered: 14
Wins: 2
Top 5’s: 14
Top 10’s: 14
Average Feature Finish: 2.21

Mike McKinney completed his run with the MARS tour in 2024 with a second place in series standings. In 14 starts McKinney never finished off the podium throughout the season and accumulated two wins along the way (Farmer City Raceway & Fairbury Speedway). He earned a $4,000 check for his season-long efforts at our championship dinner and averaged over $2,200 per night in winnings with all money earned factored in.

Zeke McKenzie

Point Position: 3
Events Entered: 14
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 6
Top 10’s: 13
Average Feature Finish: 6.71

Year two on the MARS Modified tour for Zeke McKenzie looked similar to his 2023 campaign as he finished third in series standings in the second consecutive year. The one thing that did change was his night-to-night performance as he picked up more top-5 and top-10 finishes than in 2023. McKenzie’s self-built Vanquish Chassis showed that it can compete with the best of the best as he captured two podium finishes on the tour and notably finished sixth out of 125 entries in the inaugural Illinois Dirt Shootout.

Ray Bollinger

Point Position: 4
Events Entered: 16
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 4
Top 10’s: 10
Average Feature Finish: 8.64 + 2 DNQ

One of the new faces to the MARS Modified tour in full time competition in 2024 was one of the most notable drivers in the Land of Lincoln over the past decade in the division, Ray Bollinger. Bollinger had his fair share of success including 4 top-5 finishes highlighted by a runner-up finish at Highland Speedway in April. He, along with his Vanquish Chassis teammate Zeke McKenzie, were both contenders towards the front in numerous events, but were unable to seal the deal in 2024 with a victory. They will both look to change that as 2025 boasts a schedule of racetracks that both have had success at in the past.

Kyle Hammer

Point Position: 5
Events Entered: 14
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 3
Top 10’s: 7
Average Feature Finish: 10.86

2024 was a bit of a roller coaster ride on the MARS Modified tour for Clinton, Illinois native Kyle Hammer. He came into the season with high hopes and looked to be a frontrunning candidate after a fourth-place finish to open up the season at Farmer City Raceway. After a fifth-place finish at Peoria Speedway in race four of the season, it wasn’t until Championship Weekend that he found the top-5 again. Hammer was crowned the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year for his efforts on Championship Night at Fairbury Speedway. Look for Hammer to be a championship contender in 2025 as he looks to solely focus on Modified racing next season.

Lyndon Whitfill

Point Position: 6
Events Entered: 16
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 1
Top 10’s: 7
Average Feature Finish: 11.87

Lyndon Whitfill began the MARS tour in 2024 knowing it was going to be tough racing against the best competition every single night at many places he had never raced at before, but that didn’t mean he was backing down from the challenge. His Diamond Chassis showed impressive speed highlighted by setting quick time overall on the Friday night portion of FALS Frenzy Championship Weekend and bringing home a podium finish that evening. Whitfill finished second in Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year standings after a back-and-forth battle with Kyle Hammer throughout the season.

Dylan Woodling

Point Position: 7
Events Entered: 12
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 2
Top 10’s: 5
Average Feature Finish: 10.6 + 2 DNQ

Dylan Woodling followed a great deal of the MARS Modified tour in 2024 splitting time between his #3W machine and the Mike Learman owned #4 car. After getting off to a rough start at Farmer City Raceway by not transferring into the feature on opening night, Woodling was able to string together some solid finishes especially later into the season. His best run of the season came at Federated Auto Parts Raceway @ I-55 where he won his heat race, and looked to be the favorite to win throughout the race until he was passed late in the event. He ultimately came home with a second place finish that evening.

Cole Falloway

Point Position: 8
Events Entered: 9
Wins: 3
Top 5’s: 4
Top 10’s: 6
Average Feature Finish: 7.78

Cole Falloway is a driver that truly had the tale of two seasons in 2024. He started the tour by racing the first handful of nights without reaching the podium and ultimately decided to drop off in full-time capacity after Kankakee County Speedway. His final three events he entered on the schedule were Labor Day weekend shows at Fairbury Speedway and Spoon River Speedway followed by the Brownstown 100 at Brownstown Bullring. On all three occasions, Falloway ended the night in victory lane.

Jarrett Stryker

Point Position: 9
Events Entered: 16
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 0
Top 10’s: 1
Average Feature Finish: 16.22 + 7 DNQ

Another driver that showed flashes of speed but didn’t necessarily have the results to show for it was Breese, Illinois driver Jarrett Stryker. Stryker hit every MARS event on the schedule in 2024 and had his lone top-10 finish of the season at Highland Speedway in May. With a notebook full of information from his travels, and hopefully better luck on his side, look for Stryker to have numerous top-10 finishes in 2025 as he plans to return to the tour.

Mike Chasteen Jr

Point Position: 10
Events Entered: 10
Wins: 0
Top 5’s: 2
Top 10’s: 6
Average Feature Finish: 10.8

After following the tour in its entirety in 2023, Mike Chasteen Jr slowed down and ran more of a weekly schedule throughout the 2024 season. Hitting all of the shows within a couple of hours of his homebase in Peoria paid off as he was able to sneak into the final points paying position by seasons end. His best run of the tour was Championship Saturday at FALS to round out the season as he came home with a fourth-place finish.

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Final Point Standings

1. Kyle Hammer – 595 points
2. Lyndon Whitfill – 566 points
3. Jarrett Stryker – 425 points

Tidbits of the 2024 Season

• Car Count average of 46.63 cars per race. The largest of any DIRTcar UMP Modified series in the country.

• 5 winners in 16 events.

• 7 full-time drivers.

• Winner’s shares included: (1) $20,000, (1) $5,000, (3) $3,000, (1) $2,098, (1) $2,012, (8) $2,000, (2) $1,500.

• Events were contested at 9 racetracks in 2 states.

• 236 total different competitors.

For more information about the MARS Dirt Series, please contact Jonathan Clayton at 731-467- 1316, visit the tour’s webpage at marsracingseries.com, or visit @MARSDirtRacing on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends and MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment would like to thank the following sponsors and marketing partners for their support of the 2024 racing season: FK Rod Ends (MARS Late Model title sponsor), Summit Racing Equipment (MARS Modified title sponsor), Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts (Official trailer and golf cart provider of the MARS Dirt Series), Flo Racing (Official streaming provider of the MARS Late Model tour), Racing Electronics (Official communications provider of the MARS Dirt Series), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official tire manufacturer of the MARS Dirt Series), Sunoco Race Fuels (Official fuel of the MARS Dirt Series and proud sponsor of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year chase all season long on the MARS Late Model & Modified Championship tours), Illinois State Rifle Association, Pontiac RV (Official RV Dealer of the MARS Dirt Series), Allstar Performance, O’Reilly Auto Parts, DIRTcar Racing, Driscoll Motors (Official dealership of the MARS Dirt Series), Woods Basement Systems (Official Basement Contractor of the MARS Dirt Series), MD3, Josh James Artwork, MWD Signs & Graphix, Fairbury Fastener & Supply, King’s Graphix, Dirt Draft, Digital Copy Systems, Whelen, Multi Fire X, Budda Bert Transmission, Dyer’s Top Rods, Fast Shafts, Wilwood Brakes, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Keyser Manufacturing, Varsitee Screenprinting, Willy’s Carb & Dyno, Trackside Racewear, Hooker Harness, Lethal Chassis, Remtek Enterprises, and QuickCar Racing Products.

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