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Marquee Events, Elevated Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Payout, and a New Home to Championship Weekend Highlight 2026 MARS Late Model Tour

Marquee Events, Elevated Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Payout, and a New Home to Championship Weekend Highlight MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends 2026 Season

FAIRBURY, IL (December 8, 2025) – The main objective for the MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends when acquired by MC Promotions prior to the 2023 season was simple: to help stabilize Super Late Model racing in the region while giving teams the chance to race for solid money throughout the entire season. As the tour is set to begin its 27th consecutive season in operation, and season 4th under the current ownership, the growing yearly schedule, average car counts increasing each season, competition level continuing to get tougher, and continued interest from racetracks across the country shows that regional Late Model racing still has a special place in the ecosystem of the sport.

“We are thrilled with the progress we have made with the MARS tour over the past three seasons” stated Series Director Jonathan Clayton. “2023 was about proving how good of a product the series is, and had the potential be, and all that we have done since then is continued to propel what we are doing while raising awareness for the brand. People know that when the MARS tour rolls into town that the competition is going to be some of the toughest you will see there all season long, with the overall quality of the show being as good as anything you will see from any tour nationwide.”

2026 is set to be another huge year for the series as action will kick off the first weekend of April and wrap up the second weekend in October. The 30-race schedule features 21 different tracks across the Midwest hitting facilities in Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, and Missouri.

New Tracks for 2026

Coles County Speedway – For the first time in track history, the Coles County Speedway in Mattoon, Illinois will play host to a touring Late Model series in 2026, on Sunday, May 17. Last season was the first try with full sized Dirt Late Models and Modifieds at the 1/8-mile dirt oval, with the Road to the Dome event, and the racing proved to be entertaining with a product to build on. Renovations to the speedway over the winter including a new front stretch wall, new fencing, and guardrail built higher around the turns will only help the tracks potential as 2026 will be a celebration of their 70th season of racing.

Benton Speedway – A new stop for the history of the tour will take the MARS teams to the beautiful Benton Speedway in Benton, Missouri, on Friday, August 28, for a $5,000-to-win event. The speedway has a storied history dating back to 1991, with current owner Rob Russell taking over the reins to the speedway in 2021, after sitting idle for 7 years. Since the rebirth of the speedway, Benton has hosted the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, American Sprint Car Series, All Star Circuit of Champions, POWRi 410 Sprint Car Series, among other traveling tours.

Returning to the Tour

One thing the MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends values the most is the partnership between the series and the racetracks. Of the 21 tracks the tour is set to visit in 2026, 18 of them were featured on the 2025 edition of the MARS schedule. A couple of noteworthy items of these dates include:

MC Promotions Promoted Events – New for 2026 will be not one, but two events promoted by the Matt Curl headed team for MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends season. The Gary Cook Jr Memorial at Spoon River Speedway on Sunday, May 24, and the Saturday, July 18 event at Charleston Speedway will both be events where Curl will lease the facilities for racing action with track promoters Brad Denney and Sonny Ross both assisting with the event at each of their speedways.

LaSalle Speedway – After a successful revival of the speedway in 2025, the track is excited to host the Illinois Valley Showdown once again on Friday & Saturday, August 14 & 15. With one of the most unique formats of the season, the Friday night portion will once again feature the Twisted Twin 25 lap features with the 50-lap main event being caution flagged after 25 laps complete, and the top 10 being inverted to run an additional 25 laps. Saturday night’s Illinois Valley Showdown finale will pay $20,000-to-win.

Fairbury Speedway – The third annual Illinois Dirt Shootout will take place on Saturday, September 5, and is set to offer the third largest payday of any Late Model event all season long at the speedway. After paying $10,000-to-win at last year’s event, the ante has upped in 2026 with the MARS Late Model main event now paying $15,000-to-win. With both national series scheduled off for that weekend, expect the best of both regional and national teams to be in attendance at “America’s Dirt Track.”

New Home for Championship Weekend

One of the glaring differences of the 2026 MARS schedule compared to years past is the addition of the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. MARS Championship Weekend will be in conjunction with the annual “Fall Nationals” event for the Late Models at the speedway and run alongside the Super Stocks with their annual “Big Bug 50” event. A complete show will be held on both Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10, with a practice night scheduled on Thursday, October 8. The series last visited the speedway in 2008.

Many Nights of Elevated Purses

While the standard purses for the MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends remains healthy for regional racing, there are a plethora of nights with higher paying shows. Those events include:

April 3/4 – Maquoketa Speedway – Maquoketa, IA – Nippy 50 Presented – $7,500-to-win/$1,000-to-start on Friday / $15,000-to-win/$2,000-to-start on Saturday

April 17/18 – 34 Raceway – West Burlington, IA – Slocum 50 Weekend – $5,000-to-win on Friday / $10,555-to-win on Saturday

May 29 – Paducah International Raceway – Paducah, KY – USA World 50 – $10,000-to-win

August 8 – Macon Speedway – Macon, IL – KerbyStrong Race – $10,000-to-win

August 14/15 – LaSalle Speedway – LaSalle, IL – Illinois Valley Showdown – Twisted Twin $5,000-to-win main events on Friday / $20,000-to-win on Saturday

September 5 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – Illinois Dirt Shootout – $15,000-to-win

October 2/3 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – FALS Frenzy – $5,000-to-win on Friday / $10,000-to-win on Saturday

October 9/10 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO – Fall Nationals – $5,000-to-win on Friday / $10,000-to-win on Saturday

$80,000+ Point Fund

The MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends continues to offer one of the best point funds in regional racing with $25,000 going to the winner along with 10th receiving $2,500 for their efforts. If a driver runs every event and does not finish top 10 in season standings, the driver will be guaranteed a Road Warrior bonus of $1,000. The top-10 in points will be guaranteed point money regardless of nights ran. A DIRTcar Region point fund will also continue for 2026, which will pay drivers in the top-10 an additional point fund of over $8,000.

2026 Point Fund: 1. $25,000 2. $15,000 3. $10,000 4. $7,500 5. $5,000 6. $4,500 7. $4,000 8. $3,500 9. $3,000 10. $2,500.

Elevated Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Payout

Coming off the most highly contested Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year battle in the history of the tour, series officials are excited to announce an increase in every position of the Rookie of the Year chase in 2026. With chatter already running rampant on 2026 plans, stay locked into MARS social media channels to take a look at the new contenders with the tour this upcoming season.

2026 Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Point Fund: 1. $2,500 2. $2,000 3. $1,500 4. $1,000

Driver Loyalty Program

Continuing from 2025, the MARS Late Model Driver Loyalty Program will once again be offered to full-time series competitors in 2026. To maintain status, the driver must remain a fulltime driver and not miss an event. Driver Loyalty perks will begin on night #1 in 2026 and will be based off last season’s eligible drivers for the first 6 events. Driver Loyalty perks will be based off 2026 standings beginning at the 7th event. Perks include:

The top 5 in championship points standings will receive $200 per event
Positions 6-10 in championship points standings will receive $100 per event
Positions 11-15 in championship points standings will receive $50 per event
(If consecutive nights are run at the same facility, a driver will only claim the additional money for 1 night)
One free pit pass nightly to the top-10 drivers eligible for the Driver Loyalty program.

Every Race Live on FloRacing

FloRacing is the home of MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends all season long as the official streaming partner of the tour. Catch EVERY race live on floracing.com or download the app.

2026 MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Schedule

Date – Track – Location – Event – To Win Amount

April 3 – Maquoketa Speedway – Maquoketa, IA – Nippy 50 – $7,500
April 4 – Maquoketa Speedway – Maquoketa, IA – Nippy 50 – $15,000
April 16 – Cedar County Raceway – Tipton, IA – Hawkeye Land 40 – $5,000
April 17 – 34 Raceway – West Burlington, IA – Prelude to the Slocum – $5,000
April 18 – 34 Raceway – West Burlington, IA – Slocum 50 – $10,555
April 24 – Brownstown Bullring – Brownstown, IL – Brownstown 100 – $5,000
April 25 – Peoria Speedway – Peoria, IL – Garry Swibold Memorial – $5,098
May 15 – Quincy Raceways – Quincy, IL – Gem City Showdown – $5,000
May 16 – World Famous Highland Speedway – Highland, IL – $5,000
May 17 – Coles County Speedway – Mattoon, IL – $5,000
May 22 – Davenport Speedway – Davenport, IA – Corn State Nationals – $5,000
May 23 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – FALS Triple Down Shootout – $5,000
May 24 – Spoon River Speedway – Lewistown, IL – Gary Cook Jr Memorial – $5,000
May 29 – Paducah International Raceway – Paducah, KY – USA World 50 – $10,000
May 30 – Red Hill Raceway – Sumner, IL – Red Hill Rumble – $5,000
July 17 – Farmer City Raceway – Farmer City, IL – Jr Kimler Memorial – $5,000
July 18 – Charleston Speedway – Charleston, IL – Charleston Challenge – $5,000
August 7 – Sycamore Speedway – Maple Park, IL – MARS Sycamore Showcase – $5,000
August 8 – Macon Speedway – Macon, IL – KerbyStrong Race – $10,000
August 14 – LaSalle Speedway – LaSalle, IL – Illinois Valley Showdown – $5,000 X 2
August 15 – LaSalle Speedway – LaSalle, IL – Illinois Valley Showdown – $20,000
August 28 – Benton Speedway – Benton, MO – $5,000
August 29 – I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park – Pevely, MO – $5,000
September 4 – Farmer City Raceway – Farmer City, IL – Chuckwagon 40 – $5,000
September 5 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – Illinois Dirt Shootout – $15,000
September 19 – Peoria Speedway – Peoria, IL – Illinois State Championship – $5,000
October 2 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – FALS Frenzy – $5,000
October 3 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – FALS Frenzy – $10,000
October 9 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO – Fall Nationals – $5,000
October 10 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO – Fall Nationals – $10,000

The MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment 2026 schedule is set to be released tomorrow at marsracingseries.com and on all our social media channels.

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 2025 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), 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, 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, QuickCar Racing Products, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Midwest Sheet Metal, Shepard Synthetics, and Allgaier Performance.

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