MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Returns to Iowa for Triple-Header Weekend
- Press Release
- Apr 15
- 8 min read
FAIRBURY, IL (April 14, 2025) – Two races complete, two races washed out, three races on deck for the MARS Late Model tour. The series saw the highest of highs at Maquoketa Speedway, at the end of March, as packed grandstands and beautiful weather greeted the 47 Late Model teams that attended the event throughout the weekend. Mother Nature was not so kind the following weekend as events at Paducah International Raceway and Charleston Speedway were canceled due to heavy rains and major flooding in the Paducah, Kentucky area. This weekend the tour looks to get back on track with three events and a potential $20,000+ weekend if a driver were to sweep all three.
Thursday, April 17, the MARS Late Models will invade the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa for the first time in series history for the Hawkeye Land 40. $5,000 dollars will be up for grabs for the feature winner at the only Thursday night show of the season for the tour. The quarter-mile dirt track located at the Cedar County Fairgrounds has been reviewed by many as one of their favorite tracks in the country, known for their ultra-racy surface. Expect a great racing surface on Thursday as K-Promotions and Darkside Promotions team up for this huge night of racing. Last season this event was sanctioned by MLRA and drew a 32-car field. Tyler Erb, Garrett Alberson, and Frank Heckenast Jr completed the podium in 2024, with all three expected in action this weekend.
Friday and Saturday (April 18-19) the tour makes the hour and twenty-minute jog south to the 34 Raceway for one of the most recognizable weekends of Late Model racing in the Midwest: The Slocum 50 weekend.
The Slocum 50 is so popular in part due to the increased purse awarded to the feature winner and the amount awarded to all feature drivers. The Brent Slocum Foundation and 34 Raceway pays $10,555 to the feature winner. The event is also popular because of the man it was created to honor, Brent Slocum.
Many of the racers were Brent’s friends and his competitors over the eleven years he competed in the Late Model circuit. To call yourself a winner of this event is to walk in the shoes of a man respected by his competitors, loved by his fans and greatly missed by his family and friends.
2025 will mark the first time since 2016 that the Slocum 50 will include the MARS sanctioning. Friday night will feature a $5,000-to-win main event with Saturday night being capped off by the $10,555-to-win Slocum 50 main event. Last season saw Devin Moran victorious after 50-laps over Hudson O’Neal and Daulton Wilson.
With two events in, and 28 remaining, it’s World of Outlaws Series regular Bobby Pierce leading the MARS Late Model Series standings after sweeping the weekend at Maquoketa Speedway back in March. Ricky Thornton Jr, Brian Shirley, Brandon Sheppard, and Garrett Alberson round out the top-5 in MARS standings.
Daryn Klein holds the early advantage in Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year standings leading the way over a talented crop of drivers including Jake Little, Guy Taylor, Brennon Willard, and Steve Stultz.
Slocum 50 Past Champions
2009 – Jason Frankel
2010 – Mark Burgtorf
2011 – Matt Ryan
2012 – Mike Murphy Jr
2013 – Denny Eckrich
2014 – Bobby Pierce
2015 – Ryan Unzicker
2016 – Bobby Pierce
2017 – Chris Simpson
2018 – Shannon Babb
2019 – Bobby Pierce
2020 – Bobby Pierce
2021 – Jason Papich
2022 – Dennis Erb Jr
2023 – Shannon Babb
2024 – Devin Moran
Event Info
Thursday, April 17
Cedar County Raceway
Tipton, Iowa
Hawkeye Land 40
$5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends
$1,000-to-win IMCA Modifieds
$750-to-win IMCA Stock Cars
$500-to-win IMCA Sport Mods
Pits open at 3:00 P.M.
Grandstands open at 5:00 P.M.
Drivers Meeting at 6:00 P.M.
Hot Laps at 6:30 P.M.
Adult General Admission $25
General Admission ages 5-12 $10
General Admission for Kids 4 and under FREE
Pit Pass $35
Pit Pass for Kids 12 and under $20
Friday, April 18
34 Raceway
West Burlington, Iowa
Slocum Prelude presented by Midwest Performance & Power
$5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends
305 Sprint Cars
Pits open at 3:00 P.M.
Grandstands open at 5:00 P.M.
Drivers Meeting at 6:00 P.M.
Hot Laps at 6:30 P.M.
Adult General Admission $25
Senior General Admission $20
General Admission for Kids 10 and under FREE
Pit Pass $40
Saturday, April 19
34 Raceway
West Burlington, Iowa
Slocum 50 presented by Roederer’s Pit Stop
Pits open at 3:00 P.M.
Grandstands open at 5:00 P.M.
Drivers Meeting at 6:00 P.M.
Hot Laps at 6:30 P.M.
Adult General Admission $35
Senior General Admission $30
General Admission for Kids 10 and under FREE
Pit Pass $45
MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Tire Rule for each night:
LF: Any (90) Hoosier
RF: Hoosier NLMT2 (90)
LR: Hoosier NLMT2 (90)
RR: Hoosier NLMT3 (92) or Hoosier NLMT4 (92)
Grooving and Siping will be permitted.
Event Purses
MARS Late Model Thursday & Friday A-Main payout: 1) $5,000 2) $2,500 3) $2,000 4) $1,600 5) $1,400 6) $1,200 7) $1,000 8) $800 9) $700 10) $600 11) $500 12) $500 13) $500 14) $500 15) $500 16) $500 17) $500 18) $500 19) $500 20) $500 21) $500 22) $500. Non-Transfer Tow Money – (Thursday $110, Friday $115)
MARS Late Model Saturday A-Main payout: 1) $10,555 2) $5,000 3) $2,500 4) $1,600 5) $1,400 6) $1,200 7) $1,000 8) $950 9) $900 10) $800 11) $750 12) $650 13) $600 14) $600 15) $600 16) $600 17) $600 18) $600 19) $600 20) $600 21) $600 22) $600. Non-Transfer Tow Money – (Saturday $120)
MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Point Standings (Top 20)
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 150 points
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 140 points
Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 125 points
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 119 points
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 117 points
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 108 points
Tony Jackson Jr. – Lebanon, MO – 91 points
Dennis Erb Jr. – Carpentersville, IL – 90 points
Shannon Babb – Moweaqua, IL – 89 Points
Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 82 Points
Tanner English – Benton, KY – 82 Points
Jason Feger – Bloomington, IL – 80 Points
Bob Gardner – Washington, IL – 78 Points
Chris Simpson – Oxford, IA – 75 Points
Dylan Thornton – Orcutt, CA – 74 Points
Daryn Klein – Fairview Heights, IL – 68 points
Ryan Unzicker – El Paso, IL – 68 Points
Justin Duty – Molalla, OR – 67 Points
Chad Simpson – Mt. Vernon, IA – 62 Points
McKay Wenger – Fairbury, IL – 62 Points
Derrick Stewart – Ainsworth, IA – 62 Points
Sunoco Rookie of the Year Standings
Daryn Klein – Fairview Heights, IL – 68 Points
Jake Little – Springfield, IL – 52 Points
Guy Taylor – Springfield, IL – 49 Points
Brennon Willard – Lebanon, MO – 48 Points
Steve Stultz – Peoria, AZ – 44 Points
2025 MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Statistics
Pontiac RV Heat Race #1 Winners
Brian Shirley – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr – 1
FK Rod Ends 1st Place Finisher
Bobby Pierce – 2
FK Rod Ends 5th Place Finisher
Garrett Alberson – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Fairbury Fasteners 7th Place Finisher
Ryan Gustin – 1
Dennis Erb Jr – 1
Budda by Bert Transmission 9th Place Finisher
Dylan Thornton – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Hooker Harness 11th Place Finisher
Shannon Babb – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Keyser Manufacturing 13th Place Finisher
Chris Simpson – 1
Ryan Unzicker – 1
Fast Shafts 15th Place Finisher
McKay Wenger – 1
Mike Spatola – 1
MSD Hard Charger Award Winners
Tony Jackson Jr – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winners
Gordy Gundaker – 1
Dylan Thornton – 1
Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winners
Daryn Klein – 2
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:
· ALL IOWA ALL THE TIME: After only visiting the state of Iowa on one occasion between the 2023-2024 season, the tour is now primed for the first five events of the 2025 season to be contested in the state of Iowa, following the cancelation of Paducah and Charleston. The MARS tour will next return to the Hawkeye State next on September 12/13 for the Corn State Nationals at Davenport Speedway.
· THE REAL POINT RUNDOWN: With opening weekend being loaded with national touring drivers, what does the actual MARS standings look like if you take those drivers out of the equation? Your current real-world MARS top-6 is led by Tony Jackson Jr over Shannon Babb, Jason Feger, Bob Gardner, and Daryn Klein/Ryan Unzicker. The top-6 are separated by only 23 points.
· OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT: One driver that raised some eyebrows on opening weekend against one of the strongest fields of the season is Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year contender, Daryn Klein. Klein may have logged 16th and 18th place finishes, but he raced his way into the show each night and was fastest qualifier in Group B on Saturday night. He currently leads the rookie standings as we head to two new racetracks for Daryn this weekend.
· NATIONAL RINGERS INVADE MARS ONCE AGAIN: Last time out saw many of the biggest names in the sport invade Maquoketa for MARS competition, and this weekend looks to be just as stout. Touring drivers tentatively expected over the course of the weekend include Ryan Gustin, Dennis Erb Jr, Brian Shirley, Brandon Sheppard, and others possibly.
· BUSY STRETCH: After this weekend’s triple-header, teams will have a few days off before returning to action at the Brownstown Bullring and Peoria Speedway to make it 5 races in a 10-day stretch before have a couple of weeks idle from MARS competition.
If you are unable to make it to the track, you can catch EVERY MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends event in 2025 live at floracing.com.
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.
MARS Championship Upcoming Events
· April 17, 2025 - Cedar County Raceway - Tipton, IA - Hawkeye Land 40 - $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends
· April 18, 2025 - 34 Raceway - West Burlington, IA - Prelude to the Slocum Presented by Midwest Performance & Power - $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends
· April 19, 2025 - 34 Raceway - West Burlington, IA - Slocum 50 Presented by Roederer’s Pit Stop - $10,555-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends
· April 25, 2025 - Brownstown Bullring - Brownstown, IL - JCB Diggin Dirt 40 - $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends & JCB Diggin Dirt 30 - $2,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
· April 26, 2025 - Peoria Speedway - Peoria, IL - Garry Swibold Memorial - $5,098-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends $2,098-to-win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
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