FAIRBURY, IL -- 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 Winners

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

Track: Cedar County Raceway - Tipton, Iowa

Event: Hawkeye Land 40

Purse: $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

Schedule: 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.

Tickets: 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

Track: 34 Raceway - West Burlington, Iowa

Event: Slocum Prelude presented by Midwest Performance & Power

Purse: $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends

Schedule: 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.

Tickets: Adult General Admission $25, Senior General Admission $20, General Admission for Kids 10 and under FREE

Pit Pass: $40

Saturday, April 19

Track: 34 Raceway - West Burlington, Iowa

Event: Slocum 50 presented by Roederer’s Pit Stop

Purse: $10,555-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends

Schedule: 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.

Tickets: Adult General Admission $35, Senior General Admission $30, General Admission for Kids 10 and under FREE

Pit Pass: $45

MARS Late Model Tire Rule:

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.

MARS 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 Point Standings

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

MARS 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

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 Championship Upcoming Schedule

• 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