October 9, 2025 | By Spence Smithback, World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR

One Year After Near Miss, Sorensen Aiming for $50,000 Boothill Bounce Back

GREENWOOD, La.—The last time Dustin Sorensen raced at Boothill Speedway, his first win with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision was in his grasp – until it wasn’t.

The Louisiana track wasn’t a place the Rochester, MN native expected to instantly click with, and he didn’t. The early portion of the night wasn’t anything to write home about, but the No. 19 came alive come Feature time. Before he knew it, Sorensen was around Ryan Gustin and into the lead with 10 laps remaining, but a late charge by Gustin meant Sorensen’s day would have to wait.

“It didn’t really look like a track that I was going to be comfortable at, wasn’t really like anything I had been on before,” Sorensen said of his first impressions upon arriving at Boothill. “I actually hit the wall that night in Hot Laps, qualified bad and then was able to get a transfer spot in the Heat Race. That night kind of started the way our whole year started last year with being behind early and then having to fight all night to get somewhere. Fortunately, that night we had a really good car and we were able to get up there and battle for the win.

“I remember I got by Gustin in lap traffic, and then it was like he decided to find another gear, because all of a sudden he went roaring back by me and drove away. There was some lap cars in my way on the bottom, but he definitely found something there at the end and picked up some speed. Even if there weren’t lap cars, I don’t think I would have been able to keep up with him.”

Runs like that are what propelled Sorensen to last year’s MD3 Rookie of the Year Award and set him up for continued growth in 2025. The ultimate goal of a World of Outlaws win hasn’t happened yet, but the signs of improvement are there. Sorensen was adamant last year about how his lack of speed in Qualifying and the Heat Races was making his job much harder than it had to be in the Feature, and major gains have been made in year two. He only made four Redraws in his rookie campaign, while that number stands at 12 this season with five races left.

“Last year, we knew that Qualifying was definitely the weak spot,” Sorensen said. “I ran a lot more B-Mains and started in the back a lot more last year and had to work my way to the front. It goes to show that we’ve had more speed this year, just had some unfortunate things happening, whether it’s a flat tire or an accident in front of us that we’re collected in. But yeah, Qualifying and the Heat Race was a big focus this year just because we struggled with that last year.”

The improved starting spots have translated into more nights where Sorensen could have walked away a winner had things gone differently, particularly in the second half of the year. Two months ago at Highland Speedway, Sorensen traded sliders with Tanner English for the lead before crossing the line third. Then last Friday night at Humboldt Speedway, Sorensen led for half a lap before Dennis Erb Jr. got back around, and he came up short on a last-corner Hail Mary to take second once again.

Like any racer would, Sorensen can’t help but replay all his close-call situations in his head over and over. But rather than feel sorry for himself over what could have been, he remains confident that all he’s learned about how to lose a World of Outlaws race will one day serve as the guide for how to win one.

“I definitely think about what I could have done differently,” Sorensen said. “Just so that in the future, I can maybe capitalize on an opportunity. Like Humboldt, after watching the replay, I probably could have slid up in front of Dennis going down the back straightaway and avoided the lap car pulling into the infield. That’s just something that experience and thinking about it like that, dwelling on it will help you learn faster, but also not getting down about it.”

This weekend’s Bayou Classic at Boothill (Friday-Saturday, Oct. 10-11) gives Sorensen the chance to build on what he learned a year ago in pursuit of the $50,000 top prize on offer on Saturday. The finale is also set for 70 laps – a 20-lap increase over 2024 – another aspect that could benefit a driver like Sorensen.

“We just have a notebook at a lot of these places. Especially somewhere I ran good at, we can kind of start where we left off last year and make minor adjustments from there,” Sorensen said. “Last year, the longer races were a big thing for me because I started in the back so often. But I think I just know something about the longer the race is, the better I get. I don’t know if it’s because I take care of my tires better than some, or I’m just able to take my time and figure out what I need to do with my race car, but it seems like the longer the race is, the better I do.”

Sorensen and the rest of the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision are headed to Boothill Speedway for the Bayou Classic (Friday-Saturday, Oct. 10-11). Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.