Stremme, Koehler, Neville, Wilson, Nicely, Krup Capture Golden Gators at DIRTcar Nationals
BARBERVILLE, Fla.—The 2026 edition of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals has brought some of the most highlighted moments from the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds.
Tuesday’s program was no exception as the night at Volusia Speedway Park provided unpredictability, with first-time Feature winners, last-lap drama, and a look at the drivers seeking to leave Saturday night hoisting the Big Gator title.
Here’s a look at how each Feature went down:
Feature #1
David Stremme rode a wave of up-and-down finishes during the first four nights of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. But on the fifth night, the surf ended with another trip to Victory Lane at Volusia Speedway Park.
When the first Tuesday night Feature commenced, Stremme took the lead from the outside pole, passing polesitter Aidan Hinds on the entrance into Turn 1.
However, Hinds saw the lead almost come back into his hands before the second lap when Stremme washed up the track off Turn 4, allowing Hinds to get underneath him. The two raced side by side for a lap before Stremme got a strong enough run off Turn 4 to build a gap between him and Hind.
Shortly after, a caution brought the field back together. When the race resumed, Stremme pulled away, and Ricky Thornton Jr., with two Little Gator trophies already, passed Hind for second.
Stremme maintained over a second lead for most of the Feature, but in a long-run situation, Thornton’s car started to come alive.
With three laps to go, Thornton cut Stremme’s lead down to a few tenths. With two laps to go, he dove into Turn 1, going from three car lengths back to underneath Stremme in the corner. But Stremme had a better run off Turn 2 and kept the No. 20RT behind him.
Knowing Thornton was on his tail, Stremme got up on the wheel to drive to his ninth DIRTcar Nationals golden gator trophy.
“Our car wasn’t very good,” Stremme said. “The track has been great here. We had to go to work, work on some stuff. This is a brand-new car. It’s been pretty good. We just had to work on some things. Trevor (Neville) has been really good with his new car. We got with a bunch of guys and just started saying, ‘Hey, what do we have to do here?’
“We’ve had an OK effort here and really had to throw some things at it. To beat Ricky, he was tough. He’s so good, and he’s on his game, and I knew I had to be on the wheel. So, it feels pretty good to beat him.”
Feature #2
Koehler Motorsports has been one of the top teams throughout the 55th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, with Ricky Thornton Jr. in contention for the win every night. But a new Koehler driver led the charge Tuesday night.
Jordan Koehler scored his first DIRTcar Nationals victory after besting the likes of Monday night winner Mike McKinney and veteran Modified driver Ray Bollinger.
McKinney led the first two laps before a caution came out on Lap 2. When the race resumed, Koehler flipped on his hyperdrive, rocketing around the outside of second-place Ray Kable and McKinney through Turns 1-2. He cleared both by the time his No. 114 car reached the backstretch and continued to drive away.
A caution on Lap 14 saw McKinney’s chances of scoring back-to-back wins end due to a flat right rear tire.
When the race resumed, Ray Bollinger, who started 12th, continued his climb, going from sixth to second in a lap. However, the restart ended up as the only highlight of the race for him, as Koehler set sail out front.
His victory brought Koehler Motorsports to three wins in four days.
“I was really pumped,” Koehler said about earning his first Little Gator. “I was watching my stick guy, Bryce, there, and I hit a hole and probably about gave it away. But, no, I was really pumped.”
Feature #3
After coming up one spot short twice in the last four races, Trevor Neville finally punched through to Volusia Victory Lane Tuesday night in dominant fashion.
Neville, 25, of Mackinaw, IL, started on the outside of the front row and had only one challenge to beat when polesitter Tyler Spalding gave him a run through Turns 1 and 2 and down the backstretch on the opening lap. Side-by-side they raced into Turn 3, but Neville’s high-side momentum carried him off Turn 4 with greater speed as he zoomed past Spalding into the lead at the flag stand.
From there, Neville was nearly untouchable out front. He fended off all opponents through multiple restarts, including multi-time DIRTcar Nationals Feature winner Kenny Wallace, who nearly pulled alongside Neville on the final restart.
In the end, Neville led the field back around to the checkered flag to collect the fourth gator trophy of his career.
“We’ve got this new Lethal Chassis, this Ryan engine, we’ve got a buddy here from Freedom Race Lifts, so we’re having a good ol’ time this weekend,” Neville said. “David Stremme and us, hopefully we keep knocking a few more out this week with the Lethal boys, Neville Farms and Multi-Fire Spark Plug Wires.”
Feature #4
In the wildest ending of any UMP Modified Feature run over the past five days, Chris Wilson scored his first career DIRTcar Nationals win with a last-lap pass after white-flag leaders Zeke McKezie and Charlie Mefford came together in the final corners.
Wilson, 45, of Louisa, KY, had led the first 13 laps but had slipped back to third for a green/white-checkered finish. As the green flag waved with Zeke McKenzie leading, Charlie Mefford got a big run on the outside through Turns 1 and 2 and nearly pulled even with McKenzie down the backstretch.
Mefford drove deep down low into Turn 3 with speed and made contact with McKenzie, sending Mefford’s No. 13 car around in front of the field. This opened the door for Wilson coming through on the bottom as he sped past the colliding drivers, took the lead out of Turn 4 and beat everyone to the checkered flag to score the win in epic fashion.
“I know [Mefford] is a younger kid, and I was hoping that maybe he was a little more aggressive than an older guy like me,” Wilson said. “I put myself in position, and it worked out in our favor.”
Feature #5
After struggling through Monday with 14th and 16th-place finishes, Tyler Nicely turned the pendulum in his direction with a trip to Volusia Victory Lane for the first time since his 2024 Big Gator championship on Tuesday.
The Owensboro, KY driver brought the field to the green flag for the fifth Feature as outside starter Cole Hilton slotted into second place. On Lap 2, Hilton lost control of his Modified and slid across the middle of the track, collecting seven cars and ending his chances to fight for a Golden Gator.
When the field restacked for the restart, Nicely kept control at the front as Kyle Strickler took over second place and Pierce McCarter occupied third. As each lap ticked, Nicely used the clean air to his advantage by reaching a two-second lead before he entered lap traffic at the halfway mark.
When the lapped cars blocked space for Nicely to use in passing, the “High Side Tickler” chopped the gap by using the cushion around each corner of the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” – reaching his back bumper by Lap 15.
Nicely picked up the pace once Strickler arrived at the back bumper of the No. 25 Elite Chassis and started diverting from the cushion to use the lapped cars to his advantage.
When Strickler cut to the bottom on Lap 18, he immediately lost control of the car entering Turn 1 and began to spin. However, the Mooresville, NC, racer was able to save the car and maintained second place while Nicely drove away to his 11th Golden Gator trophy.
“I’m just glad I have a good crew behind me,” Nicely said. “Special thanks to Nick [Hoffman] for coming down this morning and helping us get everything back together. Brandon and Blade, they help me all week, so just thankful to have a good crew behind me.”
Feature #6
While Will Krup left Tuesday with a DIRTcar Nationals Feature win, he also has work ahead of him to keep a Big Gator hunt in his favor.
The Mt. Carmel, IL driver started in the second row behind polesitter Michael Ledford for the start of the 20-lap Feature. Entering the first turn, Ledford jumped the entrance of Turn 1 and lost momentum by sliding up to the exit of Turn 2. Krup capitalized by powering his Modified under Ledford into Turn 3 and secured the lead on the opening lap.
At the helm of the field, Krup extended his lead to 3.3 seconds over Ledford until the first caution waved on Lap 9. The Illinois native held the lead in his possession as he built the distance to Ledford by 1.9 seconds using the bottom lane throughout the second half.
As Krup made his way to the exit of Turn 4 on the final lap, he drove through a slick patch across the bottom and darted into the outside wall. The “Land of Lincoln” driver limped the damaged No. K9 to a seventh Golden Gator trophy, but will evaluate the work that lies ahead for his chance at a first Big Gator championship.
“There was a bunch of water down there off of [Turn 4],” Krup said regarding the accident. “It wasn’t there the previous lap, and I was already committed there. By the time I had seen it and tried to slow down, the car took off and went straight into the wall.”
Up Next: The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds enter the second half of the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals visit with the set of six Features on deck for Wednesday, Feb. 4. The Modifieds will share the track with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series for their season opener.
DIRTCAR NATIONALS INFO
How can you watch every lap of racing at Volusia Speedway Park? Live on DIRTVision.
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