CONCORD, N.C. Jake Timm is set to become the latest driver in a long line of modified stalwarts to take their talents to the World of Outlaws Late Models.

The Winona, Minn., driver is turning his full focus to super late model racing, throwing his hat into the ring for this seasons MD3 Rookie of the Year Award.

We really wanted to do a lot more Late Model racing a couple years ago, but we had some bad luck with engines that kind of knocked us back a step, Timm said. We raced modifieds last year and kind of set the late model aside a little bit. Had a pretty good year there. Kind of built our program back up a little bit along with some of our sponsors stepping up, it just made it possible for us this year. Definitely been in the works for two or three years now.

If a modified driver from southern Minnesota diving into full-time late model racing with the World of Outlaws sounds like a familiar story, it should Dustin Sorensen did exactly that in 2024.

Sorensen finished his freshman year with a commendable five top fives and a top 10 points finish, enough to claim last seasons Rookie of the Year crown. Not only does Timm now have a roadmap to follow, he also has the chance to renew a friendly rivalry at the pinnacle of dirt late model racing.

Me and Dustin have known each other forever, Timm said. We both raced Slingshots, then B-Mods, then modifieds at Mississippi Thunder (Speedway) and Deer Creek (Speedway) weekly. So, weve raced together our entire lives. Were good friends, weve raced together for a long time, and its always been slide jobs, always clean.

Going back beyond that, his dad and my dad raced against each other the same way, just Friday and Saturday, every weekend against each other in modifieds. So, its been a generational thing, and its been really fun to grow together. Its going to be pretty cool to race side-by-side again on the World of Outlaws. Both of us have dreamed of being at this level, so its pretty cool.

Timm may be new to the World of Outlaws, but he is no stranger to traveling the country racing for big money each weekend. He spent 2024 racing for the United States Modified Touring Series championship, earning victories at three facilities Timm will return to in 2025 with the series.

It provides a stepping-stone, Timm said. Ive kind of spent my career there the last two or three years racing modifieds and last year was the first year I actually followed it full-time. Without having something like that where you can get a point fund check at the end of the year and race for good money all the time, I wouldnt have been able to build my program up enough to race late models. Theres a lot of good drivers at that level. You learn to race aggressively and race smart and all that as well. So, its definitely a good stepping-stone.

Bringing the top rookie honors back to Minnesota for the second-straight year would be an ideal end to the season for the No. 49 team, but theyre also keeping their expectations in check for now. As the saying goes in order to finish first, first you must finish.

First and foremost, finish the season and do the best we can, Timm said. I really just want to make all the races. Top 10s would be great, top fives too. I almost won a qualifier at Mississippi Thunder a couple years ago, so it would be really cool to pull off a win, but I also know how hard it is. Those guys are tough to beat, so well just do the best we can.