FORT WAYNE, Ind. It took veteran Joe Liguori 16 years to finally reach victory lane at the Rumble in Fort Wayne presented by Jason Dietsch Trailer Sales for the first time, but his road to a return trip there ended up being far shorter.

Liguori collected a trophy Saturday night during the national midget finale to the 26th annual Rumble, leading all 50 laps from the pole and winning the back half of the historic indoor racing classic for the second year running.

The driver of the Steadfast for Veterans-sponsored No. 8up outdueled fellow front-row starter Justin Peck on the initial green flag, then held off teammate and Friday night winner Cap Henry for the majority of the distance en route to a $2,000 payday.

It marked Liguoris second Rumble victory in his 29th start. Adding in Henrys victory from the Friday opener, the third-generation driver from Tampa, Fla., has won the last three Rumble midget mains as a car owner inside the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

That is a testament to this team and how hard weve all worked to get to this point, said Liguori after the race. Getting the [winless] monkey off my back last year was pretty good; this second one proves were not just one-hot wonders and that were a threat each and every time we unload in this building.

The infield tire in turn one got pushed out pretty far, so it made it where you had to try and make passes in [turns] three and four and I just had to be smooth even though there wasnt any really big pressure that I felt toward the end.

Pecks quest for a fourth Rumble triumph came undone during the start, when a flat left-rear tire brought him to a stop in turn two and put him out of the race immediately after starting second.

It elevated Henry to a front-row spot beside Liguori for the ensuing restart, and once the pair settled out in the top-two positions, they ran there for the entire distance and were never seriously threatened.

In fact, just three cautions waved during the 50-lapper following Pecks issue on the start, with Travis Welpott spinning in turn three on lap 11 and fast qualifier Kasey Jedrzejek looping his car in turn one with 10 laps remaining.

The most dramatic slowdown came as the leader was taking the white flag, when Shawn Bonar spun in the first corner, setting up a green-white-checkered finish where Liguori pulled away from Henry to win by .443 seconds.

Though Henry had several shots down the stretch to make a move for the win on Liguori in lap traffic, the Ohio driver said he wasnt going to risk spinning out a teammate just to complete a weekend sweep.

I wasnt going to wreck him for a win, Henry stressed. The end goal was to get the best possible result for the team, and Joe has done a lot for me over the years, so hes earned that kind of respect and the important thing was to run one-two no matter what it took.

Ayrton Houk, driving Mel Kenyons iconic yellow No. 6, crossed third ahead of Bryan Nuckles and Mike Fedorcak, who earned his best Rumble finish since 2017 with a fifth-place effort.

Jedrzejek kicked off the night with his second straight fast qualifying time, while Ryan Flores, Jim Anderson, Henry, and Russ Gamester each won their respective 10-lap heat races.

Scott Hampton and Bonar topped the two 12-lap Last Chance Showdowns to lead the final transfer cars into the main event.

Going into the weekend, Liguori said hed retire from Rumble competition if he managed to win both halves of the event as a driver in the same year.

Considering he did run the table, but as a car owner, does that mean Liguori is committing to returning to Fort Wayne for another go in 2025? He was coy with those plans, at least at this point.

Ill be in the building [next year], said Liguori with a smile. What that means well see when we get there.

In other racing action Saturday night, Dillon Nusbaum (non-winged) and Tyler Gunn (winged) split the pair of 600cc micro sprint features that joined the national midget headliner on the event cars.

Gunns victory came in his first weekend racing in the winged class at the Rumble and was the result of a wild 25-lapper that saw multiple drivers spin out from the lead and a late oil-down situation that necessitated a red-flag for track cleanup.

In the end, Gunn took his No. 68g to the outside in the final laps to make passes before bumping Nate Franklin for the lead coming to the white flag. The contact led to Franklin spinning and Gunn inheriting the top spot before hanging on during a green-white-checkered sprint to the finish line.

That was wild, said an exhausted Gunn in victory lane. It was hard fought and Im glad we got rolling there on the top late in the race. That was the key.

Brian Busz, Chase Ridenour, John Ivy, and Kelsey Ivy-Mange closed the top five. Bill Dunham led the first 18 laps from the pole, but lost the lead to Franklin when he slid through oil in turn three and could never fully recover.

Dunham later was involved in a multi-car spin in turn one and ended up ninth in the 18-car field.

The non-winged micro battle saw Dillon Nusbaum take control at halfway after then-leader Gunn spun on the backstretch with a broken right-rear wheel hub.

Nusbaum never relented after that, racing out to a 1.125-second victory over runner-up Kole Kirkman.

Third through fifth were Larry Joe Sroufe, Josh Ross, and John Ivy.

Of note, Chris Neuenschwander led all 20 laps to collect $1,000 as the victor in a special national midget second chance race, which featured drivers that failed to qualify for either 50-lap feature at this years Rumble.

Nick Hamilton was the runner-up, with Tim Creech II, Jack Macenko, and Andrew Royer completing the top five runners.

The 27th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne is slated for Dec. 19-20, 2025.

The finish:

Feature (50 laps): Joe Ligouri, Cap Henry, Ayrton Houk, Bryan Nuckles, Mike Fedorcak, Travis Welpott, Kasey Jedrzejek, Shawn Bonar, Jim Anderson, Ryan Flores, Braiden Black, Scott Hampton, Russ Gamester, Justin Peck.

The battle for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship went down to the final race of the season with Brandon Sheppard earning his fifth series title and becoming the most-decorated driver in series history.

The title broke a tie with Josh Richards with four championships. Sheppards consistency aboard the No. b5 dirt late model saw him win three features and amass 23 top-five finishes and 35 top-10 efforts.

It feels amazing, for sure, Sheppard said. At the beginning, we definitely struggled in Speedweeks, but we were able to battle back from tough starts through the majority of the nights. At the end of the day, we put a good enough season. We definitely had ups and downs; we were low in the win column. I wouldnt be up here today without my supporters, theyre the backbone to me personally. 

Sheppard, who co-owned the Sheppard Riggs Racing machine he drove to the title, edged the series winningest driver, Bobby Pierce, by 38 points.

Hampered by an early-season points penalty, Pierce battled from behind all season aboard his family-owned No. 32 machine. He won 14 features along the way, while collecting 28 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes.

Nick Hoffman won five features and finished third in the standings, 54 points behind Sheppard.

Kyle Bronson and Cade Dillard completed the top five.

Dustin Sorensen was the MD3 Rookie of the Year.

Three hundred and 69 drivers ran at least one World of Outlaws late model feature.

The Points

1. Brandon Sheppard 5,632
2. Bobby Pierce 5,594
3. Nick Hoffman 5,578
4. Kyle Bronson 5,442
5. Cade Dillard 5,392
6. Ryan Gustin 5,388
7. Brian Shirley 5,372
8. Tyler Bruening 5,242
9. Dennis Erb Jr. 5,158
10. Dustin Sorensen 5,132

The Winners

Bobby Pierce 14

Nick Hoffman 5

Ryan Gustin 5

Brian Shirley 5

Brandon Sheppard 3

Chris Madden 3

Devin Moran 2

Mac McLaughlin 1

Ricky Thornton Jr. 1

Hudson ONeal 1

Trey Mills 1

Ross Bailles 1

TULSA, Okla. The most wonderful time of the year is an understatement for those who will make the trip to Tulsa for their shot at glory as teams converge on the SageNet Center at Expo Square for the 40th annual Smileys Racing Products Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink.

Kicking off with cars on track on Dec. 31, the Tulsa Shootout will be the final circle track event contested in the United States during the 2024 calendar year and the first for the 2025 season.

Leading up to the event, the task of getting rigs, cars, and people into the SageNet Center begins at Noon on Dec. 29 and continues through Dec. 30. Teams will also draw to set their Heat Races during the move-in process on Dec. 30, with registration also reopening.

Going into the 40th edition of the Mecca of Micros the entry count is 1,653 among 697 drivers from 43 states and three countries. The current record is 1,752 entries received for the 2024 event. Of those, 1,698 were confirmed. The number of entries has exceeded the millennium mark since 2015.

Practice the morning of Dec. 31 will give way to racing that evening, with action back on track each day at 9:00 A.M. (CT) through Jan. 4. A total of six Golden Drillers are up for grabs.

The tentative daily running order for the 40th annual Smileys Racing Products Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink is as follows. The number of races will be determined at the close of draw on Dec. 31.

The Schedule 

Dec. 31

Non-Wing Practice

Non-Wing Outlaw Practice

Restricted Practice

Outlaw Practice

Jr Sprint Practice

A Class Practice

Track Prep

RACING BEGINS

Outlaw Heats (8 Laps)

Jan. 1

Non-Wing Outlaw Heats (8 Laps)

Restricted Heats (8 Laps)

A Class Heats (8 Laps)

Jr Sprint Heats (8 Laps)

Outlaw Ds (10 Laps)

Outlaw Cs (10 Laps)

Jan. 2

Non-Wing Heats (8 Laps)

Jr Sprint Qualifiers (10 Laps)

Non-Wing Outlaw Es (8 Laps)

Non-Wing Outlaw Ds (10 Laps)

Non-Wing Outlaw Cs (10 Laps)

A Class Es (8 Laps)

A Class Ds (10 Laps)

A Class Cs (10 Laps)

Jan. 3

Non-Wing Es (8 Laps)

Non-Wing Ds (10 Laps)

Non-Wing Cs (10 Laps)

Non-Wing Outlaw Qualifiers (10 Laps)

Jr Sprint Cs (10 Laps)

Jr Sprint Bs (10 Laps)

Non-Wing Qualifiers (10 Laps)

Restricted Qualifiers (10 Laps)

Outlaw Qualifiers (10 Laps)

A Class Qualifiers (10 Laps)

Jan. 4

Non-Wing Bs (12 Laps)

Non-Wing Outlaw Bs (12 Laps)

Restricted Bs (12 Laps)

Outlaw Bs (12 Laps)

A Class Bs (12 Laps)

OPENING CEREMONIES

Non-Wing LCQ (12 Laps)

Non-Wing Outlaw LCQ (12 Laps)

Restricted LCQ (12 Laps)

A Class LCQ (12 Laps)

Outlaw LCQ (12 Laps)

Non-Wing A (30 Laps)

Jr Sprint A (20 Laps)

Outlaw A (30 Laps)

Restricted A (25 Laps)

A Class A (30 Laps)

NW Outlaw A (55 Laps)

The Format

Outlaw, Non-Wing Outlaw, A Class & Non-Wing

Heat Races lined up according to draw (8-10 cars per heat), passing points in effect.

Top 112 in passing points from Heat Races advance to 8 Qualifying Races (14 cars each) with a four-car inversion in effect for each Qualifying Race. Thus, high point driver from Heat Races will start fourth in the First Qualifier and so on (top 32 make invert 33rd on back start third row and back in Qualifiers).

Passing points in qualifying races as well.

Top 16 in combined passing points from Heats & Qualifiers advance to Sunday nights A Main. Those 17th to 112th in combined passing points lock into 8 B Mains.

113th through 208th after heat races to eight (8) C Mains), 209th to 304th to 8 D Mains (4 in Winged Outlaw) with 305th and back to 8 E Mains. Top two from each E Main transfers to D Mains, top two from each D Main (top 4 Winged Outlaw) transfer to C Mains, top two from each C Main transfer to B Mains, top two from each B Main transfer to Sunday nights A Feature Qualifier. B Main winners earn positions 1-8 in LCQ lineup up in order of combined Heat and Qualifying Race points, B Main runners-up earn positions 9-16 in LCQ lineup in order of combined Heat and Qualifying Race points.

Top 8 from A Feature Qualifier advance to Tulsa Shootout Championship A Main event.

Restricted A Class

Heat Races lined up according to draw (7-9 cars per heat), passing points in effect.

Top 72 in passing points from Heat Races advance to 6 Qualifying Races (12 cars each) with a four-car inversion in effect for each Qualifying Race. Thus, high point driver from Heat Races will start fourth in the First Qualifier and so on (top 24 make invert 25th on back start third row and back in Qualifiers).

Passing points in Qualifying Races as well.

Top 16 in combined passing points from Heats & Qualifiers advance to Sunday nights A Main. Balance to 6 B Mains, 73rd on back from heat race passing points to 6 C Mains. Top three finishers from each C Main advance to B Mains, top three finishers from each B Main advance to Sunday nights A Feature Qualifier. B Main winners earn positions 1-6 in LCQ lineup up in order of combined Heat and Qualifying Race points, B Main runners-up earn positions 7-12 in LCQ lineup in order of combined Heat and Qualifying Race points, B Main third-place finishers earn positions 13-18 in LCQ lineup in order of combined Heat and Qualifying Race points.

Top 8 from A Feature Qualifier advance to Tulsa Shootout Championship A Main event.

Jr. Sprint

Heat Races lined up according to draw (7-9 cars per heat), passing points in effect.

Top 60 in points to 6 Qualifying Races (10 cars each) with a four-car inversion in effect for each Qualifying Race. Thus, high point driver from Heat Races will start fourth in the First Qualifier and so on (top 24 make invert 25th on back start third row and back in Qualifiers).

Passing points in Qualifying Races as well.

Top 12 in combined passing points from Heats & Qualifiers advance to Sunday nights A Main, 13th to 60th in passing points to 4 B Mains, 61st on back from heat race passing points to 4 C Mains. Top two finishers from C Mains transfer to B Mains, top two finishers from each of the four B Mains to Sunday nights A Main.

KWINANA BEACH, Australia James McFadden went back-to-back at the Perth Motorplex, winning his second High Limit Racing feature in as many nights.

Driving the Team Brady Racing No. 23x wrenched by Kim Buswell, McFadden won for the second consecutive night and is the high points man heading into Monday nights $100,000-to-win finale.

McFadden started outside the front row and inherited the lead when polesitter Kyle Larson hit the fence on lap nine.

McFadden led the rest of the 30-lap distance, holding off American Cole Macedo, who started sixth. Macedo is also locked into Mondays finale.

Matt Egel finished third, with High Limit champion Brad Sweet and Jock Goodyer rounding out the top five.

Sweet and Callum Williamson are also locked into Mondays feature.

The finish:

James McFadden, Cole Macedo, Matt Egel, Brad Sweet, Jock Goodyer, Brock Zearfoss, Kaiden Manders, Cory Eliason, Kyle Larson, Gio Scelzi, Ryan Newton, Callum Williamson, Kerry Madsen, Jack Williamson, Brad Maiolo, A.J. Nash, Aaron Chircop, Tim King, Justin Whittall, Dayne Kingshott, Taylor Milling, Luke Oldfield, Jason Kendrick, Andrew Priolo.