BARBERVILLE, FL (January 29, 2025) - Kyle Strickler has four titles he’ll be chasing at Volusia Speedway Park in February and his chances for one of them recently got an unexpected boost.
The Mooresville, NC driver didn’t plan on running the opening portion of DIRTcar’s UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks – a 15-race trek across the “Sunshine State” – this month but when Jeff Mathews couldn’t compete during the fourth race of the stretch at Ocala Speedway, Strickler jumped in his car.
He originally traveled south to assist former NASCAR Truck Series driver Austin Wayne Self in preparing for Ocala. Then, he found himself in Mathews’ No. 33 Elite Chassis, winning that night. And he didn’t stop there. Strickler drove Mathews’ backup car the next two nights, scoring a podium finish the first night but then suffering a DNF the last. “It was kind of unexpected because we went to help Austin Wayne Self for practice on Wednesday,” Strickler said. “Jeff wasn’t able to make it, so I jumped in the car which was very similar because he runs Elite cars. We made a few adjustments and picked up the win on Thursday, then drove his backup on Friday and Saturday when he showed up (to Ocala). I thought we were gonna be decent (on Saturday), but we broke a left axle toward the end.
“We left Ocala and drove back home in North Carolina, so we’re getting all my stuff ready to bring the Late Model and Modified down to Volusia. We’ll run the whole thing, so the first few days at the start, all the next week, and then stick around for all of Late Model week.”
With some extra Speedweek points in his back pocket, Strickler enters the 54th Annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals set to chase another Speedweek title, the DIRTcar UMP Modified Gator Championship, the DIRTcar UMP Modified Big Gator title, and the Super Late Model Big Gator title. The latter is still on his list of trophies to secure.
Strickler has amassed 17 victories at Volusia – 14 during DIRTcar Nationals with the UMP Modifieds (second-most all-time), two with the World of Outlaws Late Models, and one from the Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial.
He earned his first Big Gator trophy in 2023 with the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds.
“I really enjoy going to Volusia,” Strickler said. “It’s one of the places where if you know how to get around it and know the track surface, you can have a lot of success there. I remember going there years ago and struggling, but really wanting to do well there. We finally got to the point where it became one of my favorite places to go, and I really enjoy all three weeks. Anytime they race at Volusia, I try to get down and make it there.
“We got a really good package, it fits my driving style, and the track surface is ever-changing, similar to (Ocala Speedway). It seems like a lot of the Florida racetracks now get extremely slick in the middle, with grip on the top or the bottom it seems. It makes for a really technical racetrack where you have to use your head as a driver, so I feel it fits me really well.”
One change that helped him adapt to the track more was when a new load of clay was placed on the track in 2022. It turned the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” from a flat-out track to a more technical one, according to Strickler.
“Volusia used to be a motor killer,” Strickler said. “It would be a heavy, hammer down all the time track, and it would never really slick up. The last couple of years, it seems like it’s a really fast East Bay and it’s way more technical than it used to be. I feel like that makes it way different than anywhere else in the country. They don’t have grip in the areas you know like the cushion, or sometimes it’s a mud ringer on the bottom and it’s such a huge difference. Between the track conditions making it so fast, it can be super slick and slow throughout the night.
“The track surface is completely opposite end of the spectrum at the same time, on the same racetrack. You don’t usually see that, so it’s really about adjusting the car to keep up with the track’s changing conditions. It’ll change lap to lap so that makes it extremely technical and even more challenging.”
Strickler, Nick Hoffman, Kyle Bronson, and Ryan Gustin are among four drivers who have won a DIRTcar Nationals Gator trophy in both a UMP Modified and Super Late Model.
Knowing the challenge of switching from a Modified to a Late Model since 2020, the transition has become seamless for the “High Side Tickler” with the added perks of driving a Late Model compared to a UMP Modified.
“It’s easier for the Mod guys to get into the Late Model there because you have so much grip and good information with the manufacturers and shock companies,” Strickler said. “The Modified is a lot more driver dependent, so it definitely helps to have laps all week leading up to the Late Model because once I’m in it, you’re going faster, and the Late Models drive like a Cadillac. You have better brakes, and way more grip, so everything gets multiplied.
“Racing Modifieds in the previous week to lead up to the Late Model helps switch the focus over and kind of get acquainted with where you need to be for the time spent there. I feel it's harder going from the Late Model to the Modified because you’re expecting things from a Modified that you get in a Late Model that aren’t there. It’s nicer to prepare with the Modified for Volusia than with a Late Model first.”
Strickler goes after his second DIRTcar UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks and Big Gator title at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Jan. 29-Feb. 8. Then he’ll compete with the DIRTcar Late Models and World of Outlaws Late Models, Feb. 10-15.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVIsion – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
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