Click here for more than 1400 photos of the World 100 racing event.
The 56th Annual World 100 at Eldora Speedway delivered three nights of unforgettable dirt late model racing, capped by a dramatic Saturday night that saw Nick Hoffman capture his first career World 100 victory.
From a rain-delayed Thursday night that stretched well into Friday morning, to two action-packed preliminary nights, and finally a sold-out Saturday crowd witnessing 100 laps of racing for $100,000, the 2026 World 100 once again showed why Eldora’s crown-jewel event remains one of the biggest weekends in dirt racing.
Thursday: Rain Creates a Long Night at The Big E
World 100 week got off to a soggy start Thursday, September 10. Rain delayed the program by roughly three hours, turning the opening night into a marathon. The first preliminary feature did not take the green flag until after 1:30 a.m. Friday morning.
The long night was eventually worth the wait.
Thursday Feature 1 — 25 Laps
1. Ashton Winger
2. Brian Shirley
3. Brandon Sheppard
Winger started third and used a slider on Brian Shirley on Lap 12 to take control of the race. Despite a pair of restarts, Winger held on for the victory — his first dirt late model win at Eldora Speedway. Shirley finished second, while Brandon Sheppard charged from 13th to claim third.
Thursday Feature 2 — 25 Laps
1. Brandon Overton
2. Josh Rice
3. Tyler Erb
Brandon Overton dominated the second 25-lap feature, holding off Josh Rice for the win. Tyler Erb came home third, while Nick Hoffman finished fourth and Bobby Pierce, driving a backup car after starting 26th, rounded out the top five.
The first night was finally in the books after a long battle with Mother Nature, setting the stage for another full night of racing Friday.
Click here for detailed results of night #1
Friday: Sheppard and O’Neal Take the Twin 25s
Friday night brought another pair of 25-lap preliminary features as drivers continued battling for valuable World 100 points and positioning for Saturday’s program.
Friday Feature 1 — 25 Laps
1. Brandon Sheppard
2. Ricky Thornton Jr.
3. Nick Hoffman
The first feature featured a great battle between Brandon Sheppard and Ricky Thornton Jr. Sheppard eventually took command with 10 laps remaining and drove on to the victory.
Thornton finished second, while Nick Hoffman continued building momentum for Saturday by moving forward four positions from his seventh-place starting spot to finish third. Sheppard’s victory also earned him high-point honors for the week and the opportunity to determine Saturday’s heat-race invert.
Friday Feature 2 — 25 Laps
1. Hudson O’Neal
2. Chris Ferguson
3. Bobby Pierce
Hudson O’Neal wasted no time taking control of the second feature. Starting fourth, O’Neal powered into the lead on the opening lap and never gave it up.
Chris Ferguson battled his way to second, while Bobby Pierce finished third. Chris Madden and Brian Shirley completed the top five.
With the preliminary nights complete, all attention turned toward Saturday and the biggest prize of the week: the 56th Annual World 100, a 100-lap battle for $100,000.
Click here for detailed result of night #2
Saturday: A Record Crowd and a World 100 for the Ages
Saturday, September 12, was everything the World 100 is supposed to be.
The event was sold out for the second consecutive year, and Eldora welcomed what was described as the biggest crowd in the track’s history. After the first-ever World 100 sellout in 2025, the enormous turnout in 2026 confirmed that the World 100 has reached another level as a motorsports destination.
But the fans were not simply there to watch a race. They were there to watch history.
The 56th Annual World 100 — 100 Laps
1. Nick Hoffman
2. Ricky Thornton Jr.
3. Tyler Erb
4. Brandon Sheppard
5. Hudson O’Neal
Click here for deatiled results
The story of the 100-lapper appeared to be Ryan Gustin’s.
Starting from the pole, Gustin was in control from the beginning. The No. 19R dominated the majority of the race and led the first 88 laps, appearing to be on his way to his first World 100 victory.
Then everything changed.
A caution on Lap 88 set up a restart with the race entering its closing stages. On the restart, Gustin suffered a heartbreaking mechanical failure when the driveshaft broke on his car, ending what had been a dominating performance.
That opened the door for Nick Hoffman.
Hoffman had been patiently working his way toward the front, and when Gustin’s misfortune struck, Hoffman inherited the lead. From there, he did exactly what a World 100 champion has to do — he held his composure and took control of the biggest race of his career.
Hoffman pulled away on the final restart and crossed the finish line 2.295 seconds ahead of defending World 100 winner Ricky Thornton Jr. Tyler Erb completed the podium after an impressive drive from the 17th starting position.
For Hoffman, the victory was historic.
Nick Hoffman is now a World 100 winner for the first time.
The victory earned Hoffman the coveted globe trophy and a $100,000 payday, making it the biggest win of his career.
Top Five — 56th Annual World 100
- Nick Hoffman
- Ricky Thornton Jr.
- Tyler Erb
- Brandon Sheppard
- Hudson O’Neal
Hoffman’s victory also capped a strong week for the Mooresville, North Carolina driver. After finishing fourth on Thursday and third in Friday’s first preliminary feature, Hoffman put everything together when it mattered most.
Sorensen Earns the Shane Unger Rookie of the Year Award
Another major accomplishment came Saturday night when Dustin Sorensen was named the Shane Unger Memorial Rookie Award winner.
Sorensen finished 11th in the 100-lap World 100, capping an impressive week. He also won Thursday’s opening heat race and continued to build momentum throughout the three-day event. His 11th-place finish was enough to make him the top World 100 rookie and earn the $3,000 Shane Unger Memorial Rookie Award.
A World 100 Weekend to Remember
The 2026 World 100 had everything that makes Eldora special: packed grandstands, enormous car counts, unpredictable weather, late-night racing, hard-fought preliminary features and, ultimately, a dramatic 100-lap finale.
Thursday tested everyone’s patience as rain pushed the program deep into the early morning hours. Friday provided two more nights of intense preliminary competition, with Brandon Sheppard and Hudson O’Neal finding victory lane.
Then came Saturday.
A record-setting, sold-out crowd watched Ryan Gustin seemingly dominate the World 100 for 88 laps before a broken driveshaft dramatically changed the complexion of the race. Nick Hoffman was there to capitalize, and he made the most of his opportunity.
When the checkered flag fell, Nick Hoffman had his first World 100 victory, Ricky Thornton Jr. had another podium finish, Tyler Erb had charged from 17th to third, and Eldora Speedway had once again delivered a World 100 that fans will be talking about for years.
The 56th World 100 wasn’t just another race at The Big E.
It was a weekend that made history.
