Lucas Oil takes our top spot, but the World of Outlaws is close enough to turn this ranking into a Saturday-night argument.
Ask ten dirt-racing fans to rank America’s leading Super Late Model series and you may get twelve different answers, along with at least one argument about tires.
That is part of what makes the sport so much fun. Unlike racing divisions built around one national sanctioning body, dirt Super Late Model racing is spread across national tours, regional championships and shorter miniseries. They do not all race the same number of events, visit the same territory or pursue the same kind of championship.
Deep Dixie Racing ranked the current series using five primary considerations:
- Strength and depth of competition
- Feature purses and championship money
- Quality and geographic reach of the schedule
- History and prestige
- Media coverage and accessibility to fans
This is a ranking of the series as they stand in 202 not an all-time history lesson and not a ranking of individual crown-jewel races. The World 100, Dirt Late Model Dream and other major events carry enormous prestige, but they are races rather than touring series.
With that understood, let the arguing begin.
1. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series earns the top position by bringing together the best overall combination of elite competition, championship money and crown-jewel events.
Its 2026 calendar contains 58 events at 26 tracks across 15 states. Twelve premier races offer at least $50,000 to win, culminating with the $100,000-to-win Dirt Track World Championship. The season-long points fund totals approximately $1.265 million, with $250,000 reserved for the national champion.
The regular field is loaded with drivers capable of winning anywhere in the country. Add the national stars who appear at the larger events, and very few races on the schedule offer an easy path to victory.
Lucas Oil gets the top spot, but this is no runaway. Its advantage over the World of Outlaws is measured in inches, not straightaways.
2. World of Outlaws Late Model Series
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is effectively No. 1B.
The Outlaws scheduled 61 races at 37 tracks in 19 states for 2026. Approximately $4.9 million in feature purses is available, along with a $1.1 million championship fund paying $225,000 to the champion. The tour also sanctions major events including the Prairie Dirt Classic and the $100,000-to-win USA Nationals.
Its national footprint may be the best in the sport, and the combination of recognizable branding, strong production through DIRTVision and a loaded roster makes every Outlaw event feel important.
Someone placing the World of Outlaws first would not be talking foolishness. We simply believe Lucas Oil currently has a slightly stronger combination of regular competition and crown-jewel depth.
3. FloRacing Night in America
FloRacing Night in America may produce the strongest average field of any series on this list.
Its carefully selected midweek dates allow drivers from the Lucas Oil tour, World of Outlaws and major regional teams to meet without committing to another demanding national schedule. The 2026 campaign includes 11 events at 10 tracks across six states. Standard events pay $20,000 to win, the Senoia finale pays $30,000, and the championship pays $50,000.
The only reason it does not challenge the top two is its limited schedule. It is an elite miniseries rather than a coast-to-coast championship grind.
If the question were simply, “Which series produces the toughest field on an average night?”, FloRacing Night in America could have a legitimate claim to No. 1.
4. DIRTcar Summer Nationals
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals”better known as the Hell Tour”remains one of the most demanding challenges in American motorsports.
The 2026 schedule called for more than 30 races in 34 days across nine states. Drivers and crews must race, repair, travel and do it all again the next night. A team cannot win this championship with speed alone. It takes preparation, endurance and the ability to survive nights when the race car looks as tired as the crew.
The Summer Nationals carries four decades of history and remains one of the strongest traditions in Midwestern dirt racing. Its compressed schedule and regional foundation keep it below the national tours, but nobody should confuse “regional” with “easy”.
5. Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series
The Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series has become the leading full-season regional tour in the South and one of dirt racing’s fastest-growing properties.
Its fourth season features 26 races at 17 tracks across six states, with $50,000 awaiting the series champion. The tour has built a recognizable identity, attracted strong Southeastern teams and used modern digital coverage to reach fans far beyond the grandstands.
Hunt the Front still lacks the history of several older tours, but history cannot be manufactured overnight. Everything else is moving in the right direction. If its growth continues, this series could soon challenge the Summer Nationals for the No. 4 position.
For a Deep Dixie Racing audience, Hunt the Front may already rank third because of its relevance throughout Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Tennessee.
6. COMP Cams Super Dirt Series
The COMP Cams Super Dirt Series is the premier regional Super Late Model tour across the Mid-South.
The 2026 schedule contains nearly 30 events, with numerous $10,000-to-win races and a $20,000 finale. Its championship pays $50,000, matching Hunt the Front’s title prize and exceeding several other established regional tours.
The series consistently attracts stout competition from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and surrounding territory. It does not receive the national attention of the top five, but the racing and financial package deserve considerably more recognition than they sometimes receive.
7. Schaeffer’s Oil Spring and Southern Nationals
We are grouping the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals and Southern Nationals together because they operate under the same organizational umbrella, although they maintain separate schedules and championships.
These events regularly attract many of the South’s finest racers, along with national stars when scheduling allows. Tracks such as Senoia, Swainsboro, Cochran, Tazewell, Volunteer and Cherokee give the tours a strong regional identity.
The competition can be outstanding, but the divided and relatively compact schedules prevent the Schaeffer’s tours from ranking alongside Hunt the Front as a full-season championship. On individual nights, however, their fields can rival almost anybody outside the two national giants.
8. MARS Late Model Championship
The MARS Late Model Championship provides a strong touring home for Illinois and the surrounding Midwest.
The series offers a season-long point fund exceeding $120,000, plus rookie incentives, and every event is available through FloRacing. Its schedule includes respected Midwestern facilities and drivers who know how to handle everything from tight bullrings to fast, sweeping tracks.
MARS has quality competition and excellent streaming exposure. It lands behind COMP Cams because the Mid-South tour currently offers a larger championship prize and more consistently substantial feature purses.
9. United Late Model Series
The United Late Model Series represents the strongest regional Super Late Model tour in much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
The circuit visits notable facilities including Hagerstown, Selinsgrove, Tyler County and Potomac. Its 2026 schedule includes several five-figure events, including the $20,000-to-win Country Roads 100.
ULMS does not possess the geographic reach of the tours ranked above it, but it gives Northeastern racers a respected championship and provides national-caliber competition when the region’s leading drivers gather.
10. Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series
The Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series cannot be discussed without respecting its history. It has been part of Southern dirt racing for more than four decades and continues to provide meaningful Super Late Model events throughout the region.
The 2026 schedule contains approximately 25 dates, a $15,000 championship prize and a $30,000-to-win Blue-Gray 100 finale at Cherokee Speedway. Stops throughout Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina keep it especially relevant to Deep Dixie Racing readers.
The Southern All Stars remain important, but average purses, field depth and media reach now trail Hunt the Front and the Schaeffer’s tours. Longevity earns respect; it does not automatically determine the current ranking.
Just Outside the Top Ten
Several other series deserve attention, including the Ultimate Southeast Super Late Model Series, American Late Model Iron-Man Series, Northern Allstars Late Model Dirt Series, Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series, REVIVAL Super Dirt Series and Appalachian Mountain Late Model Speedweek.
Some have larger schedules, some have quickly improving purses, and others serve regions that would otherwise receive little touring Super Late Model competition. Any of them could climb as schedules, fields and financial support continue to develop.
The Final Ranking
- Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
- World of Outlaws Late Model Series
- FloRacing Night in America
- DIRTcar Summer Nationals
- Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series
- COMP Cams Super Dirt Series
- Schaeffer’s Oil Spring and Southern Nationals
- MARS Late Model Championship
- United Late Model Series
- Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series
Now It Is Your Turn
No ranking like this will satisfy everybody - and it should not. Dirt racing was built on regional loyalty, favorite drivers and fans who will defend their home tracks and series until the last hauler leaves the parking lot.
How would you rank the tours?
Is Lucas Oil truly No. 1, or should the World of Outlaws lead the field? Does FloRacing Night in America belong this high despite its shorter schedule? Has Hunt the Front already passed the Hell Tour? Which regional series have we underrated or left out entirely?
Sound off in the comments and give us your order. Make your case, defend your series and enjoy the debate-but keep the personal attacks in the trailer.
Ranking compiled by Deep Dixie Racing using the announced 2026 schedules, purses, championship funds, competition level, prestige and media availability.
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