Garrett Alberson: The Next “Household Name” in Dirt Late Model Racing?

Exclusive By: DYLAN TERRY / RPW – WATERTOWN, NY – In the world of late model racing, there are many different types of household names. You have the current stars like Ricky Thornton Jr., Bobby Pierce, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, and Hudson O’Neal all of whom are all currently at the top of their game. You also have your veterans/legends such as Tim McCreadie, Dennis Erb Jr., Jimmy Owens, Mike Marlar, Dale McDowell, Chris Madden, etc. who continue to grind it out and compete for victories. Lost in the shuffle, there is one name in particular that has caught my eye in recent seasons. This driver has been on a steady upward trajectory the past few years, but isn’t necessarily one of those popular household names yet. If he continues his ascent, he very well could enter his name into the conversation. Meet Garrett Alberson everybody.

Back in 2022, Alberson ran his first ever full-time season out on the road with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. During that inaugural campaign, Alberson showed an enormous amount of potential. Alberson started 48 features, and had 5 Top Five finishes, as well as 19 Top Tens. The #58 was the highest finishing rookie in the standings finishing in 7th, as they went on to win the Rookie of the Year award for the series. It was a great year for a team that was still finding its footing on the national stage of late model racing.

In 2023, Garrett and the team again participated full-time with the LOLMDS. In 51 starts during that year, the team tallied only 3 Top Fives and 16 Top Tens. Having shown regression after their rookie season on tour, the team limped home to only an 11th place points finish. They also weren’t able to find victory lane unfortunately, which only added to the disappointment. This year was seemingly a “sophomore slump”, and it apparently motivated Garett and the crew to come out firing on all cylinders in 2024, and boy did they do just that.

The 2024 season didn’t necessarily get off to the best start however. In the first 15 starts of the Lucas season for Alberson, the team only was able to post 2 Top Fives, and 5 Top Ten finishes with an overall average finish of 12.66. When the calendar flipped to April, the difference was like night and day. Throughout the final 34 starts of the year, the team was able to compile 12 Top Fives, and 22 Top Tens for an average finish of 8.76. This was equivalent to nearly a difference of 4 positions per night compared to the beginning of the year! The biggest accomplishment and highlight during that entire stretch was Garrett finally scoring the team’s first career LOLMDS feature victory at Port Royal Speedway in August. 

On that night, the #58 was able to take the checkered flag in thrilling fashion, with a last lap pass in Turn 4 on Devin Moran. In a drag race photo finish at the line, Alberson and the #58 team earned their first career victory by .009 over the #99 of Moran. It was an exciting and memorable way to put all of the pieces together after nearly two and a half seasons on the tour at that point. 

In Victory Lane that night, Garrett showed emotion and relief after the team’s long journey to get to that moment.

“This is everything. We’ve tried so hard, put so much time, and have put so much money into all of this. This is just so cool, and what a race. Thank the lord, this is a true blessing right here” stated Alberson during his post-race interview that evening.

All of the effort continued to pay off throughout the rest of the season, as they closed out the season finishing 6th in the LOLMDS standings, which was their best points finish to date at that point. In the team’s 46 feature starts, they concluded the season with a final statline of 1 Win, 12 Top Fives and 24 Top Tens. This was 9 more Top Five finishes and 8 more Top Ten finishes than they had earned in the 2023 season. 

The successful conclusion and newfound pace of the 2024 season only set the stage for an even more exciting, memorable and successful year during this past year’s 2025 campaign.

Throughout the course of this season, the entire GAR/Roberts Motorsports team only continued their steady rise to the top of the sport. 

While the team only finished 6th in the final standings for Lucas again this year, they still were able to improve in every single statistical category for the second consecutive season.

Garrett added 3 more feature wins with Lucas this season at 34 Raceway, Knoxville and Lernerville. He also had a victory at Florence during the North/South 100 weekend that featured split features on a preliminary night. 

In total during the 47 starts he made with the LOLMDS this year, he earned the 3 Wins, 19 Top Fives and 33 Top Tens. This was an improvement in the win column by two compared to 2024, an improvement by seven in the Top Fives category, and an improvement by nine in the Top Ten department.

Alberson and the #58 team even dipped their toes further on the national scene in 2025, having participated in a few more races with the World of Outlaws Late Models compared to what they had in previous seasons. While he only started 10 races, Garrett continued to make strides on the national level.

The pilot out of Las Cruces, New Mexico was able to capture his first 2 career WOO victories at Volusia in January and February during the Sunshine Nationals and DIRTcar Nationals, starting the season off on a high note. 

Not only was he able to secure the 2 victories, but he also gathered another Top Five finish and 4 more Top Tens throughout those 10 appearances with the World of Outlaws. 

With the continuous rise of their program each season, it’s very evident that Alberson and the GAR/Roberts Motorsports team have started to turn some heads during recent campaigns. They now are expected to be amongst the front runners every time they unload at the racetrack, no matter the series nor the track. If they are able to clean up a few hiccups that have plagued them at times in the past, it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest to see the #58 in contention for a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship next season.

It’s been a long journey of ups and downs that Garrett and the team have had to endure over the past three years, however their dedication, commitment, and hard work to the sport are starting to pay dividends for a program that essentially was built from the ground up.

If you’re a late model fan, it’s one of those feel good stories and you can’t help but respect the path the team has taken to reach this level. Be sure to keep an eye out for the #58 to continue their trajectory towards being one of those aforementioned “household names” not only in 2026, but also in future years to come.