RPW Exclusive: T-Mac is Back; McCreadie Victorious in Sunshine Nationals Finale
Column By: JACOB DOVE / RPW – BARBERVILLE, FL – The 2026 DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals with the World of Outlaws Late Models at Volusia Speedway Park concluded Saturday night in exciting fashion.
With hundreds of Dirt Late Models from around the country in the pit area, as well as haulers parked all the way out into the parking lot, it was a great turnout of both drivers and race fans in attendance. With extreme cold weather around the country, it was great to see so many people head south to the world’s fastest half mile in Barberville, Florida to enjoy some sunny weather and slide jobs.
Tim McCreadie showed a lot of speed Friday night going 11th to 3rd in the feature and backed it up with momentum carried over into Saturday. The Briggs Transport #9M team went 5th quick in Group B qualifying, finished 3rd in Heat Race #3, and would go 10th to 1st to pick up the $20,000 payday. McCreadie was able to make his way towards the front running on the bottom and dicing through lap traffic. T-Mac battled Ryan Gustin up until late when Brandon Sheppard would start showing the nose of his Rocket1 racecar. After a late race restart, McCreadie was able to capture the victory and celebrate in victory lane with the crowd on its feet. T-Mac leaves the Sunshine Nationals sitting 3rd in World of Outlaws series points standings and looks to have a strong run again when the Outlaws return to Volusia for more racing action.
Finishing runner up and capturing the overall Sunshine Nationals title was New Berlin, Illinois’s Brandon Sheppard. While the Rocket1 team plans to run full time with Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models in 2026, “B-Shepp” currently sits atop of the World of Outlaws points standings. After starting 6th in the feature, Sheppard was able to make the bottom lane work much like McCreadie to advance his way up. Sheppard showed consistency all weekend with a 3rd, 4th, and 2nd place results. Expect to see the #1 car to continue running up towards the front competing for wins during GA/FL Speedweeks.
Rounding out the podium was another Illinois driver, Carpentersville’s Dennis Erb Jr. made his first appearance in the top 3. The full time World of Outlaws driver started 7th in the feature and was able to follow McCreadie and Sheppard around the bottom of the racetrack. Erb Jr. is not a flashy driver by any means, but the blue collar racer does the most with the resources and help he has. The veteran driver and former Outlaws champion shows that he can continue to be competitive and have consistent results. Erb Jr. sits 4th in World of Outlaws standings going into the next round of racing.
A few other drivers who hard charged through the field Saturday night were Ricky Thornton Jr. who went 18th to 7th, and Nick Hoffman from 20th to 9th. Both drivers found themselves running in a Last Chance Showdown to make the 50 lap A-main feature event. “RTJ” had a quiet weekend Volusia despite blowing a tire on Friday night. Hoffman had a Top 3 and Top 5 result during the first couple of nights and was surprisingly starting further back in the field than Hoffman had hoped for. The #20RT and the #9 cars sliced and diced through the field both improving 11 spots. While RTJ runs the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series full time, Hoffman will try to improve his World of Outlaws points position as he sits 2nd behind Lucas Dirt driver Brandon Sheppard.
