Blake Matjoulis returns to World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Series victory lane at Cedar Lake

There’s only ever been three races in the Dirt Super Late Model at Cedar Lake Speedway in World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Series history. After Monday night’s seventh race of the 2025-26 season, and second race on the Super Late side of the schedule, Blake Matjoulis made sure that he would stay the only winner in that combination, becoming the seventh different winner on the season as a result.

Not seen on a schedule since Matjoulis last won at the track in the summer of 2023, Cedar Lake returned on Monday night with 40 of the top-ranked drivers from the Qualifying Series standings from the week prior. From fourth on the grid, it only took the former series champion nine laps to get to the front and stay there in the flag-to-flag, caution-free event.

LUCKY NUMBER (12)7! In our seventh round of the 2025-26 World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Series season, we have our seventh different winner in Blake Matjoulis! Matjoulis holds off Hayden Tollison and the field in a caution-free festival at Cedar Lake!@WoOLateModels | @dirtvision pic.twitter.com/2y0eJYFPGv

— iRacing (@iRacing) January 13, 2026

“I had to take it like any other approach, and just try and run smooth laps there up in the lead, and hopefully not make a mistake,” Matjoulis explained post-race after holding off his teammate Hayden Tollison for 42 laps to the finish. “I knew (Tollison) was going to be really good tonight… I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s crazy to think how long we’ve been doing it now. It feels good to be at the top of the game still, and have all of my guys running up front, especially young guys like Hayden and Conner New. We’re having a hell of a season, so I can’t complain at all.”

With only three races to go in the season, and two races left to qualify into the Tournament at the end of the year, the standings took another shake up with some of the strongest Sprint Car competitors once again failing to make the field in the Super Lates. Joey Lingron takes control of the overall points lead, but Logan Rumsey still has a good shot to defend his title, 88 points behind leaving Cedar Lake. Next up is Eldora.

QUALIFYING

During the regular races in the 2025-26 World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Series season, 22 drivers will qualify for each Feature race. Eight of those spots are filled almost immediately through Qualifying, where the first 25 points of the night are on the line. Setting quick time will earn 25 points, but will invert that driver to starting eighth in the Feature, whereas eighth will invert to the pole position, but only collect 17 points. Everyone from ninth on back in Qualifying are to be split into four equal Heat races.

After failing to transfer to the Feature last week at Oswego, this week, Logan Rumsey made sure to make the main event, setting the quick time and earning 25 points towards the championship. The pole position would invert to Hayden Tollison, who qualified in eighth. Matjoulis put himself right in the middle, qualifying in fifth to start fourth after the invert.

Qualifying Transfers:

1. Logan Rumsey
2. Hayden Cardwell
3. Jordan Casey
4. Gabe Elkins
5. Blake Matjoulis
6. Lucas Ruark
7. Dezmond Busby
8. Hayden Tollison

HEAT RACES

In the four Heat races, up to eight drivers compete for eight laps, the top-three finishers advancing to the Feature later in the night. Points are awarded to the finishing positions in each Heat, that way all 40 drivers walk away with something for making the show. Heat winners earn 15 points, while eighth place finishers only claim eight points. The 20 drivers that don’t advance to the Feature through Qualifying or the Heats are sent to one of the two Last Chance Shootout races.

All four Heat races featured some of the best racing of the night, with competitors not only going for the transfer spots, but also the wins. Two, and sometimes three-wide action was on full display during these. Ethan Johnson, Kory Roberts, Colton Jordan, and Mike Augustine were all victorious in their respective Heats.

Heat 1 Transfers:

1. Ethan Johnson
2. Joey Lingron
3. Matthew Selby

Heat 2 Transfers:

1. Kory Roberts
2. Evan Seay
3. Kaden Honeycutt

Heat 3 Transfers:

1. Colton Jordan
2. Tyler Orr
3. Dustin Price

Heat 4 Transfers:

1. Mike Augustine
2. Steven Gaines
3. Knoxx Lumley

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWNS

The final shot to race in the Feature is by winning one of the two Last Chance Showdown races. These races include up to 10 cars each, but only the winner can move on. There are no points awarded in these races.

In the first LCS, Tucker Elkins was able to hold off Grady Ehrman in the closing laps to take the first of two final transfer spots. Last week’s winner, Conner New, started on the pole at Oswego en route to the win, but found himself in a Last Chance Showdown this week. New was able to hold off Drew Jonkman for the final transfer spot.

Last Chance Showdown Transfers:

1. Tucker Elkins
2. Conner New

FEATURE RACE

Hayden Tollison led the field to the green, but was quickly surrounded by Dezmond Busby to his outside, and Lucas Ruark to his inside. Busby led the opening lap, but Tollison took back the advantage on the low side as Ruark was swallowed up by Blake Matjoulis.

Busby made a move again to the outside, and for a few laps, the leaders ran three-wide for the top spot, with Busby on the top, Tollison in the middle, and Matjoulis searching for grip on the bottom. A few scrapes here and there, but the trio kept it together for a few laps, until Busby clipped the wall on Lap 6 and lost a bit of momentum. That left the two teammates—Tollison and Matjoulis—side-by-side for the next few laps, with Matjoulis gaining the advantage finally on Lap 9.

It would be a lap or two more of side-by-side action, but eventually, Matjoulis was able to clear and start running his preferred line. Behind the leaders, the fighting was just as fierce. Logan Rumsey was bouncing off of Busby, who had fallen back, as Ethan Johnson worked his way around. At one point, the battle for last place on the track, essentially 16th, was about five or six wide at times. Up front, Matjoulis kept it steady, nearly catching the back half of the field as he claimed the checkered flag.

FEATURE RESULTS FROM RACE NO. 7 AT CEDAR LAKE SPEEDWAY

POINTS EARNED FOR DRIVERS THAT DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THE FEATURE

DRIVERS STANDINGS AFTER RACE NO. 7 AT CEDAR LAKE SPEEDWAY

1. Joey Lingron, 596 points
2. Aiden Forster, -73 (did not race)
3. Alex Bergeron, -85 (did not race)
4. Logan Rumsey, -88
5. Kenny Hoffman, -142 (did not race)
6. Landon Cardoza, -148 (did not race)
7. Ryan Avila, -153 (did not race)
8. Ethan Johnson, -153
9. Tanner Pettit, -156 (did not race)
10. Tyler Schell, -184 (did not race)
11. Blake Matjoulis, -191 (Cedar Lake winner)

LATE MODEL SEGMENT STANDINGS AFTER RACE NO. 2 AT CEDAR LAKE SPEEDWAY

1. Blake Matjoulis, 233 points
2. Ethan Johnson, -23
3. Hayden Cardwell, -26
4. Mike Augustine, -33
5. Conner New, -39
6. Joey Lingron, -53
7. Hayden Tollison, -56
8. Colton Jordan, -57
9. Evan Seay, -57
10. Lucas Ruark, -69

Leaving Cedar Lake, the overall standings has a new leader in Joey Lingron, who continues to make these Feature races, only having missed the Feature at Lincoln back on the Sprint Car side of the schedule. Lingron hasn’t been as impressive in the Super Lates, however, with Blake Matjoulis leading the way in those standings, up 53 points on Lingron, who only has the sixth-most points through two races.

Ethan Johnson moves into the overall top-10, now in eighth while sitting second in the Super Late standings. Logan Rumsey, the defending series champion, is making his case for the overall title again, moving up to fourth after making his first Super Late Feature of the season following his quick time in qualifying. Three races remain, and it’s anyone’s guess as to who will take top honors.

NEXT UP: ELDORA TAKES CENTER STAGE IN CENTER OF LATE MODEL SCHEDULE

The World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Series returns next week with the eighth round of the 2025-26 season at Eldora Speedway. The World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Qualifying Series opens up on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET with its first of three races for the week, the other two at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night and Thursday night. 40 drivers from the top of the standings will be invited to race in next week’s Pro Series event.

Eldora is a mainstay on every World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Series calendar, but for the last few years, the track has been used on the Sprint Car side of the schedule. The last time the Super Lates took on the World’s Greatest Dirt Track was in the 2023 season, that race won by Kendall Tucker. All of the action from Eldora kicks off next Monday night at 8:00 p.m. ET and it will be live on DIRTVision and across all of iRacing’s social media channels.

For more details on the World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Series and the World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Qualifying Series, check out www.iRacing.com/WoO-Pro-Series/
For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iRacing.com.

You may also like...

Recommended

World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Qualifying Series | Race 8 at Eldora Speedway | January 13th to January 15th, 2026

Recommended

This Week in iRacing | January 13th to January 19th, 2026

Recommended

World of Outlaws iRacing Pro Series | Race Preview | Race 7 at Cedar Lake Speedway

Recommended

THIS WEEK: iRacing Daytona 24 Special Event