Curt Spalding Keeps Focus on Florida UMP Modified Journey, Competing Alongside Son in 2026

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VOLUSIA COUNTY, FL - Curt Spalding is ready to run things back and have fun doing it in an expanded capacity. 

One year after clinching his first career Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator championships, Spalding is ready to chase a repeat of the feat along with his first UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks title. This time, he’ll be facing off against his son, Tyler, for the high-mark honors in the 2026 campaign. 

“We got the two (Big Gators) last year, and that was pretty surreal,” Spalding said. “There’s a lot you have to do to prep and all that, and it’s my busiest time of the year for work stuff. You add it all in, and there’s not much sleep taking place between all the shows. 

“Probably the biggest excitement this year is taking my son Tyler, and it’s a good opportunity for him. He almost won Charlotte, he’s obviously been putting in the time and effort, and he’s a good little racer, so I try to race him as much as we can.” 

The younger Spalding was turning the wrenches on the No. 5 Lethal Chassis when Curt bagged four Golden Gators, the Gator Championship Feature, and the Big Gator points title in the 2025 visit. 

Tyler raced alongside Curt in scattered starts in 2025, with the highlight of the year involving a runner-up finish in the Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modifieds finale at the 10th annual World Short Track Championship in October. 

“I think a big part of the youth racers today is they have things like iRacing and videos from not long ago,” Spalding said. “Tyler’s been to a lot of these racetracks in Florida for several years. He’s been to Charlotte, Eldora, Fairbury, and all these places. It’s showing that he learned and studied them, like rolling into those tracks, and he’s had great results. 

“I’m not just bragging on the driver’s skill side of it. There’s a lot more that goes with it. He does everything on the whole program from the shocks and bodies, and takes care of everything for us. He’s pretty hard on dad, and he can back it up. We’ve gotten to enjoy doing these things and perform the best we can.” 

Before the Watervliet, MI native visits “The World’s Fastest Half Mile” on Jan. 29, he’ll begin the year with a quest for the FL Speedweks title that commences at Hendry County Motorsports Park on Jan. 23-24. In an 11-day stretch of races that includes help from car owners Chris and Adam Terry, Spalding looks towards focusing on the work that lies each day while enjoying the little moments to stay in contention for the “Sunshine State” championships. 

“When we were there last year, we went down there focused,” Spalding said. “My car owners, Chris and Adam, really helped. They have many, many years of experience in racing, and that’s all any of us do. We’re either working our jobs or we’re at the racetrack. Nothing else. 

“You try to stay focused and enjoy what’s around, but you can almost certainly overdo it in areas, so it’s about staying in the wheelhouse. We had a list of things that we wanted to try last year, and we were good right out of the box. Well, we didn’t even get to some of those things because it gets to a point where you’re asking, ‘What’s the risk?’ So, we got the same things on the agenda this year, and we’ve got something to look at if we need to go a different direction with the setup.” 

The Spalding family will begin their DIRTcar UMP Modified tour through Florida at Hendry County on Jan. 23-24, then Volusia for Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals from Jan. 29-31 and Feb. 2-7. 

DIRTCAR NATIONALS INFO 

How can you watch the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds at Volusia Speedway Park? Live on DIRTVision.