By Ben Deatherage
NEWMAN GROVE, Neb. (July 24, 2025) — The names are few, the path grueling, the odds relentless. But Cory Dumpert, the quiet powerhouse from Nebraska, has etched his name alongside the elite in the Sunoco IMCA Late Model Century Club, becoming just the ninth driver to reach the 100-win mark in the division.
It happened June 28 at Off Road Speedway in Norfolk, where he’s won the last three track championships, and the celebration was equal parts joy and relief.
“I was really starting to think that the 100th one was going to be harder to win than the first,” Dumpert admitted. “Nothing seemed to go right and everyone kept bringing it up. It was getting to be a lot of pressure.”
But pressure has a way of forging steel, and Dumpert, a six-time and reigning IMCA national champion, showed the grit that defines his career. Starting 10th on a racy, moisture-laden surface, the three-time defending Off Road track champion made his charge — bold, aggressive, and hell-bent.
Cory Dumpert celebrates atop his no. 77 Late Model after picking up career win number 100 with the Sunoco IMCA Late Models at Off Road Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Sami Sue’s Snapshots)
“We made some changes to the car after being on the struggle bus,” he said. “By lap two I knew we had a good piece. Everyone was flying around there and I made some gutsy moves. It paid off.”
That victory placed Dumpert in rare company. He became the newest member of the IMCA Late Model Century Club and is now tied for eighth on the all-time win list with Terry Neal.
Only seven drivers in division history have scored more, including Mark Burgtorf (112), Curt Martin (124), Justin Kay (133), Rob Toland (140), Darrel DeFrance (162), Todd Cooney (243), and Ernie Derr, whose staggering 328 wins still top the charts.
Cory Dumpert poses with family and crew members after earning his 100th career Sunoco IMCA Late Model victory, commemorated with a special banner following the milestone win at Off Road Speedway. (Courtesy Photo)
Built in York, Bound for Victory
Now 35 and living in Newman Grove, Dumpert first cut his racing teeth in York, Nebraska — a town perhaps better known for its colorful hot air balloon water tower and women’s state penitentiary. But for him, York was the place where a racing life took hold.
He still thinks fondly of his hometown. “If you’re ever in York, you’ve got to go eat at Chance’s R,” he said. “Best prime rib in the state, hands down.”
He and his brother grew up like many kids in small-town America — riding bikes, playing in the creek — but most weekends were spent chasing checkers across state lines. Racing was life then, and it still very much is now.
“In 1996 my grandparents thought we were picking up a yard kart,” he recalled. “When we got to my Uncle Frank’s, it turned out to be a racing kart. They asked if I wanted to give it a shot. I said ‘Sure.’ The rest is history.”
Not long after, he had to pick a number for the kart.
“I was seven years old when I started, so I wanted to be number 7,” he said. “But my dad told me there was a rule that it had to be two digits. I found out later he made that up because he’s color blind — and it was easier to spot me on the track with a two-digit number, since most of the other kids just had one.”
That start led to years of national karting tours across the entire Midwest until 2008, when Dumpert moved into Hobby Stocks. He advanced into Stock Cars briefly, and by 2012, found himself in a Late Model — where early struggles almost outpaced progress.
“They’re wide and the closing speed is wild,” he said. “My car builder that first full year called me ‘the blue label kid’ because I kept wrecking it and ordering parts every week. I kept knocking the whole right front off every weekend just trying to stay out there.”
It wasn’t until Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction adopted the IMCA sanction in 2019 that Dumpert’s fortunes shifted. Opting to stay close to home rather than chase open sanction shows further south, the move proved critical.
“That change really paid off,” he said.
What followed was a dominant stretch. Dumpert earned national rookie of the year honors in 2019 and has since reeled off six consecutive national championships. His best year came in 2020 with 21 wins in 36 starts; his worst, in terms of volume, was still a nine-win season. Night after night, he’s been a fixture in victory lane.
The Super Nationals Trophy
Yet among all the accolades, one trophy remains in a league of its own — the 2022 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. It’s the only trophy hanging on his garage wall, flanked by the right rear tire that helped earn it.
“I never thought I’d win that show,” Dumpert said. “You need a fast car and an equal amount of luck — start to finish.”
He didn’t have a strong heat. He had to come from a B main. He started 14th in the 50-lap feature. But as his wife said that night, he simply had to go get it done.
“The cautions fell right, we had speed, and I got the lead with four to go,” he recalled. “It couldn’t have worked out better. One of my best buddies, Alex Banks — he was crying more than I was when I won. He gave me a big hug. That night will always stay with me.”
Still in the Fight
Even now, Dumpert continues to chase wins weekly across the Midwest, racing Thursdays through Saturdays against the best regional talent.
“There’s six to eight guys that can win every night, and when we go to Iowa, the number goes up,” he said. “I’m starting to feel like the old guy out there. These kids are aggressive — more than I thought I was. I’m somewhere between a veteran and still feeling like a kid.”
Yet the fire still burns.
“I’m probably a lifer,” Dumpert said. “I don’t hunt, don’t fish, camping and boating’s not my deal. I eat, breathe, and sleep this stuff. I’ve got a son now and I love doing family things with him — that’s become one of my favorite parts of life — but I’m still here.”
And it’s not one done alone. Dumpert is quick to thank those who helped him get here.
“I have to thank my wife — she lets me do this,” Dumpert said. “My parents have been there from the start, and I couldn’t have done it without them. I also want to thank Kenny Summers, Edward Pritchard, Speedway Motors, Johnson Trucking Sand and Gravel, Safranek Racing, Go Lithium, Triple F Roofing, Swift Springs, Underdog Designs, Sergent Irrigation, KB Carburetors, ACG Ag Consultant Group, Decaled, and LG’s Plumbing.”
With one hundred wins, hundreds of stories, and no signs of slowing down, Cory Dumpert’s legacy is still being written.
