ROSSBURG, Ohio  — Dirt Late Model racers often say they race their competitors with respect. But three drivers might get a little more respect during the Carl Short’s 44th annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by ARP.

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Eldora Speedway's DTWC marks the conclusion of the Big River Steel Chase for Championship on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series with three of four contenders in the tour’s playoff-style format still in contention for the $200,000 tour championship.

While every race entrant is focused on the $100,000 winner’s purse, points-leading Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., and Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, envision a possible $300,000 payday at the historic half-mile oval.

Devin Shiels of Britton, Mich., says he’ll be on high alert during Friday’s heat races and Saturday’s action if Thornton’s No. 20rt, Davenport’s No. 49 or Moran’s No. 99 is in close proximity.

“You're hoping you're not the cause of somebody's misfortune,” Shiels said.

Moran and Davenport says their concern about running into trouble depends on who they’re racing with — Tyler Erb is typically more aggressive than Garrett Alberson, Moran pointed out — but they know they’ve gotta battle the rest of the field along with the title contenders.

“I think a lot of it depends on who it is, but at the end of the day, they’re here to win the race as well, so you can’t expect them just to pull over and let you by,” Moran said.

Davenport added that “we’ll race each other as hard as we can and I’m sure everybody else is going to do the same, because like I said, it’s still the Dirt Track World Championship on the line here, and that’s what everybody else is focused on.”

World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series regular Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., plans to race everyone as hard as possible, but he’ll be aware of who’s around him at crunch time.

"I think if it's early in the race and you're trying to get a position or two for yourself, I think you race them with respect, which like I said, I feel like I try to do that no matter what,” Shirley said. “But I definitely see, if it's two or three laps to go, and you're talking that type of money, and it's not for the win, I think you let that play out.”

Josh Rice of Crittenden, Ky., said he’ll likely give the title contenders “a little more respect” during the crown jewel weekend.

"But I mean, if I'm on the lead lap, we're battling for 100 grand, we're still racing for a lot of money. So I think we're all still gonna be going for it. I think we're all still gonna be chasing the same group of guys,” said Rice, who was 21st in his lone DTWC start in 2021 in Portsmouth, Ohio. "Like I say, you kind of got to give him a little respect, but you can't give them all the respect.”

Shiels, the Michigan driver who is looking for his first career start in the Dirt Track World Championship, doesn’t want to become an accidential factor in the title chase.

“It'll be on our minds,” said Shiels, who finished fifth in Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series points. “I’ll start staying out of the way … I'm not gonna cost somebody $300,000.”

When battling those drivers, he said he’ll “probably just try to keep the car under you and just hold your line and let them do what they're going to do — but you still want to win. I think they're going to be pretty aggressive this weekend, fighting tooth and nail for everything.”

Another WoO regular, Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, doesn’t want to make any contact with a title contender that causes problems.

"I feel like you kind of have to (be careful). Them guys are racing for a lot of money — and obviously everybody else is, too — but at the end of the day, you don't want to be the guy to get in there and go flattening somebody's tire and cost them a championship. That’s not what anybody here wants to do,” Gustin said. “All them guys are obviously professional race car drivers and I feel like the majority of the field here is, too, so you can race hard without making contact. But as far as sticking it in there where you probably shouldn't, I don't think anybody should be doing that.”

Gustin also had a suggestion for drivers who might be running a lap down while battling the title contenders — stay out of the way.

"I feel like lapped cars in general — it doesn't matter if you're racing for $1 or $1 million — they need to get the heck out of the way,” Gustin said. “But that's my opinion on it. I've been a lapped car too, but I try to get out of the way and let them go. That blue and yellow flag means there's a race going on and you ain't in it.”

Shiels hopes he’s not a lapped driver, but it can be tricky at Eldora, where it’s difficult to see drivers coming up behind you.

“If you're a lapped car just told your line, stay out of the way and try to give them as much room as you can,” Shiels said. “It’s hard to see in these things. That's what the fans don't realize is, you can't tell who's racing you … they’ve gotta be all the way past your window before you can even see them.”