CONCORD, N.C. — The silver anniversary season is down to its final week.
The stars of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision have contested 49 races and covered thousands of miles from Florida to North Dakota and everywhere in between.
Every lap has been in pursuit of a championship, and that goal will become reality for one team this week.
The series wraps up the season at The Dirt Track at Charlotte as part of Dave Smith Motors World of Outlaws World Finals, joining the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series in a three-division spectacular.
On-track action begins on Wednesday, with Hot Laps and a pair of Qualifying sessions to set the Heat Race lineups for Thursday and Friday.
Each of the first two race nights will conclude with a 35-lap, $15,000-to-win, Feature, leading up to Saturday’s 50-lap, $25,000-to-win, finale and the crowning of the next World of Outlaws champion.
ALMOST THERE
Bobby Pierce has one mission in the final week of the season – finish the job.
The “Smooth Operator” is in the driver’s seat to capture his third championship in four years, carrying a 76-point advantage over Nick Hoffman into the last three races. That lead comes as a result of a dominant campaign complete with 20 wins to date and only three finishes outside the top 10.
If Pierce can string together three more before season’s end, he’ll be hoisting the trophy on Saturday regardless of Hoffman’s performance.
Even so, Pierce has no interest in clinching the title while riding around mid-pack. This weekend presents three more chances to cash a winner’s check, something he did at Charlotte once before in 2024.
NOT DEAD YET
When Pierce lost power while running second at Modoc Speedway and dropped to 18th in the finishing order, it gave Hoffman a glimmer of hope for his first Series title going into Charlotte.
“The Thrill From Mooresville” has a very narrow path to the championship, but that’s still more than he was expected to have three months ago when Pierce was winning everything in sight.
But the No. 32 team has been plagued by a combination of bad luck and lackluster speed in recent weeks, and Hoffman needs the skid to continue if he wants any chance.
He’s also hoping history repeats itself in the Pierce camp. The reigning champion closed out the year with finishes of 12th, 16th, and 23rd at Charlotte one year ago. If Pierce scores another average finish of 17th this week and Hoffman finishes fourth or better every night, the 2026 title goes to Hoffman.
ROOKIE RACE
Much like Pierce, Daulton Wilson also only needs an average weekend to earn a prize of his own.
The Fayetteville, N.C., native is in position to become the 2026 MD3 Rookie of the Year, leading Trey Mills by 73 markers ahead of World Finals.
Wilson has a chance to seal top rookie honors in his home state at the track where he owns a pair of top fives and five top 10s since 2022. He also got some Charlotte track time in last week’s World Short Track Championship, crossing the line fourth in the Crate Modified feature before being disqualified for a valve spring infraction.
On the flip side, Mills is in “Hail Mary mode” as he chases the Rookie of the Year title. His only competitive Charlotte experience came in a Crate Late Model in 2021, but Mills took part in the Longhorn Chassis test two weeks ago to turn some Super Late Model laps prior to World Finals.
COLTMAN CUP
Tyler Erb may not have a shot at the championship in his first season back as a full-time Outlaw, but he is still in the running for another season-long prize.
The Coltman Farms Racing Cup – the miniseries designed to celebrate the top performers at the season’s biggest events – concludes this weekend, with Pierce leading Erb by 27 points with one weekend remaining.
The winner will receive a $7,500 bonus and a one-of-a-kind trophy, while the runner-up will receive $2,500.
Erb hasn’t been at his best lately in World of Outlaws competition, with his last Series top five coming at Adams County Speedway on Aug. 28.
However, he still stands a chance at overtaking Pierce in the Cup standings if he can repeat last year’s Charlotte showing that included a pair of top fives in the Friday and Saturday programs.
ALL-STAR FIELD
World Finals is expected to attract one of the largest and deepest fields of the season yet again, headlined by a battle between an immovable object and an unstoppable force.
Ricky Thornton Jr. has been the hottest Late Model driver in the country over the past month, winning six straight races since Oct. 9 and pocketing $225,000 in winnings over that span.
A fifth-place run in the Pittsburgher remains Thornton’s only loss since parting ways with crew chief Anthony Burroughs and naming Justin Tharp his new head wrench on Sept. 29. “RTJ” will try to keep the good times rolling this weekend at a place he’s won at three times before.
One man standing in Thornton’s way will be Jonathan Davenport, who is rolling into Charlotte on a hot streak of his own. “Superman” won the most recent World of Outlaws race at Modoc Speedway two weeks ago before following it up with his second Blue-Gray 100 victory at Cherokee Speedway the next night.
Davenport stands alone as the winningest Late Model driver in World Finals history with eight triumphs – two of them coming one year ago.
This weekend’s cast is also expected to include names like Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Sheppard, Dale McDowell, Chris Madden, Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Chris Ferguson, Brandon Overton and many more.
