It was difficult for Buddy Kofoid to hide the gleam in his eyes during the recent World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series media day that took place Feb. 2 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Though the 22-year-old has run more than 80 races with the series and has collected four wins, this year marks his first full season with the prestigious sprint car tour.
That fact was not lost on Kofoid, who couldn’t help but smile wide while describing what it feels like to be an official Outlaw.
“Really good,” Kofoid said.
For being one of the youngsters on tour, his respect for the Greatest Show on Dirt has deep roots. In fact, his aspiration to be an Outlaw has been in the pipes for a while.
The Penngrove, Calif., native grew up taking family vacations to the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway — a race that has long been a crown jewel on the West Coast. Watching sprint cars fly around the high-banked, quarter-mile track as a kid turned out to be the experience that would shape his dreams.
“I watched some of my heroes, like Steve Kinser, racing there and you get to see them so few and far between because they travel so much. That’s what I wanted to be,” Kofoid explained.
His path to becoming a full-time Outlaw became clearer last June when his relationship with Dennis and Teresa Roth began to bloom.
After running part time with their team to close out the sprint car season, Kofoid is back for another round with Roth Motorsports.
He will contest the full World of Outlaws schedule in their signature No. 83 sprint car, while teammate James McFadden will run with High Limit Racing.
“They’re one of the most storied, historical teams in sprint car racing,” Kofoid said. “Getting to race with them last year helped a lot. So it’s nothing new per se, but being an Outlaw, that’s a big step.”
The two-time USAC national midget champion certainly understands what it’s like to travel the country and chase a national tour, but this is different.
“Doing it with the pinnacle of all dirt racing is even more special,” Kofoid said.
But it’s not just the personal element that makes this experience unique for Kofoid, but also his anticipation of the infamous grind associated with the World of Outlaws tour.
“I’ve had years when I’ve ran between 80 or 90 or 100 races before, probably like what this year’s going to be. But I always felt like the schedule with the Outlaws, the way it’s structured, I imagine it’ll be long and grueling,” Kofoid explained.
Still, the 86-race season doesn’t intimidate him. Rather, it excites him.
The more time he spends in a race car, the better Kofoid expects to become. And that’s also been a longstanding draw of the Outlaws — race with the best in order to become the best.
“I don’t mind being busy. Would rather have that than just be sitting around waiting to go,” Kofoid said.
His eagerness to get the ball rolling became evident on Tuesday during practice night at the season-opening Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park.
The driver of the No. 83 set the fastest time in the final practice session with a 15.114-second lap.
“I feel like I’m the most comfortable and most prepared I’ve ever been in a sprint car,” Kofoid said on media day. As for his greater season goals, he added, “I just want to be able to run up front, win races and be there when it counts.”