WILMOT, Wis. — Running second can get old fast.
It’s one spot away from victory and all that comes with it. It’s watching someone else celebrate while being left to wonder how to be one position better. It’s not a preferable place to continually wind up, especially for a driver and team accustomed to winning as often as Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Roth Motorsports.
Entering Friday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts presented the Larry Hillerud Memorial opener at Wilmot Raceway, Kofoid had collected three consecutive runner-up finishes. He also led the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series in victories this season with eight and was hungry to put the Toyota Racing No. 83 back in victory lane. Consider that hunger satisfied.
The Penngrove, Calif., native started on the pole for Friday’s 35-lapper and nearly led the entire way. Series sophomore Cole Macedo surged to give him a fight and took the top spot for two laps, but Kofoid quickly rallied to snatch it back.
Two-time and defending World of Outlaws champion David Gravel climbed to second in the closing laps, but it was too little too late as Kofoid got to the checkered flag before he had a shot to make a move.
“I don’t even know how I did it, but I blasted the backstretch wall going into (Turn) 3 and knocked the (Jacob’s) ladder out when Cole passed me and was just kind of hanging on there at the end,” Kofoid explained. “I just think keeping the restarts unpredictable definitely helps. Dylan (Buswell), Nate (Knotts), and Gage (Tyra) did a great job all day today. It’s nice to have a good day start to finish again, and I owe it all to them. This isn’t an easy place to get comfortable at, and they did just that for me. Can’t do it without them and, of course, Dennis and Teresa Roth.”
Kofoid upped his lead as the season’s winningest driver with his ninth triumph of 2026. It was also his second in a row at Wilmot, putting him alongside David Gravel (four), Carson Macedo (three), and Donny Schatz (two) as multi-time winners at the Wisconsin oval.
The 24-year-old is up to 31 career victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt, making him the 24th winningest driver in series history. Kofoid also chipped away ever so slightly into David Gravel’s championship lead, narrowing the margin between the two to 80 markers.
The reason Kofoid couldn’t cut more into the difference is Gravel charged from seventh to a runner-up result, his 18th podium of the year in the Big Game Motorsports No. 2.
Sheldon Haudenschild stole third coming to the checkered flag to collect his ninth podium in the last 11 races with the KCP Racing crew.
Cole Macedo and Logan Schuchart completed the top five.
The finish:
Feature (35 Laps): 1. 83-Michael Kofoid[1]; 2. 2-David Gravel[7]; 3. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[5]; 4. 2C-Cole Macedo[2]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart[11]; 6. 23-Garet Williamson[6]; 7. 17-Spencer Bayston[3]; 8. 41-Carson Macedo[12]; 9. 20-Bill Balog[10]; 10. 21H-Brady Bacon[16]; 11. 7S-Chris Windom[4]; 12. AU55-Parker Scott[14]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz[18]; 14. 51-Ashton Torgerson[13]; 15. 25-Jy Corbet[19]; 16. 16C-Skylar Gee[17]; 17. 85J-Logan Julien[21]; 18. 15K-Creed Kemenah[24]; 19. 28M-Conner Morrell[8]; 20. 27-Emerson Axsom[9]; 21. 6-Scott Neitzel[15]; 22. (DNF) 87A-Austin Hartmann[22]; 23. (DNF) 79-Blake Nimee[23]; 24. (DNF) 10V-Matt VanderVere[20]
