CONCORD, N.C. — The most popular element of the annual World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte is without a doubt the Friday night 3×4 Salute to the Fans that takes place during the Friday night program.
This year’s presentation may have been the best yet.
Prior to the night’s main events, the feature fields for all three divisions are brought onto the four-tenths-mile race track at the same time and lined up in four-wide formation with the sprint cars leading the way, followed by the late models and the big-block modifieds.
Fans take photos and videos and are loud in their support of the display while fireworks blast into the night sky and the three series announcers scream wildly in regard to the spectacle before them.
It’s one of the must-see events of the dirt racing season.
• Heading into the final night of the World Finals, David Gravel has clinched the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship and needs only show up on Saturday to make it official.
In the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series, Brandon Sheppard leads Bobby Pierce by 22 points entering the season finale. While Pierce is looking for a second consecutive title, it would be the fifth championship for Sheppard.
Finally, the Super DIRTcar Series, Mat Williamson, who entered the weekend 15 points behind 10-time champion Matt Sheppard, holds a 30-point advantage as he seeks a second series title.
•Saturday night’s heat races will be lined up by points accumulated during the first two nights of racing.
Sprint cars and late models will race for $25,000-to-win, while the modifieds will battle for $15,000.
David Gravel, Buddy Kofoid, Carson Macedo and Justin Peck earned the most points in the sprint car class and will start on the pole for the four heats.
All four showed great consistency during two nights of racing. Gravel finished first and fourth; Kofoid was second and third; Peck was third and second and Macedo was sixth and first.
• Bobby Pierce (late model) and Carson Macedo (sprint car) were both first time World Finals feature winners on Friday night.
• Ten-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz has enjoyed incredible success at The Dirt Track at Charlotte during his career, but through two races this weekend, it’s been a struggle for the Tony Stewart Racing driver.
After two subpar qualifying efforts on Wednesday night, Schatz had to take a provisional just to race on Thursday. He wound up 14th after starting 25th.
On Friday, Schatz qualified through the B main and finished 14th for the second consecutive night.
With the heats lined up by points, he’ll have his work cut out for him again on Saturday, starting seventh in the second heat.
• A large crowd attended a memorial service Friday morning in honor of longtime World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series timing and scoring guru Eloy Gutierrez. Gutierrez (75) died in August after a battle with cancer.
•Kasey Kahne had one of his best sprint car races of the season on Friday, starting eighth and bringing his familiar No. 9 home in fifth position.
• Cole Macedo, who will drive Wayne Johnson’s No. 2c sprint car on the World of Outlaws tour next season, was at the World Finals helping his brother Carson Macedo’s Jason Johnson Racing team.
The younger Macedo was scheduled to race here, but Johnson underwent surgery this week and postponed the trip from Oklahoma.