CONCORD, N.C. — The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season is a long and winding road.
A nine-month journey that annually takes the nation’s top Sprint Car talent to roughly 40 tracks in 20 states promises to be filled with memorable moments and fruitful storylines, and that was exactly the case in 2025.
From a teenager topping the sport’s biggest race to a driver in their 60s winning with a head-turning setup to a dominant year punctuated by a historic championship, this year delivered a little bit of everything.
BACK-2-BACK
David Gravel finally secured his first World of Outlaws title in 2024 after so many years of trying, and it appears he was only getting started.
The Watertown, Conn., native and his Big Game Motorsports team came out even stronger in 2025. They opened the season with 14 consecutive top-five finishes, including five victories. They didn’t miss the top 10 until the 29th race of the campaign. When the year wrapped up, Gravel’s stat sheet showed 17 wins, 40 podiums, 56 top fives, 64 top 10s, and a 4.13 average finish in 68 starts.
That was more than enough to earn Gravel his second straight championship. He joined Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Donny Schatz, Jason Meyers, and Brad Sweet as only the sixth competitor ever to go back-to-back. With a pair of titles and 120 victories on his résumé at only 33 years old, Gravel is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the best to ever get behind the wheel of a sprint car.
ROOKIE WAR
Announcements kept coming over the off-season that new drivers were signing on for their first World of Outlaws tour, assembling one of the most competitive rookie classes in series history.
The final tally was seven as Cole Macedo, Garet Williamson, Chris Windom, Skylar Gee, Zach Hampton, Hunter Schuerenberg, and Conner Morrell readied to battle for the coveted Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year honor.
While none of them were able to pick off a feature win, several had close calls. Macedo led laps twice. Morrell appeared bound for victory at Ohsweken before Gravel spoiled the party as Morrell settled for second. Williamson, Windom, and Gee all landed on the podium once.
Ultimately, consistency carried Williamson to earning the Rookie of the Year. Windom led for much of the season’s first half, but a solid summer stretch of nine top 10s in 13 races helped Williamson take the top spot and pull away. The Columbia, Mo., native ended the year with seven top fives and 26 top 10s aboard the Fischer Motorsports No. 23 and forever cemented his name in the history books.
RIVALRY REKINDLED
Sprint car fans rejoiced when it was announced that Joe Gibbs would be allowing his drivers to dabble in the dirt again. This meant Christopher Bell could return to his roots and rekindle his rivalry with Kyle Larson. It didn’t take long for the duo to deliver.
The second night of the season at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals came down to the wire between Bell and Larson. Bell was aboard Pennsylvania’s famous Kreitz Racing No. 69k while Larson wheeled the familiar Silva Motorsports No. 57. Bell led when the white flag waved, and Larson got a run coming to the checkered flag, but it wasn’t quite enough as Bell held on in a finish that brought the fans to their feet.
Bell won the battle, but it was Larson triumphing in the war as he went on to win the next two nights and add the Big Gator championship trophy to his collection.
BACK TO CANADA
After eight years away, opportunity opened for the World of Outlaws to return to Canada in 2025.
The always exciting Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario welcomed the tour back for two nights of midweek May action. Fans packed the stands, and a healthy field of more than 30 sprint cars filled the pit area.
The weekend belonged to David Gravel who broke out the broom and swept both nights. While Gravel might’ve won, regulars in the region had their share of the spotlight as Jordan Thomas made the trip across the border and led laps of the opener before finishing fifth. The following night, it was Canada’s own Dylan Westbrook pacing 14 circuits before a podium result.
BUDDY’S BANK
The 2025 BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals is a week that Michael “Buddy” Kofoid will never forget.
The two events in one began with the Huset’s Hustle on June 18-19. A podium on night one positioned him well for the next night when he won and pocketed $100,000. The next two nights brought the High Bank Nationals, and Kofoid finished second in the prelim before winning the finale and banking a massive $250,000 paycheck. He became only the third driver in sprint car history to earn a pair of six-figure paydays in the same week, joining Brent Marks and David Gravel.
It also put the finishing touches on Kofoid’s tale of redemption at Huset’s with the Roth Motorsports crew. Two years ago, when they’d just partnered, Kofoid lost an engine while leading with less than 10 laps to go for $250,000. Since then, the Brandon, S.D., track has hosted a trio of six-figure races, and Kofoid and the No. 83 team have taken all of them.
SHOCKING THE WORLD
An 18-year-old winning the sport’s biggest race likely wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card to start 2025, but that’s exactly what happened.
Teenager Ryan Timms looked like the most poised of veterans all week long at the 64th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s. It began with a drive from eighth to victory on his prelim night with the Liebig Motorsports crew. That lined him up on the pole for Saturday’s finale, and Timms put together a flawless 50 laps to become a Knoxville Nationals champion.
The Oklahoman became the second youngest winner of the event, trailing only Kenny Weld. Timms is also the only driver that can claim their first official World of Outlaws feature victory is the Knoxville Nationals.
END OF AN ERA
The sprint car world was rocked in August when it was announced that Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing would be parting ways.
Since joining forces in 2008, the pairing amassed eight World of Outlaws titles, 234 series victories, nine Knoxville Nationals, five Kings Royals, and a pair of National Opens. It’s undoubtedly one of the most dominant driver-team combinations in sprint car history.
But after more than half a season combatting struggles, the two sides went different directions after the Knoxville Nationals. TSR hired Kerry Madsen to complete the campaign.
Schatz drove for Tod Quiring, Dave Lunstra, and Kevin Kozlowski over the next month before climbing aboard a second Sides Motorsports entry for the final 11 races of his 29th World of Outlaws season.
Schatz ended the season winless for the first time since his rookie season in 1997.
61 YEARS YOUNG
Fans saw history made on a late October Saturday at Sharon Speedway.
The Blaney family owns and operates the northeastern Ohio oval, and Dave Blaney put brother Dale Blaney behind the wheel of his famed No. 10 for the World of Outlaws tilt. With an experimental setup obvious to the eye, the “Low Rider” put on a show. He drove from fifth to victory, holding off Buddy Kofoid for a popular win at Blaney’s home track.
It marked Dale’s first World of Outlaws score in a decade, and at 61 years of age, he became the oldest driver to win a World of Outlaws race.
FINISHING STRONG
Schatz and TSR’s split wasn’t the only silly season news to shock the sport during the year. In September, Sheldon Haudenschild announced that he’d be departing Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing (SJMR) after his eighth season with the team concluded.
That didn’t slow Haudenschild over the last couple months of the campaign as he aimed to finish his SJMR tenure strong. Haudenschild bagged the final leg of Sprint Car racing’s triple crown in October, winning $75,000 at Williams Grove Speedway’s National Open. Four races later, Haudenschild took the NOS Energy Drink No. 17 to victory lane again at Angell Park Speedway.
Haudenschild finished up the year fifth in points, his fourth time in the top five. The Wooster, OH native ended his time with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Richard and Jennifer Marshall’s team with 46 checkered flags. Spencer Bayston is set to move to SJMR in 2026, while Haudenschild has yet to reveal his plans.
POSSE PREVAIL
The World of Outlaws had gotten the better of the Pennsylvania Posse in 2023 and 2024, but the “Keystone State” turned the tides in 2025.
Mother Nature limited the rivalry to six battles, and the Posse topped four of them to the World of Outlaws’ two. The Posse can largely thank Anthony Macri for the upper hand. The Dillsburg, Pa., driver was responsible for three of the four scores with wins at Williams Grove Speedway in May, BAPS Motor Speedway in July, and Lincoln Speedway in October.
