CONCORD, N.C. — The calendar is ready to show to 2025, and the subsequent World of Outlaws NOS Vitality Drink Dash Automotive marketing campaign is barely 36 days away.
However earlier than the Earth completes its journey across the solar, the ultimate day of 2024 gives a first-rate probability to replicate one final time on the yr that was.
The forty seventh season of motion for the World of Outlaws was yet one more to be remembered. Report setting parity proper out of the gate, a historic milestone reached by a dwelling legend, and a brand new champion to place the punctuation mark on a improbable yr of dash automotive racing.
GRAVEL’S DREAM YEAR
The highlight was shiny on David Gravel and Huge Sport Motorsports coming into 2024. After three straight runner-ups, may the potent pairing make the ultimate step to the highest of the game by incomes an elusive World of Outlaws title? They answered that query with an emphatic sure.
All season lengthy the Tod Quiring-owned trip had pace. Gravel grabbed 15 wins and 33 podiums in 66 begins on his approach to a title. He missed the highest 10 solely six instances all season, and half of these have been nights he was concerned in a crash through the characteristic. The common end of the Huset’s Speedway No. 2 was an impeccable 4.88.
It was a yr full of highlights punctuated within the championship. Early in Could, Gravel’s victory at Lincoln Speedway lifted Huge Sport Motorsports to 100 wins, making Tod Quiring the sixth proprietor to succeed in triple digits. Gravel’s first Kings Royal crown got here in July, and per week later he reached the 100-win mark as a driver. With the championship, Gravel turned solely the fifth competitor to say a World of Outlaws title, personal not less than 100 Sequence wins, and have a victory within the sport’s three greatest crown jewels – Knoxville Nationals, Kings Royal, and Nationwide Open.
CARSON GETS CLOSER
Gravel would possibly’ve closed out his memorable yr with a championship, however Carson Macedo didn’t make it simple on him. The Lemoore, Calif. native additionally put collectively a profession yr and gave Gravel all he may deal with.
The 28-year-old established private bests in wins (12), podiums (34), prime fives (47), and common end (5.06). Amongst his victories have been profitable scores on the Dennis Roth Traditional ($83,000) and Nationwide Open ($75,000).
Macedo saved it shut all the best way to the season-ending World of Outlaws World Finals, however a handful of off nights all year long proved to be the distinction as he couldn’t fairly surpass Gravel. Whereas Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing would possibly’ve come up in need of the final word objective, the 2024 runner-up did mark Macedo’s finest end in World of Outlaws factors.
KOFOID’S HISTORIC ROOKIE SEASON
Most rookies don’t carry a great deal of expectation into their debut yr with the World of Outlaws, however most rookies don’t have the previous of Michael “Buddy” Kofoid. His accomplishments previous to 2024 included 410 Dash Automotive wins out west on the age of 15, back-to-back USAC Nationwide Midget titles, and some World of Outlaws Characteristic victories.
The Penngrove, Calif. native teamed with Roth Motorsports for his maiden tour with The Biggest Present on Filth and delivered arguably the very best rookie season ever. Early within the season, Kofoid strung collectively 22 consecutive prime 10 finishes that included a win at Attica Raceway Park. The second half proved to be even stronger as from late August via early October Kofoid had a stretch of 11 podiums in 12 races that included 5 victories.
All in all, Kofoid’s Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Yr marketing campaign produced seven wins, 27 podiums, 53 prime 10s, and a record-tying fourth-place end within the standings. Kofoid’s seventh and ultimate victory of the season made him the fiftieth completely different driver to succeed in 10 World of Outlaws triumphs.
SCHATZ REACHES 500
There isn’t a lot Donny Schatz hasn’t completed behind the wheel of a Dash Automotive. Heading into 2024, the Fargo, N.D. driver had already amassed 10 World of Outlaws championships and 311 Sequence victories. His efficiency on the game’s greatest stage has been impeccable with 11 Knoxville Nationals titles and 6 apiece within the Nationwide Open and Kings Royal.
However Schatz has by no means been somebody centered on previous success. It’s at all times been about what’s forward. The subsequent race. The subsequent win. And he rolled into the yr with an enormous milestone within reach.
Schatz had racked up 499 general dash automotive wins since first getting behind the wheel of 1 within the early 90s. It didn’t take lengthy to succeed in 500 as Schatz claimed the fifth World of Outlaws race of the season at Volusia Speedway Park. A testomony to each the excellence and longevity of Schatz.
RECORD SETTING PARITY
The game of Dash Automotive racing continues to show parity is at an all-time excessive, and the 2025 World of Outlaws season supplied two extra robust items of proof.
First, a brand new file was established for essentially the most completely different winners to start a marketing campaign. 9 completely different drivers visited victory lane earlier than the primary repeat winner arrived within the yr’s tenth race, toppling the file of eight set in 2015. Brad Candy began the run with a season opening win at Volusia Speedway Park and was adopted by David Gravel (Volusia), Tyler Courtney (Volusia), Sheldon Haudenschild (Volusia), Donny Schatz (Volusia), Brent Marks (Cotton Bowl Speedway), Giovanni Scelzi (Cotton Bowl), Carson Macedo (Kennedale Speedway Park), and Rico Abreu (81 Speedway).
And, the championship was determined by lower than 100 factors for the sixth consecutive yr as David Gravel topped Carson Macedo by 80 markers. Within the first 41 years of World of Outlaws competitors, the hole between the highest two was beneath triple digits solely six instances whole (1978, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2009, and 2013).
STUTTS STUNNER
The 2024 season provided only one new World of Outlaws winner, but it surely’s one which received’t be forgotten.
T.J. Stutts lined up on the entrance row alongside David Gravel at Williams Grove Speedway in July with the Morgan Cup on the road. Stutts blasted to the lead on the primary lap, however a Gravel win felt inevitable. Nevertheless, Stutts refused to go down as he fended off the eventual champion a number of instances and even pulled away within the closing laps. After a number of a long time of driving Dash Vehicles, Stutts had lastly secured a win with The Biggest Present on Filth. The Liverpool, Pa. driver turned the Sequence’ 153rd completely different victor.
Whereas the Pennsylvania Posse at all times give the World of Outlaws their hardest native competitors, few anticipated this David vs. Goliath story. It’s a win that’ll little question go down in Sequence historical past among the many all-time upsets alongside moments similar to Travis Jacobson at Skagit Speedway in 2012 and Jason Statler at Santa Maria Raceway in 1999.
LARSON’S AUGUST EXCELLENCE
After a sub-par Dash Automotive begin to 2024 by his requirements, Kyle Larson flipped a swap as soon as the necessary month of August rolled round.
It started with an unbelievable drive from twenty first to the win in 30 laps at Federated Auto Elements Raceway at I-55, marking the farthest again a World of Outlaws race had been received from since 2013. The next night time he backed it up by taming the Ironman 55 from twelfth.
“Yung Cash” wasn’t completed there because the scene shifted to Iowa, and he topped Oskaloosa’s Entrance Row Problem from thirteenth. Then got here the NOS Vitality Drink Knoxville Nationals introduced by Casey’s, and Larson promptly took the Silva Motorsports No. 57 from sixth to a prelim victory.
There could be no passing obligatory within the finale as Larson led all 50 laps of “The Granddaddy of ‘Em All” for his third title within the final 4 years. The victory within the sport’s most prestigious race made him the seventh driver with three Knoxville Nationals titles and punctuated an unforgettable nine-day span. 5 straight dash automotive wins whereas passing a mixed 48 automobiles in 4 of them.
The Federated Auto Elements Ironman 55 (Aug. 1-2) and Knoxville Nationals (Aug. 6-9) are once more, back-to-back on the 2025 World of Outlaws calendar for extra thrills.
The 2025 World of Outlaws NOS Vitality Drink Dash Automotive season begins at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Elements DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 5-8.
