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Steering Wheel Nation, Charlotte, NC (2026)

09/27/2026

Abreu Roars Back For Another Winged Win At 4 Crown

By Brian Walker, High Limit Racing PR

ROSSBURG, Ohio (Sept. 26, 2026) – Things looked bleak when Rico Abreu had slipped from the pole position to running fourth on lap nine of Saturday’s Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing portion of the 44th 4 Crown Nationals presented by NKTELCO at Eldora Speedway.

One restart later, and the entire outlook of Abreu’s night had changed.

After watching Ryan Timms and Aaron Reutzel swap the lead early on, Abreu flipped a switch on the restart with 21 to go and promptly drove by Giovanni Scelzi, then Timms before going slider-for-slider with Reutzel to take control of the lead on lap 13.

Abreu was lights out from then on, going on to cross the stripe with a 1.937-second margin of victory, despite another close call in the closing stages where Scelzi pulled alongside the No. 24 with eight to go before Abreu escaped for good in lap traffic.

Celebrating his 15th career win at Eldora Speedway, it was Abreu’s sixth score in the 4-Crown Nationals finale and his third in a row with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing. Abreu's six-pack of 4-Crown trophies is only outdone by Jack Hewitt (19), Dave Darland (seven), and Tyler Courtney (seven).

Abreu made his 33rd career trip to Whiskey Myers Victory Lane and eighth of the season to extend his lead in search of back-to-back series titles.

With five nights left in the championship chase, the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Carquest Auto Parts No. 24 leads by 111 points in pursuit of TSR’s first High Limit title as an organization.

Scoring back-to-back runner-up results at Eldora Speedway over the weekend, Scelzi posted another strong finish aboard the Spire Motorsports, Chili’s Grill & Bar No. 77. Amid a heated battle for the runner-up points position, Scelzi now trails Reutzel and Ridge & Sons Racing by just seven points.

Following his first career Eldora win on Friday, Ryan Timms concluded 4-Crown weekend with another podium aboard the Liebig Motorsports No. 10. The Oklahoma native finished third in the High Limit finale after leading the first seven circuits of the 30-lapper.

Two drivers battling for crucial championship finishes ended out the top five, with Reutzel finishing fourth followed by Tanner Holmes and the Buch Motorosports No. 13 in fifth.

Brady Bacon crossed sixth aboard the Vermeer Motorsports No. 55, while Cameron Smith, Tyler Courtney, Chase Randall, and Sye Lynch closed the top 10.

The finish:

Interstate Batteries A-Main (30 laps): 1. 24-Rico Abreu [1]; 2. 77-Giovanni Scelzi [6]; 3. 10-Ryan Timms [2]; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel [4]; 5. 13-Tanner Holmes [3]; 6. 55-Brady Bacon [8]; 7. 1A-Cameron Smith [13]; 8. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [7]; 9. 9R-Chase Randall [17]; 10. 42-Sye Lynch [15]; 11. 26-Justin Peck [9]; 12. 5-Kasey Jedrzejek [5]; 13. 4-Kasey Kahne [12]; 14. 28-Jace Park [20]; 15. 101-Kalib Henry [22]; 16. 19-Brent Marks [23]; 17. 88-Tanner Thorson [21]; 18. 88W-Austin McCarl [11]; 19. 24D-Danny Sams III [24]; 20. 71-Parker Price Miller [14]; 21. 45-Cale Thomas [19]; 22. 66-Ryan Newton [18]; 23. 9-Daison Pursley [10]; 24. 17GP-Kerry Madsen [16].

📸: High Limit Racing

09/27/2026

Hoffman Sweeps The Weekend At I-55 With WoO LMS

By Spence Smithback, World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR

PEVELY, Mo. (Sept. 26, 2026) – The driver who grew up in the shadow of the arch is now the King of the Arch.

Nick Hoffman was on a rail on Friday night at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, and he didn’t miss a beat in the second half of the weekend doubleheader on Saturday.

From fourth in the starting order, Hoffman needed a few more laps than he did on Friday to find his way to the front. Out front, it was a race between Dallon Murty up high and Jason Feger down low in the opening laps, with Murty pulling away for the early advantage.

While hugging the wall the same way he did on Friday, Hoffman picked off Feger for second with eight laps on the board. Six circuits later, Hoffman had caught Murty when the slower car of Kayden Clatt on the cushion forced Murty to get off the top and down to the same lane as Hoffman.

With Hoffman’s line suddenly impeded, he had to move up a lane to make the pass for the lead. A strong run through the middle of turns three and four gave Hoffman enough momentum to clear Murty for the lead onlap 18, moving into the spot that he never relinquished the rest of the way.

That didn’t mean Hoffman went unchallenged late in the race, however. Feger got back around Murty for second with 25 laps remaining, and inside of 10 to go, he was on Hoffman’s back bumper.

A caution for Logan Zarin spun backwards in turn three set up a three-lap sprint to the finish, which Hoffman came out on top of for his eighth win of the season with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTvision.

“Jason’s one of my buddies and it’s fun racing with him,” Hoffman said. “That’s a hell of a run for them guys, too. I seen him peeking down there and I knew I had to get back in line just to defend. So, I had to turn left down the front straightaway and block. I was really happy that [Rickey] Frankel turned the No. 1Z around there, because I wanted to get re-racked there.

“I felt like I was in trouble there if he could have got the middle rolling. It just worked out for me.”

Feger settled for second ahead of Drake Troutman, who knocked his deck out pounding the cushion on the last restart climbing up to third. Dallon Murty reset his World of Outlaws career best in fourth, while Bobby Pierce recovered from a spin earlier in the race to finish fifth.

Next up, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTvision travels south to Boothill Speedway for the Bayou Classic on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3.

The finish:

Feature (55 Laps): 1. 9-Nick Hoffman [4]; 2. 25-Jason Feger [1]; 3. 5-Drake Troutman [10]; 4. 13-Dallon Murty [2]; 5. 32-Bobby Pierce [13]; 6. 19-Dustin Sorensen [12]; 7. 14-Trey Mills [3]; 8. 19R-Ryan Gustin [5]; 9. 9M-Tim McCreadie [7]; 10. 1-Tyler Erb [14]; 11. 28-Dennis Erb Jr. [16]; 12. 58V-Daulton Wilson [9]; 13. 11-Gordy Gundaker [11]; 14. B1-Brent Larson [15]; 15. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain [24]; 16. 09-Michael Leach [6]; 17. 33-Rickey Frankel [19]; 18. 1Z-Logan Zarin [21]; 19. 18J-Chase Junghans [17]; 20. 74X-Ethan Dotson [23]; 21. 33H-Wil Herrington [8]; 22. 18-Shannon Babb [20]; 23. 55E-Eli Johnson [25]; 24. 10J-Jordan Bauer [22]; 25. 50-Kayden Clatt [18].

📸: Emily Schwanke

09/27/2026

Corey Day Claims Wild World of Outlaws Ventura Debut

By Alex Nieten, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series PR

VENTURA, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2026) – Corey Day was tired of running second in his home state, and he was finally able to do something about it on Saturday night.

An off weekend from the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship chase allowed Day to return to his roots this week. The Clovis, Calif., native hooked back up with the Jason Meyers Racing No. 14 team for a trio of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series races in the Golden State.

The first two led to Day being forced to settle for second. Carson Macedo slid by him late on Tuesday at Kings Speedway, and Donny Schatz held him off Friday at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.

Day simply refused to fall a spot shy again on Saturday when the scene shifted to Ventura Raceway for the Toyota Racing Battle at the Beach presented by ARP, as the series made its highly anticipated debut at the Southern California fifth mile.

The 20-year-old faced a fierce battle for third with Bill Balog in the early going as the two traded the position and nearly made contact multiple times. Up front, Steven Snyder Jr. and Emerson Axsom gave the fans a show with a war of their own for the top spot.

Snyder and Axsom swapped sliders and crossovers until Snyder Jr. finally secured the lead. A pivotal restart allowed Day to surge from fourth to second, and then one mistake on the cushion from Snyder Jr. was all it took.

Day slid by the Three Stooges Racing No. 51 and held off late challenges from Bill Balog and Sheldon Haudenschild to head to victory lane.

“That was sick,” Day said. “It was awesome. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect, and I’m sure no one else did, but that was phenomenal. That was one of the better races I’ve had this year and one of the better tracks we’ve gotten to race on. Hats off to the whole Ventura track crew. It’s a privilege to be able to race at a facility like this and to have a badass track like that to go with it is awesome.”

Day’s second World of Outlaws win of 2026 was the fifth of his career. He also became the eighth multi-time winner with The Greatest Show on Dirt this season. Add in his two consecutive Turkey Night Grand Prix triumphs with the USAC National Midgets, and Day is now on a three-race win streak at Ventura.

Haudenschild rolled the KCP Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 18 up to second for his 25th podium of the season, while Balog fought up front all race long and looked as if he may have a shot to win before ultimately rounding out the podium.

Axsom and Buddy Kofoid completed the top five.

The finish:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 laps): 1. 14-Corey Day [3]; 2. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild [8]; 3. 17B-Bill Balog [4]; 4. 27-Emerson Axsom [2]; 5. 83-Michael Kofoid [6]; 6. 23-Garet Williamson [5]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo [14]; 8. 17-Spencer Bayston [10]; 9. 2-David Gravel [12]; 10. 7S-Chris Windom [7]; 11. 21-Dominic Scelzi [17]; 12. 24-Max Mittry [9]; 13. 51-Steven Snyder Jr. [1]; 14. 2C-Cole Macedo [13]; 15. 15-Donny Schatz [15]; 16. 1S-Logan Schuchart [16]; 17. 5K-Gauge Garcia [20]; 18. 0-Tim Kaeding [18]; 19. 73-Braden Chiaramonte [21]; 20. 16C-Skylar Gee [25]; 21. 6-Bryce Lucius [24]; 22. 3-Kaleb Montgomery [22]; 23. 88N-D.J. Netto [19]; 24. 28M-Conner Morrell [23]; 25. 10-Dominic Gorden [11].

📸: Tyler Carr

09/27/2026

Honeycutt Sweeps Through Kansas, Takes Truck Series Chase Lead

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 26, 2026) — On a near-perfect day — with the weather a notable exception — Kaden Honeycutt left Kansas Speedway with a victory in the Race to Stop Su***de 200 and control of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase.

Honeycutt led 111 of 134 laps on Saturday, won the first two stages and asserted the superiority of his No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota late in the race to claim the series lead by 37 points over star-crossed Layne Riggs, who clipped the outside wall in the closing laps and finished 19th.

Riggs overcame a bungled stop on pit road to run second until contact with the wall dropped him through the field on the final two laps.

“We just executed,” said Honeycutt, who won for the first time at 1.5-mile Kansas, the third time this season and the third time in his career. “We executed all night. I can’t thank my pit crew enough.

“Sorry I didn’t do any burnouts — we’ve got to save this thing for Homestead (the final Chase race). The motors cost a lot, too.”

Intermittent rainstorms halted the race after 70 laps, with drivers and their crews waiting through a red-flag period of four hours and 47 minutes for the resumption.

“Thanks to NASCAR and everyone for letting us finish the race,” said Honeycutt, who was third when rain interrupted the proceedings. “It started raining again in victory lane.”

When the second Chase event of the postseason restarted on lap 78, Honeycutt resumed his dominance, passing Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes — who had taken the top two spots by staying out on older tires.

From that point, it was clear sailing until Riggs took two tires to Honeycutt’s four on the final pit stop under caution on lap 117. Riggs restarted third and grabbed the lead on lap 122, but Honeycutt powered past him a lap later and held the lead the rest of the way, through a caution for Enfinger’s blown tire and contact with the outside wall.

“I just went for it,” said Riggs, who entered the Chase as the top seed. “Went for it way to hard and went for when I shouldn’t have gone for it. I should have just settled for finishing second right there and had a shot at it later on.

“Just really disappointing. (My) Ford F-150 was really fast. I felt like we weren’t as good as the 11 all day. We were just too free… I had a really big run (with two laps left)—or thought I was going to get a big run—down the frontstretch. Never made it there. I got the wall instead.”

With Riggs fading on the final two laps, Honeycutt finished 1.358 seconds ahead of runner-up Christian Eckes. Brent Crews ran third, followed by Chase drivers Daniel Hemric, Ben Rhodes and Chandler Smith.

Taking the initial green flag from the fourth position, Honeycutt grabbed the lead from Nick Sanchez on the opening lap and won the first stage wire-to-wire.

In fact, Honeycutt didn’t surrender the top spot until lap 48, when Riggs got to the stripe first on a restart after Connor Hall spun on the backstretch to cause the second caution.

Riggs’ lead was short-lived. On lap 50, Honeycutt tapped the rear bumper of Riggs’ No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford — with Riggs’ truck suffering a glancing blow against the outside wall. Honeycutt passed Riggs to the inside and retook the lead.

When Hall spun for the second time on lap 54, bringing the second stage to an early end, Honeycutt held the top spot and completed the sweep of the first two stages. Honeycutt pitted for tires and fuel under caution for the stage break on lap 61 and gave up the lead, as eight trucks remained on the track for a lap-65 restart.

A multicar wreck on the resumption slowed the field once again, with Honeycutt already having climbed to third in the running order. Four laps later, with rain falling in earnest, NASCAR brought the trucks to pit road and red-flagged the race with Enfinger leading and Rhodes running second.

If Honeycutt had a problem-free race to that point, Riggs endured calamity on pit road, as he had done in the Chase opener at Bristol Motor Speedway. During his lap-61 pit stop, Riggs had to back up into his stall after the jack dropped with the lug nuts on his left-front wheel not yet tight.

Riggs restarted 25th and gained six spots on the restart lap before the wreck and rain stopped the race.

Non-Chase drivers Nick Leitz, Tanner Gray, Jake Garcia and Corey LaJoie completed the top 10 in the finishing order. Chase driver Giovanni Ruggiero was 13th. Tyler Ankrum finished 25th after a late flat tire, Ty Majeski 29th and Enfinger 31st.

Enfinger, who led throughout the red-flag period, suffered a pit road speeding penalty, a wreck and a two-lap penalty for intentionally causing a caution by stopping in turn three after hitting the wall on lap 123.

All told, Honeycutt scored 75 points, scoring every possible marker except for one point for posting the fastest lap, a distinction that went to Ankrum. Honeycutt has a 71-point lead over Smith, who is third in the standings.

📸: HHP/Jacy Norgaard

09/26/2026

🎤NEW SHOW!🎤
The latest Inside Groove remembers Midwest racer Bob Seelman, Jr., as his nephew Jacob Seelman joins host Tom Baker for a special look back at the Seelman family's open wheel racing legacy, as the anniversary has recently passed of Bob Jr.'s fatal racing accident at Kalamazoo Speedway. Jacob and Tom also have the latest on SuperDIRTWeek and it's status for 2027 and beyond at the Oswego Speedway.

LISTEN: https://www.steeringwheelnation.com/posts/287011/inside-groove-show---what-happens-to-super-dirt-week-at-oswego-after-this-year--

09/26/2026

O’Neal Sweeps Brownstown’s C.J. Rayburn Memorial

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. (Sept. 25, 2026) – Hudson O’Neal returned Friday night to the track where he began his racing career and led wire-to-wire to win the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series C.J. Rayburn Memorial at Brownstown Speedway.

In addition to the $10,000 winner’s purse, O’Neal earned a $5,000 bonus from Big River Steel, bringing his total winnings to $15,000 for SSI Motorsports.

O’Neal completed a clean sweep of the night and cut Brandon Sheppard’s championship points lead to 25 heading into Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win Jackson 100.

Sheppard passed Ricky Thornton Jr. with 10 laps remaining to finish second. Thornton rounded out the Big River Steel podium in third. Josh Rice and Brandon Overton completed the top five.

O’Neal visited Wieland Victory Lane for the 40th time in his Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series career. The 26-year-old Martinsville, Ind., native recorded his ninth career win at Brownstown, where he began racing a decade ago.

“It means a lot to win this race. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a big race or a local race; it just seems to mean a little more,” said O’Neal. “I grew up racing here, and it’s been a few years since I have won here. So it’s pretty cool to be standing back up here on this stage. It’s a good time to start doing it, too. We have a tight points battle. It’s coming down to the wire, so finding some speed at the right time of the year is really important for us.

“C.J. Rayburn meant so much to my dad (Don O’Neal) throughout his career, even at the end. My dad credited C.J. for a lot of his career. So it’s pretty cool to win this and put my name on this trophy,” he added. “Knowing my dad, it probably means a little bit more to him as well. Hopefully we can get our second Jackson win tomorrow.”

Sheppard entered the weekend with a 55-point lead over O’Neal, but O’Neal trimmed 30 points from that advantage Friday night.

“I felt like we had a pretty good car there. I felt pretty balanced. The later the race went, the better I was getting,” noted Sheppard. “Hudson kind of found a line that I was running late in lapped traffic, and he was diamonding off between a few of those guys. So, I don’t know if there was anything I could do to pass him. Congrats to him. He did a good job.

“It was a fun race. The track was pretty tricky there. We are 50/50 in that type of track condition here.”

Thornton, who has won two of the last three Jackson 100s, ran second until 10 laps remained and finished third.

“I felt like I had about 12 laps to do something. Congrats to Hud,” said Thornton. “His stuff was good, and he could get through traffic a little bit better than we could. We have a lot to work on for tomorrow.”

Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Clay Harris, Max Blair, and Mike Marlar completed the top 10.

The finish:

LOLMDS A-Main (40 laps): 1. 71-Hudson O'Neal [1]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard [3]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr. [4]; 4. 11-Josh Rice [5]; 5. 76-Brandon Overton [8]; 6. 49-Jonathan Davenport [2]; 7. 99-Devin Moran [12]; 8. 6-Clay Harris [6]; 9. 111-Max Blair [7]; 10. 157-Mike Marlar [17]; 11. 8-Dillon McCowan [15]; 12. 93F-Carson Ferguson [19]; 13. 12J-Jason Jameson [9]; 14. D48-Derek Groomer [21]; 15. C7-Adam Stricker [11]; 16. 22F-Chris Ferguson [10]; 17. 3S-Brian Shirley [13]; 18. 60-Dan Ebert [24]; 19. 58-Garrett Alberson [23]; 20. 17SS-Brenden Smith [20]; 21. 20-Tyler Neal [14]; 22. 40B-Kyle Bronson [16]; 23. 11C-Tyler Collins [25]; 24. S21-Seth Daniels [22]; 25. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr. [18].

📸: Heath Lawson/Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

09/26/2026

Timms Tops Eldora In High Limit's Friday 4 Crown Run

By Brian Walker, High Limit Racing PR

ROSSBURG, Ohio (Sept. 25, 2026) – To this day, Ryan Timms vividly remembers how intimidated he felt during the 2022 4-Crown Nationals, when he made his first laps around the daunting Eldora Speedway.

Fast forward four years to the same event on Friday night, and the now 20-year-old standout scored his first win at the iconic facility – a win that he claimed as one of the most special of his career.

Making his 21st attempt at the Ohio half mile, Timms' record at Eldora was less than ideal and he’d be the first to tell you such. He had a few solid runs with the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series, but had only recorded a single top-10 finish in his first 17 winged attempts at the track.

That all changed during the Night BeFour the Crowns Showdown, though, as Timms and his Liebig Motorsports No. 10 team absolutely dominated the night from start to finish.

In fact, they were quite literally perfect by topping Capitol Renegade Qualifying, going fourth-to-first in TJ Forged heat one, winning the FK Rod Ends Dash from the pole, and then leading all 25 laps of the Interstate Batteries A-Main for a $12,000 score.

For the 20-year-old Oklahoma City, Okla., native, it was his 17th overall score of the 2026 season with half-mile wins at iconic venues such as Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway, Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, the Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, and now Eldora.

The win marked his second Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing win this month and the third of his young career.

Following Timms for all 25 laps on Friday was outside poleitter Giovanni Scelzi, who settled for second-place honors in the Chili’s Grill & Bar No. 77 with his Spire Motorsports boss Jeff Dickerson in the house.

With only six series events left in 2026, they’ve cut the gap down to 14 points behind Aaron Reutzel and Ridge & Sons Racing in the battle for a championship runner-up in their first High Limit season.

In the third position with his second-career Eldora podium was Tanner Holmes in the Buch Motorsports No. 13. He and crew chief Sean Strausbaugh continue to click together – earning top-five finishes in California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Ohio within the last month.

Brady Bacon, after finishing second on Thursday with the USAC National Sprint Cars and then qualifying third on Friday with the USAC Silver Crown Series, drove the Vermeer Motorsports No. 55 to his best effort yet with a fourth-place finish in High Limit action.

Bacon took the final lock-in to Saturday’s heat races at the 4-Crown Nationals.

Closing out the top 10 at the Night BeFour the Crowns Showdown were Tyler Courtney in the NOS Energy Drink No. 7BC, Reutzel in the PowerPlus No. 87, series point leader Rico Abreu in the Carquest Auto Parts No. 24, Kasey Kahne in the LiUNA No. 4, Daison Pursley in the NAPA Auto Parts No. 9, and Chase Randall in the Bush’s Chicken No. 9R.

The finish:

Interstate Batteries A-Main (25 laps): 1. 10-Ryan Timms [1]; 2. 77-Giovanni Scelzi [2]; 3. 13-Tanner Holmes [3]; 4. 55-Brady Bacon [4]; 5. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [6]; 6. 87-Aaron Reutzel [5]; 7. 24-Rico Abreu [7]; 8. 4-Kasey Kahne [11]; 9. 9-Daison Pursley [12]; 10. 9R-Chase Randall [22]; 11. 1A-Cameron Smith [8]; 12. 88W-Austin McCarl [9]; 13. 5-Kasey Jedrzejek [14]; 14. 66-Ryan Newton [15]; 15. 26-Justin Peck [13]; 16. 17GP-Kerry Madsen [18]; 17. 101-Kalib Henry [21]; 18. 6-Zach Hampton [23]; 19. 88-Tanner Thorson [24]; 20. 42-Sye Lynch [10]; 21. 28-Jace Park [19]; 22. 17A-Jack Anderson [16]; 23. 71-Parker Price Miller [20]; 24. 19-Brent Marks [25]; 25. 24D-Danny Sams III [17].

📸: High Limit Racing

09/26/2026

Kofoid Breaks, Schatz Rips Bakersfield Cushion To Victory

By Alex Nieten, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series PR

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Sept. 25, 2026) – Donny Schatz looked 49 years young on Friday night.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series rolled into Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway amid a California swing that’s been controlled by California drivers and cars.

First it was James McFadden taking the Fresno -based Tarlton Motorsports to victory lane at Stockton Dirt Track. Aromas’ Justin Sanders pocketed $83,000 the next night in the Dennis Roth Classic finale. Then Lemoore’s Carson Macedo was the hometown hero on Tuesday at Kings Speedway.

But North Dakota’s Schatz finally crashed the California party by turning back the clock in ‘Bako’.

The 10-time Outlaws champion got his elbows up on a tricky cushion to rip from fifth to second. Heartbreaking mechanical woes for Buddy Kofoid while leading handed Schatz the top spot, but the job was far from done.

Behind Schatz sat Clovis, Calif., native Corey Day, enjoying an off weekend from the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series to return to his roots. Few are better at hammering the top than Day, but Schatz fended off several challenges from the 20-year-old gasser to take the CJB Motorsports No. 15 to victory lane.

“He (Day) threw everything at me,” Schatz said. “I had to do the same thing in return. He was going for it. He’s obviously one of the best racers in the country. First race I’ve finished all week, and it was a win. Awesome for these guys, man. I’ve caused so many bent parts. It’s been a hell of a week.

“We were hanging out at Brent Kaeding’s, kind of where I started when I first came out to California. Brent kind of took me under his wing and kind of did that again this week to help us get through,” Schatz added. “I appreciate their help.”

Friday’s score gave Schatz his 318th career World of Outlaws victory, and marked his second since joining CJB Motorsports. It was his first in the state of California since a 2017 Calistoga triumph.

Bakersfield became the seventh different Golden State facility where Schatz has won, joining Silver Dollar Speedway, Calistoga Speedway, Thunderbowl Speedway, Stockton Dirt Track, Kings Speedway, and Placerville Speedway. Overall, Bakersfield is the 91st different track where Schatz has grabbed a checkered flag in Outlaws competition.

Day collected his second straight runner-up finish in his home state aboard the Jason Meyers Racing No. 14, while Chris Windom was impressive all night in the Sides Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink No. 7S to finish third and bring home his third podium of the season.

Spencer Bayston and Emerson Axsom completed the top five.

The finish:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 2. 14-Corey Day [2]; 3. 7S-Chris Windom [4]; 4. 17-Spencer Bayston [3]; 5. 27-Emerson Axsom [8]; 6. 2C-Cole Macedo [10]; 7. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild [14]; 8. 17B-Bill Balog [7]; 9. 23-Garet Williamson [16]; 10. 41-Carson Macedo [22]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [11]; 12. 21-Dominic Scelzi [18]; 13. 10-Dominic Gorden [23]; 14. 51-Steven Snyder Jr. [17]; 15. 2-David Gravel [12]; 16. 31-Jett Yantis [21]; 17. 5K-Gauge Garcia [25]; 18. 88N-D.J. Netto [15]; 19. 6-Bryce Lucius [19]; 20. 24-Max Mittry [20]; 21. 28M-Conner Morrell [24]; 22. 16C-Skylar Gee [6]; 23. 3-Kaleb Montgomery [13]; 24. 83-Michael Kofoid [1]; 25. 0-Tim Kaeding [9].

📸: Tyler Carr

09/25/2026

Nine-Race October Sends 2026 World of Outlaws Season Toward Conclusion

By Alex Nieten, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series PR

CONCORD, NC (Sept. 25, 2026) - The 2026 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season is motoring toward the finish line.

One full month of racing remains before the Dave Smith Motors World of Outlaws World Finals brings the year to a close on Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 4-7, at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. While the end is within sight, it doesn’t mean the path to get there is slowing.

The Greatest Show on Dirt will soon embark on a nine-race October that takes the best sprint car talent in the world to seven tracks in five states. The stretch includes a crown jewel, new tracks to the tour, and more.

Below is a look at where to find the World of Outlaws in October:

Williams Grove Speedway | J&S Classics National Open (Oct. 2-3):

The month begins with the most intense matchup of the World of Outlaws and Pennsylvania Posse rivalry. The two sides will clash at Williams Grove Speedway’s 64th running of the J&S Classics National Open. The crown jewel brings a heated atmosphere to the 1/2 mile as the battle is for major bragging rights and a $75,000 payday.

The Pennsylvania fans have been left disappointed the last two years with the World of Outlaws prevailing. It was Carson Macedo claiming his second National Open in 2024 before Sheldon Haudenschild nabbed his first a year ago. The Posse’s most recent winner is Brent Marks in 2023.

Nobody owns more “Natty O” titles than Donny Schatz with six, a record Fayetteville, Pa., legend Lance Dewease could match this year.

Millstream Speedway | Sheldon Haudenschild’s NOS Energy Drink Buckeye Brawl Weekend, Round One (Oct. 8):

Sheldon Haudenschild and NOS Energy Drink are upping the ante in 2026 as their collaborative World of Outlaws promotion grows to three $18,000-to-win rounds. It begins at Findlay, Ohio’s Millstream Speedway on Thursday, Oct. 8. The Outlaws returned to the track in 2025 after 31 years away and are back again this season for their 11th overall visit.

David Gravel came out on top when the tour came back last year. Steve Kinser is the only multi-time Millstream winner, claiming half of the 10 stops at the northern Ohio oval.

Mansfield Speedway | Sheldon Haudenschild’s NOS Energy Drink Buckeye Brawl Weekend, Round Two (Oct. 9):

Haudenschild and NOS Energy Drink’s Ohio showcase moves east to Mansfield Speedway for the middle leg. Matt Tift revived the track and pieced together a stout schedule that already welcomed the World of Outlaws Late Models in May and will host their sprint car counterpart next month. It’s set to be The Greatest Show on Dirt’s first visit to Mansfield in 45 years.

Only two current Outlaws full-timers, Donny Schatz and Bill Balog, were even alive during the last Mansfield stop.

A legendary trio topped the three previous three trips to Mansfield. It was Doug Wolfgang winning the debut in 1980, the “Ohio Traveler” Rick Ferkel next, and Sammy Swindell most recently.

Sharon Speedway | Sheldon Haudenschild’s NOS Energy Drink Buckeye Brawl Weekend, Round Three (Oct. 10):

The Ohio weekend closes out in the northeast corner of the state when the tour heads to Hartford, Ohio’s Sharon Speedway. The World of Outlaws first traveled to Sharon in 2002, and the three-eighths-mile oval has become a staple of the schedule over the past half-decade.

Dale Blaney brought his hometown fans to their feet by driving from the third row to victory lane to become the oldest winner in Outlaws history last year at 61 years old. Steve Kinser boasts the most Sharon scores with four.

Lincoln Park Speedway | Cushion Capital Clash (Oct. 16):

After the Ohio tripleheader, the tour heads from the “Buckeye State” to its neighbor, the “Hoosier State.” Putnamville’s Lincoln Park Speedway will host the second and final Indiana appearance of 2026 as the series makes its fifth ever stop at the bullring.

The return to Lincoln Park last year didn’t disappoint. A thrilling duel between Gravel and Buddy Kofoid led to final-lap contact and Gravel in victory lane to become the fourth different winner through four trips. The other three are Kinser (1979), Dave Blaney (1988), and Schatz (2016).

Belle Clair Fairgrounds Park Speedway | Battle at Belle Clair (Oct. 17):

Illinois race fans rejoiced when racing was brought back to the Belle Clair Fairgrounds earlier this year with the opening of a brand new quarter-mile dirt track. Their joy grew even more when a World of Outlaws date was added to their 2026 slate.

The event will mark the World of Outlaws debut at the brand-new bullring as Belle Clair becomes the 12th different track in the “Land of Lincoln” to ever host the country’s best Sprint Car drivers.

Texarkana 67 Speedway | Jason Johnson Classic presented by FK Rod Ends/Short Track Nationals (Oct. 23-24):

It’s from one new track for the World of Outlaws to another as Texarkana 67 Speedway will welcome the Outlaws for the first time for two major events packed into one weekend.

First up is the seventh running of the Jason Johnson Classic presented by FK Rod Ends on Friday, Oct. 23. The World of Outlaws pays tribute to the “Ragin’ Cajun” with a $20,000-to-win main event. Then, when Saturday takes center stage, the World of Outlaws will sanction the historic Short Track Nationals for the first time. The 39th running of the event will hand out $25,000 to the winner.

📸: Devin Mayo

Steering Wheel Nation

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