By Alex Nieten
PEVELY, MO (July 31, 2025) – Ever since 2009 one determined Sprint Car driver has hoisted a dumbbell in I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park Victory Lane during the month of August.
Not just any dumbbell. The Ironman 55 dumbbell. After 55 of the most intense laps they’ll ever race, they summon what energy is left to lift the iconic trophy above their head in triumph.
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series first visited the Pevely, MO bullring in 1987 when Brad Doty won. The track became a staple of the schedule over the next couple of decades. As the relationship between the Series and track grew, so did the desire to create a marquee event. A track known for being physically demanding, located right off I-55, why not blend the two traits? Thus, the Ironman 55 was born.
The 17th edition of the “Show-Me State” event is set for this weekend (Aug. 1-2), and a brand-new trophy awaits Saturday’s champion. Fear not, fans, as the dumbbell remains the focal point. The weight now has the former winners’ names engraved on it and sits atop a base with the Series, event, and track logos showcased.
Before the new trophy debuts, let’s take a trip through the past of the Ironman 55 that’s led us to today.
The event debuted in 2009. Craig Dollansky led the opening 18 circuits before his Kasey Kahne Racing teammate, Joey Saldana, took the top spot and led the rest of the way to cement himself as the first Ironman. The following year Jason Meyers topped the 55-lapper on his way to his first of two World of Outlaws championships.
The 2011 Ironman 55 started a run of dominance. After coming close in the inaugural running, Craig Dollansky would not be denied in the third. He led all but three laps aboard the Big Game Motorsports No. 7 on his way to victory.
A year later, Dollansky wheeled from sixth to go back-to-back and then made it three in a row in 2013. Despite making it look easy, the Elk River, MN native admits the paths to winning those races were some of the most difficult in his career.
“It’s a hard track to win at to start with for a World of Outlaws show,” Dollansky said. “And when you add the more laps to it and make it a 55-lap race, it makes it all the more difficult. I can tell you that when it’s in August, it definitely is challenging. It’s very hot and humid. I remember winning there a couple times, and the water is running off me like a river for about two hours afterwards. You’ve got to be prepared all the way through. Winning that Ironman, you’ve got to be on step as a driver and your team. It’s not easily done.”
The next three years welcomed three new winners as Kerry Madsen (2014), Shane Stewart (2015), and Rico Abreu (2016) pumped iron. Abreu went back-to-back, claiming the 2017 event which was actually contested in 2018 due to weather. That year featured double Ironman 55s as Logan Schuchart got his first the next day with the Shark Racing team.
Sheldon Haudenschild served up one of the most dominant drives in Series history in the 2019 running. He took the lead on Lap 11 and never looked back, lapping through sixth and building a margin of victory north of 10 seconds aboard the NOS Energy Drink No. 17.
The 2020s opened by Kyle Larson adding his name as an Ironman during a year in which he won more than 40 times on dirt. Sheldon Haudenschild swept in 2021 for his second dumbbell before “The Big Cat” Brad Sweet got his first in 2022.
Larson returned in 2023 for the first time since his 2020 title and promptly won again in what was one of the best Sprint Car races ever. “Yung Money” and Logan Schuchart traded the top spot several times in the closing laps, with Larson sealing it with a last corner pass.
“That was probably the most fun Sprint Car race I think I’ve ran in maybe ever,” Larson said after the checkered flag. “Just a great race. I hope all of you fans enjoyed that. If I won or you wanted anybody else to win, that was a damn good race.”
The magic wasn’t done there for Larson as he defended the crown in 2024, starting the weekend by driving from 21st to victory in the 30-lap opener. The following night he took the Silva Motorsports No. 57 from 12th to a record-tying third Ironman. That charge also set a new mark for the farthest back a driver has come to win the event.
And that brings us to today. The next chapter ready to be written. A new trophy ready to be lifted at I-55.