By Alex Nieten
PUTNAMVILLE, IN (October 16, 2025) – Few rookie classes in World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series history have been as deep and competitive as 2025’s.
Cole Macedo was the first to throw his name in the hat all the way back during 2024’s Knoxville Nationals. Once the off-season arrived, the entrants kept coming. The additions weren’t done even once the season started as Conner Morrell came aboard following the conclusion of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
Seven capable competitors signed on to fight for the prestigious Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. What was so unique about this year’s class was no clear favorite stood out. Various drivers gave reason to believe they’d have a shot, but there was no unanimous selection.
With only a handful of races left before the Rookie of the Year is decided at The Dirt Track at Charlotte’s World of Outlaws World Finals (Nov. 5-8), let’s see where the seven stand.
GARET WILLIAMSON – FISCHER MOTORSPORTS No. 23 (7498 PTS)
Columbia, MO’s Garet Williamson entered the year as one of the favorites for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, and he hasn’t disappointed.
It was a slightly slow start out of the gate with no finish better than 18th through four nights of DIRTcar Nationals racing at Volusia Speedway Park, but making the Feature each night against a stacked field at the season-opening event without using a provisional made it a success for Williamson.
His first top 10 of the season came in the ninth race of the year when he came home seventh at Kennedale Speedway Park. Since then, he’s been the most consistent among the rookies. The 25-year-old has more top fives than all of his competition, including bagging a trio of them during Huset’s High Bank Nationals week in June.
Williamson has made statement after statement over the last several weeks as he appears poised to stand atop the 2025 rookie class. The final nail in the coffin very well might’ve come this past Saturday when he drove by Chris Windom on the final lap of the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown to take the final transfer into the main event. That helped increase his lead over Windom to triple digits.
Stat Line: 6 Top 5s. 23 Top 10s. 12.92 Avg. Finish. 5 Heat Wins. 9 Dash Appearances.
CHRIS WINDOM – SIDES MOTORSPORTS No. 7S (-104 PTS)
Chris Windom’s deal for a rookie World of Outlaws run with Sides Motorsports came together later than most of his competitors, but that hasn’t slowed the USAC Triple Crown champion.
The Canton, IL native was steady over the first couple of months of the season, but then he really hit his stride in mid-May. A 10th-place finish at Ohsweken Speedway ignited a run of eight consecutive top 10 finishes for the NOS Energy Drink No. 7S. Among that stretch was a trio of top fives, including a runner-up at Atomic Speedway.
Windom led the way in the Rookie of the Year battle for much of the campaign, but he started to slip just a tad when August rolled around and Williamson took the top spot away. Some struggles over the last month have allowed Williamson to pull ahead a bit, but Windom still has a shot to get back into the battle with eight races to go.
Stat Line: 4 Top 5s. 21 Top 10s. 13.85 Avg. Finish. 6 Heat Wins. 9 Dash Appearances.
COLE MACEDO – TWOC RACING No. 2C (-156 PTS)
It was an up and down start to the year in Florida for Cole Macedo, which set the stage for a campaign that’s featured a blend of highs and lows for the Lemoore, CA driver.
Macedo and the TwoC Racing crew struggled out of the gate, missing the main event in three of the first four races. Then, when the tour returned for the Bike Week Jamboree, Macedo wheeled from 19th to fifth to become the first rookie to crack the top five in 2025. The next night, mechanical issues led to a 23rd-place result. Then, it was back to a positive note as Macedo led 16 laps at Talladega Short Track before finishing fourth.
A 12th to third drive at Eldora Speedway in May made Macedo the first rookie to notch a podium finish. He’s also the only one among the group to lead laps in multiple Features as he paced the opening 10 circuits at Sharon in September before finishing sixth.
The ups and downs have Macedo sitting third among his competitors. With only 52 points separating him from Chris Windom, the season’s second-best rookie spot is still within reach.
Stat Line: 4 Top 5s. 18 Top 10s. 13.69 Avg. Finish. 2 Heat Wins. 8 Dash Appearances.
HUNTER SCHUERENBERG – VERMEER MOTORSPORTS No. 55 (-362 PTS)
Reunited with Tony Vermeer and with two All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) campaigns under his belt, Hunter Schuerenberg hit the road for his first World of Outlaws campaign in 2025.
It didn’t take long for “Hunter-Percent” to piece together back-to-back top 10s, finishing seventh at Volusia and ninth at Talladega in March. He added two more top 10s at Kennedale Speedway Park and Cotton Bowl Speedway before the month was over.
The highlight of Schuerenberg’s campaign to date came on Memorial Day at Atomic when he brought the Vermeer Motorsports No. 55 home fourth. Last weekend, he notched his best finish since that night by driving from 21st to sixth at New Egypt Speedway, collecting his third KSE Racing Products Hard Charger of the year.
Schuerenberg sits fourth among rookies with a wide gap to both third ahead and fifth behind.
Stat Line: 1 Top 5. 14 Top 10s. 14.18 Avg. Finish. 2 Heat Wins. 5 Dash Appearances.
ZACH HAMPTON – BILL ROSE RACING No. 6 (-552 PTS)
Bill Rose prioritized health and made the tough choice to step back from full-time driving this year, but that didn’t mean his team would be slowing down. Instead, Rose put Zach Hampton in the seat for a rookie World of Outlaws run.
After a slow start, Hampton put his fellow rookies on notice with a drive from 22nd to seventh at Magnolia Motor Speedway. He impressed even more a couple of months later, contending for the win at Eldora before finishing sixth. Less than two weeks later, he passed a combined 15 cars over two nights at Ohsweken for a pair of top 10s. Hampton’s top outing of the year so far is an impressive top five at August’s Ironman 55, one of the calendar’s most grueling events.
The Hoosier holds down the fifth spot in rookie standings.
Stat Line: 1 Top 5. 6 Top 10s. 16.53 Avg. Finish. 2 Heat Wins. 6 Dash Appearances.
SKYLAR GEE – LOGAN FENTON RACING No. 99 (-582 PTS)
Leduc, AB, Canada’s Skylar Gee followed his father’s footsteps in 2025 by making the leap to the World of Outlaws.
Like much of his competition, Florida dealt some struggles for Gee. But he quickly rebounded upon leaving the “Sunshine State” with a Talladega top 10.
Gee’s best stretch of the season so far came during the latter part of May. It began with a seventh at Lincoln Speedway. Shortly after that, the scene shifted to Ohio, and he started on the pole before finishing third at Attica Raceway Park. Two nights later, he collected a top five at Atomic.
The home stretch will be pivotal for Gee and the Logan Fenton Racing crew as they’re only 30 points back of Hampton for another spot in points.
Stat Line: 2 Top 5s. 9 Top 10s. 15.26 Avg. Finish. 3 Heat Wins. 6 Dash Appearances.
CONNER MORRELL – BILL ROSE RACING NO. 28M (-944 PTS)
After DIRTcar Nationals wrapped up, Conner Morrell put the pieces in place for a deal to wheel a second Bill Rose Racing entry with the World of Outlaws in 2025.
The Bradenton, FL native first cracked the top 10 at Kennedale in March.
No rookie has been closer to World of Outlaws Victory Lane this year than Morrell. He wheeled his way from sixth to the top spot, led a dozen laps, and finished runner-up on the second and final night at Ohsweken in May. The next night, Morrell impressed again with a top five at Attica.
Stat Line: 2 Top 5s. 3 Top 10s. 19.33 Avg. Finish. 4 Heat Wins. 4 Dash Appearances.
The chase for the 2025 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year continues this weekend at Putnamville, IN’s Lincoln Park Speedway (Oct. 17), La Salle, IL’s LaSalle Speedway (Oct. 18), and Sun Prairie, WI’s Angell Park Speedway (Oct. 19). For tickets, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.