By Alex Nieten
CONCORD, NC (November 3, 2025) – The time has come. #AllDirtRoads have led to Charlotte.
After more than 60 races in 19 different states from coast to coast, along with a trip north of the border to Canada, the 2025 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season is ready to wrap up in the “Queen City.”
All eyes are firmly fixed on The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the World of Outlaws World Finals on Nov. 5-8. Four consecutive evenings of action kick off with Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying Night on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Two sessions of Qualifying will set Heat Race lineups for Thursday and Friday’s racing programs. Feature points accumulated from those two nights will line up Saturday’s Heats and set the stage for the $25,000-to-win/$1,750-to-start season finale.
The country’s top Sprint Car drivers will also be joined by the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision and Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds all three nights.
It’s a can’t-miss week for any dirt racing fan. The sport’s three premier Series for four straight nights to close out the year. World Finals week is here.
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Let’s look at the week’s top storylines:
BACK-2-BACK: David Gravel cemented his name in the record books last year by becoming the 11th different World of Outlaws champion, and he appears poised to make history yet again.
Gravel and the Big Game Motorsports crew came out even stronger in 2025. They’ve compiled 16 wins, 38 podiums, 54 top fives, and 62 top 10s in 65 Feature starts. Gravel’s average finish is a stellar 3.89, which is on pace to be the best for a champion since Donny Schatz’s 3.40 in 2015. Securing a second straight championship would make the Watertown, CT native only the sixth driver ever to claim two in a row, joining a list of legends that features Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Donny Schatz, Jason Meyers, and Brad Sweet. Gravel’s advantage over Michael “Buddy” Kofoid sits at a comfortable 138 points.
Gravel’s record at Charlotte is stout. His seven World of Outlaws victories at “America’s Home for Racing” rank second behind only Donny Schatz’s tally of 14. He’s finished outside the top 10 just once in his last 15 tries at the 4/10 mile.
SOPHOMORE SENSATION: Michael “Buddy” Kofoid delivered perhaps the best Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year campaign in 2024, and there have been no signs of a sophomore slump in 2025.
He’s taken the Roth Motorsports No. 83 on 11 trips to Victory Lane this year, including banking a pair of six-figure paydays in one week at Huset’s Speedway in June. The Penngrove, CA driver’s 30 podiums and 5.38 average finish rank behind only Gravel. His efforts have him sitting second in points.
Kofoid would need a lot to go his way this week to have a shot at Gravel for the title, and he’s got a comfortable lead on Carson Macedo in the standings. So, this week is simply about putting the finishing touches on a remarkable second season. He bagged a pair of runner-ups at last year’s World Finals.
SETTLING SIXTH: Fans will want to keep an eye on Donny Schatz and Bill Balog all week as they battle it out for sixth in the standings. Balog, who was nearly 200 points behind Schatz at the start of September, has trimmed the gap to 48 markers.
History suggests Schatz should have the advantage. His 14 Charlotte wins are the most all-time and double the total of the second highest. The 10-time Series champion has also been plenty consistent in the “Queen City” with 53 top 10s in 67 tries.
Balog’s Charlotte experience is much less extensive. He’s totaled 18 nights of racing with a best result of fifth in 2021. It’s been a stout sophomore season for Balog as he’s collected a trio of victories and 36 top 10s.
QUEEN CITY SPEED: Outside of those already mentioned, a few more drivers among the 2025 World of Outlaws roster have flexed their muscles in the past at Charlotte.
Logan Schuchart stands out as a favorite to punctuate the campaign with a win or two. He’s topped four races at Charlotte, including a drive from 14th in 2019. The Shark Racing pilot sits fourth in points with an outside shot at surpassing Macedo for third.
And speaking of Carson Macedo, he’s no slouch at the North Carolina oval. He got his first victory there last year and has been in the top five in seven of his 10 tries since joining Jason Johnson Racing in 2021.
ROOKIE WAR WRAPS UP: World Finals will also signal an end to 2025’s highly competitive Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year battle.
Garet Williamson just about has the award in the bag. After Chris Windom led much of the beginning portion of the year, Williamson and the Fischer Motorsports team chipped away until finally taking over the top spot in August. Since then, Williamson hasn’t slowed as he’s built a 126-point advantage.
Windom and his Sides Motorsports crew now must fend off Cole Macedo if he wants to hold onto second in the rookie standings. The TwoC Racing driver has put together a late-season run at Windom that includes five top 10s in the last eight races as he’s narrowed the gap between the two to 24 points. Macedo has competed at Charlotte eight times before with a best result of fourth in 2022.
SAME FACES, NEW PLACES: Silly season got off to an early start, meaning World Finals will be the first chance for fans to see some competitors get acquainted with their new rides ahead of 2026.
Spencer Bayston joined forces with Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing for next year’s World of Outlaws campaign. Sheldon Haudenschild will finish out his tenure with the team this week, and they also plan to roll out a second car for Bayston. The Lebanon, IN native’s best Charlotte showing is fourth in 2018 aboard the Swindell SpeedLab No. 39.
With Brad Sweet scaling back to a part-time schedule next year, Locust Grove, OK’s Daison Pursley has been tapped as Kasey Kahne Racing’s primary pilot. The combination will debut at Charlotte, where Pursley peaked at ninth in three tries last year.
With Pursley heading to KKR, that left a void to be filled at Buch Motorsports. It was announced last week the Jacksonville, OR’s Tanner Holmes had been hired to do so, and they intend to make their first laps together at World Finals. Holmes’ only Charlotte experience came two years ago driving for Shark Racing.
FROM FAR AND WIDE: Expect to see a diverse field in the pit area this week as World Finals routinely attracts competitors from all over the country in addition to the full-time World of Outlaws roster.
2025 Knoxville Nationals champion Ryan Timms will be making the trip from Rapid City, SD with the Liebig Motorsports team. Timms debuted at Charlotte last year during World Finals and picked up a pair of top 10s highlighted by a fourth in the finale.
NASCAR Cup Series competitor Ty Gibbs has his World of Outlaws debut on the agenda this week. The grandson of Joe Gibbs has dabbled in Sprint Car racing this year and is ready for more laps at World Finals.
Corey Day plans to make his The Dirt Track at Charlotte debut this week aboard the Jason Meyers Racing No. 14. The 19-year-old has experience at the big track across the street, competing with the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Roval a month ago.
Late Model star Ricky Thornton Jr. is set to add some more Sprint Car experience to his résumé. This year’s World 100 winner did double duty last year, jumping in an Indy Race Parts Sprint Car, and will do so again. He’s claimed a trio of World of Outlaws Late Model wins at Charlotte.
Other expected entries include Giovanni Scelzi (Fresno, CA), Emerson Axsom (Franklin, IN), Brent Marks (Myerstown, PA), and many more.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 5-8 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, NC
ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
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Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month
CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (68/71 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (8916 PTS)
2. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-138 PTS)
3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-298 PTS)
4. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-360 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-564 PTS)
6. Donny Schatz – Sides Motorsports No. 15 (-862 PTS)
7. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-910 PTS)
8. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-1148 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-1274 PTS)
10. Cole Macedo – TwoC Racing No. 2C (-1296 PTS)