By T.J. Buffenbarger
BARBERVILLE, FL (February 7, 2026) – Anthony Macri used some observations from last week at Volusia Speedway Park to snag victory from the jaws of defeat during the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series during the DIRTcar Nationals.
Macri, from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, lost the lead to David Gravel going into turn one on the final lap. Macri countered Gravel’s move by diamonding off the corner and splitting a slower car with Gravel and took the lead back in turn three and held off Gravel through the final two corners for the $20,000 victory and securing the overall DIRTcar Nationals title and “Big Gator” trophy.
The move Macri used to win the race was something he picked up on during the American Sprint Car Series events the previous week at Volusia.
“Watching all the videos last week and being here in person for the 360 race really paid off,” said Macri in victory lane. “I just saw how those guys were able to diamond the corner off late in the race and make a lot of speed.”
Macri knew that Gravel would challenge for the lead late after Macri had a close call with Chase Dietz and managed to use what he witnessed last week to count Gravel’s challenge.
“Once I almost got into Chase there, and I knew he was breathing down my neck, and I knew he was going to make a move to win the race, so I just pulled that one out of my butt, and I was able to diamond the corner off and get a really, really good run down the back stretch. I was either putting it between Chase and the inside wall or I was trashing this thing trying.”
Macri’s rule off turn two on the final lap even caught Gravel off guard thinking he only had to contend with Dietz at that point.
“Honestly, I thought that was the (Dietz) below me,” said Gravel after the race. “I thought that would have had Anthony messed up with me and the lap car entering turn one. I thought he would have been in enough dirty air. He must have diamonded that corner nice and got down the back stretch to get around (Dietz) so he had a hell of a recovery. It just honestly caught me off guard. I thought that it was the lapped car and was just going to try to go around him in three and four, and then I saw it was Anthony. So, hats off to those guys.”
Brian Brown took the lead at the start with Gravel in his tire tracks in second position. Two laps in Gravel found himself under pressure from Macri for the second position. Macri was able to build up enough momentum exiting turn two driving by Gravel for the spot on lap four.
With five laps in the red flag appeared when Hank Davis and Brenham Crouch got together with Crouch getting hard into the wall and flipping down the frontstretch. Crouch was able to exit the car under his own power.
Brown chose the inside for the double file restart. Macri had to defend the second spot from Gravel after the restart, but once again built-up momentum off turn two to pull away from Gravel and took the lead from Brown on lap seven.
The caution flag appeared with 11 laps complete when Brock Zearfoss slowed on the racetrack, erasing Macri’s 1.534 second lead
Macri chooses the inside for the restart and pulls away while Gravel gets by Brown for the second position in turns one and two.
Another caution flag appeared again with 13 laps complete when Emerson Axsom slowed in turn one.
Macri and Gravel pulled away while Carson Macedo and Brian Brown traded the third position back and forth until another caution flag appeared when Hank Davis slowed in turn four with 17 laps complete.
Macri drove away from Gravel while Macedo and Brown continued to trade the third position back and forth until Carson Macedo entered the battle and started to dice with Brown for the third position.
Over the final five laps Gravel erased Macri’s 0.746 second advantage to pull on his back bumper coming to the white flag. Gravel was able to get around Macri into turn one, but Macri used the diamond line through turns one and two to get a tremendous drive off the second corner to drive under Gravel and the lapped car of Dietz to take the lead going into turn three. Macri held on at the finish, besting Gravel by 0.455 seconds.
Gravel, Macedo, Buddy Kofoid from 21st starting position, and Brown rounded out the top five.
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals
Volusia Speedway Park
Barberville, Florida
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying Flight A
1. 2-David Gravel, 13.056[12]
2. 23D-Chase Dietz, 13.220[15]
3. 19-Brent Marks, 13.220[20]
4. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.253[18]
5. 23-Garet Williamson, 13.265[10]
6. 17B-Bill Balog, 13.268[21]
7. 27-Emerson Axsom, 13.273[11]
8. 5-Brenham Crouch, 13.279[19]
9. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 13.280[16]
10. 83-Michael Kofoid, 13.293[17]
11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 13.346[5]
12. 10-Ryan Timms, 13.378[9]
13. 88-Austin McCarl, 13.415[3]
14. 32-Bryce Lucius, 13.451[2]
15. 51-Scott Bogucki, 13.471[4]
16. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.536[6]
17. 26-Justin Peck, 13.571[14]
18. 1A-Ashton Torgerson, 13.739[7]
19. G5-Gage Pulkrabek, 13.807[13]
20. 15T-Ryan Turner, 13.865[8]
21. 15K-Creed Kemenah, 14.031[1]
Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying Flight B
1. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.035[16]
2. 39M-Anthony Macri, 13.045[10]
3. 13-Tanner Holmes, 13.056[12]
4. 28M-Conner Morrell, 13.083[1]
5. 9-Daison Pursley, 13.098[19]
6. 21-Brian Brown, 13.103[7]
7. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek, 13.121[2]
8. 71-Parker Price Miller, 13.152[20]
9. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 13.200[6]
10. 41-Carson Macedo, 13.244[13]
11. 7S-Chris Windom, 13.246[14]
12. 16C-Scotty Thiel, 13.247[9]
13. 48-Danny Dietrich, 13.248[5]
14. 44-Chris Martin, 13.250[18]
15. 17GP-Hank Davis, 13.339[11]
16. 4-Cameron Martin, 13.355[15]
17. 17-Spencer Bayston, 13.359[8]
18. 2C-Cole Macedo, 13.476[4]
19. 11-TJ Stutts, 13.598[17]
20. 0D-Danny Sams III, 13.652[3]
NOS Energy Drink Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 2-David Gravel[1]
2. 19-Brent Marks[2]
3. 23-Garet Williamson[3]
4. 27-Emerson Axsom[4]
5. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[5]
6. 88-Austin McCarl[7]
7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]
8. 51-Scott Bogucki[8]
9. 26-Justin Peck[9]
10. G5-Gage Pulkrabek[10]
11. 15K-Creed Kemenah[11]
DIRTVision Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 23D-Chase Dietz[1]
2. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[2]
3. 17B-Bill Balog[3]
4. 5-Brenham Crouch[4]
5. 15-Donny Schatz[8]
6. 83-Michael Kofoid[5]
7. 10-Ryan Timms[6]
8. 32-Bryce Lucius[7]
9. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[9]
10. 15T-Ryan Turner[10]
WIX Filters Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 1S-Logan Schuchart[1]
2. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[4]
3. 13-Tanner Holmes[2]
4. 9-Daison Pursley[3]
5. 17GP-Hank Davis[8]
6. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[5]
7. 17-Spencer Bayston[9]
8. 7S-Chris Windom[6]
9. 48-Danny Dietrich[7]
10. 11-TJ Stutts[10]
The Greatest Show on Dirt Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 39M-Anthony Macri[1]
2. 21-Brian Brown[3]
3. 41-Carson Macedo[5]
4. 28M-Conner Morrell[2]
5. 71-Parker Price Miller[4]
6. 16C-Scotty Thiel[6]
7. 4-Cameron Martin[8]
8. 2C-Cole Macedo[9]
9. 44-Chris Martin[7]
10. 0D-Danny Sams III[10]
Toyota Dash (6 Laps)
1. 21-Brian Brown[1]
2. 19-Brent Marks[4]
3. 2-David Gravel[5]
4. 39M-Anthony Macri[2]
5. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[6]
6. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[7]
7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[3]
8. 23D-Chase Dietz[8]
MicroLite Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps)
1. 83-Michael Kofoid[1]
2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[2]
3. 88-Austin McCarl[3]
4. 16C-Scotty Thiel[4]
5. 17-Spencer Bayston[6]
6. 26-Justin Peck[13]
7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[5]
8. 10-Ryan Timms[7]
9. 4-Cameron Martin[8]
10. 51-Scott Bogucki[9]
11. 44-Chris Martin[16]
12. 7S-Chris Windom[10]
13. 0D-Danny Sams III[20]
14. 32-Bryce Lucius[11]
15. 2C-Cole Macedo[12]
16. G5-Gage Pulkrabek[17]
17. 11-TJ Stutts[18]
18. 15K-Creed Kemenah[21]
DNS: 1A-Ashton Torgerson
DNS: 48-Danny Dietrich
DNS: 15T-Ryan Turner