World of Outlaws
 The Greatest Show on Dirt | |
| Category | Sprint car racing |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Canada |
| Inaugural season | 1978 |
| Drivers | 356 (2017) |
| Tire suppliers | Continental AG |
| Drivers' champion | Brad Sweet |
| Makes' champion | Maxim |
| Teams' champion | Kasey Kahne Racing |
| Official website | World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series |
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, originally known as the World of Outlaws (often abbreviated WoO) is an American national touring dirt track racing series. It is owned and operated by World Racing Group, and was rebranded when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series was introduced.[1] The Sprint Car Series has been sponsored by Monster Beverage's NOS Energy Drink since 2019.[2]
Overview
[edit]
The series is a national tour of high power to weight, custom fabricated sprint cars. The race cars feature large adjustable wings on the top and large rear tires that transfer their power to the dirt tracks they race on. The series travels primarily the United States, but has sanctioned races in Canada, Mexico, and Australia. The series was founded in 1978 by Ted Johnson, a former midget racer from Madison, Wisconsin. At the time sprint car racing in the United States lacked a true national series. Johnson organized the World of Outlaws sanctioning body and established a national schedule, a set of rules and a points system to crown a champion of his series.[3][4]
In 2003, Johnson sold the series to Boundless Motor Sports Racing, later renamed Dirt Motorsports and currently World Racing Group (WRG).[5] In 2004 WRG extended its subscription-based streaming service (DIRTVision), to the Outlaw series. It originally offered radio broadcasts of all races, and added video streaming to select races, until reaching the full calendar in 2018. Select races are broadcast on delay nationally on the CBS Sports Network[6][7] with MavTV showing the Knoxville Nationals since 2013.[8] Previous broadcasters include The Nashville Network and Speed Channel shown live or on delay.
Sprint car specifications
[edit]A WoO Sprint Car must weigh at least 1,425 pounds (646kg) with the driver in the car.[9] The mandated 410-cubic inch engine (6.7 litre) produces over 900 horsepower, uses mechanical fuel injection and must run on methanol fuel. The series' specification tire manufacturer works with the World of Outlaws to designate legal tire compounds for a circuit among different compounds available to competitors, as the tire must suitably respond to the track surface. Tire technicians will reject certain compounds at certain circuits if they are unfit for the surface or may provide an unfair advantage. The series' cars have a large top mounted wing with sideboards that face opposite directions to help produce a great amount of downforce to help the car turn and maximize grip, both in the corners and on the straightaways. The cars also have smaller wings on the nose to provide more downforce to the front wheels.[10][11]
Sprint cars use "quick change" rear ends. This allows the teams to quickly change the gear ratio for different size tracks.[12] Most cars use a torsion bar suspension system. Different size bars either soften or stiffen the suspension. Torsion bars, and specialty shock absorbers are the key ingredients in the handling of sprint cars. That coupled with the wings, tire stagger, light weight, and enormous horsepower make these cars some of the fastest race cars in the world. The monstrous power-to-weight ratios of Sprint Cars can exceed that of Formula 1 cars in the right circumstances.[11]
Sprint Cars have a very distinct stance since they have two very different sized rear tires. The right rear tire on a sprint car is 105 inches in circumference. In contrast, the left rear tire is only between 90 and 98 inches in circumference, depending on the track size and conditions. The difference in the tire sizes is called stagger. The more stagger the car has, the sharper the car can turn, but at the expense of straight line speed.[10][13] Sprint cars do not have starters, so push trucks are used to push the cars to start the engines. Sprint Cars only have an in/out direct drive with a fixed gear ratio, no reverse gear and no clutch.[10][14]
Typical race night program
[edit]- Motor Heat & Wheel pack
- Hot laps (practice laps)
- Time trials (time trials or qualifying, usually two laps with the fastest lap being the qualifying time)
- Heat races (set based on qualifying time)
- Toyota Dash (sets the top three or four rows of the fastest cars for the A-main)
- Last Chance Showdown (B-Main, C-Main or D-Main depending on car count)
- Feature (A-Main, which can be anywhere from 25 to 55 laps)[7]
Achievements
[edit]Past champions
[edit]Source:[15]
Top 25 all-time A-Feature winners
[edit]Note: Includes all full-field preliminary race wins. Those with a yellow background indicates Knoxville National winners. Updated November 9, 2024.[19]
| Driver | Wins | Championships |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Steve Kinser | 690 | 20 |
| 2. Sammy Swindell | 394 | 3 |
| 3. Donny Schatz | 316 | 10 |
| 4. Mark Kinser | 203 | 2 |
| 5. Doug Wolfgang | 140 | |
| 6. Danny Lasoski | 122 | 1 |
| 7. Joey Saldana | 105 | |
| 8. David Gravel | 103 | 1 |
| 9. Dave Blaney | 95 | 1 |
| 10. Brad Sweet | 91 | 5 |
| 11. Daryn Pittman | 86 | 1 |
| 12. Stevie Smith | 84 | |
| 13. Jac Haudenschild | 72 | |
| 14. Bobby Davis Jr. | 66 | 1 |
| 14. Craig Dollansky | 66 | |
| 16. Jason Meyers | 58 | 2 |
| 17. Jeff Swindell | 51 | |
| 18. Carson Macedo | 47 | |
| 19. Logan Schuchart | 42 | |
| 19. Andy Hillenburg | 42 | |
| 19. Sheldon Haudenschild | 42 | |
| 22. Shane Stewart | 36 | |
| 23. Kyle Larson | 35 | |
| 24. Bobby Allen | 30 | |
| 25. Kerry Madsen | 28 |
World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year
[edit]Source:[15]
| Season | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Tim Green |
| 1980 | Bobby Davis, Jr. |
| 1981 | Jeff Swindell |
| 1982 | Brad Doty |
| 1983 | No award issued |
| 1984 | Mark Kinser, Greg Wooley |
| 1985 | No award issued |
| 1986 | Johnny Herrera |
| 1987 | Cris Eash |
| 1988 | Andy Hillenburg |
| 1989 | Joe Gaerte |
| 1990 | Stevie Smith |
| 1991 | Jim Carr |
| 1992 | Aaron Berryhill |
| 1993 | Greg Hodnett |
| 1994 | Sid Blandford |
| 1995 | Randy Hannagan |
| 1996 | Joey Saldana |
| 1997 | Donny Schatz |
| 1998 | Dale Blaney |
| 1999 | Tim Shaffer |
| 2000 | Danny Wood |
| 2001 | Jeff Shepard |
| 2002 | No award issued |
| 2003 | Jason Sides |
| 2004 | Kraig Kinser |
| 2005 | Shane Stewart |
| 2006 | Chad Kemenah |
| 2007 | Kerry Madsen |
| 2008 | Lucas Wolfe |
| 2009 | Brian Ellenberger |
| 2010 | Ben Gregg |
| 2011 | Cody Darrah |
| 2012 | No award issued |
| 2013 | David Gravel |
| 2014 | Brad Sweet |
| 2015 | Jason Johnson |
| 2016 | Greg Wilson |
| 2017 | Sheldon Haudenschild |
| 2018 | Ian Madsen |
| 2019 | Carson Macedo |
| 2020 | Wayne Johnson |
| 2021 | James McFadden |
| 2022 | Spencer Bayston |
| 2023 | Giovanni Scelzi |
| 2024 |
Popular events
[edit]Here is a list of top paying and more popular race events each year. Most are two days or more.
Final night features are usually based on points earned on the previous night's races.
An asterisk marks single-day events where the entire program is run on one day.
| Track | Event | Winner's purse |
|---|---|---|
| Eldora Speedway | * Kings Royal | $175,000 |
| Knoxville Raceway | Knoxville Nationals | $150,000 |
| Huset's Speedway | Huset's High Bank Nationals | $250,000 |
| Eldora Speedway | Historical Big 1 | $100,000 |
| Williams Grove Speedway | National Open | $75,000 |
| Jackson Motorplex | Jackson Nationals | $25,000 |
| Skagit Speedway | Skagit Nationals | $25,000 |
| Williams Grove Speedway | Summer Nationals | $25,000 |
| Beaver Dam Speedway | Jim "JB" Boyd Memorial | $20,000 |
| Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 | Ironman 55 | $20,000 |
| Devil's Bowl Speedway | Texas Outlaw Nationals | $20,000 |
| Williams Grove Speedway | Summer Nationals | $20,000 |
| Attica Raceway Park | * Brad Doty Classic | $15,000 |
| Port Royal Speedway | Nittany Showdown | $15,000 |
| Eldora Speedway | Knight Before the Kings Royal | $12,000 |
| Silver Dollar Speedway | Gold Cup Race of Champions | $12,000 |
| The Dirt Track at Charlotte | World Finals | $12,000 |
Notable drivers who have raced with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars Series
[edit]| Driver | |
|---|---|
| Steve Kinser | 20-time series champion, 690 career WoO wins, 12-time Knoxville Nationals winner, "The King of Sprint Car Racing", National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Sammy Swindell | 1981–1982, 1997 WoO Series champion, 394 WoO series wins, 1983 Knoxville Nationals winner, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Doug Wolfgang | 140 career WoO wins and 5-time Knoxville Nationals winner, 1976–1977 Knoxville Raceway track champion, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Donny Schatz | 10-time Series Champion, 306 career WoO wins, 11-time Knoxville Nationals winner. |
| Mark Kinser | 1996 and 1999 WoO Series Champion, 203 WoO series wins, 3-time Knoxville Nationals winner, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Danny Lasoski | 2001 Champion, 122 WoO series wins, 4-time Knoxville Nationals winner, IROC race winner, 11-time Knoxville Raceway Champion, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Joey Saldana | 105 career WoO wins, won 20 feature events in 2009, 2-time Kings Royal winner, 2-time Gold Cup winner, 74 All Star Circuit of Champions wins |
| Lee Osborne | founding member of WoO, 6 career WoO wins. Won the 1981, 1982, 1983 All Star Circuit of Champions Championship, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member. Founder of OzCar chassis, builds custom hot rods in New York. |
| Bobby Allen | founding member of WoO and posted 30 career wins, 1990 Knoxville Nationals winner, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member, WoO Shark Racing team owner |
| Rick Ferkel | founding member of WoO, 21 series wins, known as the Ohio Traveler, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Jac Haudenschild | Winner of the biggest race in Sprint Car history Mopar Million, 72 WoO series wins, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Ron Shuman | 1979 Knoxville Nationals winner, 24 WoO series wins, 4-time CRA Sprint car champion, 3-time SCRA sprint car champion, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Dave Blaney | Former NASCAR Cup Series driver, 1995 WoO Series Champion, 94 WoO wins, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Shane Carson | former WoO driver, promoter, VP of race operations, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member and board member, 1978 Knoxville Track Champion, 1986 NCRA Dirt Champ series champion |
| Jeff Gordon | 4-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, 12 USAC Midget wins, 2 USAC Silver Crown wins, 5 USAC Sprint wins, 1990 USAC Midget Champion, 1991 USAC Silver Crown Champion |
| Kasey Kahne | NASCAR Cup Series driver, 2000 USAC Midget Champion, 11 USAC Midget wins, 3 USAC Silver Crown wins, WoO team owner |
| Tony Stewart | 3-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, 1995 USAC Triple Crown Champion, WoO Team owner, Eldora Speedway track owner, All Star Circuit of Champions series owner. |
| Ken Schrader | NASCAR Cup Series driver, 21 USAC Midget wins, 6 USAC Silver Crown wins, 4 USAC Sprint wins, 1982 USAC Silver Crown Champion, 1983 USAC Sprint Champion |
| Kyle Larson | 2021 Kings Royal champion, 2021, 2023 and 2024 Knoxville Nationals champion, 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year, 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, 2020 and 2021 Chili Bowl Nationals midget champion, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion |
| Johnny Herrera | 1996 Eldora Speedway Kings Royal Winner, 1995 410 sprint car track champion at Knoxville Raceway |
| Greg Hodnett | 5-time Williams Grove track champion, 73 Williams Grove track wins, 20-time WoO race winner, 52 wins at Port Royal Speedway, 4-time Central PA Champion |
| Don Kreitz Jr | National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member, 12 WoO series wins, 83 Williams Grove Speedway wins and 4-time track champion, Pennsylvania team owner |
| Keith Kauffman | National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member, 13-time Port Royal Speedway Champion (129 wins), 2-time Williams Grove Speedway Champion (51 wins) |
| Bobby Davis Jr. | 1989 WoO Series Champion, 66 WoO series wins, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Lealand McSpadden | 1978, 1993, 1995 Western World Champion, 1991 Chili Bowl (race) Midget Champion, 1992 Belleville Midget Champion, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member |
| Christopher Bell | 2017, 2018, and 2019 Chili Bowl Nationals champion, NASCAR Cup Series driver |
| Rico Abreu | Former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver. 2015 and 2016 Chili Bowl Nationals midget champion |
| Brad Doty | 18 WoO series wins, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member, Media member and Doty Classic race promoter |
| Erin Crocker | First female driver to win a World of Outlaws event, former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, radio journalist. |
| Bryan Clauson | 38 USAC Midget wins, 2 USAC Silver Crown wins, 41 USAC Sprint wins, 2010–2011 USAC Midget Champion, 2012–2013 USAC Sprint Champion, 2014 Chili Bowl Nationals champion, 2012, 2015, 2016 Indianapolis 500 starter, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member. |
| Jason Johnson | 2016 Knoxville Nationals winner, 12 WoO series wins, 5-time ASCS National Sprint car champion, 79 ASCS National wins, 9 All Star Circuit of Champions wins |
| Brad Sweet | 2019, 2020 and 2021 WoO Series Champion, 74 career WoO wins, 2018 Knoxville Nationals winner, former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series driver. |
References
[edit]- ^ "WorldRacingGroup.com". Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- ^ "NOS Energy Drink extends World of Outlaws Sprint Car title sponsorship". Performance Racing Industry. February 9, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "WORLD OF OUTLAWS HISTORY". worldofoutlaws.com. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Mecoy, Don (September 14, 2005). "DIRT Motorsports Inc". The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City OK. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Dirt Motorsports – Dirt Track Racing – The Power Of Dirt – Rob Fisher, Hot Rod magazine, 22 January 2007
- ^ "CBS Sports Network To Air WoO, Super DIRT Action". Performance Racing Industry. October 8, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "World of Outlaws Sprint Cars". Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ "MAVTV TO AIR NATIONALS". www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ World Racing Group. "Section 6 - Weight". World of Outlaws Technical Rules. World Racing Group. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
- ^ a b c World of Outlaws World Finals Official Program
- ^ a b McFadden, Kyle (August 22, 2023). "What Type Of Cars Are Used For Sprint Car Racing?". FloRacing. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Shelton, Chris (October 27, 2022). "Everything you need to know about quick change axles". In The Garage Media. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Beard, David (May 3, 2020). "How Outlaws go fast". Car and Driver. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Baruth, Jack (July 11, 2018). "There's Nothing In Racing Simpler–or Harder–Than Driving a Sprint Car". Road & Track. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS & ROTY". worldofoutlaws.com. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ "Kasey Kahne earns sixth World of Outlaws champion as team owner". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Wackerlin, Jeff (November 10, 2013). "Pittman Wins Closest Title Battle". Concord, North Carolina: Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- ^ "Donny Schatz wins fifth World of Outlaws championship". motorsport.com. November 3, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ^ "WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR ALL-TIME WINS LIST". worldofoutlaws.com. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
External links
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