Emerson Axsom, 21, fresh off his Chili Bowl Nationals victory, finalized a rookie campaign on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and will pilot the Klaasmeyer/Petry Motorsports No. 27. The Franklin, Indiana native committed to winged sprint cars full time in 2024 and entered the Outlaws after a breakout stretch that included wins at Lincoln Park Speedway and Knoxville Raceway and his first All Star Circuit of Champions victory at Eldora in 2025. Axsom came into the national tour with prior experience, recording 62 World of Outlaws feature starts, 24 top-10 finishes and a best result of second at Angell Park Speedway last October. He also filled in for KCP Racing following Giovanni Scelzi’s departure in July 2025, giving team owners and observers a closer look at his work on the tour.

Klaasmeyer/Petry Motorsports owners Dale Klaasmeyer and Scott Petry said signing Axsom fulfilled their goal of fielding a car on the Outlaws tour and added the team was enthusiastic to run full time. The team added him after those substitute appearances and after Axsom attended the first 19 World of Outlaws races in 2025 to observe the tour. Axsom is one of five contenders for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year award, alongside Ashton Torgerson, Scotty Thiel, Scott Bogucki and Kasey Jedrzejek. He is scheduled to begin the 2026 season Feb. 4–7 at Volusia Speedway Park during the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. The full-time program will run a nine-month, coast-to-coast World of Outlaws schedule that spans more than 20 states. The move pairs his recent short-track momentum and marquee-event success with a full rookie slate on one of sprint car racing’s premier national tours.

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