Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, Pa., won the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals finale at Volusia Speedway Park, taking the $20,000 prize and the Big Gator trophy. He achieved the feat after a dramatic last-lap duel with defending champion David Gravel. Macri started fourth and moved past Brian Brown for the lead on lap seven. On the final circuit, Gravel executed a white-flag slide job, threading a diamond line through lapped traffic, and briefly challenged for the top spot before Macri reclaimed the lead and held it into Turn 3 for the checkered flag.

The victory was the eighth World of Outlaws win of Macri’s career, tying him with Jimmy Sills and Cody Darrah on the all-time list and making him the ninth different driver to win the Big Gator. The result capped a strong Volusia weekend for Macri, who had finished third and fourth on the first two nights of the meeting. David Gravel finished second, with Carson Macedo third, Buddy Kofoid fourth, and Brian Brown fifth.

The feature opened with a four-wide parade lap that included Brent Marks, Macri, Gravel, and Brown. Photographers captured close racing and several on-track skirmishes through the card, including battles involving Sheldon Haudenschild, Bill Balog, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Scotty Thiel, and Spencer Bayston. Images also showed Carson Macedo sliding under Brian Brown and Brenham Crouch’s car being removed from the track, underscoring a busy night of action at Volusia. The World of Outlaws will return to Volusia Speedway Park March 1–2 for the Bike Week Jamboree, keeping the series’ early-season momentum at the Florida venue.

Volusia Speedway Park will host the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals for six straight nights, February 9–14. The week mixes non-points cards and World of Outlaws Late Model Series (WoO) points-paying mains. There are two $7,000-to-win shows on the first two days, a split-field night with three $5,000 features on night three, and $12,000-to-win mains on February 12–13. But the main event is reserved for the final night, when racers will contest the $20,000-to-win Big Gator finale. AMSOIL USAC Sprint Cars join the opening nights, and the Super DIRTcar Series runs from February 11–14, creating a stacked week of touring-series competition.

This year’s entry list is expected to be among the season’s strongest, with established stars and in-form contenders entered for the WoO points events and the Big Gator finale. Brandon Sheppard, fresh off a Sunshine Nationals victory, leads the de facto WoO points entering Volusia ahead of Nick Hoffman, while two-time defending Volusia champion Bobby Pierce sits fifth, 18 points back. Hudson O’Neal has already posted three wins this year, and 2025 Big Gator champion Ricky Thornton Jr. arrives after two wins and a worst finish of sixth at Volusia last year. The list mixes veterans such as Dennis Erb Jr., Chris Madden, and Tim McCreadie with rising contenders and newcomers, including Daulton Wilson and Trey Mills.

The Big Gator trophy was first awarded to Dennis Erb Jr. in 2012 and remains the marquee prize at the finale and often foreshadows season momentum. Josh Richards used Volusia success to power an 18-win championship campaign in 2016, and Brandon Sheppard turned strong Volusia weeks into series championships and crown-jewel victories in 2019, 2020, and 2024. Scott Bloomquist and Shane Clanton similarly leveraged Volusia as a springboard, while Devin Moran and Ricky Thornton Jr. translated Volusia form into major wins in recent seasons. With six nights on tap, this year’s DIRTcar Nationals and the Big Gator finale will serve as both a standalone crown and an early indicator of which drivers could carry momentum through the WoO season.

Spencer Bayston won the season-opening 25-lap Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals feature at Volusia Speedway Park, driving the NOS Energy Drink No. 17 for Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing. Bayston started 10th and immediately picked off three cars on the opening circuit. He moved into fourth amid a mid-race stretch of chaos before sweeping around Anthony Macri on the outside on lap 16 to seize the lead and pull away. The victory marked his first sprint car win since August 4, 2023, when he bagged the Night Before the Ironman. The result handed Bayston his sixth career World of Outlaws checkered flag, and his first triumph at Volusia, where he left with a gator trophy.

Carson Macedo finished runner-up with Anthony Macri, Michael Kofoid, and Donny Schatz completing the top five. The 25-lap Feature opened the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series at Volusia and set an early competitive tone for the DIRTcar Nationals weekend. The way Bayston navigated traffic and capitalized on opportunities through the race underlined the strength of the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing entry.

The victor described the result as validation after a rocky stretch in his career, and he credited team owners Richard and Jennifer Marshall, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and his partners for helping spark the turnaround. He said the win quieted doubts about his recent form and rewarded the team’s decision to sign him. The NOS Energy Drink sponsorship was part of the package that supported the effort, and the victory both ended Bayston’s win drought and created an early-season storyline for the series. The result highlighted a successful team effort and a personal milestone for Bayston as the World of Outlaws season began.

The 2026 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series opened on Wednesday, February 4, and will run through Saturday, February 7, at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida. Drivers are in town to contest the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, aiming to start their campaign on a winning footing. The four-night program on the facility’s Florida half‑mile will culminate in a $20,000-to-win and a $1,500-to-start finale, while points accumulated across the week will be tallied to determine the top three finishers and the Big Gator champion. That structure makes each night both a standalone event and part of a cumulative competition, putting a premium on consistency as well as single-night performance. Series and event branding will highlight NOS Energy Drink as the title sponsor and Federated Auto Parts as the presenting partner of the DIRTcar Nationals.

Now in its 49th season, the World of Outlaws, founded in 1978 by Ted Johnson, traditionally begins its early campaign in Florida, and Volusia has long served as the focal point for those opening storylines. Organizers have emphasized logistical and competitive details for competitors and fans rather than day-by-day results, outlining purses, points procedures, and the overall format for the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. The announcement frames the week as the official season kickoff and a key stretch that sets the tone for the months to come.

A central storyline entering Volusia centers on two-time defending champion David Gravel and his Big Game Motorsports operation, which will pursue a third straight title. Big Game Motorsports retained crew chief Cody Jacobs, car chief Pete Stephens, and tire specialist Zach Patterson. They also added former Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing car chief Luke Vaughn to their personnel. Gravel will arrive at Volusia with seven World of Outlaws checkered flags on this circuit, including two from last season. He is tied with Daryn Pittman with three DIRTcar Nationals Big Gators as he chases a record-setting fourth. Those team moves, combined with the Big Gator points payout and the season-opening purse, create clear competitive incentives for teams across the four-night stretch.

The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds headline the opening nights at Volusia Speedway Park for the 21st consecutive year as part of the nine-night Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, running from January 29 – February 7. The first three nights run alongside the American Sprint Car Series and count toward Florida Speedweeks, but not the Big Gator Championship.

The Big Gator Championship begins February 2 with six split 20-lap Features from Monday to Friday that set Friday’s Feature lineups. The top three finishers from each weekday split advance directly to Saturday’s 30-lap, $5,000-to-win Championship final. Last Chance Showdowns fill the remainder of the Saturday field. The Modifieds will be paired with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars from February 4 to 7.

Reigning Big Gator champion Curt Spalding returns to defend his title, while his son Tyler will make his UMP Modified debut. Other named contenders include Jason Garver, Zane Oedewaldt, and veteran Todd Neiheiser. Teams arrive after testing Volusia’s newly reworked gumbo surface at the Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial (won by Drake Troutman in November 2025), and promoters expect more than 100 Modified entries with a points fund for the top 10. The overall Speedweeks Modified champion collects a $3,000 bonus in addition to the points payout, and early Speedweeks Modified winners include Ray Bollinger and Zeke McKenzie.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series remains in Florida to open the season, with DIRTcar Late Model shows at Volusia from February 9 to 11. World of Outlaws headlines from February 12 to 14, and a six-night Big Gator chase wraps up the festival. The series then moves to Hendry County Motorsports Park for the Swamp Cabbage 100 on February 20–21, with practice on February 19 and two paying features, $12,000 on February 20 and $20,000 on February 21. In addition to partner events such as a fishing tournament on February 18, the Swamp Cabbage Festival, a downtown parade, and other community tie-ins.

Cole Macedo will return for his second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season in 2026, rejoining Todd Carlile’s TwoC Racing to drive the No. 2C with Wayne Johnson on the wrenches. The team announced Macedo plans to begin the World of Outlaws (WoO) tour at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia, February 4–7, as he moves into his sophomore season.

He recorded five top-five finishes and 20 top-10s in his 2025 rookie season, including a standout performance at Eldora Speedway, where he climbed from 12th to third. He led feature laps at Talladega Short Track and Sharon Speedway, converting those runs into season-best finishes of fourth and sixth, respectively.

After the U.S. season, Macedo campaigned in Australia, scoring wins at the Perth Motorplex during USA vs. WA Speedweek and at Premier Speedway in the International Sprintcar Carnival. He ran up front in the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic before a lapped-traffic incident took him out of contention.

To prepare for 2026, TwoC Racing and Macedo will make pre-season laps with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) at Volusia Speedway Park’s “World’s Fastest Half Mile” from January 29–31. The team called the Volusia program a focused warm-up to build on his rookie WoO momentum and recent international wins as he targets an improved sophomore campaign.

Tyler Erb’s weekend at the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park began with a sudden, race-ending heat crash that destroyed his Best Performance Motorsports No. 1. Running third in the heat after qualifying fourth, his car veered into the inside wall at the exit of Turn 4. Erb said he didn’t know what happened and briefly considered ending his night before his crew and nearby competitors helped get a backup machine ready. Pushed into service, the backup started the main event from a provisional 26th spot, and Erb methodically charged through the field, reaching the top 15 within 12 laps and ultimately salvaging an eighth-place finish. Erb was quick to point out that the finish was evidence that the team had the speed to contend.

The recovery carried into Friday when Erb qualified on the pole for his heat. He proceeded to win that heat wire-to-wire and drew fourth for the feature. Erb rallied from that starting spot to finish a strong runner-up behind Hudson O’Neal, even running side-by-side for the lead on the final lap. That performance underscored the rebound from Thursday’s setback and reinforced Erb’s confidence in the team’s speed during his first full World of Outlaws Late Model season.

Saturday brought another challenge, sending Erb through the Last Chance Showdown and resulting in a 16th-place finish in the main event. Because the series’ winter scoring counts each driver’s five best results of the eight races, the weekend’s poor result should have limited impact on his points standing. With help from crew members and fellow competitors who assisted in readying the backup, Erb left Volusia focused on improving for the upcoming Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (February 12–14) and the Swamp Cabbage 100 (February 20–21).