On his 34th birthday, Nick Hoffman reclaimed the World of Outlaws Late Model Series points lead by winning Friday’s feature at Mississippi Thunder Speedway. The victory was his fifth of the season and his third career win at the track.

He secured a top-four starting spot by winning a wire-to-wire heat and took the feature lead when Ethan Dotson jumped the cushion and hit the Turn 1 wall, removing Dotson as an immediate threat. With no serious challengers the rest of the way, Hoffman ran unchallenged to the checkered flag. Ryan Gustin finished second, Tyler Erb was third and moved past Tim McCreadie into third in series points, Dotson recovered to fourth, and Brent Larson posted a season-best fifth. Hoffman’s Friday result put him six points clear in the standings ahead of Saturday’s program.

On Thursday, Bobby Pierce won opening night of the Dairyland Showdown, a 30-lap race, marking his seventh win of the season and his third straight with the World of Outlaws. Pierce said he’d vowed to “get another one Thursday.” Pole-sitter Drake Troutman led early while Tim McCreadie, Ryan Gustin and Pierce raced closely and Hoffman stayed in contention. By halfway Pierce had cleared the pack and a decisive crossover with about 12 laps remaining shaped the run to the checkered flag. He nearly stalled with roughly 10 laps to go but retained enough speed and, with no late cautions to compress the field, held on for the win. On Friday Pierce lost his redraw spot after heat contact with Ethan Dotson and finished ninth in the feature.

Skylar Gee has signed with Greg Wheeler Motorsports to run the remainder of the 2026 World of Outlaws season as a midseason replacement. Gee, of Leduc, Alberta, returns to the Outlaws paddock after a 2025 rookie campaign driving the No. 99 for Logan Fenton Racing, during which he posted two top-five finishes and nine top-10s. He said he accepted the opportunity because Wheeler’s equipment is strong and the team’s shop is about an hour from his home.

Greg Wheeler Motorsports parted ways with Scotty Thiel after the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash at Knoxville Raceway. Thiel made 16 starts this season; his best finish in Wheeler’s No. 16c was 11th at Volusia Speedway Park in March. The team described the change as a midseason personnel move as it seeks improved results for the rest of the year.

Gee is scheduled to debut with Greg Wheeler Motorsports during a three-race Pennsylvania swing beginning at Lincoln Speedway on May 5 and continuing at Williams Grove Speedway on May 8-9.

Bobby Pierce tied Shane Clanton for fourth on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series all-time wins list with his victory at Independence Motor Speedway and reclaimed the series points lead by four points over Nick Hoffman.

Pierce’s win was his 48th career WoO Late Model victory, his sixth of this season and his second career triumph at Independence. Earlier in the program, Hoffman topped hot laps, won qualifying, took his heat and earned the Bilstein Pole Award, and he led the opening laps of the 40-lap feature.

On a restart, a caution for a slowing Tyler Bruening opened a door. Pierce dove low into Turn 1 and slid up in front of Hoffman, then managed traffic and controlled the pace for the remainder of the race, winning by roughly a half-straightaway. Tyler Erb cleared Hoffman at the white flag to take second, with Hoffman third. Drake Troutman finished fourth and Trey Mills posted a career-best fifth and earned MD3 Rookie of the Race honors at Independence. Erb’s runner-up was his best result since January at Volusia Speedway Park.

Defending series champion David Gravel leads the standings by 70 points and has four wins this season, giving him momentum heading into Sharon Speedway, where he won in 2024. Ohio native Sheldon Haudenschild, in his 10th World of Outlaws season and currently fifth in the standings, returns to his home tracks for his first trip since joining KCP Racing. Since partnering with KCP he has one win and 10 top-10 finishes this season.

The Ohio weekend opens with the Kistler Engines Classic at Attica Raceway Park on Friday, May 1, and concludes at Sharon Speedway on Saturday, May 2. Attica will host the series for the 28th time, and Sharon will record its 16th overall World of Outlaws weekend after 15 prior visits.

Haudenschild has made more than 60 appearances at Attica and recorded his first 410 victory there in 2013. He won the 2015 Lou Blaney Memorial at Sharon and has reached the podium in four of his six World of Outlaws starts at Sharon. Donny Schatz has five wins and 11 podiums at Attica. More than 60 cars are expected each night, with local and rising contenders such as Dale Blaney, Cap Henry and Bryce Lucius among those to watch. Lagrange rookie Kasey Jedrzejek, in Bill Rose’s No. 6, has two top-10 finishes this season and scored his first career 410 Sprint Car victory at Attica. With Gravel holding a sizable points cushion and several past winners and strong local contenders on the card, the two Ohio shows offer rivals chances to gain or defend points in the championship race.

Georgetown Speedway will host the Delaware Diamond Clash on Wednesday, May 13, staging a first-ever regular season co-headline card that pairs the Super DIRTcar Series with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. Organizers billed the program as a marquee, cross-series night designed to showcase top talent from both touring series, and the event is being marketed as a lead-in to NASCAR’s Dover All-Star weekend, scheduled for May 15 to 17, 2026.

The Super DIRTcar entry will race the Millman’s NAPA Auto Parts Delaware Diamond 50 for a $7,500 top prize, and the World of Outlaws Late Models will headline the Visit Delaware 51 with $20,000 to win. Visit Delaware is the presenting sponsor of the Visit Delaware 51, and that sponsorship is supported by funding from the Delaware Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund, which was awarded to Georgetown earlier this year.

A deep field is scheduled to compete, including Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman, Tim McCreadie, Matt Sheppard, Mat Williamson, and defending Georgetown Super DIRTcar winner Alex Payne. Mat Williamson is the defending Super DIRTcar Series champion and enters the event as the current points leader. Alex Payne and Tim Sears Jr. finished first and second the last time the Super DIRTcar Series raced at Georgetown. Georgetown points leader Billy Pauch Jr., who won the track’s opening night earlier this month, is also entered.

Pit gates will open at 3:00 PM, grandstands at 4:00 PM, hot laps at 6:30 PM and racing at 7:15 PM on May 13. Admission is $50 for adults, $20 for children ages 7–12, and free for kids 6 and under.

World of Outlaws officials fined Late Model driver Shannon Babb after a tire sample taken following qualifying for the World of Outlaws Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway failed a laboratory conformity test. Officials sent samples to an independent laboratory, which compared them to a Hoosier benchmark and found the tire did not conform.

Babb’s total penalties amounted to $11,771.33. They included withholding of prize money and contingencies, a fine equal to one-third of the first-place “to-win” amount, and charges for tire testing and shipping.

Officials also placed Babb on 12-month probation and announced the sanction as part of the post-qualifying inspection. The reports did not include any appeal or further procedural details.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series begins a four-race, five-night Midwest swing April 28 with a midweek 40-lap, $12,000-to-win program at Independence Motor Speedway. The tour observes a travel day April 29, then moves to the Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway from April 30 through May 2.

Mississippi Thunder will host two 30-lap, $10,000-to-win programs on April 30 and May 1, followed by a 50-lap, $40,000-to-win finale on May 2. The Independence card is supported by the Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Model Tour alongside IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars; the Mississippi Thunder dates will feature USRA Northern Lights Modifieds, concentrating prize money and points opportunities across three consecutive days.

The purse structure amplifies the championship fight. Championship leader Nick Hoffman arrives at Independence with 2,198 points and a two-point lead over Bobby Pierce. Tim McCreadie, Daulton Wilson and Tyler Erb sit third through fifth, with Erb holding a five-point advantage over Ryan Gustin for the final top-five spot. Gustin, racing in his home state and riding a three-race win streak on other tours, remains sixth in series points and has yet to record a World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory this season. The entry list will mix series regulars and short-track entrants, including Dustin Sorensen, Jonathan Davenport, Chad Simpson and Chris Simpson.

Brad Sweet led every lap from the pole to win the Knoxville Raceway opener for the Premier Chevy Dealers NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws event, taking the non-stop 25-lap main in the Paul Silva/Silva Motorsports No. 94 and collecting $12,000. He separated from the field late and finished more than two seconds ahead of David Gravel.

David Gravel, J.J. Hickle, Justin Henderson and Ryan Timms pressured Sweet early, and on lap two Gravel mounted a strong high-side surge to challenge Sweet in traffic. Sweet held the point throughout, Gravel settled for second, and Timms finished third, 0.042 seconds behind Gravel. Brent Marks was fourth and J.J. Hickle was fifth.

The victory was Sweet’s 93rd World of Outlaws feature win and his first at Knoxville since June 2019. The win extended Sweet’s streak to 15 consecutive seasons with at least one World of Outlaws feature victory, tying him for the fourth-longest run, and marked his third win in eight 410 Sprint Car starts this season. Gravel’s runner-up effort was his 10th podium of the season and extended his points lead in the World of Outlaws standings. Buddy Kofoid posted the Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night, and the Knoxville opener drew a 65-car field, one shy of the non-Knoxville Nationals one-day record of 66 set in 1979.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series framed May as a crucial tune-up stretch ahead of the summer season, promoting a 10-track, six-state swing as “The Greatest Show on Dirt.” Organizers in Concord, North Carolina said the May slate is designed to give teams opportunities to take notes and fine-tune setups as the series moves into its busiest months, while keeping fans engaged at several fan-favorite venues.

The schedule opens May 1 at Attica Raceway Park with the Kistler Engines Classic and continues May 2 at Sharon Speedway. A midweek Gettysburg Clash is set for May 5 at Lincoln Speedway, followed by the Hershey Sprint Car Experience on May 7. The Morgan Cup at Williams Grove runs May 8–9. The #LetsRaceTwo program at Eldora is scheduled for May 15–16; Eldora has hosted the World of Outlaws series 242 times and Steve Kinser has 41 World of Outlaws wins there.

The rescheduled Hy-Vee Perks 40 is set for Jacksonville on May 19. Huset’s Speedway will host the Stars and Stripes Salute on May 24 with a $20,000 winner’s prize, presented as a prep event for the June BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals. The Don Mack Classic at River Cities is May 29 and the month closes May 31 with the Magic City Showdown at Nodak, where hometown driver Donny Schatz, among the all-time leaders with 317 World of Outlaws victories, has earned multiple wins. The May slate combines traditional marquee stops and regional showcases as a ramp-up toward high-stakes summer finales.