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).

Todd Morrow announced that he will run the full 2026 World of Outlaws (WoO) Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision in Britton Motorsports’ No. T1. The 40-year-old from Penton, Alabama, became the fifth series newcomer to enter in 2026 and is eligible for the MD3 Rookie of the Year award alongside Trey Mills, Logan Zarin, Eli Johnson, and Daulton Wilson. The announcement came after the season had already started, underscoring that the full-time roster continued to expand as teams finalized plans.

Morrow returned to competition last year following a roughly eight-year retirement, debuting at the World 100 at Eldora and contesting seven additional Southeastern events. He made his first WoO feature start at Senoia Raceway, recorded a Southern All Stars top-five at Dixie Speedway, and boasts five career Southern All Stars wins regionally. Moving to a full WoO slate with Britton Motorsports represents a clear step up from regional campaigning and completes his transition from part-time comeback entrant to a season-long national effort.

Morrow said his immediate goals are to run every WoO race, get consistently competitive, and build a notebook for future seasons, with a victory viewed as a longer-term objective. His early 2026 schedule includes the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park (February 12–14) and the Swamp Cabbage 100 at Hendry County Motorsports Park (February 20–21). The commitment serves as a personal milestone and adds depth to the championship field.

The World of Outlaws announced its 2026 schedule includes a four-race West Coast Swing in California in September, and the series said tickets for the stretch will go on sale soon. This season gets underway from February 4–7 at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.

The West Coast Swing opens with the fifth running of the Dennis Roth Classic, moved to Stockton Dirt Track for September 18–19 as a doubleheader that will pay $83,000 to the winner. David Gravel was the 2025 Roth Classic winner. That Stockton doubleheader follows a Kansas–Colorado weekend that begins September 11 at Belleville High Banks, and continues on September 12 at Dodge City Raceway Park, and includes a Monday stop at El Paso County Raceway on September 14.

After Stockton, the tour visits Bakersfield Speedway (Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway) on September 25, only the second-ever appearance there. Michael “Buddy” Kofoid won the prior World of Outlaws show at Bakersfield. The swing concludes with a debut at Ventura Raceway on September 26, adding a Southern California stop. The series has raced in California since 1978.

Following the California dates, the tour makes the long haul east to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for the 64th National Open, a $75,000 event that will pit the World of Outlaws against the Pennsylvania Posse and quickly transitions the tour back to its marquee East Coast events.

Hudson O’Neal scored a wire-to-wire victory on Friday night at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fl, during the second night of the World of Outlaws (WoO) Late Model Series stop at the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals. O’Neal, driving the K&L Rumley Enterprises No. 6, powered around Bilstein Pole Award winner Brandon Overton at the start and led the 35-lap feature from flag to flag.

The race’s rhythm changed when Chris Madden, who had been running second early, slowed and brought out a midrace caution. That restart set up a late duel as Tyler Erb mounted a last-lap low-line charge and closed to within roughly a car length, but O’Neal held the top groove to deny Erb’s dive and secure the victory. Erb finished second, matching his career best at Volusia, while Tim McCreadie, Brandon Sheppard, and Nick Hoffman completed the top five.

The win marked O’Neal’s fourth at Volusia and extended momentum for the K&L Rumley program after his two-win swing at Arizona’s Wild West Shootout earlier this season. Owner Kevin Rumley detoured to Volusia rather than continuing to Arizona, and the decision paid off. The Sunshine Nationals at Volusia are set to conclude the following night with a $20,000-to-win finale.

Carson Macedo has re-signed with Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) to compete in his eighth consecutive World of Outlaws (WoO) season and his sixth with JJR. He will again pilot the No. 41, and the team framed his return as a pursuit of the championship it was built to win.

Since joining JJR, Macedo has compiled 52 WoO series victories, two National Open crowns, the $83,000 Dennis Roth Classic, and four wins at Knoxville Raceway. While driving the No. 41, he has never finished worse than third in season points. After a strong 2025 campaign, including 11 wins, 25 podiums, 35 top-five finishes, and 53 top-10s, he slipped to third in the standings behind Michael Kofoid but recorded his fourth season in five with double-digit victories.

Owner and crew chief Philip Dietz returns to lead the effort, joined again by car chief Robby McQuinn and tire specialist Adam Zimmerman. The trio will enter 2026 together for a third season of continuity. JJR views that continuity, combined with Macedo’s record, as central to mounting a realistic championship bid. The team will begin its title chase at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fl, February 4–7. The announcement reaffirms Macedo and JJR as front-runners on the World of Outlaws trail.

On January 23, 2026, twenty-one-year-old Kasey Jedrzejek signed to run Bill Rose Racing’s No. 6 as a rookie in the 2026 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. The agreement was finalized after Jedrzejek and team owner Bill Rose met at the Rumble in Fort Wayne in December 2025, and Jedrzejek visited Rose’s shop to complete the deal. Rose, a longtime racer with roughly 50 years of experience, will serve as crew chief for the program. Jedrzejek is a native of LaGrange, Ohio.

Jedrzejek arrives on the national tour after more than two seasons in the Ed Neumeister No. 11N, where he recorded 11 wins. Those results include his first All Star Circuit of Champions victory at Wayne County Speedway and the pole for the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway in July 2025. He also notched his first World of Outlaws top-five at Millstream Speedway, milestones that helped set up his step to the WoO series. The signing makes him the fourth confirmed contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year chase, joining Ashton Torgerson, Scotty Thiel, and Scott Bogucki.

Bill Rose Racing and Jedrzejek will begin the 2026 tour at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, Feb. 4–7. The partnership pairs a young driver with a veteran owner and crew chief as Jedrzejek pursues rookie honors.

Bill Balog, 46, of Hartland, Wisconsin, will return for a third consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series campaign. After a winless 2024, the “North Pole Nightmare” rebounded in 2025 with three feature victories: the season’s seventh race at Talladega Short Track, a high‑profile win at Huset’s Speedway during a nearly $100,000 week in June, and a flag‑to‑flag triumph at Perris Auto Speedway. Those results helped him climb to seventh in the final standings, one position better than his rookie year.

Balog said he feels better prepared and used the offseason to shore up crew depth, adding Dennis Gregg to work alongside Kevin Ingle. The team’s primary focus is on eliminating the bad finishes that cost them points and addressing issues early so they can be more consistent over a full World of Outlaws tour.

Balog described last year’s campaign as “definitely better than I thought” and expects the additional crew support to let the team “hammer away” at problems during the opening events.

The season opens at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, scheduled Feb. 4–7 in Barberville, Florida, where the team aims to “leave Volusia clean.” Coverage frames Balog as a returning contender building on momentum rather than a preseason favorite; the personnel changes and preparation are intended to translate 2025 wins into steadier results.