Nick Hoffman, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Rico Abreu won at World Finals
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 7, 2026
Hoffman won
Hoffman put together a clean night at World Finals and turned it into a milestone victory at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. He led all 35 laps of the feature, then closed out the race to earn his first World Finals feature win and the 20th World of Outlaws Late Model Series win of his career. The result also came in his final World of Outlaws weekend with Tye Twarog Racing, which made the performance stand out even more. Hoffman reached the feature from the front of the field after winning his heat race and drawing the Bilstein Pole, then made those advantages count by staying in command from the start. Ryan Gustin finished second after Jonathan Davenport got by him with four laps remaining, a late move that reshaped the podium chase but never threatened Hoffman at the front. Thornton finished fourth and Chris Madden took fifth, giving the Late Model feature a strong mix of established names behind the winner. Hoffman’s run gave the evening its sharpest storyline, a wire-to-wire victory that checked every box: pace, position and execution when it mattered most.
Thornton rolled
Thornton opened World Finals with another Late Model victory, and he did it by working through a difficult middle stretch at The Dirt Track before pulling away late. Rain stopped the race on lap 17, and Thornton restarted fifth after the delay. That put him back in traffic, but he used the restart to his advantage and got past Brandon Overton within two laps. From there, he settled in and held on to secure his seventh straight Late Model win. The victory also gave him his fourth career World Finals victory, a strong addition to a record that keeps growing at one of the sport’s biggest stages. Overton finished second after leading part of the fight near the front, and Bobby Pierce came home third. Thornton’s drive fit the kind of night that tests a contender in more than one way. He had to adjust after the rain interruption, recover position quickly and then finish the job against a field through the closing laps. Instead, he answered each challenge and left with another win in a stretch that has turned into a run of sustained form. The opener set the tone for Late Model competition at the event and added another result to Thornton’s current streak.
Abreu charged
Abreu won the Sprint Cars opener at The Dirt Track by making the decisive move late and then holding off the rest of the field. He passed Bill Balog with less than five laps remaining in the 25-lap feature, then finished the job after lining up from row two. Abreu came into the main event after sweeping both Simpson Quick Time awards in qualifying, won his heat race and finished third in the Toyota Dash, all of which put him in position to contend once the feature began. He took full advantage of that track position when the race tightened at the end. Tyler Courtney finished second, Balog placed third, Buddy Kofoid was fourth, Garet Williamson took fifth and David Gravel finished sixth. Abreu’s victory also gave Tony Stewart Racing its 14th win at The Dirt Track, a team mark that adds weight to the result beyond a single race night. The win completed a strong event showing for Abreu, who backed up his qualifying pace with racecraft when the field mattered most. He stayed close enough early to make the pass late, and once he got to the front, he held on through the final laps to seal the Sprint Cars opener.
