DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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Snafu ends possible 12-month suspension, takeaways from World Finals | Daily 11-9-2025
A big show today with bunch of closing thoughts after World Finals, plus weekend results, and more context on the Kaiden Manders DQ and what will and won't happen next. Let's go!
It's Sunday, November 9th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
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World Finals is officially in the books for 2025, and with it the World of Outlaws sprint cars, late models, and Super DIRTcar Series seasons come to a close. David Gravel is now a two-time and back-to-back World of Outlaws sprint car series champion. These points systems reward consistency, and nobody was anywhere near Gravel this season across sprint car racing. The second most wins, the most top fives, and the most top tens. Along the way he became a villain and one of the more polarizing drivers in the sport, and headed into 2026, he's again going to be the championship favorite. The pairing of he and crew chief Cody Jacobs works really well, and just like we saw from Brad Sweet, we could be moving into the David Gravel era where these guys are able to rip off many titles in row. As good as 2024 was for the 2, this 2025 was the best ever for Gravel, and one of the strongest complete seasons we've seen in years. An average finish right at fourth, He was in a single B main all season, was in 59 of a possible 64 dashes, and time trialed better than third on average. And 17 wins is the most in an Outlaw season since Schatz had 22 in 2018. Love him or hate him, these guys are fast every single night. If you want to talk about possible challengers, I've thought for a while that we'd see Carson Macedo really push Gravel and maybe even jump up into fighting for that title. Especially after what we saw in 2024. That 41 took a step back this season though, and we really watched the emergence of Buddy Kofoid. I think Macedo and Philip Dietz are still one of the top teams, and that maybe they need to suffer a few more downs before they really break through. We watched the same from Gravel for years, to the point that I wondered aloud if Gravel was capable of winning a title at all. Obviously we know now he's proved me wrong. Back to Kofoid and his 2025, the Toyota engine has become much less of a liability, and the Kofoid/Dylan Buswell duo has really come into form. Double digit wins, and an average finish down near fifth kept them in the hunt. They still need to work on a bit more consistency, and qualifying has to improve if they are really going to take the fight to Gravel. Kofoid has to sometimes do too much work come feature time, and starting just a tick closer to the front will relieve some of that pressure. I think the Roth 83 could be a real problem at the front next year, especially if they can get out of Volusia without being in a hole.
Three different sprint car winners at World Finals, with Rico Abreu, Gravel, and Kofoid all getting victories. Rico closed out a banger of a season with the win and two seconds after the High Limit title. He'll be in Australia next month for a few shows, but this team will really be focused on the Tony Stewart Racing merger, and getting everything put together for 2026. If you're looking to buy some sprint car stuff, TSR is having a big yard sale during the week of PRI. Of the new combinations we saw at Charlotte, Spencer Bayston with SJMR looked the best. All three features made, and top fives the final two nights. I don't know if it's the fighting for his career part, but whatever shift has happened since Bayston was fired from the 14, it needs to stay for 2026. He's been a completely different driver, and back to looking like the guy that has five career Outlaw wins. Not the one who had a High Limit average finish of 13.5 this year. Looking at the final standings, Gravel the champ, Kofoid second, Macedo third. Logan Schuchart ended up fourth for his best points finish since that magical 2020 season. Sheldon Haudenschild ended his time in the 17 fifth, Donny Schatz held on to sixth and was on the Friday podium. He did go winless this season though. Bill Balog was seventh, Garet Williamson the top rookie in eighth, then Chris Windom, Cole Macedo, Hunter Schuerenberg, Zach Hampton, Skylar Gee, and Connor Morrell.
On the late model side, it wasn't a great weekend for Bobby Pierce, but his lead in the standing was big enough, that it didn't matter. Nick Hoffman with finishes of fourth, seventh, and eighth, was able to close down the final gap to 56 points. That's two titles in three years for Pierce, and had it not been for the tire penalty in 2024, it would have easily been three in a row. Pierce will go to Senoia next weekend to try and wrap up the FloRacing Night in America title to earn his second championship of 2025. Pierce not as dominant this season, but even with Hoffman taking a step forward, he had more than enough to score the title. Pierce still with a staggering set of statistics in 2025, with 30 wins, 65 top fives, and 78 top tens in 92 overall dirt late model races. For 2026, I think Hoffman will still be Pierce's main challenger, but I am curious about Tim McCreadie. It took those guys some time to sort the Boom Briggs program, but TMac ended up with second most Outlaw wins on the year and finished fourth in the standings. Definitely still work to do there, but a return to form for the veteran driver. Back to Hoffman, I like his career trajectory. A big improvement in 2025 in terms of consistency, and plenty of room to grow. Five Outlaw wins, and we saw him competitive at a lot of the bigger dirt late model shows this year. I don't feel like he gets a lot of attention, especially compared to Pierce, Davenport, RTJ, and the like. And for good reason, but I think he's just on the edge of being part of the larger conversation. Ryan Gustin's year was very similar to 2024, and while the Reaper is as good as anyone on any given night, that team is missing the consistency. An average finish of about ninth, but only 27 top tens in 43 races. They need to clean some stuff up to really be part of the title talk. The final rundown is Bobby Pierce the champ, then Hoffman, Gustin, and McCreadie. Dennis Erb Jr. much improved this season to fifth, Drake Troutman sixth, Brian Shirley seventh, Cody Overton eighth, Tanner English ninth, and Ethan Dotson tenth. Then Dustin Sorensen, Jake Timm, Tristan Chamberlain, and Brent Larson.
Late model wins at World Finals went to Hudson O'Neal, and two for Jonathan Davenport. JD had mechanical issues Thursday, so he could have maybe been up in there for a sweep. Hudson O'Neal was fast all weekend in Kevim Rumley's car, Drake Troutman with three podiums, and Brandon Sheppard with a trio of top fives and nearly a win. Your last chances to see the national guys in 2025 will this coming weekend at Senoia, then the Dome in a few weeks.
Weekend Super DIRTcar Series wins went to Matt Sheppard, Alex Payne, and Mat Williamson. Money Mat the series champion for the third time in his career, and he also bagged the 358 title. He becomes only the second driver to win both the SDS and 358 titles in the same year, joining the Doctor, Danny Johnson, who did it in 1999. Williamson with fives in 26 races, including the big one at Super Dirt Week. Alex Yankowski was second, Payne third, Matt Sheppard fourth, and Erick Rudolph rounded out the top five. Drop your comments on World Finals, the championships, and whatever else is on your mind from the weekend.
There are a number of other news items that came out of the last few days, and we'll sort through all of it as the week goes on. So if there's something I didn't touch on today, don't worry it's coming.
Other weekend dirt late model winners included Sam Seawright in Southern Thunder action at Clarksville. That was the final ever race at Clarksville, as the track is set to be acquired by the town. Dalton Cook the Southern Thunder series champion. Mike Harrison took the $5000 win at Pevely, and Cade Dillard swept the two nights at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track.
In other sprint car action, Aaron Reutzel swept the POWRi shows at Texas as Ayrton Gennetten was crowned champion. And Mitchel Moles was a USAC CRA winner at Perris.
Before we close out, I did want to update the Kaiden Manders situation that we talked about last week. In the aftermath of discussing it on the show, I received a number of messages from folks giving me a bunch more context and details about what happened, and what's transpired since. If you didn't watch or listen Thursday, down at Perth Motorplex in Australia, Kaiden Manders was DQ'd from the October 18th 410 sprint car feature, but we have no public details as to why. Some information I was sent alluded to this having to do with the traction control detection device they use in Australia, and that device supposedly being tampered with. Manders was originally scheduled to start on the pole of that feature, but his car had engine issues during fire off and he pulled in. I said on Thursday that he ended up not starting the race, but that was incorrect. Manders did eventually get the car to fire after some time in the infield, and tagged the tail of the field. Later on, during an open red for fuel is when Manders was DQ'd, with officials tossing him for someone tampering with the traction control detection device. Multiple sources have told me Manders was facing up to a 12 month suspension for the whole thing, but the punishment was thrown out over paperwork snafus. Supposedly forms weren't filled out properly, and the paperwork wasn't submitted within the proper window to be properly adjudicated. So Manders and the Dan Golding Racing team are clear on a technicality. Were they guilty of something larger, or was this just a device malfunction and Manders is a victim? We don't know. But no matter the case, they are free to race with no suspension or penalty incoming. Manders returned to Perth last weekend, after initially not entering, and finished third in the 410 feature, and won the midget main event.
That's the show for today. Hope you guys have a great Sunday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!