0
0
Alex Nieten
Trent Gower Photo
All full-time competitors were honored along with the distribution of many special awards
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars wrapped up a nine-month tour across the country Saturday night, and then celebrated the year’s accomplishment during the Championship Awards Banquet on Sunday.
A new champion was crowned, and every team that completed the full season with The Greatest Show on Dirt was honored for their efforts and received their point fund check for the year with the top eight drivers all banking more than $100,000. A number of special awards were also distributed to highlight impactful presences in the sport of Sprint Car racing.
CHAMPION: Before the 2024 season, only 10 individuals could call themselves a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion. This year that number grew to 11.
David Gravel finally got the elusive title. After four third-place finishes in the points and a trio of runner-ups the last three years, Gravel summited the mountaintop in 2024 with Tod Quiring’s Big Game Motorsports. Gravel’s season included 15 wins, 33 podiums, 60 top 10s, and a 4.88 average finish.
“It’s been a long, fun ride,” Gravel said. “I was Rookie of the Year in 2013. It’s a grueling deal. Donny (Schatz) has kicked our butt so long. I started out with the All-Stars, and Dale Blaney and Tim Shaffer kicked my butt every week, and you try to mold yourself around those guys and learn from those veteran guys how to win a championship. I’ve run third since 2015 and then second a couple years in a row. It was like, ‘Man, can I do this?’ You just never know. When you can finally put it all together, it’s really, really special.”
It was also Quiring’s first title as a car owner. In May, Big Game Motorsports became only the sixth team with at least 100 World of Outlaws wins, and then Quiring added his name as the 10th different owner with a championship.
Gravel and the team earned a hefty $350,000 payday for their efforts, and they’ve already announced their intentions to defend the title in 2025.
NOS ENERGY DRINK ELOY GUTIERREZ SPIRIT AWARD: The Human Horsepower Award received a new name as it fittingly became the NOS Energy Drink Eloy Gutierrez Spirit Award. It now honors the man who was instrumental to electronic timing and scoring being implemented in dirt track racing and a man whose kindness knew no bounds.
Marketing Director for NOS Energy Drink, Lauren Albano, presented a pair of the awards with one going to Donny Schatz and the other to Kraig Kinser. Both have committed a majority of their lives to the sport and exhibited a similar dedication to Sprint Car racing as Gutierrez.
KEVIN GOBRECHT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: History was made in 2024 as Michael “Buddy” Kofoid put together the best statistical debut season of all-time on his way to earning the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year.
“I just want to thank Dylan (Buswell), Nate (Knotts), and Gage (Tyra) and Dennis and Teresa Roth for the opportunity to drive such an iconic car,” Kofoid said. “Todd Ventura, the team manager, keeps us all in line. Andy Graves at TRD (Toyota Racing Development) gives us everything we need to do this. And of course, Mobil 1 and Toyota. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I took a couple years off Sprint Car racing to run Midgets and didn’t know if I’d ever have the chance to do this. I feel like this was definitely the right opportunity and the best opportunity I’ve ever had to drive any Sprint Car and probably any race car period.”
The Penngrove, CA native racked up seven wins, 27 podiums, and 53 top 10s aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83. Those numbers led him to equaling the record for the best Rookie of the Year points finish ever of fourth, equaling Jeff Swindell (1981), Brad Doty (1982), and Giovanni Scelzi (2023).
CREW CHIEF OF THE YEAR: For the second time in his career, Cody Jacobs took home the Crew Chief of the Year honors.
The Ohio native turns the wrenches on the Big Game Motorsports No. 2 for Gravel and picked up his first Series championship along with his driver. Gravel’s win at World Finals last week was Jacobs’ 50th World of Outlaws victory as a crew chief.
He adds the 2024 Award to the one he received in 2021, which was his first year leading the Big Game crew.
TED JOHNSON MEMORIAL AWARD: Every year the World of Outlaws recognize an individual for their outstanding contributions to Sprint Car racing, and the 2024 honors went to a deserving Tony Stewart.
The Columbus, IN resident was a force behind the wheel of a Sprint Car, assembled one of the most successful organizations of all-time with Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing, has continued the legacy of Earl Baltes by taking Eldora Speedway to new heights, and done much more to grow the sport he’ll always love.
“Sprint Car racing is my passion,” Stewart said. “It doesn’t matter what I’m doing or what Series I’ve ran in the past or what I’m doing now, my heart’s always been with Sprint Car racing, and it’s always going to be there. I had a unique friendship with him (Ted), and we miss him every day. Very appreciative of the foundation he’s laid and what World Racing Group has done since they’ve taken this over and taken it to heights that it’s never seen before. Everybody has done their part. I’m just really proud to be a part of it, especially with Ted’s name on this. It really means a lot to me personally.”
JASON JOHNSON SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Jason Johnson brought a warm and welcoming presence to the World of Outlaws pit area, and the Jason Johnson Sportsmanship Award acknowledges those who offer a similar commitment to positivity. Jimmy Fitzwater of Sides Motorsports was the 2024 recipient as he perfectly embodies this spirit with his constant hard work and refusal to have a bad day.
FAN FAVORITE: Sheldon Haudenschild’s reign on the Fan Favorite Driver Award continued in 2024 as he was voted as the favorite again.
It’s no surprise that the Wooster, OH native continues to be beloved by fans across the nation. His all-out style follows in the footsteps of his legendary father Jac Haudenschild. He does everything he can to win every single night. Haudenschild bagged eight wins in 2024, matching the second highest total in his World of Outlaws career. He established a career-high for podiums in a season with 24.
“Thank you to all the fans,” Haudenschild said. “That’s why we do it, right? We’re entertainers, and we want to put on a show.”
FEDERATED CAR CARE WORK ZONE TEAMWORK COUNTS AWARD: For their efforts helping Logan Schuchart get back out on track at Knoxville Raceway earlier this season, the Shark Racing team was presented the Federated Car Care Work Zone Teamwork Counts Award and a $5,000 prize for it.
SOCIAL AMBASSADOR: David Gravel also collected 2024 Social Ambassador honors with his championship trophy. The 32-year-old has prioritized social media, being sure to stay on top of keeping his fans informed of his life each and every week with the World of Outlaws.
KSE HARD CHARGER: Donny Schatz took home the KSE Hard Charger of the year by collecting a total of 12 Hard Chargers in 2024, including sweeping all three during World Finals week. Schatz was constantly on the move this year in the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15, passing more than 300 cars over the course of the season.
ENGINE BUILDER OF THE YEAR: Engines are the heartbeat of the beasts that are 410 Sprint Cars, and Brian Morrison was recognized as this year’s Engine Builder of the Year. Morrison Racing Engines power many of the sport’s elite organizations including the championship winning Big Game Motorsports No. 2.
CHASSIS BUILDER OF THE YEAR: Maxim Chassis have long been the choice for many of the sport’s top teams, and as a result they took home another Chassis Builder of the Year Award from the World of Outlaws.
Below is the list of the 12 full-time World of Outlaws competitors in 2024, where they finished in the standings, and the point fund check amount they received at the Awards Banquet:
1. David Gravel ($350,000)
2. Carson Macedo ($210,000)
3. Donny Schatz ($140,000)
4. Michael Kofoid ($122,500)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild ($113,750)
6. Giovanni Scelzi ($109,375)
7. Logan Schuchart ($105,000)
8. Bill Balog ($100,625)
9. Brock Zearfoss ($96,250)
10. Landon Crawley ($87,500)
11. Kraig Kinser ($70,000)
12. Bill Rose ($52,500)
The 2025 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season gets rolling on Feb. 5-8 at Volusia Speedway Park’s (Barberville, FL) Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, every lap of the 2025 season will be live on DIRTVision.
