JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — A big Midwestern week awaits the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
Three races. Three tracks. Three states. Four days.
First up, the Series sets course for a midweek battle in Illinois at Jacksonville Speedway for the Hy-Vee Perks 40 on Thursday, May 21.
Then, a freshened Memorial Day weekend trip takes center stage as the Stars and Stripes Salute sends The Greatest Show on Dirt to a pair of the country’s most famed facilities.
First up is Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway on Saturday, May 23. Then comes the first visit of 2026 to Brandon, SD’s Huset’s Speedway on Sunday, May 24. Both nights will send the winner home with $20,000.
BULLRING BOYS
Only two full-time competitors have been able to conquer a Jacksonville World of Outlaws race.
The first was Carson Macedo. He topped the 2019 visit in the Kyle Larson Racing No. 2 but is still after one with his current Jason Johnson Racing team. Together, they’ve collected finishes of fourth, fourth, and third at Jacksonville.
David Gravel emerged victorious from the 2024 race of the year at Jacksonville after a race-long war for the top spot. Since climbing aboard the Big Game Motorsports No. 2, Gravel hasn’t been outside the top five at Jacksonville in three tries.
While Macedo and Gravel may be the only two with World of Outlaws scores at Jacksonville, they’re not the only two full-timers to have won at the quarter-mile in some fashion. Both Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Spencer Bayston have visited victory lane in POWRi Midget action.
THE CAPITAL
Knoxville Raceway is unanimously viewed as one of the toughest tracks to learn in the sport, but David Gravel and his Big Game Motorsports team have something figured out.
Gravel has made 25 feature starts at Knoxville in the Cody Jacobs-wrenched car and finished on the podium 14 times, including his last four appearances. The two-time and defending champion enters the week as the most recent series winner in Knoxville, Iowa, thanks to topping the finale of the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash opening leg last month. “
The Sprint Car Capital of the World” always brings a stacked field, and Gravel almost always rises to the occasion.
The 33-year-old heads into the trio of races amid somewhat of a slump by his standards. Gravel finished 11th from 22nd on Friday before moving from 11th to sixth Saturday at Eldora.
BUDDY AND BILL
There is no driver and team combination looking forward to getting back to Huset’s Sunday more than Buddy Kofoid and Roth Motorsports.
After suffering through the lowest of lows at the 2023 BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals, they’ve risen to the highest of highs. Huset’s has hosted a trio of six-figure payday races since then, and Kofoid and the No. 83 crew won all of them. They also added a $25,000 score at last fall’s Huset’s Shootout for good measure.
The South Dakota oval might as well be Kofoid’s personal bank. He’s been on the podium in 10 of his last 13 races there, including a current streak of six in a row. Kofoid enters this week needing a boost with two results outside the top 10 in the last three races this season.
He may have not made as big of a withdrawal as Kofoid, but Bill Balog had a lucrative week of his own last summer at Huset’s. The “North Pole Nightmare” collected a win, a pair of runner-ups, and a seventh during the High Bank Nationals.
Add it all up, and he wound up with a nearly $100,000 trip. Balog hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in his eight most recent Huset’s races. The 46-year-old is still after his first checkered flag of 2026.
NEW LOOK, NEW KNOWLEDGE
There’s no doubt that the World of Outlaws teams are grateful for the new look Memorial Day weekend. Not only does it present the chance to chase a pair of $20,000 paydays, but the Stars and Stripes Salute also gives teams extra laps at two of the most important tracks on the schedule.
Hands will be furiously taking notes this weekend at Knoxville and Huset’s. The two ovals are home to some of the most prestigious events on the calendar. Knoxville is the site of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s (Aug. 12-15).
It’s the race atop every sprint car driver’s bucket list and is set to pay a record $200,000 to the champion at the top of the most generous purse in the sport that awards $15,000 for just making the show. Huset’s is upping the ante once again with the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals (June 17-20). The four nights pack two events into one with the Hefty Seed Huset’s Hustle (June 17-18) handing out $150,000 to the winner.
Then teams will contend for the highest winner’s share in World of Outlaws history ($300,000) to wrap up High Bank Nationals week on June 19-20.
This weekend is an extra night at both tracks that teams aren’t accustomed to having, and you can never get enough laps at the dirt ovals that serve up life-changing money and legacy-cementing opportunities. If a team wants to try something outside the box, the Stars and Stripes Salute may be the time to do so.
FLYIN’ RYAN
Among the region’s regulars to watch over the weekend at Knoxville and Huset’s, there’s no doubt that Ryan Timms stands out as a favorite to contend for victory.
The Oklahoma City, Okla., native put the Liebig Motorsports No. 10 on the podium both nights of April’s portion of the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash with the World of Outlaws. Timms then won the track’s first weekly program and came home runner-up the following week. And of course, he’s the defending Knoxville Nationals champion.
The combination of Timms and Liebig may have cemented themselves as the crew to beat at the Marion County Fairgrounds.
Timms was also poised to win the Huset’s season opener on May 10 before an incident while leading in lapped traffic. The 19-year-old won six times at the Brandon, S.D., oval last year on the way to the track title.
While Timms may stand out, he’s far from the only regular to keep an eye on over the weekend. Drivers such as Austin McCarl, Kaleb Johnson, Brian Brown, Kelby Watt, Christopher Thram and plenty more are also expected to be in action.