LAWTON, Okla. — The Texas trip is complete and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are set to head to America’s Heartland.
The Greatest Show on Dirt will call the Midwest home for a six-week stretch, and it all begins this weekend. First up is a return to Oklahoma’s Lawton Speedway on Friday, March 28. The tour last made a trip to the “Sooner State” oval four years ago. Then it’s an overnight drive up I-35 to Kansas as the World of Outlaws visit Wichita’s 81 Speedway for the third consecutive season.
Lawton was a part of the inaugural World of Outlaws campaign in 1978. The first Series event at the track south of Oklahoma City belonged to the “Ohio Traveler” Rick Ferkel. It was a staple of the early years until a long hiatus after 1985 before the World of Outlaws came back in 2020. The 1980 season was when 81 Speedway first appeared on the schedule, and it was Sammy Swindell claiming not only the debut, but the first five visits to the track.
Let’s look at the top stories to watch this weekend:
THE HOT HAND
The leading storyline of 2025 continues to be David Gravel’s unshakeable excellence with Big Game Motorsports.
Gravel has won five of the last eight races this year and set Simpson Quick Time, including a pair of new track records, in six of the last seven. Overall, the defending champion is yet to miss the top five in Tod Quiring’s No. 2 and owns an absurd average finish of 2.17 through a dozen races. He’s built an 82-point advantage in his quest for back-to-back titles.
This weekend, Gravel heads to a pair of tracks where he’s yet to visit Victory Lane. His two previous visits to Lawton led to a pair of top fives with a best of third in 2020 aboard the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41. Over at 81 Speedway, Gravel hasn’t missed the podium with two third-place finishes in 2017 and 2023 before improving to runner-up last season.
LAWTON LASHING
There’s one man especially happy to see Lawton back on the schedule, and his name is Carson Macedo.
The most recent visit four years ago belonged to Macedo during his first year with Jason Johnson Racing. He drove from third to the lead in six laps and pulled away for a dominant victory, stretching his advantage above five seconds when the checkered flag flew. That win makes him the lone full-time World of Outlaws competitor this season that’s won at Lawton.
Macedo rolls into Lawton looking to erase some of the gap that sits between himself and Gravel atop the standings. The No. 41 boasts a 5.08 average finish so far this year, which recent history says is roughly enough to win a championship, but the No. 2 has simply been a tick faster.
ONE WICHITA WINNER
Like Lawton, there’s only one former 81 Speedway winner among the 2025 roster of full-time World of Outlaws, and to no surprise it’s the 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz.
The Fargo, N.D. driver topped two straight visits separated by 11 years to the Kansas oval. First, it was his family’s No. 15 machine in 2006 on the route to his first championship, and then in 2017 he took the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing ride to an 81 Speedway victory en route to his ninth title. His two triumphs have him alongside Sammy Swindell (six wins) and Rico Abreu (two wins) as one of three multi-time winners at 81. Schatz has also been on the podium there twice more with third-place efforts in 2004 and last year.
Schatz heads to Lawton and 81 on the heels of an up and down weekend in Texas. He picked up his first top five of 2025 on Friday at Cotton Bowl Speedway before axle issues dealt him a DNF on Saturday.
SETTLING IN
Volusia served up some struggles to start the year for several potent teams, but a pair have righted the ship over the last several weeks and are starting to resemble the contenders we’re accustomed to.
Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Roth Motorsports clicked during the latter half of 2024 and went on a memorable run to close out the season, but the momentum didn’t quite carry into the start of 2025. The Penngrove, Calif. native has turned things around quickly with three consecutive top two finishes including his first win of the year at Kennedale. He’ll make his Lawton debut on Friday before getting his third look at 81 the next night. Kofoid came home fifth at 81 lasts year.
The first seven races of 2025 brought just one top five for Sheldon Haudenschild, but in the five races since he’s missed the top five only once with a 4.4 average finish over the stretch. The NOS Energy Drink driver appears poised to break through for his first victory of the season in the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17. His best outing at both Lawton and 81 is fourth.
WAYNE’S WORLD
TwoC Racing’s Cole Macedo may be debuting on both tracks on this weekend’s agenda, but he’ll have plenty of experience guiding him on the wrenches.
Former driver of the No. 2C turned crew chief, Wayne Johnson, has many laps at Lawton and 81 Speedway. The Oklahoma City, Okla. native spent much of his career behind the wheel in and around the Midwest. Johnson owns a handful of Lawton wins including a trio with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS). He’s also won at 81, beating the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) Sprint Cars in 2001 and 2019.
After a rough start at DIRTcar Nationals, Macedo continues to claw his way toward the top of the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year fight with Johnson calling the shots. The Lemoore, Calif. native is fresh off a strong Cotton Bowl trip with finishes of ninth and seventh, making it top 10s in half of his last eight races. Macedo is currently fourth in the rookie battle, 46 markers behind leader Garet Williamson.
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