In Friday night's dirt-slinging action, David Gravel (World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series), Jonathan Davenport (World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Models) and Alex Payne (Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds) emerged victorious with one night left of adrenaline-charged competition.
On top of an action-packed slate of racing competition, fans were also treated to one of dirt racing’s most iconic sights — the fan-favorite Friday night 3x4-Wide Salute. As the field fanned out across The Dirt Track at Charlotte, the thunderous display served as a fitting season finale, with the packed grandstands rising to their feet to take in the breathtaking show of horsepower and pride.
GRAVEL SEALS THE DEAL IN THE DIRT
Adding another chapter to an already dominant season, Gravel marked another tally in the win column after battling through intense competition in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car division.
Gravel, who came into the night locked in as the 2025 Sprint Car champion after a stellar season of 17 victories, but the battle was far from easy in Friday's sprint to the finish line.
Brent Marks, who dominated the red clay all day, started on the pole, followed by Thursday night’s feature winner Rico Abreu, while Gravel started sixth. While it looked like Marks would run away with the race early, it wasn’t until a series of cautions that Abreu and Gravel went full throttle in their 900-horsepower machines to get around Marks, going wheel-to-wheel in a dash to the checkered flag.
As the laps dwindled, the competition heated up. The field shuffled and all eyes were up top as Gravel and Abreu traded positions, all the way to the white flag. Gravel was able to make a final charge with one lap to go, sliding around Abreu to seal the deal with only 0.629 seconds to spare.
Abreu, Sprint Car legend Donny Schatz, Chase Randall and Spencer Bayston completed the top five.
With one day left, Gravel looks to put the cherry on top of the season with one more trip to Victory Lane before claiming his second consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car title at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
SUPERMAN SOARS TO RECORD SEVENTH CHARLOTTE WIN
“Superman” Jonathan Davenport once again lived up to his nickname Friday night as he walked away from The Dirt Track at Charlotte $15,000 richer after capturing the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Models Feature.
The Georgia native’s triumph marked his seventh triumph at Charlotte, tying Jimmy Owens for the most Outlaw victories at the famed four-tenths-mile clay oval.
“I would’ve never believed it from my first win here in a crate car to now out here at the World Finals. To have my name up there with all the greats like Scott (Bloomquist), Jimmy (Owens) and Chris (Madden), sure is special,” Davenport said in Victory Lane.
It didn’t take long for the action to heat up as Davenport launched from the pole, quickly pulling away from Drake Troutman. Excitement unfolded deeper in the pack as Tyler Erb Jr. sliced through the field, climbing from 11th to seventh by Lap 12.
Meanwhile, in the caution-free race, Davenport showed no mercy at the front. As the laps clicked away, he navigated lapped traffic with precision all the way to the checkered flag, followed by Troutman and Brandon Sheppard to round out the podium.
“Phenomenal race track,” Davenport said. “I felt like when I was going through traffic, I could go anywhere there. Had some better momentum around the middle than at the bottom, because it’s so flat there.”
Despite finishing 16th in Friday night’s feature, Bobby Pierce’s consistency throughout the season secured the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models championship, clinching the title with one night of racing still to go.
PAYNE DOMINATES ON THE DIRT TRACK
In Friday’s Super DIRTcar Series action, Alex Payne brought home the third win of his career, his second in seven days and his first-ever triumph at the World of Outlaw World Finals – in a wild 30-lap feature.
The race was paused for a red flag on the opening lap after racer Tyler Siri made contact with the wall in Turn 3. Siri was responsive following the incident and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
When racing resumed, Payne dominated the field from the pole, pulling away from the pack by more than six seconds en route to a commanding victory.
“I’m speechless again. I could really get used to this,” Payne said. “Man, what an effort. What a car. What a crowd. Look at this place. Holy crap, this is awesome. You might not know me, but we’re working on that… We’ve been working so hard to come here and compete with these guys. I made some decisions that I didn’t know were right or wrong, but we’re here.”
After winning his heat race earlier in the evening, defending series champion Mat Williamson needed only to start the feature race to accumulate enough points to earn his third series title. His runner-up finish in Friday’s A-main was more than enough to mathematically secure his title. With the championship secure, the Ontario, Canada native can enjoy Saturday’s victory lap.
“We haven’t won as much as we did last year, but we had a lot of seconds, thirds and fourths,” Williamson said. “That’s what it takes to win a championship. It’s fun to be able to come down here and just race and not think about points.”
Tim Fuller, Erick Rudolph and Felix Roy rounded out the Top 5 in Friday’s action.
TICKETS:
The 2025 season concludes with one final night of action Saturday, followed by a championship ceremony and the crowning of three new champions. Saturday single-day tickets start at $75; tickets are available online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets or can be purchased at the gate.
KEEP TRACK:
Follow all the World of Outlaws Final action through the hashtag #WorldFinals. Connect with The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway on X, Facebook and Instagram.
