Despite cold and windy conditions Saturday night, the fans came out in droves to see some thrilling Sprint Car action. And they were not disappointed.
They nearly saw young 18-year-old Ryan Timms, who was the second youngest 410 Sprint Car Knoxville Nationals winner last September, pull off the victory in the 30-lap feature. But he was passed by Michael “Buddy” Kofoid with a last-lap slider on Timms in Turns 3 and 4. Kofoid went on to win the race.
The 2026 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season continued its Midwest tour this past weekend. After visiting the US 36 Raceway in Osborn, Missouri, on Friday night, it headed southwest to 81 Speedway for what was a cold and windy race.
Outside the ASCS Nationals Tour that visited the facility last September and the Outlaw Late Models, which visited in October, it would be at least two years since the fans in the surrounding area was able to see the Outlaw Sprint Cars.
This was due to this event ultimately being canceled altogether last year due to the weather.
While Kofoid earned his second victory of the ’26 season, we’ll take a look at some key notes in a special edition of this week’s Four Takeaways following the TallGrass Tussle at 81 Speedway.
Timms Dominates Before Heartbreak
After finishing second in the fourth heat race of the evening and second in the dash series race to start second in the feature, Timms had a fast racecar throughout the race, leading almost every lap except the last one. His car was fast through lap traffic and managed his race pace well before Kofoid began closing in with less than 10 to go. Timms tried hanging on, hoping for the best-case scenario, which could’ve seen him beat Kofoid at the line.
However, when Kofoid threw the slider on the young 18-year-old, Timms was unable to block it and had to manage a second-place finish after dominating the A feature. Nonetheless, the fiery spirit was there and many fans were cheering him on. It’s only a matter of time before Timms goes on a tear and starts clicking off more victories. In the meantime, the young driver will continue to win over more fans thanks to his special talent.
Ryder Laplante Goes for a Wild Ride
In what was a scary accident that took place on Lap 3 of the Tallgrass Tussle, Ryder Laplante went upside down in Turns 1 and 2, going for a wild flip. When his car came to rest, there was a small fire on his machine and silence in the grandstand. Many fans became concerned about whether he would be okay. After getting helped out of the car by the medical crew at the track, Laplante was able to get out of his Sprint Car under his own power.
He was not injured in the incident despite the destroyed racecar. Following the accident, track crews went to work in the area where the car had been lying on the ground. There was a concern that there could be lingering fuel on the track. During the red flag period, crews were able to work on the cars in what was called an Open Red before the race returned to green flag conditions.
David Gravel Sets New Track Record In Qualifying
The race fans in attendance Saturday night witnessed a new track record being set not only once but twice during the qualifying portion of the event. Donny Schatz, who is a two-time winner of the Tallgrass Tussle at 81 Speedway, was the first to break the track record during Flight A with a provisional lap time of 12.934 seconds. However, the lap time was broken once again during Flight B qualifying, as the defending two-time Sprint Car champion, David Gravel, ultimately set the new track record of 12.887 seconds.
Macedeo Brothers Have Solid Outings
Saturday night was a great night for the Macedo family in Sprint Car racing. Carson, who competes for the No. 41 Jason Johnson Racing machine, originally could have had a disastrous night. The Lemoore, California native missed out on transferring to the A-main in the fourth and final heat race of the evening when he placed in the sixth position, as the top five only transferred. He went to the Last Chance Showdown and finished second to make the feature.
Carson started in the 22nd position and made his way through traffic, and ultimately finished one spot short of the podium to ironically enough, his brother Cole Macedo.
Speaking of Cole, who pilots the TwoC Racing machine, he won the fourth heat race and placed seventh in the dash event. Thanks to his seventh place finishing position, Cole would start seventh in the feature. He gained four positions to wind up finishing third on the podium, one spot behind Carson. Nonetheless, it was a great night for the two brothers. The heat race winners included Donny Schatz in Heat 1. Bill Balog won Heat 2, David Gravel won Heat 3, and Cole Macedo won Heat 4. Blake Hahn won the Last Chance Showdown race to transfer to the feature.
Eventual race winner, Michael Kofoid, won the six-lap dash race, starting on the pole for the feature. He ultimately picked up an extra $12,000 thanks to his victory.
Currently, Gravel leads Carson Macedo by 48 points after the two races this weekend.
Official Race Results
- Michael Kofoid, led 1 lap
- Ryan Timms, led 29 laps
- Cole Macedo
- Carson Macedo
- Donny Schatz
- David Gravel
- Garet Williamson
- Logan Schuhart
- Brent Marks
- Sheldon Haudenschild
- Bill Balog
- Kerry Madsen
- Daison Pursley
- Rees Moran
- Chris Windom
- Kasey Jedrzejek
- Scott Bogucki
- Spencer Bayston
- Ashton Torgerson
- Bryce Lucius
- Emerson Axsom, OUT, DNF
- Blake Hahn, OUT, DNF
- Landon Crawley, OUT, DNF
- Brian Brown, OUT, DNF
- Ryder Laplante, OUT, DNF
- Austin McCarl, OUT, DNF
- Matt Covington, OUT, DNS
Next Up – The World Of Outlaws Nos Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will take a weekend off before resuming two weeks from now on the April 10-11 weekend at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park for the annual Federated Auto Parts Spring Classic, live on Dirtvision.
