Retracing their steps from the year prior, David Gravel and Bobby Pierce ascended the championship stage they’ve come to know so well. Following in their footsteps, a new phenom.
Twenty-two-year-old Alex Yankowski joined the veterans in the infield of The Dirt Track at Charlotte Saturday night as they were each officially crowned champion.
Gravel earned his third straight World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series title, Pierce earned his third World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision title, and Yankowski scored his first Super DIRTcar Series championship, becoming the youngest champion in Series history.
All three produced strong enough seasons to lock up their titles before the final race of the season at the Dave Smith Motors World of Outlaws World Finals.
Yankowski, of Covington Township, PA, earned five wins, 17 top-five finishes, and 21 top 10s in 21 starts with the Super DIRTcar Series this season. While he held a comfortable lead over his closest competitor Mat Williamson, for most of the season, he admitted his cool demeanor was at times a façade for the nerves he was trying to hide.
“Extremely nervous,” Yankowski admitted. “Everyone around me every day – you can ask my car owners, my sponsors, my crew chief Kevin Bates, my girlfriend Chesnee – we’d go to dinner, meet my parents to go out to eat, and I’d just be stressed out, so when it was over I was relieved. I haven’t slept that good in a while.”
The octave of his voice dropped with his final words as he clenched his lips to fight back tears. While still (very) young, Yankowski’s path to being a champion came with some tribulations. He stunned the world in 2021 by winning his first Super DIRTcar Series race at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in only his second Series start. Then, he went on a slight slump. He didn’t pick up his next win until 2024.
He joined the Super DIRTcar Series full-time for the first time in 2025, and while he impressed again with a second-place finish in points, he only grabbed one win with the Series. But after driving for his mentor Stewart Friesen’s team – Halmar Friesen Racing – at Super DIRT Week last year, he found one key component that was missing. Confidence. Once found, it propelled him to the championship stage at Charlotte with two three-time champions.
“When I look at my name next to theirs, it doesn’t make any sense to me,” Yankowski said. “I remember coming here as a fan for the first time and just being in awe. I never thought I’d be able to race an event here, let alone be competitive. It has a special place in my heart. I hope it’s not the last time I’m on this stage with guys of this caliber.”
Gravel’s third straight title puts him on another exclusive stage with a small group of high-caliber drivers. The Watertown, CT native joins 20-time champion Steve Kinser, 10-time champion Donny Schatz, five-time champion Brad Sweet, and three-time champion Sammy Swindell as the only drivers to claim at least three titles with the World of Outlaws. And on an even shorter list, only he, Kinser, Schatz, and Sweet have won at least three races in a row.
“The most coveted lists in Sprint Car racing are Knoxville Nationals champions and World of Outlaws champions,” Gravel said. “To be on the list with those guys is very special. It’s a long, long year, and you have to average a fifth-place finish or better all year long, and getting your butt kicked by Donny Schatz, and Brad Sweet, and Jason Meyers, you just learn from them.
“It just takes time. You have to get your butt kicked by them and learn how to do this. Luckily, I’ve been doing it long enough and have great owners and great crew to give me everything I need.”
Gravel and his Big Game Motorsports team ended the year with 11 wins, 48 top-five finishes, and 66 top 10s in 75 starts. While he wasn’t in the tightest points battle of his three titles, Buddy Kofoid kept Gravel on his toes throughout the season, picking up the most Series wins of any driver this season with 17. After the fall of the final checkered flag, Gravel ended the season with an 86-point lead over Kofoid.
“They’re never easy,” Gravel said about competing for a title. “You have to keep working hard, and guys are always chasing you. You always have to get better. You’re going to have some bad nights, or you’re going to make the wrong moves as a driver. We race so much, you just go back the next night and try your best. Try to rebound as good as possible, I feel like as a champion. If you have a bad night, or we crashed a couple times battling for the lead, you have to come back that next night and get on the podium and get rolling.
“It’s been a trying year. These guys are so good. It’s humbling. Since it’s not easy, it makes it a lot of fun.”
Pierce faced a similar situation to Gravel, producing a dominant year but still having to face adversity. On the track, some bad luck and stat-matching performances from his championship rival, Nick Hoffman, didn’t allow Pierce to run too far away with the title. Off the track, he had to face the terror of his father suffering a stroke – which he was fortunately able to recover from.
Through it all, the Oakwood, IL driver still managed to have the best year of his career with the World of Outlaws, picking up 20 wins – breaking the single-season win record – 39 top-five finishes, and 49 top 10s in 52 starts.
“It’s super rewarding,” Pierce said about picking up his third championship. “As always, it’s a long season. To come out on top, man, that’s just everything. It’s one of our main goals heading into the season to win this Outlaw championship. Just to do it for the third time, man, that’s awesome.
“Especially with the year we had. We had some ups, we had some downs. And everything in between. From my family and crew, I just can’t thank them all enough for staying strong, and even tonight, coming [to Charlotte] and ending it with a second-place finish. It’s been an awesome year.”
With his added title, Pierce becomes the fifth driver in the 25-year history of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series to win at least three championships, joining Billy Moyer, Darrell Lanigan, Josh Richards, and Brandon Sheppard.
While he’ll take some time off, prep for more titles is just around the corner.
“Before you know it, I’ll be prepping for Arizona; I’ll be prepping for the first World of Outlaws race, which is Volusia in January. Before you know it, pinch yourself, it’ll be 2027.
“We’ll definitely find the time to bask in this success and soak it all in, and maybe watch some replays and just relive those moments of success, and really just let it all sink in.”
Once the glow of fireworks faded from the black sky and the last piece of confetti landed on the ground, each driver descended the championship stage, one step at a time, with new hardware in their hands and the honor of forever being called champion.
UP NEXT: Volusia Speedway Park will open the 2027 season for all three series. The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will commence its season with the World of Outlaws Sunshine Nationals, Jan. 28-30. The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” during the second week of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 10-13. And the Super DIRTcar Series opens its season during the third week of DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 16-20. How do you get tickets? By visiting VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com.
If you can’t make it to the track, how can you watch every lap of every World of Outlaws and Super DIRTcar Series race? Live on DIRTVision.