Larson Gets Jacksonville Redemption With The Outlaws

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – After getting denied in the final laps at Jacksonville Speedway in 2024, Kyle Larson wasn’t about to settle for second in his return to the bullring Friday night.

Larson charged from sixth to first and then drove off to a commanding World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory, topping the Hy-Vee Perks 40 at the quarter-mile dirt oval.

Wheeling the familiar Finley Farms No. 57 for Silva Motorsports, Larson used a deep slide job into turn one to pass Carson Macedo on lap 16 before motoring away down the stretch.

After opening a lead of more than a straightaway twice in the second half of the race, Larson ultimately took the checkered flag 4.063 seconds clear of runner-up Brady Bacon for his third Outlaws win of the year and the 38th of his career.

It’s the sixth straight season Larson has won at least three features with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

“That was a lot of fun,” said Larson, who was passed late for the win at Jacksonville by David Gravel last May, in victory lane. “It was a super-challenging racetrack, really all night long. I was just waiting for (the dirt) above the cushion in (turns) three and four to get loosened up … and it barely did, but after cautions on the restarts I could rip above it really well.

“I just wanted to stay committed up there, just to try and clean it off as much as I could before I caught traffic, and I feel like that allowed me to get by some of the lappers (lap cars) a little easier because I could get such a great run down the frontstretch,” he added. “It’s always fun to get to race this (No.) 57, but especially on a small bullring like this. That was a fun one.”

Though Larson was the star when it counted, it was defending series champion Gravel who started the 40-lapper from pole after winning the Toyota Dash earlier in the program.

Gravel didn’t stay there long, however, as a wheel-stand on the initial start allowed Shark Racing’s Logan Schuchart to take command of the race early from the outside of the front row.

Schuchart led a choppy opening stint, with three caution flags in the first seven laps as Larson clawed his way to fourth by the time a lap-eight restart allowed Macedo to wrest the top spot from Schuchart’s clutches.

Macedo quickly pulled clear by more than a second in the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41, but had Larson on his tail before long as ‘Yung Money’ took second from Schuchart on the 11th trip around the bullring.

Larson closed to within half a second of Macedo by the time the night’s fourth caution waved on lap 14, when Sheldon Haudenschild slowed exiting turn two from a top-five running position. He took the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 to the work area, but quickly returned.

The ensuing green flag saw Macedo hold Larson off for a lap, but he couldn’t do so for longer than that.

Once Larson pitched his sprinter to the bottom of turn one on lap 16, the die was cast, despite a final yellow flag one lap later after Paul Nienhiser nearly turned over – but never stopped – in turn two.

Over the final 23 laps, Larson methodically sliced his way through traffic like a surgeon, all while bouncing his right-rear tire off the outside cushion in dramatic fashion nearly every corner.

It was a clinic that Macedo – who eventually finished third after being passed by Brady Bacon inside of three to go – could only marvel at afterward once he’d climbed from his car.

“I don’t know how Kyle does what he does; it’s pretty amazing,” said Macedo. “When I was pacing him after the restart – which wasn’t very long, mind you – he looked like he was wall-grinding the fence … and I just don’t know that I can do that for 40 laps and hold it all together to still finish these Outlaw races.

“I was just trying to pace my race for a little while there, and I got to a couple of lap cars that were running side by side to where I actually had to run the bottom for about two laps … and I just missed the groove one time and I knew as soon as I did that I was probably in trouble,” Macedo continued. “Brady was good down low and there just wasn’t enough time left to make a run back at him.

“We were there tonight, but like I said … the pace that Larson runs is just unbelievable. Hats off to him.”

Behind Larson, Bacon, and Macedo, Schuchart and Gravel hung on to fill out the top five finishers.

Sixth through 10th were fast qualifier Buddy Kofoid, rookie-of-the-year contenders Garet Williamson and Cole Macedo, Haudenschild, and 10-time series champion Donny Schatz.

Larson’s clinic was so impressive that only the top 10 were on the lead lap at the finish.

Chris Windom of Sides Motorsports was the KSE Hard Charger after advancing from 23rd to finish 13th.

Heat-race wins Friday went to Carson Macedo, Haudenschild, Bill Balog, and Schuchart. Gio Scelzi topped the MicroLite Last Chance Showdown to lead the transfer cars into the main event.

The next World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race is Saturday night, April 26 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ill. Bacon has won each of the last two years at the track against the Outlaws.

The finish:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson [6]; 2. 21H-Brady Bacon [3]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo [4]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 5. 2-David Gravel [1]; 6. 83-Buddy Kofoid [9]; 7. 23-Garet Williamson [5]; 8. 2C-Cole Macedo [10]; 9. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [8]; 10. 15-Donny Schatz [12]; 11. 17B-Bill Balog [7]; 12. 27-Emerson Axsom [13]; 13. 7S-Chris Windom [23]; 14. 18-Gio Scelzi [21]; 15. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [22]; 16. 11-Parker Price Miller [11]; 17. 16C-Max Guilford [17]; 18. 99-Skylar Gee [16]; 19. 3N-Jake Neuman [18]; 20. 1-Rees Moran [24]; 21. 28M-Conner Morrell [15]; 22. 21-Tanner Holmes [20]; 23. 7A-Will Armitage [14]; 24. 6-Zach Hampton [19].

Lap Leader(s): David Gravel Grid, Logan Schuchart 1-7, Carson Macedo 8-15, Kyle Larson 16-40.

KSE Hard Charger: 7S-Chris Windom (+10)