Gustin Earns First World of Outlaws Win of 2026 in Dairyland Showdown Finale

Ryan Gustin excels when significant prize money is at stake.

Last season, two of his most notable victories were at the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway, with a $100,000 prize, and the Bayou Classic at Boothill Speedway, with a $50,000 prize.

During the initial 19 races of the 2026 World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision, Gustin had yet to secure a win. However, with a $40,000 prize available in the Dairyland Showdown finale at Mississippi Thunder Speedway, the “Reaper” managed to prevail.

After achieving three consecutive regional victories in the preceding two weeks, it seemed the Cooney Motorsports No. 19R team had overcome their slow start to the season. They began the weekend at Mississippi Thunder with a third-place finish on Thursday, improved to second on Friday, and by Saturday’s 50-lap race, Gustin and his team executed a flawless wire-to-wire victory.

The race initially featured competition from Nick Hoffman, Jonathan Davenport, and Michael Leach, but none could challenge Gustin’s lead. Bobby Pierce soon joined the fray, starting from 15th position, swiftly overtaking others, and closing in on Gustin.

Within six laps, Pierce reduced the gap from two seconds to half a second before a caution flag was raised with four laps remaining. Following two strong restarts, Gustin ensured Pierce was never close enough to attempt any last-lap maneuvers, securing his 16th career victory in the World of Outlaws Victory Lane.

“I looked up there on the board and saw 32,” Pierce commented. “I assumed he might attempt a move on the cushion, but I didn’t want to leave an opening below. I tried to hit the grip as best as I could, and on the first attempt, I turned left off it. I felt like I wasn’t advancing down the backstretch, preparing for a slider, but he was never there. On the second attempt, I attacked a bit harder to avoid leaving an opening. I’m not sure how close he was or anything like that.”

Pierce finished second, reducing Hoffman’s points lead to three, while Davenport achieved his best finish of the week in third. Nick Hoffman and Daulton Wilson completed the top five.