Gravel, Pierce, Williamson Celebrate Season-Long Performances With 2025 Titles

All three champions at the World of Outlaws World Finals added another championship trophy to their collection, but that single object signifies more than just another title. It encapsulates the story of their year. Their remarkably successful year.

David Gravel secured his second consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship, Bobby Pierce claimed his second World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series title presented by DIRTVision, and Mat Williamson enriched his extensive career with the Super DIRTcar Series by achieving a third championship.

Although each had their own challenging path to these titles, all three delivered seasons that will be remembered with admiration.

Gravel, of Watertown, CT, reached 120 World of Outlaws wins with his 17th victory of the season at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, putting him two wins away from tying Danny Lasoski for sixth on the all-time wins list. He also matched records that haven’t been seen since Donny Schatz’s last championship run in 2018, reaching at least 17 wins in a season and collecting 40 podium finishes.

His second title puts him in rare company, joining the small list of drivers who have won back-to-back World of Outlaws Sprint Car championships, which includes Schatz, Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Jason Meyers, and Brad Sweet.

“I think when you accomplish amazing things in the sport it is always surreal,” Gravel said. “You have to reflect, maybe when you’re older, but you’re so in the game right now and in tune with everything that is going on, just trying to compete night in and night out. It feels good to back it up. Obviously, anyone can have a magical one season, but to back it up like we did, it feels really accomplishing.”

He accomplished all of this in his fifth season driving the No. 2 car for Tod Quiring’s Big Game Motorsports team with Cody Jacobs as his crew chief. They’ve had a steady rise every season the last few years, going from a seven-win season to a 12-win season to a 15-win season to a 17-win season.

“Tod gives us everything that we need. There’s nothing that we don’t have,” Gravel said. “He doesn’t ride our butt every night in or night out, he lets us do our jobs and puts a lot of the control in Cody’s hands, in (his son) Taylor’s hands, and it just works out really, really well. He believes in us. He pays for us to do a good job, and I feel like we do that for him.”

2025 was a year of redemption for Bobby Pierce. Or as he put it: a “vengeance tour.” After losing the 2024 title, ultimately due to a penalty at the beginning of the season that cost him points, the Oakwood, IL native returned with the poise of a champion.

“Sometimes you win things for the first time and you never know if you’re going to win it again,” Pierce said. “So, to do it twice is like, ‘Alright, we’re definitely meant to be here. Now, we’ll try to go and win it a third time.”