MARYVILLE, TN (February 26, 2025) – Hot off his best year to date on the World of Outlaws Late Models trail, Ryan Gustin entered 2025 with new tools to take his performance to the next level.
He and his No. 19R squad weren’t far off from being championship contenders last year, picking up five wins and 18 top fives. So, to help take that next step, they brought on what they believed to be the missing ingredient – new crew chief Cody Mallory.
“We got to talking a little bit at the end of last year,” Gustin said. “He said he would do it, and that’s really all it was. He’s obviously one of the best, if not the best out here I feel like, so to have him in our corner, it’s huge for our team.”
Having worked for the likes of Scott Bloomquist, Bobby Pierce, Rocket1 Racing and several others in the past, Mallory has long had a knack for making dirt Late Models go fast. But any driver who’s been through a change on the wrenches knows that it can take time for a pairing to gel and the success to start rolling in.
For Gustin and Mallory, their getting-to-know-you phase was almost nonexistent. On the opening night of the World of Outlaws season at DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals, Gustin led all 35 laps around Volusia Speedway Park en route to the 11th win of his career with The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet.
An 18th-place showing the following night may not have been what Gustin had in mind, but he rebounded three weeks later at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals with three-straight top 10s.
Those performances were enough to put him in unfamiliar, yet comfortable territory as the World of Outlaws points leader.
“The Reaper” has worked with his fair share of wrenchers in his nearly two decades of dirt track racing, but none of them had ever delivered results at the national level right off the bat.
“Never in a Late Model,” Gustin stated. “Modified stuff, we’ve kind of done that, but I did the majority of stuff myself on the Modified side. But these things are so technical, you’ve got to drive so hard and everything. He does a hell of a job making it happen where you can get up on the wheel and make it happen.”
However, Mallory’s addition isn’t Gustin’s only reason for optimism in 2025. Compared to the start of Gustin’s first year with Todd Cooney Racing one year ago – when making it to the track was an accomplishment in itself – the team is entering this season far more primed for the Outlaw grind.
“We’re way more prepared,” Gustin said. “I think we got a hauler maybe two weeks before Speedweeks started last year. It was a mad dash to get everything done and get down there. It’s definitely nice to have everything we need and everything where it needs to be showing up, and obviously the results show.
“You ain’t going to win them all no matter what, but it’s a hell of a lot better than we’ve ever done [at Volusia]. Most of the time I’ve been there with any team we’ve struggled, can’t get around the place. But the boys have been working hard, Cody’s one of the best in the business, we’ve got great car owners that give us all tools we need to do our job. Hopefully we just keep on keeping on here.”
The next stop on tour will take Gustin to Smoky Mountain Speedway in March, where he’s had strong runs in the past. He finished fifth in the most recent World of Outlaws race at the track in 2022 a few months before its reconfiguration into a 3/8-mile facility.
However, Gustin has been even more competitive on the smaller layout, winning with the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series last April before finishing on the podium again in the track’s annual Mountain Moonshine Classic in June.
“I feel really good about it,” Gustin said. “Since they reconfigured it, I think the worst we’ve ran is third, so we’re definitely looking forward to it.”
Gustin and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Models will head to Maryville, TN for the Tennessee Tipoff at Smoky Mountain Speedway on Friday and Saturday, March 14-15.
If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
Alex Lynn: “I think we’re on the right track. There were so many times last year in the WEC we were very fast and sometimes we didn’t put the results on paper. There is so much potential in this championship for this car and it’s really coming on leaps and bounds. Team JOTA has been amazing and we’ve been enjoying it, and that usually results in fat lap times as well.”
Norman Nato: “This is the first time we’re working together in a race environment, so we don’t feel 100 percent ready yet. But step by step we’re going to create a team pushing in the same direction to have the best package. It’s a really exciting project and I’m happy to be part of it. Already, having six drivers with different driving styles you can learn from corner to corner, and set-up and strategy-wise you can try different things and arrive next week with a package that you’re thinking about the race and not trying to find the best set-up. This is a track that suits our car and it’s also important to have a clean race to learn as much as possible because you need consistency to fight for the championship.”
Will Stevens: “All of us working together for the first time generally has worked really well so far. I think we had a positive start to the week. We rolled off the truck with a good racecar and I feel quite comfortable with everything we have at the moment. It’s still early in the race week. We have a lot of things we want to cover in the Prologue and then we have time before next week starts for us to go in and analyze everything. The six of us are giving similar feedback and that’s positive point that we’re going to push in the same direction.”No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R
Earl Bamber: “I think we’ve been doing our homework in the winter. I think it’s definitely helped overall with different drivers driving at Daytona, Sebring test and now coming here. I think we’re in a good window; the car is feeling really nice, and it’s been really nice to be with two cars here. We can learn and share a lot. Get twice as much done with the limited track time we have in the WEC. We also get a lot of help and support from the guys in America and vice versa. We’re working on the details on the racetrack. This one team, one dream that we’ve got at Cadillac Racing is working well.”
Sebastien Bourdais: ““It was the first time we had the 38 with Jenson, Earl and I and our engineering group together. The very first time. Is it perfect? No. Do we have work to do? Yes. But with the Prologue we have plenty of time to learn and go through the test program to be ready for next week. All it all, I’d say it’s been a positive start.”
Jenson Button: “I’m happy. You always wish there was more testing, but there is still quite a lot more before the race. I’ve watched the Cadillac racing the last couple of years, whether its’s in IMSA or WEC, and loved the way the car looks in high-speed corners, the way it rides curbs, the sound of it. It’s awesome. I think the car suits my style a little bit more than what I was driving last year. I’m enjoying the process and obviously it’s a big learning for the team to be working with the Cadillac. But I think everyone has worked so well together – all the engineers from Cadillac and JOTA. We’ll have moments, some stumbling blocks along the way, but I feel the atmosphere is really good and everyone is gelling.”