CONCORD, NC (October 15, 2025) – If you didn’t pick Ryan Gustin to win last weekend’s Bayou Classic at Boothill Speedway, he wouldn’t have faulted you.

Gustin’s 2025 season with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision has brought some of the highest highs of his career, topped by his first Late Model crown-jewel victory at USA Nationals. It has also included plenty of struggles, like his streak of 10 races without a top 10 following that $100,000 payday.

The stat sheet suggested Boothill could be the place where Gustin got back on his feet considering he won in his Late Model debut there with the World of Outlaws in 2024. But come Friday night, the No. 19R didn’t look anything like the one that snatched the lead and drove to victory one year prior. Damage to the nose sent Gustin to the work area late in the Feature and resulted in a 24th-place finish, but the pace was lacking long before that issue. Gustin qualified seventh in his group and finished fifth in his Heat Race, meaning he needed to resort to a Last Chance Showdown to lock in a starting spot for the Feature.

The team knew they needed a reset after Friday’s program, and after seeking out a few words of wisdom from some supporters, Gustin looked like a new man on Saturday.

“Really, we didn’t have any notes from last year,” Gustin said. “I thought we did, but we got here and we didn’t. Didn’t really know where to be, and obviously we’ve been off. Todd [Cooney] called [Saturday], and we got on the phone with Eric Wells, and he got us really, really good obviously. This is Todd and Eric that made this deal happen, I just did what they said, and it worked.”

The gains were evident as soon as cars hit the track on Saturday night. Gustin improved to fourth in Qualifying, putting him on the front row of his Heat Race that he won over Mike Marlar and Nick Hoffman.

After drawing the pole and keeping a hungry Brian Shirley at bay through the first half of the race, Gustin got the best of Series points leader Bobby Pierce in a 10-lap slider fest that the Boothill fans won’t soon forget.

“We all needed it bad,” Gustin said. “This deal, when you get down like that, it’s hard to mentally get yourself back up. Getting your butt kicked, running 10th place feels like a good run, you know? To go out here and win $50,000 and put on a show like that for the fans and everything, it feels damn good.”

Confidence wasn’t the only thing that the Boothill win helped Gustin rebuild – his points margin was rapidly shrinking as well. The “Reaper” left Cedar Lake third in the standings, more than 120 points ahead of his closest challenger, Tim McCreadie. But Gustin’s two-month slump combined with a stretch of two wins, four podiums and eight top 10s in nine races for McCreadie eradicated the gap down to only four points after Friday’s show. Gustin had been trying to swing the momentum back in his favor for weeks, and it finally came to fruition with a victory on the same night McCreadie failed to finish due to a crash and subsequent suspension damage.

That outcome expanded Gustin’s cushion back to 50 points with only World of Outlaws World Finals (Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 5-8) left to go. Some drivers prefer to ignore the points until the very end and let the cards fall where they may, but not Gustin. The battle is one he’s been paying attention to all year long, and one he’s determined to win next month.

“That’s money at the end of the year,” Gustin said of the $15,000 difference between third and fourth in the World of Outlaws standings. “That’s how most of us racers get through winter. That’s how I get through winter anyway, you’re relying on that point fund check. I’m not sure what happened to [McCreadie], it’s unfortunate, you don’t ever want to see that happen to anybody. All in all, it was a great night for us, and hopefully we can keep this momentum rolling into Charlotte.”

With three Features left to run, Gustin needs to ensure McCreadie beats him by no more than nine spots per night on average to lock up the third spot. It’s an attainable goal for a driver of Gustin’s caliber, but achieving it will likely necessitate a step up over his past record at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Gustin has traveled to World Finals six times in his career, including every year since 2021, but has never recorded a top 10. On the flip side, McCreadie is a five-time Charlotte winner, including four with the Super DIRTcar Series between 2002 and 2011 and one in a Late Model in 2020.

But Gustin wants to do more than simply end the season on a high note at World Finals – he’s looking further down the road. The Cooney Motorsports team has already announced their plans to follow the World of Outlaws tour full-time again in 2026 with the goal of taking a step forward in performance and consistency.

Gustin has shown in 2025 that he’s capable of beating the best Late Model drivers in the nation when he’s on top of his game, but he knows he needs to start doing so on a more regular basis if he wants to contend for his first World of Outlaws championship next season. How does he get there? That’s a code that can only be cracked with blood, sweat and tears.

“If I knew the answer to that question, I’d have done it this year.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision season concludes at The Dirt Track at Charlotte as part of World of Outlaws World Finals, Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 5-8, alongside the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Boothill Victory Has Gustin Back on Track Heading Into World Finals and Beyond

CONCORD, NC (October 15, 2025) – If you didn’t pick Ryan Gustin to win last weekend’s Bayou Classic at Boothill Speedway, he wouldn’t have faulted you.

Gustin’s 2025 season with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision has brought some of the highest highs of his career, topped by his first Late Model crown-jewel victory at USA Nationals. It has also included plenty of struggles, like his streak of 10 races without a top 10 following that $100,000 payday.

The stat sheet suggested Boothill could be the place where Gustin got back on his feet considering he won in his Late Model debut there with the World of Outlaws in 2024. But come Friday night, the No. 19R didn’t look anything like the one that snatched the lead and drove to victory one year prior. Damage to the nose sent Gustin to the work area late in the Feature and resulted in a 24th-place finish, but the pace was lacking long before that issue. Gustin qualified seventh in his group and finished fifth in his Heat Race, meaning he needed to resort to a Last Chance Showdown to lock in a starting spot for the Feature.

The team knew they needed a reset after Friday’s program, and after seeking out a few words of wisdom from some supporters, Gustin looked like a new man on Saturday.

“Really, we didn’t have any notes from last year,” Gustin said. “I thought we did, but we got here and we didn’t. Didn’t really know where to be, and obviously we’ve been off. Todd [Cooney] called [Saturday], and we got on the phone with Eric Wells, and he got us really, really good obviously. This is Todd and Eric that made this deal happen, I just did what they said, and it worked.”

The gains were evident as soon as cars hit the track on Saturday night. Gustin improved to fourth in Qualifying, putting him on the front row of his Heat Race that he won over Mike Marlar and Nick Hoffman.

After drawing the pole and keeping a hungry Brian Shirley at bay through the first half of the race, Gustin got the best of Series points leader Bobby Pierce in a 10-lap slider fest that the Boothill fans won’t soon forget.

“We all needed it bad,” Gustin said. “This deal, when you get down like that, it’s hard to mentally get yourself back up. Getting your butt kicked, running 10th place feels like a good run, you know? To go out here and win $50,000 and put on a show like that for the fans and everything, it feels damn good.”

Confidence wasn’t the only thing that the Boothill win helped Gustin rebuild – his points margin was rapidly shrinking as well. The “Reaper” left Cedar Lake third in the standings, more than 120 points ahead of his closest challenger, Tim McCreadie. But Gustin’s two-month slump combined with a stretch of two wins, four podiums and eight top 10s in nine races for McCreadie eradicated the gap down to only four points after Friday’s show. Gustin had been trying to swing the momentum back in his favor for weeks, and it finally came to fruition with a victory on the same night McCreadie failed to finish due to a crash and subsequent suspension damage.

That outcome expanded Gustin’s cushion back to 50 points with only World of Outlaws World Finals (Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 5-8) left to go. Some drivers prefer to ignore the points until the very end and let the cards fall where they may, but not Gustin. The battle is one he’s been paying attention to all year long, and one he’s determined to win next month.

“That’s money at the end of the year,” Gustin said of the $15,000 difference between third and fourth in the World of Outlaws standings. “That’s how most of us racers get through winter. That’s how I get through winter anyway, you’re relying on that point fund check. I’m not sure what happened to [McCreadie], it’s unfortunate, you don’t ever want to see that happen to anybody. All in all, it was a great night for us, and hopefully we can keep this momentum rolling into Charlotte.”

With three Features left to run, Gustin needs to ensure McCreadie beats him by no more than nine spots per night on average to lock up the third spot. It’s an attainable goal for a driver of Gustin’s caliber, but achieving it will likely necessitate a step up over his past record at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Gustin has traveled to World Finals six times in his career, including every year since 2021, but has never recorded a top 10. On the flip side, McCreadie is a five-time Charlotte winner, including four with the Super DIRTcar Series between 2002 and 2011 and one in a Late Model in 2020.

But Gustin wants to do more than simply end the season on a high note at World Finals – he’s looking further down the road. The Cooney Motorsports team has already announced their plans to follow the World of Outlaws tour full-time again in 2026 with the goal of taking a step forward in performance and consistency.

Gustin has shown in 2025 that he’s capable of beating the best Late Model drivers in the nation when he’s on top of his game, but he knows he needs to start doing so on a more regular basis if he wants to contend for his first World of Outlaws championship next season. How does he get there? That’s a code that can only be cracked with blood, sweat and tears.

“If I knew the answer to that question, I’d have done it this year.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision season concludes at The Dirt Track at Charlotte as part of World of Outlaws World Finals, Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 5-8, alongside the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.