Buddy Kofoid ended a three-race runner-up streak by winning Friday's O'Reilly Auto Parts Larry Hillerud Memorial opener at Wilmot Raceway, leading nearly the entire 35-lap World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race from the pole.
Cole Macedo briefly took the lead for two laps, but Kofoid quickly reclaimed the top spot. Defending champion David Gravel charged to second late but ran out of time to challenge for the win.
Kofoid credited his team for keeping restarts unpredictable and helping him stay consistent throughout the race, despite hitting the backstretch wall and knocking out his ladder bar during Macedo's pass attempt.
The win was Kofoid's ninth of 2026, extending his lead as the season's winningest driver, and his second consecutive victory at Wilmot. That ties him with Carson Macedo and Donny Schatz for multi-win drivers at the track, behind only David Gravel's four. At 24, Kofoid now has 31 career Series wins, making him the 24th winningest driver in World of Outlaws history. He also cut Gravel's championship points lead to 80.
