6 Highlights Of 2023 World Of Outlaws Late Model Schedule

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series announced its 2023 schedule today. Here’s six major highlights from the announcement.

1. Leaner Race Dates in 2023

After entering the 2022 campaign with more than 60 scheduled race dates, the 2023 campaign will feature only 53 dates to start with. It’s not entirely surprising; with the advent of the XR Super Series in 2022, super late model racing was more congested in 2022 than at any point in the history of the sport. What’s more, the proliferation of big-dollar races cut down on car count for any tour as far having full-time competitors; by season’s end, only eight drivers contested the full WoO schedule in 2023.

A leaner schedule is a reasonable step toward pursuing more competitors, as it reduces race dates and travel expenses with it. One of the major challenges of running a national tour is contesting venues in remote locales that offer a bare minimum series purse, rather than being able to cherry-pick races that either are closer to home or offering a larger purse. 

Fifty-three races is plenty.

2. Gone With the Bridge

Of course, a reduction in race dates means that there were racetracks that lost their dates for 2023. Most notable on first glance? The loss of Williams Grove Speedway during the series’ spring Pennsylvania swing, a track that was featured on the very first WoO late model schedule back in 1988. 

Go figure no Grove ugh

— Cody (@Cody231188) November 11, 2022

The second was the Cherokee Speedway in South Carolina, a track that had an embarrassment of riches in terms of major-dollar races in 2022. According to a Facebook post from the SC Dirt Racing Then & Now Facebook page, the decision not to return to Cherokee was that of the series, not the track.

I’m not losing sleep over either of them. Cherokee has still not proven able to put on a competitive race in its current configuration, and while the Grove is close to home and chock full of history, it’s not a big deal that late models are not running there. After all, the track still lacks catchfences in turn 1 despite Bryan Bernheisel leaving the park in a late model and missing much of 2021 as a result.

3. Money Still Lagging

I would have no qualms arguing that the WoO tour is now third on the national late model ladder behind both the Lucas Oil and XR tours, and the posted purses for the 2023 season are likely not going to change that. While the series will be boasting several $50,000-to-win features just as a…