Looking back at his season, there’s nothing Anthony Macri would change.
The 23-year-old sprint car driver from Pennsylvania has collected 23 victories this year, making successful appearances in the All Star Circuit of Champions, USAC Silver Crown and World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Macri has only been adding to his record as the winningest sprint car driver in the country, but up until early October, he had yet to achieve a victory while running with the Outlaws.
“Port Royal was the one track where I felt like we could put the whole night together and accomplish an Outlaw win,” Macri said. “We had a pretty great year and a lot of success at Port Royal.”
The World of Outlaws paid a visit to Port Royal Speedway on Oct. 8, which proved to be a fateful night for Macri. It might’ve taken him five years to get there, but Macri fended off the series regulars on his home turf, leading Lance Dewease and Logan Wagner to victory lane.
To further sweeten the weekend, Macri went back-to-back and earned a second World of Outlaws win the next night.
“Obviously I was not expecting to get the second one, right the next day,” Macri said with a smile. “It was honestly surreal and to be able to be on the winner’s list of the World of Outlaws is something special that not everybody gets to do.”
Macri started building confidence in late July with his All Star Circuit of Champions victory at I-70 Motorsports Park in Missouri. While it was simply filed away as his fifth series win of the year, the result left a lingering impact.
“It made me feel like we were capable to win on the road,” Macri said. “That was our first traveling series win outside of Pennsylvania.”
In September, Macri was busy making his mark in his home state. The All Stars were visiting Port Royal for the Tuscarora 50 — one of Pennsylvania’s crown-jewel events — and it was none other than the No. 39m driver who took home the $60,000 winner’s check.
By his World of Outlaws appearance in October, Macri felt as if a win in the series was inevitable. And by Oct. 9, sprint car fans in Pennsylvania believed it, too. Fast-forward to November and Macri is lining up once again with the Outlaws — this time, at the World Finals at The Dirt Track in Charlotte.
While Brad Sweet and David Gravel fight for the championship, Macri is viewing it as his chance for one last hurrah.
“The best of the best is here,” Macri said. “To win here would be a nice way to put an exclamation mark on the season.”
It’s been a long journey for the No. 39m to reach his full potential with the Outlaws. As a kid who once idolized sprint car drivers like Donny Schatz, simply being in their company is considered an accomplishment.
“I watched (Schatz) growing up and never really thought I’d have enough talent to even make the same feature as him,” Macri said. “To race with him is kind of a childhood dream come true.”
Following Wednesday night’s preliminary feature, Schatz and Macri and the rest of the sprint car contingent will return to the track on Friday and Saturday to wrap up the World Finals.