CONCORD, N.C. — Zeb Wise may not be a full-time World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series driver, but he knows firsthand how hard it is to win a race on the tour.
It took 23 starts for Wise to finally dot all the I’s and cross the T’s, but on Oct. 7 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, the 20-year-old finally reached World of Outlaws victory lane.
“It’s not easy. I think the format plays a little bit into that,” explained Wise, who was also this year’s All Star Circuit of Champions title winner.
With the emphasis the World of Outlaws format places on qualifying — and Wise’s ensuing struggle to qualify well, particularly at half-mile tracks — it’s been difficult for the Rudeen Racing team to break through.
But on that October night, Wise conquered the Pennsylvania half mile.
“We got qualified in good and then everything kind of went our way the rest of the night,” Wise recalled. “It was really cool. It was my first Outlaw win, my crew chief, Tyler’s (Tessemaker), first Outlaw win and only the team’s second. It was a really special night for everybody.”
It was also the first series victory for Rudeen Racing since 2011, when Sam Hafertepe Jr. claimed the checkered flag at Washington’s Skagit Speedway.
One month later, the driver of the No. 26 is gearing up for the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte — the season finale for the World of Outlaws. He earned his best career result at the four-tenths-mile track last year, when he finished 17th in the feature.
But a lot has changed since Wise was last at the North Carolina facility.
Along with being a World of Outlaws feature winner and the All Star champion, Wise won 11 total features this season. The Rudeen Racing team also narrowly claimed the All Star team title by eight points over Clauson Marshall Racing and driver Tyler Courtney.
“Everything kind of fell our way the last half of the year,” said Wise, unable to hide his grin.
The No. 26 team is hoping the momentum will continue to roll in their favor, as they attempt to wrangle their winning mojo and utilize it at The Dirt Track.
“I was talking to Sunshine (Courtney) last night and we said the last time we won Outlaw shows, we swept the weekend. We’ll try to do the same here at Charlotte,” Wise said. “I’ve had a little success here, not really the racing side of things, but we always seem to qualify okay and get ourselves in a good spot. Port Royal obviously went well with the Outlaws, so we’ll try to continue that into this weekend.”
Wise was involved in a wild accident at the opening of Thursday’s program and was transported to a local hospital.