Troutman Finding His Footing in New Surroundings in 2025
CONCORD, NC (March 5, 2025) – At the end of the 2024 season, all Drake Troutman was looking for was a chance.
The former DIRTcar UMP Modified standout had what he needed to get up and down the road with his own No. 7 Late Model team, but he was still in search of an opportunity to become a legitimate contender on the national stage. Then came the call from G.R. Smith.
“Last year, I ran my own deal strictly off sponsorship and I couldn’t continue to do that anymore,” Troutman said. “That was one of those deals where we just tried to get through last year to turn some heads and hopefully get a ride. I’m really fortunate that G.R. reached out to me and gave me this awesome opportunity.
“I don’t really have an option but to make it a long-term relationship. Now that we’re in this deal together, I feel like I’m a really loyal person and I like to have things long-term. I don’t like to be hopping around. Me and G.R. have been clicking really good together, he’s been awesome to work with and he’s given me everything I need to go out and compete on a national level.”
Once the deal was done, Smith and Troutman set their sights on a MD3 Rookie of the Year Award run with the World of Outlaws Late Models, which kicked off with a pair of events in the “Sunshine State” at Volusia Speedway Park.
Troutman is a winner at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” in Modified action but had a personal best of 18th in six Outlaw appearances at Volusia prior to 2025. However, finishes of sixth and 15th at DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals made it seem like Troutman was on the right track, giving him reason for optimism going into Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
The six-night stretch didn’t start off how the No. 22* team were hoping, though. Troutman missed the Feature on Monday’s opening night of DIRTcar Late Model competition and failed to crack the top 10 in the next four nights.
Entering Saturday’s finale, Troutman’s only goal was to bring the car home in one piece and move on to the next stop on tour. But as the night progressed, he realized he was capable of much more than that.
“We sucked so bad all week, every year I go down there, I don’t know what I need to do to be better,” Troutman said. “I was pretty frustrated. We just kind of threw the kitchen sink at it the last night and it all worked out.”
A solid Qualifying run put Troutman on the pole of his Heat Race. After leading all eight laps of that contest to make the Redraw, Troutman pulled the top spot for the 50-lap main event.
The Hyndman, PA native quickly pulled out to a five-second advantage over the field, and it looked like Troutman had one hand on his first World of Outlaws trophy. The only problem? The driver trailing him was Jonathan Davenport, who’d finished second in three of his last four World of Outlaws starts and already won at Volusia earlier in the week.
“Superman” made quick work of the gap between he and Troutman and passed him with 11 to go to add another Gator to his trophy case. While the win may have slipped through Troutman’s fingers, his runner-up against one of the toughest fields the World of Outlaws face all season proved to the rest of the world what he knew from the start – the Team22 Motorsports squad could be a contender against the best.
“The track was more to my liking that night, I’m not really good whenever it’s wide open, stand on it and pray to God it turns,” Troutman said. “As soon as you get done Qualifying, that’s going to tell you how your night goes for the most part. Especially on a track like that, it can be pretty hard to pass sometimes, and the air plays a huge factor in that place. I knew after Qualifying we could win the Heat Race, and if you start up front, you’ve got a pretty good shot. At that point, it’s up to you and making sure everything on the car stays together.”
After ending the week on a high note, the team’s focus shifted toward preparing for the spring slate of racing, which begins next weekend at Smoky Mountain Speedway with the Tennessee Tipoff. But in the break between events, Troutman has been getting up to speed at several tracks he’ll return to later in the year with the Outlaws, including Swainsboro Raceway, which hosts The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet on March 21-22.
In his Swainsboro debut with the Spring Nationals Series, Troutman instantly became the class of the field by claiming the Feature pole. He settled into second behind Team22 teammate Chris Madden early on but fell back to sixth after clipping an infield tractor tire and damaging the left-front corner of the car.
Nevertheless, the night gave him a solid baseline to build on later this month, as well as an idea of what not to do come race time.
“It was one of the better racetracks we’ve raced on all year,” Troutman said. “I’m excited to go back there, I thought it raced really well. The track guys did a good job of prepping the track there before the Feature to give us a good, racey racetrack. I think we’ve got a pretty good car there, I’ve just got to do better behind the wheel. I mean, I knocked the left-front out on Lap 15 or so, that stuff’s on me that I need to eliminate.”
One night later, Troutman laid down another top-15 showing in his first trip to Senoia Raceway, which will welcome the World of Outlaws for the Billy Clanton Classic on Sept. 13. This weekend, Troutman plans to head to Boothill Speedway in Louisiana to get some laps with the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series ahead of the $50,000-to-win Bayou Classic with the World of Outlaws, Oct. 10-11.
From there, Troutman will head back north to Tennessee for his second trip to the newly-reconfigured Smoky Mountain. While there’s room for improvement from his finishes of 20th and 26th in last year’s Mountain Moonshine Classic, Troutman is confident in his chances of success this time around.
“That was a pretty fun racetrack too,” Troutman said. “It’s all about going to these places and building notebooks. That’s going to be a newer challenge for us this year, we haven’t really raced at a whole lot of the Outlaw tracks. But in the long run it makes us better, and we’re excited.”
Troutman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Models will head to Maryville, TN for the Tennessee Tipoff at Smoky Mountain Speedway on Friday and Saturday, March 14-15.
If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/
EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/
TRACK INFO: https://smokymountainspeedway.
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The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners. Official partners include, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), Simpson Performance Products (Preferred Safety Gear Partner), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Toyota (Official Vehicle), and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel). Also supported by : AMKUS, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Bilstein, Capital Race Cars, Coltman Farms, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Dave Warren Powersports, Dirt King Simulators, Evolve Transporters, FAST 1 Speed Shop, FIREBULL, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), Gorsuch Performance, Infinity Chassis, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, Jarrett Rifles, Keyser Manufacturing, Landa Pressure Washers, Lifeline USA, Longhorn Chassis, MD3, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis, STAKT Products, Swift Springs, WELD Racing, and Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum).
Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.
Sources: Spence Smithback, World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR