Column: Using Charlotte Experience, Shirley, Bruening, Larson Hope For Strong World Finals

Column By: MATT SKIPPER / WORLD OF OUTLAWS – CONCORD, NC – Brian Shirley, Tyler Bruening, and Brent Larson enter the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte with a chance to end the season on a high note.

While out of contention to win the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series title, the three drivers can pick up vital points to make moves in the standings within the final trio of points races at Charlotte, Nov. 6-9.

Shirley is still within reach of a top-five finish in points, sitting 46 points behind fifth-place Kyle Bronson – which is a $30,000 difference between fifth and seventh. Bruening is a little further out, sitting 124 points behind Bronson, but is 78 points behind Shirley for seventh. And Larson is 40 points behind Max McLaughlin for 11th in points, which pays $4,000 more than 12th.

Since Shirley’s change to Longhorn Chassis during the Heartland Grand Tour, the Chatham, IL driver has finished outside of the top-10 four times and has picked up a career-best five Series Feature wins in 2024 – so far.

“At the end of the year, it’s been a complete testament to this crew to start 2025, right?” Shirley said. “We’ve been consistent enough to finish in the top five in the last month and a half of racing. So that’s super positive because being consistent like what Bobby Pierce is showing, is what’s gonna win the championship. Even (Brandon) Sheppard’s consistency has put him in position to be leading the points. So, that’s the goal is to hopefully take what we can get to be ready for 2025.”

Bruening, of Decorah, IA, had a season of growth in his return to the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models in 2024, earning six top-five finishes and two podiums that came at the Beat the Heat 40 at Highland Speedway and the Hawkeye 100 opening night at Maquoketa Speedway.

“It’s been a process more than anything,” Bruening said. “The beginning of the year, we were really trying to get our team put together and get Mike Marlar’s team going, and you like to think that you’re ready to go at the beginning of the year, but we were still working pretty hard to get stuff ready and in order.

“I think it’s actually taken this long to get settled in and get comfortable with everything that’s going on to be able to concentrate, work on the car and make it better. We’ve been hitting our stride as of late, it feels good to end the year strong and consistent to build that momentum for next year.”

Since Larson’s podium drive with the World of Outlaws at Thunderhill Speedway, the Lake Elmo, MN native picked up all six of his top-10 finishes in the second half of the season. While there have been areas of growth, there have been obstacles in Larson’s way that he’s had to overcome in 2024.

“There’s been some growth in areas, but not really the season I was hoping for,” Larson said. “We had some good takeaways and stayed out of trouble for a lot of it to get decent runs to keep learning and growing. It’s a way to set ourselves up for the future, but overall, I wish we could’ve shown more of what this car is capable of, but we got what we got from 2024.”

World Finals is unlike other events on the Series calendar, as “The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet” share the track with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds. This once-in-a-year event presents a new challenge of track conditions when the cars touch the Charlotte surface.

“Yeah, it’s tough there because with Sprint Cars and Big Blocks,” Shirley said. “They have big tires, so the track goes away faster. Sometimes, when we go race with Hobby Stocks or UMP Mods, their tires create a little character in the racetrack. Most of the time at World Finals, the hardest thing is to keep up with how fast the track goes away, depending on what Heat you’re in, where we’re placed in the order of events, and other variables like that.

“It’s very tough, very difficult to race with Sprint Cars and Big Blocks. I feel like it’s probably the toughest as far as keeping up with the racetrack compared to when we normally have local classes. They just present something new for us to figure out.”

Bruening said he enjoys sharing the track with the Sprint Cars and Big Blocks, as their big tires give his No.16 Skyline Motorsports Late Model a good surface to compete around The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

“Yeah, it really comes down to the tires personally,” Bruening said. “Sprint Cars can use those big tires to not necessarily dig into the dirt, but more or less slide across it and slick it off. I actually like racing with the Sprint Cars. I think they do a nice job with the track when we race with them. Everybody complains about no starters (in Sprint Cars) and taking forever, but they put on a good show for everyone to watch and a good racing surface for us to follow throughout the night. I’m looking forward to it. They’ll put on a hell of a show like we will.”

Larson echoed much of Shirley’s statement about how the track changes faster than other facilities the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models raced around this year.

“The track changes are a lot quicker, especially in the daytime,” Larson said. “It changes so much, and you gotta keep an eye on where the track is going, and what they’re going to do with prep before us or the other divisions race. It depends when they do it because Charlotte’s unpredictable with the fast track changes. It’s one thing you’ve really got to stay on top of a bit more closely. We do go to tracks where they change quickly through the season, but all the horsepower put down between the three classes makes it act different to others.”

The atmosphere of World Finals is an event that brings both intensity and major ripple effects. In a high-stakes finale, every lap can make a difference between the standings and the amount of money a driver receives from the points fund payout.

Along with being within striking distance of a top-five points finish, Shirley is also only 26 points away from Robeline, LA driver Cade Dillard in sixth – still a $10,000 payout difference between the two positions.

“Once we left Florida, I think we were 18th in points and we had three DNFs right off the river,” Shirley said. “So, when you do that, you put yourself in such a hole and you’re not running good to try and come out of the hole you created in three weeks.

“That was when Bob (Cullen) decided to switch chassis. When we got the car, we evaluated what the goals were for the rest of the year. Truthfully, that was the goal we kept to ourselves to see if we could get up to the top five (in points), which is not easy to overcome a couple of hundred points deficit. So, Charlotte is really the effort of what we want to accomplish next year with everybody, and how we can make the most out of a year of challenge to be better for the future.”

Bruening has competed at World Finals once in 2021 – the year he won his Rookie of the Year title. “Fear The Beard” enjoys the season-ending atmosphere to add the cherry on top of the year as he’s on track for an eighth-place points finish.

While Bruening has a bit of a hill to climb to move up in the points, he said he’s still excited about returning to World Finals. He’s only ran the event once in 2021, but the experience left a strong impression.

“The environment, everybody that’s there from NASCAR celebrities, fans, the people that have supported you, sponsors, it’s a big deal for everybody,” Bruening said. “We’re pretty set on our points result this year but finishing strong (at Charlotte) lets everyone know that we mean business for next year, and we’re looking forward to that and get ready for what’s to come.”

For Larson, there is still a lot of intensity to the week. Along with trying to gain spots in the points, he also needs to protect his current position, sitting 30 points ahead of rookie contender Cody Overton, of Evans, GA.

“Even though it’s near the end, the week is still intense,” Larson said. “Last year, I was in a points battle with Gordy Gundaker and there was about a $25,000 or $30,000 difference between the two spots. That’s a lot of money to consider and even this year, I could move forward and get a few more thousand dollars or move back and lose a few thousand. There’s a lot on your mind while doing all you can each night. It’s focusing on what you do each night, a lot of emotion and intensity that goes into it. It’d be nice to finish strong to have momentum into next year because there’s a lot happening in those four days.”

See Brian Shirley, Tyler Bruening, and Brent Larson close the book on their World of Outlaws CASE Late Models season at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for World of Outlaws World Finals, Nov. 6-9.

If you are in the Charlotte area, you can meet Brent Larson and see his No.B1 Landa Late Model on Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ET) at the CSC Industrial Sales & Service Open House in Indian Trail, NC.