Macri drives by Williamson in the closing laps to become only the second driver to sit atop the throne two years in a row
The Posse-Posse chants rocked the Eldora Speedway stands on Saturday night.
The huge crowd had just seen history made after a thrilling conclusion to the 43rd running of the Kings Royal. Anthony Macri wore the crown for the second year in a row, but the path to the throne proved to be much more difficult in 2026.
The Dillsburg, PA native led the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series field to green for the 40-lapper and paced the opening dozen circuits. But it was Garet Williamson surging to the front on Lap 13 in the Fischer Motorsports No. 23. Williamson was a rocket out front as he wasted no time pulling away from the field. Behind him, the war began for second as 10th-starting Rico Abreu was on the move in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 14 and took the spot, but Macri got it back with seven laps to go and set his sights on Williamson.
The laps clicked away, and Williamson remained committed to the cushion while Macri built speed through the middle. Coming to two laps to go, Macri snuck by to regain the lead and set sail. A yellow flag for a stopped Spencer Bayston on the final circuit set up a green-white-checkered finish. Macri stayed composed when the green flag flew and drove away to his second straight Kings Royal title to become King Anthony XLIII.
“I’m speechless,” Macri said. “Joe (Mooney) gave me a good car. These guys gave me a good car. I’m worked up. I can barely breathe. When you’re out front, you’ve got to run time trial laps early in the race. I wasn’t really sure where to be. I was starting to get to lapped traffic there, and my car wasn’t handling great with the fuel load and probably where I had the wing. He (Williamson) passed me, and I didn’t want that to happen obviously. I tried to pace him then Rico got by me, and I knew it was time to turn the wick up because you can only lose so many positions and get so many back. So, I got my wing back further, which I didn’t think was the right move. But I pulled it back, and we just started pounding the middle there and got really good.”
Macri put his name in elite company by joining Donny Schatz as only the second driver to win consecutive Kings Royals. He’s also the ninth competitor with multiple victories in the crown jewel alongside Steve Kinser (seven), Donny Schatz (six), Jac Haudenschild (three), Sammy Swindell (three), Doug Wolfgang (two), Dave Blaney (two), Joey Saldana (two), and Brad Sweet (two). The 27-year-old is the first from the state of Pennsylvania to reach the feat.
It’s also a continuation of Macri’s amazing recovery. After a back injury sidelined him for months earlier this year, he’s returned to the seat of the Macri Motorsports No. 39M and been on a tear. The Kings Royal was his fifth win since getting back behind the wheel to go along with the four he picked up during Pennsylvania Speedweek last month. Overall, he’s got eight checkered flags in 2026, including three with the World of Outlaws.
Rico Abreu wheeled his way to second on the final restart. It gave him two consecutive runner-ups in the Kings Royal and three overall as he continues to come so close to the crown he wants to wear so bad.
“Thinking about it all over again, I probably would’ve tried to get the middle working a little more,” Abreu admitted. “But I just was running the top so hard and getting my tires really hot and trying to process what I needed to do at that time in the race. Restarting on the bottom hurt me some until the end when I got the guys to come back out and adjust my tire pressures. I was able to take off there on that last restart. It’s just such hard racing. Hats off to the 39M guys.”
Giovanni Scelzi made a late run to the podium in the Spire Motorsports No. 77. His third place effort marked his best in the Kings Royal.
Corey Day came home fourth while Garet Williamson slipped to a tough to swallow fifth after leading the most laps. The Columbia, MO native continues to beat on the door of his first World of Outlaws win, and the Kings Royal would’ve been the ideal time.
“It sucks,” Williamson said. “First win at the Kings Royal would’ve been something I’d never forget. Hats off to my guys. We’ve had a great car the last two nights. I think I probably just got beat there by experience. I probably pushed a little too hard in the beginning of that race getting passed those guys, something probably I shouldn’t have done. I probably knew better, but I had a really good car and just wanted to get to the lead and set my own pace.”
NIGHTLY NOTES
David Gravel set the Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night for the 13th time this year.
Chase Dietz clocked Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.
Heat Races belonged to Carson Macedo (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Kerry Madsen (Knoxville Bound Heat Two), Garet Williamson (WIX Filters Heat Three), Chris Windom (Golf Cart Services Heat Four), Brent Marks (Tub O’ Towels Heat Five), and Anthony Macri (Air National Guard Heat Six).
The SPA Technique Pole Award went to Anthony Macri.
Joel Myers Jr. topped the Toyota C-main.
Cole Macedo won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.
Michael “Buddy” Kofoid moved from 17th to sixth to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.
Logan Schuchart was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.
Emerson Axsom was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.
Anthony Macri clocked the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.
The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Brent Marks.
UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series head to Canada for two nights (Tuesday-Wednesday, July 21-22) at Ohsweken Speedway for the Federated Auto Parts Six Nations Showdown. For tickets, CLICK HERE. Then it’s over to New York’s Weedsport Speedway for the Empire State Challenge on Saturday-Sunday, July 25-26. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.
Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.
FEATURE RESULTS:
NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 39M-Anthony Macri[1]; 2. 14-Rico Abreu[10]; 3. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[8]; 4. 14M-Corey Day[9]; 5. 23-Garet Williamson[4]; 6. 83-Michael Kofoid[17]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[15]; 8. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[16]; 9. 7S-Chris Windom[3]; 10. 13-Tanner Holmes[14]; 11. 2-David Gravel[20]; 12. 27-Emerson Axsom[12]; 13. 55-Kerry Madsen[5]; 14. 41-Carson Macedo[6]; 15. 15-Donny Schatz[7]; 16. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[24]; 17. 2C-Cole Macedo[21]; 18. 21-Brian Brown[13]; 19. 51-Ashton Torgerson[18]; 20. 19-Brent Marks[2]; 21. 17-Spencer Bayston[22]; 22. 87-Aaron Reutzel[23]; 23. 101-Kalib Henry[11]; 24. 23D-Chase Dietz[19]
For complete results, CLICK HERE.