At the time of the series' founding, sprint car racing across the United States was regionally fragmented. Johnson organized the World of Outlaws sanctioning body to address that gap, creating a national tour with consistent rules and a champion crowned at season's end. In 2003, Johnson sold the series to Boundless Motor Sports Racing, which was later renamed Dirt Motorsports and is currently known as World Racing Group. The series has been sponsored by Monster Beverage's NOS Energy Drink since 2019 and was rebranded as the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series — rather than just the World of Outlaws — when the organization introduced its companion World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
The series travels primarily within the United States but has also sanctioned races in Canada, Mexico, and Australia. Select events are broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network, with MavTV carrying the Knoxville Nationals since 2013. Previous broadcast partners included The Nashville Network and Speed Channel. The series' subscription streaming service, DIRTVision, expanded from radio-only coverage to full-calendar video streaming by 2018.
World of Outlaws sprint cars are custom-fabricated machines built for dirt oval racing. A WoO Sprint Car must weigh at least 1,425 pounds with the driver aboard. The mandated 410-cubic inch engine — 6.7 litres — produces more than 900 horsepower using mechanical fuel injection and methanol fuel. The combination of extraordinary power and low weight gives sprint cars power-to-weight ratios that can exceed those of Formula 1 cars under the right conditions.
The cars feature a large top-mounted wing with sideboards oriented in opposite directions to maximize downforce, helping the car turn on dirt and maintain grip both through corners and on straights. A smaller nose wing provides additional front-end downforce. The rear tires are notably asymmetric: the right rear measures 105 inches in circumference while the left rear ranges from 90 to 98 inches depending on track size and conditions. This difference in circumference — called stagger — allows the car to turn more sharply, though at a cost to straight-line speed. Teams and tire technicians select compounds suited to each specific track surface.
Sprint cars use quick-change rear ends that allow teams to rapidly alter the gear ratio between events or sessions. Most cars run a torsion bar suspension system; bar stiffness is adjusted to tune handling characteristics. There is no starter motor — push trucks are used to fire the engines. The cars have no reverse gear and no clutch, only an in/out direct drive with a fixed gear ratio.
A typical World of Outlaws race night follows a structured program. Sessions begin with motor heat and wheel pack, followed by hot laps for practice. Time trials determine qualifying order, usually based on the faster of two timed laps. Heat races are set from qualifying times. A Toyota Dash event sets the front rows for the fastest cars heading into the main event. Last-chance qualifiers — B-Main, C-Main, or D-Main depending on car count — determine remaining starters. The Feature, called the A-Main, runs anywhere from 25 to 55 laps and decides the race result and points allocation.
The series has a distinguished roster of past champions and maintains records of top all-time A-Feature winners. The Knoxville Nationals, held at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, is among the most prominent and highest-paying events on the calendar. A number of events span multiple days, with final night features often determined by points accumulated across previous nights' racing.
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