Tyler Courtney is back — back in 410 Sprint Car victory lane.
Following a serious back injury during last July’s Kings Royal week at Eldora Speedway that sidelined him until the start of this season, the Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing campaigner prevailed in a thriller Sunday against the World of Outlaws at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. — a race in which Courtney made contact with Buddy Kofoid amid a fierce battle for the lead on the initial final-lap attempt.
It marked the 31-year-old’s first 410 victory of any kind since last June 28’s Diamond Classic at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.
“Yeah, it’s our first one in probably almost 10 months. We won one right before I got hurt there, and then, yeah, I sat out seven months there,” said Courtney, who opened the 2026 season with back-to-back ASCS victories at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., but had gone 17 races between 410 wins. “Came back and won a couple 360 races, and kind of got off to a sluggish start with the 410 stuff. We’ve kind of gotten going a little bit better, just haven’t been able to get qualified.”
To win again Sunday at the Indiana quarter-mile he raced so often during his USAC days, Courtney had to outduel the nation’s No. 1 Sprint Car driver in Kofoid, according to FloRacing’s most recent power rankings. Courtney and Kofoid were locked in an intense, back-and-forth fight for the lead, exchanging multiple sliders in traffic until exiting turn two on the initial white-flag lap.
🤯 White flag in the air - battle for the lead! Tyler Courtney and Buddy Kofoid come together@WorldofOutlaws pic.twitter.com/s9v4oyQRmw
Admittedly gunning to reclaim the inside line, Courtney darted between a pair of lapped cars down the backstretch of Lap 39 — only to clip Kofoid right before the entry into turn three. The contact sent Kofoid spinning, thus ending his night.
"I was just trying to get back to the bottom there. Yeah, I mean, we made contact, but I think he's gonna be doing the same thing coming off the top like that," Courtney said. "You're going for the win, and they already threw the white. Whoever gets through the next corner first is gonna win the race.
"That was an awesome battle. I don't think I've been a part of one that good since my non-wing days, I think the Kyle Cummins always got the best of me on that. Just an awesome night for (us)."
Kofoid, meanwhile, didn't mince words when breaking down the incident with DIRTVision pit reporter Conner Wade.
"That wasn't the first close call, or at least the first time he got into me. I mean, there were two or three other times I felt like I got across him clean, and then I look to my left and see him turn hard right, all the way to the fence, before I’m even cleared," Kofoid said. "And that wasn’t the first time he tried to chop me 50 feet before the corner.
"I don’t even know what to say. I feel like I raced him really clean and hard, and just got driven into the side of. He said he tried to get to the bottom, but I’m already at the bottom of the straightaway and he’s all the way at the top and just turns hard left that time."
📹 @DIRTVision@MichaelKofoid offers his side of the story on the late race contact with @TyCourtney7BC. pic.twitter.com/ukJiq3epHK
— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) April 20, 2026
Before the incident, Kofoid ran down Courtney from two seconds behind in a matter of eight laps — from Lap 19 to Lap 30, when he eventually led for three circuts. Although Kofoid appeared poised to notch his fourth straight WoO victory, Courtney responded with some savvy moves through traffic, reclaiming the lead on Lap 34.
In Courtney's eyes, it all came down to who could run the bottom better.
"It's tough, 'cause, like, I can start hearing somebody, so that's why I kind of moved up (the groove) to get around the lapped cars, and then (Kofoid) was really good on the bottom," Courtney said. "He was really good on the bottom of the Dash. So once he got by me, he kind of had to go to the top because the bottom was blocked.
"I went back to the bottom, and I was able to get back by him. Then, yeah, just chaotic getting there. Obviously, I would have rather go the other way, but, hey, we got the check tonight. And it's just an awesome feeling."
Courtney hopes to carry the momentum from Sunday's victory into High Limit's event on national TV — live on FS1 — Tuesday at Eagle (Neb.) Raceway.
"It's been a long road to get back to this point, and hopefully we can take this momentum and use it to our advantage," Courtney said.