Ryan Gustin was gutted after his World 100 came to an end with 12 laps after leading the previous 88 laps at Eldora Speedway.

Gustin’s night started out extraordinarily well. He advanced two spots in the sixth and final heat race to win and secure the pole position for the World 100. From there, he looked lights out as he dominated the first 88 laps of the race.

Unfortunately, he suffered heartbreak when he broke a drive shaft on a restart with 12 laps to go. His hopes of winning the World 100 on Saturday night were over. Obviously, frustrated with how it ended, he threw his helmet out of the car.

💔 HEARTBREAK for Ryan Gustin after leading 88 laps of the World 100!#World100 🌍 | September 12 | Live on FloRacing 📺 pic.twitter.com/XwFalNVzld

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) September 13, 2026

Speaking to FloRacing after the race, Gustin said, “We broke something in the drive train there. Felt like we did everything right all night. Things were falling our way with the invert, won our heat race, sat on the pole, lead all of them but the last 12, unfortunately. We had a super, super really good car there. Cody [Mallory] did a helluva job. The guys all worked their butts off. My car owners for giving me all this stuff. It’s just-. Yeah, this one’s going to sting until next year when we can hopefully get us one.”

“It’s about as [crappy] feeling as you can get,” he added.

In a post to Facebook on Sunday afternoon, Gustin and his team reiterated, “That one is going to sting for a while. Leading 88 of 100 laps at the World 100 and having it slip away with just a handful of laps to go is the kind of heartbreak that’s hard to put into words.”

“But there’s a whole lot to be proud of in that performance,” the team added. “The 19R was fast, the team put together an incredible race car, and Ryan showed once again that he belongs at the front of the biggest races in dirt late model racing.”

“Last night didn’t end the way we wanted, but 88 laps led says everything about the FIGHT in this team. Sometimes racing can be brutally unforgiving. We’ll keep our heads up and come back swinging,” the team concluded. “Thank you to everyone who stood behind the 19R, cheered us on, and believed in us!”

Gustin’s Cooney Motorsports also shared in a post to Facebook, “𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻. Our Karl Chevrolet-backed Infinity Chassis, powered by Jay Dickens Racing Engines and supported by Hoker Trucking & Custom Fabricating & Repair, Inc retired from the 100-lap, $100,000 to win main event after we had a u-joint problem leading the race for 88-laps! ”

“We opened the weekend at Eldora Speedway with a fifth-place finish on Night 1 after starting fourth, then charged from 18th to 10th on Night 2. We rolled from the pole in Saturday’s main event, where we were leading the biggest race in the country until a U-joint problem on a late restart ended our night just a few laps from the finish! This one will sting for a while, but we couldn’t be prouder of how hard this team works, and we can’t thank all of our sponsors enough for standing behind us!”

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