WARRNAMBOOL sprintcar racer James McFadden is celebrating a drought-breaking win on the World of Outlaws series.
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The two-time Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic champion ended a marathon winless streak on the famous American circuit when he won at Kansas City.
McFadden, who was named the Outlaws rookie of the year in 2021, had endured a number of near-misses across the 90-plus race season.
He was runner-up four times, had finished on the podium 10 times and had 31 top-five finishes.
But a win had eluded the multiple Australian champion for the past 81 races, dating back to September 2021.
The experienced driver fought back tears as he celebrated his win with a shoey - a post-race drink made famous by Australian Formula 1 ace Daniel Ricciardo.
"Going 70-plus races without a win really wears you down," McFadden said.
"It's been such a bloody long wait, such a frustrating year, we've been so unlucky at times.
"When you have bad nights and travel up and down the road together, it gets tough - this is a brutal game we play.
"It doesn't matter what the relationship is, whether it's your wife, son or the team - these guys all deserve this."
It was McFadden's fifth World of Outlaws win and the 99th win for his Roth Motorsport team.
"This is a testament to Dennis and Theresa Roth for sticking by us when they probably could have picked another driver," he said.
"I'm glad I could pay them back with this result."
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