Hayden Wise Receives Fast-Track Education in Rookie Year with Xtreme Outlaw Midgets

Hayden Wise Receives Fast-Track Education in Rookie Year with Xtreme Outlaw Midgets

CONCORD, NC (June 6, 2025) – Hayden Wise may be the youngest competitor on the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota trail, but she has a team with decades of experience to get her rookie campaign up to speed.

Since her first start aboard a Midget in October of 2024, the 14-year-old from Huntersville, NC has taken the first six months to get her feet wet and fully comfortable inside the most powerful car she’s driven in her young career.

While she has a handle on the driving aspect of her Ninety-Four Racing Midget, she is learning more about the caliber of the competition she is facing throughout the season.

“It’s really been an awesome experience,” Wise said. “It’s been a different learning experience for me so far, getting comfortable on it really quick because it’s a lot like a Micro, so it hasn’t been too hard to learn. The racecraft gets better for me every time, Qualifying gets easier going to more tracks, and it’s not really that technical.

“The biggest challenge for me is the competition. It’s a lot more different when you’re racing with the best guys in a Midget on the track. The bigger tracks honestly weren’t that hard to get to know because it’s a lot more easier on the throttle, so that was an easy adjustment for me so far.”

Hayden is a fourth generation racing talent of the family that dates back to her great-grandfather Charles Wise winning TQ championships as an owner and helping build the foundation for former NASCAR Cup Series competitor Josh Wise – her uncle.

Together, with her grandfather, Eric Wise, and her dad, Brandon Wise, they have been by her side through every racing moment – beginning with Quarter Midget titles in the Dixie Shootout Series and NASCAR Youth Series.

In April, the North Carolinian began to receive special help on the wrenches from USAC Hall of Famer Jay Drake in her time with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets.

“It’s definitely given me confidence knowing that I am capable of running up there with some of the best guys out on track,” Wise said. “Honestly, I really wouldn’t be able to do it without my awesome crew. Having my papa, my dad, and Mr. Jay (Drake) with me, it’s an awesome start to the year.”

Despite posting a best finish of 13th in the season-opening World of Outlaws Illini 100, Wise found her way toward the front of the pack at 81 Speedway by winning her Heat race, gaining high-point honors, and capturing her first top-10 finish.

Then, she started on the pole at Airport Raceway and led 14 laps on the way to a fourth-place finish after struggling to get by lapped cars. Then, she finished the month of May at Coles County Speedway with twin top-10 finishes and currently sits ninth in the Series standings.

“The main aspect (they’ve taught) is being a lot more aggressive, as I should’ve been (at Airport),” she said. “With Midget guys, they will not be messing around out there. When they see you, they’re gonna go past you. They don’t wait or mess around. I’ll learn it quickly as something I need to focus on.

“I just pray that we can get a win this year in the Midget. That’ll be really cool for us. I’ve been watching replays (of Airport), and it kind of sucks. I had a fast car, but I just gotta learn to be more aggressive. It just takes time, and it was a learning experience to understand for the next time I’m in that spot.”

Before visiting 18 tracks that lie on the Series schedule, Wise had only raced on five of the facilities. While she’s able to rely on the words of others and videos of past races in preparation, she and Drake have found a method of understanding the track before strapping into the Midget.

That process will come in handy at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, June 20-21. The Pevely, MO track will host two Series visits in 2025, adding a new stripe to Wise’s first national tour experience.

“(Pevely) is where it’s going to be something like looking at old videos from there last year,” Wise said. “We’ll get there, walk the track with Jay, and go over some of the notes on the track. From there, we’ll do our practice and get comfortable, and then go through the rest of the night. Other than that, that’s normally how we’ll prepare for a new track and how we can perform.”

Wise climbs behind the wheel of her Toyota-powered No. 94 at the St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff at I-55, June 20-21. The Midgets headline the star-studded weekend with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Models presented by DIRTVision, DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models, and Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.