Armitage Reflects on Back-to-Back MOWA Titles, Looks Ahead to 2026

Will Armitage and the XKGLOW #7A team have made a name for themselves over the past couple of seasons in the upper Midwest 410 sprint car ranks. 2025 was no different with the Athens, IL driver picking up his second straight Midwest Open Wheel Association championship.

However, the 2025 season was not without its peaks and valleys. From a stellar Silver Crown debut to just plain bad luck, Armitage took everything in stride and stayed focused on his and the team’s goals.

“The 2025 season brought its fair share of new challenges, but it also marked the most growth we’ve ever had as a team.” Armitage said in a statement. “We learned how to compete through adversity, stay disciplined through setbacks, and lean on each other when it mattered most. Closing the year with a second MOWA title, four wins, and a long list of top-ten finishes across multiple disciplines is something we’re incredibly proud of.”

Armitage kicked off 2025 in the best way possible, grabbing the MOWA feature win on the series’ opening night at Jacksonville Speedway. The #7A also logged an early season podium finish at Wilmot Raceway in Wisconsin with the IRA Sprints, marking Armitage’s first Top 3 finish with that series. 

“Winning the MOWA season opener at Jacksonville against a 40-car field was the highlight of our sprint-car campaign.” Armitage said. “It validated every hour we poured into this deal during the offseason.”

The summer months weren’t exactly kind to Armitage and the #7A squad, with mechanical failures, major on track incidents in both the sprint car and silver crown car that cost the team podiums and solid finishes, but they continued to push forward.

“The midpoint of the season wasn’t easy, but it taught us something important: when things don’t go your way, you keep pushing. After totaling a car at Pevely, we rolled out what was essentially an ‘all-we-have-left car’ and still qualified straight into the Ironman 55. That night showed the heart of this team. I owe that resilience to Hunter, Brad, Cam, Jim, my dad, and everyone who stands in our pit week after week.”

The Silver Crown debut at the Springfield Mile was another high point of the season for Armitage. Driving a car that the team built from the ground up, the young driver qualified 14th on debut out of a 38 car field and ran strongly until an incident ended their night. 

“Running the Silver Crown car was one of the coolest opportunities of my career. Getting to hit the mile in a Champ Car, surrounded by some of the best crew guys in the business, was a dream come true. Greg, Chuck, Jim, and Wade came in not knowing what I was capable of, yet they believed in me from day one. Without them, those results would have never materialized, and I can’t thank them enough.”

Armitage closed the season out strongly, with another win at Jacksonville and followed that victory up with another MOWA win to all but secure the title at Red Hill Raceway in a spectacular battle with Joe B. Miller and Jimmy Light. In the end, Armitage locked up the MOWA championship by just 25 points over a resurgent Mario Clouser. In total, Armitage logged 4 Feature Wins, 10 Top 5’s and 14 Top 10’s in 29 410 Sprint Car feature starts over the course of the 2025 season. 

The now 2x MOWA Champion is already looking ahead to 2026 and what the new year will bring for the #7A. Plans are already in motion and exciting announcements are on the horizon.

“After a quieter, much-needed October, I’m more excited than ever about what’s ahead for our 2026 season at Will Armitage Racing.” Armitage said confidently. “From new partnerships to new crew members to new builds, everything is coming together. We’re focused, we’re hungry, and we’ll be ready when March rolls around.”

Will Armitage Racing would like to thank their partners for their support this season!

XKGLOW

CHE Precision Inc.

Armitage Collision Center

AlignLife Chiropractic 

Smith Plumbing Heating and Cooling

Custom Property Solutions

MPV Express

Alliance Community Bank

Noonan Rental

Fatt Right Foot Racing

Modern Paving & Scrap

BAM Roller Lifters

Graue Chevrolet

Gillmore-Allen Insurance

Meteer Manufacturing

SRI Performance

Croft Cleaning

Capital City Event Planning

Box3 Media

Armitage Platinum Detailing

Downey Dogs

OMP Racing

Bell Helmets

1st Phorm

Maxim Racing

Locked Down Brand

MetTec Titanium

Guess Performance Parts

You can follow Will's race team on his social media channels! You can find Will Armitage Racing on Facebook at Will Armitage Racing (group), Twitter at @armitage_will7 and on Instagram at @will_armitage_7. You can also follow his PR with Box3 Media on Facebook, @box3_media on Instagram, and @box3_racing on Twitter.