World of Outlaws

Contact: Anthony Corini
World of Outlaws PR
408-825-3360 | acorini@dirtcar.com

Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article

Winner David Gravel (Dave Biro Photo)

David Gravel Uses Brilliant Double-File Restart to Win Knoxville Thriller

KNOXVILLE, IA – June 30, 2018 – David Gravel had a perfect restart on Lap 10 charging from third to first and then held off Donny Schatz to win his fourth World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature of the year on Night Two of the Brownells Big Guns Bash at Knoxville Raceway. Schatz threw everything he had at Gravel, but settled for second with Brad Sweet, who was the leader on the aforementioned restart, completing the podium.

For the second consecutive night, Donny Schatz won the Sears Craftsman Dash, earning the pole for the 25-lap Feature. Schatz took command of the field and led the opening circuit as Sweet and Brian Brown exchanged slide jobs for the runner-up position.

On Lap 8, Sweet made his move underneath Schatz and took the lead to the ninth lap. Schatz battled back hard and would have led Lap 10, but a yellow for fourth-place running Logan Schuchart negated the pass and gave Sweet the lead back.

Sweet and Schatz shared the front row on the double-file restart with Gravel behind Sweet on the inside. Gravel pounced as the Green Flag flew and ducked underneath Sweet and Schatz heading into turn one with a heart-pounding move to take the lead. Sweet and Schatz would jockey for the runner-up position with Sweet taking it on Lap 11, but Schatz coming back and taking the position three laps later.

The final caution of the evening flew for Brooke Tatnell on Lap 17. Gravel elected the bottom on the double-file restart with the 10-time Knoxville Nationals Champion alongside of him. Schatz had an excellent restart and pulled ahead of the CJB Motorsports No.5 down the backstretch, before Gravel regained the lead with a huge slider in turn three and four. That was the move the sealed the victory as Gravel would power away and win by 1.643 seconds.

“Who’s ready for Nationals,” was the first an ecstatic Gravel said upon exiting his CJB Motorsports machine in Victory Lane for the fourth time in 2018.

“We were really good all night yesterday and we knew we had a car capable of winning if we could get up there,” Gravel, who scored the first Perfect 500 score at the Knoxville Nationals last August, only to break while leading the $150,000 to win Feature on Saturday night added.

“This one is for Jason, Bobbi and Jaxx Johnson,” Gravel said to a huge roar from the Knoxville Raceway crowd.

Donny Schatz’ attempt for the weekend sweep ended with him settling for second while Brad Sweet completed the all World of Outlaws regular podium for the second night in a row. Brian Brown finished fourth with Davey Heskin completing the top five. Heskin came from 23rd to finish fifth, good enough for KSE Hard Charger honors.

Friday’s runner-up Ian Madsen, 17th-starting Shane Stewart, Cory Eliason, 24th-starting Brent Marks and Kerry Madsen completed the top ten.

It was a scorching day in Iowa all afternoon and with weather looming, the World of Outlaws and Knoxville Raceway officials were in hurry-up mode to beat Mother Nature, which they did successfully. Despite the triple-digit temperatures all weekend, the Knoxville Raceway track prep team did a tremendous job providing an excellent racing surface as the facility lived up to its nickname as The Sprint Car Capital of the World.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will return to Knoxville Raceway in six short weeks with the running of the Granddaddy of Them All, the Knoxville Nationals. The Outlaws 40th Anniversary Season will continue Friday, July 6 and Saturday, July 7 with the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown at Cedar Lake Speedway. Tickets for the event at Cedar Lake can be purchased here. As always, if you can’t make it to the track be sure to watch all the action LIVE on DIRTVision.com!

Results from Knoxville Raceway June 30, 2018:

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 5-David Gravel [5][$10,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [1][$5,000]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$3,000]; 4. 21-Brian Brown [6][$2,700]; 5. 56N-Davey Heskin [23][$2,500]; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [13][$2,200]; 7. 2-Shane Stewart [17][$2,000]; 8. 83-Cory Eliason [4][$1,800]; 9. 19-Brent Marks [24][$1,600]; 10. 2M-Kerry Madsen [9][$1,450]; 11. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [11][$1,300]; 12. 2KS-Austin McCarl [10][$1,200]; 13. 7S-Jason Sides [14][$1,100]; 14. 9-Daryn Pittman [15][$1,000]; 15. W20-Greg Wilson [22][$950]; 16. 24-Terry McCarl [8][$900]; 17. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [20][$850]; 18. 21AU-Jordyn Brazier [18][$750]; 19. 11K-Kraig Kinser [21][$725]; 20. 1A-Jacob Allen [7][$700]; 21. 55-Brooke Tatnell [19][$700]; 22. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3][$700]; 23. 83H-Justin Henderson [16][$700]; 24. 3-Sammy Swindell [12][$700] Lap Leaders: Donny Schatz 1-8, Brad Sweet 9, David Gravel 10-25; KSE Hard Charger Award: 56N-Davey Heskin[+18]

Qualifying Flight-A: 1. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.399; 2. 83-Cory Eliason, 15.582; 3. 21-Brian Brown, 15.635; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 15.637; 5. 18-Ian Madsen, 15.653; 6. 5-David Gravel, 15.654; 7. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 15.734; 8. 9-Daryn Pittman, 15.735; 9. 2-Shane Stewart, 15.758; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 15.849; 11. 19-Brent Marks, 15.869; 12. 55-Brooke Tatnell, 15.881; 13. 7S50-Keoni Texeira, 15.898; 14. O9-Matt Juhl, 15.911; 15. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 15.916; 16. 20-A.J. Moeller, 16.029; 17. 49J-Josh Schneiderman, 16.095; 18. 15M-Bobby Mincer, 16.587; 19. 19W-Bobby Weuve, 17.094

Qualifying Flight-B: 1. 15-Donny Schatz, 15.671; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen, 15.867; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 15.899; 4. 24-Terry McCarl, 15.951; 5. 12-Lynton Jeffrey, 16.066; 6. W20-Greg Wilson, 16.069; 7. 7S-Jason Sides, 16.114; 8. 71-Giovanni Scelzi, 16.135; 9. 2KS-Austin McCarl, 16.155; 10. 83H-Justin Henderson, 16.165; 11. 71A-R.J. Johnson, 16.269; 12. 3-Sammy Swindell, 16.28; 13. 21AU-Jordyn Brazier, 16.292; 14. 9P-Rager Phillips, 16.331; 15. 56N-Davey Heskin, 16.41; 16. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg, 16.446; 17. 7-Carson McCarl, 16.468; 18. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 16.543; 19. 75-Glen Saville, 16.721

Heat #1 - Flight (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 21-Brian Brown [2]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 3. 2M-Kerry Madsen [4]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [3]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [5]; 6. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [8]; 7. 19-Brent Marks [6]; 8. 7S50-Keoni Texeira [7]; 9. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [9]; 10. 19W-Bobby Weuve [10]

Heat #2 - Flight (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 83-Cory Eliason [1]; 2. 5-David Gravel [3]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [4]; 5. 55-Brooke Tatnell [6]; 6. O9-Matt Juhl [7]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5]; 8. 15M-Bobby Mincer [9]; 9. 20-A.J. Moeller [8]

Heat #3 - Flight (B) - (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 3. 2KS-Austin McCarl [5]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 5. 21AU-Jordyn Brazier [7]; 6. 56N-Davey Heskin [8]; 7. 71A-R.J. Johnson [6]; 8. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [3]; 9. 7-Carson McCarl [9]

Heat #4 - Flight (B) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 24-Terry McCarl [2]; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen [1]; 3. 3-Sammy Swindell [6]; 4. 83H-Justin Henderson [5]; 5. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [4]; 6. 9P-Rager Phillips [7]; 7. 7W-Tasker Phillips [9]; 8. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [8]; 9. W20-Greg Wilson [3]

Sears Craftsman Dash (6 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4]; 4. 83-Cory Eliason [3]; 5. 5-David Gravel [6]; 6. 21-Brian Brown [7]; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [5]; 8. 24-Terry McCarl [8]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1][-]; 2. W20-Greg Wilson [4][-]; 3. 56N-Davey Heskin [10][-]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [3][-]; 5. O9-Matt Juhl [7][$300]; 6. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [9][$250]; 7. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [13][$225]; 8. 7W-Tasker Phillips [16][$200]; 9. 9P-Rager Phillips [8][$200]; 10. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [12][$200]; 11. 15M-Bobby Mincer [15][$200]; 12. 7-Carson McCarl [14][$200]; 13. 19W-Bobby Weuve [17][$200]; 14. 71A-R.J. Johnson [6][$200]; 15. 7S50-Keoni Texeira [5][$200]; 16. 20-A.J. Moeller [11][$200]; 17. 75-Glen Saville [18][$200]; 18. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [2][$200]

World of Outlaws

Contact: Anthony Corini
World of Outlaws PR
408-825-3360 | acorini@dirtcar.com

Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article

Winner Donny Schatz (Dave Biro Photo)

Schatz Scores 12th Win of Year on Night One of the Brownells Big Guns Bash at Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, IA – June 29, 2018 – Even in June, Donny Schatz reigns supreme at Knoxville Raceway, as the 10-time Knoxville Nationals Champion led all 25 on the opening night of the Brownells Big Guns Bash to score his 12th World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series victory of the year. Ian Madsen and David Gravel completed the all World of Outlaws podium.

Schatz won the Sears Craftsman Dash, earning the pole for the 25-lap Feature alongside Australian and Knoxville regular Lynton Jeffrey. Schatz took command at the drop of the Green, but Jeffrey stayed right with the nine-time Series Champion until the first caution of the evening flew for Jordyn Brazier with three laps complete.

Six-time Knoxville winner in 2018 Brian Brown also headed to the work area with damage after heavy contact with the outside retaining wall. On the ensuing double-file restart, Schatz and Jeffrey made contact on the frontstretch with the latter going for a wild series of flips. Jeffrey emerged unscathed after the wild accident and brought the crowd to their feet with his endless positivity in his post-crash interview.

Schatz continued to lead on the restart with Brooke Tatnell assuming the runner-up position. With momentum on the bottom, Schuchart took second from Tatnell on Lap 10.

Brothers Ian and Kerry Madsen waged war for multiple laps behind them for the fourth position before younger brother Ian solidified himself in the position. Ian wasn’t done there as he reeled in both Tatnell and Schuchart to take second with five laps remaining. But there was no catching Donny Schatz tonight, as he was never truly challenged after the Lap 3 restart going on to win by 3.809 seconds for the 12th time in 2018.

The first thing Schatz did in Victory Lane was get on the wing and throw up the 41 in honor of Jason Johnson. “It’s been a very shocking week. I’m glad to be standing here tonight, words can’t describe it,” an emotional Schatz said before thanking his entire Textron Off Road team.

“My guys are incredible, I am blessed to be able to drive this thing. It’s great to win at Knoxville,” Schatz said next to his Tony Stewart Racing No.15. Two-time Knoxville Raceway Champion and the leading contender for Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Ian Madsen matched his season-best effort with his second-place finish.

“I had a great race car. I took a little while to get going, but [Kyle] Ripper and the guys gave me a fun car to drive tonight. It’s awesome to come back to Knoxville and have a solid showing and put the car up front,” Madsen said.

David Gravel charged from 11th to complete the all World of Outlaws podium and was pleased with his end to the evening. “We missed it a little bit in Qualifying, but after that, we were really good. We had a good car in the Heat Race and I think if we started closer to the front tonight, we could have contended,” the driver of the CJB Motorsports No.5 said.

Kerry Madsen and Logan Schuchart completed the top five with Shane Stewart, whose team was wearing Jason Johnson’s crew uniforms, getting the KSE Hard Charger honors coming from 20th to finish sixth. The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series return to Knoxville Raceway tomorrow night to with the completion of the Brownells Big Guns Bash weekend at the Sprint Car Capital of the World. If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.com!

Results from Knoxville Raceway on June 29, 2018:

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1][$10,000]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [5][$5,000]; 3. 5-David Gravel [11][$3,000]; 4. 2M-Kerry Madsen [7][$2,700]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4][$2,500]; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [20][$2,200]; 7. 55-Brooke Tatnell [3][$2,000]; 8. 2KS-Austin McCarl [12][$1,800]; 9. 83-Cory Eliason [10][$1,600]; 10. 49-Brad Sweet [15][$1,450]; 11. 83H-Justin Henderson [23][$1,300]; 12. 24-Terry McCarl [8][$1,200]; 13. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [9][$1,100]; 14. 56N-Davey Heskin [19][$1,000]; 15. 21-Brian Brown [6][$950]; 16. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [22][$900]; 17. 1A-Jacob Allen [13][$850]; 18. O9-Matt Juhl [17][$750]; 19. 9-Daryn Pittman [18][$725]; 20. 7S-Jason Sides [14][$700]; 21. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [21][$700]; 22. 21AU-Jordyn Brazier [24][$700]; 23. W20-Greg Wilson [25][$]; 24. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [16][$700]; 25. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [2][$700]

Qualifying Flight-A: 1. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 15.147; 2. 15-Donny Schatz, 15.203; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen, 15.26; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 15.287; 5. 24-Terry McCarl, 15.306; 6. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 15.375; 7. 71-Giovanni Scelzi, 15.383; 8. 5-David Gravel, 15.391; 9. O9-Matt Juhl, 15.48; 10. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.504; 11. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 15.507; 12. 56N-Davey Heskin, 15.536; 13. W20-Greg Wilson, 15.611; 14. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 15.646; 15. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg, 15.654; 16. 7-Carson McCarl, 15.702; 17. 9P-Rager Phillips, 15.706; 18. 15M-Bobby Mincer, 16.034; 19. 85-Chase Wanner, 16.037; 20. 75-Glen Saville, 16.178

Qualifying Flight-B: 1. 18-Ian Madsen, 15.243; 2. 12-Lynton Jeffrey, 15.358; 3. 21-Brian Brown, 15.403; 4. 55-Brooke Tatnell, 15.408; 5. 83-Cory Eliason, 15.42; 6. 2KS-Austin McCarl, 15.437; 7. 9-Daryn Pittman, 15.441; 8. 83H-Justin Henderson, 15.533; 9. 21AU-Jordyn Brazier, 15.55; 10. 49J-Josh Schneiderman, 15.554; 11. 7S-Jason Sides, 15.582; 12. 19-Brent Marks, 15.584; 13. 3P-Sawyer Phillips, 15.59; 14. 2-Shane Stewart, 15.654; 15. 20-A.J. Moeller, 15.668; 16. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 15.695; 17. 7S50-Keoni Texeira, 15.749; 18. 71A-R.J. Johnson, 15.876; 19. 19W-Bobby Weuve, 16.494; 20. 3-Sammy Swindell, 16.666

Heat #1 - Flight (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 2M-Kerry Madsen [1]; 2. 24-Terry McCarl [3]; 3. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [4]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [2]; 5. O9-Matt Juhl [5]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [6]; 7. 9P-Rager Phillips [9]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [7]; 9. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [8]; 10. 85-Chase Wanner [10]

Heat #2 - Flight (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 3. 5-David Gravel [4]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [5]; 5. 56N-Davey Heskin [6]; 6. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [3]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7]; 8. 7-Carson McCarl [8]; 9. 15M-Bobby Mincer [9]; 10. 75-Glen Saville [10]

Heat #3 - Flight (B) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 18-Ian Madsen [1]; 2. 21-Brian Brown [2]; 3. 83-Cory Eliason [3]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [6]; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman [4]; 6. 3P-Sawyer Phillips [7]; 7. 21AU-Jordyn Brazier [5]; 8. 20-A.J. Moeller [8]; 9. 7S50-Keoni Texeira [9]; 10. 19W-Bobby Weuve [10]

Heat #4 - Flight (B) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [1]; 2. 55-Brooke Tatnell [2]; 3. 2KS-Austin McCarl [3]; 4. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [5]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [7]; 6. 83H-Justin Henderson [4]; 7. 19-Brent Marks [6]; 8. 7W-Tasker Phillips [8]; 9. 71A-R.J. Johnson [9]; 10. 3-Sammy Swindell [10]

Sears Craftsman Dash (6 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 2. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [1]; 3. 55-Brooke Tatnell [3]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5]; 5. 18-Ian Madsen [6]; 6. 21-Brian Brown [7]; 7. 2M-Kerry Madsen [8]; 8. 24-Terry McCarl [4]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [1][-]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [3][-]; 3. 83H-Justin Henderson [2][-]; 4. 21AU-Jordyn Brazier [4][-]; 5. 19-Brent Marks [6][$300]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7][$250]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [5][$225]; 8. 3P-Sawyer Phillips [8][$200]; 9. 9P-Rager Phillips [13][$200]; 10. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [9][$200]; 11. 7W-Tasker Phillips [12][$200]; 12. 7-Carson McCarl [11][$200]; 13. 71A-R.J. Johnson [16][$200]; 14. 7S50-Keoni Texeira [14][$200]; 15. 85-Chase Wanner [17][$200]; 16. 75-Glen Saville [19][$200]; 17. 20-A.J. Moeller [10][$200]; 18. 19W-Bobby Weuve [18][$200]; 19. 15M-Bobby Mincer [15][$200]; 20. 3-Sammy Swindell [20][$200]; Lap Leaders: Donny Schatz 1-25; KSE Hard Charger Award: 2-Shane Stewart[+14]

World of Outlaws

Contact: Anthony Corini
World of Outlaws PR
408-825-3360 | acorini@dirtcar.com

Rain Forces Cancellation of World of Outlaws Event at Farley Speedway

FARLEY, IA — June 22, 2018 —Continued heavy rain throughout the week that has left the pit area and the grounds flooded at Farley Speedway in Iowa, has led to the cancellation of the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series event originally scheduled at the track for Friday, June 22. The event will not be re-scheduled.

Those who bought tickets in advance will receive a full refund at the point of purchase.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series returns to action on Saturday, June 23 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin for the 9thAnnual Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial presented by Karavan Trailers.

For more information on tickets, visit www.slspromotions.com or call 815-344-2023.

World of Outlaws

Contact: Anthony Corini
World of Outlaws PR
408-825-3360 | acorini@dirtcar.com

Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article

Pittman Powers to 4th Win of Season at Nodak

MINOT, ND – June 17, 2018 – Daryn Pittman passed Cory Eliason on Lap 22 and never looked back, winning his fourth World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature of 2018 Sunday evening at Nodak Speedway. Pittman hounded the California native for the majority of the race before making the race-winning move in turn one. Pittman’s Kasey Kahne Racing teammate Brad Sweet finished second with Donny Schatz completing the podium.

Eliason won the Sears Craftsman Dash to earn the pole of the 30-lap Feature in his first career start at Nodak Speedway. Eliason powered away on the initial start, as Pittman maneuvered underneath front row starter David Gravell to take command of second down the backstretch of the opening circuit.

The lone caution of the event flew for Jack Croaker on Lap 5. Eliason again motored away on the ensuing restart as Pittman had his hands full with his KKR teammate Sweet. Sweet had the second position at the line on Lap 6, but Pittman muscled back underneath to take the position back the next lap.

Eliason set a strong pace out front in search of his second career Outlaw triumph. But as Eliason worked lapped traffic, the rest of the field closed in. At the halfway point, a blanket could be thrown over the top five.

Pittman reached Eliason’s tail tank on multiple occasions, looking for a way around the Roth Motorsports No.83. Pittman pulled even with Eliason in turn one on Lap 18, but the latter maintained the lead with momentum around the top down the backstretch.

Pittman got another run, this time on the top of three and four, that propelled his Ionomy-sponsored No.9 to the lead into turn one on Lap 22. From there, Pittman proved he was the class of the field, distancing himself and getting through lapped traffic like the veteran he is.

While Pittman pulled away, the war continued behind him. Sweet, Eliason, Schatz and Gravel all jockeyed for position in heavy traffic. Sweet, who at this point had lost his brakes completely, and Schatz shuffled Eliason back to fourth on Lap 25.

Out front though, it was all Daryn Pittman, who went on to win by more than three seconds for his fourth win of the year.

“My car was really good all night long from the moment we unloaded,” Pittman, who set Quick Time and won his Heat Race, said.

“The last few weeks we’ve really been hitting stride. I love winning before we have a week off and I love winning on Father’s Day, I am extremely blessed to travel with my wife and kids out here,” Pittman, the 2007 Outlaw winner at Nodak, added before thanking the large crowd for coming out on a Sunday.

Sweet was pleased with another runner-up finish.

“We were battling with Daryn and Cory the whole race, I actually lost brakes with around ten laps to go and I was just hanging on. You don’t realize how much you need brakes until they are gone,” Sweet said with a smile. “We’ll take another second place and move on to next week,” the Grass Valley, CA native added.

North Dakota’s own Donny Schatz was in good spirits after finishing third and thanked the large crowd for coming out on Father’s Day. “Obviously, we would have liked to get a win, but to be out here on Father’s Day in Minot was great. Thanks to all the fans for their support these past 25 years and for supporting dirt track racing,” Schatz added.

Last year’s winner at Nodak, David Gravel settled for fourth with Eliason getting shuffled back to fifth. Sheldon Haudenschild earned KSE Hard Charger honors coming from 13th to finish sixth. Logan Schuchart, Brent Marks, Ian Madsen and Dominic Scelzi completed the top ten at Nodak.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series continues its 40th Anniversary Season with its first trip to the newly-reconfigured Farley Speedway in Iowa in over 20 years Friday, June 22 before heading back into Wisconsin for a date at Beaver Dam Raceway on Saturday, June 23rd. If you can’t make it to the track, be sure to watch all the action LIVE on DIRTVision.com.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [3][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [4][$5,500]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [6][$3,200]; 4. 5-David Gravel [2][$2,800]; 5. 83-Cory Eliason [1][$2,500]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [13][$2,300]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart [7][$2,200]; 8. 19-Brent Marks [12][$2,100]; 9. 18-Ian Madsen [5][$2,050]; 10. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [8][$2,000]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [11][$1,500]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$1,200]; 13. 41-Jason Johnson [15][$1,100]; 14. 2-Shane Stewart [9][$1,050]; 15. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [17][$1,000]; 16. 7S-Jason Sides [16][$900]; 17. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [18][$800]; 18. W20-Greg Wilson [14][$800]; 19. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [19][$800]; 20. 20A-Jordan Adams [21][$800]; 21. 9N-Wade Nygaard [20][$800]; 22. 8-Jack Croaker [22][$800]; 23. 20L-Dusty Lawson [23][$800]; 24. 20-Kevin Lawson [24][$800]; Lap Leaders: Cory Eliason 1-21, Daryn Pittman 22-30; KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+7]

Qualifying: 1. 9-Daryn Pittman, 13.467; 2. 5-David Gravel, 13.507; 3. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.521; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.535; 5. 83-Cory Eliason, 13.588; 6. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.6; 7. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.651; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.651; 9. 2-Shane Stewart, 13.71; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.79; 11. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 13.793; 12. 41-Jason Johnson, 13.793; 13. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.795; 14. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.842; 15. 19-Brent Marks, 13.842; 16. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.904; 17. 6N-Greg Nikitenko, 13.938; 18. 13-Clyde Knipp, 13.944; 19. 20A-Jordan Adams, 13.984; 20. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 14.085; 21. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg, 14.109; 22. 9N-Wade Nygaard, 14.175; 23. 8-Jack Croaker, 14.337; 24. 20L-Dusty Lawson, 15.285; 25. 14-Bill Holler, 15.792; 26. 20-Kevin Lawson, 16.052

Heat #1 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [1]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [3]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [2]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [6]; 7. 20A-Jordan Adams [7]; 8. 14-Bill Holler [9]; 9. 9N-Wade Nygaard [8]

Heat #2 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 5-David Gravel [1]; 2. 83-Cory Eliason [2]; 3. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [4]; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser [3]; 5. W20-Greg Wilson [5]; 6. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [7]; 7. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [6]; 8. 8-Jack Croaker [8]; 9. 20-Kevin Lawson [9]

Heat #3 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [1]; 3. 2-Shane Stewart [3]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [5]; 5. 41-Jason Johnson [4]; 6. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [7]; 7. 20L-Dusty Lawson [8]; 8. 13-Clyde Knipp [6]

Sears Craftsman Dash (6 Laps): 1. 83-Cory Eliason [1]; 2. 5-David Gravel [2]; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 5. 18-Ian Madsen [4]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [5]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [1][-]; 2. 9N-Wade Nygaard [4][-]; 3. 20A-Jordan Adams [3][-]; 4. 8-Jack Croaker [5][-]; 5. 20L-Dusty Lawson [6][-]; 6. 20-Kevin Lawson [8][-]; 7. 13-Clyde Knipp [2][$300]; 8. 14-Bill Holler [7][$250]

World of Outlaws

Contact: Anthony Corini
World of Outlaws PR
408-825-3360 | acorini@dirtcar.com

Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article

Donny Schatz Continues Dominance at River Cities

GRAND FORKS, ND – June 15, 2018 – North Dakota’s own Donny Schatz continued his dominance at River Cities Speedway, passing race-long leader Kerry Madsen on Lap 25 to win his 11th World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature of 2018. It was Schatz’s sixth win in his last seven starts at the bullring. Brad Sweet came forward to finish second with Madsen settling for third.

The “Mad Man” Kerry Madsen won the Sears Craftsman Dash, earning the pole for the 40-lap Feature alongside Schatz. Local driver Austin Pierce brought out the first of many cautions in the lengthy event, flipping off the banking on the opening lap. Pierce, the 2017 NOSA Sprints Champion, was uninjured in the accident.

Madsen got the jump on the start once again, utilizing the bottom of the speedway as Schatz pounded the cushion. Lap 6 saw third-starting Austin McCarl go for a light tumble in turn four, bringing out the Red Flag once again. McCarl completed the race with a damaged top wing.

Four laps later, Cory Eliason and Jade Hastings bounced off the racing surface, bringing out another caution and keeping the leaders out of lapped traffic. On each restart, Schatz, on the top, was able to stay with Madsen for a lap or two before the Australian would distance himself on the bottom.

Sheldon Haudenschild’s Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No.17 lost power while running sixth on Lap 17, bringing out the caution. A caution on the ensuing double-file restart brought the field back to Green under single-file conditions.

Following that caution, for the first time, the leaders reached traffic on the bullring. Lapped cars were littered all over the racing surface. Madsen was able to clear the first few cars getting underneath them while remaining committed to the bottom. Schatz would follow suit on the bottom by some of the lappers, but the entire capacity crowd at River Cities Speedway knew the Tony Stewart Racing No.15 would be able to maintain speed on the cushion as well.

Schatz capitalized on Madsen’s inability to clear a slower car on the backstretch, powering around the No.2M off of turn four to lead Lap 25. Schatz used the same line to clear the lapped car before getting back to the bottom to protect the lead.

Brad Sweet followed Schatz on the cushion around Madsen as well and would line up next to Schatz with eight laps remaining after the caution flew for Jason Johnson. Schatz motored away on the restart and did the same thing on the final restart with four laps to go to win his 11th Feature of the 2018 campaign and extend his lead atop the Point Standings.

Sweet would finish 2.369 seconds behind the Fargo, ND native with Madsen settling for third.

“I kept trying that top and I knew if we got into traffic I might be able to make it work,” Schatz said in Victory Lane. When asked about the multitude of cautions, Schatz simply cited that they are part of racing, but the early cautions had him wondering how the track would change as the race would go on. The North Dakota native savored the emotion of the hometown victory saying, “You never know when your last win is going to be.”

Brad Sweet was upbeat about his runner-up finish. “We were fast, I had a couple of lines working in one and two. I would have liked to give Donny a better run for his money, but he never missed a mark out front. Eventually, we’ll figure out how to beat him here,” Sweet added with a smile.

Kerry Madsen led the first 24 laps but settled for third after losing the lead in lapped traffic. “I didn’t do a good enough job. I became immobile in traffic. I tried to play a patient game and I should have been more aggressive,” Madsen said honestly before thanking his team for giving him a great car.

Shane Stewart had a strong run coming from 11th to finish fourth with Daryn Pittman completing the top five. Dominic Scelzi charged from 21st to sixth, but Mark Dobmeier grabbed KSE Hard Charger honors coming from a provisional starting 25th to finish ninth. The massive crowd at River Cities was engaged all evening, especially when track regular Thomas Kennedy set Quick Time and won his Heat Race.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series continues its 40th Anniversary Season Sunday at Nodak Speedway in Minot, ND. If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.com!

Qualifying: 1. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, 10.367; 2. 17A-Austin McCarl, 10.434; 3. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 10.444; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen, 10.482; 5. 15-Donny Schatz, 10.502; 6. 49-Brad Sweet, 10.509; 7. 27-Chris Ranten, 10.519; 8. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 10.537; 9. 9-Daryn Pittman, 10.544; 10. 5-David Gravel, 10.567; 11. 83-Cory Eliason, 10.58; 12. 19L-R.J. Johnson, 10.639; 13. 19-Brent Marks, 10.669; 14. 8H-Jade Hastings, 10.671; 15. 2-Shane Stewart, 10.724; 16. 18-Ian Madsen, 10.75; 17. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 10.755; 18. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 10.779; 19. 41-Jason Johnson, 10.799; 20. W20-Greg Wilson, 10.799; 21. 6N-Greg Nikitenko, 10.804; 22. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 10.807; 23. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg, 10.81; 24. 2A-Austin Pierce, 10.835; 25. 10TRB-Bob Martin, 10.896; 26. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 10.897; 27. 20A-Jordan Adams, 10.976; 28. 26-Blake Egeland, 10.998; 29. 13-Clyde Knipp, 11.098; 30. 9N-Wade Nygaard, 11.103; 31. 55-Nick Ranten, 11.226; 32. 7S-Jason Sides, 11.339; 33. 8-Jack Croaker, 11.429; 34. 1AJ-Trevor Mell, 11.578; 35. 14-Tom Egeland, NT

Heat #1 (10 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [4]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5]; 6. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [6]; 7. 10TRB-Bob Martin [7]; 8. 13-Clyde Knipp [8]; 9. 8-Jack Croaker [9]

Heat #2 (10 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 17A-Austin McCarl [1]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 3. 5-David Gravel [3]; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6]; 5. 8H-Jade Hastings [4]; 6. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [5]; 7. 9N-Wade Nygaard [8]; 8. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [7]; 9. 1AJ-Trevor Mell [9]

Heat #3 (10 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 2M-Kerry Madsen [1]; 2. 83-Cory Eliason [3]; 3. 2-Shane Stewart [4]; 4. 41-Jason Johnson [5]; 5. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [6]; 6. 27-Chris Ranten [2]; 7. 20A-Jordan Adams [7]; 8. 55-Nick Ranten [8]; 9. 14-Tom Egeland [9]

Heat #4 (10 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 1A-Jacob Allen [1]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 3. 2A-Austin Pierce [6]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [4]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [8]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [5]; 7. 19L-R.J. Johnson [3]; 8. 26-Blake Egeland [7]

Sears Craftsman Dash (8 Laps): 1. 2M-Kerry Madsen [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 3. 17A-Austin McCarl [2]; 4. 83-Cory Eliason [7]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 6. 1A-Jacob Allen [4]; 7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [8]; 8. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [5]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [3][-]; 2. 19L-R.J. Johnson [2][-]; 3. 27-Chris Ranten [1][-]; 4. W20-Greg Wilson [4][-]; 5. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [7][$300]; 6. 10TRB-Bob Martin [6][$250]; 7. 20A-Jordan Adams [8][$225]; 8. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [5][$200]; 9. 13-Clyde Knipp [10][$200]; 10. 8-Jack Croaker [13][$200]; 11. 26-Blake Egeland [9][$200]; 12. 9N-Wade Nygaard [11][$200]; 13. 55-Nick Ranten [12][$200]; 14. 1AJ-Trevor Mell [14][$200]; 15. 14-Tom Egeland [15][$200];

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [2][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [5][$5,500]; 3. 2M-Kerry Madsen [1][$3,200]; 4. 2-Shane Stewart [11][$2,800]; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman [9][$2,500]; 6. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [21][$2,300]; 7. 18-Ian Madsen [16][$2,200]; 8. 19-Brent Marks [13][$2,100]; 9. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [25][$1,250]; 10. 5-David Gravel [10][$2,000]; 11. 83-Cory Eliason [4][$1,500]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [14][$1,200]; 13. 1A-Jacob Allen [6][$1,100]; 14. W20-Greg Wilson [24][$1,050]; 15. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [8][$1,000]; 16. 1S-Logan Schuchart [17][$900]; 17. 19L-R.J. Johnson [22][$800]; 18. 17A-Austin McCarl [3][$800]; 19. 8H-Jade Hastings [18][$800]; 20. 7S-Jason Sides [20][$800]; 21. 27-Chris Ranten [23][$800]; 22. 41-Jason Johnson [15][$800]; 23. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7][$800]; 24. 9N-Wade Nygaard [26][$]; 25. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [19][$800]; 26. 2A-Austin Pierce [12][$800]
Lap Leaders: Kerry Madsen 1-24, Donny Schatz 25-40;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 13JT-Mark Dobmeier[+16]

World of Outlaws

Contact: Anthony Corini
World of Outlaws PR
408-825-3360 | acorini@dirtcar.com

Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article

Donny Schatz Pockets $40,000 with AGCO Jackson Nationals Win

JACKSON, MN – June 9, 2018 – When big money is on the line, Donny Schatz and the Tony Stewart Racing No.15 team find an extra gear and that was the case on the final night of the AGCO Jackson Nationals at Jackson Motorplex. Schatz came from seventh and prevented a Jason Johnson sweep of the weekend, overtaking the Eunice, LA native on Lap 18 to capture the $40,000 prize. Johnson was resilient but settled for second with Brian Brown completing the podium.

After winning the first two nights of the AGCO Jackson Nationals, Jason Johnson won the Sears Craftsman Dash, earning the pole for the 40-lap Feature.

The Feature got off to a bumpy start with Ian Madsen bicycling in turn one and coming to a stop with rear end damage. Jason Johnson got the jump on the start and led the opening two laps before the lone Red Flag on the evening flew after Daryn Pittman received contact while running in the top five and slowed significantly into turn one leaving Cory Eliason nowhere to go, ending both of their evenings.

On the ensuing restart, Donny Schatz charged up to second only to be negated by a caution for Brad Sweet, who came to a stop backwards in turn two while running third. Sweet was able to make repairs and return to the rear of the field.

When action resumed, Johnson continued to lead as Schatz disposed of Brian Brown for second and set his eyes on Johnson.

Johnson continued to set a torrid pace on the cushion and reached lapped traffic by Lap 8. The majority of the slower cars were on the cushion, slowing Johnson’s pace and allowing the Nine-Time Series Champion to close in. Schatz began reeling in Johnson and made his move underneath for the lead on Lap 18. Once he took command, it was clear Schatz was the class of the field.

The final caution of the night flew on Lap 24, bunching the field together, putting Johnson on Schatz bumper. Schatz motored away on the restart and was proficient in traffic.

Johnson stayed with Schatz as the duo navigated traffic as rubber became more prominent on the racing surface. Johnson took a brief look underneath Schatz entering turn one with less than 5 laps to go and continued to close back in, crossing the line .637 seconds behind the Fargo, ND driver.

Schatz, who described himself as non-existent during the first two nights, came into the evening 11th in Jackson Nationals points and started the Feature from 7th.

“This race team is what the difference is,” Schatz said in Victory Lane when prompted about the improvement throughout the weekend. “We changed up a lot of little things and I felt as good as I have all weekend during Hot Laps tonight and it showed then and now,” Schatz added.

“This is awesome. The improvements here to the facility, grandstands and racing surface are amazing,” Schatz said after the race.

Jason Johnson finished second in the big one but established a new level of speed for his team during the AGCO Jackson Nationals. “When it comes to big races, Donny isn’t going to make any mistakes. Hats off to the track crew all weekend dealing with all the rain and thanks to everyone in the stands for sticking it out,” Johnson said.

Brian Brown completed the podium and echoed both Schatz and Johnson’s statements about the job Jackson Motorplex did this weekend. “This is an awesome event, they gave us a great track all weekend. We were pretty good,” Brown said before thanking the large Jackson crowd.

David Gravel finished fourth with Logan Schuchart completing the top five. Dominic Scelzi scored KSE Hard Charger honors coming from the Last Chance Showdown to finish 14th, although it was Brad Sweet putting on the passing clinic, charging back to seventh after going to the rear on Lap 2.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series continues its 40th Anniversary Season with a doubleheader in North Dakota starting Friday at River Cities Speedway and concluding Sunday at Nodak Speedway in Minot, ND. If you can’t make it to the track, be sure to watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.com!

Qualifying: 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 697; 2. 49-Brad Sweet, 678; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman, 677; 4. 21-Brian Brown, 633; 5. 3-Tim Kaeding, 624; 6. 5-David Gravel, 620; 7. 12-Lynton Jeffrey, 616; 8. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 612; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 605; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen, 605; 11. 15-Donny Schatz, 603; 12. 7S-Jason Sides, 595; 13. 2-Shane Stewart, 584; 14. 18-Ian Madsen, 580; 15. 83-Cory Eliason, 578; 16. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 562; 17. 83H-Justin Henderson, 556; 18. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 538; 19. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 529; 20. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg, 528; 21. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 525; 22. 2KS-Austin McCarl, 524; 23. 24-Terry McCarl, 521; 24. 19-Brent Marks, 499; 25. O9-Matt Juhl, 490; 26. 64-Scotty Thiel, 461; 27. 55-Brooke Tatnell, 433; 28. W20-Greg Wilson, 426; 29. 7-Carson McCarl, 420; 30. 16-Travis Whitney, 420; 31. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 414; 32. 13-Clyde Knipp, 406; 33. 17B-Bill Balog, 394; 34. 14-Jody Rosenboom, 367; 35. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 342; 36. 20-Brant O'Banion, 340; 37. 4X-Eric Schulz, 326; 38. O5-Colin Smith, 317; 39. 14K-Tori Knutson, 311; 40. 23W-Scott Winters, 222; 41. 19L-R.J. Johnson, 201; 42. 19P-Paige Polyak, 190

Heat #1 (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 3-Tim Kaeding [1]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 3. 2-Shane Stewart [3]; 4. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [5]; 5. 83H-Justin Henderson [4]; 6. O9-Matt Juhl [6]; 7. 7-Carson McCarl [7]; 8. 17B-Bill Balog [8]; 9. 4X-Eric Schulz [9]

Heat #2 (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 5-David Gravel [1]; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen [2]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [4]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [3]; 5. 2KS-Austin McCarl [5]; 6. 64-Scotty Thiel [6]; 7. 16-Travis Whitney [7]; 8. 14-Jody Rosenboom [8]; 9. O5-Colin Smith [9]

Heat #3 (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 2. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [1]; 3. 55-Brooke Tatnell [6]; 4. 83-Cory Eliason [3]; 5. 24-Terry McCarl [5]; 6. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [4]; 7. 7W-Tasker Phillips [7]; 8. 14K-Tori Knutson [9]

Heat #4 (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 7S-Jason Sides [2]; 2. 2M-Kerry Madsen [1]; 3. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [4]; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser [3]; 5. 19-Brent Marks [5]; 6. 20-Brant O'Banion [8]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [6]; 8. 13-Clyde Knipp [7]

Sears Craftsman Dash (6 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson [1]; 2. 21-Brian Brown [4]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 4. 5-David Gravel [6]; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 6. 3-Tim Kaeding [5]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz [7]; 8. 7S-Jason Sides [8]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 83H-Justin Henderson [1][-]; 2. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [2][-]; 3. 19-Brent Marks [5][-]; 4. 2KS-Austin McCarl [3][-]; 5. 17B-Bill Balog [13][$2,900]; 6. 24-Terry McCarl [4][$2,200]; 7. O9-Matt Juhl [6][$1,850]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [8][$1,800]; 9. 16-Travis Whitney [10][$1,750]; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [12][$1,700]; 11. 7W-Tasker Phillips [11][$1,650]; 12. 7-Carson McCarl [9][$1,600]; 13. 20-Brant O'Banion [15][$1,550]; 14. 14-Jody Rosenboom [14][$1,500]; 15. O5-Colin Smith [17][$1,450]; 16. 4X-Eric Schulz [16][$1,400]; 17. 14K-Tori Knutson [18][$1,350]; 18. 64-Scotty Thiel [7][$1,300]; 19. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [19][$1,250]

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [7][$40,000]; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [1][$20,000]; 3. 21-Brian Brown [2][$12,000]; 4. 5-David Gravel [4][$9,000]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9][$8,000]; 6. 3-Tim Kaeding [6][$7,000]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [3][$6,500]; 8. 2-Shane Stewart [13][$6,000]; 9. 7S-Jason Sides [8][$5,500]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$5,000]; 11. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [11][$4,000]; 12. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [17][$3,700]; 13. 11K-Kraig Kinser [20][$3,600]; 14. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [22][$3,500]; 15. 19-Brent Marks [23][$3,400]; 16. 2M-Kerry Madsen [12][$3,300]; 17. 55-Brooke Tatnell [15][$3,200]; 18. 83H-Justin Henderson [21][$3,100]; 19. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [16][$3,000]; 20. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [14][$3,000]; 21. 2KS-Austin McCarl [24][$3,000]; 22. 9-Daryn Pittman [5][$3,000]; 23. 83-Cory Eliason [19][$3,000]; 24. 18-Ian Madsen [18][$3,000];
Lap Leaders: Jason Johnson 1-17, Donny Schatz 18-40;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 41S-Dominic Scelzi[+8]

World of Outlaws

Contact: Anthony Corini
World of Outlaws PR
408-825-3360 | acorini@dirtcar.com

Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article

Jason Johnson Wins Opening Night of the AGCO Jackson Nationals

JACKSON, MN – June 9, 2018 – Jason Johnson came from seventh and passed Daryn Pittman on Lap 16 on a lightning-fast surface at Jackson Motorplex to score his first World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature victory of the year on the opening night of the AGCO Jackson Nationals. Pittman settled for second with his Kasey Kahne Racing teammate Brad Sweet completing the podium.

Lynton Jeffrey broke the Jackson Motorplex track record in Qualifying and followed that up with a Heat Race victory and a dominating performance in the Sears Craftsman Dash to earn the pole for the 30-lap Feature alongside Daryn Pittman.

Jeffrey, in search of his first career Outlaw victory, led the opening lap after going wheel-to-wheel with Pittman the entire way around the 4/10th oval.

A caution for Matt Juhl with four laps complete lined Jeffrey and Pittman next to each other again. As he did on the original start, Pittman stayed right with the Australian while Jason Johnson went four wheels above the cushion in turns one and two to move into third. A caution the following lap for Cory Eliason bunched the field together and set up another double-file restart.

This time, Jeffrey got the front two tires up, axing all momentum, allowing Pittman to lead into turn one and Johnson to take second down the backstretch. Brad Sweet pounced into third the following lap, shuffling the early-race leader back to fourth. The final caution of the night came on Lap 9 when Scotty Thiel came to a stop.

Pittman controlled the restart and reached lapped traffic quickly on the heavy surface. Pittman cleared the first few lapped cars, but his Kasey Kahne Racing No.9 was visibly tightening up in lapped traffic. Johnson continued to lurk and got underneath Pittman for the lead coming to the line on Lap 16. Johnson distanced himself from Pittman, who now had his hands full with his teammate, Sweet.

Pittman and Sweet exchanged a pair of close-quartered slide jobs, with Pittman eventually able to re-solidify himself in the runner-up position. The battle between the two KKR cars allowed Johnson to check out.

The Eunice, LA native navigated traffic masterfully, as he was able to continually put his Jason Johnson Racing No.41 higher on the racing surface while maintaining speed. Johnson went on to win his first Feature of the year by 3.431 seconds.

“I did everything but turn over in the Dash, but I was able to find some grip up top. It’s an honor to be in Victory Lane and race in front of a huge crowd. It’s amazing what everyone at Jackson Motorplex has done with the facility,” an elated Johnson said. “We’ve been so close to victory this year, it’s great to get one. I always like the tracks that have a little more grip to them,” Johnson added with a smile.

Daryn Pittman was understandably disappointed after giving up the lead at the halfway point but acknowledged that Johnson was likely the superior car in the event. “Leading races and running second is always disappointing, but Jason did a great job. I’m happy with the speed we have had the past couple of weeks and to have another solid night,” Pittman said before echoing Johnson’s statement about the improvements at Jackson. “This place is really cool and we are all glad to be here, hopefully, Mother Nature will cooperate tomorrow.

Brad Sweet was content with his podium run, “Thinking of the big picture, we need to stay in the hunt. It’s good to have some points heading into tomorrow because you never know what you are going to get with a day show.”

David Gravel came from 12th to finish fourth, good enough for KSE Hard Charger Honors with Brian Brown completing the top-five. Jeffrey settled for sixth with Jason Sides, Donny Schatz, 14th-starting Dominic Scelzi and Ian Madsen completing the top ten.

The AGCO Jackson Nationals continue tomorrow afternoon with the make-up event from Thursday. Hot Laps are scheduled for 1pm local time. The doubleheader will be completed Saturday evening, as scheduled, with the Jackson Nationals Feature paying $40,000 to win and $3,000 to take the Green Flag. If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap on DIRTVision.com!

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson [7]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [2]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [3]; 4. 5-David Gravel [12]; 5. 21-Brian Brown [10]; 6. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [1]; 7. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [9]; 9. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [14]; 10. 18-Ian Madsen [6]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [11]; 12. 3-Tim Kaeding [13]; 13. 2-Shane Stewart [5]; 14. 2M-Kerry Madsen [18]; 15. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [22]; 16. 19-Brent Marks [19]; 17. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [16]; 18. 1S-Logan Schuchart [15]; 19. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [24]; 20. 1A-Jacob Allen [20]; 21. 83H-Justin Henderson [21]; 22. 64-Scotty Thiel [17]; 23. 83-Cory Eliason [8]; 24. O9-Matt Juhl [23];
Lap Leaders: Lynton Jeffrey 1-5, Daryn Pittman 6-15, Jason Johnson 16-30;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 5-David Gravel[+8]

Qualifying Flight-A: 1. 2-Shane Stewart, 12.99; 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 13.038; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman, 13.084; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.177; 5. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.179; 6. 83-Cory Eliason, 13.223; 7. 64-Scotty Thiel, 13.224; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.283; 9. 3-Tim Kaeding, 13.286; 10. 83H-Justin Henderson, 13.302; 11. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 13.32; 12. O9-Matt Juhl, 13.357; 13. 7-Carson McCarl, 13.416; 14. 19-Brent Marks, 13.49; 15. 23W-Scott Winters, 13.551; 16. 16-Travis Whitney, 13.585; 17. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 13.601; 18. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 13.75; 19. O5-Colin Smith, 13.777; 20. 4X-Eric Schulz, 14.212; 21. 14K-Tori Knutson, 14.73

Qualifying Flight-B: 1. 12-Lynton Jeffrey, 12.918; 2. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.003; 3. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.041; 4. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.082; 5. 21-Brian Brown, 13.099; 6. 5-David Gravel, 13.106; 7. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 13.113; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.127; 9. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 13.197; 10. 19P-Paige Polyak, 13.271; 11. 2KS-Austin McCarl, 13.274; 12. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg, 13.312; 13. 13-Clyde Knipp, 13.318; 14. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.323; 15. 19L-R.J. Johnson, 13.325; 16. 24-Terry McCarl, 13.334; 17. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.338; 18. 17B-Bill Balog, 13.341; 19. 55-Brooke Tatnell, 13.352; 20. 20-Brant O'Banion, 13.679; 21. 14-Jody Rosenboom, 13.877

Heat #1 - Flight (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 2-Shane Stewart [1]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [2]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 4. 3-Tim Kaeding [5]; 5. 64-Scotty Thiel [4]; 6. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [6]; 7. 7-Carson McCarl [7]; 8. 7W-Tasker Phillips [9]; 9. 23W-Scott Winters [8]; 10. O5-Colin Smith [10]; 11. 14K-Tori Knutson [11]

Heat #2 - Flight (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 41-Jason Johnson [1]; 2. 83-Cory Eliason [3]; 3. 11K-Kraig Kinser [2]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4]; 5. 19-Brent Marks [7]; 6. 83H-Justin Henderson [5]; 7. O9-Matt Juhl [6]; 8. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [9]; 9. 16-Travis Whitney [8]; 10. 4X-Eric Schulz [10]

Heat #3 - Flight (B) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [1]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [2]; 3. 21-Brian Brown [3]; 4. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [4]; 5. 2M-Kerry Madsen [5]; 6. 55-Brooke Tatnell [10]; 7. 2KS-Austin McCarl [6]; 8. 19L-R.J. Johnson [8]; 9. W20-Greg Wilson [9]; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [7]; 11. 14-Jody Rosenboom [11]

Heat #4 - Flight (B) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer: 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides [1]; 3. 5-David Gravel [3]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [4]; 6. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [6]; 7. 17B-Bill Balog [9]; 8. 20-Brant O'Banion [10]; 9. 19P-Paige Polyak [5]; 10. 24-Terry McCarl [8]

Sears Craftsman Dash (6 Laps): 1. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [2]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [5]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [8]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [1]; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [6]; 7. 41-Jason Johnson [3]; 8. 83-Cory Eliason [-]

C-Main (10 Laps) - Top 2 Transfer: 1. W20-Greg Wilson [2]; 2. 7W-Tasker Phillips [1]; 3. 55-Brooke Tatnell [6]; 4. 17B-Bill Balog [4]; 5. 14-Jody Rosenboom [10]; 6. 20-Brant O'Banion [8]; 7. 4X-Eric Schulz [7]; 8. O5-Colin Smith [5]; 9. 14K-Tori Knutson [9]; 10. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [3]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer: 1. 83H-Justin Henderson [1]; 2. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [3]; 3. O9-Matt Juhl [5]; 4. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [6]; 5. 2KS-Austin McCarl [4]; 6. 23W-Scott Winters [9]; 7. 7-Carson McCarl [7]; 8. 13-Clyde Knipp [8]; 9. 16-Travis Whitney [11]; 10. 24-Terry McCarl [12]; 11. 7W-Tasker Phillips [14]; 12. 19L-R.J. Johnson [10]; 13. W20-Greg Wilson [13]; 14. 19P-Paige Polyak [2]