Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com

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

OREGON VICTORY TRAIL: Brad Sweet slides to thrilling victory at Willamette Speedway
Sweets gets first Willamette Speedway win with late race slider on David Gravel

LEBANON, OR – Sept. 4, 2019 – Brad Sweet saw the collapse of a fruitful performance in less than a second during Wednesday night’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Feature at Willamette Speedway.

With lap cars slowing the Grass Valley, Calif.-native’s progress, David Gravel threw a slide job underneath them all into turn one and exited the corner with the lead. After leading 25 of the 30 laps, Sweet was forced to watch defeat drive away from him.

He wasn't willing to settle for second, though. Not now. Not this late in the season.

The next time into turn one Sweet wasn’t forgiving with the throttle. Or his car. He dove to the bottom of the corner and slid the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 car up across the track, directly in front of Gravel, nearly making contact with the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 car.

But it was the winning move. Sweet led to the end, picking up his first Willamette Speedway victory and 13th World of Outlaws win of the year – 47th career victory overall.

“I’m just glad I led the last one,” Sweet said. “I about gave it away in lap traffic. It’s nice to get this NAPA Auto Parts car back in Victory Lane. We’ve had a great season. When you have a great season and you go on a little winless streak it kind of feels like the world is ending.”

The winless streak was eight races – about a month’s time. Many drivers are on longer winless droughts, but in those eight races Sweet lost the points lead to 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz and struggled to find the podium at times – an uncommon characteristic for he and his Kasey Kahne Racing team.

The pairing looked back in traditional form at the Oregon track. Sweet started the night by setting Quick Time – five hundredths of a second off the track record he set in 2016. He then finished second in his Drydene Heat race and won the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash.

Sweet jolted to the lead at the start of the 30-lap Feature, but Gravel never let the “Big Cat” out of his sight. The Watertown, Conn.-native stayed within a second to half of a second gap behind Sweet throughout the race.

Lap traffic came into play on Lap seven, but every time a slower car would obstruct Sweet’s run around the high side of the track – allowing Gravel to close on him – Gravel would also face the same issue once having to deal with the lap car himself.

However, with five laps to go, Sweet found himself stuck behind the slower cars of Brent Marks and Jessie Attard going into turn one. The two cars blocked the top lane, forcing Sweet to hammer the brakes and kill his momentum into the turn. That allowed Gravel to dive into the turn and exit off the bottom with the lead.

“I miss judged how slow that fifty-three (car) was going,” Sweet said. “Brent got kind of tangled up with him and I basically had to stop. I was stopped up by the cushion and I knew I was in a bad spot. It wasn’t surprising to see David go by there.”

With the hunger and determination to win again, Sweet said Gravel left the door open the next time around and he threw the power slider at him to take back the lead. Gravel tried to throw another slide job at Sweet with three laps to go but couldn’t slide up in front of the No. 49 car in time. Sweet went on to claim the victory.

Looking back on the race, Gravel has an idea of what he could have done differently.

“Maybe just throw a bomb on him like he gave me back there,” Gravel said. “It’s just one of those things that you’ve got to put moves on guys to win these races. I was just a little nice. He put a big boy move on me and I should’ve done the same back.”

While Gravel and Sweet dueled for the lead, Ian Madsen found his way back to a podium finish – finishing third – and picked up the KSE Hard Charger award by racing from his sixth-place starting position.

“It’s been quite frustrating as of late because we’ve had a lot of car speed, just not luck on our side,” Madsen said. “Just to get on the podium is awesome, especially starting a couple of rows back like we did.”

Schatz finished fourth, allowing Sweet to gain eight points on the reigning champion and continue to keep the battle for the championship tight – now 28 points separating them with 21 races to go this season.

The win couldn’t have come at a better time for Sweet, too, with the Series spending the next five races in his home state of California.

“It’s a good win for us,” Sweet said. “We needed a little confidence booster. These races aren’t easy to win. Even though sometimes they’re easier than others. Tonight was no easy task, even though we started on the pole. The track wasn't super conducive to passing. But it all comes down to lap traffic and I think years of experience has helped me figure out how to finish these things off.”

UP NEXT:

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7, will be at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. for the Gold Cup Race of Champions.

As always, if you can’t make it to the race, you can watch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.

Race Results: 9/4/19 – Willamette Speedway

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$8,000]; 2. 41-David Gravel [2][$4,000]; 3. 18-Ian Madsen [6][$2,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$2,200]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7][$2,100]; 6. 5-Shane Stewart [4][$2,000]; 7. 83-Daryn Pittman [5][$1,800]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [10][$1,600]; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser [12][$1,500]; 10. 19-Brent Marks [8][$1,300]; 11. 2-Carson Macedo [11][$1,200]; 12. 44W-Austen Wheatley [15][$1,100]; 13. 53-Jessie Attard [14][$1,000]; 14. 7S-Jason Sides [13][$700]; 15. 1A-Jacob Allen [9][$600]; 16. 75-Brian Boswell [16][$600]; 17. 7-Gravy Fairfield [17][$600];
Lap Leaders: Brad Sweet 1-25, 27-30; David Gravel 26;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 18-Ian Madsen[+3]

Qualifying – 1. 49-Brad Sweet, 11.563; 2. 41-David Gravel, 11.597; 3. 5-Shane Stewart, 11.63; 4. 18-Ian Madsen, 11.672; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman, 11.698; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 11.816; 7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 11.832; 8. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.833; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen, 11.845; 10. 7S-Jason Sides, 11.888; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 11.889; 12. 19-Brent Marks, 11.891; 13. 2-Carson Macedo, 11.914; 14. 44W-Austen Wheatley, 11.994; 15. 53-Jessie Attard, 12.283; 16. 75-Brian Boswell, 13.218; 17. 7-Gravy Fairfield, 14.127

DRYDENE Heat #1 (8 Laps) – 1. 5-Shane Stewart [2]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 3. 83-Daryn Pittman [3]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [4]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [5]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [6]; 7. 2-Carson Macedo [7]; 8. 53-Jessie Attard [8]; 9. 7-Gravy Fairfield [9]

DRYDENE Heat #2 (8 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 3. 18-Ian Madsen [2]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [6]; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser [3]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [5]; 7. 44W-Austen Wheatley [7]; 8. 75-Brian Boswell [8]

DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (6 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 41-David Gravel [3]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 4. 5-Shane Stewart [2]; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman [5]; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [6]

Qualifier (8 Laps) – 1. 83-Daryn Pittman [1][-]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [2][-]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [3][-]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [4][-]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [5][-]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [7][-]; 7. 2-Carson Macedo [9][]; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6][]; 9. 7S-Jason Sides [8][]; 10. 53-Jessie Attard [11][]; 11. 44W-Austen Wheatley [10][]; 12. 75-Brian Boswell [12][]; 13. 7-Gravy Fairfield [13][]

Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com

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

LABORING VICTORY: Daryn Pittman wins Labor Day race at Grays Harbor Raceway
With his 84th career victory, Pittman has tied his hero Stevie Smith on the all-time wins list

ELMA, WA – Sept. 2, 2019 – Daryn Pittman has matched his childhood hero.

With a dominating performance Monday night at Grays Harbor Raceway, Pittman earned his 84th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory – tying his idol Stevie Smith on the all-time wins list.

“That’s pretty cool,” Pittman said. “That’ll take a little while to sink in.”

Smith had two wins at Grays Harbor. Pittman’s victory was his first at the raceway, and his third win of the 2019 season with Roth Motorsports.

It took seven months – since his 83rd win in February – and 30 grueling laps around 3/8-mile raceway to get win number 84.

He put himself in position to get the victory by first winning his Drydene Heat race and then finishing second in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash behind fellow Oklahoma driver Shane Stewart. Like Pittman, Stewart was eager for another win – having not won since June.

Their desperation to hold the checkered flag again manifested in the first three laps. They drag raced past the soaring green flag; their bumpers aligned. Sailing into turn one, Stewart went low, Pittman high. The Killer Instinct Crossbows No. 5 car edged Pittman by half a car into the corner and on exit.

Carrying more momentum off turn two, Pittman crept his way alongside Stewart down the backstretch. Before entering turn three the two almost made contact forcing Pittman to halt his run. The lead was now in Stewart's control.

Pittman had let too many victories slip through his fingers. He wasn’t going to let another opportunity drive away. He powered back to the outside of Stewart in turn one and kept alongside him down the backstretch.

Knowing Pittman was there, Stewart launched his car to the bottom of the track in turn three. Pittman stayed high, allowing himself to build momentum around the top and dive underneath Stewart on the exit of the turn. They again drag raced side by side down the front stretch. When turn one approached, Pittman stayed in the throttle, darting past Stewart for the lead on Lap 3.

The Roth Enterprises No. 83 car then began to pull away. However, a few laps later Pittman slid out of the racing groove into loose dirt in turn two, sending his car sideways. Dancing with the throttle and steering wheel, he worked his way out of the mistake. But Stewart was now back within striking distance.

On Lap 11 Stewart was side by side with Pittman due to a caution for a slowing Jason Sides. When the race restarted, Pittman accelerated back in front of the field. Stewart was no longer behind him, though. An aggressive Carson Macedo snuck his way by Jacob Allen and Stewart on the restart to move into second.

The rookie wasn't able to keep pace with the determined veteran. Pittman pulled away to a comfortable lead. On Lap 19 he was again forced to give it up. Stewart came to a stop in turn four due to power steering issues and brought out the caution.

On the restart, Macedo gave Pittman a scare. The California-native stayed with him down the front stretch and held onto his bumper down the backstretch before diving underneath the No. 83 car into turn three. The high side continued to favor Pittman, though. He used the available grip to launch ahead of Macedo and maintain his throne as the leader.

“I gave away a chance at winning forty grand at Jackson (Motorplex) by choosing the outside, and trust me that’s haunted me for a while and the next race I’m going to lose by choosing the inside, and I told myself that,” Pittman said. “Won the first restart against Shane and never saw him and Carson scared the crap out of me there on the last one.”

With Pittman pulling away to more than a second lead, Macedo had to turn his attention to fending off 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz. The reigning champion worked his way around Macedo for second on Lap 23, but the Kyle Larson Racing driver was ready for a brawl to the finish.

Macedo powered through the ruts in the track to keep pace with Schatz and capitalized on the North Dakota driver’s slip up with three laps to go to move back into second. With an 11th championship on the line and the season quickly coming to an end, Schatz is not willing to give up points. He stalked Macedo in the closing laps and snuck his way by him on the final lap to finish in the runner-up spot for the second night in-a-row.

“That’s the way it goes,” Schatz said. “We had to race our way there. At one point we were back in fifth or sixth. To get back up there is good. Consistency wins races. We’ll keep plugging away.”

Macedo admitted he made a mistake by staying up high in the closing laps, allowing Schatz to get back by him. However, he is happy with a podium finish in his first appearance at Grays Harbor Raceway.

Mistakes have haunted Pittman since February when he lost the lead on the final lap at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas. After winning the two season opening races at Volusia Speedway Park, he expected more wins to follow soon after. Many strong runs did, including his first podium finish at the Knoxville Nationals. But no wins.

That changed in August. The weight of not winning was first lifted off his shoulders when he won a non-World of Outlaws $20,000-to-win race at Southern Iowa Speedway. He carried that momentum throughout the month and into September to finally get his 84th career World of Outlaws win.

“Winning the front row challenge (in Iowa) was big for us as a team, just that we could win and it paid good,” Pittman said. “Then to back it up here pretty shortly with an Outlaw win. I feel like we’ve been a top-five, top-three car every night since we left Knoxville. I think momentum is on our side and I don’t think we’re the best team by any means on the road right now, but I think we’re a top three-four contender and if we can do that hopefully wins will follow.”

His next win will mark another crowning achievement. Surpassing his childhood hero's record.

UP NEXT:

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Wednesday, Sept. 4, will be at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore.

As always, if you can’t make it to the race, you can watch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.

Race Results: 9/2/19 – Grays Harbor Raceway

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 83-Daryn Pittman [2][$8,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$4,000]; 3. 2-Carson Macedo [5][$2,500]; 4. 41-David Gravel [3][$2,200]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [9][$2,100]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7][$2,000]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [11][$1,800]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [6][$1,600]; 9. 18-Ian Madsen [13][$1,500]; 10. 18S-Jason Solwold [8][$1,300]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [15][$1,200]; 12. 7S-Tim Kaeding [10][$1,100]; 13. 19-Brent Marks [16][$1,000]; 14. 44W-Austen Wheatley [12][$700]; 15. 53-Jessie Attard [14][$600]; 16. 5-Shane Stewart [1][$600]; 17. 7-Jason Sides [17][$600];
Lap Leaders: Shane Stewart 1-2, Daryn Pittman 3-30;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+4]

Qualifying – 1. 1A-Jacob Allen, 11.809; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman, 11.835; 3. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.862; 4. 41-David Gravel, 11.871; 5. 18S-Jason Solwold, 11.88; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 11.912; 7. 5-Shane Stewart, 11.965; 8. 2-Carson Macedo, 11.978; 9. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 12; 10. 18-Ian Madsen, 11.94; 11. 7S-Tim Kaeding, 12.01; 12. 19-Brent Marks, 12.045; 13. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.075; 14. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.174; 15. 53-Jessie Attard, 12.241; 16. 7-Jason Sides, 12.267; 17. 44W-Austen Wheatley, 12.386

DRYDENE Heat #1 (8 Laps) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 2. 5-Shane Stewart [4]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen [1]; 4. 18S-Jason Solwold [3]; 5. 7S-Tim Kaeding [6]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [7]; 7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5]; 8. 44W-Austen Wheatley [9]; 9. 53-Jessie Attard [8]

DRYDENE Heat #2 (8 Laps) – 1. 83-Daryn Pittman [1]; 2. 41-David Gravel [2]; 3. 2-Carson Macedo [4]; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser [3]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [7]; 6. 19-Brent Marks [6]; 7. 18-Ian Madsen [5]; 8. 7-Jason Sides [8]

DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (6 Laps) – 1. 5-Shane Stewart [3]; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman [2]; 3. 41-David Gravel [4]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 5. 2-Carson Macedo [5]; 6. 1A-Jacob Allen [6]

Qualifier (8 Laps) – 1. 2-Carson Macedo [2][-]; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen [1][-]; 3. 11K-Kraig Kinser [4][-]; 4. 18S-Jason Solwold [3][-]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [9][-]; 6. 7S-Tim Kaeding [5][-]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [6][]; 8. 44W-Austen Wheatley [11][]; 9. 18-Ian Madsen [10][]; 10. 53-Jessie Attard [13][]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [7][]; 12. 19-Brent Marks [8][]; 13. 7-Jason Sides [12]

Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com

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

TWO FOR ONE: Logan Schuchart sweeps Skagit Speedway doubleheader
Shark Racing’s Schuchart pockets $15,000 payday with sixth win of the season

ALGER, WAS – Aug. 31, 2019 – A small fire lit underneath Logan Schuchart’s car.

There were three laps go. Schuchart the leader – looking to win back to back World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series races at Skagit Speedway Saturday night. He had led all 37 laps, fending off constant attacks by Brad Sweet.

The yellow and orange flame illuminated the gap under the tail tank.

Schuchart had already dealt with overheating issues, leaking copious amounts of liquid onto the track during an earlier red flag. Luck was trying its best to keep him from winning his sixth race of the year.

The Pennsylvanian didn’t need luck, though. He had speed. Plenty of it.

With a few quick jabs to the throttle the rear end fire was out. The worry of overheating, none existent. When the green flag flew for the final time Schuchart saw nothing in front of him expect the checkered flag three laps later.

He swept the weekend doubleheader at the 3/10-mile. Won the $15,000 payday – $23,000 in total between the two days. Won his sixth race of the season – further surpassing his previous single season win record of four. And broke his grandfather, and car owner, Bobby Allen’s record for most wins in a single season – five.

“If you would’ve told me a couple of years ago or at the beginning of this year you’re going to be winning a couple of races in-a-row and have six wins on the season... you know, I knew it was something we were capable of doing,” Schuchart said. “I’m just really proud of this team. It’s awesome to get big wins like this.”

Friday night he led all 30 laps en route to the victory. Saturday night he did the same, but with 10 more laps. Unlike Friday night, though, where Schuchart stretched his lead throughout the race, Sweet made Schuchart work for his second win at Skagit Speedway.

The start of Saturday's 40-lap Feature was almost a mirror image of Friday night’s race. Schuchart drag raced side by side with polesitter Tim Kaeding down the front stretch on the initial start. The two stayed that way into the corner, but Schuchart, riding the high line, had the better grip. He rocketed by Kaeding for the lead down the backstretch.

While Schuchart pulled away, catching lap traffic on Lap six for the second night in-a-row, Californians Kaeding and Sweet were the show for the opening eight laps. The two raced side by side, lap after lap, corner after corner. Kaeding ran high, while Sweet threw dive bombs to the bottom each lap.

Kaeding eventually put distance between he and Sweet, but a lapped car hindered his run off turn two, allowing Sweet to stay in the throttle and dive underneath him again in turn three. This time it worked for the “Big Cat.” Sweet cleared Kaeding off turn four on Lap eight and began to hunt Schuchart.

It wasn’t much longer before Sweet was to Schuchart’s bumper with the help of a caution on Lap 12 for Kraig Kinser spinning in turn two. However, the Drydene No. 1s car accelerated better than Sweet on the restart and pulled away with the lead by several car lengths. Once Schuchart hit lapped traffic again a few laps later, Sweet was able to make up ground.

On Lap 23 Sweet was close enough to throw a Hail Mary slide job into turn one, sliding up in front of Schuchart by turn two. The Shark Racing driver was ready for it, though. He held his line and charged underneath Sweet on the exit of the corner, making slight contact with the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 car before reclaiming the lead.

“I tried to cross back underneath him and he kind of blocked me a little bit and we kind of touched,” Schuchart said. “I was just happy to get back by him. As the race went on I felt like I had a line that felt good to me that I could make moves but also defend myself.”

Sweet tried the same move again four laps later, but didn’t have enough of a run this time to put his car in front of Schuchart. He slid up next to the No. 1s car and then watched it drive away down the backstretch. It was the closest he was going to get to trying to pass Schuchart, even with several late cautions.

“We sure did try,” Sweet said. “Every time we timed it pretty good in traffic Logan was able to counter. We made a little contact that one time, but it was all hard racing. I knew I needed to get the lead and kind of went a little too hard and burned up my tire. The track was really aggressive when you’re running high.”

Behind Schuchart and Sweet, Kaeding, Donny Schatz and Daryn Pittman had a fierce battle for third-place. The three drivers traded slide jobs, dive bombs and dueled all race long for the position. Schatz eventually bested the two with aggressive maneuvers to take the spot. Those moves further paid off on a late restart with three laps to go. Schatz snuck his way by Sweet to end the race in second.

“It’s (the season) winding down,” Schatz said. “You want to get the best finishes you can when you can’t win. Logan was obviously really good and set a pretty good pace. I pretty much used everything up getting to that point. It was pretty aggressive up there (on the high side) on the tires. I tried to save as much as I could, but at the end I was sliding and moving around a bit and that’s what got us the spots we got.”

Schuchart had more than a second gap between he and the 10-time Series champion when he passed the flag stand for the final time to pick up his sixth win of the season. His goal at the beginning of the year was to tie his grandfather’s record for most wins in a year. In one weekend he did that and then beat it.

“That’s pretty good,” Bobby Allen said with a grin. “I’m glad for him. He’s doing good. He’s doing a good job of setting the car up. He’s thinking good. Driving good. We had a little trouble at Eldora with the motor stumbling. We think we got that cured and I think that’s helping us because I noticed he took off hard on the restarts and that made it hard for Sweet to slide him on the start. So, I’m happy about everything right now.”

He’s especially happy about winning $8,000 Friday night and $15,000 Saturday night. It goes a long way for the two-car operation.

“It definitely helps,” Allen said. “What we do is we go into the hole pretty deep, Drydene is a big help, but we go into a hole pretty deep, after Knoxville we start paying our bills off. We’re getting close to getting them all paid off and start working on next year.”

To Schuchart, having his grandfather by his side while he accomplishes his goal means a lot to him, he said. The performance he and his Shark Racing team have had this year is exciting, too.

“To say I’m proud of them is an understatement,” Schuchart said. “Everybody from the top down that’s a part of this, that’s helped from the beginning, I know they’re all smiling in Pennsylvania. It’s pretty cool.

“We just want to keep the momentum going. We want to build with it. Keep building this team up to where it can be the best and eventually win a championship. The last couple weeks showed we’re working toward that goal.”

A fire has been lit underneath the Shark Racing team and they want to keep it burning.

UP NEXT:

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Monday, Sept. 2, will trek to Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. Get tickets and more information.

As always, if you can’t make it to the race, you can watch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.

Race Results: 8/31/19 – Skagit Speedway

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2][$15,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$5,700]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4][$3,500]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [5][$3,000]; 5. 7S-Tim Kaeding [1][$2,600]; 6. 19-Brent Marks [8][$2,400]; 7. 2-Carson Macedo [11][$2,300]; 8. 41-David Gravel [7][$2,200]; 9. 18S-Jason Solwold [10][$2,150]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [9][$2,100]; 11. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [12][$1,600]; 12. 5-Shane Stewart [16][$1,350]; 13. 44W-Austen Wheatley [13][$1,300]; 14. 18-Ian Madsen [20][$1,200]; 15. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6][$1,100]; 16. 7-Jason Sides [15][$1,000]; 17. 23-Steve Parker [21][$900]; 18. 56-Justin Youngquist [17][$850]; 19. 53-Jessie Attard [14][$800]; 20. 8R-Justyn Cox [19][$800]; 21. 6-Tony Gualda [18][$800];
Lap Leaders: Logan Schuchart 1-40;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 18-Ian Madsen[+6]

Qualifying – 1. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.347; 2. 7S-Tim Kaeding, 11.392; 3. 49-Brad Sweet, 11.394; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 11.42; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman, 11.434; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 11.472; 7. 18S-Jason Solwold, 11.488; 8. 2-Carson Macedo, 11.493; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen, 11.516; 10. 41-David Gravel, 11.533; 11. 19-Brent Marks, 11.567; 12. 7-Jason Sides, 11.601; 13. 5-Shane Stewart, 11.604; 14. 18-Ian Madsen, 11.621; 15. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 11.637; 16. 44W-Austen Wheatley, 11.678; 17. 53-Jessie Attard, 11.71; 18. 6-Tony Gualda, 11.998; 19. 8R-Justyn Cox, 12.062; 20. 56-Justin Youngquist, 12.13; 21. 23-Steve Parker, 12.532

DRYDENE Heat #1 (10 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 3. 41-David Gravel [4]; 4. 18S-Jason Solwold [3]; 5. 44W-Austen Wheatley [6]; 6. 5-Shane Stewart [5]; 7. 8R-Justyn Cox [7]

DRYDENE Heat #2 (10 Laps) – 1. 83-Daryn Pittman [2]; 2. 7S-Tim Kaeding [1]; 3. 19-Brent Marks [4]; 4. 2-Carson Macedo [3]; 5. 53-Jessie Attard [6]; 6. 56-Justin Youngquist [7]; 7. 18-Ian Madsen [5]

DRYDENE Heat #3 (10 Laps) – 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser [2]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen [3]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5]; 5. 7-Jason Sides [4]; 6. 6-Tony Gualda [6]; 7. 23-Steve Parker [7]

DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (8 Laps) – 1. 7S-Tim Kaeding [1]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [3]; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman [6]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5]

Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com

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

SECOND NO MORE: Schuchart wins at Skagit Speedway
Logan Schuchart dominated the 30-lap event to win his fifth race of the season

ALGER, WA – Aug. 30, 2019 – Logan Schuchart always wanted to match his grandfather Bobby Allen’s win total in a single World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season – five.

For the Pennsylvania-native that number always stopped at four. He's had seven second-place finishes since his fourth win of the year in June. Always close. But never quite enough.

Until Friday night at Skagit Speedway. Schuchart claimed his first victory at the 3/10-mile speedway and the illustrious fifth win of the season.

“Having my grandfather by my side since the beginning, he’s the main part of why this team is where it is, and really everyone together, but he’s the boss, the man in charge,” Schuchart said. “The most Outlaw wins he had in a year was five, so that was my main goal at the beginning of the year to at least get that. It’s pretty cool to do that with him and the rest of our team.”

Schuchart and his Shark Racing team at first looked destined for another runner-up finish as the night progressed. He finished second to Kraig Kinser in his Drydene Heat race and then second to Kinser again in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash.

While Schuchart was hungry for another win this year, Kinser had his eye on his first victory since 2017.

In the Heat race and the Dash, Kinser got the jump on Schuchart at the start both times, able to clear the Drydene No. 1s down the backstretch and pull away to the win.

When the 30-lap Feature went green, Schuchart was ready. He stayed side by side with Kinser into the first turn. Kinser, on the bottom, edged Schuchart on the exit of turn two, but the Shark Racing driver had the better run on the outside and powered by the Mesilla Valley Transportation No. 11k for the lead.

Both drivers contributed the feat to larger fuel loads for the Feature.

“I got on the gas, got a little high, it really wasn’t that bad down the straightaways, but when I got into one it wouldn’t turn, I had to slow down too much and he ripped the top on me,” Kinser said.

Schuchart pulled away by several car lengths, but a caution two laps into the race brought Kinser back to his tail tank. On the restart the Pennsylvanian picked up where he left off. He rocketed in front of Kinser by almost two car lengths before entering turn one and then ran away with the lead.

Kinser said he couldn’t hang with Schuchart in traffic.

Schuchart caught the back of the field by Lap six, but the slower cars didn’t hinder his performance. He maneuvered around them with ease, never losing his quick pace. However, in the closing laps, Schuchart said he felt like he fell off a little bit.

“For the first half, three-quarters of the race I could run up on any car that is in front of me and run a different line and go right by them,” Schuchart said. “There at the end I caught up to Shane (Stewart), but I wasn’t gaining anymore. It’s hard to tell how close Kraig is. You’re just running your own race at that point.”

At the end of the 28- lap run to the finish, Schuchart crossed the finish line with a 4.6 second lead over Kinser.

“I’ve wanted to win here for a couple of years now, since we’ve been coming here,” Schuchart said.

While Schuchart celebrated breaking his streak of second-place finishes, Kinser was celebrating his runner-up finish. It was his fourth top-five of the year and first podium finish of the year, too.

“Struggled a little bit the last couple of weeks, but this feels pretty good,” Kinser said. “Obviously would’ve liked to have gotten the win, but just the way it goes. I’m happy we had a quick car from the time we unloaded to the checkered flag.”

Rounding out the podium was former full-time World of Outlaws driver and Burlington, Wash.-native Jason Solwold. He was also fast all night, making the Dash and then holding onto the third-place spot throughout the Feature.

“We definitely came out of the box good,” Soldwold said. “Third quick and third in the main event there, not too bad.”

Shane Stewart earned the KSE Hard Charger award by charging from last on the grid – 18th – to 13th. It was a small victory after flipping on the opening lap of his Heat race – that resulted in him throwing a few jabs at Carson Macedo, who had made contact with him.

David Gravel and his Jason Johnson Racing were the best out of the box to start the night by setting a new track record of 10.578 sec. – Gravel’s 14th Quick Time of the year. He broke his streak of consecutive podium finishes since winning the Knoxville Nationals, though, with a sixth-place finish. However, he was still able to gain points on 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz – who finished eighth.

Gravel is still third in points, now 102 points behind Schatz. California-native Brad Sweet, who sits second in points, also gain a little on the reigning champion by finishing fifth – now 24 points behind Schatz.

Schuchart – 298 points behind Schatz – knows it would be hard to get in the mix with the top three in points, but has his eye on fourth-place, currently held by Daryn Pittman. He’s currently 34 points behind him.

“We’re kind of close to Daryn there in points, it would be nice to see if we could get him,” Schuchart said. “My best finish in points is sixth, last year. We’re fifth right now, I’d like to get to fourth and stay consistent. Keep learning as a program.

“We had two new guys with Ron Helmick and Ben Whitman this year and they’ve improved tremendously since they’ve started. I just want to improve the team and keep building this team from what it was five years ago and keep heading in the right direction.”

Tying records with Bobby Allen is a good start.

UP NEXT:

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will return to Skagit Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 31, for the final night of the Series’ doubleheader at Alger, Wash. Track. For tickets call (360) 724-3567.

As always, if you can’t be there in person, you can watch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.

Race Results: 8/30/19 – Skagit Speedway

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2][$8,000]; 2. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1][$4,000]; 3. 18S-Jason Solwold [4][$2,500]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [3][$2,200]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6][$2,100]; 6. 41-David Gravel [5][$2,000]; 7. 7S-Tim Kaeding [8][$1,800]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [7][$1,600]; 9. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [12][$1,500]; 10. 83-Daryn Pittman [10][$1,300]; 11. 2-Carson Macedo [9][$1,200]; 12. 19-Brent Marks [11][$1,100]; 13. 5-Shane Stewart [18][$1,000]; 14. 44W-Austen Wheatley [17][$700]; 15. 53-Jessie Attard [14][$600]; 16. 7-Jason Sides [15][$600]; 17. 8R-Devon Borden [16][$600]; 18. 1A-Jacob Allen [13][$600]; 19. 56-Justin Youngquist [19][$600];
Lap Leaders: Logan Schuchart 1-30;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 5-Shane Stewart[+5]

Qualifying – 1. 41-David Gravel, 10.578; 2. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 10.607; 3. 18S-Jason Solwold, 10.621; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 10.679; 5. 2-Carson Macedo, 10.69; 6. 19-Brent Marks, 10.695; 7. 5-Shane Stewart, 10.709; 8. 49-Brad Sweet, 10.717; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen, 10.731; 10. 83-Daryn Pittman, 10.737; 11. 7S-Tim Kaeding, 10.764; 12. 15-Donny Schatz, 10.766; 13. 18-Ian Madsen, 10.785; 14. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 10.786; 15. 53-Jessie Attard, 10.938; 16. 8R-Devon Borden, 11.004; 17. 56-Justin Youngquist, 11.131; 18. 7-Jason Sides, 11.158; 19. 44W-Austen Wheatley, 11.172

DRYDENE Heat #1 (10 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [1]; 2. 18S-Jason Solwold [2]; 3. 2-Carson Macedo [3]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [7]; 5. 7S-Tim Kaeding [6]; 6. 1A-Jacob Allen [5]; 7. 53-Jessie Attard [8]; 8. 56-Justin Youngquist [9]; 9. 5-Shane Stewart [4]; 10. 44W-Austen Wheatley [10]

DRYDENE Heat #2 (10 Laps) – 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [6]; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman [5]; 6. 19-Brent Marks [3]; 7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7]; 8. 7-Jason Sides [9]; 9. 8R-Devon Borden [8]

DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (8 Laps) – 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 3. 18-Ian Madsen [6]; 4. 18S-Jason Solwold [3]; 5. 41-David Gravel [4]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [5]

Qualifier (10 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2][-]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [3][-]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [4][-]; 4. 7S-Tim Kaeding [5][-]; 5. 2-Carson Macedo [1][-]; 6. 83-Daryn Pittman [6][-]; 7. 19-Brent Marks [8][]; 8. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [10][]; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen [7][]; 10. 53-Jessie Attard [9][]; 11. 7-Jason Sides [12][]; 12. 56-Justin Youngquist [11][]; 13. 8R-Devon Borden [14][]; 14. 44W-Austen Wheatley [15][]; 15. 5-Shane Stewart [13][]

Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com

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

RIDING THE LIGHTNING: Gravel strikes again with win at Big Sky
David Gravel picks up his seventh win of the season, first Big Sky Speedway win

BILLINGS, MT – Aug. 24, 2019 – After winning the Knoxville Nationals two weeks ago David Gravel still wanted more.

He wanted to keep the momentum going. Keep winning.

Two podium finishes later, Gravel found himself back in World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Victory Lane at Big Sky Speedway Saturday night – his first win at the Montana track and seventh win of the season.

“It’s been an awesome year,” Gravel said. “To win the Knoxville Nationals and be strong with a second and third and win here since then, it’s been great.”

The Watertown, Conn.-native faced several challenges en route to his 46th career World of Outlaws victory. One uncontrollable and the others not much more forgiving.

With potential weather approaching the Billings, Mont. area, Features were swapped, cutting teams’ time to prepared by about 20 minutes.

Gravel had the privilege of starting second for the 35-lap Feature – a position he familiarized himself with all night. He finished second in his Drydene Heat race and then second in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash.

Logan Schuchart, who finished second to Gravel at the Knoxville Nationals, bested him in the Dash and then bested him on the start of the Feature. Schuchart took command on the initial start, jumping to the lead and pulling away from Gravel.

The Shark Racing driver caught lap traffic by Lap six, but was still able to maintain more than a second lead over Gravel. Both drivers rode the high side of the 3/8-mile track for the majority of the race. But near the halfway point, while Schuchart continued to run high, Gravel transitioned to the bottom.

With 18 laps to, Gravel eliminated Schuchart’s 1.6 second lead and snuck underneath the Drydene No. 1s. The two stayed side by side, wheel to wheel, for the next two laps. Their bumpers traded the lead turn after turn. However, the bottom eventually prevailed.

The Mesilla Valley Transportation No. 41 edged ahead of Schuchart with 16 laps to go.

“Top was kind of dominate all night,” Gravel said. “It was better to be running second there. I found the bottom and took the chance to go down there and it felt really good. I poked my nose on him (Schuchart) one time and luckily I got by him before he knew I was running the bottom.”

Schuchart said he knew Gravel was sneaking underneath him, but thought moving to the bottom would have hurt him rather than helped.

“I felt my car dying down, kind of quit working,” Schuchart said. “I knew he was on the bottom, but it was hard to turn and get back down to the bottom of the racetrack. I felt like if I did try to block him or take his line away I was going to lose more than I was going to gain.”

Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz followed Gravel’s line, shooting underneath Schuchart to take second on Lap 19. However, lapped traffic hindered Schatz’s charge and allowed Schuchart to power back around him to reclaim the runner-up spot the next lap.

Schatz and Schuchart then dueled as if they were fighting for the win in the remaining 15 laps. Lapped cars continued to bother Schatz, though. Every time he tried to dive underneath Schuchart, a lapped car blocked his exit off the corner.

Gravel faced his own battle with the lapped cars, having to navigate large packs of slower cars at a time. They didn’t slow him down, though. With three laps to go, Gravel had a 4.6 second lead over Schuchart.

Then, in the time it took for a quick flash of lightning far in the distance, Gravel’s lead was gone. A caution came out for a car spun in turn two.

The battle for the lead was going to come down to a brawl between Gravel, Schuchart and Schatz.

When the green flag flew for the final time Gravel showed just how strong he really was on the bottom. Gravel and Schuchart went low into the first turn, but Gravel made better use of the line, pulling away from Schuchart and the rest of the field by several car lengths.

Gravel cruised to the win, adding another floor to the tower of momentum he is building with his Jason Johnson Racing team.

“We were working all night on this car, struggling to find a balance and with the weather and getting this [Feature] done before the Street Stock [Feature] we were thrashing,” Gravel said. “These guys gave me a great race car. Just have to thank them for putting me in contention.”

Schuchart held on to finish second – his seventh runner-up finish since his last win in June – over third-place Schatz.

“Sometimes used tires aren’t bad. Tonight, we put a used one on that was already cut up and I think it just quit working in the middle of the race,” Schuchart said. “It’s really chunked up, ripped apart compared to Dave’s and Donny’s.”

Gravel’s win has inched him closer into the championship points battle. He is now 76 points behind second-place Brad Sweet and 106 points behind Schatz.

To make it a three-way battle for the title, Gravel knows he has to keep his momentum going. Wins help, too.

“Hopefully we’ll keep this up and keep the pressure on the front two guys,” Gravel said.

UP NEXT:

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Friday, Aug. 30, and Saturday, Aug. 31. will venture to Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Wash. For tickets, call (360) 724-3567.

As always, if you can’t make it to the race in person, you can watch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.

Race Results: 8/24/19 – Big Sky Speedway

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [2][$10,000]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1][$5,500]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$3,200]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [3][$2,800]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [8][$2,500]; 6. 83-Daryn Pittman [10][$2,300]; 7. 18-Ian Madsen [6][$2,200]; 8. 5-Shane Stewart [9][$2,100]; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser [13][$2,050]; 10. 2-Carson Macedo [5][$2,000]; 11. 7S-Jason Sides [11][$1,500]; 12. 19-Brent Marks [12][$1,200]; 13. 1A-Jacob Allen [7][$1,100]; 14. 37-Trever Kirkland [14][$1,050]; 15. 2JR-Kelly Miller [15][$1,000]; 16. 11-Mindy McCune [17][$900]; 17. 77-Damon McCune [16][$800]; 18. 88-Travis Reber [19][$800]; 19. 20-Mitchell Burns [18][$800]; 20. 29-Jay Burns [20][$800]; 21. 2X-Mike Manwill [21][$800];
Lap Leaders: Logan Schuchart 1-19, David Gravel 20-35;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 83-Daryn Pittman[+4]

Qualifying – 1. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.006; 2. 18-Ian Madsen, 12.01; 3. 2-Carson Macedo, 12.027; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.055; 5. 7S-Jason Sides, 12.098; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 12.105; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.11; 8. 41-David Gravel, 12.172; 9. 5-Shane Stewart, 12.195; 10. 83-Daryn Pittman, 12.208; 11. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.302; 12. 19-Brent Marks, 12.396; 13. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.564; 14. 37-Trever Kirkland, 13.119; 15. 2JR-Kelly Miller, 13.261; 16. 88-Travis Reber, 13.407; 17. 11-Mindy McCune, 13.449; 18. 20-Mitchell Burns, 13.725; 19. 77-Damon McCune, 13.841; 20. 29-Jay Burns, 13.632; 21. 2X-Mike Manwill, 14.074

DRYDENE Heat #1 (8 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen [2]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [4]; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5]; 6. 77-Damon McCune [7]; 7. 88-Travis Reber [6]

DRYDENE Heat #2 (8 Laps) – 1. 18-Ian Madsen [1]; 2. 41-David Gravel [3]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [2]; 5. 37-Trever Kirkland [5]; 6. 11-Mindy McCune [6]; 7. 29-Jay Burns [7]

DRYDENE Heat #3 (8 Laps) – 1. 2-Carson Macedo [1]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 3. 5-Shane Stewart [3]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [4]; 5. 2JR-Kelly Miller [5]; 6. 20-Mitchell Burns [6]; 7. 2X-Mike Manwill [7]

DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (6 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1]; 2. 41-David Gravel [2]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [3]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 5. 2-Carson Macedo [5]; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [6]

Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com

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

ROOKIE RISING: Macedo wins $20K NOS Energy Drink Showdown at Black Hills
Carson Macedo overtakes Shane Stewart on an early restart for the lead and powers to his third win of the season

RAPID CITY, SD – Aug. 23, 2019 – Carson Macedo’s goal entering his World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series rookie year was to run well each week and pick up a couple of wins by the end of the season.

Friday night at Black Hills Speedway for the $20,000-to-win NOS Energy Drink Rushmore Outlaw Showdown he picked up his third win of the season – in his first race at Black Hills – and second top-five in-a-row.

“It’s pretty cool,” Macedo said. “To win races was my main goal. I thought if I could get out here and win some races and at least show I could maybe have the speed to contend at one point that my team would get happy and we could all stick together for a few years. I think we can really build something great here.”

Macedo, of Lemoore, Calif., had speed with his Kyle Larson Racing team all night. He charged from sixth-place to second in his Drydene Heat race. Then followed that up with another runner-up finish in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash.

At the start of the 25-lap Feature, Macedo charged after the lead with the aggression of a hungry young cub. Hammering the throttle around the cushion, Macedo stayed side-by-side with polesitter Shane Stewart through the first turn. By the exit of turn two the two left inches between their tires, but Macedo never lifted and launched to the lead down the backstretch.

However, before Macedo could complete the first lap and make the lead change official, the red flag came out for Kevin Ingle flipping on his side in turn two.

When the race went green again, Stewart wasn’t going to let the rookie best him. He shot to the lead in front of Macedo into turn one. Daryn Pittman charged from fourth-place to third down the front stretch and tried a Hail Mary slide job into the first turn to take the lead, but Stewart and Macedo powered by him on the outside.

Stewart then held command of the lead for the next nine laps, putting close to a half of a track distance between he and Macedo. The Oklahoma-native was hungry and determined for a win. His last and only win his year came in June at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. But his joyride out front was cut short by a caution for Ian Madsen cutting a tire and hitting the wall with 16 laps to go.

The field lined back up two-by-two. When it did, Stewart chose the outside line. A mistake. Macedo got the better jump on the restart running the bottom and drove past Stewart down the front stretch.

“I obviously should have picked the bottom,” a dejected Stewart said after the race. “I felt like my right rear (tire) needed to be in grip. I slid my tires a little bit on the initial start and let Carson get a run on me. I didn’t want to do that again. My motor stumbled just a little bit, but it was enough for him to get a run on me.

“We haven’t been worth a crap in a long time and we finally have a good car and I flat just threw it away on the restart. Just can’t thank my guys enough. They’ve stuck through thick and thin and continue to work hard. Just messed up.”

Macedo pulled away from Stewart after taking the lead, but in the final few laps Stewart was putting together better laps than Macedo. On the final lap through the final corner, Macedo slid up the track, almost hitting the wall. That allowed Stewart to cut the lead in half.

But time ran out for the KI Crossbow No. 5. Macedo throttled his Chevrolet Accessories No. 2 past the waving checkered flag with a close to half a second lead.

“I was really struggling to get off of (turn) two,” Macedo said. “Then I’d get tight in turns three and four and I didn’t really know what to do. I know we started to fade there a little bit. I tried to keep my pace as best I could. My guys did a really good job. I say it all the time, this sport is weighed on mechanics and they do a really good job.”

Behind Macedo and Stewart, 2019 Knoxville Nationals winner David Gravel charged his was from sixth-place to third – his third podium finish in-a-row.

“I cost our team a win in the Dash,” said Gravel, who finished sixth in the Dash.

If he was able to start at least fourth in the Feature, he said he felt like he could have possibly contended for the win. However, his podium finished helped him gain points on the top two in the championship point standings.

With points leader Donny Schatz finishing seventh, Gravel currently sits 112 points back from the lead. Brad Sweet, who sits second in points, finished eighth and is 26 points behind Schatz.

Macedo had hoped to break into the top-five in points by the end of the year, but knows there’s an uphill battle to do so, sitting sixth in points, 160 points behind fifth-place. However, being able to grab big wins at tracks he’s never been to before, or only a few times, is a big confidence booster.

“It’s huge,” Macedo said. “It’s hard to win these Outlaw races. They’re not easy to win. These are the best drivers in the world. Your car has to be good. You have to be good. You have to make good decisions throughout the race. You have to have good starts. It all goes hand and hand. I think if we can continue to do that we’ll see ourselves up here more often.”

UP NEXT:

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Saturday, Aug. 24, will be at Big Sky Speedway in Billings, Mont. for The Brawl at Big Sky Speedway. Get tickets and more information.

As always, if you can’t make it to the race you can catch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.

Race Results: 8/23/19 – Black Hills Speedway

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 2-Carson Macedo [2][$20,000]; 2. 5-Shane Stewart [1][$5,500]; 3. 41-David Gravel [6][$3,200]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [4][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [8][$2,500]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3][$2,300]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz [5][$2,200]; 8. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$2,100]; 9. 19-Brent Marks [11][$2,050]; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser [13][$2,000]; 11. 18-Ian Madsen [10][$1,500]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen [12][$1,200]; 13. 7S-Jason Sides [9][$1,100]; 14. 3-Mike Pennel [17][$1,050]; 15. 4-Adam Speckman [16][$1,000]; 16. 2K-Kevin Ingle [14][$900]; 17. 88-Travis Reber [15][$800]; 18. 8X-Randy Dolberg [18][$800];
Lap Leaders: Shane Stewart 1-9, Carson Macedo 10-25;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 41-David Gravel[+3]

Qualifying – 1. 41-David Gravel, 14.824; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 14.905; 3. 5-Shane Stewart, 14.951; 4. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.013; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman, 15.013; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 15.014; 7. 7S-Jason Sides, 15.044; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen, 15.102; 9. 18-Ian Madsen, 15.105; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 15.114; 11. 15-Donny Schatz, 15.117; 12. 2-Carson Macedo, 15.134; 13. 19-Brent Marks, 15.171; 14. 2K-Kevin Ingle, 15.968; 15. 3-Mike Pennel, 16.992; 16. 88-Travis Reber, 17.046; 17. 4-Adam Speckman, 17.066; 18. 8X-Randy Dolberg, 18.101

DRYDENE Heat #1 (8 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [1]; 2. 5-Shane Stewart [2]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [6]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [3]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 6. 19-Brent Marks [7]; 7. 18-Ian Madsen [5]; 8. 3-Mike Pennel [8]; 9. 4-Adam Speckman [9]

DRYDENE Heat #2 (8 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1]; 2. 2-Carson Macedo [6]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [3]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [4]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5]; 7. 2K-Kevin Ingle [7]; 8. 88-Travis Reber [8]; 9. 8X-Randy Dolberg [9]

DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (6 Laps) – 1. 5-Shane Stewart [1]; 2. 2-Carson Macedo [3]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [6]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 6. 41-David Gravel [4]

Qualifier (12 Laps) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1][-]; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman [3][-]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4][-]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2][-]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [5][-]; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [9][-]; 7. 19-Brent Marks [7][]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [6][]; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser [8][]; 10. 2K-Kevin Ingle [10][]; 11. 88-Travis Reber [12][]; 12. 4-Adam Speckman [13][]; 13. 3-Mike Pennel [11][]; 14. 8X-Randy Dolberg [14]

Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com

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

BACK TO BUSINESS: Schatz claims championship advantage with River Cities victory
North Dakota’s Donny Schatz wins in home state, takes points lead

GRAND FORKS, ND – Aug. 16 – Unreal. That’s how North Dakota-native Donny Schatz described his World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series home state win Friday night at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.

“It feels good,” said Schatz with a heavy exhale of air.

Unreal traditionally has one meaning. For the 10-time Series champion it had many.

He claimed first home state win of the year with the World of Outlaws – eighth of the season and 291st overall. He swept the night winning in his Sprint Car and NLRA Late Model. And he reclaimed the points lead over Brad Sweet – now leading the Kasey Kahne Racing driver by 24 points.

The word could also define his path to the victory.

Schatz’s second-place finish in his Drydene Heat race put him into the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, which didn’t go as planned. He started fifth and finished in sixth-place – last.

He and his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing team tried something different for the Dash, he said. It didn’t work. They tried something else for the Feature, and it did.

Once the Feature went green, polesitter David Gravel, coming off his recent Knoxville Nationals victory, shot to the lead over second-place Brad Sweet. Schatz immediately went to fifth on the first lap.

Before the leaders could make their way around turn three the red flag was thrown and the race went into an Open Red. Nick Omdahl hit the wall coming off turn four, which bounced his car inches off the ground, and with help from another car, put his front end into the fence near the flag stand. It took 26 minutes to get his car untangled from the fence and repair the spot he hit.

Once the race went back green, Gravel again bolted to the lead. Schatz lost fifth-place to Sheldon Haudenschild and Mark Dobmeier looked underneath him in turn three to take sixth. But with a power move around the high side Schatz made a three-wide pass around Haudenschild and Dobmeier to reclaim fifth-place.

Gravel’s quick pace around the 3/10-mile track put him in lap traffic by Lap six. Behind him, Sweet and Logan Schuchart – who won at River Cities Speedway in June – battled for second. The two traded slide jobs, arguing over who would be second. Sweet lost the fight coming off turn two, hitting the cushion, bicycling, and allowing Schuchart to charge by.

Schatz also took advantage of Sweet’s fumble. Continuing to make ground on the high side, Schatz rocketed his Toco Warranty No. 15 around Daryn Pittman for fourth-place and then Sweet for third in turns three and four. Sweet didn't let him get away, though.

On the exit of the next corner, Schatz and a lapped car almost collided, drastically slowing his pace and allowing Sweet to move back to third. While the top two in points tried to navigate lapped traffic, Haudenschild maneuvered around the slower cars like he placed them there to begin with. The Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing driver raced his way by Schatz and Sweet in one turn on Lap 12.

After bicycling off the cushion on the exit of turn two a few more times, Schatz eventually made his way back by Sweet for fourth-place.

Then, the second Open Red of the night on Lap 16. Contact with another car launched Brendan Mullen’s car off turn two and onto the top of the fence outside the turn. With Mullen OK and the car secure where it was – several feet away from the track – the race resumed.

When it did, Schatz made his “unreal” move. He went from fourth-place to second on the exit of the first corner, throttling around the top groove. He continued his power lust run down the back stretch, closing in on Gravel and diving underneath him in turn three, not knowing if the move would stick.

Once his right foot eased back on the throttle the answer quickly became “yes.” The traction was there. He went side by side with Gravel through turn four and drag raced him down the front stretch.

The reigning champion had the better grip, though. He outpowered the Jason Johnson Racing car to the flag stand and took the lead on Lap 17.

“I knew I was in a little bit of trouble with that red, but they said I had a decent lead,” Gravel said. “We tried to make the car a little bit better. You give Donny Schatz and his team two Open Reds to make their car better… he’s been dominating here for a long time. Obviously, his car wasn’t great earlier, and they made it a lot better. For us, we were in a position that we shouldn’t change too much because we’re in the lead. That’s the way it goes.”

However, Schatz said he and his team didn’t make any adjustments. He found his rhythm and ran a blistering pace for the remaining 23 laps. He weaved through traffic with ease, pulled away to a six second lead and lapped up to ninth-place – including Sweet, who finished 13th.

“Unreal,” said Schatz, after claiming his ninth win in the last 11 races at the speedway. “We had a plan from the word go to be good at the end. The track kind of came around to us. Not bad for a North Dakota boy and a South Dakota boy (Schatz’s crew chief Steve Swenson). I think that was an ass whooping there.”

UP NEXT:

While Schatz dominated in Grand Forks, N.D., he has his eye on the Series’ next race on Saturday, Aug. 17, in his hometown of Fargo, N.D. at Red River Valley Speedway.

As always, if you can’t make it to the race, you can catch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.

Race Results: 8/16/19 – River Cities Speedway

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [6][$10,000]; 2. 41-David Gravel [1][$5,500]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3][$3,200]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [10][$2,800]; 5. 2-Carson Macedo [12][$2,500]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5][$2,300]; 7. 83-Daryn Pittman [4][$2,200]; 8. 5-Shane Stewart [11][$2,100]; 9. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [18][$2,050]; 10. 13-Mark Dobmeier [7][$2,000]; 11. 7S-Tim Kaeding [8][$1,500]; 12. 19-Brent Marks [15][$1,200]; 13. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$1,100]; 14. 11K-Kraig Kinser [19][$1,050]; 15. 2M-Kerry Madsen [14][$1,000]; 16. 7-Jason Sides [9][$900]; 17. 8H-Jade Hastings [13][$800]; 18. 9N-Wade Nygaard [20][$800]; 19. 11M-Brendan Mullen [16][$800]; 20. 27-Chris Ranten [23][$800]; 21. 2A-Austin Pierce [21][$800]; 22. 4-Terry McCarl [22][$800]; 23. 1A-Jacob Allen [17][$800]; 24. O-Nick Omdahl [24][$800];
Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-16, Donny Schatz 17-40;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 41S-Dominic Scelzi[+9]

Qualifying – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 10.282; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman, 10.433; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 10.456; 4. 15-Donny Schatz, 10.487; 5. 7S-Tim Kaeding, 10.546; 6. 7-Jason Sides, 10.593; 7. 18-Ian Madsen, 10.605; 8. 5-Shane Stewart, 10.61; 9. 49-Brad Sweet, 10.614; 10. 13-Mark Dobmeier, 10.619; 11. 41-David Gravel, 10.624; 12. 2-Carson Macedo, 10.64; 13. 8H-Jade Hastings, 10.686; 14. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 10.686; 15. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 10.69; 16. 9N-Wade Nygaard, 10.72; 17. 1A-Jacob Allen, 10.724; 18. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 10.743; 19. 4-Terry McCarl, 10.748; 20. 27-Chris Ranten, 10.79; 21. 19-Brent Marks, 10.837; 22. 2A-Austin Pierce, 10.86; 23. 55-Nick Ranten, 11.018; 24. O-Nick Omdahl, 11.036; 25. 11M-Brendan Mullen, 11.043; 26. 6N-Greg Nikitenko, 11.107; 27. 20A-Jordan Adams, 11.167; 28. 8-Jack Croaker, 11.671; 29. 5T-Presley Truedson, 11.792; 30. 26-Blake Egeland, 11.827; 31. 31-Shane Roemeling, 12.104

DRYDENE Heat #1 (10 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 3. 13-Mark Dobmeier [4]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [3]; 5. 8H-Jade Hastings [5]; 6. 11M-Brendan Mullen [9]; 7. 4-Terry McCarl [7]; 8. 2A-Austin Pierce [8]; 9. 9N-Wade Nygaard [6]; 10. 31-Shane Roemeling [11]; 11. 8-Jack Croaker [10]

DRYDENE Heat #2 (10 Laps) – 1. 83-Daryn Pittman [1]; 2. 41-David Gravel [4]; 3. 7S-Tim Kaeding [2]; 4. 5-Shane Stewart [3]; 5. 2M-Kerry Madsen [5]; 6. 1A-Jacob Allen [6]; 7. 27-Chris Ranten [7]; 8. 55-Nick Ranten [8]; 9. 5T-Presley Truedson [10]; 10. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [9]

DRYDENE Heat #3 (10 Laps) – 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [3]; 3. 7-Jason Sides [2]; 4. 2-Carson Macedo [4]; 5. 19-Brent Marks [7]; 6. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [5]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6]; 8. O-Nick Omdahl [8]; 9. 20A-Jordan Adams [9]; 10. 26-Blake Egeland [10]

DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (8 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [2]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [4]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [6]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [5]