Archive for Sprints
NO MORE SECOND THOUGHTS; WINDOM FINALLY HITS THE WIN COLUMN AT THE BURG
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
NO MORE SECOND THOUGHTS; WINDOM FINALLY HITS THE WIN COLUMN AT THE BURG
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Lawrenceburg, Indiana April 1, 2017.........Chris Windom knows how to win. His 15 career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car wins certainly attest to that. Of those 15 wins, though, one place that had eluded him over the past decade was southeastern Indiana's Lawrenceburg Speedway.
In almost a cruel way, Windom had finished second on five different occasions during his career in USAC competition at the three-eighths-mile dirt oval, including last Fall's most recent stop on the tour.
On Saturday night, the Canton, Illinois native would shed the label of perennial Lawrenceburg runner-up by leading all 30 laps on his way to victory in the 2017 Midwest season opener for the series.
After a rough February patch in the first two races to begin the season down south in Ocala, Fla., Windom came back to the Midwest eager to pick up right where he left off last season in his Baldwin Brothers Racing/Fox Paving - AMSOIL/DRC/Claxton. After picking up a non-sanctioned sprint car win a week ago in Mansfield, Ohio, Windom followed up by claiming his first USAC victory at Lawrenceburg, one that was a long time in the making.
"I've been fast here a lot over the years," Windom recalls. "I know I've finished second quite a few times here, but I've never been able to click off a win. But we've been fast all year; we just had a little misfortune down in Florida, but it's nice to come back up here and get the momentum going early here in the Midwest."
Windom began the 30-lap feature from the outside of the front row alongside polesitter Chad Boespflug. By the time the field reached turn one just after taking the green flag, mayhem ensued as both occupants of the third row were wiped out in a frightening double-flip involving Dave Darland and Chase Stockon. Both drivers were able to walk away, but their respective races were over just as they had begun.
On the complete restart, Boespflug initially held the advantage as he and Windom went side-by-side into turn one, but Windom used a big run down the banking off turn two to blast around the outside of Boespflug to grab the lead. Each time during the first two circuits Boespflug stuck a nose underneath, Windom always had an answer. Once clear, Windom shot away to a substantial advantage, holding a full-straightaway lead by the time the caution fell for the slowing car of Carson Short on lap nine.
With the lead erased and the field reset for the ensuing restart, Hunter Schuerenberg began to make his charge, slipping underneath Boespflug for second into turn three. Schuerenberg's chase was aimed at running down Windom for the lead, but the pursuit would end abruptly when he biked it in turn one, sending him into a violent series of barrel-rolls before coming to a rest near the turn two wall. Schuerenberg was able to climb out of his battered machine and walk away from the breathtaking accident.
The lap 10 restart saw Boespflug once again trying to gain any foothold he could on the bottom, but the undaunted Windom kept his foot in it and drove around the outside of Boespflug to maintain his lead.
"I knew I just had to have a good first and second lap on those restarts because Chad could slide up in front of me there," Windom explained. "It was hard to hit my marks consistently running the line I was running. I knew I had to hit those laps and we'd be able to pull away from him."
Just past the halfway point, Windom neared the tail end of the field. As Windom weaved his way through the lapped traffic, a trail of sparks began to stream out of the rear of the orange No. 5. With the brake rotor glowing red hot and Windom mired in a logjam, Boespflug was able to shrink the deficit somewhat. But, by lap 24, Windom was in the clear as he lapped all the way up to 10th place.
"I was hoping my brakes weren't going out because they were sparking pretty early in the race," Windom recalls. "I tried to lay off them a little bit, but it was kind of hard to since I didn't know how close anybody was to me. I figured I would run as hard as I could and if they went, they went out. I never lost the brakes, though, but I was on them hard. I could see the sparks flying up in front of my eyes going into the corner. I had to get on the brakes pretty hard to enter the way I was because of the holes getting into turns one and three."
However, with Shane Cottle coming to a rest backwards on the inside of turn four with five laps remaining, the yellow flag would fly and bunch up the field for one final run to the checkered.
As Windom ventured up to the top of turn one on the lap 26 restart, Boespflug made one last go of it as he tried to slide up in front of Windom between turns one and two. Rinse-and-repeat, the second, third and fourth verses were the same as the first when Windom stood up in his seat, never flinching and never batting an eye, as he cruised right around the outside of Boespflug off turn two to take the advantage for good, distancing himself from Boespflug by 1.371 seconds at race end. Justin Grant was third followed by Jon Stanbrough and a career-best performance for Landon Simon.
Windom's first ever April USAC triumph was his 15th overall in the series, tying him with Bobby East, Cory Kruseman, Jud Larson and Brian Tyler for 31st all-time. His earliest season victory before Saturday night was a May 20th win in 2011 at Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway.
Though Windom led the entire distance from his front row starting spot, his road to victory was anything but smooth and steady. It required precision and laser-sharp focus on every centimeter of the track for 30 laps. Something that a fast racecar alone cannot overcome.
"I knew we had a really fast car, but it was a tough track to run 30 consistent laps," Windom admitted. "I started concentrating as hard as I could to hit my marks. You had to be very careful about where you chose to hit your marks. We were able to hold it together and come away with a win."
The string of consistent runs Hanford, California's Chad Boespflug has posted in the first three races have resulted in a fourth and a pair of runner-up finishes, including Saturday night at Lawrenceburg in his Dynamics, Inc./Mean Green - PAC Springs/Maxim/Claxton.
"This is huge for us. I haven't been very good here the last few years, so I'm happy to get a podium here tonight," Boespflug exclaimed. "We were fighting some throttle issues about midway through the race, going down into the corner and had to pick the throttle pedal up. It wasn't wanting to return. Little things like that can screw with your head and make you focus on too many other things rather than what you need to be focusing on. Overall, it was a great night. The car was fantastic all night and we'll carry this momentum on to Bloomington and Haubstadt in a couple weeks."
Ione, California's Justin Grant retained the series point lead after finishing third in his Sam McGhee Motorsports/Mike McGhee & Associates - Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Maxim/Foxco. It was his third top-three finish in as many starts to begin the season after a win and a second-place finish in February in Ocala, Fla.
"As treacherous as the track was tonight, I'm happy to come away with a podium finish," Grant said. "I'll call it a solid points night. We'd obviously like to win it, but Chris (Windom) was in his own race. Our car was really good, but we just didn't have enough for them. I'm excited to keep racing with Sam McGhee and the No. 11 sprint car. They give me a great car every night and it's a joy to drive it. Hopefully, we can climb up a little higher on the podium next time."
Contingency award winners Saturday night at Lawrenceburg Speedway include Justin Grant (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Nick Bilbee (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Chase Stockon (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Jeff Bland, Jr. (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Shane Cottle (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner), Shane Cottle (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Tyler Thomas (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: April 1, 2017 - Lawrenceburg, Indiana - Lawrenceburg Speedway
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Justin Grant, 11, McGhee-13.251; 2. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-13.385; 3. Landon Simon, 24, LSR-13.387; 4. Dave Darland, 71p, Phillips/Curb-Agajanian-13.562; 5. Shawn Westerfeld, 89, Westerfeld-13.685; 6. Kevin Thomas Jr., 44, Pace-13.686; 7. Jon Stanbrough, 81, Stanbrough-13.703; 8. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-13.710; 9. Chad Boespflug, 69, Dynamics-13.742; 10. Hunter Schuerenberg, 2, Motsinger-13.782; 11. Josh Hodges, 74, Hodges-13.858; 12. Tyler Courtney, 23c, TOPP-13.886; 13. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-13.986; 14. Kody Swanson, 2E, Epperson-14.072; 15. Corey Smith, 66s, CS-14.113; 16. Carson Short, 21, RCM-14.150; 17. Kyle Robbins, 17R, Robbins-14.167; 18. Max McGhee, 4J, 4J Motorsports-14.177; 19. Cody Gardner, 9G, APPCO-14.177; 20. Tyler Thomas, 04, Burton-14.207; 21. Nick Nilbee, 17N, Bilbee-14.219; 22. Aric Gentry, 10, Gentry-14.245; 23. Jeff Bland Jr., 17GP, Dutcher-14.280; 24. Shane Cottle, 57, Hazen-14.289; 25. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-14.298; 26. Garrett Abrams, 32A, Abrams-14.304; 27. Joss Moffatt, 5J, Moffatt-14.308; 28. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-14.318; 29. Travis Hery, 21H, Hery-14.428; 30. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-14.492; 31. Dallas Hewitt, 16, Kaser/Seeling-14.511; 32. Michael Fischesser, 44s, Fischesser/Owen-14.599; 33. Riley VanHise, 96, VanHise-15.630; 34. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-NT; 35. Cooper Clouse, 14, Clouse-NT.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Bilbee, 2. Andretti, 3. Boespflug, 4. Westerfeld, 5. Grant, 6. Robbins, 7. Goodnight, 8. Hery, 9. VanHise. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Stockon, 2. McGhee, 3. Schuerenberg, 4. Swanson, 5. K.Thomas, 6. Gentry, 7. Abrams, 8. Chapple. 1:52.49
CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Bland, 2. Stanbrough, 3. Hodges, 4. Hewitt, 5. Simon, 6. Gardner, 7. Moffatt, 8. Smith. 1:59.14
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Cottle, 2. Short, 3. Windom, 4. Darland, 5. Courtney, 6. T.Thomas, 7. Leary, 8. Fischesser. 1:58.06
SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Courtney, 2. Grant, 3. K.Thomas, 4. Smith, 5. T.Thomas, 6. Simon, 7. Chapple, 8. Robbins, 9. Leary, 10. Abrams, 11. Gentry, 12. Moffatt, 13. Gardner, 14. Goodnight, 15. Fischesser, 16. Hery, 17. VanHise. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Chris Windom, 2. Chad Boespflug, 3. Justin Grant, 4. Jon Stanbrough, 5. Landon Simon, 6. Josh Hodges, 7. Shawn Westerfeld, 8. Kevin Thomas Jr., 9. Jarett Andretti, 10. Shane Cottle, 11. Dallas Hewitt, 12. Tyler Courtney, 13. Tyler Thomas, 14. Corey Smith, 15. Isaac Chapple, 16. Jeff Bland Jr., 17. Max McGhee, 18. Kody Swanson, 19. Nick Bilbee, 20. Hunter Schuerenberg, 21. Carson Short, 22. Dave Darland, 23. Chase Stockon. NT
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**Clouse flipped during qualifying. Goodnight and VanHise flipped at the start of the semi. Darland and Stockon flipped on the first lap of the feature. Schuerenberg flipped on lap 10 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Windom
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Shane Cottle (21st-10th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Tyler Thomas
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Grant-228, 2-Boespflug-214, 3-Stockon-175, 4-Schuerenberg-173, 5-Windom-172, 6-Andretti-152, 7-Hodges-145, 8-Cottle-134, 9-Brady Bacon-128, 10-Simon-128.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: April 14 - Bloomington (IN) Speedway
Gravel Leads Green-to-Checker for Third Win of 2017 Season
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World of Outlaws
Contact: Colby Gorniewicz
World of Outlaws PR
704-707-0229 | cgorniewicz@dirtcar.com
Please link back to the original article here
PERRIS, CA – April 1, 2017 – David Gravel was the driver to beat at Perris Auto Speedway for the SoCal Showdown bringing an end the spring California swing. As the track rubbered-up, Gravel was in the ideal position, out front. Running mainly the high-lane around the half-mile oval, Gravel was able to pull away on multiple restarts to take home his third World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series victory of the season.
“I’m happy I got the jump on the restarts and got the lead to manipulate the race for yourself,” said the driver of the No. 5 CJB Motorsports GoMuddy.com machine. “Just happy to get another win, this is definitely huge, this the most wins I’ve had this early in the season. Not that it takes the pressure off but you just want to keep it rolling.”
A top-five qualifying effort, a heat-race win, and a second in the Craftsman Club Dash, allowed for Gravel to start on the front row of tonight’s 30-lap Feature. The driver that started the SoCal Showdown from the pole was California-native, Brad Sweet. With Gravel checking-out on the initial start, Sweet had his hands full fending off the rookie-of-the-year contender, Sheldon Haudenschild for the second position. A red flag was displayed on Lap 10 when the No. 2x of Parker Price-Miller went for a tumble in Turn 2; Price-Miller walked away unscathed.
The battle between Haudenschild and Sweet continued with sporadic challenges from series points leader, Donny Schatz and Friday night’s runner-up Ian Madsen.
Coming off a last-place finish the night before, the No. 49 Kasey Kahne Racing team was able to rebound for a second-place finish to round out the California trip.
“[Gravel] was just able to get the run on the restarts,” said the driver of the No. 49 NAPA Auto Parts machine. “Hats off to our guys, we had a great car all night. We got into lap traffic and I would get a good run and a caution came out — sometimes [cautions] fall when you want them to sometime they don’t. We’ll keep digging and hopefully we can get the NAPA Auto Parts car back into Victory Lane soon.”
The young-gun, Sheldon Haudenschild who has been consistent the last couple of weeks brought home a podium finish for the second time this season.
“I tried to get position on Brad [Sweet] on those restarts but I didn’t gain enough ground,” said Sheldon Haudenschild. “I’m still happy with tonight — thanks to my guys for all their hardwork.”
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will be back in action next Friday, April 7 when they make their first visit to Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, AZ. The following night, the Outlaws will head east to Arizona Speedway for their second trip.
Tickets for these events can be purchased on dirtcar.ticketforce.com or by calling 844-DIRT-TIX.
Perris Auto Speedway Notebook
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 6 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, LoneStar Speedway on March 3, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 9, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 10, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 18 ); David Gravel - 3 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 17, Placerville Speedway on March 29, Perris Auto Speedway on April 1); Jason Johnson - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17); Brad Sweet - 1 (Stockton Dirt Track on March 25), Logan Schuchart - 1 (Keller Auto Speedway).
CONTINGENCY WINNERS - MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Parker Price-Miller; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): David Gravel; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Jason Sides; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Greg Wilson; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Greg Wilson; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Super Flow ($50 cash): Brent Marks; Craftsman Club ($100 cash each): Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Jason Sides, Sheldon Haudensheld, Shane Stewart; Craftsman/Sears ($100 cash): N/A; KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Greg Wilson; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): David Gravel; JE Pistons (Set of Rings each): Kraig Kinser, Randy Waitman.
Feature (30 Laps) - 1. 5-David Gravel [2][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$5,500]; 3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [4][$3,200]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [7][$2,800]; 5. 18-Ian Madsen [8][$2,500]; 6. 4-Paul McMahan [12][$2,300]; 7. 9-Daryn Pittman [10][$2,200]; 8. 7S-Jason Sides [3][$2,100]; 9. 21X-Carson Macedo [15][$2,050]; 10. W20-Greg Wilson [19][$2,000]; 11. 17-Joey Saldana [11][$1,500]; 12. 21-Brian Brown [16][$1,200]; 13. 1S-Logan Schuchart [17][$1,100]; 14. 19-Brent Marks [14][$1,050]; 15. 1A-Jacob Allen [21][$1,000]; 16. 11K-Kraig Kinser [13][$900]; 17. 2-Shane Stewart [5][$800]; 18. 82-Stevie Sussex [20][$800]; 19. 41-Jason Johnson [6][$800]; 20. 26-Tayler Malsam [18][$800]; 21. 90-Randy Waitman [23][$800]; 22. 9Z-Jared Goerges [22][$800]; 23. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [9][$800]; 24. 73-Clyde Knipp (Substitute for Brady Bacon) [24][$800] Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-30; KSE Hard Charger Award: W20-Greg Wilson[+9]
Qualifying - 1. 49-Brad Sweet, 14.468; 2. 2-Shane Stewart, 14.482; 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 14.517; 4. 7S-Jason Sides, 14.603; 5. 5-David Gravel, 14.631; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 14.635; 7. 15-Donny Schatz, 14.654; 8. 18-Ian Madsen, 14.678; 9. 4-Paul McMahan, 14.69; 10. 9-Daryn Pittman, 14.748; 11. 17-Joey Saldana, 14.758; 12. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 14.799; 13. 21-Brian Brown, 14.852; 14. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 14.86; 15. 73-Brady Bacon, 14.913; 16. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 15.024; 17. 19-Brent Marks, 15.088; 18. 21X-Carson Macedo, 15.115; 19. 26-Tayler Malsam, 15.144; 20. 82-Stevie Sussex, 15.172; 21. 9Z-Jared Goerges, 15.195; 22. W20-Greg Wilson, 15.229; 23. 1A-Jacob Allen, 15.347; 24. 13-Clyde Knipp, 15.467; 25. 90-Randy Waitman, 16.199; 26. 22-Cori Andrews, 16.257
Heat #1 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer - 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides [2]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [4]; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6]; 6. 21-Brian Brown [5]; 7. 26-Tayler Malsam [7]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [8]; 9. 90-Randy Waitman [9]
Heat #2 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer - 1. 5-David Gravel [2]; 2. 2-Shane Stewart [1]; 3. 18-Ian Madsen [3]; 4. 17-Joey Saldana [4]; 5. 19-Brent Marks [6]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5]; 7. 82-Stevie Sussex [7]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [8]; 9. 22-Cori Andrews [9]
Heat #3 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer - 1. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [1]; 3. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [4]; 4. 4-Paul McMahan [3]; 5. 21X-Carson Macedo [6]; 6. 73-Brady Bacon [5]; 7. 9Z-Jared Goerges [7]; 8. 13-Clyde Knipp [8]
Craftsman Club Dash (6 Laps) - 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 5-David Gravel [2]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 4. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [3]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [5]; 6. 41-Jason Johnson [6]
Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer - 1. 26-Tayler Malsam [1][-]; 2. W20-Greg Wilson [4][-]; 3. 82-Stevie Sussex [2][-]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [5][-]; 5. 9Z-Jared Goerges [3][-]; 6. 90-Randy Waitman [7][-]; 7. 13-Clyde Knipp [6][$300]; 8. 22-Cori Andrews [8][$250]
Schuchart Makes Last-Lap Pass for First Victory of 2017
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Contact: Colby Gorniewicz
World of Outlaws PR
704-707-0229 | cgorniewicz@dirtcar.com
Please link back to the original article here
Schuchart Charges from Deep for First Victory of 2017
Schatz comes from 21st to third for eighth top-five finish of the year
HANFORD, CA – April 1, 2017 –Shark Racing’s Logan Schuchart started the 35-lap Kings Outlaw Showdown from the 19th position at Keller Auto Speedway — the KSE Hard Charger award winner picked his way to the front of the 26-car field. Late in the race, Schuchart found the bottom groove of the 3/8th-mile oval to work his way past eventual runner-up, Ian Madsen on the final lap to score his first victory of the 2017 season.
After starting the season having overcome adversity when the teams tow-vehicle broke down on the way to the opening World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series event, the team relied on support from the racing industry to assist with getting them to each Outlaw event.
“This adds onto the excitement and the accomplishments. It doesn’t matter if you start from the pole or wherever, if you can win an Outlaws race, these things are really tough [to win] no matter where you go. I’m just happy for my team to be able to get a win and it just makes it that much more exciting to start from 19th. We just really need to thank [Ryan] Smith family for letting us use their toter-home to come all the way [to California] and everyone that donated to the GoFundMe, you never want to be in that position but we were in a tough spot and we wouldn’t be out here if it wasn’t for those people.”
Ian Madsen and James McFadden, made up an all-Australian front-row for the start of the Kings Outlaw Showdown at Keller Auto Speedway. It was Madsen who would show the way for a total of 31 of the 35 laps in the Feature.
The event was slowed several times, including on lap four when Brad Sweet, who came into the night second in points, brushed the outside Turn 4 wall. Sweet was forced to retire from the event early resulting in a 26th-place finish.
Making his presences known, the Hanover, PA-native Schuchart had worked his way up to the fourth running position by lap 14.
It was on lap 20 when the local hero, Cory Eliason from nearby Fresno, CA made a bid to steal the show by charging from the 16th-starting position to wrangle the lead away from Madsen. As the large crowd at the Keller Auto Speedway erupted in excitement, Eliason lost the handling on his No. 00 machine and spun on the backstretch; forfeiting the lead just as quickly as he got it.
With Madsen back in control of the lead once again, he fended off a new challenger in David Gravel. In total, Madsen had five different drivers start to his right on the double-file restarts. Schuchart snuck by Gravel on the restart and immediately went to work on Madsen.
“It was a pretty strong run for the KPC team,” said Ian Madsen driver of the No. 18. “Kind of got nervous [with all those restarts] didn’t really know what to do, with someone different coming up each time. We’ll go onto Perris and see if we can win.”
The driver of the No. 1s of Schuchart started to search around for some moisture; he eventually found it on the bottom groove.
“I was able to find a little moister off [turn] four and it helped me, at least for me to get up to [Madsen] so I could make a move in [turns] three and four,” added Schuchart.
The Series points leader, Donny Schatz who had to use the Last Chance Showdown to transfer into the Feature event put on a show to grab a third-place finish. This marks Schatz’s eighth top-five of the season.
This victory marks Schuchart’s third career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win.
The Series travels south to Perris Auto Speedway for the SoCal Showdown on Saturday Night to wrap up the Spring portion of the California swing.
Feature (35 Laps) - 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [19][$10,000]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [2][$5,500]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [21][$3,200]; 4. 5-David Gravel [9][$2,800]; 5. 51-James McFadden [1][$2,500]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [23][$2,300]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [25][$1,400]; 8. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [12][$2,100]; 9. 83-Kyle Hirst [11][$2,050]; 10. 2-Shane Stewart [5][$2,000]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [26][$700]; 12. 19-Brent Marks [15][$1,200]; 13. 41-Jason Johnson [3][$1,100]; 14. 21X-Carson Macedo [14][$1,050]; 15. 4-Paul McMahan [10][$1,000]; 16. OO-Cory Eliason [16][$900]; 17. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [8][$800]; 18. 17-Joey Saldana [4][$800]; 19. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [20][$800]; 20. 9-Daryn Pittman [24][$800]; 21. 21-Brian Brown [18][$800]; 22. 3C-DJ Netto [22][$800]; 23. 83JR-Tim Kaeding [13][$800]; 24. O-Bud Kaeding [17][$800]; 25. 24-Rico Abreu [6][$800]; 26. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$800]. Lap Leaders: Ian Madsen 1-18, 21-33; Cory Eliason 19-20; Logan Schuchart 34-35; KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+18]
Qualifying - 1. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.999; 2. 2-Shane Stewart, 13.026; 3. 17-Joey Saldana, 13.053; 4. 24-Rico Abreu, 13.093; 5. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 13.157; 6. 41-Jason Johnson, 13.187; 7. 83-Kyle Hirst, 13.23; 8. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.245; 9. 5-David Gravel, 13.251; 10. 4-Paul McMahan, 13.258; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.273; 12. 51-James McFadden, 13.279; 13. 83JR-Tim Kaeding, 13.324; 14. 21-Brian Brown, 13.335; 15. 3C-DJ Netto, 13.364; 16. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 13.368; 17. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.369; 18. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.371; 19. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.405; 20. 98-Sean Watts, 13.41; 21. O-Bud Kaeding, 13.416; 22. 21X-Carson Macedo, 13.474; 23. 26-Tayler Malsam, 13.48; 24. OO-Cory Eliason, 13.488; 25. 9-Daryn Pittman, 13.532; 26. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.58; 27. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.635; 28. 73-Brady Bacon, 13.68; 29. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.702; 30. 9Z-Jared Goerges, 13.998; 31. 19-Brent Marks, 14.034; 32. 13-Clyde Knipp, 14.51; 33. 90-Randy Waitman, NT
Heat #1 (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer to Feature- 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [2]; 3. 5-David Gravel [3]; 4. 83JR-Tim Kaeding [4]; 5. O-Bud Kaeding [6]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 7. 9-Daryn Pittman [7]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [8]; 9. 90-Randy Waitman [9]
Heat #2 (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer to Feature- 1. 2-Shane Stewart [1]; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [2]; 3. 4-Paul McMahan [3]; 4. 21X-Carson Macedo [6]; 5. 21-Brian Brown [4]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [5]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [7]; 8. 9Z-Jared Goerges [8]
Heat #3 (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer to Feature- 1. 17-Joey Saldana [1]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [5]; 3. 83-Kyle Hirst [2]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [8]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7]; 7. 26-Tayler Malsam [6]; 8. 3C-DJ Netto [4]
Heat #4 (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer to Feature- 1. 24-Rico Abreu [1]; 2. 51-James McFadden [3]; 3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 4. OO-Cory Eliason [6]; 5. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [4]; 6. 73-Brady Bacon [7]; 7. 98-Sean Watts [5]; 8. 13-Clyde Knipp [8]
Craftsman Club Dash (6 Laps) - 1. 51-James McFadden [1]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [2]; 3. 41-Jason Johnson [3]; 4. 17-Joey Saldana [6]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [7]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu [5]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [8]; 8. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [4]
Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer to Feature - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [2][-]; 2. 3C-DJ Netto [1][-]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [3][-]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [6][-]; 5. 73-Brady Bacon [9][$300]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [7][$250]; 7. 98-Sean Watts [4][$225]; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser [8][$200]; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$200]; 10. 26-Tayler Malsam [5][$200]; 11. 13-Clyde Knipp [12][$200]; 12. 9Z-Jared Goerges [11][$200]; 13. 90-Randy Waitman [13][$200]
David Gravel Scores Placerville Win
Posted by: | CommentsWorld of Outlaws
Contact: Cristina Cordova
World of Outlaws PR
704-7070236 | ccordova@dirtcar.com
Please link back to the original article here
David Gravel Holds Off a Closing Rico Abreu and Promoter Brad Sweet to Claim World of Outlaws Victory at Placerville Speedway
by Gary Thomas
PLACERVILLE, CA — March 29, 2017 — Taking the lead just after the halfway point in the feature, Watertown, Connecticut’s David Gravel hung tough through multiple restarts and eventually held off a fast moving Rico Abreu to pick up his second World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win of the season Wednesday night.
The victory at Brad Sweet’s Placerville Short Track Showdown was the first of Gravel’s career at the tight high-banked quarter-mile and came aboard the familiar CJB Motorsports/ Go Muddy No. 2 Sprinter. He now joins Donny Schatz as the second repeat winner with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series in 2017.
Gravel had taken the lead at the original start of the 40-lap race, but a yellow flag before one lap could be completed made for a complete restart. On the ensuing green flag Bixby, Oklahoma’s Shane Stewart rocketed out to the top-spot. The driver of the Larson/Marks Racing No. 2 held command over the early stages and fended off Gravel as he looked for season win number one.
Racing through heavy traffic just past the midway point, however, Stewart’s bid at victory fell through when contact with the front stretch wall left him with a reported broken shock. Gravel and Rutherford’s Rico Abreu were both able to get by prior to Stewart slowing on lap 25 to bring out a caution. Back to green, Grass Valley racer and event promoter Brad Sweet went to work on Greg Wilson for the third spot. After battling for a couple laps Sweet assumed the position and attempted to move in on the top duo.
With just six laps left Australian traveler James McFadden climbed the back stretch hill and got upside down to cause a red flag. He emerged okay but was done for the night. The green flag then waved for the final time, and Abreu committed to the bottom side of the speedway, while Gravel railed the top.
Abreu was able to get to his inside going into turn one on lap 38, but Gravel got better drive off the corner and dove to the bottom in turn three. The move broke all the momentum Abreu had built up, and that was all she wrote as Gravel took the checkered flag by 1.147 seconds.
“We haven’t really had much luck here at Placerville the last two years, so it feels fantastic to come out of here with a victory,” Gravel commented on the front stretch. “Shane Stewart set a torrid pace there at the beginning, and when he made that mistake I knew that I had to capitalize. I saw Rico poke his nose in there late in the race as well, so I moved down to run the bottom coming down for the white flag. It takes an army to win these races, and I have one heck of a team behind me. I can’t thank CJB Motorsports, Barry Jackson and this whole team enough.”
The runner up finish capped a great night for Abreu in front of his home state fans. “I really tried to be patient there at the end running the bottom, but it was really hard to judge your speed out there,” said the driver of the Abreu Vineyards No. 24 machine. “After that red flag we were really good, and even though I wanted to win, we’ll take a second with these guys. It was really an electric atmosphere tonight and a lot of fun, so I want to thank all the fans for coming out and supporting this deal.”
Sweet capped a solid run in the feature with a third place effort aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing/ NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 Sprinter. “I definitely didn’t want to see that red near the end because I felt we had really got rolling at that point. It was another good night for the 49 team though, so we’re happy. It was great to see so many people here at Placerville Speedway tonight, and I hope we put on a good show for everyone. Big thanks to my guys for all their hard work on the race car and all the people that helped put this event on.”
Greg Wilson put together an impressive night and crossed the stripe in fourth to earn his best finish of the season, while California driver Kyle Hirst tallied his first top-five of the 2017 campaign as well finishing fifth. The remainder of the top-10 was filled out by Owasso, Oklahoma’s Daryn Pittman; Wooster, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild; Campbell’s Bud Kaeding; Bartlett, Tennessee’s Jason Sides and Eunice, Louisiana’s Jason Johnson. Brownsburg, Indiana’s Joey Saldana earned the KSE Hard Charger Award coming from 26th to 11th in the feature.
Current NASCAR Monster Energy Cup point leader Kyle Larson also competed during the night and was moving forward in the feature, until he clipped a spinning car. After going to the back he then got forced off the track in turn two, which ultimately ended his night.
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will return to action this Friday night at the Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, CA. The following night finds the series in action at Perris Auto Speedway in Lake Perris, CA.
PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK
RACE NOTES: David Gravel takes the lead from Shane Stewart during lap 22 and staves Rico Abreu off for the second half of the race. Brad Sweet comes in third, with World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series points leader Donny Schatz and NASCAR Monster Energy Cup points leader Kyle Larson in 12 and 24 respectively.
CONTINGENCY WINNERS - MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Shane Stewart; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): David Gravel; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Greg Wilson; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Daryn Pittman; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Bud Kaeding; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Jason Sides; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Brent Makrs; Super Flow ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Craftsman Club ($100 cash each): Shane Stewart, David Gravel, Daryn Pittman, Greg Wilson, Brad Sweet; Craftsman/Sears ($100 cash): Bud Kaeding; KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Joey Saldana; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): David Gravel; JE Pistons (Set of Rings each): Paul McMahan, Shane Stewart.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 6 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, LoneStar Speedway on March 3, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 9, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 10, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 18 ); David Gravel - 2 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 17, Placerville Speedway on March 29); Jason Johnson - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17); Brad Sweet - 1 (Stockton Dirt Track on March 25).
World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Placerville Speedway, CA; March 29, 2017
Feature - (40 Laps) 1. 5-David Gravel[2][$10,000]; 2. 24-Rico Abreu[5][$5,500]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet[7][$3,200]; 4. W20-Greg Wilson[6][$2,800]; 5. 83-Kyle Hirst[10][$2,500]; 6. 9-Daryn Pittman[4][$2,300]; 7. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[11][$2,200]; 8. O-Bud Kaeding[3][$2,100]; 9. 7S-Jason Sides[9][$2,050]; 10. 41-Jason Johnson[8][$2,000]; 11. 17-Joey Saldana[26][$1,500]; 12. 15-Donny Schatz[25][$1,200]; 13. 19-Brent Marks[12][$1,100]; 14. 92-Andy Forsberg[14][$1,050]; 15. 1S-Logan Schuchart[21][$1,000]; 16. 83JR-Tim Kaeding[18][$900]; 17. 21X-Carson Macedo[22][$800]; 18. 18-Ian Madsen[20][$800]; 19. 4-Paul McMahan[19][$800]; 20. 11K-Kraig Kinser[15][$800]; 21. 51-James McFadden[23][$800]; 22. 2-Shane Stewart[1][$800]; 23. 21-Brian Brown[13][$800]; 24. 57-Kyle Larson[16][$800]; 25. 22-Shane Golobic[24][$800]; 26. 73-Brady Bacon[17][$800]; Lap Leaders: Shane Stewart 1-21, David Gravel 22-40; KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Joey Saldana[+15]
Qualifying - 1. 5-David Gravel, 10.467; 2. 2-Shane Stewart, 10.565; 3. O-Bud Kaeding, 10.608; 4. W20-Greg Wilson, 10.682; 5. 7S-Jason Sides, 10.757; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 10.762; 7. 73-Brady Bacon, 10.798; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 10.877; 9. 21X-Carson Macedo, 10.907; 10. 4-Paul McMahan, 10.908; 11. 21-Brian Brown, 10.912; 12. 22M-Mason Moore, 10.917; 13. 31C-Justyn Cox, 10.932; 14. 68-Chase Johnson, 10.934; 15. 15-Donny Schatz, 10.952; 16. 13-Clyde Knipp, 11.166; 17. 26-Tayler Malsam, 11.178; 18. 93K-Kalib Henry, 11.188; 19. 41-Jason Johnson, 10.492; 20. 49-Brad Sweet, 10.527; 21. 24-Rico Abreu, 10.551; 22. 9-Daryn Pittman, 10.567; 23. 83JR-Tim Kaeding, 10.626; 24. 57-Kyle Larson, 10.657; 25. 92-Andy Forsberg, 10.669; 26. 19-Brent Marks, 10.684; 27. 83-Kyle Hirst, 10.692; 28. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 10.724; 29. 22-Shane Golobic, 10.734; 30. 18-Ian Madsen, 10.771; 31. 51-James McFadden, 10.772; 32. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 10.792; 33. 29-Willie Croft, 10.803; 34. 17-Joey Saldana, 10.818; 35. 7C-Sean Becker, 10.828; 36. 1A-Jacob Allen, 10.840; 37. 3C-DJ Netto, 11.096
Heat 1 - (10 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 5-David Gravel[1] ; 2. O-Bud Kaeding[2] ; 3. 7S-Jason Sides[3] ; 4. 21-Brian Brown[6] ; 5. 73-Brady Bacon[4] ; 6. 15-Donny Schatz[8] ; 7. 31C-Justyn Cox[7] ; 8. 26-Tayler Malsam[9] ; 9. 21X-Carson Macedo[5]
Heat 2 - (10 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 2-Shane Stewart[1] ; 2. W20-Greg Wilson[2] ; 3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[3] ; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser[4] ; 5. 4-Paul McMahan[5] ; 6. 93K-Kalib Henry[9] ; 7. 13-Clyde Knipp[8] ; 8. 68-Chase Johnson[7] ; 9. 22M-Mason Moore[6]
Heat 3 - (10 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 41-Jason Johnson[1] ; 2. 24-Rico Abreu[2] ; 3. 83-Kyle Hirst[5] ; 4. 92-Andy Forsberg[4] ; 5. 83JR-Tim Kaeding[3] ; 6. 3C-DJ Netto[10] ; 7. 7C-Sean Becker[9] ; 8. 22-Shane Golobic[6] ; 9. 29-Willie Croft[8] ; 10. 51-James McFadden[7]
Heat 4 - (10 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 9-Daryn Pittman[2] ; 2. 49-Brad Sweet[1] ; 3. 19-Brent Marks[4] ; 4. 57-Kyle Larson[3] ; 5. 18-Ian Madsen[6] ; 6. 2X-Parker Price-Miller[7] ; 7. 17-Joey Saldana[8] ; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen[9] ; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart[5]
Craftsman Club Dash - (8 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of Feature) 1. 2-Shane Stewart[3] ; 2. 5-David Gravel[1] ; 3. O-Bud Kaeding[5] ; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman[4] ; 5. 24-Rico Abreu[6] ; 6. W20-Greg Wilson[7] ; 7. 49-Brad Sweet[8] ; 8. 41-Jason Johnson[2]
C-Main - (10 Laps - Top 2 finishers transfer to the Last Chance Showdown) 1. 17-Joey Saldana[2] [-]; 2. 3C-DJ Netto[7] [-]; 3. 7C-Sean Becker[4] [$150]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen[6] [$150]; 5. 26-Tayler Malsam[3] [$150]; 6. 93K-Kalib Henry[5] [$125]; 7. 13-Clyde Knipp[1] [$125]
Last Chance Showdown - (12 Laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart[2] [-]; 2. 21X-Carson Macedo[1] [-]; 3. 51-James McFadden[6] [-]; 4. 22-Shane Golobic[4] [-]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz[9] [$300]; 6. 68-Chase Johnson[7] [$250]; 7. 22M-Mason Moore[3] [$225]; 8. 17-Joey Saldana[11] [$200]; 9. 29-Willie Croft[10] [$200]; 10. 3C-DJ Netto[12] [$200]; 11. 2X-Parker Price-Miller[8] [$200]; 12. 31C-Justyn Cox[5] [$200]
MASS OFFERS OVER $10,000 IN SPONSORSHIP IN 2017
Posted by: | Comments
Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series
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INAUGURAL SEASON OF MID-ATLANTIC SPRINT SERIES, PRESENTED BY ENGLER, SET TO START APRIL 30TH AT BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY; OVER $10,000 IN SPONSORSHIP TO HANDOUT
TRENTON, NJ March 28, 2017 ... With the stage is set, and the 2017 schedule officially completed, the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series presented by Engler Machine & Tool members and teams are anxious to begin the battle for the first ever MASS championship title on Sunday, April 30th, at the “fastest track in the east” - Bridgeport Speedway, which is located in Logan Township, NJ.
The newly established 305 Racesaver/IMCA sanctioned Sprint Series officially announced their schedule of eighteen events, with stops in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, at tracks such as Bridgeport, Grandview, Delaware International, Big Diamond, Georgetown, Williams Grove, and Susquehanna Speedways. This diverse schedule will test the driver's’ skill and stamina, as teams battle throughout the season to crown a champion.
Competitors like Tim Tanner, Tommy Carberry, Bryant Davis, Stef Carberry, Joe Kay, Eddie Wagner, Jeff Geiges, Craig Pellegrini, David Bonner, Logan Diehl, among others, intend to fight for the crown. A list of seven brand new rookie racers, including Patrick Compton, Austin Burke, Bobby Schreff, Dean Conk Jr., Tom Carberry, Doug Snow, and John Webster Jr. will also be joining the series, all eyeing the Geiweit Creations Rookie and the year title.
As the new series on the block, the management team, which consists of Eddie Wagner and Jeff Geiges, who are 305 Sprint Car drivers themselves, has worked hard to make the first season start off with a bang.
One of the first tasks set in place was to make sure the purse stayed true to RaceSaver roots with at least $300 to win and $150 to start for all races. MASS secured major marketing partners to come on board to help encourage members to race as often as they can by adding additional contingency and cash sponsors to each event.
“One of the thing that we are excited for this season is all of the people who were happy to support our series, whether is was as a sponsor, a track, and especially our drivers and teams who are planning on running with MASS,” Regional Director Eddie Wagner said. “We are going to be paying our heat race winners $50 in cash, and we have secured sponsors for the hard charger award, quick time of the night, and other incentives that will offer parts giveaways, cash, fuel, tires, certificates, and more”.
“Engler Machine and Tool and Diversified Machine Inc. (DMI) have really upped the ante this year with their support in MASS,” Wagner stated. “These companies, which are a pivotal part of the Sprint Car parts industry, have given over $6500 worth components to raffle off at the end of the year. Engler is supplying a brand new injection and DMI is providing a brand new XR-3 Bulldog rear end and complete front end kit. Raffle tickets will be distributed on Engler and DMI sponsored race nights and additional tickets will be awarded to teams holding the top five spots in points and members who have raced in three consecutive Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series events”.
“We have surpassed over $10,000 in handouts for our first season. We owe a lot to our marketing partners that have come on board. The positive support and generosity are amazing,” says Jeff Geiges, MASS general manager. “We have all put in countless hours to make sure our vision for this series is set in motion.”
Included in the ever-growing list of marketing partners are Mach-1 Chassis, Robison Racing Products, Thayer Performance Engines and Products, JDL Graphics, Bitner Automotive, Bruce's Auto Body, Professional Design Services LLC, Todd’s Performance, Kelly Racing Fuel, Lawrence Collision, A Cut Above the Rest Excavating Maintenance and Trucking , Geiswite Creations, CSI Shocks, and ERK Steering.
For more info on what’s going on with the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series, please visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/midatlanticsprintseries/or visit our BRAND NEW website at www.masprintseries.com.
USAC EASTERN STORM
Posted by: | CommentsMARCH 19, 2017
CONTACT: BOB MILLER 443 513 4456
THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES
‘DOUBLE-D’ DANNY DIETRICH ENTERS USAC NON-WING EASTERN STORM, SERIES OPENS AT GRANDVIEW ON TUESDAY, JUNE 13
BECHTELSVILLE, PA (MARCH 19, 2017) – 410 Sprint Car ace, Danny Dietrich has thrown his name into the hat of local competitors that will ‘Chase the Storm’ when the USAC National Wingless Sprint Car Championship Eastern Storm rolls into town for a week of ultra-exciting racing action, beginning on Tuesday, June 13 at Grandview Speedway.
Dietrich will strap into the Tom Buch-owned/APEX/DKW Transport No. 13 machine for action at Grandview Speedway (June 13), Lincoln Speedway (June 14), Williams Grove Speedway (June 15), and Port Royal Speedway (June 17) before the team heads west to compete with the All-Star Circuit of Champions at Waynesfield Raceway (June 18).
“Tom has given me a great opportunity to run these wingless races and I’m looking forward to going out and trying something different,” Dietrich explained. “It’s going to be tough because we’re out of our element, but I think I can adapt and I believe we have a chance of winning at any of these tracks.”
‘Double-D’ certainly isn’t a stranger to victory lane in Central Pennsylvania, having claimed winged 410 victories at Lincoln, Williams Grove, and Port Royal Speedway in the 2016 season – including the $25,000 Williams Grove National Open victory against the World of Outlaws. Dietrich first found victory lane at the Berks County Grandview Speedway in the inaugural Thunder Cup event in 2015.
But all bets are off with this being Dietrich’s first foray into wingless Sprint Car racing.
“With a wing on we’re used to running really hard on entry,” the 28-year-old racer explained. “I think there’s going to be a learning curve, but this is going to make me a more versatile racer.”
“Danny Dietrich is one of the sport’s most popular racers on and off the race track,” Bob Miller co-promoter of the USAC events at Grandview Speedway and Lincoln Speedway stated. “Having someone of his caliber compete against the USAC drivers adds another layer to the excitement of the Eastern Storm.”
The leanest and meanest racers from USAC’s AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series – the nation’s largest group of non-wing open-wheel racers – make their annual stop on the east coast for a five-race series touring through Central Pennsylvania.
The 11th year of the ‘Eastern Storm’ kicks off on Tuesday, June 13 at Grandview Speedway; followed by Lincoln Speedway on Wednesday, June 14; Williams Grove Speedway on Thursday, June 15; Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, June 17; and rounding out the series on Sunday, June 18 at Susquehanna Speedway.
2017 USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SERIES EASTERN STORM
DATE: Tuesday, June 13, 2017
TRACK: Grandview Speedway (Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania) - 1/3-mile, dirt oval
NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series
Jesse Hockett Classic for USAC NON-WING Sprints & 358 NASCAR Modifieds
TRACK ADDRESS: 43 Passmore Rd, Bechtelsville, PA 19505
TRACK PHONE: (610) 754-7688
TRACK WEBSITE: www.grandviewspeedway.com/
SERIES WEBSITE: www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com
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DATE: Wednesday, June 14, 2017
TRACK: Lincoln Speedway (Abbottstown, Pennsylvania) - 3/8-mile, dirt oval
USAC NON-WING Sprints & 358 Sprints
TRACK ADDRESS: 800 Racetrack Rd, Abbottstown, PA 17301
TRACK PHONE: (717) 624-2755
TRACK WEBSITE: www.lincolnspeedway.com/
SERIES WEBSITE: www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com
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DATE: Thursday, June 15, 2017
TRACK: Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) – ½-mile, dirt oval
TRACK ADDRESS: 1 Speedway Dr., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
TRACK PHONE: (717) 697-5000
TRACK WEBSITE: www.williamsgrove.com/
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DATE: Saturday, June 17, 2017
TRACK: Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, Pennsylvania) - 1/2-mile, dirt oval
TRACK ADDRESS: 302 6th St, Port Royal, PA 17082
TRACK PHONE: (717) 527-2303
TRACK WEBSITE: portroyalspeedway.com/
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DATE: Sunday, June 18, 2017
TRACK: Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, Pennsylvania) – 4/10-mile, dirt oval
TRACK ADDRESS: 690 York Rd, York Haven, PA 17370
TRACK PHONE: (717) 938-9170
TRACK WEBSITE: www.susquehannaspeedway.net/
Schatz Charges Late to Win Sixth Race of 2017
Posted by: | CommentsWorld of Outlaws
Contact: Colby Gorniewicz
World of Outlaws PR
704-707-0229 | cgorniewicz@dirtcar.com
Please link back to the original article here
Donny Schatz charges from third to first in closing laps to win sixth World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series feature in eight races
Tulare, CA - March 19, 2017 - Fargo, North Dakota's Donny Schatz found more late-race magic on Saturday night getting around Kasey Kahne Racing teammates Brad Sweet and Daryn Pittman with just a few laps left en route to his sixth victory of the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series season.
The triumph for Schatz was his first at the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare since the 2007 season and came aboard the familiar Tony Stewart Racing/ Arctic Cat No. 15 machine. The eight-time World of Outlaws champion was settled in the third spot as the laps wound down, until making a thrilling move around the outside of the speedway to thread his way by the leaders in heavy lapped traffic.
"It feels really good to finally say we won in Tulare again," Schatz said emphatically on the front stretch. "I didn't think the track would take rubber so it kind of caught me by surprise. I really tried to save my tires and when we got to traffic late in the race the pace slowed down a lot. I decided I might as well try something and luckily it worked. I get all the credit, but it's really all about my team. We have an incredible group of people that work on this race car and that makes it so much fun. I can't thank all our sponsors enough for supporting us and giving us the opportunity to win races."
The 35-lap feature started out with a three-wide battle for the lead that saw Pittman get the better of it to motor out into the lead over Sweet and pole sitter Shane Stewart.
Early on in the feature the racing was fantastic throughout the field, as the slick surface made for some tremendous action. Caution periods kept the leaders out of traffic however, as Pittman held command out front. Once the midway point of the feature approached rubber began to come down on the surface and made passing opportunities limited. Sweet had kept Pittman in his sights though and hounded the rear bumper of the Great Clips No. 9 for much of the distance.
When the five to go signal was given the top-three bunched up as Schatz looked to make his move. With 32-laps in the record books the current World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series point leader blasted to the high-side to drive around Sweet for the second spot. He then stayed up high and charged around Pittman for the lead coming down to complete lap 33. After that Schatz pulled away to take the checkered flag by 1.951 seconds back to runner up Pittman.
Even though he was disappointed in the outcome Pittman kept an upbeat attitude following the race saying, "This is basically a new team this year with our crew chief change so hopefully it will be a momentum boost for us. I did everything I could tonight, but our engine just wouldn't run right in the feature. I definitely didn't want to see the rubber because our car wouldn't pull forward in it. Tulare is a tough track for me so I'm happy to be on the podium. It's a long season and the wins will come. I'm definitely happy with the effort that our whole has put forth."
Sweet crossed the stripe in third to earn another podium finish in the Kasey Kahne Racing/ Napa Auto Parts No. 49 Sprinter. "I was nervous that it would take rubber and Donny pretty much showed why he is the best tonight. He was able to make his line work the best and kind of schooled us, so we'll keep plugging away to try and get better. We have some good tracks for us coming up so that has me excited. We'll move on to Stockton and hopefully get a win next week."
Wooster, Ohio's Sheldon Haudenschild capped a strong weekend by finishing in the fourth spot, while Rutherford's Rico Abreu rounded out the top-five. Completing the top-10 were Shane Stewart; Eunice, Louisiana's Jason Johnson; San Jose's Tim Kaeding; Lemoore's Carson Macedo and Watertown, Connecticut's David Gravel. Hanover, Pennsylvania's Logan Schuchart earned the KSE Hard Charger Award by coming from 25th to 13th in the feature.
Australian Ian Madsen won the night's Last Chance Showdown, with Shane Stewart taking home the Craftsman Club Dash. The four 10-lap heat races were picked off by Jason Johnson, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz and Rico Abreu. Shane Stewart kicked-off the night by setting fast time in the 36-car field with a lap of 13.392 around the one-third mile clay oval.
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will return to action this coming Friday and Saturday at the Stockton Dirt Track for the FVP Western Spring Shootout.
Thunderbowl Raceway Notebook
Race Notes: Donny Schatz used lap traffic with two laps remaining to slip by Daryn Pittman for his sixth win of the 2017 season. Sweet secures second podium finish of weekend at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, LoneStar Speedway on March 3, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 9, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 10, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 18 ); Jason Johnson - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17); David Gravel - 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 17)
World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report, Thunderbowl Raceway, CA, March 18, 2017
Feature - (35 Laps) 1. 15-Donny Schatz [3] [$10,000]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [2] [$5,000]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4] [$3,000]; 4. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [8] [$2,700]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu [5] [$2,500]; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [1] [$2,200]; 7. 41-Jason Johnson [7] [$2,000]; 8. 83JR-Tim Kaeding [16] [$1,800]; 9. 21X-Carson Macedo [19] [$1,600]; 10. 5-David Gravel [10] [$1,450]; 11. 17-Joey Saldana [9] [$1,300]; 12. 18-Ian Madsen [21] [$1,200]; 13. 1S-Logan Schuchart [25] [$400]; 14. 11K-Kraig Kinser [14] [$1,000]; 15. 19-Brent Marks [17] [$950]; 16. 18S-Jason Solwold [13] [$900]; 17. 4-Paul McMahan [18] [$850]; 18. 7S-Jason Sides [26] [$50]; 19. W20-Greg Wilson [23] [$725]; 20. 51-James McFadden [12] [$700]; 21. 21-Brian Brown [24] [$700]; 22. 3C-DJ Netto [6] [$700]; 23. 88-Terry McCarl [20] [$700]; 24. 20-Cory Eliason [11] [$700]; 25. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [15] [$700]; 26. 83-Kyle Hirst [22] [$700] Lap Leaders: Daryn Pittman 1-32, Donny Schatz 33-35 KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+12]
Qualifying - 1. 2-Shane Stewart, 13.392; 2. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.448; 3. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.451; 4. 3C-DJ Netto, 13.498; 5. 41-Jason Johnson, 13.512; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.568; 7. 20-Cory Eliason, 13.646; 8. 24-Rico Abreu, 13.662; 9. 17-Joey Saldana, 13.672; 10. 5-David Gravel, 13.708; 11. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.799; 12. 51-James McFadden, 13.807; 13. 19-Brent Marks, 13.828; 14. 9-Daryn Pittman, 13.830; 15. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.832; 16. 88-Terry McCarl, 13.835; 17. 83-Kyle Hirst, 13.893; 18. 4-Paul McMahan, 13.894; 19. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 13.994; 20. 21-Brian Brown, 14.072; 21. 18S-Jason Solwold, 14.131; 22. 13-Clyde Knipp, 14.213; 23. W20-Greg Wilson, 14.241; 24. 83JR-Tim Kaeding, 14.318; 25. 37-Mitchell Faccinto, 14.323; 26. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 14.395; 27. 21X-Carson Macedo, 14.442; 28. 1A-Jacob Allen, 14.446; 29. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr, 14.460; 30. 22-Cori Andrews, 14.461; 31. 98-Sean Watts, 14.513; 32. 29-Willie Croft, 14.581; 33. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 14.611; 34. 68-Chase Johnson, 14.681; 35. 7S-Jason Sides, 14.760; 36. O-Bud Kaeding, 14.850
Heat 1 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 41-Jason Johnson[2] ; 2. 2-Shane Stewart[1] ; 3. 17-Joey Saldana[3] ; 4. 18S-Jason Solwold[6] ; 5. 19-Brent Marks[4] ; 6. 83-Kyle Hirst[5] ; 7. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr[8] ; 8. 37-Mitchell Faccinto[7] ; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart[9]
Heat 2 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[2] ; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman[4] ; 3. 5-David Gravel[3] ; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser[1] ; 5. 4-Paul McMahan[5] ; 6. 68-Chase Johnson[9] ; 7. 2X-Parker Price-Miller[7] ; 8. 13-Clyde Knipp[6] ; 9. 22-Cori Andrews[8]
Heat 3 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 15-Donny Schatz[1] ; 2. 49-Brad Sweet[4] ; 3. 20-Cory Eliason[2] ; 4. 41S-Dominic Scelzi[5] ; 5. 21X-Carson Macedo[7] ; 6. W20-Greg Wilson[6] ; 7. 7S-Jason Sides[9] ; 8. 98-Sean Watts[8] ; 9. 18-Ian Madsen[3]
Heat 4 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the Feature) 1. 24-Rico Abreu[2] ; 2. 3C-DJ Netto[1] ; 3. 51-James McFadden[3] ; 4. 83JR-Tim Kaeding[6] ; 5. 88-Terry McCarl[4] ; 6. 21-Brian Brown[5] ; 7. 29-Willie Croft[8] ; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen[7] ; 9. O-Bud Kaeding[9]
Craftsman Club® Dash - (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of Feature)
1. 2-Shane Stewart[2] ; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman[1] ; 3. 15-Donny Schatz[4] ; 4. 49-Brad Sweet[7] ; 5. 24-Rico Abreu[3] ; 6. 3C-DJ Netto[8] ; 7. 41-Jason Johnson[6] ; 8. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[5]
Last Chance Showdown - (12 Laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to the Feature)
1. 18-Ian Madsen[1] [-]; 2. 83-Kyle Hirst[2] [-]; 3. W20-Greg Wilson[5] [-]; 4. 21-Brian Brown[3] [-]; 5. 29-Willie Croft[12] [$300]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart[13] [$250]; 7. 68-Chase Johnson[14] [$225]; 8. 7S-Jason Sides[15] [$200]; 9. O-Bud Kaeding[16] [$200]; 10. 37-Mitchell Faccinto[6] [$200]; 11. 13-Clyde Knipp[4] [$200]; 12. 2X-Parker Price-Miller[7] [$200]; 13. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr[9] [$200]; 14. 98-Sean Watts[11] [$200]; 15. 22-Cori Andrews[10] [$200]; 16. 1A-Jacob Allen[8] [$200]
