World of Outlaws

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

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

Winner Donny Schatz (Dave Biro Photo)

Donny Schatz Scores 16th Win of 2018 Season at River Cities and Adds a Late Model Win for Extra Measure

GRAND FORKS, ND – August 17, 2018 – Donny Schatz took the lead on Lap 28, after Brad Sweet spun while leading, and held off 17th-starting Mark Dobmeier to win his 16th World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature of 2018 and seventh in his last eight River Cities Speedway starts. Kerry Madsen completed the podium. Schatz also won the Late Model portion of the event.

Sheldon Haudenschild won the Sears Craftsman Dash, earning the pole for the 40-lap Feature alongside recent Knoxville Nationals winner Brad Sweet. Haudenschild led the opening lap before a Red Flag for Logan Schuchart, Wade Nygaard and Brent Marks halted the action with one lap complete. All drivers were uninjured, but only Marks returned.

Haudenschild continued to pace the field as he reached lapped traffic quickly around the ¼ bullring. Sweet stalked the Ohio native and took the lead on Lap 12 on the bottom, in heavy lapped traffic.

Jordan Adams, who flipped earlier in the night but repaired his car to transfer out of the LCS, brought out the caution with 15 laps complete.

A caution on the ensuing double-file restart, set up a single-file restart. Four laps later, Ian Madsen was involved in his second incident of the Feature, this time with too much damage to continue, bringing out Open Red conditions.

When action resumed, Sheldon Haudenschild got shuffled back to fourth behind Kerry Madsen and Donny Schatz, who moved into second. Schatz set his eyes on Sweet and closed in as the duo raced through heavy traffic.

As Schatz went high to challenge for the lead, Sweet entered low into turn one and lost the handle of his No.49, spinning to a stop. Schatz assumed the lead alongside Kerry Madsen.

Schatz stormed away on the restart as the rest of the field, especially 17th-starting Mark Dobmeier, used every inch of real estate around the River Cities Speedway to advance forward.

The final restart flew with four to go and by this time Dobmeier, the all-time winning Feature leader at River Cities Speedway, had worked his way to second, trailing Schatz. The capacity crowd was bubbling with anticipation of the finish as the two North Dakota natives led the field back to Green.

Schatz pulled away in convincing fashion for his 16th Outlaw win of the year and seventh in his last eight starts at River Cities Speedway as Dobmeier finished second, picking up KSE Hard Charger honors for advancing 15 positions.

“I’m just a lucky guy. To drive for the for the best guys in the pit area, the best owner in the country and the people that build these cars. They stand behind us through thick and then,” Schatz said of his Textron Off Road-sponsored crew, Tony Stewart and J & J Chassis.

“Mark [Dobmeier] had a good run, I saw the 13 on the board and I thought, oh boy, here we go. He’s pretty good around here,” Schatz said of his fellow North Dakota native.

“Lapped traffic definitely made your hair stand up tonight, we might not have been the best car tonight, but I’m glad we could get it done in Grand Forks,” Schatz, who also won the NLRA Late Model Feature, added in Victory Lane.

The massive crowd at River Cities was pleased to see six-time winner at River Cities in 2018, Dobmeier finish second. “It’s great to have the crowd cheer like this, this is why we do it,” Dobmeier said. “I wish I didn’t use up all my tires at the beginning of the race, I wanted to start in the Dash and start in the top-ten and get that track position early, but we didn’t have it early, so I had to dig deep, I gave everything I had. Considering we got to second to this guy [pointing at Schatz], I feel pretty good about that run,” Dobmeier said with a smile.

Kerry Madsen finished on the podium once again at River Cities, “I had a big plan on the double-file restart with six to go and it didn’t work and I lost a spot,” Madsen said with a grin before complimenting River Cities Speedway. “They do such a good job with the track here, I love coming to Grand Forks.”

14th-starting Daryn Pittman finished fourth with Brad Sweet charging back to fifth. Shane Stewart, who was involved in two accidents, recovered to finish sixth. David Gravel stayed out of trouble and finished seventh.

21st-starting Brent Marks recovered from a Lap One accident to finish eighth, Hunter Schuerenburg, who went to the work area running sixth early in the race, came back to ninth with local Jade Hastings, who brought out the Yellow with 6 laps left, completing the top-ten, the first of his World of Outlaws career.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series returns to action in West Fargo tomorrow night, Saturday, August 18, 2018 at Red River Valley Speedway. If you can’t make it to the track, be sure to watch all the action LIVE on DIRTVision.com!

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [5][$10,000]; 2. 13-Mark Dobmeier [17][$5,500]; 3. 2M-Kerry Madsen [4][$3,200]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [14][$2,800]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$2,500]; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [12][$2,300]; 7. 5-David Gravel [13][$2,200]; 8. 19-Brent Marks [21][$2,100]; 9. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [10][$2,050]; 10. 8H-Jade Hastings [16][$2,000]; 11. 1A-Jacob Allen [11][$1,500]; 12. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [15][$1,200]; 13. 7S-Jason Sides [9][$1,100]; 14. 24-Terry McCarl [6][$1,050]; 15. 11K-Kraig Kinser [22][$1,000]; 16. 20A-Jordan Adams [24][$900]; 17. W20-Greg Wilson [8][$800]; 18. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1][$800]; 19. 24R-Rico Abreu [3][$800]; 20. 17A-Austin McCarl [23][$800]; 21. 18-Ian Madsen [7][$800]; 22. 9N-Wade Nygaard [18][$800]; 23. 1S-Logan Schuchart [19][$800]; 24. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [20][$800]; Lap Leaders: Sheldon Haudenschild 1-11, Brad Sweet 12-27, Donny Schatz 28-40; KSE Hard Charger Award: 13-Mark Dobmeier[+15]

Qualifying: 1. 49-Brad Sweet, 10.724; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen, 10.822; 3. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 10.826; 4. 18-Ian Madsen, 10.92; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 10.948; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 11.016; 7. 24-Terry McCarl, 11.021; 8. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, 11.046; 9. 2-Shane Stewart, 11.052; 10. 19-Brent Marks, 11.077; 11. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.093; 12. 24R-Rico Abreu, 11.098; 13. 17A-Austin McCarl, 11.107; 14. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 11.127; 15. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 11.15; 16. 5-David Gravel, 11.184; 17. 13-Mark Dobmeier, 11.197; 18. 9N-Wade Nygaard, 11.323; 19. 8H-Jade Hastings, 11.35; 20. W20-Greg Wilson, 11.459; 21. 7S-Jason Sides, 11.462; 22. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg, 11.481; 23. 9-Daryn Pittman, 11.53; 24. 20A-Jordan Adams, 11.635; 25. 31-Shane Roemeling, 11.745; 26. 1AJ-Trevor Mell, 12.112; 27. 6N-Greg Nikitenko, 12.184; 28. 14K-Tori Knutson, 13.099; 29. O-Ned Powers, NT

Heat #1 (10 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 24-Terry McCarl [3]; 3. 18-Ian Madsen [2]; 4. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [8]; 5. 5-David Gravel [6]; 6. 8H-Jade Hastings [7]; 7. 19-Brent Marks [4]; 8. 14K-Tori Knutson [10]; 9. 17A-Austin McCarl [5]; 10. 31-Shane Roemeling [9]

Heat #2 (10 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 3. W20-Greg Wilson [7]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [1]; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman [8]; 6. 13-Mark Dobmeier [6]; 7. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [3]; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5]; 9. 1AJ-Trevor Mell [9]; 10. O-Ned Powers [10]

Heat #3 (10 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 2M-Kerry Madsen [1]; 2. 24R-Rico Abreu [4]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [7]; 4. 2-Shane Stewart [3]; 5. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [5]; 6. 9N-Wade Nygaard [6]; 7. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [9]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 9. 20A-Jordan Adams [8]

Sears Craftsman Dash (8 Laps): 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 3. 24R-Rico Abreu [6]; 4. 2M-Kerry Madsen [3]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 6. 24-Terry McCarl [4]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1][-]; 2. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [2][-]; 3. 19-Brent Marks [3][-]; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5][-]; 5. 17A-Austin McCarl [4][-]; 6. 20A-Jordan Adams [6][-]; 7. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [9][$300]; 8. 14K-Tori Knutson [10][$250]; 9. 31-Shane Roemeling [7][$225]; 10. 1AJ-Trevor Mell [8][$200]; 11. O-Ned Powers [11][$200]

World of Outlaws

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

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

Winner Brad Sweet (Trent Gower Photo)

Brad Sweet Sends Sellout Knoxville Raceway Crowd into Pandemonium with Thrilling Knoxville Nationals Triumph

KNOXVILLE, IA – August 11, 2018 – Brad Sweet forever etched his name in the history books, edging 10-time Knoxville Nationals Champion Donny Schatz by 0.133 seconds in the second-closest finish in the 58-year history of the event. A Green-White-Checkered finish brought the sellout crowd to their feet with Sweet remaining loyal to the bottom and Schatz pounding the cushion. As the NAPA Auto Parts, Kasey Kahne Racing No.49 crossed the line in front of Schatz, the city of Knoxville erupted with positive emotion in celebration of a new winner. Kyle Larson led Lap 28 and 29, but settled for third to land on the podium for the second consecutive year.

Sweet earned the pole for the 50-lap, $150,000 to win Feature with the highest points total of the 97 drivers entered. Sweet dominated the first 25 laps of the event while Schatz and Larson waged war for the runner-up position. At the mandatory caution on Lap 25, Larson had secured second from Schatz and would get the first crack at his brother-in-law and fellow California native, Sweet.

Sweet made a rare error on the bottom on Lap 27, allowing Larson to get a run on the cushion to lead down the backstretch and officially take the lead on the 28th lap. Sweet, determined as ever, went back to work on the bottom of the racing surface and took the lead back on Lap 30.

“I knew I messed up bad, so I wasn’t surprised to see someone roll by. I wanted to get that lead back,” Sweet said of Larson getting by him in the middle stages of the race.

The entire capacity crowd knew that they had not seen the last of Donny Schatz. The current World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series points leader rolled by Larson with 10 to go and began closing the margin on Sweet, who sits second in Outlaw points. The intensity was rising as Schatz closed in on the NAPA No.49, seeking his 11th Knoxville Nationals title.

Sweet remained committed to the bottom and took the two-to-go signal with a comfortable, but not unsurmountable lead, over Schatz. And then, the Red Flag flew for Kerry Madsen, who was uninjured in the accident. A collective gasp could be heard from the 21,000 plus fans, knowing the 2018 Knoxville Nationals would come down to a Green-White-Checkered finish.

The intensity, excitement and anxiety from the capacity crowd could be felt as the cars re-fired for the two-lap dash for $150,000. Schatz knew Sweet would remain loyal to the bottom, so he had no choice but to put his Tony Stewart Racing No.15 on the cushion. The difference between the duo was less than a car-length as they rolled by the packed backstretch grandstands and into turn three and four.

The entire crowd rose to their feet as Sweet and Schatz took the White Flag. Sweet on the bottom, Schatz on the top, the crowd roaring, that’s what this sport is all about. At the line, Brad Sweet edged Schatz by 0.133 seconds in the second-closest Knoxville Nationals in the 58-year history of the event to score the $150,000. An emotion-filled Sweet pulled into Victory Lane to pandemonium and unparalleled enthusiasm from his family, friends, crew, car owner and hundreds of fans.

“This is surreal. I’ve been dreaming about this, working at this, my entire life,” Sweet said. “I am forever etched into the Knoxville Nationals history books. When asked about the heart-pounding Green-White-Checkered finish Sweet didn’t hold back, “I think I held my breath. I really had to buckle down and hit the bottom the best I can. I couldn’t see [Donny], but I could hear him, I could hear a pitch of the engine on the outside of me. It doesn’t matter how much you win by as long as you win,” a jubilated Sweet said.

Donny Schatz settled for second and the $75,000 payday, not a bad consolation prize. “It was a lot of fun, that’s what it’s all about. Of course, it would have been more fun if I won,” Schatz said with a grin. “I knew if I wanted to win the race, I had to go somewhere else. There was enough [on the top] and I thought I had a good shot at Brad, I was praying for another lap when I came to the checkered. He didn’t make any mistakes, did a great job and got there first,” Schatz said.

Kyle Larson finished third and was excited for his brother-in-law Sweet, but talked about being a little tight and got had a good chuckle when Sweet said, “This is the first thing I’ve beaten Kyle at,” in reference to capturing a Knoxville Nationals title.

Texas’ Aaron Reutzel continues to cement himself as a top-tier 410 Sprint Car driver, backing up his Hard Charger honors last year with a fourth-place finish. Tim Kaeding, in a second Sides Motorsports entry, charged late to finish fifth.

Carson Macedo, aboard the Jason Johnson Racing No.41, was excellent all weekend long and finished sixth with Chad Kemenah finishing seventh. Logan Schuchart charged from 19th to eighth, Shane Stewart came from 15th to ninth and David Gravel completed the top-ten and earned KSE Hard Charger honors, advancing 13 positions from his 23rd starting spot.

As you read this, the small town of Knoxville, Iowa is beginning to slowly shift back to its quiet, unassuming normal state. But not after one of the most unforgettable Knoxville Nationals in the 58-year history of the event.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series continues its 40th Anniversary season next weekend with a pair of dates in North Dakota, starting at River Cities on Friday, August 18 before heading to Red River Valley Speedway on Saturday, August 19.

Feature (started), 50 Laps, NT: 1. Brad Sweet (1); 2. Donny Schatz (4); 3. Kyle Larson (3); 4. Aaron Reutzel (5); 5. Tim Kaeding (10); 6. Carson Macedo (8); 7. Chad Kemenah (2); 8. Logan Schuchart (17); 9. Shane Stewart (15); 10. David Gravel (23); 11. Ian Madsen (11); 12. Tim Shaffer (7); 13. Jacob Allen (12); 14. Gio Scelzi (9); 15. Greg Hodnett (14); 16. Dominic Scelzi (25); 17. Daryn Pittman (22); 18. Parker Price-Miller (21); 19. Brock Zearfoss (24); 20. Matt Juhl (20); 21. Paul McMahan (19); 22. Kerry Madsen (6); 23. Terry McCarl (16); 24. Rico Abreu (13); 25. Brian Brown (18). Lap Leaders: Sweet 1-27, Larson 28-29, Sweet 30-50. Hard-charger: Gravel.

D Main (started), 12 Laps, NT: 1. 70, Dave Blaney, High Point, NC (2); 2. 71x, Kevin Thomas Jr., Cullman, AL (3); 3. 7c, John Carney II, El Paso, TX (1); 4. 95, Matt Covington, Glenpool, OK (4); 5. 99G, Skylar Gee, Leduc, ALB, Can. (6); 6. 9R, Rager Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (5) / 7. 17w, Harli White, Lindsay, OK (8); 8. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (14); 9. 9x, Jake Bubak, Arvada, OH (10); 10. 15M, Bobby Mincer, Burlington, IA (9); 11. 71A, RJ Johnson, Tampa, FL (12); 12. 17B, Bill Balog, Hartland, WI (17); 13. 7, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (7); 14. 84, Tom Harris, Banbury, OXFD, UK (16); 15. 25, Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove, CA (13); 16. 2K, Kevin Ingle, Huron, SD (15); 17. 28P, Brian Paulus, Mooresville, IN (11); 18. 18J, Jenna Frazier, Rio Linda, CA (19); 19. 10, Clyde Knipp, California, MO (18) DNS – 85, Chase Wanner, Agency, IA; 12N, Cole Duncan, Lockbourne, OH; 44M, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA; 28AU, Allan Woods, Brisbane, QLD, Aust.; 21AU, Jordyn Brazier, Sydney, NSW, Aust.; 0, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust.; G1, Gary Taylor, Snohomish, WA; 28, Scott Bogucki, McLaren Vale, SA, Aust.; 11, Roger Crockett, Broken Arrow, OK; 2c, Wayne Johnson, Tuttle, OK; 5J, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA; 4K, Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw, WA; 2mm, Matt Moro, Polk City, IA; 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA; 91, Kyle Reinhardt, Neptune City, NJ

C Main (started), 15 Laps, NT: 1. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX (2); 2. 39, Spencer Bayston, Lebanon, IN (6); 3. 35P, Skylar Prochaska, Lakefield, MN (1); 4. 17x, Josh Baughman, Odessa, TX (13); 5. 44, Trey Starks, Puyallup, WA (3) / 6. W20, Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, OH (8); 7. 7w, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (15); 8. 29, Willie Croft, Fresno, CA (16); 9. 70s, Jeff Swindell, Bartlett, TN (17); 10. 68, Chase Johnson, Penngrove, CA (11); 11. 81, Lee Jacobs, Dalton, OH (10); 12. Kevin Thomas Jr. (20); 13. Dave Blaney (19); 14. 17wx, Shane Golobic, Fremont, CA (18); 15. 1x, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (7); 16. 91T, Cale Thomas, Fairland, IN (4); 17. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (5); 18. Skylar Gee (23); 19. Rager Phillips (24); 20. 19P, Paige Polyak, Tiffin, OH (14); 21. John Carney II (21); 22. Matt Covington (22); 23. 99, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK (12) DNS – 3H, James McFadden, Ormeau, QLD, Aust.; 21K, Thomas Kennedy, Winnipeg, MB, Can.; 48, Danny Dietrich, Gettysburg, PA

B Main (started), 22 Laps, 6:18.5: 1. 71P, Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, IN (1); 2. 9, Daryn Pittman, Bixby, OK (3); 3. 5, David Gravel, Watertown, CT (7); 4. 4, Brock Zearfoss, Jonestown, PA (4) / 5. 2KS, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (9); 6. 24w, Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, PA (2); 7. 17, Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, OH (11); 8. 19, Brent Marks, Myerstown, PA (16); 9. 13, Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks, ND (6); 10. 35, Jamie Veal, Warrnambool, VIC, Aust. (12); 11. Spencer Bayston (22); 12. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (19); 13. 11K, Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, IN (10); 14. 83, Cory Eliason, Selma, CA (5); 15. 55, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Aust. (18); 16. 1, Sammy Swindell, Germantown, TN (13); 17. 56N, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (14); 18. 49J, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (20); 19. Skylar Prochaska (21); 20. 7s, Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN (17); 21. 97G, Hunter Schuerenberg, Sikeston, MO (15); 22. Trey Starks (24); 23. 5H, Sammy Walsh, Orangeville, NSW, Aust. (8); 24. Josh Baughman (23) DNS – 26, Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN