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

Brent Marks Dominates at Wilmot for First Career Outlaw Victory

WILMOT, WI – June 3, 2018 – Brent Marks passed Daryn Pittman on Lap 13 and went on to annihilate the field for his first career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series victory at Wilmot Raceway. Marks nursed a flat right front tire the final lap and still took the checkered 4.514 seconds ahead of second-place Pittman with Brad Sweet completing the podium.

Daryn Pittman won the Sears Craftsman Dash, earning the pole for the 40-lap Feature alongside Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender Ian Madsen. A brief, but heavy, rain shower drenched Wilmot Raceway during the Last Chance Showdown and caused for nearly a two-hour delay before the Feature.

The first lap of the Feature got off to a bumpy start for veterans Kraig Kinser and Joey Saldana, as they both ended upside down in turn one. Both drivers were uninjured in the accident, but neither returned to competition. Kinser, who set Quick Time over the field for the first time this season, started third and his opening lap accident moved Brent Marks from inside the third row, to outside the second row.

Pittman controlled the field on the second attempt and Marks quickly established himself as a threat, maneuvering his way to second at the conclusion of the first lap. The final caution of the evening flew on Lap 5 when Gio Scelzi and Ian Madsen got together battling for fourth on the backstretch, with the latter getting the worst of it, ending his night.

Pittman continued to show the way as he quickly reached the back of the field almost instantaneously at the Wilmot bullring. Pittman cleared the first handful of lapped cars while Marks stayed right with him, waiting to pounce.

On Lap 13, Pittman remained bottled up in heavy traffic and Marks was able to sneak underneath to lead the first Outlaw laps of his career.

From there, it was pure domination.

Marks quickly distanced himself from Pittman and began lapping cars at a torrid pace. With 10 laps remaining, Marks’ lead was half a track over Pittman. Marks hopped the cushion in turn two with seven laps remaining, allowing the lapped car of Jason Johnson to get back by the leader momentarily. Marks would fight his way back by Johnson and go on to win his first career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature by more than four and a half seconds.

When Marks car arrived in Victory Lane, the right front tire was punctured and flat, presumably from when he hopped the cushion. Nonetheless, Brent Marks had finally made it to the place he dreamed of as a kid.

“This is a dream come true,” a relieved Brent Marks said upon exiting his family-owned No.19 in World of Outlaws Victory Lane for the first time. “It was nice to finally have a night with no troubles lingering throughout the night, but I never expected this. This is awesome. I’ve been trying so long to get my first Outlaw win, this is unreal,” an elated Marks added.

When asked about the closing laps, Marks referenced the flat tire, “I could barely turn the car. I was just hanging on, it was a handful.”

Quite possibly the most remarkable thing about the Brent Marks Racing No.19 team is the fact that the team has one crew member. Jesse Lentz and Marks, who prior to last season had never raced further west than Knoxville, travel from race-to-race competing against teams not only with multiple crew members, but crews and drivers with decades of World of Outlaws experience in their back pocket.

“It’s been tough, Jesse and I have been really exhausted, especially with all the problems we’ve had the past few weeks. I can’t wait to get back to the hotel and sleep until noon,” Marks said with a huge smile.

Kasey Kahne Racing teammates Daryn Pittman and Brad Sweet both echoed their happiness to see a fellow World of Outlaws regular get his first career victory. “I made too many mistakes and allowed Brent to get by. But truthfully, I don’t think it mattered, because once he got by me, he was in his own zip code. You hate to lose races and give up the lead, but honestly, I’m happy for him. I know what it’s like and what it feels like to get that first win. It was a solid weekend for us, we’ll come back Tuesday and try to get a win,” Pittman said in good spirits.

“Brent did a great job. I’m happy for him, it is always fun to get your first win. We’ll take a podium and look for a win on Tuesday at Fairbury,” Sweet said.

David Gravel’s winning streak at Wilmot came to an end as he finished fourth, with Gio Scelzi scoring a career-best fifth aboard the Indy Race Parts No.71. Shane Stewart, 11th-starting Sheldon Haudenschild and Donny Schatz were the only other cars on the lead lap as Marks lapped up to eighth place. After making the Feature as an alternate because of Justin Peck scratching, Matt Vandervere earned KSE Hard Charger Honors coming from 24th to 12th.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series continues its 40th Anniversary Season at Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Fairbury, Illinois on Tuesday with the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown before heading to Jackson, Minnesota for the $40,000 to win AGCO Jackson Nationals at Jackson Motorplex. Catch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.com!

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 19-Brent Marks [5][$10,000]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [1][$5,500]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$3,200]; 4. 5-David Gravel [4][$2,800]; 5. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [9][$2,500]; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [8][$2,300]; 7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [11][$2,200]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [10][$2,100]; 9. 41-Jason Johnson [16][$2,050]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart [13][$2,000]; 11. W20-Greg Wilson [14][$1,500]; 12. 10V-Matt Vandervere [24][$1,200]; 13. 5J-Jeremy Schultz [12][$1,100]; 14. 83-Cory Eliason [15][$1,050]; 15. 7S-Jason Sides [19][$1,000]; 16. 23D-Trey Datweiler [22][$900]; 17. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [17][$800]; 18. 13-Clyde Knipp [21][$800]; 19. 17B-Bill Balog [6][$800]; 20. 64-Scotty Thiel [20][$800]; 21. 18-Ian Madsen [2][$800]; 22. 1A-Jacob Allen [23][$800]; 23. 11K-Kraig Kinser [3][$800]; 24. 26-Joey Saldana [18][$800]; Lap Leaders: Daryn Pittman 1-12, Brent Marks 13-40; KSE Hard Charger Award: 10V-Matt Vandervere[+12]

Qualifying: 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.776; 2. 17B-Bill Balog, 12.782; 3. 18-Ian Madsen, 12.795; 4. 19-Brent Marks, 12.934; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman, 12.991; 6. 5-David Gravel, 13.021; 7. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.025; 8. 2-Shane Stewart, 13.028; 9. 71-Giovanni Scelzi, 13.072; 10. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.086; 11. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.099; 12. 5J-Jeremy Schultz, 13.108; 13. 41-Jason Johnson, 13.147; 14. 64-Scotty Thiel, 13.168; 15. 13-Clyde Knipp, 13.196; 16. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.205; 17. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.253; 18. 83-Cory Eliason, 13.269; 19. 5X-Justin Peck, 13.275; 20. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.286; 21. 26-Joey Saldana, 13.323; 22. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.354; 23. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 13.383; 24. 23-Russel Borland, 13.385; 25. 10V-Matt Vandervere, 13.406; 26. 23D-Trey Datweiler, 13.539; 27. 70-Raymond Hensley, 13.73; 28. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski, 13.818

Heat #1 (10 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 19-Brent Marks [2]; 2. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [6]; 6. 41-Jason Johnson [5]; 7. 5X-Justin Peck [7]; 8. 10V-Matt Vandervere [9]; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen [8]; 10. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski [10]

Heat #2 (10 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 17B-Bill Balog [1]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [2]; 3. 2-Shane Stewart [3]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7]; 5. W20-Greg Wilson [6]; 6. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [8]; 7. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 8. 64-Scotty Thiel [5]; 9. 23D-Trey Datweiler [9]

Heat #3 (10 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 5-David Gravel [2]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [1]; 3. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [3]; 4. 5J-Jeremy Schultz [4]; 5. 83-Cory Eliason [6]; 6. 26-Joey Saldana [7]; 7. 70-Raymond Hensley [9]; 8. 13-Clyde Knipp [5]; 9. 23-Russel Borland [8]

Sears Craftsman Dash (8 Laps): 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [1]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [3]; 3. 11K-Kraig Kinser [2]; 4. 5-David Gravel [4]; 5. 19-Brent Marks [5]; 6. 17B-Bill Balog [6]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 7S-Jason Sides [1][-]; 2. 64-Scotty Thiel [2][-]; 3. 13-Clyde Knipp [3][-]; 4. 23D-Trey Datweiler [8][-]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [5][-]; 6. 10V-Matt Vandervere [7][-]; 7. 5X-Justin Peck [4][$300]; 8. 23-Russel Borland [6][$250]; 9. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski [10][$225]; 10. 70-Raymond Hensley [9][$200] Note: Justin Peck finished second in the LCS, but scratched from the Feature and was awarded pay for the first non-transfer position. Matt Vandervere started the Feature as an alternate.

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

David Gravel Scores Third Win of the Year During Eventful Feature at I-96

LAKE ODESSA, MI – June 1, 2018 – David Gravel powered from third on a restart to lead Lap 16 and went on to win the Rumble in Michigan at I-96 Speedway. Shane Stewart continued his streak of top-five finishes with a second place run and Brad Sweet, who stole the lead from Gravel only for it to be negated by a yellow, settled for third at the conclusion of the caution-filled Feature.

Sheldon Haudenschild won the Sears Craftsman Dash and earned the pole for the 35-lap Feature alongside 1995 I-95 Outlaw winner Joey Saldana. Haudenschild paced the field early as Gravel quickly maneuvered into second around Saldana.

While Daryn Pittman and Saldana battled for third, Donny Schatz got a run off the bottom of turn four and surged by both of them to take the position. After an Open Red on Lap 14, Schatz pounced on Gravel and stole the runner-up position before a caution for Gio Scelzi, who was running in the top ten, halted competition one lap later.

Haudenschild led the field back to Green once again, but this time with the nine-time Series Champion next to him and David Gravel inside the second row. Gravel entered turn one on the cushion and powered around Schatz before squeezing under Haudenschild to steal the lead going into turn three with a breathtaking move.

Schatz slowed on the frontstretch the following lap with a flat tire and Jason Johnson clipped his left rear trying to avoid the Fargo, ND native and ended up getting upside down. Johnson was uninjured but done for the evening. Schatz was able to change his flat tire and return to the rear of the field.

Gravel commanded the lead through a pair of restarts, before an off the pace Sheldon Haudenschild brought out the caution with six circuits remaining. Haudenschild, who slowed significantly, never stopped but was the cause of the caution and was sent to the rear accordingly.

On the double-file restart, Brad Sweet got a massive run off the cushion and diamonded underneath Gravel to lead into three, only to see the caution for a backwards Cory Eliason negate the pass.

Gravel controlled the ensuing restart and one more with two laps remaining to win his third World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature of the year and second in a row at I-96 Speedway.

“I got a little lucky with the yellow coming out after Brad got me. It was tough to know what to do on the restarts and Brad got a good run and I tried to protect position, but that only hurt my exit and he got by me,” Gravel said in reference to the negated pass for the lead.

“All those late restarts, you never know what’s going to happen. I just wanted to see the checkered. I’m just happy to get another win, this team deserves it. It’s our third win of the year, heading to a track (Wilmot) we love tomorrow,” Gravel added in Victory Lane in front of his CJB Motorsports No.5.

Shane Stewart scored his third consecutive top-five finish and while he remains in search of his first victory of the year, Stewart and the Kyle Larson Racing No.2 team are confident. “Another great finish for these ENEOS guys, we have really turned our team around these past few races,” Stewart, who stole second from Sweet on the last restart, said.

Sweet, who was in search of his second consecutive win, was in good spirits. “That’s racing, sometimes the cautions fall your way, sometimes they don’t,” Sweet said in reference to the ill-timed caution. “I should’ve got second, but I took one last shot at the win and gave up second to Shane. You never know if you don’t try,” Sweet added with a smile.

Donny Schatz, in true championship form, came back from a flat tire at the halfway point to finish fourth. Brent Marks, who battled fuel issues all evening, rebounded in a big way coming from 22nd to complete the top five in his first visit to I-96. Marks’ effort earned him KSE Hard Charger Honors for the fifth time during the 2018 season.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series treks to Wisconsin overnight to compete at the Wilmot Raceway Saturday evening for the Badger 40 before the Series tries again to make its inaugural visit at Fairbury American Legion Speedway with the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown on Tuesday, June 5. If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.com!

Results from I-96 Speedway - June 1, 2018

Feature (35 Laps): 1. 5-David Gravel [3][$10,000]; 2. 2-Shane Stewart [5][$5,500]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [8][$3,200]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$2,800]; 5. 19-Brent Marks [22][$2,500]; 6. 26-Joey Saldana [2][$2,300]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [15][$2,200]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [14][$2,100]; 9. 18-Ian Madsen [10][$2,050]; 10. 9-Daryn Pittman [6][$2,000]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [19][$1,500]; 12. 7S-Jason Sides [12][$1,200]; 13. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1][$1,100]; 14. 83-Cory Eliason [9][$1,050]; 15. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [7][$1,000]; 16. 22M-Dan McCarron [24][$900]; 17. 5H-Andy Teunessen [18][$800]; 18. 71H-Ryan Ruhl [16][$800]; 19. 64-Scotty Thiel [20][$800]; 20. 41-Jason Johnson [13][$800]; 21. 11R-Chase Ridenour [17][$800]; 22. 13-Clyde Knipp [21][$800]; 23. 1A-Jacob Allen [11][$800]; 24. 10V-Matt Vandervere [23][$800];
Lap Leaders: Sheldon Haudenschild 1-15, David Gravel 16-35;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 19-Brent Marks[+17]

Qualifying: 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.669; 2. 2-Shane Stewart, 13.68; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman, 13.793; 4. 5-David Gravel, 13.834; 5. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.851; 6. 83-Cory Eliason, 13.876; 7. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.899; 8. 26-Joey Saldana, 13.954; 9. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.978; 10. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.991; 11. 1A-Jacob Allen, 14.001; 12. 7S-Jason Sides, 14.023; 13. 85-Dustin Daggett, 14.029; 14. 64-Scotty Thiel, 14.039; 15. 5H-Andy Teunessen, 14.046; 16. 71-Giovanni Scelzi, 14.072; 17. W20-Greg Wilson, 14.095; 18. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 14.167; 19. 41-Jason Johnson, 14.172; 20. 11R-Chase Ridenour, 14.249; 21. 13-Clyde Knipp, 14.295; 22. 71H-Ryan Ruhl, 14.317; 23. 19-Brent Marks, 14.395; 24. 22M-Dan McCarron, 14.511; 25. 23-Russel Borland, 14.531; 26. 10V-Matt Vandervere, 14.817; 27. 2X-Brian Smith, 14.883; 28. 5QB-Quentin Blonde, 14.937; 29. 18S-Michael Summers, 16.107

Heat #1 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 5-David Gravel [2]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 3. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [6]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [4]; 5. 41-Jason Johnson [7]; 6. 71H-Ryan Ruhl [8]; 7. 23-Russel Borland [9]; 8. 5QB-Quentin Blonde [10]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1]; 10. 85-Dustin Daggett [5]

Heat #2 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 2-Shane Stewart [1]; 2. 26-Joey Saldana [3]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [4]; 5. W20-Greg Wilson [6]; 6. 11R-Chase Ridenour [7]; 7. 10V-Matt Vandervere [9]; 8. 18S-Michael Summers [10]; 9. 19-Brent Marks [8]; 10. 64-Scotty Thiel [5]

Heat #3 (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [1]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [3]; 3. 83-Cory Eliason [2]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6]; 6. 5H-Andy Teunessen [5]; 7. 13-Clyde Knipp [7]; 8. 22M-Dan McCarron [8]; 9. 2X-Brian Smith [9]

Sears Craftsman Dash (6 Laps): 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1]; 2. 26-Joey Saldana [2]; 3. 5-David Gravel [4]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [3]; 6. 9-Daryn Pittman [6]

Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer: 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1][-]; 2. 64-Scotty Thiel [2][-]; 3. 13-Clyde Knipp [3][-]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [4][-]; 5. 10V-Matt Vandervere [7][-]; 6. 22M-Dan McCarron [5][-]; 7. 2X-Brian Smith [8][$300]; 8. 23-Russel Borland [6][$250]; 9. 5QB-Quentin Blonde [9][$225]; 10. 18S-Michael Summers [10][$200]; 11. 85-Dustin Daggett [11][$200]