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Post by woosprints12 on Mar 30, 2019 4:29:36 GMT -8
Gravel Scores For Jason Johnson Racing Nothing was going to stop David Gravel from jumping out of his car. Out of breath with a wide grin on his face, he high-fived and hugged his crew members and became bathed in confetti while standing on the back of his car and pointing toward the sky. Not only was he celebrating his first win of the season at Keller Auto Speedway, his 40th World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory and his first win with Jason Johnson Racing, he honored the man whose car he drives. Gravel’s triumph was the first WoO victory for the team since the death of co-owner and driver Jason Johnson last June. “It’s definitely special,” said Gravel, almost lost for words. The start of his night did not signal a potential victory, with the luck of the draw sending him out last for qualifying. He managed a 15th-place qualifying effort on a track several drivers called “tricky” due to its slick condition. It didn’t take long for Gravel to figure out the trick, winning his heat race. “It really set us up for the rest of the night,” Gravel said. “I knew the bottom was going to be a factor.” Gravel’s crew chief, Philip Dietz, said Gravel called his shot before the feature. He was going to stick to the bottom until he figured it out. And he did. Starting from the pole, Sheldon Haudenschild shot to the early lead, riding the high side of the slick track. While he led, drivers behind him were rarely in the same lane or position lap after lap. They tried high. They tried low. Wherever there was grip, they made sure to use up every inch of it. Closing in on halfway through the 35-lap feature, the bottom proved to be the preferred line. Shane Stewart, who faced heartbreak last race at the Stockton Dirt Track after blowing a tire while leading with five laps to go, looked to have his sight set on redemption, reeling in the Haudenschild. Stewart took the lead on lap 20, but his hope for redemption was short lived as Gravel had been working the bottom of the track to perfection and was not far behind. He took the lead from Stewart — driving for Gravel’s former team, CJB Motorsports — two laps later. “Honestly, I just didn’t have the patients to run the bottom in turns one and two,” said Stewart, who ended up third. “Driver instincts, you just don’t know what to do at times. Once David went by me, I tried to run the bottom again, and missed it a couple of times. I thought I should get back up to the top and then (Daryn) Pittman got me.” Pittman, who extended his points lead over second-place Donny Schatz to 12 points by finishing second, was still all smiles after his third runner-up finish of the year. “I would have never guessed from the beginning of that race that we would be just putting around the bottom,” Pittman said. “We were not set up for that at all. I honestly thought the top would stay dominate. It never crossed my mind that we would be running the bottom.” Stewart finished third with Haudenschild and Brad Sweet completing the top five. NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [7][$10,000]; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman [5][$5,500]; 3. 5-Shane Stewart [3][$3,200]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1][$2,800]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [17][$2,500]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [2][$2,300]; 7. 17W-Shane Golobic [8][$2,200]; 8. 2-Carson Macedo [6][$2,100]; 9. 21-Brian Brown [11][$2,050]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart [22][$2,000]; 11. 87-Aaron Reutzel [23][$1,500]; 12. 26-Cory Eliason [12][$1,200]; 13. 19-Brent Marks [4][$1,100]; 14. 18-Ian Madsen [24][$1,050]; 15. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [15][$1,000]; 16. 7S-Tim Kaeding [21][$900]; 17. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [16][$800]; 18. 11K-Kraig Kinser [13][$800]; 19. 88N-DJ Netto [19][$800]; 20. 45-Chad Kemenah [18][$800]; 21. 7-Jason Sides [10][$800]; 22. O-Bud Kaeding [14][$800]; 23. 24-Rico Abreu [20][$800]; 24. 83JR-Giovanni Scelzi [9][$800]; Lap Leaders: Sheldon Haudenschild 1-19, Shane Stewart 20-21, David Gravel 22-35; KSE Hard Charger Award: 49-Brad Sweet[+12] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/gravel-scores-jason-johnson-racing/
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Post by woosprints12 on Apr 6, 2019 8:00:55 GMT -8
Sweet Holds Off Madsen In Tucson
With five laps to go in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Wildcat Shootout at USA Raceway Friday night, Brad Sweet’s victory was far from certain. Sweet had command of the race, having stolen the lead from Ian Madsen just before a lap-19 caution flag. However, Madsen did not let the blue Kasey Kahne Racing car of Sweet out of his sight. With lapped traffic in Sweet’s windshield, Madsen used it to his advantage turning a car length distance between them into half a car length. Then a quarter. The laps were winding down in a hurry, but the race was far from over. That is until the traffic that was helping Madsen catch Sweet, ended up killing his momentum with a lap to go, putting more than a car length back between he and Sweet, who went on to claim his first win of the season – his 35th career victory. “I was just kind of lucky to get through a few of those guys, just mistakes in lap traffic and we were in the right spot to capitalize,” said Grass Valley, Calif., native Sweet. “The car was superfast and made the opportunities for us to take advantage of those opportunities.” Sweet stared sixth for the 30-lap feature, while Madsen, who fared better in the dash, started outside the front row. When the green flag waved, Madsen, last year’s Rookie of the Year, shot by polesitter Donny Schatz and ran away with the lead. “Everyone’s always better in clean air,” said Madsen, who ended up second. “It just kind of got pretty tricky there in the middle of the race. We got stuck behind some lap cars and we just weren’t as good as Brad tonight to maneuver around to get past the lapped cars.” Madsen’s blistering pace at the start of the race put him in lapped traffic by Lap five. While the Australian hustled his way around the slower cars, Sweet — with a little bit of luck on his side — methodically moved his way to the front, lap by lap. “I think we were in the right place at the right time a lot of the time and we were able to capitalize,” Sweet said. “Coming from sixth to win is hard in these things, especially on a pretty fast track. We’ll take it any way we can get it.” Luck wasn’t the only factor that helped him to the front. A little bit of skill, knowing where to put his car helped, too. “Luckily for me, I kind of found a low line in turn one, and kind of low down the front stretch,” Sweet said. “If I could get off (turn) four equal or a little better than the guy in front of me, I could go low in turn one and it seemed like I could carry more speed. That’s where I made all of my passes.” While Sweet and Madsen stole the show, Brent Marks raced his way to his best finish so far this year – sixth. “I know my results through California don’t really show, but we’ve been getting our car really good,” said Marks. “We’ll just keep plugging away and fine tuning this race car and try to have a little bit better luck on our side. Excited we got a good run tonight.” Sweet is the ninth different winner this season in 10 races. That consistency, in addition to Friday night’s win, has left him tied for the points lead with 10-times series champion Donny Schatz. NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [6][$10,000]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [2][$5,500]; 3. 41-David Gravel [4][$3,200]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [1][$2,800]; 5. 21-Brian Brown [5][$2,500]; 6. 19-Brent Marks [3][$2,300]; 7. 83-Daryn Pittman [10][$2,200]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [12][$2,100]; 9. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7][$2,050]; 10. 5-Shane Stewart [8][$2,000]; 11. 13-Mark Dobmeier [16][$1,500]; 12. 24-Rico Abreu [15][$1,200]; 13. 19AZ-Hunter Schuerenberg [19][$1,100]; 14. 2-Carson Macedo [13][$1,050]; 15. 45-Chad Kemenah [9][$1,000]; 16. 11K-Kraig Kinser [14][$900]; 17. 21P-Robbie Price [17][$800]; 18. 33M-Mason Daniel [18][$800]; 19. 1A-Jacob Allen [20][$800]; 20. 7S-Jason Sides [11][$800]; 21. 7-Gravy Fairfield [21][$800]; Lap Leaders: Ian Madsen 1-18, Brad Sweet 19-30; KSE Hard Charger Award: 19AZ-Hunter Schuerenberg[+6] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/sweet-holds-off-madsen-in-tucson/
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Post by woosprints12 on Apr 6, 2019 8:04:09 GMT -8
Shirley Stops Sheppard In Illinois Battle Team Illinois was firing on all cylinders on Friday night at Farmer City Raceway, as Brian Shirley bested Brandon Sheppard in an exciting 25-lap battle for $6,000. This marked Shirley’s sixth career win with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, as part of the 12th annual Illini 100 presented by Douglas Dodge. Chris Madden earned his hard-fought third-place finish, starting second and battling through heavy pressure from those behind him to collect his fourth top five of the season. He said wasn’t as clean as he would have liked, but Shirley persevered through one intense battle in the closing stages with Series points leader Sheppard on a lightning-fast, yet technical race track. “It wasn’t a perfect race, but in the end, it ended up being good enough to get the job done,” Shirley said. Shirley grabbed the lead on the opening lap and held it until Madden pulled the trigger to Shirley’s inside on a lap seven restart. Madden held that lead only for a few laps before hitting a few ruts in turn one and jumping the cushion, handing the lead back over to “Squirrel,” which he held the rest of the way. However, the battle with Sheppard had only begun once he regained the lead. Every corner of each of the last 10 circuits, “The Rocket Shepp” was nipping at Shirley’s heels, making forceful challenges to the inside several times. The Rocket Chassis house car driver’s efforts went unrewarded, but what a show both drivers put on in front of a packed grandstands. “That guy’s an animal, he’s the best driver in the country,” Shirley said. “To be able to compete with him is second-to-none. I’m just glad I was able to beat him this time.” Shirley said the difference maker was just track position. Even though Sheppard started directly behind him, Shirley admitted a pole-position redraw definitely aided his drive to victory. “It definitely didn’t hurt us, starting in front of him,” Shirley said. “Anytime you can get an advantage over the No. 1 team, it’s pretty good, and I’m thankful.” Sheppard also had himself quite a run in qualifying, picking up the PFC Brakes Fast Time Award and smashing the Farmer City Raceway track record of 11.973 seconds, set by Billy Moyer in 2008, with a lap of 11.750. Chris Madden had a great night up front, aboard his Skyline Motorsports, Capital Race Cars No. 44. He held his runner-up starting spot through the first six laps before catching a better line than Shirley on a lap-seven restart, shooting to the bottom and snatching the lead away. His efforts to defend the lead went sour, however, when he hit a rough patch in turns one and two and found himself over the cushion, allowing Shirley and Sheppard to pass. “Earlier on, I was able to get by Brian and the racetrack really wasn’t that bad,” Madden said. “I was able to run the middle through one and two, and I got by Brian racing him down there.” “Smokey” was unable to make up the ground and reclaim the top spots but held off a bit of late-race pressure from Dennis Erb Jr. and Darrell Lanigan to bag the last podium spot. The finish:Morton Buildings Feature (25 Laps) 1. 3s-Brian Shirley [1][$6,000]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard [3][$3,000]; 3. 44-Chris Madden [2][$2,000]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb [8][$1,750]; 5. 29-Darrell Lanigan [6][$1,500]; 6. 36v-Kyle Hardy [4][$1,400]; 7. 18-Chase Junghans [9][$1,300]; 8. 25-Shane Clanton [7][$1,200]; 9. 7-Ricky Weiss [13][$1,100]; 10. 28m-Jimmy Mars [15][$1,000]; 11. 32p-Bobby Pierce [20][$900]; 12. 29D-Spencer Diercks [22][$850]; 13. 4G-Bob Gardner [18][$800]; 14. 89-Mike Spatola [14][$775]; 15. 97-Cade Dillard [19][$750]; 16. 99B-Boom Briggs [24][$700]; 17. 99jr-Frank Heckenast [11][$660]; 18. 24-Ryan Unzicker [16][$640]; 19. 22-Tanner English [5][$620]; 20. 21-Billy Moyer [12][$600]; 21. B1-Brent Larson [23][$600]; 22. 7r-Kent Robinson [10][$600]; 23. 6p-Jose Parga [21][$600]; 24. 6-Blake Spencer [17][$600] Hard Charger: 29D-Spencer Diercks[+10] Lap Leaders: 3s – Brian Shirley – 1-6, 12-25; 44 – Chris Madden – 7-11 Source: speedsport.com/dirt-late-models/world-of-outlaws-late-models/shirley-stops-sheppard-in-illinois-battle/
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Post by woosprints12 on Apr 8, 2019 14:57:51 GMT -8
David Gravel Gets WoO Victory No. 41 David Gravel’s first win of the season last month with his new Jason Johnson Racing team was sentimental for several reasons. His second win with the team, which came Saturday night at Arizona Speedway, was no different. Not only did he win on his sister Victoria’s birthday, he claimed his 41st career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win in the No. 41 car – the number chosen by the late Jason Johnson to run. “I’ve kind of forgot about it, because if you try too hard to win a race, you know, it’s not going to come,” Gravel said. “I knew the next one was going to be 41, but it didn’t really all click. I’m glad to win on my sister’s birthday and it’s cool to be my 41st win. All of those things coming together, I guess it was meant to be.” Starting fourth in the 30-lap Arizona Desert Shootout, Gravel had his work cut out for him. He made his way by third-place Jacob Allen in a lap, but then had to contend with 2017 Rookie of the Year Sheldon Haudenschild and Friday night’s winner Brad Sweet — the two fastest cars of the night. Sweet was a tenth of a second off setting a track record in qualifying, and then went on to win his Drydene Heat race. He took the early lead in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, but Haudenschild showed his muscle in the closing laps, powering by Sweet on the high side for the win. Haudenschild then continued where he left off in the dash, cruising to the lead in the feature and pulling away from the field. His blistering pace put him in lap traffic a third of the way through the caution-free feature, allowing Sweet and Gravel to get close enough to taste the lead. Sweet used lap traffic to his advantage the night prior, besting Ian Madsen in the game of maneuverability through slower cars. That looked to be his fortune once again, until Gravel continued to make ground on him. While Sweet reeled in Haudenschild, Gravel had Sweet locked in his visor. The two battled side by side for about four laps, swapping lanes every corner. By lap 13, Gravel mastered the bottom of the tacky track through turns three and four, clearing Sweet down the front stretch and maintaining the position with a run on the high side of turns one and two. That run not only cleared him of the blue Kasey Kahne Racing car, it put him in striking distance of Haudenschild’s car. While Haudenschild tried to maneuver around a lap car in turns three and four, Gravel pulled the same move on him that he pulled on Sweet, claiming the lead on Lap 14 and never relinquishing it. “He (Haudenschild) didn’t hit his exit, and that just opened the door for me,” Gravel said. “Luckily, it all worked out. Whatever lane I went, I seemed to be faster.” Haudenschild concurred with Gravel’s assessment of the race, acknowledging he made a mistake. “I figured if I could just rip the cushion and make consistent laps, I’d be alright,” said Haudeschild, who ended up third. “Once I got to lappers and the guy was running the top, I really didn’t make a good move. Like David said, I lost my run off the exit.” Sweet has finished in the top-five in six of his last seven races – four of which have been podium finishes, and one a victory. That’s placed him as the current series points leader – four points ahead of reigning champion Donny Schatz. “It’s always cool to lead the points, but I don’t even think we’re a tenth of the way through the season,” Grass Valley, Calif. native, Sweet said. “It’s going to be a long summer. As long as we keep getting better and standing on the podium, the points will shake out how they will at the end.” NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [4][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$5,500]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1][$3,200]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [13][$2,800]; 5. 18-Ian Madsen [6][$2,500]; 6. 83-Daryn Pittman [7][$2,300]; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [3][$2,200]; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser [11][$2,100]; 9. 2-Carson Macedo [10][$2,050]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart [15][$2,000]; 11. 19-Brent Marks [8][$1,500]; 12. 5-Shane Stewart [14][$1,200]; 13. 45-Chad Kemenah [12][$1,100]; 14. 19AZ-Hunter Schuerenberg [5][$1,050]; 15. 24-Rico Abreu [19][$1,000]; 16. 7S-Jason Sides [18][$900]; 17. 33M-Mason Daniel [20][$800]; 18. 13-Mark Dobmeier [17][$800]; 19. 21-Brian Brown [9][$800]; 20. 11-Mike Kuemper [21][$800]; 21. 21P-Robbie Price [16][$800]; Lap Leaders: Sheldon Haudenschild 1-13, David Gravel 14-30; KSE Hard Charger Award:15-Donny Schatz[+9] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/david-gravel-gets-woo-victory-no-41/
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Post by woosprints12 on Apr 13, 2019 5:41:44 GMT -8
Schuchart Conquers Devil’s Bowl Logan Schuchart won two World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series features last year. He now has two wins in 12 races this year. Schuchart wrote his name into the record books Friday night, claiming his first win at the historic Devil’s Bowl Speedway — the site of the inaugural World of Outlaws race in 1978. “I’ve watched old videos of my grandfather (Bobby Allen) running good here and winning races,” Schuchart said. “Now, I get to put my name in the history books and this team gets to put its name in the history books.” Not only did he claim the win for the Pennsylvania-based Shark Racing team – owned by his grandfather – his teammate Jacob Allen led 10 laps of the 25-lap feature and finished third. “I love it,” said Bobby Allen, who won at Devil’s Bowl in 1986. “That’s what we’re here for. We got a first and a third, so we’re realy happy … Happier.” Kraig Kinser started on the pole after winning the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash and Jacob Allen started second. The two were the class of the field at the start of the race. When the green flag waved, Kinser pulled away to the early lead. Allen nearly ended his race before it started. He had a slow start, allowing Daryn Pittman to get by him for second and was side by side with Schuchart for third going down the front stretch. But Allen was hooked on the high side of the track. He bested his teammate through turns one and two, and nearly came side by side with Pittman down the backstretch before Pittman blocked his run. The next lap, Allen didn’t give Pittman the chance to pull the same move twice. He made his way by Pittman and set his sight on Kinser. Allen took the lead by lap four and began to put about a car length distance between he and the second-place car every lap. However, his pace put him in traffic by lap seven. Behind him, Schuchart and Pittman traded slide jobs turn after turn, lap after lap, fighting to claim third. Schuchart was the victory and led the train of he and Pittman to the front. While the high side led Allen to the lead, it became his downfall. Schuchart and Pittman both found grip on the bottom of the track and made their way by Kinser and Allen. “It made it tough trying to take the lead away from Jake,” Schuchart said. “I’m going to race him just as hard as anybody else. He’s going to get his first win. He’s getting better and better every year. That breakthrough win is going to happen for this team.” Pittman didn’t care about either of them winning. The Owasso, Okla., native wanted another win at the track just a few hours from his home. With about 10 laps to go, Schuchart slid up the track off of turn two, allowing Pittman to get a run underneath him and take the lead. But a lap later, Pittman made the same mistake, allowing Schuchart to get back by and charge to his first Texas Outlaw Nationals win. “Gave that one away,” Pittman said. “The bottom just took off. It got so much faster in a hurry. Pretty frustrated, but we had a good car.” It was Pittman’s first top-five finish since finishing second to David Gravel at Keller Auto Speedway last month. It was Allen’s best run of the season. “Obviously I want to win more than anything,” Allen said. “It is what it is, but I had fun. It’s really good to see Logan win and both Shark Racing cars on the podium. We work hard at this and this is what it’s about.” NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3][$8,000]; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman [4][$4,000]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen [2][$2,500]; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1][$2,200]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [6][$2,100]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [9][$2,000]; 7. 2-Carson Macedo [5][$1,800]; 8. 1B-Travis Rilat [8][$1,600]; 9. 41-David Gravel [12][$1,500]; 10. 5-Shane Stewart [11][$1,300]; 11. 2M-Kerry Madsen [15][$1,200]; 12. 18-Ian Madsen [7][$1,100]; 13. 19-Brent Marks [14][$1,000]; 14. 1-Sammy Swindell [19][$700]; 15. 45-Chad Kemenah [18][$600]; 16. 7S-Jason Sides [20][$600]; 17. 28-Scott Bogucki [13][$600]; 18. 55-Danny Wood [22][$600]; 19. 33M-Mason Daniel [21][$600]; 20. 99X-Dalton Stevens [24][$600]; 21. 12H-Tony Bruce [23][$600]; 22. 2C-Wayne Johnson [16][$600]; 23. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [10][$600]; 24. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [17][$600] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/schuchart-conquers-devils-bowl/
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Post by Spin on Apr 13, 2019 6:35:57 GMT -8
Sharon rained out the late models again. In what four years? they've run once. And it was a cluster with ruts everywhere. Only a handful of cars went out for the A. Late models hate ruts.
They need a later date.
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Post by woosprints12 on Apr 18, 2019 15:55:57 GMT -8
Ageless Sammy Swindell Is Still Going Strong
There’s no stopping 63-year-old Sammy Swindell. While several race car drivers are retiring in their 40s or 50s, Swindell continues to climb behind the wheel of 900hp sprint cars without hesitation. “It’s all I’ve ever done,” Swindell said. The Germantown, Tenn. native is an original outlaw. He ran in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series’ inaugural 1978 season, and since then amassed three Series championships, 394 series wins and has broken several series records. He continued his more than 30-year sprint car career, racing with the World of Outlaws, April 12, at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in the No. 1 Thone Motorsports car — his ride for 40 to 50 sprint car races this year, which include several World of Outlaws races. Next on his schedule is the Midwest triple-header weekend at Lake Ozark Speedway on Friday, April 26, Federated Auto Parts Raceway, on Saturday, April 27 and Jacksonville Speedway on Sunday, April 28. “It’s just, I love driving Sprint Cars,” Swindell said. “And the 410s are kind of the ultimate deal. We could go run a lot of other little shows, but you got to beat the best to know you’re that close, or that good. I’ve always not shied away from running with the best cars.” There’s no slowing him down, and his son, Kevin Swindell, knows it. In 2000, Sammy took a step back from racing to spend more time on Kevin’s career. But that still didn’t stop him from racing; and winning. He won his fifth and final Chili Bowl Midget Nationals win in 2009, and claimed several World of Outlaws victory after that time — his last Series win coming at Eldora Speedway in 2014. Kevin suffered a spinal injury during the 2015 Knoxville Nationals that ended his racing career. While he supports his father’s racing habits, he does worry about him. “A part of me wishes he would just quit and not hurt himself or just wear his body out to the point he can’t just relax and enjoy a real retirement,” Kevin Swindell said. “I think until we can find him something that can really consume his time, it’s gonna be hard to get him to slow down.” Sammy Swindell said people have asked him when he is going to retire. His answer, “I don’t know.” “You know, it might be one day when I can’t see as good, or I can’t do this, or I’ve got some kind of handicap deal, something that’s keeping me from being competitive or winning races,” Swindell said. “Well then that’s time for me to do something, kind of step back and maybe not do the driving anymore.” He understands age is not a race he can win, though. “It’s like, you know, there’s only so many (races) I want to do and can do,” Swindell said. “As far as doing a weekend or a couple of weekends, that’s fine. But trying to do this every day, every day, it’s definitely harder when you get older.” He said he feels comfortable and capable of running about 50 races a year, compared to the more than 90 race World of Outlaws schedule. Not only does his age play a factor into that, but the budget of the team, too. When it comes to setting up the cars, age is his greatest advantage. From the inaugural 1978 World of Outlaws season to now, Swindell said there’s only “little things” that are different between the current and old cars. The biggest change, he said, are the shocks. “There’s so many things you can do (with the shocks),” Swindell said. “Before you just put it on and ran it. You might have 60 in your trailer and you have maybe eight that you like. And we didn’t have dynos to test them. Now, it’s just got so much more technical. Since there’s so much change you can really get yourself dialed in or dialed out.” For a time, the older cars were faster than the newer ones, Swindell said because of weight and tire rules. However, the current generation cars have gotten back to being as fast, if not faster, then the old ones. “They seem to keep getting faster and faster,” Swindell said. “You’ve got to be real quick. You’ve got to time everything a lot different than you used to.” The cars are harder to drive now, too. Your time to make a move from corner to corner has shortened, he said, making it harder to pass. “Sometimes it’s just hard because the times are so close now,” Swindell said. “A tenth, you can be up front or be from the mid-pack to the back. You have to work harder and have everything exactly right.” He loves the challenge, though, he said. Running part-time makes it hard to keep up with the car race to race, but Swindell still believes he and his team can be competitive. There’s no slowing him down. His legacy and passion for the sport is not lost on one of the current youngest World of Outlaws drivers, rookie Carson Macedo. “It’s pretty incredible to get to race with him,” Macedo said. “He’s definitely a legend of our sport. I think it’s awesome he’s still in good enough shape and strong enough mentally to put himself in that racing position still at his age.” While Steve Kinser may have been who Macedo looked up to growing up, his respect for Swindell grew with age, learning the staggering accomplishments Swindell has garnered. “The more I race and the more I realize how physically demanding a lot of it is, being on the World of Outlaws tour for that long, and just he’s definitely accomplished a lot in his life,” Macedo said. “There’s a lot of times I think, in racing, Sammy hasn’t always been the most easy person to get along with. In some instances, some drivers don’t consider him their best friend, but at the end of the day, everybody has respect for him, because of what he’s been able to accomplish and how hard he’s worked to make such a successful career out of Sprint Car racing.” The atmosphere in the pits are a little different for Sammy now. A lot of the drivers he grew up racing with, even some 10 to 12 years younger than him aren’t racing anymore. At 62-years-old, Steve Kinser retired in 2016. That’s impressive to Swindell’s son. “I think it’s just truly impressive to think back on what those guys put their bodies through for so many years in a whole different era of medical remedies and what not,” Kevin Swindell said. “And he (Sammy) still can get after it with these guys at his age on a part-time effort.” And get after it is what he plans to do. “There’s not too many people in their 60s that have won an Outlaws race,” Sammy Swindell said. “It’s like every time I do, well, that’s a new record. It’s like, now I’m the oldest. Breaking records myself, my own records.” Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/ageless-sammy-swindell-still-going-strong/
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Post by Spin on Apr 19, 2019 15:30:07 GMT -8
Am I the only person who thinks of the Sprint car driver every time I hear "Zoey Saldana" on the TV?
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Post by woosprints12 on Apr 20, 2019 9:36:31 GMT -8
Am I the only person who thinks of the Sprint car driver every time I hear "Zoey Saldana" on the TV? No, I hear it too. Mainly because my favorite drive Joey Saldana.
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Post by woosprints12 on Apr 29, 2019 12:03:06 GMT -8
Nashville Gearing Up To Welcome The Outlaws Music City is about to get a little dirty. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is set to invade Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on May 31-June 1 for the Music City Outlaw Nationals. New fence is already going up around the fairground’s quarter-mile oval, next up will be covering the historic pavement with dirt on May 14, all setting the stage for the biggest dirt track racing event Nashville has ever seen. “We have a dedicated crew already on-site making improvements to the fairgrounds speedway before we bring in the dirt in a couple of weeks,” said World of Outlaws COO Tom Deery. “Once the dirt goes down, we’ll run the Fairgrounds DIRTcar Clash on Saturday, May 25, then the Music City Outlaw Nationals for the World of Outlaws. It will no doubt be the biggest dirt track event in Nashville history!” Drivers like 10-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz and Kasey Kahne Racing’s Brad Sweet, who won the Knoxville Nationals last year, lead a field of the top Sprint Car racers in the world in a quest to capture the $25,000 top prize. Plus, daily concerts, media displays and plenty of fan interaction will start the atmosphere buzzing long before an engine even fires. The World of Outlaws will be joined by the hugely popular DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, making this event even more unique. In addition, the Fairgrounds DIRTcar Clash featuring DIRTcar Pro Late Models, Stock Cars, Mini Stocks and Mod Lites, will christen the dirt oval on Saturday, May 25. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/nashville-gearing-up-to-welcome-the-outlaws/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 11, 2019 0:53:40 GMT -8
Schatz Wires WoO Field In #LetsRaceTwo Opener Donny Schatz led from start to finish in a caution-free rout Friday night at Eldora Speedway, winning the opening round of #LetsRaceTwo weekend at the half-mile dirt oval. Schatz started on the pole and never faltered, holding Carson Macedo at bay early and then pulling away from Logan Schuchart late to take his second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the season. With his Friday victory, the 285th of his World of Outlaws career, Schatz also assumed the lead in the series point standings as well. The driver of the No. 15 Toco Warranty Centers/Ford Performance sprinter won the first of two DIRTvision Fast Pass Dashes to set himself up on the front row of the 30-lap main event, and when the green flag waved Schatz bolted to the early lead with Macedo in hot pursuit. Macedo had one chance at Schatz in the opening laps, with a turn-one slider on the second revolution giving him momentary command over the field, but Schatz crossed back underneath him down the backstretch and never gave up the top spot again after that. Friday’s win was Schatz’s third-straight score during Eldora’s #LetsRaceTwo weekend, but his first win at the track with new crew chief Steve Swenson. “We’ve got a pretty good play book we’ve had over the years, but things change,” Schatz said. “Tires change. Cars change. The ways guys race change, so you’ve got to stay on the front side of it. That’s what we’ve been working on the past couple of months. I feel like we’ve figure out what we need to do to get things right for us. “I’m happy about that and hopefully we can keep that to ourselves and not have to race against it.” While Schatz dominated the box score by leading all 30 laps, it wasn’t without some competition in the second half of the race, as he had a hard-charging Logan Schuchart on his tail down the stretch. Schuchart, who started fifth, grabbed the second spot on lap 13 and carved a lead of more than two seconds down under half a second with less than six laps to go as Schatz navigated through traffic. However, the 10-time series champion got back away in the final moments as slower cars killed Schuchart’s momentum, leaving the Shark Racing driver to settle for second in the end. “I was following a car on the top … and he hit the wall and I had to check up pretty good there,” said Schuchart. “All and all, I thought it was a good race. I think we actually fell to sixth at the beginning and had to work our way back up there. I think we had the car to beat and the fastest race car. “I hope we can come back tomorrow and get another shot at it.” Macedo completed the podium after his front row start, followed by David Gravel and Jacob Allen. Christopher Bell crossed sixth, followed by Tim Kaeding, Parker Price-Miller, Gio Scelzi and Ian Madsen. NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1][$10,000]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5][$5,000]; 3. 2-Carson Macedo [2][$3,000]; 4. 41-David Gravel [3][$2,700]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [9][$2,500]; 6. 39-Christopher Bell [8][$2,200]; 7. 7S-Tim Kaeding [6][$2,000]; 8. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [4][$1,800]; 9. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [14][$1,600]; 10. 18-Ian Madsen [10][$1,450]; 11. 49-Brad Sweet [13][$1,300]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [24][$1,200]; 13. 5-Shane Stewart [7][$1,100]; 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel [12][$1,000]; 15. 49X-Tim Shaffer [11][$950]; 16. 24-Rico Abreu [22][$900]; 17. 70X-Spencer Bayston [20][$850]; 18. 19-Brent Marks [25][$50]; 19. 2M-Kerry Madsen [19][$725]; 20. 7-Jason Sides [23][$700]; 21. 91-Cale Thomas [21][$700]; 22. 83-Daryn Pittman [16][$700]; 23. 1-Sammy Swindell [15][$700]; 24. 70-Brock Zearfoss [17][$700]; 25. G1-Hunter Schuerenberg [18][$700]. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/schatz-wires-outlaw-field-eldora/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 16, 2019 9:07:59 GMT -8
Dewease Thrills Posse Sprint Car Fans Local hero Lance Dewease thrilled the Pennsylvania fans by winning Wednesday night’s Gettysburg Clash presented by Drydene at Lincoln Speedway. It was the Sprint Car Hall of Famer’s 16th World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory. “It’s means everything,” Dewease said about claiming his first World of Outlaws win of the season. “It’s a good rivalry (between the World of Outlaws and PA Posse). To me it’s friendly. It’s not like we hate each other, but we want to beat each other pretty bad.” Dewease showed how bad he wanted to win Wednesday night, wrestling with David Gravel all night. Both won their respective Drydene Heat race and started on the front row for the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash. Gravel won the battle in the dash, passing Dewease on the high side and charging to the win. The start to the 35-lap was déjà vu with Gravel charging back to the lead. The Watertown, Conn., native pulled to about a two-car length lead over Dewease at the start and was able to maintain it while navigating through lap traffic in the early stage of the race. Gravel was poised to claim his third win of the season, able to maintain the lead no matter what line he chose. Although, in similar fashion, no matter which line Dewease chose to run, he could keep Gravel close enough in sight that if the No. 41 Jason Johnson Racing car made a mistake, he would be ready to capitalize. And that mistake came with 17 laps to go. After sticking to the high side most of the race, Gravel tried the bottom through turns one and two. It didn’t work for him this time. He slid off the bottom, dramatically slowing his pace and allowing Dewease an easy pass to the lead. “I knew sooner or later we would have to be on the bottom,” Dewease said. “I made my mind up I was going to go to the bottom, and he went at the same time, but he didn’t stay there. He slid up and crossed and I got by him, which meant everything to me. I just made sure I didn’t mess up in lapped traffic.” While Dewease weaved through traffic seeming to know where each car would be before he got to them, the lap cars didn’t always cooperate. One came close to ending Dewease’s night, leaving centimeters between he and Deweases car off turn two. “Lapped cars were really hard for both David and me,” Dewease said. “So, that last caution with six laps to go I decided I wasn’t going to catch any lap cars if I didn’t have to.” He didn’t. After a couple of late race cautions, the Fayetteville, Pa.-native cruised with ease to another victory. The late-race cautions were no benefit to Gravel. After hitting the restart cone during one of the restarts, Gravel said he tried to just protect his second-place position, but ended up losing it to Ryan Smith and had to settle for third. “I’m disappointed I lost second,” Gravel said. “I wish I didn’t make the mistakes I did. It’s part of racing.” Dewease’s win marks the first-round win for the PA Posse in the Series’ Pennsylvania swing this month. The World of Outlaws will make its next trip Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. for the Morgan Cup. As Dewease stood in victory lane, hundreds of fans chanted, “Posse! Posse! Posse!” “It’s great to get this week started off good and hopefully if I can’t win Friday or Saturday somebody else does,” Dewease said. “It’s a neat fanbase. We have the best fans in the world as far as I’m concerned. They love our racing. They come out in rain and snow. So, we’re pretty fortunate.” NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps) – 1. 69K-Lance Dewease [2][$10,000]; 2. 72-Ryan Smith [12][$5,500]; 3. 41-David Gravel [1][$3,200]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [5][$2,800]; 5. 5-Shane Stewart [14][$2,500]; 6. 24-Lucas Wolfe [6][$2,300]; 7. 18-Ian Madsen [7][$2,200]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [8][$2,100]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [15][$2,050]; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser [13][$2,000]; 11. 15-Donny Schatz [25][$700]; 12. 19M-Landon Myers [19][$1,200]; 13. 87-Alan Krimes [26][$300]; 14. 39M-Anthony Macri [18][$1,050]; 15. 75-Chase Dietz [16][$1,000]; 16. 19-Brent Marks [20][$900]; 17. 39-Cory Haas [22][$800]; 18. 1X-Chad Trout [10][$800]; 19. 2-Carson Macedo [27][$]; 20. 99M-Kyle Moody [24][$800]; 21. 21-Brian Montieth [9][$800]; 22. 83-Daryn Pittman [4][$800]; 23. 11-T.J. Stutts [21][$800]; 24. 59-Jim Siegel [28][$]; 25. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [23][$800]; 26. 49X-Tim Shaffer [3][$800]; 27. 88-Brandon Rahmer [11][$800]; 28. 48-Danny Dietrich [17][$800]; Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-18, Lance Dewease 19-35l KSE Hard Charger Award: 15-Donny Schatz[+14] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/dewease-thrills-posse-sprint-car-fans/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 18, 2019 6:08:39 GMT -8
Gravel Points The Way At Williams Grove A simple point of the finger by Jason Sides gave David Gravel the assistance he needed to go on and win his third World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race this season. Gravel lost the lead to Daryn Pittman at the start of Friday’s 25-lap feature at Williams Grove Speedway and 10 laps later lost second to Danny Dietrich. But everything changed with 13 laps to go. Dietrich and Gravel were nose to tail heading down the frontstretch with the lap car of Sides in front of them. “Going into (turn) one, Sides pointed low and I think Dietrich thought he pointed low like he was going to go low and Dietrich was going to go high, but he actually pointed low to pass him down low,” Gravel said. “Dietrich followed him in the corner and I went low. So, I’m glad it worked out for me and not for him.” That move allowed Gravel to slide back into second-place, while Dietrich fell several car lengths behind him after having to lift out of the throttle due to Sides blocking his line. “That was the race I think for me,” Dietrich said. With Dietrich far behind, Gravel chased Pittman. Two laps after passing Dietrich, he was on Pittman’s bumper. Gravel stuck to the low line most of the race, while Pittman stayed high. But with 12 laps to go, the two swapped lanes in turns three and four. The advantage went to Gravel. On Pittman’s tail, he dove underneath the No. 83 Roth Motorsports car in turn one and charged to the lead. After the disappointment of losing a potential win at Lincoln Speedway Wednesday night, Gravel was not going to let another win slip through his fingers. “I was just trying it (different lines) out all night,” Gravel said. “Luckily things worked out the way they did, and I found something better than they did.” Once he cleared Pittman and began to pull away with the lead, Dietrich wasn’t letting him out of his sight. The blue No. 48 also got by Pittman and made his own charge for the lead. At times a blanket could be thrown over the top three. Dietrich continued to run the high side, while Gravel stayed low. At times, he would close on the No. 41 Jason Johnson Racing car, but Gravel could always out power him out of the turn, leading to his 42nd career World of Outlaws victory — and fifth Series win at Williams Grove Speedway. The ability of the No. 41 car to drive hard through the turn without any issues has Pittman scratching his head on how he can get his car to do the same. “We didn’t get from the center off very good,” Pittman said. “My car would drop too far and not drive down the straightaway. I think the 41 drivers really hard, a lot harder than mine and we’ve got to figure out why that is. I just start spinning way too easy.” Gravel and his new Jason Johnson Racing team have found the level of consistency they were hoping to find at the start of the year. He’s finished in the top five in the last four races — three of those finishes being on the podium. And with three wins now, Gravel is the winningest driver, so far, this season. “Man, we’re trying all sorts of stuff,” Gravel said. “Every night I don’t think we run the same bar combination. Philip (Dietz, JJR crew chief) is always working, trying to make the car better. It works nine times out of 10. Hopefully we jot down the things that work really well and continue to grow as a team and keep winning races.” F eature (25 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [1][$8,000]; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich [4][$4,000]; 3. 83-Daryn Pittman [2][$2,500]; 4. 5-Shane Stewart [3][$2,200]; 5. 49X-Tim Shaffer [7][$2,100]; 6. 69K-Lance Dewease [10][$2,000]; 7. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [5][$1,800]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [12][$1,600]; 9. 49-Brad Sweet [9][$1,500]; 10. 1X-Chad Trout [6][$1,300]; 11. 18-Ian Madsen [14][$1,200]; 12. 1S-Logan Schuchart [16][$1,100]; 13. 72-Ryan Smith [11][$1,000]; 14. 51-Freddie Rahmer [18][$700]; 15. 1A-Jacob Allen [13][$600]; 16. 19-Brent Marks [24][$600]; 17. 2M-Kerry Madsen [17][$600]; 18. 39M-Anthony Macri [19][$600]; 19. 21-Brian Montieth [20][$600]; 20. 2-Carson Macedo [22][$600]; 21. 5C-Dylan Cisney [15][$600]; 22. 39-Cory Haas [21][$600]; 23. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [8][$600]; 24. 24-Lucas Wolfe [26][$]; 25. O7-Gerard McIntyre [23][$600]; 26. 11-T.J. Stutts [27][$]; 27. 7S-Jason Sides [25][$]; Lap Leaders: Daryn Pittman 1-14, David Gravel 15-25; KSE Hard Charger Award: 19-Brent Marks[+8] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/gravel-points-the-way-at-williams-grove/
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Post by Spin on May 18, 2019 6:36:47 GMT -8
Is anyone going to Wayne County tonight?
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Post by woosprints12 on May 19, 2019 10:42:11 GMT -8
Dewease Stops Schatz In Epic Grove Battle The battle for the Morgan Cup at Williams Grove Speedway Saturday night was a title match of epic proportions between the World of Outlaws and Pennsylvania Posse. In the end, Pennsylvania veteran Lance Dewease, who started on the pole, held off 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz to win the 30-lap Morgan Cup. Driving Don Kreitz Jr.’s No. 69k, it was Dewease’s second WoO victory in four days and the 17thof his career. Schatz got the first punch, jumping to the lead at the start of the race. From there, Schatz set a pace Dewease couldn’t match. “The pace we were trying to run, we were going to be hard on tires at that whole 30 laps,” Dewease said about Schatz’s early run. “But hell, I wasn’t too easy with them.” Schatz’s early lead didn’t last long, though. On lap two, Logan Schuchart stopped on the frontstretch due to an ignition box issue. The caution allowed the two front runners a quick rest to gauge their early run. When the green flag waved, Schatz jumped back to the lead. Dewease kept pace with him, though. “I was shocked how good I hung with him there on the bottom,” Dewease said. “I thought we’d be alright if I could get by him (Schatz). He knows how to get around here when it’s slick.” Like Dewease predicted, once he got in six consecutive laps, his car took off. While Schatz rode the high side, Dewease found enough grip on the bottom to wear out Schatz’s lead. By that time the two leaders entered lap traffic, which proved to be an advantage for Dewease. Schatz struggled to navigate around lap traffic, allowing Dewease to plan the attack he needed on lap 17 to take the lead. “It just came down to getting through lap traffic,” Schatz said. “I got to the 70 car and I didn’t push the issue, to go across the race car and go in front of him and I didn’t do it. It got me in a funk for a few laps and Lance got by. I got myself back going, but it was too late.” Dewease then cruised to his second win in four days, after winning Wednesday’s night race at Lincoln Speedway. “This rivalry is pretty intense,” Dewease said. “It goes back a long way. We’re some of the few areas that can consistently win against these (Outlaws) guys. We were very fortunate to get it done tonight and keep the cup for another year. Beating Donny is always special because he gets around this place so good.” While Schatz accepted his defeat, having to settle for second, he laid down a further challenge for the PA Posse fans. “I hear all of that Posse chant, and I love that,” Schatz said. “Come August, I’m pretty sure he’s (Dewease) going to win the money to go to the Knoxville Nationals, so there’s going to be no damn reason every person in this place isn’t at the Knoxville Nationals watching it.” While Schatz and Dewease put on a show at the front of the field, California-native Giovanni Scelzi was the show of the race behind them. Scelzi won the C Main, transferring to the rear of the 12-car Last Chance Showdown, where he finished fourth. He then romped from 24thto finish seventh in the feature. “Just qualified bad, and when you do that it puts you behind the eight-ball,” Scelzi said. “We just kept trucking in the Feature and kept going and going and going. I wish we had a yellow. I think we had something to get back in the top-five.” Scelzi won his first Series victory at Williams Grove last year, becoming the youngest World of Outlaws winner at 16 years old. “I just seem to have some natural speed,” Scelzi said, “I don’t know where it comes from. Seems to be a place I’m comfortable at.” NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 69K-Lance Dewease [1][$10,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [2][$5,500]; 3. 48-Danny Dietrich [6][$3,200]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [5][$2,800]; 5. 51-Freddie Rahmer [7][$2,500]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [3][$2,300]; 7. 71-Giovanni Scelzi [24][$2,200]; 8. 19-Brent Marks [4][$2,100]; 9. 41-David Gravel [9][$2,050]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$2,000]; 11. 5-Shane Stewart [13][$1,500]; 12. 2M-Kerry Madsen [14][$1,200]; 13. 24-Lucas Wolfe [8][$1,100]; 14. 49-Brad Sweet [17][$1,050]; 15. 72-Ryan Smith [11][$1,000]; 16. 39-Cory Haas [20][$900]; 17. 18-Ian Madsen [23][$800]; 18. 39M-Anthony Macri [18][$800]; 19. 21-Brian Montieth [16][$800]; 20. 1S-Logan Schuchart [15][$800]; 21. 5C-Dylan Cisney [22][$800]; 22. 1X-Chad Trout [25][$]; 23. 2-Carson Macedo [21][$800]; 24. 26-Cory Eliason [19][$800]; 25. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [12][$800]; 26. 70-Brock Zearfoss [26][$]; Lap Leaders: Donny Schatz 1-12, Lance Dewease 13-30; KSE Hard Charger Award: 71-G Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/dewease-stops-schatz-in-epic-grove-battle/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 19, 2019 10:45:24 GMT -8
Sheppard Keeps Rolling At Wayne County If the standard length of a World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series feature was only 45 laps, Saturday night’s 50-lap race at Wayne County Speedway would have ended on a different note. Series champions Brandon Sheppard and Darrell Lanigan put on what could potentially be remembered as one of the most exciting features of the season in an incredible display of lap-after-lap, no-holds-barred battling for over 25 laps. Lanigan pounded the cushion on the top, with Sheppard showing a wheel down low almost every lap until he made the winning move on lap 46 by going underneath Lanigan, who was forced out of his high groove by lapped traffic. Amidst all the fireworks in the last 10 laps with the leaders, rookie sensation Ricky Weiss burst onto the scene with seven laps to go after a late-race charge, getting around Doug Drown with 11 circuits remaining and closing within five car lengths of the battle between Sheppard and Lanigan by lap 43. With three laps to go, Weiss had completely closed the gap and made the pass out of turn four underneath Lanigan to take second. With time running out and a slew of lapped traffic ahead of him, Weiss took aim at the Rocket1 Racing machine. But his last-lap dive into turn three was unsuccessful and Sheppard hung on for the win – his seventh of the year with the Outlaws and third in-a-row at Wayne County Speedway. “I knew my car was fast on the top, so if I could just get in open track, I could roll pretty good,” Sheppard said. “Everybody was just all over the place and we were racing hard. A fun, clean race, for sure.” Sheppard spent a lot of effort digging on Lanigan down low until he saw daylight on the high side. When Lanigan saw the signal sticks telling him to move back up to the top, Sheppard went back to the bottom. But after several unsuccessful pass attempts down low and the laps winding down, Sheppard began feeling the heat from Weiss’ No. 7 behind him. And that’s when he knew it was now or never. “I moved to the top in [turns] three and four and caught [Lanigan], and then his crew guys moved him up to the top, which was what they should have done,” Sheppard said. “Finally, we were getting into lapped traffic and I saw Ricky show me a nose on the bottom and I knew it was either time to go or get passed.” Sheppard got a great run coming out of turn two on lap 46 and drag-raced Lanigan down the backstretch. It looked as though Lanigan’s momentum on the high side would carry him through once more, as it had on every other pass attempt. But Larry Bellman Jr. was already riding the line and impeded Lanigan’s path just enough to allow Sheppard to get the momentum advantage and squeak by underneath. “The lapped cars were just right where I needed to be and I wasn’t good enough around the bottom to go down there and get up beside them,” Lanigan said. “Brandon’s car was better on the bottom.” After the lead changed hands, Weiss said he eventually saw an opportunity to grab the lead on the low side, but lapped traffic made him think better of it as well. Blake Spencer was already down on the bottom as the leaders were moving through, and Weiss chose to be conservative over making a bonzai move. “I just didn’t want to stick my nose in there and maybe hit a tire or slam into his [Spencer’s] door,” Weiss said. “I thought maybe we could get in the right place at the right time and pick off the lead, but I played it safe and went around him on the outside.” The finish:Morton Buildings Feature (50 Laps) – 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [3][$10,000]; 2. 7-Ricky Weiss [4][$5,000]; 3. 29-Darrell Lanigan [2][$3,000]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb [1][$2,500]; 5. 12-Doug Drown [9][$2,000]; 6. 97-Cade Dillard [5][$1,700]; 7. 25-Shane Clanton [11][$1,400]; 8. 44-Chris Madden [12][$1,300]; 9. 1x-Chub Frank [7][$1,200]; 10. 18-Chase Junghans [19][$1,100]; 11. B1-Brent Larson [23][$1,050]; 12. 99B-Boom Briggs [6][$1,000]; 13. 6-Blake Spencer [22][$950]; 14. 59-Larry Bellman [16][$900]; 15. 9-Devin Moran [8][$850]; 16. 59m-Shane McLoughlin [24][$800]; 17. 5m-Ryan Markham [20][$770]; 18. C9-Steve Casebolt [15][$750]; 19. 18c-Mitchell Caskey [21][$730]; 20. 79-Brad Malcuit [13][$700]; 21. 44h-Dave Hess [14][$700]; 22. 14g-J.R. Gentry [17][$700]; 23. 36-Matt Irey [10][$700]; 24. 17-Charlie Duncan [18][$700]; Hard Charger: B1-Brent Larson[+12] Source: speedsport.com/dirt-late-models/world-of-outlaws-late-models/dirt-late-models-world-of-outlaws-sheppard-wayne-county/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 23, 2019 4:45:31 GMT -8
Dietrich Outduels Schatz In Bridgeport Thriller Danny Dietrich took his fifth World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory Tuesday night in the Outlaws’ debut at the three-eighths-mile Bridgeport Speedway. To claim the trophy, he fended off attacks from David Gravel, Carson Macedo and 10-time series champion Donny Schatz – who even stole the lead from Dietrich late in the race. “It was pretty nerve racking,” Dietrich said after the 35-lap feature. Dietrich’s night started on a less nerve-cringing note, setting quick time in qualifying and making him the current track record holder for the new track configuration. From there, he went on to finish second to Schatz in his Drydene heat race and then won the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash. His Dash victory led to concern, though. Dietrich and his team discovered an issue with the rear end of their No. 48 car and had to change it. While sweat leaked from Dietrich and his crew, their nerves never faltered. Focused and determined, the Dietrich team – along with help from others – were able to replace the car’s rear end in about 15 minutes. Having a new rear end in the car was of no concern to Dietrich, but the new brakes were. “We rolled out there (for the feature) and we had new brake pads and rotors. It needed to set the brake pads in a little bit,” Dietrich said. “We didn’t have very good brakes there rolling around before the green flag, but they came in. “That’s the only thing I was worried about.” When the green flag flew, all that mattered was the throttle. Dietrich mashed it, jolting to the lead over second-place Macedo, and put several car lengths between them by the end of the first lap. At the same time, Schatz – who was hungry for a win after getting passed for the win last week – almost found himself off the track on the first lap and fell from third to 10th. Schatz wouldn’t stay there long, though. At the front, Dietrich enjoyed a clear race track for six laps before catching lap traffic. Behind him, Gravel worked his way by Macedo for second-place and could sense the blood in the water, with lap cars slowing Dietrich’s pace. The Watertown, Conn., native looked for déjà vu when lap cars helped him pass Dietrich at Williams Grove Speedway and he went on to win. Gravel had set himself up to make a pass of Dietrich, finding grip on the bottom of the track, but a caution came out for a car stopped on the front stretch. When the race went back green, Gravel didn’t let Dietrich pull too far away. Macedo didn’t let the No. 41 car get away either. On lap 11, Macedo got by the No. 41 car, while Gravel tried to set himself up for another pass on Dietrich. At the same time, Schatz had made his way to fourth place, steadily making his way back to the front. For the next two laps, Gravel and Macedo traded positions, while Schatz waited for his moment to strike. Macedo eventually won the battle for second-place with seven laps to go. Less than a lap later, he was back in third, as Schatz found his way by Gravel and continued the run past Macedo. Next was Dietrich. With three laps to go, Schatz snuck under the No. 48 car in turns three and four and took the lead. “Slow down and just be patient,” Dietrich said is what he told himself at that point. “When he passed me, I hit the bottom of (turns) one and two … and I just had to slow down and just wait for the moisture. It felt like I was just going so slow, but patience was key.” A lap later his patience paid off. Dietrich slid underneath Schatz in turns three and four and fended him off to be the first series winner on the three-eighths-mile configuration of the Bridgeport, N.J., track. “Good hard, racing,” Dietrich said. “I’m sure he’s not happy to finish second, but I’m real happy to win.” Digesting the result back at his hauler, Schatz said he wished he could have pulled off the win, but isn’t hanging his head too low. “He did a little better job when I got by him and I probably should have used up more of the track a little bit,” Schatz said. “But, hey, it’s racing. There will be another one tomorrow.” Schatz also continues to hold the points lead over Brad Sweet – extending it to a 36 point lead. Daryn Pittman remains third – 74 points back – and Gravel, who finished third, remains fourth. Dietrich had the track figured out all night. Why? How? “I have no idea,” he said with a chuckle. NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 laps): 1. 48-Danny Dietrich [1][$10,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$5,500]; 3. 41-David Gravel [6][$3,200]; 4. 2-Carson Macedo [2][$2,800]; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman [4][$2,500]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$2,300]; 7. 37-J.J. Grasso [8][$2,200]; 8. 72-Ryan Smith [5][$2,100]; 9. 5-Shane Stewart [11][$2,050]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart [18][$2,000]; 11. 19-Brent Marks [14][$1,500]; 12. 18-Ian Madsen [9][$1,200]; 13. 11K-Kraig Kinser [12][$1,100]; 14. 2M-Kerry Madsen [15][$1,050]; 15. 70-Brock Zearfoss [17][$1,000]; 16. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [20][$900]; 17. 91X-Kyle Reinhardt [22][$800]; 18. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [23][$800]; 19. 91-Tony Fiore [10][$800]; 20. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [13][$800]; 21. 28F-Davie Franek [16][$800]; 22. 7S-Jason Sides [19][$800]; 23. 67-Justin Whittall [24][$800]; 24. 1A-Jacob Allen [21][$800]. Lap Leaders: Danny Dietrich 1-32; Donny Schatz 33; Danny Dietrich 34-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart (+8) Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/dietrich-outduels-schatz-bridgeport-thriller/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 23, 2019 14:26:05 GMT -8
Kings Royal To Pay $175,000 To Win
After 35 years of paying $50,000 to win, the famed Kings Royal sprint car race at Eldora Speedway will pay $175,000 to win on July 20. The Kings Royal Weekend featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and all of sprint car racing’s royalty takes place July 18-20. Eldora Speedway General Manager Roger Slack explained how the decision to increase the winner’s purse was made. The event had paid $50,000 to win since it was introduced in 1984. “Tony and I were talking where we were going to go with it and we had bumped the purse up everywhere but first place,” Slack told SPEED SPORT. “Second place ($20,000) paid $10,000 not that long ago. Our late model purses have been bumped up big-time the past few years. We’d decided and announced we were going to make it six figures for sure but we didn’t know what those six figures would be and we got talking about it and we had some different ideas in mind. Once we talked about it, Tony said if we are going to do this, we are going to be bold.” Slack said Stewart’s love of winged sprint car racing contributed to the decision. “It’s gonna be big and I think Tony has such an affinity for the winged sprint car guys, especially since he is racing with them so much,” Slack said. “He knows how hard those cars are to drive and what a fine line it is to be super-good at it. I think that had a lot to do with this decision.” The popularity of dirt-track racing also played a role in the move. “It is great for the sport and the fans that it keeps building,” Slack said. “We had the biggest crowd in the history of the Kings Royal last year. Our camping is through the roof right now and our ticket sales are ahead of last year. It is an exciting time, so let’s keep on building it. Hopefully, the economy stays well and this is something we can sustain.” While the winner takes home $175,000, second place will continue to pay $20,000. “I think when you look back at the last 10 to 12 years or more, you look at how many of the Kings Royal finishes have been decided in the last few laps,” he continued. “When there is over $150,000 difference between first and second place, that makes a difference. It is already an unreal atmosphere and I can’t imagine what it can feel like.” Slack also tipped there will be a format change for the event, which will be announced in the coming weeks. “The Kings Royal is no points. It has its own format and there is a tweak coming to the format that we will be announcing in a few weeks,” Slack said. “There are no provisionals. It’s a one-day event. You don’t have to be here Thursday and Friday. Pennsylvania guys can run at the Grove on Friday and tow in for Saturday. That’s part of what makes it special.” Moves like these keep the Eldora Speedway staff pushing for the next big achievement. “It keeps pushing us,” Slack said. “It’s not just us throwing money at it. It pushes us to sell more tickets to make this work. We have to sell more tickets in what has been a rainy season so far. There is more pressure to produce. It’s not like we are going to sit back and eat pizza burgers and watch it happen. “We are always putting ourselves in a pressure cooker.” And sprint car racers will be in the pressure cooker on the final night of the Kings Royal. “Sprint car racers don’t lack for confidence, so the majority of them think that they can win that $175,000,” Slack said. “That’s one thing about sprint car racers, they look at how much it is to win.” The $175,000 winner’s share gives the Kings Royal the highest-paying winner’s purse in the sport. Posted awards for the week, including point fund contributions and specialty awards, bring the Kings Royal weekend purse to $594,275, which is an large increase from just a few years ago when the purse monies stretched to $181,000. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/kings-royal-to-pay-175000-to-win/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 25, 2019 7:13:44 GMT -8
Scelzi Stops Larson In Patriot Nationals Opener Patience and a power move in turn three combined to pay dividends for Gio Scelzi on Friday night, as he stormed to the win in the opening act of the United Rentals Patriot Nationals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Scelzi, who lined up second after being outrun by Kyle Larson in the DIRTvision Fast Pass Dash, ran in that position for most of the night’s 30-lap feature and appeared destined to settle into that position all the way to the checkered flag. However, inside of 10 to go, Scelzi began inching forward. With eight to go, he was within three car lengths of Larson’s tail tank, and with six laps left he was right on Larson’s bumper exiting turn two. Loading his guns for a big move down the backstretch, Scelzi cut to the bottom of the track entering turn three and hooked his No. 71 Indy Race Parts machine against the inside berm, powering past Larson and taking firm command of the race. Once out front, the 17-year-old never looked back, running out to a 1.115-second margin of victory and his second-career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series triumph. “We struggled to start the year off out west with Roth Motorsports, but Bernie (Stuebgen, crew chief) and I have slowly been getting better and better, and I think now we’re starting to hit our stride,” Scelzi told SPEED SPORT. “I can’t thank Bernie and Betsy enough. They put every single cent that they have into this team and trying to get me to the next level. It’s so much fun to race for them and win for them. “Tonight is a dream come true,” he added. “To get my first Outlaw win at Williams Grove and then to come here to Charlotte, another marquee track for the Outlaws, and take home the trophy … there aren’t words for how cool this is.” Scelzi noted that timing his move, and not trying to make the pass too early when he had the run, was a major key to his eventual victory. “I was just staying even with him for a long time, and not really getting better or worse, but finally it clicked for us there inside of 10 to go and I got to the point where I could peel off (from behind Larson),” Scelzi explained. “I got that run off turn two, and I knew I had to take it. Working the bottom hadn’t let me quite get to him, and after David (Gravel) got me for second, I knew I had to get going on the top. “I saw Kyle getting loose off turn two, and figured I could make something happen. It just had to be the right moment, and thankfully it was.” The California teenager also paid a nod to Larson, who was looking for his third win in his third different type of car in less than a week’s time. “Kyle’s the best driver in the world right now, no matter what he’s driving in,” Scelzi said. “I respect him a lot and look forward to seeing him win at the next level across the street, but we took one from him tonight and I’m really proud of that. Larson settled for second on this night after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR All Star Race last weekend and the QRC Open for outlaw karts Wednesday at Milbridge Speedway. “Second’s always a good spot to be in, because you can see where the leader is struggling and make your move accordingly, and Gio did exactly that,” said Larson. I felt OK until I caught traffic, and then I started losing drive off of (turn) two. When the groove started creeping down the track, I found a little bit more grip, but he was just a little bit better down the stretch. “I’m disappointed I lost the race, but this is still a good run for us tonight and it was good to shake the rust off after not being in a sprint car for a few months.” KSE Hard Charger Logan Schuchart came forward from the seventh starting position to complete the podium, followed by Brad Sweet and David Gravel. Kraig Kinser, Donny Schatz, Ian Madsen, Sheldon Haudenschild and James McFadden closed the top 10. The race was interrupted just once by a red flag on lap three, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Rico Abreu tangled in turn four and Abreu tipped on his side. Abreu was uninjured. NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 laps): 1. #71 – Gio Scelzi [2]; 2. #57 – Kyle Larson [1]; 3. #1s – Logan Schuchart [7]; 4. #49 – Brad Sweet [4]; 5. #41 – David Gravel [5]; 6. #11K – Kraig Kinser [8]; 7. #15 – Donny Schatz [6]; 8. #18 – Ian Madsen [11]; 9. #17 – Sheldon Haudenschild [9]; 10. #9 – James McFadden [14]; 11. #1a – Jacob Allen [10]; 12. #83 – Daryn Pittman [3]; 13. #2m – Kerry Madsen [13]; 14. #19 – Brent Marks [16]; 15. #2 – Carson Macedo [15]; 16. #22 – Cole Duncan [12]; 17. #71p – Parker Price Miller [20]; 18. #5 – Shane Stewart [21]; 19. #K4 – Chad Kemenah [23]; 20. #7s – Jason Sides [17]; 21. #91 – Cale Thomas [19]; 22. #17jr – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. [18]; 23. #41s – Dominic Scelzi [24]; 24. #24 – Rico Abreu [22]. Lap Leader(s): Larson 1-24, G. Scelzi 25-30. KSE Hard Charger: #1S – Logan Schuchart [+4] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/scelzi-stops-larson-in-patriot-nationals-opener/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 26, 2019 5:24:57 GMT -8
Schuchart Survives For Charlotte Dirt Track Victory
Logan Schuchart survived an overtime-extended, rubber-down war of attrition to win the finale to the United Rentals Patriot Nationals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Saturday night. Schuchart, who started 14th for the 30-lap main event, methodically moved his way forward and then found himself in position to pounce when many drivers began blowing right-rear tires in the final laps. He took over the top spot with three to go in regulation, when Brad Sweet pulled to the infield from the race lead with a flat right-rear tire, then held on through a green-white-checkered finish for the victory. The Hanover, Pa., native’s triumph was his third World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the season, tying David Gravel for the most of any driver on tour through 20 completed features. “Man, does this one feel good!” Schuchart said in victory lane. “A lot of times, a driver has a pretty good idea of how much tire you have left, but those last couple laps … (the right-rear) stuck and it still felt like I had grip. It was funny because that (tire) started off used. I’m pretty sure it was on the rack from last year because we didn’t want to waste a new tire starting 14th, but it didn’t matter tonight. “It’s been a great season so far,” Schuchart added. “I didn’t know who was behind me (on the last lap), but I knew some guys who had problems probably had a new tire. That last lap, I came off turn two and I heard another engine … so I knew I had to make it as wide as I possibly could.” Outside polesitter Kraig Kinser took the lead off the initial start and paced the first 16 laps, but 10-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz snuck pas Kinser in traffic with 14 to go and appeared to be on his way to victory. Track conditions and circumstances ultimately dictated otherwise, however. The drama began with six to go, when Dominic Scelzi exploded a right-rear tire and stopped off turn two to bring out a late caution flag. That was the first of multiple tire-related yellows which ultimately changed the game – as well as the final outcome. A three-car melee involving Ian Madsen, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Cale Thomas brought the yellow back out with five laps left, and that was followed by a third yellow for Sheldon Haudenschild losing a right-rear tire at the three to go mark. Once lap 27 went up on the scoreboard, it didn’t pay to lead, as first Schatz and then later Brad Sweet both slowed from the race lead with flat right-rear tires, ending their respective chances at victory. Once Sweet pulled off, the race was in Schuchart’s hands, and he rocketed away on the ensuing restart before a caution waved after the white flag for a triple tire failure biting Shane Stewart, Ian Madsen and Carson Macedo. That set up a green-white-checkered finish, pushing the feature one lap beyond its scheduled distance, but Schuchart was not to be denied despite a hard-charging James McFadden on the final lap. As Schuchart alluded to, though he took the victory, his right-rear tire was all but bald after the race. “I don’t think I would have survived another lap, and even if I could have gone another lap with the tire like it was, James definitely would have passed me,” Schuchart admitted. “It worked out, though. A lot of it’s luck, and maybe a little bit about saving the tire at the right times and passing cars when you can. “We won the race, though, and that’s all that matters. It feels great.” McFadden restarted third at the final green flag, but hauled around Kerry Madsen and nearly got alongside Schuchart coming to the twin checkers before settling for second. “Everyone started looking after their tires after the first couple of (cautions). I figured we had nothing to lose,” said McFadden, who started 18th. “I’m not here to points chase. I just wanted to win, but I kind of used my left rear up a little bit too much. I thought I waited a little bit on Logan in (turns) one and two and had a good enough run going into turn three. He just did a really good job. “I’m pumped with second. In my second night with Kasey Kahne Racing … this is awesome.” Kerry Madsen completed the podium, putting two Australians in the top three finishing positions, with 1995 World of Outlaws champion Dave Blaney crossing the line fourth and Friday winner Gio Scelzi rallying back from a flat tire under caution with five to go to complete the top five. Jacob Allen was sixth ahead of Daryn Pittman, Jason Sides, Kinser and Haudenschild. Schatz was 11th. NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 laps): 1. #1s – Logan Schuchart [14], 2. #9 – James McFadden [18], 3. #2m – Kerry Madsen [1], 4. #98h – Dave Blaney [9], 5. #71 – Gio Scelzi [3], 6. #1a – Jacob Allen [16], 7. #83 – Daryn Pittman [21], 8. #7s – Jason Sides [15], 9. #11k – Kraig Kinser [2], 10. #17 – Sheldon Haudenschild [7], 11. #15 – Donny Schatz [4], 12. #5 – Shane Stewart [13], 13. #2 – Carson Macedo [11], 14. #18 – Ian Madsen [20], 15. #57 – Kyle Larson [12], 16. #17jr – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. [24], 17. #41 – David Gravel [8], 18. #49 – Brad Sweet [5], 19. #19 – Brent Marks [10], 20. #24 – Rico Abreu [19], 21. #91 – Cale Thomas [22], 22. #41s – Dominic Scelzi [6], 23. #K4 – Chad Kemenah [23], 24. #22 – Cole Duncan [17]. Lap Leader(s): Kinser 1-16, Schatz 17-27, Schuchart 28-31. KSE Hard Charger: #9 – James McFadden (+16) Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/schuchart-survives-charlotte-dirt-track/
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