Column: Big Races With Big Points Implications, Big Money Make Up WoO Sprint Weekend In OK & TX

Story By: NICK GRAZIANO / WORLD OF OUTLAWS – LAWTON, OK – We’re not in Kansas anymore. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is set for a historic doubleheader weekend in Oklahoma and Texas.

The Greatest Show on Dirt returns to Lawton Speedway in Lawton, OK for the first time since 1985 on Fri., Sept. 18 and then ventures to the Series’ birthplace for the Texas Outlaw Nationals at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX on Sat., Sept. 19.

Both races will play a key part in the epic battle for the Series championship, which still has five drivers – and six teams – competing for the title. You’ll also see drivers leaving with healthy paydays. The event at Lawton will pay $10,000-to-win and the Texas Outlaw Nationals at Devil’s Bowl will pay $20,000-to-win.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch both events live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines to follow this weekend:

SHELDON HITS NEXT LEVEL: Sheldon Haudenschild, of Wooster, OH, is having one of the best seasons of his career and has solidified himself as one of the top drivers to beat every weekend with his Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing team. He has five wins, so far, this year with three of them coming in the last six races.

He’ll make his first start at Lawton Speedway on Friday, but don’t think that lowers his chances of winning at the track. Several drivers will also be making their first appearance at the speedway and Haudenschild has already won twice this year at tracks he’d never been to before. In five starts at Devil’s Bowl, he has one top-five and three top-10s.

ALLEN IS A WINNER: After 358 races of defeat Jacob Allen finally became a World of Outlaws winner at Dodge City Raceway Park last weekend. Now, with that monkey off of his back, he’ll be poised to get another win this weekend.

He’ll make his first appearance at Lawton Speedway and look for redemption at Devil’s Bowl. He came close to a win at the Texas track last year after leading most of the race before fading to third. His father and car owner, Bobby Allen, won at Devil’s Bowl in 1986. With a new wave of confidence for he and his team, more wins could be on the way in 2020.

PITTMAN AFTER HOME WIN: This weekend will be a special homecoming for Daryn Pittman, of Owasso, OK. Lawton Speedway is the site of his first ever Sprint Car win and he recently announced that 2020 would be his final year as a full-time driver.

He and his Roth Motorsports team are still searching for their first win of the season. He’s yet to run a World of Outlaws race at Lawton but has two wins at Devil’s Bowl – in 2014 and 2018.

READY TO COWBOY UP: Logan Schuchart, of Hanover, PA, left Texas wearing a new cowboy hat last year after claiming his first win at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. With five wins, so far, this season and the last one coming in July, he’ll be hungry to park his Drydene car in Victory Lane again.

He’ll also be looking to make up more points on leader Brad Sweet. Schuchart is currently second in points, 10 points behind Sweet.

SWEET HOLDING STRONG: Reigning champion Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, maintained his points lead after last weekend with a fifth- and fourth-place finish. He’s currently on a run of eight top-five finishes in a row – one of them being his win at I-80 Speedway.

Sweet has one win at Devil’s Bowl in 2017 and will make his first start with the World of Outlaws at Lawton Speedway.

SCHATZ MAKING GAINS: Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz, of Fargo, ND, and his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing team are inching closer to getting back to their traditional winning ways. Schatz found the podium again at Dodge City last weekend and then finished sixth the next night.

He has three wins at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, most recently in 2018. He’s still currently third in points – 80 points behind Sweet.

JJR STRONG IN TEXAS: David Gravel, of Watertown, CT, has yet to win at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, but Jason Johnson Racing is no stranger to success at the historic track. Jason Johnson won there in 2017 and still holds the track record.

Gravel is currently on a run of 24 top-10 finishes in a row and has helped keep JJR in contention for the team championship title. JJR is currently 10 points behind Kasey Kahne Racing, tied with Shark Racing.