Column: Three Tracks In Three Days Set To Thrill World Of Outlaws Sprint Car Fans

Column By: NICK GRAZIANO / WORLD OF OUTLAWS – PLYMOUTH, IN – For the second time this season, the best Sprint Car drivers in the world will face a triple-header weekend with three races at three tracks in three days.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series returns to Plymouth Speedway for the first time since 2017 on Thurs., Sept. 24. It’ll then venture to Wayne County Speedway for the first time in 35 years for a $15,000-to-win and $1,000-to-start event presented by Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company on Fri., Sept. 25. The weekend will cap off with the prestigious Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville Speedway on Sat., Sept. 26.

Five drivers are still in contention for the driver championship and six teams are in contention for the team championship. The three-race stretch will test the limits of each driver and team and demonstrate their caliber of going after the title.

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

Here are the top storylines for the weekend:

LOGAN’S RUN: Logan Schuchart, of Hanover, PA, isn’t letting reigning champion Brad Sweet run off with another World of Outlaws championship just yet. The Shark Racing driver won his sixth race of the year at Devil’s Bowl Speedway and cut into Sweet’s points lead. Schuchart now trails Sweet by eight points going into the triple-header weekend.

He’s currently on a streak of 23 top-10 finishes in a row. His last visit to Plymouth in 2017 ended early due to an issue taking him out of the race before it started. He’ll make his first appearance at Wayne County and will look to improve upon his ninth-place finish at Lernerville from July.

HAUD GOES HOME: Sheldon Haudenschild, of Wooster, OH, is making the trek home while on a hot streak with his Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing team. In his last 20 starts, Haudenschild has collected five wins and 17 top-10 finishes – 12 of them top-five finishes.

He’ll look to continue that streak this weekend as he’s only 14 points behind 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz for third in points. Haudenschild finished seventh in his World of Outlaws debut at Plymouth in 2017. He’s yet to run a World of Outlaws race at Wayne County – which is 15 minutes from his home – but has seven wins there. And he finished fourth at Lernerville in July.

BIG CAT ON TOP: Lernerville Speedway was a turning in Brad Sweet’s championship quest last year. He earned his 50th career win and left with a large points lead that help secure him his first championship. He’ll look to make the most the triple-header weekend and exit Lernerville with similar fortunes.

The Grass Valley, CA driver won the Series’ first race at Plymouth in 2016 and finished fifth the year after. He’ll make his Wayne County Speedway debut with the World of Outlaws on Friday. Then on Saturday, he’ll look to win the Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville for the third year in a row.

SCHATZ ON THE HUNT: Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz, of Fargo, ND, is three wins away from a career milestone of 300 World of Outlaws victories. He currently has three wins this year – his last coming at Lernerville in July. Since that win, he and his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing team have been on a roller coaster of up and down performances. They’ve recently been able to string together a run of 10 top-10 finishes in a row – three of them being top-fives.

The Commonwealth Clash put a big hinderance of Schatz’s championship hunt last year but could be a positive turning point for his 2020 season. A strong performance this weekend, especially a win, could help put he and his team on a path to contending for the championship at the end of the year. Schatz is currently third in points – 92 points behind Sweet.

FACES IN NEW PLACES: You’ll be forgive you if you have to look twice at a couple of cars this weekend. Daryn Pittman, of Owasso, OK, ended his tenure with Roth Motorsports last weekend and will finish the 2020 World of Outlaws season behind the wheel of the Heffner Racing #72 car out of Pennsylvania. Taking his place in Roth’s historic #83 car for the remainder of the year will be Spencer Bayston, of Lebanon, IN.

Pittman is no stranger to the Heffner team. He ran for them in Pennsylvania from 2009 to 2012 and made 20 World of Outlaws starts with them during that time, collecting a win at Williams Grove Speedway in 2011.

Bayston has 21 career World of Outlaws Feature starts with a career best finish of fourth at the Dirt Track at Charlotte in 2018. He made one Series start at Lernerville in 2018 and finished 21st. He’ll make his first Series start at Plymouth and Wayne County but does hold the track record at the Ohio track.

GRAVEL ON WIN CRAVE: David Gravel, of Watertown, CT, and Jason Johnson Racing have been knocking on the door of another victory. He earned three podium finishes in the last three races, including a runner-up finish at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. He’s also on a streak of 26 top-10 finishes in a row. He’s the last driver to win at Plymouth Speedway in 2017.

JJR continues to be a top contender for the team championship, as well. With Gravel’s success and Parker Price-Miller filling in for him when he missed a couple of races, the team is currently tied for second in the team standings with Schuchart’s Shark Racing team – eight points behind Kasey Kahne Racing.

Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company Ups Purse for World of Outlaws at Wayne County

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series returns to Ohio’s Wayne County Speedway on Friday night for the first time since 1985, and the Buckeye State’s Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company is joining the event to add extra incentives.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars at Wayne County presented by Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company will now be $15,000 to win and it guarantees all Feature starters will earn at least $1,000. Plus, the fifth-place finisher in the Last Chance Showdown will earn an extra $200.

“Returning to Wayne County on Friday night will be exciting, and now having Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company join the event and reward the drivers makes it even more special,” said World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter. “It’s a perfect combination of The Greatest Show on Dirt and the greatest cornhole boards available.”

North Canton, Ohio-based Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company since 2009 manufactures both regulation and tailgate size cornhole boards from Baltic birch wood, making them the smoothest and flattest on the market. A proprietary process to adhere a vinyl layer on top of the boards offers consistent play no matter the temperature or humidity.