Who Can Challenge Donny Schatz At The World Finals In 2018?

Story By: CRISTINA CORDOVA / DIRTCAR – CONCORD, NC – Donny Schatz has enjoyed a remarkable season for Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing. The 41-year-old from Fargo, ND needs merely to take the green flag for one of the two races that will comprise this weekend’s World of Outlaws World Finals presented by Can-Am in order to clinch his tenth championship, thanks to scoring 20+ wins for the sixth consecutive season.

With only two races remaining, he cannot quite reach the record tally of 46 wins in a single season achieved by Steve Kinser in 1987 — or even best his own single-season record of 31 wins in 2015, but he already topped last year’s wins (20) at the Tuscarora 50 on Sunday, and can add to that with a win on either night of the World Finals.

Schatz, though, will have no shortage of challengers. Prime among them will be the pair of Kasey Kahne Racing drivers, 32-year-old Brad Sweet, from Grass Valley, California, and 40-year-old Daryn Pittman, of Owasso, Oklahoma, each with an impressive nine wins on the season. While this may pale in comparison to Schatz’s current 21, let’s not forget that Pittman won the 2013 Series Championship with eight wins to Schatz’s 23.

Sitting 278 points behind Schatz, Sweet sits second in the point standings for the second year in a row but captured Sprint Car racing’s biggest prize back in August at Knoxville and will look to take another victory in prime time this weekend in Charlotte.

With five wins apiece, 26-year-old David Gravel and 25-year-old Sheldon Haudenschild, from Wooster, OH, will also reach for the checkered flag at Charlotte. Gravel currently sits third in the point standings, too far from Sweet to challenge him for second, and not quite far enough from Pittman (24 points) to remain unchallenged. After a stellar season last year, with 18 wins (to Schatz’s 20), the Watertown, CT native was surely hoping to up the ante, but having taken the checkers at last year’s finale, he’ll at least look for a repeat finish.

Meanwhile, Haudenschild, who started the season on a high note, scoring his first-ever win during the very first race of the season at DIRTcar Nationals and quickly following that up with another win during the FVP Outlaw Showdown at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, has five wins on the season and sits seventh in points.

Additionally, Pennsylvania Outlaws Logan Schuchart and Brent Marks have combined for five wins this season, and Shane Stewart would love nothing more to end his tenure at Kyle Larson Racing with a victory.

Additional contenders include Missouri’s Brian Brown, who has seven Knoxville Raceway wins to his credit this season, Pennsylvania’s Tim Shaffer, who has scored some huge unsanctioned wins this season, and Texan Aaron Reutzel, who just wrapped up the All-Star Circuit of Champions title. Veterans Joey Saldana, aboard the Jason Johnson Racing No.41, Paul McMahan and Dave Blaney will be on hand to try and fend off the younger generation led by Cory Eliason, Dominic Scelzi, Carson Macedo, Brock Zearfoss and Parker Price-Miller.

Much interest also will be centered on young guns Giovanni Scelzi and Freddie Rahmer, both whom will be making their World Finals debuts. 16-year-old Scelzi has taken the Sprint Car world by storm this season and is coming off his first career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series triumph at Williams Grove Speedway during National Open weekend.

22-year-old Freddie Rahmer, who scored his first career Outlaw win earlier this season at Lincoln Speedway, works a full-time job, preventing him from venturing out of Pennsylvania often, but will make his Dirt Track at Charlotte and World Finals debut later this week. Rahmer became the second youngest track champion in Williams Grove Speedway history last year.

The full field of drivers in the World of Outlaws World Finals presented by Can-Am will gain their first taste of the 4/10-mile oval on Thursday, November 1, with Hot Laps at 5 p.m. before Qualifying Time Trials later that night. Friday and Saturday will feature Heats, C- and D-Mains as necessary, the Craftsman Sears Dash and Last Chance Showdowns before each evening’s 30-lap Feature.