RPW Exclusive: Dietrich Outduels Schatz In Truly ‘The Greatest Show On Dirt’ At Bridgeport

Story By: ROBERT SYMONDS / RPW – SWEDESBORO, NJ – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series completed a Northeast sweep tonight with a trip to the Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey. Donny Schatz, Daryn Pittman, and Ryan Smith picked up the Drydene qualifying heat races with Danny Dietrich claiming the dash and Jason Sides winning the Last Chance Showdown which all setup the field for tonight’s event

In the 35 lap feature event, Danny Dietrich and Carson Macedo led the field to the green. Off turn 4, Donny Schatz racing for position in the top 5 slips off the top of the banking and falls to the back end of the top 10 in the 8th position. Early on Dietrich pulls Macedo by nearly two seconds.

It would only take 6 laps for Dietrich to catch the back of the field as he set a blistering pace. As he continued to lead, David Gravel would work his way to the inside of Carson Macedo to take second away on lap 10 and quickly catch Dietrich on lap 12 in lap traffic. Just as the leaders were side by side at the line for lap 12, the only caution flag in the event would wave for Dominic Scelzi stopped in turn 4.

On the ensuing restart, Dietrich once again set off a fast pace, almost immediately pulls a second advantage on the rest of the field. JJ Grosso took advantage of the restart and tried to make his way around the Daryn Pittman machine. While the green flags kept coming, Schatz made his way back around Grosso and then Pittman to put himself back into the top 5 on lap 18.

As Dietrich caught lap traffic, the pace seemed to have slowed allowing Gravel, Macedo, and Schatz to make it a 4 car battle for the lead with 10 laps to go. Macedo would work all over Gravel to take second while Schatz came to follow him on the top. Schatz was able to work his way by Macedo on the top to take the runner up position with 6 laps to go.

This move by Schatz allowed him enough time to get to Dietrich’s tail tank. Using the bottom lane, Schatz ran the bottom of turns 3 and 4 to take the lead off turn 4 with 2 laps to go. Dietrich then went to the middle of 1 and shoot to the bottom of turn 2 to work his way back to the inside of the multi-time World of Outlaws Champion.

With a slide job in turns 3 and 4, Dietrich took the lead back at the white flag. On the final lap, Dietrich anchored the car off the top to keep the lead down the back stretch and ran a slide job line through turns 3 and 4 sealing his victory at the Bridgeport Speedway on Tuesday night.

“I got to searching a little bit,” Dietrich mentioned about the closing laps in Victory Lane “I went to the bottom and it felt pretty good. So I slid him to get the lead back. What a heck of a night!”

In what could be deemed the best race so far in 2019, Danny Dietrich overcame early night problems to come back and win the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event on his birthday at the Bridgeport Speedway.

World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series – Bridgeport Speedway – May 21, 2019

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, 34-35; Donny Schatz 33; KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+8]

Qualifying – 1. 48-Danny Dietrich, 13.33; 2. 41-David Gravel, 13.384; 3. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.424; 4. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.467; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman, 13.543; 6. 72-Ryan Smith, 13.545; 7. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.567; 8. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.573; 9. 2-Carson Macedo, 13.594; 10. 91-Tony Fiore, 13.61; 11. 37-J.J. Grasso, 13.611; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.641; 13. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.719; 14. 5-Shane Stewart, 13.721; 15. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 13.726; 16. 91X-Kyle Reinhardt, 13.74; 17. 19-Brent Marks, 13.761; 18. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.767; 19. 67-Justin Whittall, 13.792; 20. 70-Brock Zearfoss, 13.807; 21. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.86; 22. 28F-Davie Franek, 13.861; 23. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.871; 24. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 13.946; 25. 73B-Brett Michalski, 14.07; 26. 5Z-Zachary Burd, 14.888; 27. 91S-Sadie Siegel, NT