THE MAN TO BEAT: Logan Schuchart Wins Jackson Nationals Opener with Last Lap Pass

Logan Schuchart and Shark Racing already knew that all eyes were pointed towards them entering the 44th annual AGCO Jackson Nationals, and they certainly gave the people something to watch in Saturday’s afternoon opener.

After leading the opening 16 laps, the Hanover, PA native all of a sudden saw the lead slip from his grasp when Carson Macedo snuck below him and took the top spot away with eight laps left. The DuraMAX Oil, Drydene Performance Products #1S quickly adapted from defense to offense and charged back at the Jason Johnson Racing #41 on the final restart.

It came down to the 25th and final circuit when Schuchart timed lap traffic perfectly and stormed around the outside of a boxed-in Macedo on the bottom. He made it stick for another two corners and beat the Lemoore, CA racer to the stripe by 0.435-seconds, earning his fourth-career win at Minnesota’s Jackson Motorplex.

His second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the season comes at a crucial time as Schuchart pursues a record-setting third consecutive title at the Jackson Nationals tonight on DIRTVision. He made it clear that the #1S is the car to beat with $25,000 on the line this evening.

“I’m just glad we were able to get that one back,” said a relieved Schuchart. “The #41 is one of the best cars out here, so it’s always rewarding to beat them heads up like that. These races are won in the garage, and it’s so much better when you show up at a place and can unload with so much confidence as we do here. I feel like we have the car to beat tonight, the driver just needs to do his job.”

Ahead of tonight’s main event, Schuchart capitalized on the opportunity to both protect and attack at the Jackson 3/8-mile surface.

“You just have no idea where to go when you’re leading like that,” he added. “I felt like I was a sitting duck and thought we were gonna lose another win while leading. It’s good to be running about fourth or fifth when the rubber comes into play. I just knew I needed to try something different so I started running it harder into turns one and two. Carson is too smart to mess up, so I knew I had to be extra aggressive if I wanted it.”

Earning the short end of the stick in the thrilling finish on Saturday afternoon was Carson Macedo, who saw his ninth World of Outlaws win of 2022 slip through his fingers on the final circuit. His 17th podium of the year aboard the Albaugh #41 did allow the 25-year-old to sneak back into title contention as he sits -96 points behind Brad Sweet.

It was a case of what goes around comes around for the Lemoore, CA native, who was on the opposing end of last-lap glory two weeks ago with his own late-race heroics at I-55.

“A lot of people on DIRTVision are probably wondering why I didn’t try to move up or block that lane with the lapper, but I just felt so locked down that I thought I was making good enough laps to hold on,” Macedo noted as explained his thought process. “If I would’ve moved up top and he drove by me in the rubber, then I would’ve been an idiot, too. It is what it is. We definitely had a car capable of winning and I was every bit as good as him, but he made the right move when it mattered most. We’ll give it another shot tonight.”

Scoring his fifth podium of the season and putting two Bobby Allen-owned entries inside the top-three was Jacob Allen aboard the Pells Tire Service, Low-E Insulation #1A. The Hanover, PA native fell from first to fourth by Lap 4 but rallied late in the running by sneaking around Donny Schatz to earn his 17th career podium with the World of Outlaws.

“You obviously want to win these, especially from the pole, but I’m glad it could be Logan if it wasn’t me,” Allen spoke on his teammate. “My car was great all day, but I just had a bad start and could never be conservative enough with my tires. I was definitely nervous because I felt like I found the rubber first and I was crossing my fingers a tire wouldn’t let go.”

Closing out the top-five at Jackson was Donny Schatz in fourth place aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance #15, and Sheldon Haudenschild in fifth place aboard the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17.

Rounding out the top-10 on Saturday afternoon was Fresno, CA’s Giovanni Scelzi in sixth, Watertown, CT’s David Gravel in seventh, Alice Springs, NT’s James McFadden in eighth, Dillsburg, PA’s Anthony Macri in ninth, and Higginsville, MO’s Brian Brown in tenth.

NOS NOTEBOOK (Jackson Motorplex, 8/20/22)

Logan Schuchart’s second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the season makes him the 11th driver with multiple wins in 2022. It’s the 32nd win of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

Carson Macedo opened the day with a NEW TRACK RECORD in My Place Hotels Qualifying, circling Jackson Motorplex in 12.572 seconds. The Jason Johnson Racing #41 has earned nine of 47 QuickTimes this season, compared to only eight QuickTimes through the first 298 starts of his World of Outlaws career.

Winning NOS Energy Drink Heat Races on Saturday afternoon were Carson Macedo (77th career), Logan Schuchart (101st career), Giovanni Scelzi (22nd career), and Jacob Allen (45th career). Allen topped the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, earning his third pole position of the season.

Tim Kaeding, of San Jose, CA, earned his first KSE Hard Charger Award of the year with a 24th-to-12th drive aboard the Lunstra Motorsports #3. Brady Forbrook, son of Hall of Fame crew chief, Guy Forbrook, made his World of Outlaws debut and quickly qualified for his first-career Feature.

Championship leader Brad Sweet (11th) missed the top-10 for only the seventh time this season, allowing David Gravel (-60 points) and Carson Macedo (-96 points) to close the gap with only 23 nights remaining this season.

UP NEXT (TONIGHT) – A busy day of racing continues this evening at Minnesota’s Jackson Motorplex as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series host the $25,000-to-win Jackson Nationals. The program is slated to begin with Hot Laps at 7pm CT and a unique format to follow. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (25 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2][$10,000]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo [4][$6,000]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen [1][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5][$2,500]; 6. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [6][$2,300]; 7. 2-David Gravel [10][$2,200]; 8. 83-James McFadden [11][$2,100]; 9. 39M-Anthony Macri [18][$2,050]; 10. 21-Brian Brown [7][$2,000]; 11. 49-Brad Sweet [9][$1,600]; 12. 3-Tim Kaeding [24][$1,400]; 13. 7S-Robbie Price [19][$1,200]; 14. 9-Kasey Kahne [8][$1,100]; 15. 24-Rico Abreu [20][$1,050]; 16. 7-Justin Henderson [15][$1,000]; 17. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [14][$1,000]; 18. 20G-Noah Gass [23][$1,000]; 19. 5F-Brady Forbrook [13][$1,000]; 20. 24T-Christopher Thram [22][$1,000]; 21. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny [16][$1,000]; 22. 17X-Kevin Thomas [12][$1,000]; 23. 5-Spencer Bayston [21][$1,000]; 24. 10-Matt Juhl [17][$1,000]. Lap Leader(s): Schuchart 1-16, 25; Macedo 17-24. KSE Hard Charger Award: 3-Tim Kaeding[+12]

NEW Championship Standings (After 52/75 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (6,598); 2. David Gravel (-60); 3. Carson Macedo (-96); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-138); 5. Donny Schatz (-170); 6. Logan Schuchart (-202); 7. James McFadden (-350); 8. Spencer Bayston (-396); 9. Jacob Allen (-600); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-694).