World of Outlaws J&S Classics National Open

The Wooster, OH native bests Bill Balog and holds off Danny Dietrich for $75,000 at Williams Grove

Sheldon Haudenschild is finally a J&S Classics National Open champion.

No more close calls. No more settling for second. No more “we’ll get them next year.” Haudenschild got the job done in 2025 at the Williams Grove Speedway crown jewel.

He was fifth in 2020 and climbed to third in 2021. Two years later, the Wooster, OH native was back in the top five. A year ago, he finished a close runner-up to Carson Macedo and might’ve won if the race would’ve been a lap longer. This year, he wouldn’t be denied.

It was by no means an easy 40-lap journey to the “Natty O” title. Bill Balog led the field to green and made it clear early that he’d be a force. The “North Pole Nightmare” drove away from the battle for second in the first half. Behind him, Haudenschild, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid, and Danny Dietrich slugged it out for second.

Haudenschild finally gained control of the spot on the 29th circuit and went to work chasing down Balog. He closed and closed until the door opened on Lap 35 when Balog tripped on the cushion in Turns 1 and 2 and Haudenschild slipped by on the bottom. But the war for the win was far from over.

Balog got back up on the wheel and started hammering away on the curb as Haudenschild remained committed to the low side. The North Pole, AK native kept building momentum and closed right on the tail tank of the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 17 down the straightaways. The white flag flew, and Balog ripped the top in the first set of corners and nearly pulled alongside Haudenschild out of Turn 2. But it just wasn’t quite enough as Haudenschild kept clear and drove away to a $75,000 National Open title.

“For one, I had a really good race car,” Haudenschild said. “Hats off to (Kyle) Ripper, Luke (Vaughn), and Jayce (Wallick). You don’t win here without a really good race car. Ripper just tuned on it all night. We kind of had a gameplan. I never really felt comfortable on the cushion all weekend, so we just kind of aborted that mission. I think I ran the top down in (Turns) 1 and 2 maybe once or twice and kind of got tight up there. I just worked that middle in while it was still dark and tried to follow the clean part of the track. I’m just super happy to get this S-J-M (Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing) another win. That’s been our goal: win races for these guys.”

It was announced last month that Haudenschild and the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing team would be going separate ways at the end of this year, and after eight strong seasons together, Haudenschild wants to give them a memorable final stretch. A crown jewel win certainly contributes to that effort.

“I’m super grateful for Richard (Marshall), Jennifer (Marshall), Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.), and Lauren (Albano),” Haudenschild said. “I’ve said it before; they gave me a chance when I was a rookie with no wins, and we won right off the bat with this team. It just feels really good to get this win for them. Super grateful for them. I wish them luck in the future, and I’m excited for my future.”

His first win in the final leg of the sport’s triple crown made Haudenschild the 36th different National Open champion. He’s the first Ohio native to win the Pennsylvania event since Kenny Jacobs in 1988. The nine-year World of Outlaws veteran gave bragging rights back to the travlers a night after Chase Dietz opened the weekend scoring one for the PA Posse. Haudenschild snapped a 33-race winless streak with Saturday’s score, which was the 45th of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

Danny Dietrich slid by Balog on the final lap to claim the runner-up spot for the Pennsylvania Posse. The Gettysburg, PA native was the only driver to earn a podium position on both nights of the National Open. Dietrich might’ve ended the night celebrating a second title in the famed event had traffic played out a little differently.

“I needed to probably move down,” Dietrich said. “I was done, and then a lapped car was running the bottom and that’s where I really wanted to be. I was moving around there behind Bill for a while just feeling the track out especially down in (Turns) 3 and 4, running the middle and floating certain lanes. I really thought I found it and then just couldn’t clear a lapped car. I didn’t commit enough to pulling the wing back and then tried to hustle in into (Turn) 1 twice and hustled it right over the cushion. I’m really lucky to even finish because I thought for sure I was going to be up in the cornfield. We had a really good car.”

Bill Balog came home third after leading the opening 35 circuits. It was a bittersweet night as Balog delivered yet another impressive performance on a big stage this year, but he thought he might’ve been heading toward the biggest win of his career until that late bobble on the cushion.

“It was an awesome racetrack to be honest,” Balog said. “I thought we had that there. I just got bottled up there a couple times. I’d get kind of plugged into the cushion a little too hard, had to cheat it. But this is still a great run for us; Anderson’s Maple Syrup, Honest Abe Roofing, Wayne Corini, he helped me get out here years ago and maybe figure out a little bit about this place. Got to thank the guys for working on it. Pretty amazing night for us.”

Daryn Pittman and Buddy Kofoid completed the top five.

Logan Schuchart wheeled from 14th to seventh to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

David Gravel earned Simpson Quick Time honors in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying to sweep the weekend’s Quick Time awards.

Heat Races belonged to David Gravel (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Carson Macedo (Real American Beer Heat Two), Bill Balog (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Daryn Pittman (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Sheldon Haudenschild.

Bill Balog topped the Toyota Dash.

Lance Dewease won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Conner Morrell.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make a return to New Jersey with a trip to New Egypt Speedway on Friday, Oct. 10 before facing off with the PA Posse one final time this year at Abbottstown, PA’s Lincoln Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 11. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[2]; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich[3]; 3. 17B-Bill Balog[1]; 4. 69K-Daryn Pittman[5]; 5. 83-Michael Kofoid[4]; 6. 2-David Gravel[7]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[14]; 8. 23D-Chase Dietz[9]; 9. 19-Brent Marks[6]; 10. 10-Ryan Timms[10]; 11. 41-Carson Macedo[8]; 12. 67-Justin Whittall[11]; 13. 5-Tyler Ross[13]; 14. 7BC-Giovanni Scelzi[15]; 15. 26-Justin Peck[19]; 16. 75-Cameron Smith[12]; 17. 12-Lance Dewease[21]; 18. 41R-Logan Rumsey[17]; 19. 15-Donny Schatz[25]; 20. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[24]; 21. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[16]; 22. 23-Garet Williamson[20]; 23. 2M-Gerard McIntyre Jr[18]; 24. 8-Brock Zearfoss[27]; 25. 28M-Conner Morrell[22]; 26. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[23]; 27. 51-Freddie Rahmer[26]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.