Up to Speed: Magic City Showdown for World of Outlaws at Nodak Speedway
MINOT, ND — June 12, 2018 —The Gerdau Recycling Magic City Showdown presented by Schatz Crossroads Truck Stop and Fastlane Car Wash takes the green flag for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Nodak Speedway on Sunday, June 17. The event will mark the 13thA-Feature contested by the series at the track located at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. David Gravel was victorious at Nodak Speedway last season, snapping Donny Schatz’s five-race win streak at his hometown track. Daryn Pittman is also a past winner at Nodak Speedway. This edition of Up to Speed sets the stage for this year’s edition of the Gerdau Recycling Magic City Showdown will serve as the “Grand Finale” of Minot’s Ribfest.
The track
Nodak Speedway is a semi-banked three-eighths-mile located at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds.The track record of12.991 seconds was established by Paul McMahan on Aug. 17, 2014
Past winners
David Gravel is the defending winner at Nodak Speedway. The victory was one of two in the state of North Dakota for the 25-year-old last season.
Donny Schatz is the winningest driver at Nodak Speedway with five victories. He scored his first World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win at the track in 2012, after several near-misses and after that race, he went undefeated at the track until last year.
Daryn Pittman, the 2013 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champion, won in 2007 at Nodak Speedway, in what was just the second-ever race for the series at the track.
Home sweet home
Donny Schatz, who cut his teeth racing at Nodak Speedway as a teenager, has had a great amount of success at the track with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. Along with his five wins, the nine-time series champion has top-10 finishes in 11 of 12 races contested by the series at the track, dating back to 2006. Of those 11 top-10 runs, nine have been top-five performances. Nodak Speedway is one of four tracks in his home state that Schatz has won at with the Outlaws.
At the front
Daryn Pittman, Brad Sweet, Kraig Kinser and Shane Stewart have all been very consistent at Nodak Speedway in their respective careers. Pittman has seven top-10 finishes in eight starts, including a win in 2007. Kinser also has seven top-10 finishes, with those coming in nine starts, with four of those being top-fives, including a podium finish in his first visit to the track in 2008. Stewart, who has four top-10 finishes in five starts, finished a career-best third in 2012 at the three-eighths-mile and was fourth last season. Sweet has five top-10 finishes in seven starts, including a third-place showing last year.
Breaking through
It was only a matter of time as to when David Gravel would pick up a win at Nodak Speedway. He picked up top-five finishes in two of his first three starts at the track, including a podium finish in his debut at the venue in 2014. Last season, he snapped Donny Schatz’s five-race win streak at Nodak Speedway, picking up a much-needed win, after suffering an engine failure while leading the Knoxville Nationals the weekend prior.
Near perfect attendance
Jason Sides has competed in 11 of the previous 12 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series events at Nodak Speedway. During that span, the veteran driver has six top-10 finishes, with four of those being top-five performances. Sides finished a career-best second at the track in 2010.
Shark attack
The Shark Racing duo of Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen will be making the trip to Nodak Speedway for the fifth consecutive year. Schuchart has a pair of top-10 finishes, including a career-best run of fourth in 2016 at the track. Allen finished eighth that same season to record his best finish at the three-eighths-mile. Both drivers are knocking on the door of winning this season.
Suits his style
Nodak Speedway seems to fit Jason Johnson’s driving style. The veteran driver has made three starts at the track and has picked up three top-10 finishes. He finished a career-best second in 2016 and was sixth last year. Johnson has one win in the state of North Dakota in his career, with that coming at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo in 2017.
Building a notebook
Greg Wilson and Ian Madsen each have made a limited number of starts at Nodak Speedway. Wilson has taken the green flag three times at the track, while Madsen has raced at the venue twice. Madsen finished ninth last season at Nodak Speedway, which is his best finish in his pair of starts. Wilson has finished 15thor better in all three of his appearances at the track.
The younger generation
Sheldon Haudenschild, Brent Marks and Clyde Knipp are three of the younger drivers on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series circuit. Haudenschild and Marks each made their Nodak Speedway debut last season, while Knipp visited the three-eighths-mile for the third time. Marks picked up a top-10 finish last year at the track.
Tickets for the Gerdau Recycling Magic City Showdown Presented by Schatz Crossroads Truck Stop and Fastlane Car Wash, featuring the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Nodak Speedway on Sunday, June 17 can be purchased online athttps://slspromotions.ticketforce.comor by phone at 815-344-2023 and at the track on race day.
