The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are trucking from the “Buckeye State” to the “Badger State.”
Beaver Dam Raceway is this week’s destination for The Greatest Show on Dirt. The Wisconsin oval welcomes the country’s best Sprint Car drivers for two nights (May 31-June 1) of action at the Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial. The opener offers up a $12,000 payday before the stakes are raised for Saturday’s $20,000-to-win finale. The pair of races will be the 34th and 35th in Series history at the 1/3 mile.
This weekend is set to mark the first two of six scheduled nights of racing in Wisconsin in 2024 for the World of Outlaws.
The battle for the championship lead is tightening. Spots inside the top five are swapping. The summer of money is approaching. A region is ready to face off with the World of Outlaws for the first time in 2024. All pieces that promise to contribute toward another thrilling weekend of action.
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Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:
CLOSER AND CLOSER: A battle atop the point standings between two hungry drivers quickly appears to be shaping up. Eight wins and remarkable speed has carried David Gravel to the point lead for much of 2024. But an unflinching consistency has positioned Carson Macedo within striking distance as they both chase their first title.
Heading into Beaver Dam, Gravel leads Macedo by 32 markers – the closest Macedo has been all year. The last 17 races for Gravel have led to a whopping seven wins and a dozen top two finishes. But sprinkled in that stretch are also finishes of 23rd, 11th and 21st. Over that same time frame, Macedo has only won twice compared to Gravel’s seven, but he’s finished no worse than ninth and owns a 3.6 average result over the stretch.
Looking at Beaver Dam, Gravel is yet to win at the Wisconsin oval, but he’s been so close. The Watertown, CT native has been on the podium in five of his last six Beaver Dam tries including two runner-ups last year. Macedo also doesn’t own a World of Outlaws win at Beaver Dam, but he did drive Joe Gaerte’s #3G to Victory Lane at a 2017 Interstate Racing Association (IRA) race.
HOME GAME: For the first time during his rookie World of Outlaws campaign, Bill Balog will get the chance to race in front of home fans. The North Pole, AK native made the move to Wisconsin earlier in life and established himself as one of the best drivers in the region’s history before joining The Greatest Show on Dirt.
Balog owns a huge total of 19 IRA victories at Beaver Dam, most recently claiming a 2021 visit. It’s also home to his one career World of Outlaws victory. Back in 2016 Balog bested former champion – Daryn Pittman – to pick up a wildly popular upset win.
It’s been a productive debut season with the World of Outlaws for Balog and the B Squared Motorsports team. He’s picked up 13 top 10s in 24 races. He’s fresh off an 18th to fourth drive at Fremont for his sixth top five of the season. And the campaign has been highlighted by a pair of podiums at Paducah and Attica.
BADGER MASTER: Over the last few years Sheldon Haudenschild has been the clear man to beat whenever the World of Outlaws roll into Beaver Dam.
The Wooster, OH native has driven the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing #17 to Beaver Dam Victory Lane in four of the last five visits. The Wisconsin 1/3 mile is currently tied with Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 for the winningest track on Haudenschild’s World of Outlaws résumé.
The 2024 campaign has already led to five victories for Haudenschild including one last weekend at Atomic. The next one will push the team NOS Energy Drink driver to 40 for his career.
CAN HOT SAUCE GET HOT?: After taking the point lead back in March, Giovanni Scelzi and KCP Racing have cooled off slightly.
Scelzi began the year with seven straight finishes of seventh or better including a pair of podiums and an average finish of fourth. The last five races have led to a best of fifth and an average result of eighth. The consistency is still there, but he’ll need slightly better results to climb back into the championship battle.
Fortunately for “Hot Sauce,” Beaver Dam could be the place to begin a hot streak. The Fresno, CA driver topped the opening night of last year’s Jim Boyd Memorial, and he’s always consistent at Beaver Dam. Scelzi hasn’t finished worse than eighth in five tries and also nearly won the 2021 visit, leading 19 laps before finishing second.
WISCONSIN WARRIORS: With this weekend being the first trip to Wisconsin of 2024, a collection of the state’s locals will be looking to see how well they can defend home turf against the nation’s best.
Sheboygan, WI’s Scotty Thiel is always stout at Beaver Dam. He’s bagged four IRA wins at the 1/3 mile, most recently taking a 2022 checkered flag. Thiel’s best Beaver Dam finish in 10 tries with the World of Outlaws is 13th (2022).
There’s another Scotty with plenty of experience under his belt, and it’s Beaver Dam’s own Scotty Neitzel. He’s fresh off claiming his first IRA win in two years at Wilmot Raceway. Neitzel picked up a Beaver Dam IRA victory back in 1995, and its home to his one career World of Outlaws top 10 (eighth in 2003).
This duo is expected to be joined by more “Badger State” locals including Austin Hartmann (Plymouth, WI), Dave Uttech (Kenosha, WI), and more.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Friday-Saturday, May 31-June 1 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, WI
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CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (24/76 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports #2 (3374 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing #41 (-32 PTS)
3. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 (-52 PTS)
4. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing #18 (-74 PTS)
5. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports #83 (-100 PTS)
6. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing #1S (-130 PTS)
7. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing #17 (-202 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports #17B (-332 PTS)
9. Brock Zearfoss – Brock Zearfoss Racing #3Z (-536 PTS)
10. Landon Crawley – Sides Motorsports #7S (-644 PTS)
NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (11 Drivers):
8 Wins – David Gravel
5 Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Wins – Donny Schatz, Carson Macedo
1 Win – Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Giovanni Scelzi, Rico Abreu, Brady Bacon, Michael Kofoid
FEATURE LAPS LED (15 Drivers):
212 Laps – David Gravel
137 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
114 Laps – Carson Macedo
56 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
54 Laps – Rico Abreu
47 Laps – Donny Schatz
34 Laps – Brady Bacon
29 Laps – Kyle Larson
25 Laps – Brad Sweet
23 Laps – Michael Kofoid
13 Laps – Anthony Macri
11 Laps – Bill Balog
3 Laps – Brent Marks
1 Lap – Tyler Courtney, Kalib Henry
SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (11 Drivers):
7 Quick Times – David Gravel
5 Quick Times – Carson Macedo
2 Quick Times – Brent Marks, Michael Kofoid, Giovanni Scelzi
1 Quick Time – Landon Crawley, Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Donny Schatz, Sheldon Haudenschild
HEAT RACE WINNERS (24 Drivers):
16 Heat Wins – David Gravel
12 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
9 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi
8 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
7 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid
5 Heat Wins – Rico Abreu
4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks, Donny Schatz
3 Heat Wins – Bill Balog, Brock Zearfoss
2 Heat Wins – Brian Brown, Tyler Courtney, Landon Crawley
1 Heat Win – Corey Day, Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Logan Schuchart, Bill Rose, Ryan Timms, Danny Sams III, Kyle Larson, Emerson Axsom, Anthony Macri, Tim Shaffer
TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (43 Drivers):
20 Dashes – David Gravel
19 Dashes – Carson Macedo
16 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi
15 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
14 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
11 Dashes – Donny Schatz
9 Dashes – Bill Balog
7 Dashes – Rico Abreu
6 Dashes – Landon Crawley
5 Dashes – Brent Marks, Logan Schuchart
4 Dashes – Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Brock Zearfoss
3 Dashes – Emerson Axsom
2 Dashes – Brad Sweet, Aaron Reutzel, Anthony Macri, Brady Bacon, Cole Duncan, Cole Macedo, Kalib Henry
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Zeb Wise, Corey Day, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Bill Rose, Ryan Timms, Garet Williamson, James McFadden, Logan McCandless, Ayrton Gennetten, Danny Sams III, Kyle Larson, Skylar Gee, Kody Hartlaub, Chase Dietz, Tim Shaffer, T.J. Michael, Craig Mintz, Brandon Spithaler, Sye Lynch, Cale Thomas
MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (17 Drivers):
2 LCS Wins – Logan McCandless, Bill Balog
1 LCS Win – Austin McCarl, Corey Day, Kasey Kahne, Koty Adams, Jace Park, Anthony Macri, Landon Crawley, Garet Williamson, Brock Zearfoss, Kevin Newton, Brenham Crouch, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brandon Rahmer, David Gravel, Nate Dussel, Cole Macedo, Zeth Sabo
KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (17 Drivers):
4 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz
2 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo
1 Hard Charger – Aaron Reutzel, Jace Park, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Brock Zearfoss, Chase Randall, Chris Windom, Noah Gass, Austin McCarl, Giovanni Scelzi, Sheldon Haudenschild, Danny Dietrich, Landon Crawley, Sye Lynch, Bill Balog
PODIUM FINISHES (17 Drivers):
14 Podiums – David Gravel
12 Podiums – Carson Macedo
9 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
8 Podiums – Donny Schatz
6 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild
5 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi
3 Podiums – Brad Sweet, Rico Abreu
2 Podiums – Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Bill Balog
1 Podium – Justin Peck, Anthony Macri, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Kyle Larson, Cole Macedo
TOP 10 FINISHES (50 Drivers):
22 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi
21 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Michael Kofoid
20 Top 10s – David Gravel, Carson Macedo
19 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart
16 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild
13 Top 10s – Bill Balog
7 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss
6 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss
5 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Anthony Macri
4 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, Cole Macedo
3 Top 10s – Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel, Landon Crawley, Cole Duncan
2 Top 10s – Ryan Timms, Chase Randall, Kraig Kinser, Corey Day, James McFadden, Skylar Gee, Cale Thomas, Brady Bacon
1 Top 10 – Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Zeb Wise, Cory Eliason, Jacob Allen, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, Joe B. Miller, Ayrton Gennetten, Emerson Axsom, Scotty Milan, Kyle Larson, Troy Wagaman Jr., Danny Dietrich, Chase Dietz, Brandon Spithaler, Kalib Henry, Tim Shaffer, Zane DeVault, Sye Lynch, Travis Philo, Trey Jacobs
2024 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1)
2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (1)
4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
5. Mon, March 4 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1)
6. Fri, March 15 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brent Marks (1)
7. Sat, March 16 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
8. Sat, March 23 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Carson Macedo (1)
9. Sat, March 30 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (1)
10. Fri, April 5 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / David Gravel (2)
11. Sat, April 6 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
12. Fri, April 12 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / David Gravel (3)
13. Sat, April 13 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Donny Schatz (2)
14. Fri, April 19 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Sheldon Haudenschild (3)
15. Sat, April 20 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Brady Bacon (1)
16. Wed, May 1 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / David Gravel (4)
17. Fri, May 3 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (4)
18. Sat, May 4 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (5)
19. Wed, May 8 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / David Gravel (6)
20. Fri, May 17 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Michael Kofoid (1)
21. Sat, May 18 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / David Gravel (7)
22. Fri, May 24 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / David Gravel (8)
23. Sat, May 25 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (5)
24. Mon, May 27 / Fremont Speedway / Fremont, OH / Carson Macedo (2)
For the full 2024 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car schedule, CLICK HERE.