It’s time for round two of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars vs. PA Posse – this time with some weekday fun.

World of Outlaws pride, local Lincoln lore, and Beerhill bragging rights are all on the line this week as The Greatest Show on Dirt invades “The Keystone State” for a trio of intense battles.

First up is the second visit of 2023 to Lincoln Speedway (Abbottstown, PA) on Wednesday, May 10, for the Gettysburg Clash. Then, while Thursday is an off day, many teams will take part in the Hersheypark Stadium Sprint Car Experience to celebrate local racing history. And on Friday, it’s off to Mechanicsburg, PA where Williams Grove Speedway will host two nights of Morgan Cup action (May 12-13).

The lone Pennsylvania race, so far, in 2023 was claimed by an invader when Rico Abreu topped Lincoln on March 18. Both the World of Outlaws and PA Posse will try to make sure that isn’t the case this week.

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Let’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines: 

BIG CAT BACK ON TOP: For the second time this season, Brad Sweet is atop the championship standings. The four-time and defending titlist moved ahead of Carson Macedo following the action at Eldora Speedway.

Lincoln Speedway presents an opportunity for Sweet to extend that advantage. During the March trip to the Pigeon Hills, Sweet led the opening 22 circuits in the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 before finishing in the runner-up position – his second podium in the last three Lincoln races.

Williams Grove hasn’t been quite as kind to “The Big Cat” over the years, but he did manage to claim his first win there last July.

SCHATZ SURGE: After a rough stretch with seven straight finishes outside the top 10, Donny Schatz rebounded in a big way at Eldora.

Schatz put together his two best finishes of the season with a third on Friday and a runner-up on Saturday. During the latter, the Fargo, ND native managed to lead his first Feature lap of the season while challenging for the victory. The pair of nights bumped the 10-time champion from ninth to sixth in points.

Now Schatz and his Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing team head to an area of the country that’s always been kind to them. Schatz is a former Lincoln winner (’16). Williams Grove is Schatz’ winningest track in World of Outlaws competition with 21 of his 307 career triumphs coming at the half mile.

Donny Schatz
Donny Schatz enters PA with two straight podiums, and he’s a 21 time winner at Williams Grove (Trent Gower Photo)

GRAVEL AT THE GROVE: After a DNF a week and a half ago in Haubstadt, David Gravel rebounded at Eldora with a fifth and a third – the best performance among the top three in points. Gravel entered Eldora 48 points behind the top spot, and now he’s only 28 markers down.

The weekend races at Williams Grove will be a pair Gravel hopes to capitalize on to continue making up ground. The Watertown, CT native has won eight times at the Mechanicsburg half mile – the most he’s claimed at any track with the World of Outlaws.

Gravel hasn’t won at “The Grove” since 2020, but he hasn’t finished worse than seventh in his last six starts.

MACEDO’S MISSTEP: This past Saturday at Eldora, Carson Macedo missed the top 10 for the first time all season with a 13th. The result cost him the top spot in points, but he’s only two markers behind Sweet.

Pennsylvania has been kind to the Californian over the years – a trend he hopes continues as he looks to regain control of the standings.

Macedo has won at Lincoln with both the All-Star Circuit of Champions and locally. In his last four World of Outlaws starts at the 3/8 mile, he’s finished no worse than sixth. At Williams Grove, he’s a two-time World of Outlaws winner – topping the Morgan Cup opener and National Open finale in ’21.

ALLEN EYES REPEAT: Last May, Jacob Allen scored arguably the biggest win of his career to date when he took the checkered flag at the Gettysburg Clash to pocket $20,000. The Hanover, PA native turned Outlaw sent the crowd into a frenzy with the victory, and he’d love nothing more than to repeat on Wednesday.

While the March visit didn’t go how he would’ve preferred with a 22nd place finish, Allen has still been strong in recent years in addition to last year’s victory. The driver of the Shark Racing #1A finished eighth at Lincoln in ’19 and third the next year.

PLENTY OF POSSE: In addition to the favorites, Pennsylvania’s healthy Sprint Car landscape supplies many talents capable of running up front with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

No conversation about the Posse is complete without Anthony Macri. “The Concrete Kid” has spent a lot of time away from the porch this year, but he’ll be a threat when the World of Outlaws invade his home territory. Of his nation-leading 23 victories last season, a combined five occurred at Lincoln and Williams Grove.

The Posse have succeeded in making sure Williams Grove’s Morgan Cup stays in the host state in recent years. Three of the last four have been claimed by Pennsylvanians and five of the last seven.

Lance Dewease, of Fayetteville, PA, has been the biggest contributor to that effort with Morgan Cup triumphs in 2016, 2018, and 2019.

Brent Marks topped last year’s Morgan Cup to keep the Posse proud. “The Myerstown Missile” will be a threat to go back-to-back this weekend. Marks has already won at Williams Grove this season – claiming last month’s Tommy Hinnershitz Classic.

Many of the Posse drivers can win at either facility, but a few especially stand out as favorites at Lincoln Speedway.

Freddie Rahmer, of Salfordville, PA, has already picked up a trio of Lincoln triumphs this season including this past Saturday, and its home to his one World of Outlaws win (’18).

Freddie Rahmer
Freddie Rahmer has already won three times locally at Lincoln this year (Trent Gower Photo)

Danny Dietrich earned his first pair of World of Outlaws wins at Lincoln in 2012 and 2013. The driver of the Gary Kauffman #48 is yet to tame Lincoln this season but does own three local podiums and finished sixth at the March World of Outlaws visit.

HERSHEYPARK STADIUM SPRINT CAR EXPERIENCE: The action at Lincoln and Williams Grove won’t be the only fun in Pennsylvania this week.

On Thursday during the day, five drivers will visit Milton Hershey School to partake in classroom activities. Brock Zearfoss, Carson Macedo, and Brent Marks will help in Engineering and Design classes. Gio Scelzi and Logan Schuchart will be in Automotive classes.

Then, during the evening, at least 13 teams will help celebrate local racing history by displaying their cars at Hersheypark Stadium. The display will come 84 years to the day after the facility hosted its first race – a 28 car midget race that attracted more than 11,000 spectators. The display will take place from 4:30-7:00pm and is open to the public and free to attend.

If you can’t make it to the track this week, catch all the action on DIRTVision.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE 

WHEN AND WHERE

Wednesday, May 10 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA

Friday-Saturday, May 12-13 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA

ON THE INTERNET

World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
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DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (17/81 Races)

  1. 49 – Brad Sweet (2374PTS) 2. 41 – Carson Macedo (-2PTS) 3. 2 – David Gravel (-28PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-86PTS) 5. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-134PTS) 6. 15 – Donny Schatz (-168PTS) 7. 11 – Michael Kofoid (-178PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-198PTS) 9. Gio Scelzi (-198PTS) 10. 3Z – Brock Zearfoss (-302PTS) 

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (9 Drivers):

4 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2)
3 wins – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)
2 wins – James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83)
1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17), Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports #21), Logan Schuchart (Shark Racing #1S)

FEATURE LAPS LED (14 Drivers):

92 laps – David Gravel
79 laps – Brad Sweet
73 laps – Rico Abreu
63 laps – Carson Macedo
60 laps – James McFadden
46 laps – Buddy Kofoid
44 laps – Logan Schuchart
37 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
10 laps – Anthony Macri, Cory Eliason
9 laps – Gio Scelzi, Brent Marks
3 laps – Brady Bacon
1 lap – Donny Schatz

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (9 Drivers): 

5 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo
3 QuickTimes – David Gravel, Logan Schuchart
1 QuickTime – Anthony Macri, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Rico Abreu, Gio Scelzi

HEAT RACE WINNERS (20 Drivers):

9 Heat Wins – David Gravel, Carson Macedo
6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid
5 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart
4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks, Sheldon Haudenschild
3 Heat Wins – Gio Scelzi
2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Jacob Allen, Parker Price-Miller, Donny Schatz
1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Rico Abreu, Brock Zearfoss, Cory Eliason, Anthony Macri

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (28 Drivers):

13 Dashes – Carson Macedo
12 Dashes – David Gravel, Brad Sweet
11 Dashes – Logan Schuchart
8 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
7 Dashes – Gio Scelzi
6 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid, Jacob Allen, Rico Abreu
5 Dashes – Spencer Bayston, Donny Schatz
4 Dashes – Brent Marks, Brock Zearfoss
3 Dashes – James McFadden
2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Cory Eliason, Parker Price-Miller, Robbie Price, Tyler Courtney, Anthony Macri
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Garet Williamson, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon

MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (14 Drivers):

2 LCS Wins – Robbie Price
1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Spencer Bayston, Logan Schuchart, Kraig Kinser

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (14 Drivers):

2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney
1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck, Blake Hahn, Buddy Kofoid, Joe B. Miller, Kyle Larson, Hunter Schuerenberg

PODIUM FINISHES (18 Drivers):

8 Podiums – Brad Sweet, David Gravel
5 Podiums – Carson Macedo
4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid, Logan Schuchart, Rico Abreu
3 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, Donny Schatz, James McFadden
1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Brent Marks, Parker Price-Miller, Brady Bacon

TOP 10 FINISHES (31 Drivers):

16 Top 10s – Carson Macedo
15 Top 10s – Brad Sweet
14 Top 10s – David Gravel
13 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart
11 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild
10 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid, Gio Scelzi
9 Top 10s – Rico Abreu, Spencer Bayston
7 Top 10s – James McFadden, Donny Schatz
6 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Jacob Allen
5 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney
4 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Kasey Kahne
3 Top 10s – Brian Brown, Cory Eliason
2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss, Blake Hahn, Brady Bacon
1 Top 10 – Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Parker Price-Miller, Joe B. Miller, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kyle Larson

2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:

No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)

  1. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
  2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)
  3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)
  4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)
  5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)
  6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)
  7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)
  8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)
  9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)
  10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)
  11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
  12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)
  13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)
  14. Fri, April 28 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL / David Gravel (4)
  15. Sat, April 29 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Brady Bacon (1)
  16. Fri, May 5 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Logan Schuchart (1)
  17. Sat, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (3)