Washington is calling, and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are here to answer for a new west coast adventure.
A nearly 1,500-mile journey will take The Greatest Show on Dirt to Burlington, WA where Skagit Speedway awaits to host the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals. The three-night tilt (Aug. 31-Sept. 2) concludes with a $26,000-to-win finale. The overall purse over the trio of races at Skagit exceeds $180,000. Then, after a day off on Sunday, the tour travels to Elma, WA’s Grays Harbor Raceway for a Monday night battle on Sept. 4.
The four races in five nights signal the start of a three-week stay on the left coast with California waiting to host the nation’s top drivers over the following two weekends. With the ongoing championship battle that has Brad Sweet 56 markers ahead of Carson Macedo, many drivers expected to make their season debut, and major money on the line, the 2023 west coast swing guarantees to deliver plenty of excitement beginning this week in Washington.
Let’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines:
SHARK ATTACK: Fittingly, as the World of Outlaws head toward the ocean Shark Racing is carrying most the momentum thanks to Logan Schuchart. The Hanover, PA native is fresh off sweeping the weekend in North Dakota for wins four and five of 2023 – hitting 40 wins overall in his career.
All signs point toward the speed continuing as Schuchart owns an impressive Skagit résumé. Bobby Allen’s grandson is a three-time winner at the Burlington ova,l including claiming the 2019 Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals title. A fourth win this week would equal him with Donny Schatz as the winningest driver in Series history at Skagit.
While Schuchart hasn’t been quite as consistent at Grays Harbor, he did make a 2021 trip to Victory Lane.
COAST-TO-COAST: You can’t get much farther apart geographically than Connecticut and Washington, but that hasn’t stopped Watertown, CT native David Gravel from excelling in the Pacific Northwest state.
Like Schuchart, he’s a three-time Skagit victor hoping to equal Schatz’s record tally of triumphs. Gravel and his Big Game Motorsports #2 crew are also the defending Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals champions. The 31-year-old hasn’t finished worse than ninth in his last 14 starts at Skagit.
Over at Grays Harbor, Gravel is yet to win but he carries a streak of six consecutive top fives there including a trio of podiums highlighted by a runner-up last year.
HOME TURF: Neither Robbie Price or Tanner Holmes hail from Washington, but Skagit and Grays Harbor are a pair of tracks that they cut their teeth at while making a name for themselves.
Price came from Cobble Hill, BC, Canada. Skagit is home to perhaps Price’s biggest career win when he topped the 2019 Dirt Cup. Last year, he posted a top five with the World of Outlaws on the final night of the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals.
Holmes grew up a state south of Washington in Oregon. The 19-year-old posted a trio of Skagit top fives at this year’s Dirt Cup including a runner-up on the second prelim. The week prior to Dirt Cup, Holmes podiumed with the Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) at Grays Harbor. Holmes will return to his home region as the driver of the Shark Racing #1T on the World of Outlaws tour.
PNW FTW?: The Pacific Northwest has produced its fair share of notable Sprint Car names, and some of the region’s current best intend to test their talents against the best this weekend.
The local that consistently stands out best suited to battle with The Greatest Show on Dirt is Trey Starks. Over the last year and a half, the Puyallup, WA native has won a combined 17 times at the two facilities ahead on the calendar – 12 at Skagit and five at Grays Harbor. Starks continues to chase what would be a popular first Series win in front of an admiring home crowd.
Former full-time World of Outlaws competitor – Jason Solwold – spends much of his time behind the wheel in his homeland of the Northwest these days. The Burlington, WA native owns three career Series victories, the most recent of which came at Skagit in 2008.
One of the region’s rising stars is Arlington, WA’s Jesse Schlotfeldt. He topped Skagit’s season opener this year in 360 Sprint Car competition. With the 410 under the hood, he’s finished in the top five four times including a May 27 podium.
HEADIN’ NORTH: In addition to Washington’s strong crop of locals, the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals and Grays Harbor Raceway are expected to attract some of California’s top talent as some plan to make the long trip northbound on I-5.
Back in June, Skagit was the site of Justin Sanders’ biggest career win. The Aromas, CA native led every lap of NARC’s Super Dirt Cup and banked $82,000 in the process. He’s been in the Midwest recently behind the wheel of the Macri Motorsports #39M, but he’ll climb back aboard the Mittry Racing #2X, the ride he won Dirt Cup in, to begin the west coast swing at Skagit.
Another former Dirt Cup champ from “The Golden State” – Dominic Scelzi – will tow the Scelzi Motorsports #41 up from California’s central valley. “The Dominator” nearly swept the 2019 Dirt Cup with one runner-up and a pair of wins, and he topped Skagit’s Summer Nationals back in July.
Corey Day and the Jason Meyers Racing team are also expected to make the haul up to Skagit. The Clovis, CA phenom claimed both prelims of Dirt Cup earlier this year before capping it with a third-place effort in the finale. Day also won at Grays Harbor with NARC earlier this year.
If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Thursday-Saturday, August 31-September 2 at Skagit Speedway in Burlington, WA
Monday, September 4 at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA
ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month
CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (52/75 Races):
1. 49 – Brad Sweet (6938PTS) 2. 41 – Carson Macedo (-56PTS) 3. 2 – David Gravel (-66PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-268PTS) 5. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-322PTS) 6. 15 – Donny Schatz (-346PTS) 7. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-400PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-528PTS) 9. 3Z – Brock Zearfoss (-908PTS) 10. 7S – Robbie Price (-1322PTS)
NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (13 Drivers):
10 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2)
6 wins – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49), James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41)
5 wins – Logan Schuchart (Shark Racing #1S)
4 wins – Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24), Kyle Larson (Silva Motorsports #57)
3 wins – Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15)
2 wins –Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing #17)
1 win – Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports #21), Anthony Macri (Macri Motorsports #39), Brian Brown (Brian Brown Racing #21), Gio Scelzi (KCP Racing #18), Spencer Bayston (CJB Motorsports #5)
FEATURE LAPS LED (19 Drivers):
221 laps – Brad Sweet
202 laps – James McFadden
195 laps – Carson Macedo
193 laps – David Gravel
174 laps – Rico Abreu
143 laps – Logan Schuchart
118 laps – Kyle Larson
107 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
102 laps – Donny Schatz
93 laps – Buddy Kofoid
43 laps – Brent Marks
40 laps – Spencer Bayston
39 laps – Gio Scelzi
24 laps – Brian Brown
11 laps – Anthony Macri
10 laps – Cory Eliason
4 laps – Cole Macedo
3 laps – Brady Bacon, Danny Varin
1 lap – Austin McCarl
SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (17 Drivers):
13 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo
9 QuickTimes – David Gravel
5 QuickTimes – Logan Schuchart
3 QuickTimes – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 QuickTimes – Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu, Bill Balog, Justin Peck, Gio Scelzi, Brad Sweet
1 QuickTime – Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, James McFadden, Jacob Allen, Kyle Larson, Tanner Holmes
HEAT RACE WINNERS (39 Drivers):
25 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
22 Heat Wins – David Gravel
14 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet
12 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz
11 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
10 Heat Wins – Gio Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, James McFadden, Buddy Kofoid
6 Heat Wins – Rico Abreu
5 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Spencer Bayston
4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks, Justin Peck, Cory Eliason
3 Heat Wins – Anthony Macri, Brian Brown, Bill Balog, Parker Price-Miller
2 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Noah Gass, Kerry Madsen, Robbie Price, Tim Kaeding, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 Heat Win – Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Mark Dobmeier, Kasey Kahne, Austin McCarl, Lachlan McHugh, Ryan Timms, Tim Estenson, Kyle Larson, Shane Stewart, Lance Dewease, Cole Macedo, Chase Randall, Ian Madsen
TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (42 Drivers):
35 Dashes – Carson Macedo
34 Dashes – David Gravel
31 Dashes – Brad Sweet
25 Dashes – Logan Schuchart
23 Dashes – Gio Scelzi
19 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz
18 Dashes – James McFadden
15 Dashes – Rico Abreu
14 Dashes – Spencer Bayston
12 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid
8 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Brent Marks, Cory Eliason, Brock Zearfoss
5 Dashes – Anthony Macri, Justin Peck, Robbie Price
4 Dashes – Brian Brown
3 Dashes – Danny Dietrich, Parker Price-Miller, Tyler Courtney, Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne
2 Dashes – Garet Williamson, Austin McCarl, Bill Balog, Cole Macedo
1 Dash – Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Chad Trout, Dylan Norris, Cap Henry, Stuart Brubaker, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Shane Stewart, Danny Varin, Tanner Holmes, Justin Sanders, Ian Madsen
MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (32 Drivers):
4 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Spencer Bayston
2 LCS Wins – Robbie Price, Parker Price-Miller, Noah Gass, Logan Schuchart, Carson Macedo, Brock Zearfoss, Tim Estenson
1 LCS Win – Gio Scelzi, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Kraig Kinser, Freddie Rahmer, Henry Malcuit, Cole Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, Kerry Madsen, Sye Lynch, Cory Eliason, Donny Schatz, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu, Jacob Allen, Daryn Pittman, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Jamie Veal, Kaleb Johnson, Lachlan McHugh, Tanner Holmes
KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (35 Drivers):
4 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild
3 Hard Chargers – Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, James McFadden, Logan Schuchart, Rico Abreu, Brock Zearfoss
2 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Justin Peck, David Gravel, Spencer Bayston
1 Hard Charger – Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, Blake Hahn, Buddy Kofoid, Joe B. Miller, Kyle Larson, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kyle Moody, Freddie Rahmer, Skylar Gee, Cole Duncan, Austin Pierce, Brenham Crouch, Tim Kaeding, Jacob Allen, Caden Englehart, Zeb Wise, Carson Macedo, Dale Blaney, Corey Day, Tasker Phillips, Brent Marks, Kaleb Johnson, Tanner Holmes
PODIUM FINISHES (23 Drivers):
26 Podiums – David Gravel
22 Podiums – Brad Sweet
16 Podiums – Carson Macedo
12 Podiums – Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart
11 Podiums – Rico Abreu
8 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild
7 Podiums – James McFadden, Buddy Kofoid
6 Podiums – Kyle Larson
5 Podiums – Brent Marks
4 Podiums – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi
3 Podiums – Brian Brown, Jacob Allen
1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Parker Price-Miller, Brady Bacon, Anthony Macri, Garet Williamson, Dave Blaney, Tanner Holmes
TOP 10 FINISHES (56 Drivers):
46 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Brad Sweet
43 Top 10s – David Gravel
37 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart, Gio Scelzi
34 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild
32 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston
31 Top 10s – Donny Schatz
30 Top 10s – James McFadden
24 Top 10s – Rico Abreu
21 Top 10s – Buddy Kofoid
14 Top 10s – Jacob Allen
11 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Brent Marks
9 Top 10s – Cory Eliason
8 Top 10s – Kyle Larson
7 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney, Brock Zearfoss, Kasey Kahne
6 Top 10s – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich
3 Top 10s – Anthony Macri, Bill Balog, Tanner Holmes, Justin Sanders
2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Blake Hahn, Brady Bacon, Parker Price-Miller, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Freddie Rahmer, Cole Macedo, Tim Kaeding
1 Top 10 – Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Joe B. Miller, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brandon Rahmer, Chad Trout, Lance Dewease, Cap Henry, Stuart Brubaker, Skylar Gee, Cole Duncan, Austin McCarl, Garet Williamson, Chase Randall, Shane Stewart, Dave Blaney, Larry Wight, Dale Blaney, Noah Gass, Rusty Hickman, Corey Day, Kerry Madsen
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)
18. Wed, May 10 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Anthony Macri (1)
19. Fri, May 12 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brad Sweet (4)
20. Fri, May 19 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Donny Schatz (1)
21. Sat, May 20 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / Donny Schatz (2)
22. Fri, May 26 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Brad Sweet (5)
23. Sat, May 27 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Carson Macedo (2)
24. Mon, May 29 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / James McFadden (3)
25. Fri, June 2 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / David Gravel (5)
26. Sat, June 3 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Carson Macedo (3)
27. Fri, June 9 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brian Brown (1)
28. Sat, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (6)
29. Fri, June 16 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Gio Scelzi (1)
30. Sat, June 17 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
31. Wed, June 21 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Kyle Larson (1)
32. Thurs, June 22 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / James McFadden (4)
33. Fri, June 23 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Logan Schuchart (2)
34. Sat, June 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / David Gravel (7)
35. Fri, June 30 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Brad Sweet (6)
36. Sat, July 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / David Gravel (8)
37. Sat, July 8 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Carson Macedo (4)
38. Tues, July 11 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Kyle Larson (2)
39. Fri, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Carson Macedo (5)
40. Sat, July 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Donny Schatz (3)
41. Thurs, July 20 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA / David Gravel (9)
42. Fri, July 21 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Logan Schuchart (3)
43. Sat, July 22 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Rico Abreu (4)
44. Sun, July 30 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (10)
45. Fri, Aug 4 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Spencer Bayston (1)
46. Sat, Aug 5 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Kyle Larson (3)
47. Sat, Aug 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kyle Larson (4)
48. Thurs, Aug 17 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / James McFadden (5)
49. Fri, Aug 18 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / James McFadden (6)
50. Sat, Aug 19 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (6)
51. Fri, Aug 25 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Logan Schuchart (4)
52. Sat, Aug 26 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Logan Schuchart (5)
