By Tony Veneziano

The 2018 campaign is turning into the Donny Schatz and Sheldon Haudenschild show on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series circuit. 

This time around, it was Schatz scoring his fourth win in the first nine races as the spring West Coast swing wrapped up at Arizona Speedway on Saturday in Queen Creek, AZ. The nine-time and defending series champion used a couple of strong restarts to gain several positions during his march to the front. 

The series heads to the Midwest this week for a pair of races on quarter-mile bullrings, neither of which Schatz nor Haudenschild has won at in his respective career.

Row Six? No Problem

Schatz won after starting on the outside of the sixth row, which was the furthest back any winner has come from this season with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. Schatz made what might have been the move of the race on a lap 13 restart when he went from eighth to third in a single lap.

The North Dakota native also used a strong restart to take the lead from Shane Stewart on lap 20. Schatz actually took the lead for the first time on what was the first of two lap 20 restarts, only to have the caution fly before the lap was completed, keeping Stewart in the lead. The second lap 20 restart saw Schatz shoot to the high side of the track to move out front. He would pace the remainder of the 30-lap race. 

Schatz and his Tony Stewart Racing team were without car chief Steve Swenson, who suffered a broken femur at Bakersfield Speedway. Veteran sprint car mechanic Gary DuBois, who worked with Steve Kinser for many years, filled in, along with Lannie Nichols.

Oh So Close

Joey Saldana nearly stole the win from Schatz on the last lap, making a couple of runs for the top spot. The veteran driver ended up finishing second, which marked his best run of the year. 

For Saldana, it was his second straight top five, as he ran fourth at Bakersfield two weeks ago. The second-generation driver is in the midst of his first season driving the No. 26 machine for Rudeen Racing, based out of Washington.

Hard Charger

Logan Schuchart came all the way from the 16th starting spot to finish third at Arizona Speedway. That effort earned him the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award. 

For Schuchart, it was also his best finish of the season and the first top five run for the Shark Racing team. Schuchart’s teammate, Jacob Allen, was second fastest in time trials of the 24 entries.

Knocking On The Door

Shane Stewart continues to close in on his first win of the season, aboard the No. 2 car for Kyle Larson Racing. The native of Bixby, OK, who now calls the Indianapolis area home, led four laps at Arizona Speedway, where he was a past winner. 

Stewart inherited the lead when Sheldon Haudenschild spun, while out front on the 17th lap. He finished fourth, which marked his third straight top five finish to wrap up the West Coast swing, vaulting him to third in the point standings.

Continuing To Impress

Cory Eliason finished fifth to earn his fourth top five finish of the season. The young Californian led the opening lap from the pole. 

He had a couple of close calls over the course of the 30-lap race, navigating the tricky cushion. Eliason has four top five finishes this season, which is tied for third best so far in 2018.

Front To Back, Back To Front

Sheldon Haudenschild worked his way back to finish seventh, after spinning on the 16th lap while leading. The fourth-generation driver led a total of 15 laps, after taking the top spot from Cory Eliason on the second circuit. 

Haudenschild has now led laps in six of the first nine races of the season, which is the most of any driver.

No Rest For The Weary

The event at Arizona Speedway kicked off a stretch of 31 consecutive weekends that the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will race, through the World Finals in Charlotte, NC, the first weekend of November. During that span, 11 different weeks will also feature midweek races. 

The busiest week will be Kings Royal week in mid-July, which has four nights of racing, with all competitors racing all four nights. The week that comprises the Knoxville Nationals in August also has four nights of racing, but the field is split up for qualifying nights.

A Great Career

Craig Dollansky, who recorded 66 wins with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series in his career, recently announced his retirement. Nagging injuries that began with a 2003 crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an Infiniti Pro Series race, compounded with other injuries over the years, contributed to the decision. 

Dollansky, who was the 2000 World of Outlaws Gumout Series champion, is one of only a handful of drivers who have won sprint car races in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Among his biggest World of Outlaws wins were the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania and three victories in the Ironman 55 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Missouri. The native of Elk River, MN, finished among the top 10 in the Outlaws point standings 12 times in his career, with eight of those being among the top five, including runner-up showings in 2006 and 2012. 

Dollansky still holds the track record of 12.707 seconds at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio, a mark that he set in 2002.

Points Update

Schatz extended his lead over Sheldon Haudenschild in the series standings to 48 markers. Schatz leads the series in wins and top five and top 10 finishes through the first nine races. Shane Stewart moved to third in points, 26 markers out of second. Brad Sweet fell a spot to fourth, working his way back to an 11th-place finish, after being involved in a caution at Arizona Speedway. Jason Johnson rounds out the current top five. David Gravel current sits sixths in points, followed by Cory Eliason in seventh, Daryn Pittman in eighth, Logan Schuchart in ninth, and rookie contender Ian Madsen in 10th.

Up Next

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series heads to the Midwest this week for a pair of races on quarter-mile bullrings. 

First up, is a visit to Jacksonville Speedway in Illinois on Friday, April 13, where Joey Saldana was victorious in 2016. Christopher Bell won the inaugural race for the series at Jacksonville in 2014.

The Outlaws then make their annual appearance at Tri-State Speedway in Indiana on Saturday, April 14, where Parker Price-Miller scored his first career series win last year. David Gravel won at Tri-State Speedway in 2016.