By Tony Veneziano

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series was able to complete both scheduled races last weekend, but not before Mother Nature tried her best to steal one.

After a nearly two-hour rain delay at Wilmot Raceway in Wisconsin, Brent Marks dominated the Badger 40 to earn his first-career Outlaws win. David Gravel was victorious the night before at I-96 Speedway in Michigan, marking his second straight win at the track. 

This week the Outlaws have four races scheduled in a five-night span as the heart of the season kicks into high gear.

One to remember

Brent Marks was in a league of his own at Wilmot Raceway en route to picking up his first win in the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. The native of Myerstown, PA, took the lead from Daryn Pittman on lap 13 and never looked back in the 40-lap contest. Marks won by nearly five seconds and lapped all the way up to the ninth-place finisher. He also crossed the line with a flat right front tire after getting over the cushion late in the race. Marking the win even more satisfying for Marks is the fact that he has just one crew member with him on the road, battling teams who have three full-time crew members.

What an unbelievable night! I have dreamt of this moment since I was a little kid and have worked so hard to be able to accomplish it! We won our first outlaw race and it feels amazing! Thank you so much Jesse for your hard work and thank you to everyone who supports us! AMAZING!

— Brent Marks (@brentmarks19) June 3, 2018

Leading laps

Daryn Pittman led the first 12 laps at Wilmot Raceway after starting on the pole. The 2013 series champion then ran second for the remainder of the race after Marks got by him. For Pittman, it was his sixth top-five finish of the season.

Yet another podium

Brad Sweet continued to show the consistency that has made him a championship contender year in and year out. The Californian was on the podium at Wilmot in third, which marked his 14th top-five finish of the season. Only Donny Schatz has more top-five runs than Sweet thus far in 2016.

Win streak snapped

David Gravel saw his three-race win streak at Wilmot Raceway come to an end on Saturday night. The 25-year-old ended up finishing fourth, which marked first non-winning race with the Outlaws at the third-mile.

Career-best finish

Gio Scelzi finished fifth at Wilmot, which was his best-career finish with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. The teenager from California started ninth and quickly worked his way forward and ran consistent laps at the third-mile bullring.

Moving on up

Matt Vandervere, the defending Wilmot Raceway track champion, earned the KSE Hard Charger Award on Saturday night, chopping the field in half as he came from 24th to finish 12th.  After coming up one spot short in the B-main, Vandervere started last in the main event as the first alternate, as Justin Peck was a scratch for the feature.

A full win

Gravel scored his second straight win with the Outlaws at I-96 Speedway. The first time he won at the track in 2016, the A-feature was cut short due to rain. This time around, the full 35-lap distance was run, making the win even more satisfying for Gravel. The native of Watertown, CT, took the lead on the 16th lap and led the final 20 circuits to score his third win of the season.

Ill-timed caution

Brad Sweet took the lead momentarily on a late-race double-file restart at I-96, only to have the caution flag waved before the lap was complete, putting him back in second. The Californian ended up losing one more spot in the late going and wound up crossing the line third to earn yet another podium finish.

Continuing to close in on a win

Shane Stewart finished second at I-96 Speedway as he continues to chase that elusive first win of the season. A strong restart late in the race gained him a spot as he got by Sweet to snag second. The run for Stewart was his third consecutive top-five finish.

Back to front

Schatz rebounded in a big way from a flat tire just before the halfway point at I-96 Speedway. The nine-time and defending series champion restarted at the tail and charged back through the field to finish fourth. The run helped mitigate what could have been a big hit in the standings for the current series point leader.

Hard charger

Marks picked up another KSE Hard Charger Award at I-96. The sophomore driver carved his way from the 22nd starting spot to finish fifth. The Pennsylvania native has passed more cars in A-feature events this season than any other driver on the tour.

Also passing cars

Kraig Kinser powered his way from the 15th starting spot at I-96 Speedway to finished seventh. For the native of Bloomington, IN, it was his fourth top-10 finish of the season. Kinser also was fast at Wilmot Raceway the next evening, turning the quickest lap in time trials. He was battling for the runner-up spot on the opening lap when contact led to a flip which ended his night.

Season-best finish

Greg Wilson, who has had a very tough start to 2018, earned his best finish of the season at I-96 Speedway, crossing the line eighth. The owner/driver started 14th and methodically worked his way forward to earn his first top-10 finish of the season.

Quick time

Logan Schuchart was fastest in time trials at I-96 Speedway. Engine trouble in the heat race relegated him to the B-main, which he won. Schuchart then came from the 19th starting spot to finish 11th in the 35-lap main event.

A solid run

Joey Saldana and the Rudeen Racing team made a last-minute decision on Friday morning to head north to I-96 Speedway. That choice paid off as the veteran driver, who scored his first-career Outlaws win at the track in 1995, finished a solid sixth. Saldana, who started on the outside of the front row, ran among the top five for a fair portion of the race.

Points update

Brad Sweet cut into Donny Schatz’s leads in the standings, closing the gap to 96 points as the month of June began. David Gravel remains third in the standings, 96 markers behind Sweet. Shane Stewart is currently fourth in points, while Daryn Pittman moved back up to fifth. Jason Johnson is currently sixth, with Sheldon Haudenschild seventh. Only 30 points separate Pitman, Johnson, and Haudenschild in the battle for fifth. Logan Schuchart rides eighth, followed by rookie Ian Madsen in ninth and Kraig Kinser in 10th.

Up next

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series heads to Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Illinois on Tuesday to make up an event that was postponed by rain last weekend. The series then heads north to the Jackson Motorplex in Minnesota for the running of the three-night Jackson Nationals, which kicks off Thursday. The Jackson Nationals will mark the Outlaws’ first visit to the track since it was reconfigured from a half-mile to its current 4/10-mile layout. The finale on Saturday will pay $40,000.