A pair of past World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champions split wins over the weekend in North Dakota, as Daryn Pittman won at Nodak Speedway and Donny Schatz was victorious in his home state at River Cities Speedway. 

For Pittman, it was his fourth win of the season, while for Schatz it was his series-leading 11th triumph. 

The Outlaws continue a swing through the Midwest this week, with stops in Iowa and Wisconsin. 

It’s been a while

Pittman returned to victory lane at Nodak Speedway on Sunday for the first time since 2007. The 2013 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champion took the lead from Cory Eliason on the 22nd lap after hounding the leader for numerous laps over the first 20 laps of the 30-lap contest. In victory lane, Pittman was presented with the trophy by his two daughters on Father’s Day, making the win even more special. 

.@DarynPittman and his @ionomics team celebrates win #4 ! #ION pic.twitter.com/EoEgQ6kJ3M

— Kasey Kahne Racing (@KKRdirt) June 18, 2018

Oh so close

Brad Sweet picked up two more runner-up finishes in North Dakota. The driver of the No. 49 for Kasey Kahne Racing was second at River Cities Speedway and finished in that same position at Nodak Speedway. On the season, Sweet has 25 top-10 finishes, with 18 of those being top fives, which is second best in the series, behind Schatz. Those stats also have Sweet sitting second in points.

At the front

Schatz picked up his seventh consecutive top-three finish at Nodak Speedway in his hometown of Minot, ND, as he crossed the line third. The nine-time and defending series champion waged an epic battle with David Gravel and Sweet throughout the 30-lap feature. Schatz won the third heat race to put him in the dash, but he pulled off during the dash, with his team making repairs prior to the feature. The veteran driver has 27 top-10 finishes this season in 29 races.

Nodak know how

Gravel turned in another strong run at Nodak Speedway. The native of Watertown, CT, crossed the line fourth to earn his third top-five finish in four starts at the 3/8-mile. Gravel was part of a torrid battle with Schatz and Sweet for a top-three spot. Gravel won at Nodak Speedway last year, which snapped Schatz’s five-race win streak at the venue.

First impressions

Cory Eliason had a solid debut at Nodak Speedway. The Californian was fastest in time trials and finished second in the third heat race to earn a spot in the dash. Eliason won the dash to sit on the pole for the 30-lap main event. He led the first 21 laps of the 30-lap contest and ended up fifth, which was his seventh top-five finish of the season.

Hard Charger

Sheldon Haudenschild advanced from the 13th starting spot to sixth at Nodak Speedway to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award. The fourth-generation driver has a handful of Hard Charger honors this season.

The master of River Cities Speedway

Schatz continued his mastery of River Cities Speedway on Friday. The North Dakota native won for the 10th time with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at the 3/10-mile bullring in his home state. Schatz has finished seventh or better in all 22 races the series has contested at River Cities Speedway, dating back to 2007, with 20 of those being top-five performances. Schatz also ran in the companion NLRA Late Model race and finished fourth in the full-fendered machine.

Ending the night strong

Mark Dobmeier, the winningest sprint car driver in River Cities Speedway history, had a tough start to the night with the World of Outlaws at his home track. After engine trouble early in the night, the Grand Forks native found himself in the B-main, where he came up one spot short of transferring. He used a River Cities Speedway provisional to start the main event and came all the way from 25th to finish ninth, which earned him the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award.

O Canada

The strong contingent of Canadian fans in attendance at River Cities Speedway produced a huge ovation when Thomas Kennedy Jr. from Winnipeg turned the fastest lap in time trials of the 35 entries. It marked the first time the third-generation driver has been fastest in time trials with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. Kennedy’s previous best qualifying mark was fifth last year at Red River Valley Speedway, also in North Dakota.

A solid start

Dominic Scelzi is going to spend the majority of the summer racing with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, with the team setting up shop in the Des Moines, Iowa, area. He opened up his trip to the Midwest with a solid sixth-place effort at River Cities Speedway. Scelzi started 21st in the main event and worked his way forward to finish sixth. He also finished in the top 10 at Nodak Speedway.

There is passing in sprint car racing

As always, there was plenty of passing at River Cities Speedway. Shane Stewart worked his way from 11th to fourth. Ian Madsen, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, marched from 16th to seventh. Greg Wilson gained double-digit positions, coming from 24th to 14th.

Points update

Schatz continues to lead the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series standings over Sweet. The gap between the pair is now 84 points. Gravel remains solidly in third. In the battle for fourth, Pittman leads Jason Johnson in fifth and Stewart in sixth. Stewart is just four markers behind Johnson. Sheldon Haudenschild is still seventh, followed by Logan Schuchart in eighth, Ian Madsen in ninth and Kraig Kinser in 10th.

Up next

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series visits Farley Speedway in Iowa on Friday, June 22, for the first time 1994. The event will mark the fourth race at the venue for the series but the first since the track was reconfigured from a half-mile to its current 3/8-mile layout. On Saturday, June 23, the series visits Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin for the ninth annual Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial. Stewart won the event last year, while Bill Balog won in 2016, which was his first career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win.