The common sentiment is that it takes three to five years for a driver to establish themselves with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. For Jacob Allen, 2018 is his fifth full season on the road with the Outlaws and the young driver is really coming into his own.

Allen drives the No. 1A for the Shark Racing team, which is owned by his father, Bobby Allen, one of the original Outlaws and a Hall of Famer. The team is a two-car effort, with Bobby’s grandson, Logan Schuchart (Jacob’s nephew), in the No. 1S. Schuchart has six career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series wins, with four of those coming last year and two in 2016. 

The team operates both cars out of the same trailer, which is a very rare occurrence in today’s day and age, especially at the World of Outlaws level. In fact, two offseasons ago, the team built a new trailer from the ground up. That same work ethic and determination is a key factor that has helped the team stay on the road through numerous trials and tribulations over the last handful of seasons.

“Everyone worked hard over the winter and got things organized,” Jacob said. “That helped a lot, having the guys there every day over the winter. Staying on the same pace with the hard work throughout the season is paying off as well. By doing that, we are able to stay more organized and on top of things. We feel like we are fast and things have been going pretty good.”

Allen recently led 14 laps during the afternoon portion of the Jackson Nationals at the Jackson Motorplex in Minnesota. He ended up finishing second in that event to 2016 Knoxville Nationals winner Jason Johnson. Earlier that week, Allen also finished second at Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Illinois, which marked the best finish of his young career. The 23-year-old led his first Outlaws lap in 2017 at River Cities Speedway in North Dakota.

Photo courtesy of Paul Arch

“Racing with the World of Outlaws, it’s never easy,” he shared. “Having strong runs and being upfront definitely boosts the confidence. Everyone out here is a good race car driver and has good equipment and cars. Anytime you can be out front throughout the night and run good laps in the feature, definitely raises your confidence. Races like that have been a lot of fun.”

Allen has been qualifying near the front of the field lately and racing his way into the dash, which puts him in a good starting position for main events. The majority of winners this season have come from starting spots within the first four or five rows, which makes being in the dash that much more important.

“By being in the dash, you put yourself in a really good position for the feature,” Allen noted. “If you get a good draw, you can put yourself on the front row of the dash or even the second row, which is a bonus. You always shoot for being in the dash and that starts with a couple of good laps in time trials.”

Having his Hall of Fame father turning the wrenches and using his lifetime of experience helps the younger Allen as he continues to come into his own as a sprint car driver. Over the last four-plus seasons, the Shark Racing team has visited numerous tracks for the first time and that’s where having someone with Bobby Allen’s experience pays huge dividends.

"My dad has tons of knowledge from all the years he has been racing,” Jacob said. “He is a very understanding car owner as well. He never expects too much out of me. He wants me to work hard and have a good attitude about things. He is always trying to make sure we have the best equipment that we can have and have good cars, which is great. My dad is awesome and he doesn’t put much pressure on us. I couldn’t be luckier than to get to race with my dad as much as I’ve gotten to in the last five years."

When Allen embarked on his rookie season with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series in 2014, he only had a couple of years of sprint car experience, with one of those being a 358-sprint car, which he won three times in during the 2012 season. Those victories came at Lincoln Speedway, Trail-Way Speedway, and Susquehanna Speedway Park (now BAPS Motor Speedway). Toward the end of 2016, after the Outlaws season was finished, Allen scored his first 410-sprint car win, taking the checkered flag first at Susquehanna.

“It was super tough,” said Allen of hitting the road with the Outlaws at just 19. “Looking back on it now, it seems even tougher than when we were doing it. We knew it was going to be tough. Logan (Schuchart) and I didn’t have any knowledge of what it would be like or experience on the road of what it would be like racing with the World of Outlaws. 

“Now that we are on our fifth year, you see what these guys put in year in and year out and what it takes to be competitive on this tour. It was extremely hard, but that’s all part of it. Every year, you get that year or learning and experience. I think all of the hard work and never giving up attitude that we have is starting to come around and pay off for us.”

Allen is currently 14th in points but is just 48 markers out of the 12th spot as he looks to move up in the standings. He finished a career-best 12th in points in 2016 and was 14th in points last year. Allen wrapped up the year 13th in points in each of his first two seasons on the road in 2014 and 2015.

“We just have to keep working hard and have a good attitude and good focus,” he stated when asked about the outlook for the summer. “I really enjoy that they have a lot of races on DirtVision, so you can study the race tracks. I think that helps a lot. We have to keep going out and giving our best, and hopefully, we can get some wins.”

Allen has come close a couple of times to scoring that elusive first World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win. If he can win an Outlaws race, Jacob would become the fourth member of the family to win, along with his father, Bobby, who has 30 career wins with the series; Schuchart, who has six; and Joey Allen, Bobby’s brother, who has one.

“Any race, I am ready to get that first win,” Jacob said. “It would mean the world to me and my dad. Anyone that can win an Outlaws race, I believe it’s a life-changer. The Outlaws are the toughest sprint car series there is and to win a race with them would definitely be amazing.”