The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series recently wrapped up their first of three East Coast Swings for the season and the Pennsylvania Posse took the bulk of the checkered flags.

Lance Dewease fired the first shot at Lincoln Speedway and also won the Morgan Cup at Williams Grove Speedway, while Danny Dietrich was victorious at Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey. David Gravel scored a win for the Outlaws contingent in the opener of the Morgan Cup at Williams Grove. Mixed in was a trip to Charlotte, where Gio Scelzi and Logan Schuchart split wins as well as a Memorial Day tilt at Lawrenceburg Speedway, which went to Kyle Larson. The series heads to Nashville this weekend for the inaugural Music City Outlaw Nationals, before a swing through the Midwest and Upper Midwest.

Tale of the tape

At Lincoln, the Pennsylvania Posse had just three cars in the top-10, but two of those were the top-two finishers, with Dewease winning and Ryan Smith second. The highest finishing Outlaws driver was David Gravel in third. In total, the Outlaws took seven position in the top-10.

In the opener at Williams Grove, David Gravel’s win contributed to the Outlaws taking half of the spots in the top-10. The highest finishing PA Posse driver, of the three in the top-10, was Danny Dietrich in second. A pair of drivers, who are neither Outlaws or Posse drivers were also in the top-10 as Tim Shaffer was fifth and Gio Scelzi seventh.

The finale at the Grove saw Lance Dewease win, with three Posse members in the top-10, including Danny Dietrich on the podium in third. Donny Schatz was the highest finish Outlaws driver in second of the six in the top-10. Gio Scelzi also found himself in the top-10 again, coming from the C-Main to finished seventh, after starting shotgun on the field in the main event.

At Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey, only a handful of Posse members made the trip, but they came out on top as Danny Dietrich was victorious, on his birthday, nonetheless. A pair of drivers from Central Pennsylvania were among the top-10 at Bridgeport. Donny Schatz was the highest finishing Outlaws driver in second, after nearly stealing the win from Dietrich in the late going. J.J. Grasso, who neither an Outlaws or Posse driver, finished seventh at the track in his home state.

Leader of the Pennsylvania Posse

Lance Dewease has been the proverbial leader of the Pennsylvania Posse, since hooking up with Don Kreitz Jr. and the 69K team a few years ago. Deemed the “Dream Team” with Kreitz as the owner, Dewease the driver and Davey Brown Sr. as crew chief, each of the three are inductees into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Dewease has two wins in three starts with the World of Outlaws this season to bring his career total with the series to 16. The “Dream Team” confirmed that they will be making the trek to the Knoxville Nationals in August, which has sprint car fans across the country excited.

“It means everything,” Dewease shared about winning in World of Outlaws competition. “It’s a good rivalry (between the World of Outlaws and PA Posse). To me it’s friendly. It’s not like we hate each other, but we want to beat each other pretty bad.”

Young guns win in Charlotte

The Inaugural Patriot Nationals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, saw two of the rising starts of the sport pick up $15,000 wins. Gio Scelzi took the lead from Kyle Larson late in the race in the opener to pick up his second Outlaws win. Logan Schuchart survived a battle of attrition, as numerous drivers suffered flat tires, including Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet, each while leading, to win the finale. Ironically, Schuchart was running a used tire from the 2018 season.

Super sub

James McFadden, who is filling in for the injured Kasey Kahne, crossed the line 10^th in his first race aboard the No. 9. In the finale at Charlotte, McFadden earned the Hard Charger Award, coming from the 18^th starting spot to finish second. The Australian native will continue to fill in for Kahne for the foreseeable future, as the retired NASCAR driver recuperates from a vicious wreck at Williams Grove earlier this season.

Moonlighting

Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell both competed at Lawrenceburg Speedway on Memorial Day, following a busy weekend of NASCAR racing. The two young drivers battled for the win, with Larson coming out on top to earn his first Outlaws victory of the season. Unfortunately for Bell, he got upset down, after Larson took the lead, which ended his night. Bell led the first 27 laps, while Larson was out front for the final eight.

“These Outlaw wins are so hard to win,” said Larson. “I mean, you’ve got Bell, leading, he’s one of, if not the best drivers in the country or in the world right now, in open wheel cars. And Donny Schatz, who’s arguably the best in winged sprint cars. So, to beat those two feels really cool.”

Point standings

Donny Schatz extended his lead in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series standings as he chases his 11^th title. The margin between the North Dakota Native and Brad Sweet is now 48. Daryn Pittman remains third, 88 back, with David Gravel in fourth, 110 behind. Logan Schuchart gained a number of points during the last few weeks and is up to fifth. Shane Stewart is currently sixth, with Carson Macedo seventh, Ian Madsen eighth, Kraig Kinser ninth and Sheldon Haudenschild 10^th.

Up next

The World of Outlaws head to Nashville for the inaugural Music City Outlaw Nationals at the historic Fairgrounds Speedway. The inner quarter-mile at the track was recently covered with dirt to accommodate the Outlaws. The last time the series races in Tennessee was a two-night event in 2010 at Bulls Gaps Speedway. Following the trip to Nashville, the series heads north to Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Illinois. A stop at the always racy River Cities Speedway in North Dakota is after that, along with a return to Granite City Speedway in Minnesota and the series only visit of the season to the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, prior to the Knoxville Nationals in August.