By Tony Veneziano
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — October 15, 2019 — The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will visit Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City for the 10th consecutive year to Lakeside on Friday, October 18 for the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown. Daryn Pittman was victorious in the event last year, which marked his second career win at Lakeside but first since 2003. The FVP Platinum Battery Showdown again coincides with the NASCAR weekend at Kansas Speedway, which is less than 10 miles from Lakeside Speedway. This edition of Up to Speed sets the stage for the Outlaws visit to Lakeside.
Special guest
Kasey Kahne will be at Lakeside Speedway, signing autographs from 4-5 p.m. on race day. The retired NASCAR star will also watch his Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 compete, as they contend for the World of Outlaws championship. Kahne won a title as a car owner in 2013, with Daryn Pittman behind the wheel on the Outlaws tour.
The track
Lakeside Speedway is a semi-banked four-tenths-mile. The track record of 13.304-seconds was established by Paul McMahan on June 7, 2014.
Past winners
Daryn Pittman was the class of the field last year at Lakeside Speedway, leading from start-to-finish to earn the second win of his career at the track.
Brian Brown scored a very popular win in 2017 at Lakeside, which is his home track. The veteran driver led the opening seven laps from the pole. Kerry Madsen then got by him on the eighth circuit and opened a commanding lead of nearly nine-seconds, only to have a flat tire with less than 10 laps to go. Brown inherited the lead at this point and would pace the final 10 laps to score the win.
Brad Sweet won for the first time at Lakeside Speedway in 2016. Donny Schatz, the 10-time and defending series champion, won for the first time at Lakeside Speedway in 2015.
Consistency is key
Of the active, full-time drivers with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, Donny Schatz has been the most consistent at Lakeside Speedway. Dating back to 2001, he has 10 top-10 finishes in 12 starts. Schatz has been on the podium in three of his last four appearances at Lakeside.
Near the front
Sheldon Haudenschild has finished on the podium in both of his career starts at Lakeside. In his debut at the track in 2017, he ran second, after a thrilling duel with his father, Hall of Famer, Jac Haudenschild, during the early portions of the race. Last year, the younger Haudenschild ran third at Lakeside.
In the top-10
Daryn Pittman, Brad Sweet and Shane Stewart have all finished in the top-10 in each and every World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race they have competed in at Lakeside Speedway. Pittman began his streak in 2002, with a seventh-place finish. Along with his two wins, the 2013 series champion has four other top-five finishes. Sweet is a perfect six-for-six in top-10 runs, with his best showing, a win in 2016. Stewart, who made his Lakeside debut in 2003, has four top-10 finishes in the same number of starts. He finished a career-best fourth at the track last year.
A handful of starts
David Gravel, Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen have all made five starts at Lakeside Speedway. Schuchart has a trio of top-10 finishes, including a third-place showing in 2016 to lead the group. Schuchart was running second last year at Lakeside, when a mechanical problem ended his night on the 12th lap. Gravel has two top-10, with a seventh-place effort in 2017, the best of his starts.
A steady presence
Kraig Kinser and Jason Sides have each made nine starts in their respective careers with the Outlaws at Lakeside Speedway, which is second only to Donny Schatz. Kinser finished a career-best second at Lakeside in 2012 and has four top-10 runs in his career at the track. Sides also has a runner-up finish, with that coming in 2013 at the track. Sides finished seventh at Lakeside last year.
Moving on up
Ian Madsen and Brent Marks continue to better their finishing positions each time they visit Lakeside Speedway. Madsen, who has now made five starts at the track, finished a career-best fourth last year. Marks, who has made just two appearances at the track, improved his finish from 2017 to record a top-10 run last season.
Another new track
Carson Macedo, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season, will be seeing Lakeside Speedway for the first time. The Californian has visited numerous tracks for the first time this year as he continues his rookie season aboard the No. 2 for Kyle Larson Racing. Macedo has four wins thus far, during his rookie campaign.
Tickets for the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown, featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas on Friday, October 18 can be purchased online at slspromotions.ticketforce.com or by calling SLS Promotions at 815-344-2023 and at the track on race day.
Twitter: @SLS_Promotions
Facebook: SLS Promotions LLC