By Linda Mansfield
HANOVER, Pa., Feb. 3 — After a rousing send-off from 300 attendees of Shark Racing’s Fan and Sponsor Appreciation Night in New Oxford, Pa. on Jan. 25, Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen are on their way to Florida for the season opener of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series.
The series kicks off with three nights of racing Feb 14-16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. The program is part of the track’s 43rd DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment.
The two rookies from Hanover, Pa. both intend to run for the WoO’s prestigious Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award presented by ButlerBuilt in 2014.
Shark Racing, which is owned by one of the original outlaws, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member Bobby Allen, also hopes to compete in UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions races at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. Feb. 6-8 and at Volusia Feb. 12-13 prior to the WoO season opener.
“The Shark Racing team is very excited to get the season started, and looks forward to seeing everyone in Florida,” said Schuchart. “We will be racing with a lot of other teams in addition to the World of Outlaws regulars so it will be tough, but I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.
“I raced at Volusia for the first time last winter and it did not go very well, but we feel we know what was wrong and how we can fix it,” he added. “Volusia is very fast, so you need to have your fuel settings right to get as much power as possible.”
“I’ve never raced at Volusia, but I watched Logan there last year,” said his teammate, Allen. “It’s pretty racy; it’s a fast, fun racetrack. I’ll just try to do my best and race hard.
“We’ll have to pay attention to the track as the conditions change, and see how the other drivers are running the track,” Allen added. “We need to figure out how to get our cars fast there. The surface is not like Pennsylvania clay. Volusia is a mixture of sand and a gray clay. Ocala is more sandy.
“There will be 35 to 40 cars there [at the World of Outlaws season opener at Volusia], and they’re all good,” he added. “Pretty much all the Outlaws will be there, as well as some All Star guys and some guys from Pennsylvania.”
“We have family in Daytona, so it’s always nice to start the season racing there, and to spend time with our family,” noted Schuchart.
“My dad [Bobby Allen] is from Miami originally, and my grandma lives in Daytona,” added Allen. “When we were little we used to race go-karts at Daytona too.”
It’s always nice to have family and friends supporting the team at the track, and both drivers are also very appreciative of the sponsors and fans that attended Shark Racing’s event in New Oxford last month.
“The fan appreciation dinner was great!” Schuchart said. “I think most people had a lot of fun, and I’d like to thank everyone who came out. Our team greatly appreciates it.”
Sweatshirts and T-shirts will be available soon on Schuchart’s Web site at shark1s.com. In the meantime, orders can be placed by e-mailing Dana Allen at danalallen@hotmail.com with SHARK GEAR in the subject field.
Fans can follow both drivers and the team through their Facebook pages too.
Free live audio of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car races is available at dirtvision.com, as are pay-per-view broadcasts of selected events. The series’ Web site is at woosprint.com.
Shark Racing would like to thank its sponsors, which include:
Napa Auto Care Center with Your Auto Source
Rich Fogle Custom Pole Buildings
Newman’s Towing & Recovery
CnB Mushroom Farms
Brenneman Painting
Don Ott Racing Engines
Marty Thompson
Pell’s Tire Service
Speedway 94
Dirt: The Game
Lisa Alwine and Silpada Jewelry
Lebo Skin Care
DMI
Penske Shocks
ButlerBuilt Seats
Tony Stewart Racing
SR Lubricant Solutions/Micro-Armor
Restart Communications