By Brian Walker
GRANITE CITY, IL – April 20, 2022 – The Illini State and the Hoosier State await The Greatest Show on Dirt this weekend.
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will conclude a three-week swing through the Midwest with a long-awaited return to Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL on Friday night, followed by an exciting night at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, IN on Saturday.
TRI-CITY TICKETS (Friday)
TRI-STATE TICKETS (At-Track Saturday)
Here’s what to watch for this weekend:
LONG TIME, NO SEE: For the first time since 2008, the World of Outlaws return to Tri-City Speedway this Friday night. Albeit absent from the schedule for the last 14 years, the Granite City, IL oval is still the 13th most visited track in Seris history with 55 appearances dating back to the first in 1979.
When the Series last ran at the 3/8-mile in 2008, it was 10-time champion, Donny Schatz, earning the fifth of 221 victories driving the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15. The Fargo, ND native returns to Tri-City as one of the most experienced racers at the track with 16 starts between 1997 and 2008. He’ll look to use that to his advantage with his second win of 2022 on the line this Friday night.
Along with Schatz, only Kraig Kinser and Jason Sides have previously raced at Tri-City with the World of Outlaws. Both drivers finished in the top-five in 2005, and both enter this weekend vying for their first top-10 effort of the new season.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE: Following a trip to Tri-City, Tri-State takes center stage on Saturday night. The Haubstadt, IN bullring will become the 20th most visited track in Series history with their 42nd World of Outlaws race since 1979. It’s a high-banked 1/4-mile known for producing off-the-wall action, first-time winners, and pure mayhem at times.
Carson Macedo of Lemoore, CA has topped the last two races, joining Doug Wolfgang, Andy Hillenburg, and Paul McMahan as the only back-to-back winners at Tri-State. The Jason Johnson Racing #41 pilot is the Series’ most recent winner at I-55 and already leads the league with three wins with the potential to add a fourth this week. Along with Macedo, David Gravel is the only other full-time driver to win in Haubstadt, claiming two victories as well.
The track has seen five first-time winners with Lee James & Larry Gates in 1979, The Texan Gary Wright in 1991, and recent occurrences with Parker Price-Miller in 2017 and Carson Short in 2020.
SEVEN-HUNDRED: David Gravel of Watertown, CT will reach the first of several upcoming milestones this weekend with his 700th World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Feature on Saturday night. The Big Game Motorsports #2 is only four wins away from a 75th career victory, six finishes away from a 300th career top-five, and four runs away from a 500th career top-10.
The Big Game Motorsports #2 has collected a pair of wins, six podium finishes, and 11 top-10 runs as Gravel continues to fight for his first World of Outlaws championship.
HOME SWEET HOME: A pair of Indiana natives in Spencer Bayston (Lebanon, IN) and Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, IN) will race in their home state for the first time in 2022 this weekend as the Series travels to Haubstadt’s Tri-State Speedway. Neither driver has yet to win at the 1/4-mile with Kinser’s best run coming in fourth and Bayston’s best result in 11th.
For Bayston, he’s been on the verge of victory lane all season in the CJB Motorsports #5. The leading Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender enters this weekend on a streak of five straight top-10 finishes. For Kinser, the #11K has been quick throughout 2022 with little luck to show for it. He hopes to turn that around this weekend in the Hoosier State.
SINK OR SWIM: The Shark Racing team was maybe only one lap away from scoring back-to-back World of Outlaws wins with both Jacob Allen and Logan Schuchart. After a rocky start to the season, both the #1A and #1S have rebounded with impressive runs including Jacob’s Jason Johnson Classic victory and Logan’s near-win at I-55.
The duo will look to keep building momentum this weekend and next at Bristol as the Series heads east towards familiar territory in Ohio and their native Pennsylvania in the month of May.
MOWA MASTERS: Although the World of Outlaws hasn’t been to Tri-City since 2008, the Midwest Open Wheel Association has raced regularly at the 3/8-mile oval over that span. Ayrton Gennetten of Versailles, MO is unbeaten in his Tri-City career, winning each of the last two MOWA races. He’s looking to top his World of Outlaws career-best of fourth, which came at Devil’s Bowl when he led 20+ laps last fall.
Rico Abreu of St. Helena, CA is a former MOWA winner at Tri-City as well, and he owns a USAC National Midget victory at the venue as does Tanner Thorson of Minden, NV. Both will be in action this weekend following a pair of strong finishes at I-55 last weekend.
ON THE VERGE: Sheldon Haudenschild and James McFadden both returned to the top-five last week at I-55 as their strong runs continue in 2022.
Haudenschild is a two-time winner already this year, but it has been 10 races since the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17 last visited victory lane. The Wooster, OH native mounted a magnificent charge from the tail to finish fourth last week and hopes that momentum carries him to a third win of 2022 and 25th of his career.
McFadden nabbed his fourth top-five in the last six races aboard the Roth Motorsports #83, but the Australian is still searching for his first win of the season. The reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has been a contender throughout the first 14 races and is on the verge of breaking through soon.
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
Friday, April 22 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL
Saturday, April 23 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, IN
On the Internet
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month
CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (14/81 Nights):
1. 49-Brad Sweet (1,970 PTS); 2. 41-Carson Macedo (-40 PTS); 3. 2-David Gravel (-48 PTS); 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-72 PTS); 5. 83-James McFadden (-120 PTS); 6. 15-Donny Schatz (-122 PTS); 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi (-136 PTS); 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-136 PTS); 9. 5-Spencer Bayston (-166 PTS); 10. 1A-Jacob Allen (-204 PTS).