By Brian Walker
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA – May 9, 2022 – Sprint Car racing’s favorite rivalry returns this week as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series prepares to battle the PA Posse.
The Greatest Show on Dirt is set for three shows over four nights at two of Central Pennsylvania’s finest facilities. It all starts at Abbottstown’s Lincoln Speedway with the DuraMAX/Drydene Gettysburg Clash on Wednesday, May 11, and then transitions to Mechanicsburg’s Williams Grove Speedway with the Morgan Cup on Friday & Saturday, May 13-14.
BUY LINCOLN TICKETS (Wednesday)
BUY WILLIAMS GROVE TICKETS (Fri-Sat)
Here’s what to watch for this weekend on DIRTVision.com:
OUTLAWS VS. POSSE: It’s been a tough go for Central Pennsylvania’s finest over the last few seasons. Of 24 World of Outlaws races on their own turf since 2019, the PA Posse have only scored three victories with Lance Dewease taking two and Brent Marks getting one last year. Over that same span, the Outlaws have claimed 14 victories with outside invaders picking up another seven.
The rivalry reignites for 10 races in 2022 with this week’s trip to Lincoln & Williams Grove, a summer swing to Port Royal & Williams Grove, and then the National Open and Nittany Showdown in the fall.
POSSE POWER: Leading the charge for the PA Posse is a fearsome foursome including Lance Dewease (Fayetteville, PA), Brent Marks (Myerstown, PA), Danny Dietrich (Gettysburg, PA), and Anthony Macri (Dillsburg, PA).
At 17 career World of Outlaws wins, Dewease ranks 33rd on the All-Time Win List but sits even higher when it comes to Williams Grove (1st at 103 wins) and Lincoln (8th at 42 wins). The Fayetteville Flyer was a force to be reckoned with last year and would’ve finished inside the top-seven in all nine Pennsylvania World of Outlaws races if it wasn’t for one mechanical issue in the Kreitz Racing #69K.
Marks is an eight-time World of Outlaws winner with his most recent triumph coming last month in the form of a $20,000 score at Devil’s Bowl (TX). The Myerstown Missile has already won at both Lincoln and Williams Grove this year, and eyes another this week in the Murray-Marks Motorsports #19.
With five World of Outlaws wins, Dietrich is hungry to add a sixth and his first since 2019 at Bridgeport (NJ). He’s beaten the Outlaws at both Lincoln and Williams Grove before and enters as the only multi-time winner of the DuraMAX/Drydene Gettysburg Clash through 11 runnings. In 2022, DD has won four races at Lincoln and currently leads the Williams Grove track standings in the Gary Kauffman #48.
Macri heads into this weekend with the title of winningest Sprint Car driver in 2022. The Concrete Kid has won eight times this season with one victory lane trip each at Lincon and Williams Grove. After 10 top-five finishes, he hopes this is the week he scores his first-career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory in the #39M.
HOME TURF: A quartet of full-time World of Outlaws teams will enjoy racing near home this week as the Series travels to Pennsylvania for the first time in 2022.
Shark Racing of Hanover, PA brings Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen back home with both teams at the top of their game right now. Schuchart and Allen each own one win this season with Allen banking $15,000 at Lake Ozark (MO) and Schuchart scoring $25,000 at Bristol (TN) last month. The home race is amplified for Schuchart with his partners DuraMAX and Drydene sponsoring Wednesday’s DuraMAX/Drydene Gettysburg Clash.
CJB Motorsports of Carlisle, PA is hauling in Indiana’s Spencer Bayston to race near home for Chad Clemens and Barry Jackson. Bayston is the most recent Series winner with his own $25,000 at Bristol and is also the most recent Outlaw winner in PA with his win at Port Royal last fall.
Brock Zearfoss of Jonestown, PA is back at home base for the Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill #3Z and excited to return to Williams Grove, site of his first-career World of Outlaws win in 2017, as well as James McFadden’s first-career win. Zearfoss owns a trio of other WGS victories to go along with a Lincoln career-best of fourth entering this week.
BIG CAT KRYPTONITE: After winning three consecutive World of Outlaws championships and topping several crown jewel events, Brad Sweet still knew what he wanted to accomplish in this sport: winning at Williams Grove Speedway.
The Grass Valley, CA native has made 49 starts at the Mechanicsburg, PA 1/2-mile with his best result remaining a third-place podium on three occasions in 2016, 2019 & 2020. Overall, his stat line reads as six top-five runs, 22 top-10 results, and an average finish of 12.24, his worst of any track. He’s even led nine laps at the track before, but victory lane has always eluded The Big Cat.
He finally tamed Lincoln last year, and now he hopes this weekend is when he parks the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 in Williams Grove victory lane.
TAKING ADVANTAGE: Much like Bristol, Williams Grove offers another prime opportunity for those trailing Brad Sweet in the championship chase to make up some ground. The 36-year-old veteran currently holds a 20-point advantage with 60+ nights remaining, but three promising young superstars are hot on his tail and determined to leave their mark.
Carson Macedo (-20 PTS) enjoyed a breakthrough season last year in the Jason Johnson Racing #41, and they’ve quickly come out of the gates in 2022 to back that up. He leads the league with four World of Outlaws wins this season, and heads for Pennsylvania with momentum from a weekly win at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway. The Lemoore, CA native was the only driver to top two World of Outlaws races at Williams Grove last year and looks to do it again this weekend.
Behind Donny Schatz’s 21 wins, David Gravel (-30 PTS) is the second-winningest full-time Outlaw at Williams Grove with eight wins to his credit. The Watertown, CT native has won at the 1/2-mile with Roth Motorsports, CJB Motorsports, and Jason Johnson Racing, now he goes for a third win in 2022 aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2.
Sheldon Haudenschild (-68 PTS) checked a Williams Grove win off the bucket list last summer to make him and dad Jac Haudenschild the only father/son duo to score World of Outlaws wins at the track. After winning two of the first four races in 2022, Lil’ Haud has gone through a 13-race dry spell and aims to break that in the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17.
INVADING THE KEYSTONE: The third element of the Outlaws vs. Posse is the invaders, those with no direct affiliation only vying for the cash and the bragging rights. Last year alone, outsiders like Kyle Larson, Kerry Madsen & Spencer Bayston (at the time) rolled into town and walked out with W’s.
Leading the charge for invaders this weekend is a pair of NASCAR Cup Series stars Christopher Bell & Alex Bowman. Bell will trade his Joe Gibbs Racing #20 for the Swindell SpeedLab #39 Sprint Car, while Bowman turns in his Hendrick Motorsports #48 for the Ally Racing #55 Sprint Car.
UNDER THE RADAR: Beyond the most noteworthy names, the PA Posse brings a handful of other stout local competitors to the table when the World of Outlaws comes to town.
Freddie Rahmer of Salfordville, PA owns 19 wins at Lincoln (1 Outlaw win) & 15 wins at Williams Grove. Dylan Norris of Hanover, PA is enjoying a career-year sitting top-five in both track standings to go along with his first win at Williams Grove. Devon Borden of Raymond, WA drives for Central PA legend Mike Heffner and also is top-five in both points with a Williams Grove win as well.
Lucas Wolfe of Mechanicsburg, PA is another winner at both facilities with 22 Williams Grove scores and another six at Lincoln. More names to look for include Chase Dietz of York, PA, Alan Krimes of Denver, PA, Matt Campbell of Fawn Grove, PA, and TJ Stutts of Liverpool, PA, among several others.
WELCOME TO THE RIVALRY: A pair of Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contenders will officially join the World of Outlaws vs. PA Posse rivalry for the first time this weekend. For Noah Gass, the Mounds, OK 18-year-old will be making his first-ever trip to race in the state of Pennsylvania as he continues learning the ropes.
For Spencer Bayston, the Lebanon, IN 23-year-old is no stranger to the state or the rivalry but now enters with a little extra motivation. His several Pennsylvania wins include beating the Outlaws & Posse at Port Royal, topping the All Stars on Posse ground at Lincoln, and scoring a USAC Midget win at Williams Grove. He heads into this weekend on CJB’s home turf with plenty of momentum from his $25,000 payday in the first win of 2022 at Bristol.
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
Wednesday, May 11 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA
Friday-Saturday, May 13-14 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA
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 (17/78 Nights):
1. 49-Brad Sweet (2,370 PTS); 2. 41-Carson Macedo (-20 PTS); 3. 2-David Gravel (-30 PTS); 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-68 PTS); 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-102 PTS); 6. 5-Spencer Bayston (-140 PTS); 7. 15-Donny Schatz (-142 PTS); 8. 83-James McFadden (-152 PTS); 9. 1A-Jacob Allen (-224 PTS); 10. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss (-292 PTS).