By Alex Nieten
PAIGE, TX (March 12, 2024) – Time to put on the cowboy boots. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are ready to go Texas Two-Steppin’.
The Lonestar Sooner Stampede rolls into Cotton Bowl Speedway this weekend (March 15-16) for two nights of Texas-sized action. The Paige, TX facility returns to The Greatest Show on Dirt’s calendar after a year break. The Series first visited Cotton Bowl in 2016 and has made six overall appearances at the 3/8-mile.
The stars of the World of Outlaws tour are expected to be joined by a healthy contingent of locals along with a cast of invaders from various states to create a star-studded field ready to dance for a Texas Two-Step triumph.
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Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:
TWO-TIME TWO-STEPPER: Only one current full-time Series competitor has tamed Cotton Bowl twice through the six World of Outlaws visits to date – Sheldon Haudenschild.
The Wooster, OH native drove the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing #17 to victories on opening night of the Texas Two-Step in 2021 and 2022. In typical Haudenschild fashion, both wins were filled with excitement as he charged from sixth in 2021 and seventh the next year.
Haudenschild enters the weekend riding the momentum of consecutive top two finishes. He closed out Volusia’s DIRTcar Nationals with a $20,000 victory last month then came home runner-up during Bike Week at the Florida oval. A win this weekend would make Cotton Bowl the fifth facility where he’s topped at least a trio of races.
ONE COWBOY BOOT: Haudenschild may the only current World of Outlaws driver with a pair of Cotton Bowl wins, but two more on the roster have made a Victory Lane visit.
Six years ago, David Gravel led flag to flag for his one Cotton Bowl triumph. That was aboard the CJB Motorsports #5, and this weekend he’ll look to replicate the feat but behind the wheel of the Big Game Motorsports #2. The Watertown, CT driver is always strong at Cotton Bowl with a 4.83 average finish in six tries. The point lead currently belongs to Gravel.
It was Carson Macedo most recently claiming a Cotton Bowl checkered flag. The Jason Johnson Racing pilot wheeled the #41 to a win during the Series’ most recent trip in 2022. The victory was a major improvement for Macedo whose previous best Cotton Bowl result was 11th. The Lemoore, CA native is coming off his first podium of the season at Volusia.
COTTON BOWL CONSISTENCY: While only three of the 2024 World of Outlaws roster have won at Cotton Bowl, plenty of others have been consistent and shown they’re plenty capable of breaking through for a win.
Donny Schatz has been in attendance for all six Cotton Bowl races, and he’s yet to finish outside the top 10. The 10-time champion has put the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 in the top five during three of those tries and owns a 6.5 average finish.
Like Schatz, Logan Schuchart hasn’t missed the top 10 in six Cotton Bowl tries but is still seeking Victory Lane. The Shark Racing driver owns a best finish of fourth at the facility, which he achieved twice at the most recent Texas Two-Step in 2022.
Giovanni Scelzi has taken on Cotton Bowl on four occasions. Each start has been with his current team – KCP Racing – and he’s put the orange #18 in the top 10 three times and peaked at sixth twice. Scelzi enters the weekend as one of only three drivers that haven’t missed the top 10 in 2024.
Cotton Bowl has also been kind to Jonestown, PA’s Brock Zearfoss. The 3/8-mile is home to a trio of his 60 career World of Outlaws top 10 finishes. He’ll look to crack the top 10 for the first time this season with the trip to Cotton Bowl.
ONE STEP SHORT: Twice Cotton Bowl has nearly been the site of what would’ve been popular home state victories.
In 2021 it was Aaron Reutzel who came up one step short of the podium’s top step. The Clute, TX driver led a dozen laps aboard the Roth Motorsports #83 before Sheldon Haudenschild prevailed.
Then, during the most recent Cotton Bowl race, Sam Hafertepe Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX) had victory pried from his grasp as the race wound down. Hafertepe Jr. led the opening 26 circuits before Carson Macedo drove by and forced him to settle for second.
To date, Gary Wright is the only Texas native to win a World of Outlaws race within the borders of the “Lone Star State.” The Hooks, TX pilot mastered Mesquite’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway to the tune of five wins. Of the two above, Reutzel will return wheeling the Ridge & Sons Racing #87 looking to finish the job, but Hafertepe has RPM Speedway’s American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) action on his itinerary.
TEXAS TALENT: Reutzel won’t be the only Texan looking to make the home state fans proud.
Waco’s Chase Randall is set for battle behind the wheel of the TKS Motorsports machine. The 19-year-old has established himself as one of the sport’s top rising talents and looks to build that reputation even more with a strong showing this weekend.
Another Texas competitor in the realm of Sprint Car racing’s blooming stars is Brenham Crouch. He’s already impressed in 2024 by making three of the four DIRTcar Nationals Features at Volusia against one of the toughest fields the sport sees all year.
More locals expected to fill the pits include Brett Becker (Odessa, TX), John Ricketts (Burleson, TX), Marcus Thomas (Corsicana, TX), Blaine Baxter (Liberty Hill, TX), Dalton Stevens (Scurry, TX), and more.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Friday-Saturday, March 15-16 at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, TX
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CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (5/84 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports #2 (572 PTS)
2. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 (-12 PTS)
3. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing #18 (-12 PTS)
4. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing #1S (-36 PTS)
5. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing #41 (-82 PTS)
6. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing #17 (-86 PTS)
7. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports #83 (-106 PTS)
8. Corey Day – Jason Meyers Racing #14 (-110 PTS)
9. Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports #17B (-128 PTS)
10. Brock Zearfoss – Brock Zearfoss Racing #3Z (-132 PTS)