By T.J. Buffenbarger
(July 18, 2024) — The first of four nights of racing at Eldora Speedway is in the books after the Eldora Double Down Duels opened the weekend to set the stage for the $100,000 to win Jokers Jackpot on Saturday. Here are my takeaways from an entertaining night of racing at the Big E.
• I told some fellow writers earlier in the week that I felt the format for Wednesday night’s program would make it the best race of the week. Based on what we saw at the Double Down Duels, the bar has been set high for the remaining three programs of the weekend at Eldora.
From the start of the day everything seemed to happen just the right way to produce great racing program. After a deluge of rain early in the afternoon, a second rain shower dropped some light rain while a third storm dissipated before it got to the racetrack. The surface was rolled in tight and handled the rain well to avoid a repeat of last year’s Kings Royal where the clay turned evil for the finale after a steady rainstorm to the point where everything started on time.
Even the car count was perfect as 64 cars provided the perfect split for four, eight car heat races that was the right fit for the inversion wheel with options of six, seven, and eight.
Often winged sprint car heat races can get mundane on high-speed racetracks, but the deep inversions produced plenty of action. As for concerns about the fast qualifiers not being able to make a transfer spot from a deep inversion, seven of the eight fastest qualifiers were able to make the A-Main through their heat race.
The first feature on Wednesday was an instant classic with Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck, Brad Sweet, and Donny Schatz having a knockdown, drag out battle for the ages around Eldora’s high banks. countless slide jobs racing two and three wide. Even an untimely caution on lap 12 when Buddy Kofoid cut a tire down could not spoil the fun as this quartet of drivers continued to throw endless slide jobs and just about let Donny Schatz get by everyone on the bottom during the final lap.
The second feature got the action meter pegged early with Kyle Larson throwing a slide job on Tyler Courtney that was very close in turns three and four racing for fourth. While Giovanni Scelzi was in a different zip code, we were all treated to the adage of “Kyle Larson doing Kyle Larson Things” driving up to second spot and turning Giovani Scelzi’s 5.374 second lead into a 1.408 second advantage at the end. The race was a master class of Larson building momentum, working his car on the cushion that is unique to his driving style, and turning nothing into something.
I don’t think one could ask much more from a racing program than what was witnessed on Wednesday.
• Donny Schatz looks like a driver on the verge of collecting at least one six figure payday this week. After a win at Wilmot Raceway last Saturday and second place finish at Attica Raceway Park, Schatz appeared to be in top form quickly closing in on the race for the lead and nearly catching Logan Schuchart at the end of the 25-lap feature Wednesday.
With more laps in the features on Thursday and Saturday paying $100,000 and $175,000 to win respectively, Schatz appears to be putting together another stretch leading into the big races where he finds speed with his Tony Stewart Racing team in time for some of the most prestigious races in the spot.
The thing that impressed me the most about Schatz’s performance Wednesday at Eldora was not so much the finishes, but how he went about it. Methodically working the middle and bottom of the racetrack, in striking distance but not in the middle of the fight until it was time to strike. The attack was quick and pointed, and suddenly Schatz was into the mix for the win at the end.
I was not quite ready to make the proclamation that Schatz and TSR were on that much of an upswing after Wilmot and Attica, but I was thinking it. Wednesday night’s performance that put Schatz at the top of the event points solidified that thinking to I felt it was worth noting in this space.
• Wednesday night at Eldora was another showcase for some of the young stars in our sport to shine at times during the Double Down Duels.
Garret Williamson led some laps early in the first feature, even exchanging slide jobs with Eldora Million victor and Wednesday night’s feature winner Shuchart before dropping back to 8th place in the main event.
Daison Pursley continued to impress barely into 10 starts with a winged sprint car and first time in one at Eldora Speedway winning a heat race. Pursley has been very impressive since jumping into Brandon Ikenberry’s entry.
When looking through the finishes on Wednesday there are some sneaky good ones like Kalib Henry’s sixth place finish in the first feature event and Sye Lynch hanging with the leaders early in the second feature before dropping back to eighth position.
It’s great to see some of these young drivers taking to Eldora quickly, taking their craft seriously with film study and other things to try and bridge the gap of experience the other drivers have. The split field format also gave these drivers some valuable laps in feature conditions at Eldora so they could feel things that happen with the car and race track with 24 cars on the racing surface.