By Alex Nieten
ORRVILLE, OH (September 25, 2024) – The trek to World Finals marches into Ohio this weekend for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars with the Series final trip of 2024 to the “Buckeye State.”
First on the agenda is a return to Orrville, OH’s Wayne County Speedway on Friday, Sept. 27, for the $15,000-to-win/$1,500-to-start Buckeye Brawl presented by NOS Energy Drink. Then, it’s back to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH for the Federated Auto Parts Showdown on Saturday, Sept. 28.
It’ll be The Greatest Show on Dirt’s first time back at Wayne County since 2020 and its 15th visit in Series history to Sharon.
Less than 10 races remain before #AllDirtRoads lead the tour to The Dirt Track at Charlotte to close out the 2024 campaign. And with the championship still up for grabs, both races will be crucial to the title fight.
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Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:
HAUD’S HOMECOMING: Any race in his home state of Ohio is special for Sheldon Haudenschild. But Friday’s trip to Wayne County is especially meaningful for the 31-year-old.
Haudenschild’s hometown of Wooster, OH is only 15 minutes down the road from the Orrville, OH oval. He loves the track, and the fans love him. Haudenschild’s sights will be firmly on victory Friday.
He rolls into the weekend as the most recent Series winner at Wayne County, claiming the 2020 visit. The driver of the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink also has several more victories at his home track including five with the All-Star Circuit of Champions.
Haudenschild is also no slouch at Sharon. He beat the All-Stars there in the 2015 Lou Blaney Memorial, and he’s been on the World of Outlaws podium three times including a 2021 runner-up.
RELATED: NOS Energy Drink Boosts Buckeye Brawl at Wayne County; Overall Purse Increased
EVERY POINT MATTERS: The last five World of Outlaws championships have all been decided by less than 100 points, and a similar battle looks to be shaping up in 2024.
David Gravel has sat atop the standings for the bulk of the season with his Big Game Motorsports crew, but Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing are still within striking distance (-90 points) with a dozen races remaining. Both are chasing their first title.
Gravel finished ninth at the 2020 World of Outlaws trip to Wayne County. Back in 2012 he picked up an All-Star podium. Over at Sharon, Gravel grabbed his first win at the Hartford, OH, dirt track earlier this year after two straight runner-up finishes.
Macedo has been consistent in eight Wayne County races with no finish worse than eighth. The highlight of that experience is an All-Star runner-up in 2018. Sharon is a similar story for the Lemoore, CA driver with eight top 10s in nine Feature starts including four podiums.
BUDDY ON THE BRINK: Michael “Buddy” Kofoid moved one step closer to making history as the California swing wrapped up last weekend.
A third and a second pushed his current podium streak to seven in a row with Roth Motorsports and moved him to fourth in the standings. He’s now in position to tie the record for the highest finishing Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year in Series history, but he could also set a new mark. Donny Schatz sits just 64 points ahead of the Penngrove, CA native.
Kofoid has been successful at both tracks on this weekend’s agenda. The 22-year-old claimed an All-Star Race at Wayne County in 2019 and podiumed there that same season.
His experience is a little more limited at Sharon but still with flashes of speed. Kofoid posted an All-Star top five in 2022 and drove from 12th to seventh last May with the World of Outlaws.
BUCKEYE BRILLIANCE: Any trip to Ohio is a welcome part of the schedule for Donny Schatz.
The 10-time Series champion has tallied 32 of his 315 career World of Outlaws victories in the “Buckeye State” at six different facilities – Eldora Speedway (18), Attica Raceway Park (five), Atomic Speedway (four), Fremont Speedway (two), Limaland Motorsports Park (two), and Sharon Speedway (one).
Schatz could make Wayne County the seventh on Friday. His only start at the 3/8 mile led to a fourth place run in 2020 aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15. Schatz’s lone Sharon score came last year in May. He’s also run second there on three occasions including earlier this season.
OHIO EXPERTISE: Ohio is one of the most booming hotbeds in the Sprint Car landscape, and many of the area’s top locals plan to join the action this weekend to see how they stack up against the nation’s best.
Rawson, OH’s Ricky Peterson has already topped a pair of Wayne County races this year. He’s also been victorious with both the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association (OVSCA) and FAST on Dirt in Orrville, OH.
Cale Thomas may call Ohio’s neighboring state of Indiana home, but the “Buckeye State” is where he races most often. He’s won eight times in 2024 all within the borders of Ohio including a $10,000 payday at Wayne County’s Pete Jacobs Memorial.
Evans City, PA’s Brandon Spithaler is another out-of-state native that often crosses state lines to compete in Ohio. He’s won two times at Wayne County so far this year. He also owns several podium finishes at Sharon.
These three will be joined by several others from the region ready to battle the World of Outlaws.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Friday, Sept. 27 at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, OH
Saturday, Sept. 28 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH
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CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (57/69 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (7742 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-90 PTS)
3. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-170 PTS)
4. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-234 PTS)
5. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-250 PTS)
6. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-366 PTS)
7. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-370 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports No. 17B (-882 PTS)
9. Brock Zearfoss – Brock Zearfoss Racing No. 3Z (-1266 PTS)
10. Landon Crawley – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-1534 PTS)