A trip to Iowa and a final visit to Wisconsin keep summer going at the World of Outlaws. (Trent Gower photo)
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car summer circuit transitions into another exciting doubles event this weekend.
After two nights in Wisconsin, The Greatest Show on Dirt heads to West Burlington, Iowa’s 34 Raceway on Friday, July 7 before returning to The Badger State for a stop on Saturday, July 8 at Wilmot Raceway where the Federated Auto Parts Larry Hillerud Memorial Badger 40 will be held. The latter will be the final series appearance of 2023 in the state of Wisconsin.
Both circuits are relatively new to the circuit. 34 Raceway hosted the World of Outlaws for the first time in 2008, while Wilmot welcomed the best drivers in the country for the first time in 2006. Friday marks the seventh World of Outlaws race for 34, and Wilmot’s tally will grow to 11.
The weekend promises to be action-packed with a thrilling championship battle featuring three riders who won’t back down. Brad Sweet continues to lead the table, albeit by a slim four points over David Gravel. Behind that duo, Carson Macedo stays within reach – 54 points for Sweet.
Let’s take a look at some of the key storylines from the weekend:
SUMMERTIME BRIDGES
David Gravel has established himself as the hottest rider on Tour in recent weeks.
In the last nine races, Gravel has had three wins, seven top two finishes and a 2.1 average finish. The Watertown, Connecticut native’s worst finish at this stretch was fifth. The impressive number of missions has Gravel drawn to Brad Sweet’s rear end in the title fight.
Looking ahead this weekend, Gravel is yet to win at 34 Raceway but has been solid with three top-10 finishes in four attempts, including a podium in 2021. At Wilmot, the Big Game Motorsports driver was dominant. In nine races on the Wisconsin One Third Mile, Gravel has recorded four wins, including three straight wins before.
SIX RACES, SIX WINNERS
The short history of World of Outlaws at 34 Raceway was defined by parity. In six races no driver could win more than once. Tony Bruce Jr. surpassed the series debut at age 34, earning his first series win of his career. Since then, Joey Saldana (2009), Craig Dollansky (2013), Donny Schatz (2014), Parker Price-Miller (2020) and Brad Sweet (2021) have had victories.
Schatz and Sweet will both be vying to claim the first two of 34 Raceway victories on Friday. Each half of the duo, who have won 14 titles together, were close to claiming their second win. Schatz owns two runners-up (2009 and 2020). In 2020 Sweet finished third just behind Schatz.
WIN IN WISCONSIN
With Saturday’s visit to Wilmot being the last series race in Wisconsin this year, it’s Brad Sweet’s last chance this season to add to his amazing Badger State résumé.
The four-time champion just clinched a triumph at Cedar Lake (Wis.) Speedway on Friday, earning him a dozen wins at the Wisconsin World of Outlaws.
“The Big Cat” hasn’t had the same success at Wilmot as he did at Cedar Lake and Beaver Dam, but he does have a single Wilmot win – surpassing the 2021 World of Outlaws visit.
Sweet will be joined by other Wilmot winners – Carson Macedo (2022) and Donny Schatz (2019) – as all three seek to join David Gravel as a multiple World of Outlaws winner at the facility.
bang on the door
The rider who seems to have the best chance of a breakthrough win this season is Spencer Bayston.
A native of Lebanon, Indiana, this season has been his best performance by far. Bayston has nine consecutive top 10 finishes, including two of the last four podium finishes. At the last race, Bayston led 19 laps at Cedar Lake before finishing second in the season.
The CJB Motorsports No. 5 driver has limited experience at both circuits ahead of him. At 34, Bayston has never competed in the World of Outlaws, but he did earn a top-five finish there in 2021 with the All-Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC). Last year at Wilmot with The Greatest Show on Dirt, Bayston started on row two, but a crash on the first lap ended his night.
JAWS MUSIC
With much of the ‘Summer of Money’ still ahead of us, the Shark Racing cars are getting hot at just the right time.
Logan Schuchart has a streak of 12 consecutive top 10 finishes over the weekend with an average score of 5.2 over the span. Seven of the top 10 were in the top five, including a win at Huset’s. The Hanover, Pa. native is looking to continue at 34 Raceway – where his best finish is 10th – and at Wilmot – where he has been on the podium twice.
Jacob Allen has not missed out on the top 10 in his last six feature events and is fresh off his third podium of the season at Cedar Lake on Saturday. Looking ahead to this weekend, Allen has finished in the top five in three attempts. Wilmot hasn’t traditionally been his best track, but it was where he collected his first top 10 when he visited in 2022.
LOCAL PLANTS
With two tracks in two different states, each race is expected to attract a diverse group of supportive locals, with some riders competing in both.
34 Raceway will welcome Knoxville regulars like Austin McCarl and Chase Randall. McCarl won a race there earlier this season that was sanctioned jointly by the Interstate Racing Association (IRA) and the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA).
West Burlington’s Josh Schneiderman plans to compete at his home circuit. In 2008, Schneiderman made his debut on the podium at 34 Raceway when he made his World of Outlaws feature debut for the first time in his career. His third place finish that night remains his best series result of his career.
Over in Wilmot, IRA regulars like Bill Balog and Blake Nimee might turn heads. Balog secured the premiere night of Wilmot this season. Nimee won an IRA race there in late May.
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