Story published on Autoweek.com and shared on this sight with permission:
Autoweek.com – June 5, 2020
By Matt Weaver
Before anything else was possible, Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen needed to pay their dues in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. Upon accomplishing that goal, everything else could follow.
As it turns out, the rest is happening ahead of schedule.
Schuchart enters the ninth race of the 2020 season, his seventh as a full-timer, as the World of Outlaws championship leader—12 points ahead of defending champion Brad Sweet and 28 over 10-time champion Donny Schatz.
And while the accomplishment is impactful by itself, it’s even more noteworthy when considering he is doing so with a Drydene Shark Racing team comprised almost entirely of his famous racing family.
Schuchart, 27, is the grandson of Bobby “Scruffy” Allen, one of the discipline’s original true outlaws. Jacob, 25, is Scruffy’syoungest son. Their engines are built and maintained by Michael Newman, Scruffy’snephew.
Bobby Allen, of course, is the 1990 Knoxville Nationals winner and one of the most decorated and admired Sprint Car personalities.
PAUL ARCH
Now, Schuchart and the younger Allen are starting to meet the expectations of that legacy—a level that not everyone believed was possible.
Allen remembers wrapping up their first California swing in 2014 and being approached by crew members from Kasey Kahne Racing. They told Allen they had placed money that the Shark Racing boys would load up and return home to Pennsylvania without having finished the two-month stretch.
It wasn’t the most graceful of performances, but they made it.
So, it spoke volumes that when Allen flipped on the first night of racing last month at the Lake Ozark Speedway those same KKR crew members were feverishly laboring in the work area to repair his damaged car.
This wasn’t the first time it had happened, either. Respect had been earned.
“I don’t know the exact moment it happened, but I think people admired that we kept coming back no matter what obstacles were placed in front of us,” Allen said. “We’d flip or have mechanical problems and we would always come right back.
“We’d get hit and we would get right back up. Get hit. Get back up. Get hit. Get back up.
“That came from my dad. You can’t teach that kind of thing. You have to have a certain degree of heart, faith and belief to keep getting back up in those shitty circumstances. My dad has that. Logan has that. I have it. When all three of you have it, it creates something special.”
PAUL ARCH
It’s certainly been a special season thus far for Schuchart with finishes of second, fifth, first, third, third, third, fourth, first and sixth.
For longtime followers of the tour, that’s a Summertime Schatz-like pace. It’s also a far cry from the Schuchart who went out to California in 2014 and finished outside the top 10 on four different occasions and even missed two features— albeit with a second place at Tulare.
Unlike Allen, who only started racing full time once he joined the Outlaws, Schuchart had a much more robust pedigree before his first season.
In his early teenage years, Schuchart raced 358 Sprint Cars at several Pennsylvania tracks. He is the youngest driver to ever win the Lincoln Speedway 348 track championship. In 2012, his first year behind the wheel of a 410 Sprint Car, he was voted the National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
It was never the lack of pedigree, but rather experience and additional funding.
“We’ve just continued to put in the work,” Schuchart said. “It’s been about continuing to run well at the places we’ve always raced well at, while also getting better at the places that used to kick our teeth in.
“Everyone has worked hard. My grandfather is tireless. He works so hard to show Jacob and I the ropes. He’s on the phone with Michael Newman five times a day. Tyler Barber has been with us for three years. Ben Whitman, Ron Helmick. Everyone is just working really well together, and that hard work is starting pay off.”
TRENT GOWERS
It’s something of a family tradition for Shark Racing to get the most out of its equipment.
The elder Allen earned the Scruffy nickname for both his outward appearance and also the blue-collar work ethic that accompanied it.
Even at 76 years old, he still drives the team’s hauler across the country and can often be found wrenching on the car alongside his boys. Since taking the team full-time Outlaws racing in 2014, this is the first year that Scruffy feels like his son and grandson have everything they need to contend for wins and a championship.
The latest step can be traced to a national sponsorship commitment from Drydene Performance Products. That agreement was first consummated in 2018 and expanded into a full-time naming rights agreement the following season.
The sponsorship has allowed the blue collar team the means to continually update its parts and pieces, while also providing Newman the ability to provide greater engine inventory and flexibility.
Before connecting with Drydene, Bobby Allen had his boys racing on a shoestring budget, at least in comparison to the powerhouse teams of national Sprint Car competition.
Shark Racing was getting by, but it wasn’t a sustainable model.
“Jacob is two years behind Logan, but now they’re both right there in front. I thought Logan would be a dark horse to win the championship and would have been really proud for Jacob to finish sixth to eighth. But now Logan is right there, and Jacob has been right there with him the past couple of weeks, except for the crash and the broken axle.
“We’ve got a long year, and we’re not counting our chickens before they hatch, but we’re actually ahead of where I thought we might be.”
World of Outlaws television analyst and 1980s perennial championship contender Brad Doty believes Schuchart has always been an exceptional talent and simply needed his equipment and experience to match the latent skillset.
“I can say I tore up a lot of stuff when I first started because young drivers just think you mash the pedal and that’s how you win races,” Doty said. “Doug Wolfgang told me that every good driver has a crashing spell. I told him that I had crashed so much that I should be a great driver someday!
“Logan never had that phase. He always seems to reach the line, but he’s never crossed it. He’s so mature and gets everything out of that race car. He’s smooth, has the right feel for every kind of racetrack and has always done a good job.
“He knew that if he crashed a lot, that meant he was going to have to sit out a couple of weeks, and that’s served him well now that he has more resources.”
NICK ZEBELIAN
Doty also believes the likelihood of a pandemic-shortened season could actually benefit both Schuchart and Shark Racing this season.
“As long as they can maintain their engine program, I believe they can run inside the top five all year,” Doty added. “There’s a lot of luck involved in all kinds of racing. When you run a 90-race schedule, you need luck.
“Steve Kinser would admit it, nights that he had a tire go flat in victory lane, or just having one less bad break than the other guy. With the shorter abbreviated schedule, there are less mulligans and they’re racing from an advantage right now. Every race is going to matter more, and they’re already ahead.
“With a team like Bobby’s, I think the shorter schedule will be easier on their engine program and will help them keep up with teams that have been here the past couple of years.”
No matter what happens the rest of the season, Schuchart just wants to continue building Shark Racing. It’s not enough to contend for the championship or even win it. It’s about improving on whatever the end result is and become even better than that.
“We want the people that are here to stay here,” Schuchart said. “We want to continue pursuing championships. We don’t want to lose sight of where we came from. That’s our goal and that’s what we want to continue to do.”
https://loganschuchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Screen-Shot-2020-08-23-at-2.42.39-PM.png8281474loganhttps://loganschuchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logo.pnglogan2020-08-23 18:38:072020-08-23 18:43:30How Shark Racing Went from Scrappy Underdog to Outlaws Points Leader
Eldora Speedway never disappoints, and that clearly holds true for virtual racing, too. While fans wait for the real dirt to fly, Big E provided a rush of adrenaline during the World of Outlaws: eDirt Racing Shootout debut Tuesday night on CBS Sports Network.
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car star Logan Schuchart brought the virtual crowd and those watching at home to their feet, trading slide jobs with Kevin Swindell for the final five laps and edging him at the finish line to win his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car iRacing Feature … using the DIRTVision studio simulator no less. But before all that excitement, 19-year-old Kaeden Cornell picked up his first World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing win in a barn burner race, kicking off the doubleheader.
The two drivers beat star-studded fields that included a host of dirt aces taking on high-profile invaders like Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Juan Pablo Montoya, William Byron, Ron Capps, Chase Briscoe, Justin Allgaier and Cruz Pedregon.
The start of the NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car eDirt Racing Shootout Feature saw NASCAR Xfinity Series standout Briscoe pulled away from the field as drivers behind him went three and four wide, arguing over positions second through fifth.
Swindell became the benefactor of the battle, splitting the gap between Brad Sweet, Max McLaughlin and Robbie Kendall to launch his #39 Swindell Speedlab car into second. The two-time World of Outlaws iRacing Invitational winner was then on the hunt for Briscoe.
Twelve laps into the 35-lap Feature, Briscoe pounced off the wall off Turn 2 and slid down into Swindell, who was underneath him going for the lead. The two cars locked and slid sideways going into Turn 3, stacking up the field and bringing out the caution.
Swindell and Briscoe held their positions up front, but Swindell now had the lead. He, like Briscoe before him, pulled away from the field while the top-five traded positions amongst themselves every lap.
With 15 laps to go, as Briscoe, Sweet and Balog slowed each other’s momentum while battling for second, Schuchart held the throttle to the floor and fired his Drydene #1a car into the runner-up spot.
Schuchart, a two-time World of Outlaws winner in real life at Eldora, knew exactly what to do to catch Swindell.
“I just kind of used the same line that I used in real life last year at the Kings Royal,” said Schuchart, who powered from 12th to second in the 2019 Kings Royal at Eldora. “It seems to work on this thing.”
He ran the top, putting his right rear tire on the cushion, inches from the wall. That helped him run down Swindell in seconds. Once he caught him, he tried a slide job on Swindell in the first corner, but Swindell charged back by him the next turn.
A couple of cautions got in the way of their battle, but on a restart with five laps to go, the two drivers put on a Sprint Car racing clinic, virtual or not. Schuchart would launch his car ahead of Swindell one corner and Swindell would slide back by him the next. They crossed the finish line separated by thousandths of a second each lap.
With two laps to go, Swindell bounced off the cushion just enough to give Schuchart the advantage to clear him off Turn 4. However, Swindell wasn’t finished. “The Bulldog” stayed close to Schuchart and looked underneath him coming to the checkered flag.
Schuchart had the better momentum off Turn 4 and edged Swindell at the line by 0.25 seconds.
As fast as everyone’s heart was beating by watching the spectacular finish, Schuchart’s adrenaline was up just as high.
“My heart is going, I feel like I just got out of a real car,” said an out of breath Schuchart. “That was a great race with Kevin. That was really cool. We were able to race each other real clean. It was a lot of run. It’s real cool to win one of these things.”
World of Outlaws Sprint Car NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 laps) — 1. 1-Logan Schuchart [6] [$1,000]; 2. 39-Kevin Swindell [5]; 3. 170-Bill Balog [1]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 5. 7-Tyler Courtney [14]; 6. 17-Austin McCarl [11]; 7. 6-Juan Pablo Montoya [20]; 8. 5-Chase Briscoe [2]; 9. 35-Mike Mahaney [13]; 10. 1-Jacob Allen [15]; 11. 17-Max McLaughlin [7]; 12. 2-Wayne Johnson [18]; 13. 41-David Gravel [12]; 14. 5-Brent Marks [10]; 15. 25-William Byron [21]; 16. 28-Ron Capps [19]; 17. 18-Ian Madsen [16]; 18. 21-Brian Brown [9]; 19. 2-Carson Macedo [8]; 20. 55-Robbie Kendall [3]; 21. 2-Kerry Madsen [17]. Lap leaders: Chase Briscoe 1-11; Kevin Swindell 12-33; Logan Schuchart 34-35. KSE Hard Charger: Juan Pablo Montoya +13.
https://loganschuchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/042920_LoganSchuchartiRacing_byJoeGrabianowski.jpg7201170loganhttps://loganschuchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logo.pnglogan2020-05-01 16:00:562020-05-01 16:00:56FIRST ‘WON’: SCHUCHART SCORES FIRST EDIRT RACING SHOOTOUT WINS IN CBS DEBUT
Story courtesy of WOO; written by Nick Graziano – February 19, 2020
Logan Schuchart had never won at Volusia Speedway Park coming into the 2020 DIRTcar Nationals. Never led a lap. Never even finished inside the top-five. That’s changed.
In the three World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season opening races at the half-mile Florida track, Schuchart amassed 50 laps led and three top-five finishes, including two podiums and a win.
“Getting a win before we leave Florida is awesome,” said Schuchart, of Hanover, PA. “I’m really excited about that.”
Schuchart is now second in the standings, two-points behind reigning champion Brad Sweet. It’s the best position he’s been in to start a season with the Texas doubleheader at Cotton Bowl Speedway on March 13 and LoneStar Speedway on March 14 the next stop on the tour.
His performance is a testament to the continued growth of his talent and Shark Racing’s capabilities since joining the World of Outlaws tour full-time in 2014.
The team’s first few years were about surviving and making it to November, Schuchart has said. In his rookie campaign he earned five top-five finishes and 15 top-10s. It wasn’t until 2016 that he earned his first career victory.
Last year, in a breakout year for the 27-year-old, Schuchart earned a career high eight wins – doubling his number of total career wins – 32 top-five finishes, 53 top-10s and led 243 laps. He also finished a career best fifth in the Series standings. And while that success has helped propel him to a strong start this year, Schuchart cites he and the team’s progressive growth began long before 2019.
“Not just 2019, but all of the years in general, the experience over the years, taking notes, getting better and just getting smarter about everything,” Schuchart said. “I just feel like the more experience we get the smarter we get about certain things.
“But this is tough. There’s a lot of great race car drivers out here. A lot of great teams. Great mechanics. They can put you in your place very quick. The World of Outlaws is in a great spot. The sport is in a great spot. But we’re trying to stay on top.”
Schuchart’s five days in Florida showed how quickly he and his Shark Racing team can learn and adapt. The two opening Sprint Week races during the DIRTcar Nationals with the All Star Circuit of Champions saw Schuchart finish 11th and 17th, respectively.
Then he nearly won the season opening race for the World of Outlaws. Schuchart led 21 laps and lost the lead to 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz with three laps to go, settling for a runner-up finish. The next night he failed to qualify for the Feature and had to use a provisional to start. However, he was able to charge his way from 25th to fifth – earning the Hard Charger award for the night.
On the final night of racing in Florida, Schuchart led 29 of 30 laps, and held off attacks from Cory Eliason and Daryn Pittman to pick up his first Volusia Speedway Park win. His Shark Racing teammate Jacob Allen also got a career best finish of 12th at the speedway on the final night.
“Definitely a weight off your shoulders knowing you got one,” Schuchart said. “They’re so tough to come by. To get one off your back and being able to just go out there and race and build off of what you already have is definitely a relief.”
While Schuchart is on track for another possible career year, with more than 80 races to go this year, contending for the championship is far out of his mind.
“I just want to win races,” Schuchart said. “I don’t want to think about that at all. That comes at the end. At November I’m sure you think about that when the points are close. Whatever it is. I just want to win as many races as I can and if we’re able to do that the rest will come.”
https://loganschuchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/LoganSchuchart_DIRTcarNationals2020_byAndyNewsome.jpg7201170loganhttps://loganschuchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logo.pnglogan2020-02-20 15:31:422020-02-20 15:31:42MAKIN’ A SPLASH: LOGAN SCHUCHART OFF TO CAREER BEST START
BARBERVILLE, FL – February 9, 2020 – The wild hunt commenced Sunday night at the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series finale at the DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford.
The trophies: A golden gator. And a Big Gator.
Logan Schuchart put an assault on the 27-car field, in front of a packed house, to earn his first win at Volusia Speedway Park and Brad Sweet cruised to his third podium finish in-a-row, awarding him his second Big Gator championship. Sweet won his first Big Gator in 2016.
“It was a lot of fun,” Sweet said about the event. “I thought we had a lot of different tracks all week. The NAPA car was fast on all the different conditions, but we’ll take that… 2020 is looking to be a strong year for us.”
Schuchart, who had never finished inside the top-five and never led a lap at the half-mile speedway, ended his 2020 DIRTcar Nationals with three top-five finishes in-a-row and 50 laps led. He placed second the first night. Charged from 25th to fifth the second night. And won the DIRTcar Nationals Sprint Car Week finale.
“This place is just so tough,” Schuchart said. “You know, we come here, we learn, I watch videos in the wintertime. We just try to make our cars better as a whole.
“Just kind of studying the racetrack. Notes from the past. Watching the highlight videos from the past few years and what other people’s cars look like compared to ours and maybe what we could have done better to qualify and put us in better positions… First three races were awesome. To pull away with a win really helps our confidence.”
That confidence showed before the conclusion of Sunday night’s 30-lap Feature when the Hanover, PA driver powered his way underneath Daryn Pittman on Lap 2 to take the lead. From there, he never relinquished it, leading the final 29 laps. Although, those on the hunt behind him tested his poise.
Schuchart held a commanding lead on the field but as lap traffic continuously hindered his pace, Pittman closed in. With 10 laps to go, Schuchart got caught behind a slower car coming off Turn 2, allowing Pittman to close within a car length’s distance.
However, once Schuchart found his way back into clean air, Pittman was left having to fend off Cory Eliason and Sweet.
In the closing laps of the race, Eliason found another gear. With five laps to go he charged his way around the outside of Pittman for second and set his sights on Schuchart. Three laps later, with smoke billowing out of his exhaust, Eliason powered his way around Schuchart off Turn 2.
Not willing to forgo his first DIRTcar Nationals win, Schuchart threw a hold-your-breath-slide job on Eliason through Turns 3 and 4 to reclaim the lead.
A large cloud of smoke erupted from Eliason’s motor the next lap, ending his night. The yellow flag flew with one lap to go.
On the restart, with Pittman and Sweet breathing down his neck, Schuchart darted away from the field. No one could touch the red and white Drydene car. Pittman and Sweet had to settle for second and third, respectively.
“Just pissed off at myself,” Pittman said. “I feel like if I would have stayed second… Man, like on that white flag, I couldn’t believe how far back he (Schuchart) came to me and Cory (Eliason). Honestly, I think it was anybody’s race going down the backstretch there on the white flag lap. We were kind of nose to tail. I wish I would have been in second there, I think I would have had a shot.”
Sweet started the DIRTcar Nationals being presented his 2019 World of Outlaws championship ring and ended it being presented his second Big Gator trophy. He’ll also leave Florida with the Series points lead – two points ahead of Schuchart.
The championship is far out of Schuchart’s head with more than 80 races to go this season. He said his focus is just to win as many races as he can. Nabbing his first golden gator trophy is one he can finally cross of his list.
“I really wanted one of these gators,” Schuchart said. “I’m really glad we got one.”
https://loganschuchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Sprint_DCN_Feb9_LoganvPittman_byFrankSmith.jpg7201170loganhttps://loganschuchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logo.pnglogan2020-02-17 14:54:132020-02-17 14:55:36SCHUCHART GRABS GATOR, FIRST WOO WIN IN 2020
Logan Schuchart always wanted to match his grandfather Bobby Allen’s win total in a single World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season – five.
For the Pennsylvania-native that number always stopped at four. He’s had seven second-place finishes since his fourth win of the year in June. Always close. But never quite enough.
Until Friday night at Skagit Speedway. Schuchart claimed his first victory at the 3/10-mile speedway and the illustrious fifth win of the season.
“Having my grandfather by my side since the beginning, he’s the main part of why this team is where it is, and really everyone together, but he’s the boss, the man in charge,” Schuchart said. “The most Outlaw wins he had in a year was five, so that was my main goal at the beginning of the year to at least get that. It’s pretty cool to do that with him and the rest of our team.”
Schuchart and his Shark Racing team at first looked destined for another runner-up finish as the night progressed. He finished second to Kraig Kinser in his Drydene Heat race and then second to Kinser again in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash.
When the 30-lap Feature went green, Schuchart was ready. He stayed side by side with Kinser into the first turn. Kinser, on the bottom, edged Schuchart on the exit of turn two, but the Shark Racing driver had the better run on the outside and powered by the Mesilla Valley Transportation No. 11k for the lead.
Schuchart pulled away by several car lengths, but a caution two laps into the race brought Kinser back to his tail tank. On the restart the Pennsylvanian picked up where he left off. He rocketed in front of Kinser by almost two car lengths before entering turn one and then ran away with the lead.
Kinser said he couldn’t hang with Schuchart in traffic.
Schuchart caught the back of the field by Lap six, but the slower cars didn’t hinder his performance. He maneuvered around them with ease, never losing his quick pace. However, in the closing laps, Schuchart said he felt like he fell off a little bit.
“For the first half, three-quarters of the race I could run up on any car that is in front of me and run a different line and go right by them,” Schuchart said. “There at the end I caught up to Shane (Stewart), but I wasn’t gaining anymore. It’s hard to tell how close Kraig is. You’re just running your own race at that point.”
At the end of the 28- lap run to the finish, Schuchart crossed the finish line with a 4.6 second lead over Kinser.
“I’ve wanted to win here for a couple of years now, since we’ve been coming here,” Schuchart said.
Schuchart – 298 points behind leader Donny Schatz – knows it would be hard to get in the mix with the top three in points, but has his eye on fourth-place, currently held by Daryn Pittman. He’s currently 34 points behind him.
“We’re kind of close to Daryn there in points, it would be nice to see if we could get him,” Schuchart said. “My best finish in points is sixth, last year. We’re fifth right now, I’d like to get to fourth and stay consistent. Keep learning as a program.
“We had two new guys with Ron Helmick and Ben Whitman this year and they’ve improved tremendously since they’ve started. I just want to improve the team and keep building this team from what it was five years ago and keep heading in the right direction.”
How Shark Racing Went from Scrappy Underdog to Outlaws Points Leader
Story published on Autoweek.com and shared on this sight with permission:
Autoweek.com – June 5, 2020
By Matt Weaver
Before anything else was possible, Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen needed to pay their dues in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. Upon accomplishing that goal, everything else could follow.
As it turns out, the rest is happening ahead of schedule.
Schuchart enters the ninth race of the 2020 season, his seventh as a full-timer, as the World of Outlaws championship leader—12 points ahead of defending champion Brad Sweet and 28 over 10-time champion Donny Schatz.
And while the accomplishment is impactful by itself, it’s even more noteworthy when considering he is doing so with a Drydene Shark Racing team comprised almost entirely of his famous racing family.
Schuchart, 27, is the grandson of Bobby “Scruffy” Allen, one of the discipline’s original true outlaws. Jacob, 25, is Scruffy’s youngest son. Their engines are built and maintained by Michael Newman, Scruffy’s nephew.
Bobby Allen, of course, is the 1990 Knoxville Nationals winner and one of the most decorated and admired Sprint Car personalities.
Now, Schuchart and the younger Allen are starting to meet the expectations of that legacy—a level that not everyone believed was possible.
Allen remembers wrapping up their first California swing in 2014 and being approached by crew members from Kasey Kahne Racing. They told Allen they had placed money that the Shark Racing boys would load up and return home to Pennsylvania without having finished the two-month stretch.
It wasn’t the most graceful of performances, but they made it.
So, it spoke volumes that when Allen flipped on the first night of racing last month at the Lake Ozark Speedway those same KKR crew members were feverishly laboring in the work area to repair his damaged car.
This wasn’t the first time it had happened, either. Respect had been earned.
“I don’t know the exact moment it happened, but I think people admired that we kept coming back no matter what obstacles were placed in front of us,” Allen said. “We’d flip or have mechanical problems and we would always come right back.
“We’d get hit and we would get right back up. Get hit. Get back up. Get hit. Get back up.
“That came from my dad. You can’t teach that kind of thing. You have to have a certain degree of heart, faith and belief to keep getting back up in those shitty circumstances. My dad has that. Logan has that. I have it. When all three of you have it, it creates something special.”
It’s certainly been a special season thus far for Schuchart with finishes of second, fifth, first, third, third, third, fourth, first and sixth.
For longtime followers of the tour, that’s a Summertime Schatz-like pace. It’s also a far cry from the Schuchart who went out to California in 2014 and finished outside the top 10 on four different occasions and even missed two features— albeit with a second place at Tulare.
Unlike Allen, who only started racing full time once he joined the Outlaws, Schuchart had a much more robust pedigree before his first season.
In his early teenage years, Schuchart raced 358 Sprint Cars at several Pennsylvania tracks. He is the youngest driver to ever win the Lincoln Speedway 348 track championship. In 2012, his first year behind the wheel of a 410 Sprint Car, he was voted the National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
It was never the lack of pedigree, but rather experience and additional funding.
“We’ve just continued to put in the work,” Schuchart said. “It’s been about continuing to run well at the places we’ve always raced well at, while also getting better at the places that used to kick our teeth in.
“Everyone has worked hard. My grandfather is tireless. He works so hard to show Jacob and I the ropes. He’s on the phone with Michael Newman five times a day. Tyler Barber has been with us for three years. Ben Whitman, Ron Helmick. Everyone is just working really well together, and that hard work is starting pay off.”
It’s something of a family tradition for Shark Racing to get the most out of its equipment.
The elder Allen earned the Scruffy nickname for both his outward appearance and also the blue-collar work ethic that accompanied it.
Even at 76 years old, he still drives the team’s hauler across the country and can often be found wrenching on the car alongside his boys. Since taking the team full-time Outlaws racing in 2014, this is the first year that Scruffy feels like his son and grandson have everything they need to contend for wins and a championship.
The latest step can be traced to a national sponsorship commitment from Drydene Performance Products. That agreement was first consummated in 2018 and expanded into a full-time naming rights agreement the following season.
The sponsorship has allowed the blue collar team the means to continually update its parts and pieces, while also providing Newman the ability to provide greater engine inventory and flexibility.
Before connecting with Drydene, Bobby Allen had his boys racing on a shoestring budget, at least in comparison to the powerhouse teams of national Sprint Car competition.
Shark Racing was getting by, but it wasn’t a sustainable model.
“Jacob is two years behind Logan, but now they’re both right there in front. I thought Logan would be a dark horse to win the championship and would have been really proud for Jacob to finish sixth to eighth. But now Logan is right there, and Jacob has been right there with him the past couple of weeks, except for the crash and the broken axle.
“We’ve got a long year, and we’re not counting our chickens before they hatch, but we’re actually ahead of where I thought we might be.”
World of Outlaws television analyst and 1980s perennial championship contender Brad Doty believes Schuchart has always been an exceptional talent and simply needed his equipment and experience to match the latent skillset.
“I can say I tore up a lot of stuff when I first started because young drivers just think you mash the pedal and that’s how you win races,” Doty said. “Doug Wolfgang told me that every good driver has a crashing spell. I told him that I had crashed so much that I should be a great driver someday!
“Logan never had that phase. He always seems to reach the line, but he’s never crossed it. He’s so mature and gets everything out of that race car. He’s smooth, has the right feel for every kind of racetrack and has always done a good job.
“He knew that if he crashed a lot, that meant he was going to have to sit out a couple of weeks, and that’s served him well now that he has more resources.”
Doty also believes the likelihood of a pandemic-shortened season could actually benefit both Schuchart and Shark Racing this season.
“As long as they can maintain their engine program, I believe they can run inside the top five all year,” Doty added. “There’s a lot of luck involved in all kinds of racing. When you run a 90-race schedule, you need luck.
“Steve Kinser would admit it, nights that he had a tire go flat in victory lane, or just having one less bad break than the other guy. With the shorter abbreviated schedule, there are less mulligans and they’re racing from an advantage right now. Every race is going to matter more, and they’re already ahead.
“With a team like Bobby’s, I think the shorter schedule will be easier on their engine program and will help them keep up with teams that have been here the past couple of years.”
No matter what happens the rest of the season, Schuchart just wants to continue building Shark Racing. It’s not enough to contend for the championship or even win it. It’s about improving on whatever the end result is and become even better than that.
“We want the people that are here to stay here,” Schuchart said. “We want to continue pursuing championships. We don’t want to lose sight of where we came from. That’s our goal and that’s what we want to continue to do.”
FIRST ‘WON’: SCHUCHART SCORES FIRST EDIRT RACING SHOOTOUT WINS IN CBS DEBUT
By World of Outlaws – April 29, 2020
Eldora Speedway never disappoints, and that clearly holds true for virtual racing, too. While fans wait for the real dirt to fly, Big E provided a rush of adrenaline during the World of Outlaws: eDirt Racing Shootout debut Tuesday night on CBS Sports Network.
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car star Logan Schuchart brought the virtual crowd and those watching at home to their feet, trading slide jobs with Kevin Swindell for the final five laps and edging him at the finish line to win his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car iRacing Feature … using the DIRTVision studio simulator no less. But before all that excitement, 19-year-old Kaeden Cornell picked up his first World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing win in a barn burner race, kicking off the doubleheader.
The two drivers beat star-studded fields that included a host of dirt aces taking on high-profile invaders like Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Juan Pablo Montoya, William Byron, Ron Capps, Chase Briscoe, Justin Allgaier and Cruz Pedregon.
The start of the NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car eDirt Racing Shootout Feature saw NASCAR Xfinity Series standout Briscoe pulled away from the field as drivers behind him went three and four wide, arguing over positions second through fifth.
Swindell became the benefactor of the battle, splitting the gap between Brad Sweet, Max McLaughlin and Robbie Kendall to launch his #39 Swindell Speedlab car into second. The two-time World of Outlaws iRacing Invitational winner was then on the hunt for Briscoe.
Twelve laps into the 35-lap Feature, Briscoe pounced off the wall off Turn 2 and slid down into Swindell, who was underneath him going for the lead. The two cars locked and slid sideways going into Turn 3, stacking up the field and bringing out the caution.
Swindell and Briscoe held their positions up front, but Swindell now had the lead. He, like Briscoe before him, pulled away from the field while the top-five traded positions amongst themselves every lap.
With 15 laps to go, as Briscoe, Sweet and Balog slowed each other’s momentum while battling for second, Schuchart held the throttle to the floor and fired his Drydene #1a car into the runner-up spot.
Schuchart, a two-time World of Outlaws winner in real life at Eldora, knew exactly what to do to catch Swindell.
“I just kind of used the same line that I used in real life last year at the Kings Royal,” said Schuchart, who powered from 12th to second in the 2019 Kings Royal at Eldora. “It seems to work on this thing.”
He ran the top, putting his right rear tire on the cushion, inches from the wall. That helped him run down Swindell in seconds. Once he caught him, he tried a slide job on Swindell in the first corner, but Swindell charged back by him the next turn.
A couple of cautions got in the way of their battle, but on a restart with five laps to go, the two drivers put on a Sprint Car racing clinic, virtual or not. Schuchart would launch his car ahead of Swindell one corner and Swindell would slide back by him the next. They crossed the finish line separated by thousandths of a second each lap.
With two laps to go, Swindell bounced off the cushion just enough to give Schuchart the advantage to clear him off Turn 4. However, Swindell wasn’t finished. “The Bulldog” stayed close to Schuchart and looked underneath him coming to the checkered flag.
Schuchart had the better momentum off Turn 4 and edged Swindell at the line by 0.25 seconds.
As fast as everyone’s heart was beating by watching the spectacular finish, Schuchart’s adrenaline was up just as high.
“My heart is going, I feel like I just got out of a real car,” said an out of breath Schuchart. “That was a great race with Kevin. That was really cool. We were able to race each other real clean. It was a lot of run. It’s real cool to win one of these things.”
World of Outlaws Sprint Car NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 laps) — 1. 1-Logan Schuchart [6] [$1,000]; 2. 39-Kevin Swindell [5]; 3. 170-Bill Balog [1]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 5. 7-Tyler Courtney [14]; 6. 17-Austin McCarl [11]; 7. 6-Juan Pablo Montoya [20]; 8. 5-Chase Briscoe [2]; 9. 35-Mike Mahaney [13]; 10. 1-Jacob Allen [15]; 11. 17-Max McLaughlin [7]; 12. 2-Wayne Johnson [18]; 13. 41-David Gravel [12]; 14. 5-Brent Marks [10]; 15. 25-William Byron [21]; 16. 28-Ron Capps [19]; 17. 18-Ian Madsen [16]; 18. 21-Brian Brown [9]; 19. 2-Carson Macedo [8]; 20. 55-Robbie Kendall [3]; 21. 2-Kerry Madsen [17]. Lap leaders: Chase Briscoe 1-11; Kevin Swindell 12-33; Logan Schuchart 34-35. KSE Hard Charger: Juan Pablo Montoya +13.
MAKIN’ A SPLASH: LOGAN SCHUCHART OFF TO CAREER BEST START
Story courtesy of WOO; written by Nick Graziano – February 19, 2020
Logan Schuchart had never won at Volusia Speedway Park coming into the 2020 DIRTcar Nationals. Never led a lap. Never even finished inside the top-five. That’s changed.
In the three World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season opening races at the half-mile Florida track, Schuchart amassed 50 laps led and three top-five finishes, including two podiums and a win.
“Getting a win before we leave Florida is awesome,” said Schuchart, of Hanover, PA. “I’m really excited about that.”
Schuchart is now second in the standings, two-points behind reigning champion Brad Sweet. It’s the best position he’s been in to start a season with the Texas doubleheader at Cotton Bowl Speedway on March 13 and LoneStar Speedway on March 14 the next stop on the tour.
His performance is a testament to the continued growth of his talent and Shark Racing’s capabilities since joining the World of Outlaws tour full-time in 2014.
The team’s first few years were about surviving and making it to November, Schuchart has said. In his rookie campaign he earned five top-five finishes and 15 top-10s. It wasn’t until 2016 that he earned his first career victory.
Last year, in a breakout year for the 27-year-old, Schuchart earned a career high eight wins – doubling his number of total career wins – 32 top-five finishes, 53 top-10s and led 243 laps. He also finished a career best fifth in the Series standings. And while that success has helped propel him to a strong start this year, Schuchart cites he and the team’s progressive growth began long before 2019.
“Not just 2019, but all of the years in general, the experience over the years, taking notes, getting better and just getting smarter about everything,” Schuchart said. “I just feel like the more experience we get the smarter we get about certain things.
“But this is tough. There’s a lot of great race car drivers out here. A lot of great teams. Great mechanics. They can put you in your place very quick. The World of Outlaws is in a great spot. The sport is in a great spot. But we’re trying to stay on top.”
Schuchart’s five days in Florida showed how quickly he and his Shark Racing team can learn and adapt. The two opening Sprint Week races during the DIRTcar Nationals with the All Star Circuit of Champions saw Schuchart finish 11th and 17th, respectively.
Then he nearly won the season opening race for the World of Outlaws. Schuchart led 21 laps and lost the lead to 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz with three laps to go, settling for a runner-up finish. The next night he failed to qualify for the Feature and had to use a provisional to start. However, he was able to charge his way from 25th to fifth – earning the Hard Charger award for the night.
On the final night of racing in Florida, Schuchart led 29 of 30 laps, and held off attacks from Cory Eliason and Daryn Pittman to pick up his first Volusia Speedway Park win. His Shark Racing teammate Jacob Allen also got a career best finish of 12th at the speedway on the final night.
“Definitely a weight off your shoulders knowing you got one,” Schuchart said. “They’re so tough to come by. To get one off your back and being able to just go out there and race and build off of what you already have is definitely a relief.”
While Schuchart is on track for another possible career year, with more than 80 races to go this year, contending for the championship is far out of his mind.
“I just want to win races,” Schuchart said. “I don’t want to think about that at all. That comes at the end. At November I’m sure you think about that when the points are close. Whatever it is. I just want to win as many races as I can and if we’re able to do that the rest will come.”
SCHUCHART GRABS GATOR, FIRST WOO WIN IN 2020
BARBERVILLE, FL – February 9, 2020 – The wild hunt commenced Sunday night at the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series finale at the DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford.
The trophies: A golden gator. And a Big Gator.
Logan Schuchart put an assault on the 27-car field, in front of a packed house, to earn his first win at Volusia Speedway Park and Brad Sweet cruised to his third podium finish in-a-row, awarding him his second Big Gator championship. Sweet won his first Big Gator in 2016.
“It was a lot of fun,” Sweet said about the event. “I thought we had a lot of different tracks all week. The NAPA car was fast on all the different conditions, but we’ll take that… 2020 is looking to be a strong year for us.”
Schuchart, who had never finished inside the top-five and never led a lap at the half-mile speedway, ended his 2020 DIRTcar Nationals with three top-five finishes in-a-row and 50 laps led. He placed second the first night. Charged from 25th to fifth the second night. And won the DIRTcar Nationals Sprint Car Week finale.
“This place is just so tough,” Schuchart said. “You know, we come here, we learn, I watch videos in the wintertime. We just try to make our cars better as a whole.
“Just kind of studying the racetrack. Notes from the past. Watching the highlight videos from the past few years and what other people’s cars look like compared to ours and maybe what we could have done better to qualify and put us in better positions… First three races were awesome. To pull away with a win really helps our confidence.”
That confidence showed before the conclusion of Sunday night’s 30-lap Feature when the Hanover, PA driver powered his way underneath Daryn Pittman on Lap 2 to take the lead. From there, he never relinquished it, leading the final 29 laps. Although, those on the hunt behind him tested his poise.
Schuchart held a commanding lead on the field but as lap traffic continuously hindered his pace, Pittman closed in. With 10 laps to go, Schuchart got caught behind a slower car coming off Turn 2, allowing Pittman to close within a car length’s distance.
However, once Schuchart found his way back into clean air, Pittman was left having to fend off Cory Eliason and Sweet.
In the closing laps of the race, Eliason found another gear. With five laps to go he charged his way around the outside of Pittman for second and set his sights on Schuchart. Three laps later, with smoke billowing out of his exhaust, Eliason powered his way around Schuchart off Turn 2.
Not willing to forgo his first DIRTcar Nationals win, Schuchart threw a hold-your-breath-slide job on Eliason through Turns 3 and 4 to reclaim the lead.
A large cloud of smoke erupted from Eliason’s motor the next lap, ending his night. The yellow flag flew with one lap to go.
On the restart, with Pittman and Sweet breathing down his neck, Schuchart darted away from the field. No one could touch the red and white Drydene car. Pittman and Sweet had to settle for second and third, respectively.
“Just pissed off at myself,” Pittman said. “I feel like if I would have stayed second… Man, like on that white flag, I couldn’t believe how far back he (Schuchart) came to me and Cory (Eliason). Honestly, I think it was anybody’s race going down the backstretch there on the white flag lap. We were kind of nose to tail. I wish I would have been in second there, I think I would have had a shot.”
Sweet started the DIRTcar Nationals being presented his 2019 World of Outlaws championship ring and ended it being presented his second Big Gator trophy. He’ll also leave Florida with the Series points lead – two points ahead of Schuchart.
The championship is far out of Schuchart’s head with more than 80 races to go this season. He said his focus is just to win as many races as he can. Nabbing his first golden gator trophy is one he can finally cross of his list.
“I really wanted one of these gators,” Schuchart said. “I’m really glad we got one.”
Story courtesy of WorldofOutlaws.com
HIGH-FIVE: Schuchart Earns Fifth WoO Triumph of 2019 at Skagit
Logan Schuchart always wanted to match his grandfather Bobby Allen’s win total in a single World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season – five.
For the Pennsylvania-native that number always stopped at four. He’s had seven second-place finishes since his fourth win of the year in June. Always close. But never quite enough.
Until Friday night at Skagit Speedway. Schuchart claimed his first victory at the 3/10-mile speedway and the illustrious fifth win of the season.
“Having my grandfather by my side since the beginning, he’s the main part of why this team is where it is, and really everyone together, but he’s the boss, the man in charge,” Schuchart said. “The most Outlaw wins he had in a year was five, so that was my main goal at the beginning of the year to at least get that. It’s pretty cool to do that with him and the rest of our team.”
Schuchart and his Shark Racing team at first looked destined for another runner-up finish as the night progressed. He finished second to Kraig Kinser in his Drydene Heat race and then second to Kinser again in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash.
When the 30-lap Feature went green, Schuchart was ready. He stayed side by side with Kinser into the first turn. Kinser, on the bottom, edged Schuchart on the exit of turn two, but the Shark Racing driver had the better run on the outside and powered by the Mesilla Valley Transportation No. 11k for the lead.
Schuchart pulled away by several car lengths, but a caution two laps into the race brought Kinser back to his tail tank. On the restart the Pennsylvanian picked up where he left off. He rocketed in front of Kinser by almost two car lengths before entering turn one and then ran away with the lead.
Kinser said he couldn’t hang with Schuchart in traffic.
Schuchart caught the back of the field by Lap six, but the slower cars didn’t hinder his performance. He maneuvered around them with ease, never losing his quick pace. However, in the closing laps, Schuchart said he felt like he fell off a little bit.
“For the first half, three-quarters of the race I could run up on any car that is in front of me and run a different line and go right by them,” Schuchart said. “There at the end I caught up to Shane (Stewart), but I wasn’t gaining anymore. It’s hard to tell how close Kraig is. You’re just running your own race at that point.”
At the end of the 28- lap run to the finish, Schuchart crossed the finish line with a 4.6 second lead over Kinser.
“I’ve wanted to win here for a couple of years now, since we’ve been coming here,” Schuchart said.
Schuchart – 298 points behind leader Donny Schatz – knows it would be hard to get in the mix with the top three in points, but has his eye on fourth-place, currently held by Daryn Pittman. He’s currently 34 points behind him.
“We’re kind of close to Daryn there in points, it would be nice to see if we could get him,” Schuchart said. “My best finish in points is sixth, last year. We’re fifth right now, I’d like to get to fourth and stay consistent. Keep learning as a program.
“We had two new guys with Ron Helmick and Ben Whitman this year and they’ve improved tremendously since they’ve started. I just want to improve the team and keep building this team from what it was five years ago and keep heading in the right direction.”
Tying records with Bobby Allen is a good start.