Texas-Sized Weekend
Schuchart Posts Three Top-10s, including season-best 2nd at Devils Bowl
MESQUITE, Texas – The start of the 2018 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series campaign hasn’t quite provided the results Logan Schuchart and his Shark Racing team were aiming for, but their best three-race run of the season last weekend in Texas has them feeling positive about the month of May and beyond.
“We had a really good weekend here in Texas,“ Schuchart said. “I have to thank everyone behind this team. Nobody gives up. I feel like we have a really good racecar right now. Friday night was fun racing upfront with Jason (Johnson) and Daryn (Pittman). We kept dialing it in Saturday and I wish we would have started a little bit closer to the front, because we were coming there at the end. It’s consistency that makes the difference out here. We’re all working really hard to get there. Me, Joe (Mooney), my grandpa (Bobby Allen), Jacob (Allen) and Tyler (Garber) are working really well together. As good as my car felt Saturday night at Devils Bowl, I wish we were racing tonight. It’s going to be hard to wait until Friday, but we’re excited about our direction right now.”
The driver of the Shark Racing No. 1s Priority Aviation/Ausherman Properties/Michael Palumbo XXX finished 10th Thursday night at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, Texas. The race was originally scheduled for February, but was postponed to last Wednesday. Late afternoon rain forced Outlaw officials to push the program to Thursday. He started 13th and advanced to 10th in the 30-lap A-Feature and earned his third KSE Hard Charger Award of the season.
Following the race, the Hanover, Pennsylvania native ventured to historic Devils Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas for the two-night Texas Outlaw Nationals. Things got off to a good start with Schuchart qualifying sixth Friday night and earning a front row starting spot of heat three. After winning the heat, he transferred to the Craftsman Club Dash and finished second and would share the front row for the 25-lap A-Feature with Daryn Pittman. Pittman took the lead at the start while Schuchart battled Jason Johnson for the second position. Johnson was able to get the spot early, but Schuchart used a mid-race restart to his advantage and regained second. He closed on Pittman late, but wasn’t able to make a move for the lead before the finish and came home second.
Following his best result of the season, Schuchart returned for the $20,000-to-win Texas Outlaw Nationals finale Saturday. He qualified 12th and finished fourth in heat three to transfer into the 30-lap A-Feature. He was on the move in the main event climbing from his sixth row starting spot into the top-10 quickly. He continued his run to the front throughout the main event taking fourth from Johnson during the late stages and was rapidly closing on third-place Shane Stewart before running out of time. He was credited with a fourth-place finish to cap the best weekend of the season so far.
Season stats:
WoO Races: 14 Podium Finishes: 2 Top-Fives: 3 Top-10s: 6
Fast-time Awards: 2
KSE Hard Charger Awards: 3
Points/Position: 1754/8th
Up Next:
Friday, May 4, 2018 • Lake Ozark Speedway, Eldon, MO
The Outlaws have not competed at the track since 2007 before Schuchart ever wheeled a Sprint car. He will be making his debut at the 1/3-mile dirt oval in central Missouri.
Salina Highbanks
Saturday, May 5, 2018 • Salina (Okla.) Highbanks
Schuchart has made an appearance at the Salina Highbanks in each of his first four full seasons on the Outlaw tour. He finished 22nd during his rookie season before racing from 18th to ninth to earn the KSE Hard Charger Award in the spring of 2015. In October 2016, he started sixth and was moving forward before losing an engine and finishing 22nd. Last fall, he was the fourth fastest qualifier and finished seventh in the A-Feature.
