Schuchart Holds off Schatz at Cedar Lake to Score First Career Win

Joins Bill Balog as the only other first time winner, so far, in 2016

NEW RICHMOND, Wisc. – July 8, 2016 – It was not easy but Logan Schuchart did what he had to Friday night at Cedar Lake Speedway to score his first career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series victory as he battled past Joey Saldana and held off Donny Schatz to win the FVP Outlaws at Cedar Lake.

Schuchart, who started the feature on the front row with Shane Stewart, jumped out to the lead early but succumbed to Joey Saldana’s charge on a lap seven restart. Schuchart battled back as the two drivers worked their way through traffic and despite strong advances from Donny Schatz late, Schuchart held tough.

“I’m proud of our team. We’ve gotten close a couple of times and I can tell the disappointment when we come back,” Schuchart said. “I told everybody, ‘we’re going to get one of these after a while.’ You know how hard it is racing with the Outlaws and how difficult it is every night, but I believed we were going to get it done and sooner or later it was going to start clicking.

“I promised my little brother, two years ago, he said, ‘how come you don’t win anymore?’ I said, ‘well, what do you want me to do? The next time I win, I’m going to stand on the wing.’ He said, ‘alright.’ So tonight, I had to fulfill that promise to my little brother. That felt great.”

After three podium finishes so far this season, the win was a long time coming for Schuchart and his No. 1S Mark Pell Tire Service/Marty Thompson Investments Shark Racing team, owned by his grandfather, sprint car legend Bobby Allen.

“Just our team, my grandpa, never quit attitude. The guy just keeps going, never quits. I owe everything to him. The rest of my team, Jake, Joe, Aiden, Jacob – we all work hard.”

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS AND WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM LOGAN SCHUCHART’S FIRST EVER WORLD OF OUTLAWS WIN

Rico Abreu helped kick off the night as he scored his first quick time award of the season. Stewart led the field to the green in the 35-lap feature – just his second pole position of 2016.

Schuchart jumped out to an early lead but as he caught traffic, Saldana closed the gap. A caution flag flew on lap seven and on the restart, Saldana jumped out to the lead. A battle heated up behind those two between Schatz, Daryn Pittman and Stewart for the third, fourth and fifth positions. Ultimately, Schatz held onto the third spot as Stewart held fourth.

As the leaders again caught traffic, Schuchart closed the gap on Saldana and found an opening. Schuchart dove into turn one as the field worked to complete lap 16, pulled side-by-side with Saldana and beat him onto the back straight. Saldana charged back, throwing the slider into turn three, but Schuchart maintained the top spot.

By lap 20, Schatz, then running third in his No. 15 Bad Boy Off Road/Chevrolet Performance J & J, was catching Saldana. Two laps later, Schatz found his way around Saldana and set his sights on the leader. Schuchart got caught up by lapped traffic three laps later and Schatz cut his second and a half lead to almost nothing.

The final caution flag of the night fell with eight laps remaining. On the restart, Schuchart powered forward and with a clear track ahead, he built an insurmountable lead on Schatz.

Schuchart was the 15th different winner of the season.

“Anytime you have Donny starting next to you to end the race, it’s going to make you nervous,” Schuchart said. “I was just trying to not let the butterflies get to me. I felt like I was running my race. I felt like not being in lap traffic would help me, so as long as I could get the lead and get in my line he was going to have a hard time passing me. Those guys were good, but tonight we were just a little bit better.”

Schatz, who extended his lead in the championship standings to 109 points over Brad Sweet, scored his season leading 21st podium finish of 2016. Schatz congratulated Schuchart following the feature.

“Happy for Logan,” Schatz said. “Logan’s been knocking on the door looking for a win for a long time so good to see him get a win there.

“I felt like we had a good shot there on the yellow but I killed us. I don’t know if I heated up the tires too much after that or what happened. (Schuchart) was able to move around in the middle of one and two and that’s where I needed to be. We didn’t run all that great but we felt that way last year and run second the first night and won the second night. So we’ll take that tonight as long as we can reverse thattomorrow night.”

For Saldana, the finish extends a solid run for the No. 83 Roth Motorsports car. Like Schatz, Saldana too had kudos for Schuchart and his Shark team.

“I want to congratulate Logan and the Shark team,” Saldana said. “Winning your first one means so much. He’ll win many more. It was nice to see them finally get something rewarding. You put a lot of work to run with the World of Outlaws and run these teams.

“Good effort by the whole Roth team. We missed it just a little bit. We built a new car and we were just off a little bit… hopefully we come back here tomorrow night and get a little bit better.”

Paul McMahan was the night’s KSE Racing Hard Charger, advancing 11 positions to finish in 12th after he transferred out of the Last Chance Showdown.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series wraps up its FVP Outlaws at Cedar Lake double-header at Cedar Lake Speedway Saturday night. For more information and to learn how to purchase tickets, visit WoOSprint.com/Cedar-Lake-Speedway.

Follow the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series on Twitter atTwitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at Facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at YouTube.com/WorldofOutlaws.

Cedar Lake Speedway Notebook

RACE NOTES: Rico Abreu scored his first quick time award of the season at Cedar Lake after a qualifying lap of 11.247… Logan Schuchart became the second driver of the season to score his first career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series victory. He joins Bill Balog on the list of new winners… Paul McMahan was the night’s KSE Racing Hard Charger, advancing 11 positions to finish in 12th… In addition to being the season’s leading qualifier, Joey Saldana is also the season’s leading Heat race winner. After tonight he now has 24 Heat races win on the season.

CONTINGENCY WINNERS – MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Jason Sides; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Daryn Pittman; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): David Gravel; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Brad Sweet; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Morton Buildings ($50 cash): Willie Croft; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Super Flow ($50 cash): Paul Nienhiser; Craftsman/Sears ($100 cash): Rico Abreu; KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Paul McMahan; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Logan Schuchart; JE Pistons(Set of Rings): Paul Nienhiser; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Jacob Allen.

SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz – 12 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 4, Stockton Dirt Track on March 18, Stockton Dirt Track on March 19, Silver Dollar Speedway on April 2, Lincoln Speedway on May 19, Weedsport Speedway on May 22, Lincoln Park Speedway on June 8, Knoxville Raceway on June 11, River Cities Speedway on June 17, Rockford Speedway on June 29, Badlands Motor Speedway on July 3); Brad Sweet – 7(Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Cotton Bowl Speedway on Feb. 26, Ocean Speedway on April 1, Bakersfield Speedway on April 15, Plymouth Speedway on May 13, Badlands Motor Speedway on July 2); Daryn Pittman – 5 (Royal Purple Raceway on Feb. 27, Perris Auto Speedway on April 16, USA Raceway on April 18, New Egypt Speedway on May 24, Jackson Motorplex on June 24); Shane Stewart – 5 (Arizona Speedway on March 6, Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 23, Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 30, Granite City Speedway on June 15, Brown County Speedway on June 19); Joey Saldana – 4(The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 3, Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 22, Jacksonville Speedway on May 4, I-80 Speedway on June 22); David Gravel – 3(Thunderbowl Raceway on March 12, Tri-State Speedway on May 14, I-96 Speedway on June 6); Kerry Madsen – 2 (Eldora Speedway on May 6 and 7); Bill Balog – 1 (Beaver Dam Raceway on June 25); Lance Dewease – 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 20); Chad Kemenah – 1 (Fremont Speedway on June 3);Jason Johnson – 1 (Placerville Speedway on March 24); Terry McCarl – 1(Knoxville Raceway on June 10);Logan Schuchart – 1 (Cedar Lake Speedway on July 9); Jason Sides – 1 (I-30 Speedway on April 26); Greg Wilson – 1 (The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 27).

World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Cedar Lake Speedway; New Richmond, Wisc.; July 8, 2016.

A-Main – (35 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2] [$8,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4] [$4,000]; 3. 83-Joey Saldana [3] [$2,500]; 4. 2-Shane Stewart [1] [$2,200]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu [6] [$2,100]; 6. 2KS-Craig Dollansky [8] [$2,000]; 7. 9-Daryn Pittman [5] [$1,800]; 8. 5-David Gravel [15] [$1,600]; 9. 49-Brad Sweet [17] [$1,500]; 10. 21-Brian Brown [9] [$1,300]; 11. 26-Willie Croft [12] [$1,200]; 12. 7-Paul McMahan [23] [$1,100]; 13. 18-Ian Madsen [16] [$1,000]; 14. 2L-Danny Lasoski [13] [$700]; 15. 55-Brooke Tatnell [11] [$600]; 16. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [19] [$600]; 17. 17B-Bill Balog [20] [$600]; 18. W20-Greg Wilson [18] [$600]; 19. 29-Kerry Madsen [7] [$600]; 20. 19-Paige Polyak [24] [$600]; 21. 1A-Jacob Allen [14] [$600]; 22. 56-David Heskin [21] [$600]; 23. 7S-Jason Sides [10] [$600]; 24. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [22] [$600]. Lap Leaders:Logan Schuchart 1-6, 16-35; Joey Saldana 7-15. KSE Hard Charger Award: 7-Paul McMahan [+11]

Qualifying – 1. 24-Rico Abreu, 11.247; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman, 11.284; 3. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.298; 4. 83-Joey Saldana, 11.358; 5. 2-Shane Stewart, 11.388; 6. 1A-Jacob Allen, 11.390; 7. 2KS-Craig Dollansky, 11.410; 8. 26-Willie Croft, 11.435; 9. 21-Brian Brown, 11.455; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 11.461; 11. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 11.472; 12. 17B-Bill Balog, 11.490; 13. 56-David Heskin, 11.495; 14. 7S-Jason Sides, 11.502; 15. 55-Brooke Tatnell, 11.512; 16. 29-Kerry Madsen, 11.514; 17. 2L-Danny Lasoski, 11.539; 18. 41X-Dominic Scelzi, 11.545; 19. 5-David Gravel, 11.550; 20. 7-Paul McMahan, 11.561; 21. 49-Brad Sweet, 11.556; 22. 10-Dakota Hendrickson, 11.621; 23. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, 11.634; 24. 18-Ian Madsen, 11.658; 25. 16-Travis Whitney, 11.662; 26. 19-Paige Polyak, 11.663; 27. 41-Jason Johnson, 11.713; 28. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 11.763; 29. 5G-Dave Glennon, 11.927; 30. W20-Greg Wilson, 11.929; 31. 29L-Leigh Thomas, 12.024; 32. 9Z-Jared Goerges, 12.100; 33. 13-Clyde Knipp, 12.311; 34. 19L-Rob Caho, 12.340

Heat 1 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 24-Rico Abreu [1]; 2. 2-Shane Stewart [2]; 3. 21-Brian Brown [3]; 4. 2L-Danny Lasoski [5]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 6. 16-Travis Whitney [7]; 7. 5G-Dave Glennon [8]; 8. 56-David Heskin [4]; 9. 13-Clyde Knipp [9]

Heat 2 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [1]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [2]; 5. W20-Greg Wilson [8]; 6. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [5]; 7. 19-Paige Polyak [7]; 8. 10-Dakota Hendrickson [6]; 9. 19L-Rob Caho [9]

Heat 3 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 2. 2KS-Craig Dollansky [2]; 3. 55-Brooke Tatnell [4]; 4. 5-David Gravel [5]; 5. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [3]; 6. 41-Jason Johnson [7]; 7. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [6]; 8. 29L-Leigh Thomas [8]

Heat 4 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 83-Joey Saldana [1]; 2. 29-Kerry Madsen [4]; 3. 26-Willie Croft [2]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [6]; 5. 17B-Bill Balog [3]; 6. 7-Paul McMahan [5]; 7. 7W-Tasker Phillips [7]; 8. 9Z-Jared Goerges [8]

Dash – (8 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 2-Shane Stewart [2]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1]; 3. 83-Joey Saldana [3]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman [5]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu [6]; 7. 29-Kerry Madsen [8]; 8. 2KS-Craig Dollansky [7]

Last Chance Showdown – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 56-David Heskin [1]; 2. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [2]; 3. 7-Paul McMahan [3]; 4. 19-Paige Polyak [7]; 5. 41-Jason Johnson [8]; 6. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [5]; 7. 16-Travis Whitney [6]; 8. 19L-Rob Caho [14]; 9. 29L-Leigh Thomas [11]; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [13]; 11. 7W-Tasker Phillips [9]; 12. 9Z-Jared Goerges [12]; 13. 5G-Dave Glennon [10]; 14. 10-Dakota Hendrickson [4]

Unofficial World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Championship Standings

The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Bad Boy Off Road (Official Side-by-Side Vehicle), Craftsman (Official Tool), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Morton Buildings (Official Building), Sears (Official Home Store), The Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience (Official Racing Experience) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Penske Shocks, and Superflow Dynos; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Impact Racing Products, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo and TNT Rescue.

Sources: Aaron Fiedler/World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series PR

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