Schuchart won the DIRTcar Nationals finale in February, while Sweet claimed the event’s title. Saturday night, during the World of Outlaws Last Call season finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Schuchart won the race, while Sweet was officially crowned the 2020 champion.

“We overcame a lot of adversity to have four DNFs and to still win the points,” said Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, about his 2020 season. “I thought we showed our resilience this week and we came here and executed, I thought, perfectly.

“We did everything we needed to do to win the points and get Kasey Kahne Racing the team championship. Hats off to our competitors. Logan (Schuchart) gave me a good run for my money all season long and the 41 (Jason Johnson Racing) bunch… nothing but respect from all of us here. Obviously, we want to win and stay on top of the mountain.”

Schuchart and his Shark Racing team kept the pressure on Sweet for the championship all year long. The two swapped the points lead twice during the season, but Schuchart’s effort came up short Friday night at The Dirt Track. By Sweet finishing ahead of him, the reigning champion secured enough points to clinch his second consecutive title.

However, that did little to diminish Schuchart’s hunger for another win. His last trip to Victory Lane was in September. So, with a championship mentality no longer needed, Schuchart went full king shark Saturday night.

He set Quick Time in his Qualifying flight; finished second in his Drydene Heat Race; finished second in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash; and dusted Sweet in the 30-lap Feature to earn his seventh win of the season and third win at The Dirt Track.

“We came into this weekend saying we just wanted to end strong,” said Schuchart, of Hanover, PA. “We knew certain things were out of our control. Last night was a challenge, but we made up for it a little bit. To end the World of Outlaws season with a win is awesome.

“We weren’t able to get the champion. But fifth last year and second this year (in points). This Shark Racing team is coming. We’re going to continue to try and get better and move forward.”

Sweet was the early contender for the win, claiming the pole for the Feature and led the three opening laps. But Schuchart had the NAPA Auto Parts #49 in sight the entire time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With a run down the front stretch, Schuchart pulled the trigger and shot a slide job underneath Sweet into Turn 1 and cleared him for the lead by Turn 2.

From then on, the Drydene #1S held command out front. Sweet closed on him in traffic but could never get close enough to attempt a pass.

“I wish I wouldn’t have lost the lead to Logan because I felt like the way the race played out I never really got another great opportunity to get by him,” Sweet said. “Just started out the race just a little off. But it came to me. I felt like we were just as good as Logan in open air. And that says a lot, because he’s usually really good at this place.”

Aside from trying to run down Schuchart for the win, Sweet still had a championship to worry about, other than his own. His Kasey Kahne Racing team entered the night 22 points ahead of Jason Johnson Racing. And JJR’s driver David Gravel didn’t help ease the pressure off Sweet throughout the night.

Gravel set overall Quick Time for the second night in a row and beat Sweet for the win in their Drydene Heat Race. By the luck of the draw, Sweet started on the pole for the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash and won, claiming the Feature’s pole position. Gravel finished fourth.

In the Feature, Gravel stole third on the first lap and kept Sweet in sight throughout the entire event. Gravel could close on him after a restart, but Sweet pulled away over time in clean air. To have any shot at bringing JJR the team title, he needed to beat Sweet and hope that "The Big Cat" fell at least 11 positions behind him.

He came up short on that goal and ended the season with a third-place finish.

“I knew we had a chance (at beating Sweet),” said Gravel, of Watertown, CT. “Just lacked a little bit there. We were pretty good, but Brad and Logan were really really good there. We could hang with them on the restart and I had some good runs and Brad made a move and blocked my lane. That was kind of my only chance.”

The race was also Gravel’s final drive behind the wheel of the JJR #41 car. He’ll join Big Game Motorsports in 2021 for a championship run.

Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz ended the night with a sixth-place finish and ended the year third in the championship standings. That breaks his 14-year streak of finishing first or second in points.

Sheldon Haudenschild had a career best season, finishing fourth in points with a career-high seven wins in a single season. Carson Macedo also had a new career achievement by finishing fifth in points with Kyle Larson Racing. Macedo will join Jason Johnson Racing in 2021 as KLR closes this year.

The Last Call was 2013 World of Outlaws champion Daryn Pittman’s final race as a full-time Series driver. He capped off his career with a ninth-place run at The Dirt Track and finished seventh in the championship standings.

Now, with the 2020 season completed, the World of Outlaws will look to 2021 and, again, open the season in February at Volusia Speedway Park for the DIRTcar Nationals. A new beginning to Sweet and Schuchart’s budding competitive tale.

UP NEXT

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will kick off the 2021 season Feb. 5-7 at Volusia Speedway Park for the DIRTcar Nationals. For tickets, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2][$12,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$5,500]; 3. 41-David Gravel [4][$3,200]; 4. 2M-Kerry Madsen [7][$2,800]; 5. 21-Brian Brown [3][$2,500]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [9][$2,300]; 7. 10-Dave Blaney [11][$2,200]; 8. 57-Kyle Larson [12][$2,100]; 9. 72-Daryn Pittman [13][$2,050]; 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [10][$2,000]; 11. 9-James McFadden [16][$1,500]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [17][$1,200]; 13. 39-Spencer Bayston [8][$1,100]; 14. 71-Shane Stewart [14][$1,050]; 15. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [6][$1,000]; 16. 26-Cory Eliason [22][$1,000]; 17. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [24][$1,000]; 18. 2-Carson Macedo [5][$1,000]; 19. 13-Justin Peck [23][$1,000]; 20. 39M-Anthony Macri [21][$1,000]; 21. 83-Dominic Scelzi [25][$]; 22. 5-Brent Marks [15][$1,000]; 23. 7S-Jason Sides [20][$1,000]; 24. 1A-Jacob Allen [19][$1,000]; 25. 33M-Mason Daniel [27][$]; 26. 11-Ian Madsen [18][$1,000]; 27. 6-Bill Rose [28][$]; 28. 2C-Wayne Johnson [26][$]; Lap Leaders: Brad Sweet 1-2, Logan Schuchart 3-30; KSE Hard Charger Award: 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[+7]

Qualifying Flight-A – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.69; 2. 2-Carson Macedo, 12.779; 3. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 12.786; 4. 21-Brian Brown, 12.831; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri, 12.831; 6. 10-Dave Blaney, 12.841; 7. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.86; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.91; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.927; 10. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 12.927; 11. 72-Daryn Pittman, 12.929; 12. 5-Brent Marks, 12.935; 13. 26-Cory Eliason, 13.024; 14. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 13.053; 15. 44S-Trey Starks, 13.099; 16. 33M-Mason Daniel, 13.136; 17. 6-Bill Rose, 13.247; 18. 7NY-Matt Farnham, 13.273; 19. 2X-Bill Balog, 13.278; 20. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.388; 21. 40-George Hobaugh, 13.448; 22. 70-Nick Tucker, 13.858

Sweet clinched his second consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series title, while Gravel led from green to checkers to claim his third consecutive win at the Charlotte track.

However, at the end of the night, the two shared a common desire: They’re both focused on winning the team championship for their teams. Sweet’s Kasey Kahne Racing team leads Gravel’s Jason Johnson Racing team by 22 points, heading into the final race of the 2020 season on Saturday.

“I just don’t feel like the job is fully completed,” said Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA. “I think the team championship is just as important to our guys, to me, to (team owner) Kasey (Kahne). The job is half done right now.

"Obviously, for me, personally, I know my name is going to be in those record books. Being a two-time champion is something that is really special to me. It puts me up there with some really great guys. I’m excited, but we still have to get that team championship for Kasey and the guys. If we’re able to do that, I think it will show that we were able to overcome a lot of adversity this year.”

During Gravel’s victory speech, the team title was the first thing on his mind, even as he plans to leave Jason Johnson Racing for Big Game Motorsports next year.

“What did he (Sweet) run fourth or something like that?” Gravel asked in Victory Lane. “So, we gained [eight] points on him. So, we’re [22] points back. Got to beat him by 10 positions tomorrow. That’s going to be hard to do. All we can do is win these races and see where we end up.”

If Gravel wins the final night of the Last Call, he’ll need Sweet to finished 11th in order to secure the team champion. The two teams would tie in points, but Jason Johnson Racing would then have nine wins versus Kasey Kahne Racing’s eight. With positions second and on paying two points between them, versus the four-point difference from first to second, Gravel would need to beat Sweet by 11 spots if he doesn't win.

The Watertown, CT driver proved that he and JJR came to Charlotte with the intent of leaving with a title. He dominated the night by setting Quick Time, winning his Drydene Heat Race, finishing second in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash and then cleaning house in the Feature.

He and polesitter Carson Macedo raced side by side for the first lap, Gravel high and Macedo low, but the high line prevailed for Gravel, helping him to rocketed ahead of the Kyle Larson Racing #2 car.

Five cautions slowed Gravel’s quest for the trophy throughout the night. However, Macedo, and eventually Sheldon Haudenschild, had nothing for Gravel on the restarts from the runner-up spot. They’d close on Gravel in traffic, but he put time behind them once he got into a rhythm.

Gravel piloted the Mesilla Valley Transportation #41 car through tough track conditions and lap traffic to win by more than three seconds over Haudenschild.

“You couldn’t see the cushion going into (turn) three,” Gravel said. “It was really, really tough. So, I was kind of a little bit conservative. I’m sure whoever ran second got close there at one point. I went to the top and probably put on a little bit of a gap.

“Happy to get another win here. That’s three in a row here at this racetrack for us. Hopefully we can sweep it again. It would be a really good accomplishment and we can end this year off with a bang.”

Entering the night, Sweet had a 46-point lead over Logan Schuchart. To clinch his second consecutive World of Outlaws title, he had to finish one spot ahead of Schuchart. Sweet finished fourth and Schuchart finished sixth. As long as Sweet shows up to race on Saturday, the driver championship is officially his.

“I really wanted to lock the driver title up tonight,” Sweet said. “I knew that was our best shot to do it tonight, to beat Logan, and just come into it with a clear slate tomorrow and go after that team championship.”

Schuchart put on a valiant effort to try and keep his championship hopes alive with a charge from 16th to sixth, which earned him the KSE Hard Charger Award. And while he missed out on his first championship, he didn’t hang his head after the race.

“I would just like to end this year with a win,” said Schuchart, of Hanover, PA. “You know, finish out on top. You know, whatever happens other than that, some of it is not controllable for us but either way this Drydene team has worked really hard this year and has gained a lot from what we’ve been in years past. If we can continue to get better, we’ll be where we want to be in years to come.”

His points battle for the year isn’t over, yet, though. While he may not be competing for the championship, he’ll still need to fend off 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz to hold on to the runner-up spot in points. With Schatz finishing third, the Fargo, ND driver is now 12 points back from Schuchart. Schatz has finished first or second in points for the last 14 years.

The World of Outlaws 2020 season finale at The Dirt Track will see a championship battle come down to the last lap for the second year in a row. Gravel won the battle Friday night. Now, he’ll go to war with Sweet on Saturday.

UP NEXT

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will conclude its 2020 season at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Saturday, Nov. 7, during the World of Outlaws Last Call. Click here for pit passes.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [2][$12,000]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [4][$5,500]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [12][$3,200]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [5][$2,800]; 5. 57-Kyle Larson [14][$2,500]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [16][$2,300]; 7. 2-Carson Macedo [1][$2,200]; 8. 11-Ian Madsen [6][$2,100]; 9. 13-Justin Peck [18][$2,050]; 10. 26-Cory Eliason [8][$2,000]; 11. 9-James McFadden [17][$1,500]; 12. 39-Spencer Bayston [13][$1,200]; 13. 2M-Kerry Madsen [3][$1,100]; 14. 71-Shane Stewart [10][$1,050]; 15. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [20][$1,000]; 16. 44S-Trey Starks [19][$1,000]; 17. 11K-Kraig Kinser [22][$1,000]; 18. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [24][$1,000]; 19. 83-Dominic Scelzi [23][$1,000]; 20. 33M-Mason Daniel [27][$]; 21. 2C-Wayne Johnson [26][$]; 22. 9K-Kasey Kahne [11][$1,000]; 23. 72-Daryn Pittman [7][$1,000]; 24. 5-Brent Marks [21][$1,000]; 25. 1A-Jacob Allen [9][$1,000]; 26. 1-Sammy Swindell [15][$1,000]; 27. 7S-Jason Sides [25][$]; Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-30; KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+10]

Qualifying Flight-A – 1. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 12.305; 2. 9K-Kasey Kahne, 12.343; 3. 11-Ian Madsen, 12.355; 4. 72-Daryn Pittman, 12.415; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.417; 6. 1-Sammy Swindell, 12.452; 7. 39-Spencer Bayston, 12.486; 8. 26-Cory Eliason, 12.575; 9. 5-Brent Marks, 12.589; 10. 44S-Trey Starks, 12.611; 11. 14-Tim Kaeding, 12.634; 12. 2X-Bill Balog, 12.646; 13. 3C-Cale Conley, 12.654; 14. 83-Dominic Scelzi, 12.666; 15. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 12.68; 16. 33M-Mason Daniel, 12.733; 17. 9-James McFadden, 12.816; 18. 7NY-Matt Farnham, 12.917; 19. 6-Bill Rose, 12.94; 20. 12-Brent Shearer, 12.955; 21. 70-Nick Tucker, 13.083; 22. 6X-Frank Rodgers, 13.619; 23. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer, NT

Key to next season is the revitalization of a full slate of crown jewel events, including the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals with a potential $200,000 to the winner; TWO Kings Royals each paying $175,000 to win from an $800,000 purse; an additional $100,000 on the line for the Jackson Nationals if the same driver wins the Huset’s 50 ahead of Jackson; and the historic Williams Grove National Open with $75,000 to the winner from an enhanced payout through the field.

“We have set the stage for an incredible 2021 season,” World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter said. “The teams will be racing for unprecedented purses in the recent history of the sport, we’ll be back to racing coast-to-coast, celebrating the 50th annual DIRTcar Nationals, the 60th annual Knoxville Nationals, two Kings Royals, a stellar Jackson Nationals with big-money incentives, and we still have a few more surprises to reveal this winter. We’re definitely looking forward to kicking off a huge new season in February.”

The Series will make its inaugural appearances at four tracks in 2021 and return to several iconic venues in the upcoming epic new season, which will kick off Feb. 5-7 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL for the 50th DIRTcar Nationals, and run into November when it wraps up with the championship-crowning Can-Am World Finals Nov. 4-6 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

“The COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on our initial 2020 plans, but I think we’ve put together an exciting 2021 schedule that brings the Series back to its roots of a long season spanning across the country,” World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Director Carlton Reimers said. “Several new tracks have been added this year that should please drivers and fans alike, along with fan-favorites still in place.”

WHAT’S NEW

Magnolia Motor Speedway (Fri., Feb. 19) – For the first time since 2011, the World of Outlaws will make its return to Mississippi with its debut at Magnolia Motor Speedway. The 3/8-mile track in Columbus, MS, opened in 2004 and has hosted several Sprint Car and Late Model events since, but will be graced by the World of Outlaws for the first time in 2021.

“We’re looking forward to having the World of Outlaws race at the speedway and make their return to Mississippi,” Magnolia Motor Speedway Promoter Johnny Stokes said. “It should be a pretty good show here.”

Revolution Park Speedway (Sat., Feb. 20) – The World of Outlaws will return to Louisiana for the first time since 2004 with its debut at Revolution Park Speedway. The 3/8-mile track is asphalt but will have dirt put down on it for the event, which it did for a Late Model event this year.

Vado Speedway Park (Fri.-Sat., April 9-10) – The newly constructed multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art Vado Speedway Park in Vado, NM, will host its inaugural World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car doubleheader in April. The 3/8-mile track is located off Interstate 10 between Las Cruces, NM, and El Paso, TX. It features paved fan parking, a concrete midway, concrete pit pads and stadium quality suites.

I-70 Speedway (Fri.-Sat., April 30-May 1) – While the World of Outlaws visited I-70 Speedway in the 1980s, when the Series returns to the Odessa, MO, facility this year it will be an entirely new 3/8-mile track. It closed in 2008, but was purchased by Chris Payne, who revamped Heartland Motorsports Park in Kansas. He has turned the facility into a state-of-the-art motorsport park with the new dirt track and a dragway. 

WHAT’S RETURNING

Dixie Speedway (Fri., Feb. 12) – Instead of taking a few weeks off after the season opening DIRTcar Nationals, the World of Outlaws will hit the road and make its return to the 3/8-mile Dixie Speedway in Georgia. The Series has made three previous appearances at the track, with the last coming in 2007. Mark Kinser won the first two events in 1999 and Joey Saldana won the last.

Talladega Short Track (Sat., Feb. 13) – After stopping in Georgia, the World of Outlaws will make its return to Alabama the following day at the Talladega Short Track. The Series last visited the 1/3-mile track in 2011, which saw David Gravel pick up his first career victory. There have been seven different winners in the Series’ 11 appearances at the track.

“Talladega Short Track was a blast back when I was there and I’m excited to get back,” Gravel said.

West Coast Swings (March 4-April 10 & Sept. 3-Sept. 18) – After missing out on a West Coast Swing last year, the Series has Spring and Fall swings planned, featuring the return of several exciting venues. The Spring swing will kick off Thursday, March 4, at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas before going to Arizona Speedway the following weekend and then to California. The California tour will include the Series’ return to Santa Maria Raceway for the first time in 21 years and its return to Merced Speedway for the first time since 2014. The Spring swing will then conclude at Vado Speedway Park.

The Fall swing begins in Washington, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 3-4, at Skagit Speedway and stays in Washington on Monday, Sept. 6, at Grays Harbor Raceway before returning to California for the Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10-11, Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway. The Fall swing will then conclude the following weekend Friday, Sept. 17, at Keller Auto Speedway and Saturday, Sept. 18, at Placerville Speedway.

“I’m really excited we’re heading back to Placerville,” two-time and defending World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet said. “It’s my home track and I missed not being able to race in California this year in front of all my friends and family. It just didn’t feel like a real Outlaw schedule without the West Coast Swings.”

Sharon Speedway (Sat., May 22) – For the first time since 2016 the World of Outlaws will feature three Ohio tracks on the schedule with the addition of Sharon Speedway in 2021. The 3/8-mile track in Hartford, OH has hosted nine Series races in the past with the last event taking place in 2007. None of the current full-time drivers have won a Series race at Sharon.

New York Tour (Fri.-Sat., July 30-31) – COVID-19 canceled all plans of racing in New York in 2020, but the World of Outlaws will look to venture North again in 2021 for a doubleheader weekend. For the first time since 2018, on Friday, July 30, the Series plans to return to Ransomville Speedway and then on Saturday, July 31, to Weedsport Speedway.

Crown Jewels – The Jackson Nationals, NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals, Kings Royal and Williams Grove National Open return in 2021 as cornerstone events on the schedule. There will be an additional $100,000 on the line for the Jackson Nationals if a driver can win the finale of the Huset’s 50 – taking place a day ahead of the Nationals – and win the Nationals finale. Also, the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals will pay a potential $200,000 to the winner with each lap paying $1,000 to the driver that leads it.

Finally, as released earlier, the 2021 schedule will also feature the Series’ increased purse, which will pay at least $10,000 to the winner each event.

(RELATED: PAYING UP: World of Outlaws Increase Sprint Car Purses, Points Fund For 2021)

Tickets for all events will be available at WorldofOutlaws.com/tix.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every race live on DIRTVision.

 

2021 SCHEDULE

Fri.-Sun., Feb. 5-7 – Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, FL

Fri., Feb. 12 – Dixie Speedway – Woodstock, GA

Sat., Feb. 13 – Talladega Short Track – Eastaboga, AL

Fri., Feb. 19 – Magnolia Motor Speedway – Columbus, MS

Sat., Feb. 20 – Revolution Park Speedway – Monroe, LA

Fri.-Sat., Feb. 26-27 – Cotton Bowl Speedway – Paige, TX

Thurs., March 4 – The Dirt Track at Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV

Fri.-Sat., March 12-13 – Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ

Sat., March 20 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA

Sun., March 21 – TBA

Fri.-Sat., March 26-27 – Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA

Fri., April 2 – Merced Speedway – Merced, CA

Sat., April 3 – Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA

Fri.-Sat., April 9-10 – Vado Speedway Park – Vado, NM

Fri., April 16 – Lawton Speedway – Lawton, OK

Sat., April 17 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, TX

Fri., April 23 – TBA

Sat., April 24 – TBA

Thurs., April 29 – Jacksonville Speedway – Jacksonville, IL

Fri.-Sat., April 30-May 1 – I-70 Speedway – Odessa, MO

Fri.-Sat., May 7-8 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH

Wed., May 12 – Lincoln Speedway – Abbottstown, PA

Fri.-Sat., May 14-15 – Williams Grove Speedway – Mechanicsburg, PA

Tues., May 18 – Bridgeport Speedway – Swedesboro, NJ

Fri., May 21 – Attica Raceway Park – Attica, OH

Sat., May 22 – Sharon Speedway – Hartford, OH

Fri., May 28 – Terre Haute Action Track – Terre Haute, IN

Mon., May 31 – Lawrenceburg Speedway – Lawrenceburg. IN

Fri., June 4 – River Cities Speedway – Grand Forks, ND

Sat., June 5 – Granite City Speedway – Sauk Rapids, MN

Fri.-Sat., June 11-12 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA

Thurs., June 17 – 34 Raceway – West Burlington, IA

Fri., June 18 – Dubuque Speedway – Dubuque, IA

Sat., June 19 – Beaver Dam Raceway – Beaver Dam, WI

Mon.-Tues., June 21-22 – Huset’s Speedway – Brandon, SD

Thurs.-Sat., June 24-26 – Jackson Motorplex – Jackson, MN

Fri.-Sat., July 2-3 – Cedar Lake Speedway – New Richmond, WI

Sat., July 10 – Wilmot Raceway – Wilmot, WI

Tues., July 13 – Attica Raceway Park – Attica, OH

Wed.-Sat., July 14-17 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH

Tues., July 20 – Lernerville Speedway – Sarver, PA

Fri.-Sat., July 23-24 – Williams Grove Speedway – Mechanicsburg, PA

Fri., July 30 – Ransomville Speedway – Ransomville, NY

Sat., July 31 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY

Fri.-Sat., Aug. 6-7 – Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 – Pevely, MO

Wed.-Sat., Aug. 11-14 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA

Fri., Aug. 20 – River Cities Speedway – Grand Forks, ND

Sat., Aug. 21 – Red River Valley Speedway – West Fargo, ND

Sun., Aug. 22 – Huset’s Speedway – Brandon, SD

Fri., Aug. 27 – I-80 Speedway – Greenwood, NE

Sun., Aug. 29 – Black Hills Speedway – Rapid City, SD

Fri.-Sat., Sept. 3-4 – Skagit Speedway – Alger, WA

Mon., Sept. 6 – Grays Harbor Raceway – Elma, WA

Fri.-Sat., Sept. 10-11 – Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA

Fri., Sept. 17 – Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA

Sat., Sept. 18 – Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA

Fri., Sept. 24 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, CA

Sat., Sept. 25 – Lernerville Speedway – Sarver, PA

Fri.-Sat., Oct. 1-2 – Williams Grove Speedway – Mechanicsburg, PA

Fri.-Sat., Oct. 8-9 – Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, PA

Fri., Oct. 15 – TBA

Sat., Oct. 16 – TBA

Fri., Oct. 22 – Lakeside Speedway – Kansas City, KS

Sat., Oct. 23 –  TBA

Fri., Oct. 29 – TBA

Sat., Oct. 30 – TBA

He’ll look to do that year-round in 2021 when he joins the Series full-time for his rookie season.

“We had been talking about joining the tour for a couple of years now, we just put all of the pieces together for this coming year and felt like this coming year was the right time to do it,” said Zearfoss, of Jonestown, PA.

“It was always a goal of mine (to join the tour). I grew up in the Williams Grove infield, watching Steve Kinser and the Outlaws when they come into town. It was always a dream of mine to become a full-time race car driver and run with the Outlaws. The dream came true to become a full-time driver in 2018 and now the second part of that deal has come together with the Outlaws.”

Zearfoss will run the full tour in his own Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill #3Z, joining Aaron Reutzel in the hunt for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year title. He ran 16 races with the Series in the family car this year, earning three top-five finishes and five top-10s – one of his best seasons with the Series to date. In total, he’s ran 57 races with the World of Outlaws, collecting one win, four top-fives and nine top-10s.

His career started in go-karts before gradually moving up the racing ladder to Micro Sprints, 358 Sprint Cars, 360 Sprint Cars and then 410 Sprint Cars. The past few years he’s expanded beyond the local Pennsylvania, traveling out of state more, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest with the All Star Circuit of Champions – earning four wins in the Series.

The challenges of running his own team on a 90-plus race schedule, that spans from coast to coast, are not lost on Zearfoss. Along with calculating costs, there are several unknowns with traveling to multiple new tracks and areas he’s never been to. However, with the support from his sponsors and leadership of veteran crew chief Shane Bowers, he’s confident they can make it work.

“Going from racing every Friday and Saturday night locally and working 40-hour weeks to becoming a full-time driver, traveling up and down the countryside, there’s a lot of key components that go into making this successful and making sure you can make it the whole year,” Zearfoss said. “Hotel bills and fuel costs alone are huge expenses, on top of racing. Fortunately, I have Shane Bowers, who has been up and down the road enough to have the smarts to do it right. He’s been up and down the road with a lot of good teams.”

Bowers and Zearfoss were paired together in 2018 when he joined Destiny Motorsports. They immediately connected, Zearfoss said, and had success, making the Knoxville Nationals in their first attempt together. Bowers has flown side by side with the “Jonestown Jet” ever since.

Having Bowers by his side and the confidence of knowing he can win against the Outlaws is a recipe for success in Zearfoss’ eyes. He said he believes his team is capable of finishing inside the top-10 in points and getting a win next year.

“Just all comes down to racing on the road,” Zearfoss said. “Traveling, that’s what makes the Outlaws the best and the best drivers in the world. They’re always traveling to different places every night and dealing with different circumstances and having to adapt pretty quick. It just makes you a better driver overall. Not to mention the competition is the toughest there is. You need to be on top of your game and it forces you to do that, racing with the Outlaws.

“If we can make a couple of new fans, see some new racetracks and gain all of the experience that we can it’s going to be a good year.”

Zearfoss will start the 2021 season with the rest of the stars of the World of Outlaws Feb. 5-7 at Volusia Speedway Park for the 50th DIRTcar Nationals. For tickets, click here.

The Series is increasing its single-day and two-day event purses for 2021, as well as the overall points funds. Every race will now pay a minimum $10,000-to-win and the points fund at the end of the season will payout more than $730,000 – about a $90,000 increase from 2020.

And for the event purses, it’s not just the winner’s share that’s increasing. There are increases throughout the entire field.

Single-day events will payout more than $55,800 in total and will pay $1,000-to-start. Two-day events will payout more than $108,000 in total with the first night paying $5,500 to second-place, $1,850 to 10th and $900-to-start, and the second night paying $6,000 to second, $2,000 to 10th and $1,000-to-start.

“We’re excited to provide drivers and teams with an increased purse for the 2021 season, especially after the burdens COVID-19 placed on them in 2020,” World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Director Carlton Reimers said. “The increase is a representation of the Series’ exciting continued growth, our commitment to our competitors and the growing support from the fans.”

The significance of the increase is not lost on the drivers either.

“Obviously, as a race car driver, trying to make a living racing, you want to race for the highest purses you can,” Two-time and defending World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet said. “I’m very happy that the World of Outlaws has taken the step to increase the purses. Definitely a step in the right direction.”

The championship will again payout $150,000 between the winning driver and team in 2021, but second-place and down will see significant increases. Among the increases include, second-place paying $100,000, third paying $60,000, fifth paying $50,000 and 15th paying $13,000.

Along with the purse increase, the 2021 season will see the return of several big paying events, including the Aug. 11-14 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway, which will pay a potential $200,000 to the winner.

A five-race “Showdown” event between the two-day (June 21-22) Huset’s 50 at Huset’s Speedway and the three-day (June 24-26) Jackson Nationals at Jackson Motorplex will offer an extra $100,000 if a driver can win the finale of both World of Outlaws events.

The 2021 season will kick off Feb. 5-7 at Volusia Speedway Park for the 50th DIRTcar Nationals in Barberville, FL. For tickets, click here. The entire 2021 schedule will be released soon.

He lost it by 46 points, but the message delivered by that mistake has stuck with him ever since.

“There’s a few racetracks where we hurt because of my inexperience of being in these situations where I was racing for wins when I should have been more conservative and settled for a second or third-place finish,” said Schuchart, of Hanover, PA. “We would have definitely been closer.”

While a runner-up finish, or even a win, at Beaver Dam wouldn’t have made Schuchart the champion this year, it would’ve kept he and his Shark Racing team in contention for the title until the final lap, instead of allowing reigning champion Brad Sweet to lock up the championship during the penultimate race of the season.

Now, no longer a rookie at running for a championship, Schuchart is taking the lessons he learned this year to heart for another run at his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship in 2021. But along with implementing a more conservative nature at times, he admitted he and the team still need to work on their consistency.

Hitting the wall at Beaver Dam was Schuchart’s only DNF of the year, but he had two finishes outside the top-15 in the last 10 races, which hurt just as bad. Those two finishes combined cost Schuchart 40 points to Sweet.

“There’s been a few races where we had some issues and didn’t quite figure it out and finished mid-pack,” Schuchart said. “There’s some races and some racetracks that we still need to learn a little bit about; go watch some tape; look back at the notes and figure out what went wrong and fix it.”

Despite losing the championship, Schuchart and the Shark Racing team didn’t hang their heads at the end of the 2020 season. They were held high in celebration of their victory during the season ending World of Outlaws Last Call at The Dirt Track at Charlotte – his seventh win of the year.

Knowing the championship was out of reach, Schuchart was determined to end his season on a high note. Parking his Drydene #1S car in Victory Lane accomplished that and provided he and the team with the confidence that they can enter the 2021 season as championship contenders again.

“We just wanted to come down here and run strong,” Schuchart said about the season finale in Charlotte. “Six wins on the season is awesome, but coming into this racetrack (at Charlotte), knowing we’ve run good and have won in the past, I just wanted to finish this season strong and show everybody that this Shark Racing team is here to stay. We’re going to come out swinging next year.

“We finished a little bit shorter than where we wanted to be, but we started with the goal of a top three (in points). To win a race and finish top two in points is awesome.”

The 2021 season will kick off Feb. 5-7 at Volusia Speedway Park for the 50th DIRTcar Nationals. Schuchart demonstrated the growth of his team at the half-mile track this year. Before the 2020 season, he had never led a lap or finished inside the top-five at Volusia. At the end of the three-day event, he had one win, three top-five finishes and led 50 laps.

That was a trend throughout the season for Schuchart. He earned career best finishes at several tracks, giving the team hope they can continue that next year at tracks they still struggled at this season.

“I think we’re just going really good as a team,” Schuchart said. “I feel confident driving. Ron Helmick, Ben Witman, Tyler Garber, working on these cars, they’re really doing a good job with these cars and are confident in what they’re doing. They’re looking over them and making sure they’re not falling apart. Everyone is doing their job.

“We had limited DNFs this year, which is very important in this Series. And my grandfather (and car owner Bobby Allen), at the top, just doing what he needed to do to make sure we were all doing our jobs and to look over us. I feel like our team is working really well together. We’ve been out here [since 2014], using our experience to our advantage. I look forward to 2021.”

For tickets to the Feb. 5-7 50th DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, click here.

Brad Sweet claimed his second consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship. Jacob Allen earned his first career win. Kyle Larson did Kyle Larson things. And some of the best racing in Series history was produced.

Like most events this year, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 World of Outlaws banquet. However, as the Series had done throughout the year, it found another solution. Drivers were still awarded their trophies and more $600,000 in points funds was awarded to all of them during a virtual banquet.

“2020 was a year to overcome a lot of adversity for a lot of the teams, the whole World Racing Group organization and luckily we got a season in,” said two-time and defending champion Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA. “It’s great to be standing here and be a two-time champion.

“It was an up and down year for our NAPA Auto Parts team. We had a lot of success early on in the season. A lot of momentum on our side. Had those DNFs in the middle part of the season. We lost a little bit of our confidence and struggled in the middle part of the season. The end of the year we were able to come back on strong, capitalize and get the championship.”

Sweet added his name to an elite list this year. He joins Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Mark Kinser, Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers on the short list of drivers who have multiple World of Outlaws championships in the 42-year history of the sport.

In 54 races, he ended the year with eight wins, 37 top-fives and 46 top-10s.

Along with claiming another championship for himself, Sweet brought Kasey Kahne Racing its third team championship. KKR is now only the fourth team in Series history with three or more titles. The other three are Karl Kinser’s team, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing and Steve Kinser Racing.

The entire KKR team put in a valiant effort all year, and crew member Andrew Bowman was honored with the Jason Johnson Sportsman of the Year Award due to his unwavering commitment to the sport and his willingness to always help other teams.

“This award truly comes as an unexpected surprise,” Bowman said. “I am honored to receive this award in Jason’s name. Jason was a class act on and off the track and I strive to model his passion for racing and commitment to creating a family like atmosphere while on the road.

“I want to thank Bobbi (Johnson) and everyone at JJR for the opportunity to be recognized by my peers. This has been a unique year presented with many challenges but as a race family we were able to come out on top. I look forward to next season and the memories that are to come.”

The driver championship was determined during the penultimate race of the year, but the team championship came down to the last lap of the last race. KKR had to fend off Jason Johnson Racing, who had put together a stellar season with three drivers. David Gravel ran the majority of the events for the team, but in the four races he didn’t run, Parker Price-Miller filled in twice, earning one top-10, and Shane Stewart filled in the other two time, winning in his debut with the team at Lakeside Speedway.

JJR ended the year second in the team championship standings with eight wins, 31 top-fives and 46 top-10s. The team’s crew chief, Philip Dietz, won the 2020 Crew Chief of the Year Award. Not only did he put the team in championship contention, he won with two drivers at JJR and was also crew chief for his own Dietz Motorsports team, which won with Price-Miller at 34 Raceway.

"To me, it's probably the biggest award that I can win," said Dietz, who first won the award in 2016. "Personally, I feel like, to win an award like that is special. It makes me feel like I did my job for the year."

Wayne Johnson ran his first full-time season, at 49 years old, this year and earned the 2020 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. He made 29 Feature starts, finished 12th in the Series standings and earned at top-10 at the historic Devil’s Bowl Speedway.

“Well, the 2020 season, being a rookie, I don’t know, it’s been a bit of whirlwind for me,” said Johnson, of Oklahoma City, OK. “I had bigger expectations for sure, but to be the Gobrecht Rookie of the Year at my age is pretty cool… All in all, we didn’t have the success we wanted to, but without the car owners Todd and Kelly Carlisle, they gave me a great opportunity to come out here and do this.”

Two other special awards were also handed out by Drydene and Series sponsor NOS Energy Drink. For the second year in a row, NOS Energy Drink Marketing Director Lauren Albano presented a driver with the NOS Energy Drink Human Horsepower Award for the drive and determination they show on and off the track. This year, the award went to 2013 Series champion Daryn Pittman, who hung up his helmet as a full-time driver at the end of the season.

“He has a racer’s heart and is the truest example of what it means to be a teammate,” Albano said about Pittman. “He’s often found helping teams on their cars, even if it means scrapping dirt before the Feature. He is a competitor and leads by example on and off the track.”

And for the first time, Drydene presented the Blood, Sweat and Gears Award to the driver with the biggest improvement in points from last year to this year. The award was presented to Jacob Allen, who won his first career Series race this year at Dodge City Raceway Park and finished a career high eighth in the points. Last year, he finished 12th.

Along with the real-life drivers, the virtual World of Outlaws champion, Alex Bergeron was also crowned the 2020 iRacing World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car World Championship winner and awarded with a more than $15,000 check. Like Sweet, it’s his second consecutive championship.

The virtual banquet – which can be found on the World of Outlaws Facebook, Twitter and Youtube pages – closed the book on the 2020 season, but it’s a story you’re sure to never forget.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series 2021 season will kick off Feb. 5-7 at Volusia Speedway Park during the DIRTcar Nationals. For tickets, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision.

FINAL PAYOUT
– Brad Sweet/Kasey Kahne Racing – $150,000
– Logan Schuchart/Shark Racing – $65,000
– Jason Johnson Racing – $37,500
– Donny Schatz/Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing – $52,500
– Sheldon Haudenschild/Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing – $47,500
– Carson Macedo/Kyle Larson Racing – $43,000
– Daryn Pittman – $18,750
– Roth Motorsports – $18,750
– Jacob Allen/Shark Racing – $34,000
– Kraig Kinser/Kinser Racing – $31,000
– Jason Sides/Sides Motorsports – $25,000
– Wayne Johnson/TwoC Racing – $14,000
– Mason Daniel/Mason Daniel Racing – $14,000
– Bill Rose/Bill Rose Racing – $12,000

BANQUET AWARDS
Chassis Builder of the Year: Maxim Racing (Kasey Kahne Racing)
Engine Builder of the Year: Cappetta Engines (Kasey Kahne Racing)
Crew Chief of the Year: Philip Dietz (Jason Johnson Racing)
Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year: Wayne Johnson
Jason Johnson Sportsman of the Year: Andrew Bowman (Kasey Kahne Racing)
NOS Energy Drink Human Horsepower Award – Daryn Pittman
Drydene Blood Sweat & Gears Award – Jacob Allen
KSE Racing Hard Charger Award – Brad Sweet
Racing Electronics Rookie Award (New ear molds) – Wayne Johnson
VP Racing Fuels Award – Brad Sweet (champion), Wayne Johnson (RotY) and Jacob Allen (Most Improved)

FINAL 2020 STATS
There were 54 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Feature events this season.

FEATURE WINNERS (13 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. – 12
2 – Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. – 8
3 – Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 7
– Logan Schuchart, Hanover, Pa. – 7
– David Gravel, Watertown, Conn. – 7
4 – Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 5
5 – Shane Stewart, Bixby, Okla. – 2
6 – Carson Short, Marion, Ill. – 1
– Carson Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 1
– Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, Ind. – 1
– Jacob Allen, Hanover, Pa. – 1
– Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Okla. – 1
– James McFadden, Warrnambool, VIC, Australia – 1

DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (47 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – David Gravel, Watertown, Conn. – 21
2 – Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. – 17
3 – Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 12
4 – Logan Schuchart, Hanover, Pa. – 12
– Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 12
– Jacob Allen, Hanover, Pa. – 12
– Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 12
5 – Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. – 11
– Carson Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 11
6 – Shane Stewart, Bixby, Okla. – 10
7 – Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Okla. – 9
8 – Ian Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 7
9 – Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, Ind. – 6
10 – James McFadden, Warrnambool, VIC, Australia – 4
11 – Rico Abreu, St. Helena, Calif. – 3
– Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Ind. – 3
– Gio Scelzi, Fresno, Calif. – 3
– Cory Eliason, Visalia, Calif. – 3
12 – Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw, Wash. – 2
– Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, Ind. – 2
– Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Australia – 2
– Brent Marks, Myerstown, Pa. – 2
– Aaron Reutzel, Clute, Texas – 2
13 – Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Mo. – 1
– Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas – 1
– Chase Stockon, Fort Branch, Ind. – 1
– Matt Juhl, Sioux Falls, S.D. – 1
– Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pa. – 1
– Trey Starks, Puyallup, Wash. – 1
– Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City, Iowa – 1
– Scotty Thiel, Sheboygan, Wis. – 1
– Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 1
– Freddie Rahmer, Salfordville, Pa. – 1
– Jeff Halligan, Ephrata, Pa. – 1
– Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pa. – 1
– Brock Zearfoss, Jonestown, Pa. – 1
– Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa – 1
– Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tenn. – 1
– Colby Copeland, Roseville, Calif. – 1
– Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tenn. – 1
– Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, Iowa – 1
– Spencer Bayston, Lebanon, Ind. – 1
– Austin McCarl, Altoona, Iowa – 1
– Danny Dietrich, Gettysburg, Pa. – 1
– Tim Kaeding, San Jose, Calif. – 1
– Christopher Bell, Norman, Okla. – 1
– Cory Eliason, Visalia, Calif. – 1

DIRTVISION FAST PASS DASH WINNERS (21 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – David Gravel, Watertown, Conn. – 6
2 – Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. – 5
– Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 5
3 – Jacob Allen, Hanover, Pa. – 4
– Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Okla. – 4
– Shane Stewart, Bixby, Okla. – 4
– Carson Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 4
– Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. – 4
4 – Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 3
5 – Ian Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 2
– Logan Schuchart, Hanover, Pa. – 2
– Gio Scelzi, Fresno, Calif. – 2
6 – Carson Short, Marion, Ill. – 1
– Austin McCarl, Altoona, Iowa – 1
– Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tenn. – 1
– Tim Kaeding, San Jose, Calif. – 1
– Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, Ind. – 1
– Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 1
– Freddie Rahmer, Salfordville, Pa. – 1
– Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pa. – 1
– James McFadden, Warrnambool, VIC, Australia – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (33 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tenn. – 5
2 – Logan Schuchart, Hanover, Pa. – 4
3 – Mason Daniel, Springville, Calif. – 3
4 – Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 2
– Jacob Allen, Hanover, Pa. – 2
– Austin McCarl, Altoona, Iowa – 2
– Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Mo. – 2
– Carson Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 2
– Tim Kaeding, San Jose, Calif. – 2
5 – Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pa. – 1
– Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. – 1
– Paul McMahan, Nashville, Tenn. – 1
– Brian Bell, Arlington Tenn. – 1
– Rico Abreu, St. Helena, Calif. – 1
– Bill Balog, Hartland, Wis. – 1
– Gio Scelzi, Fresno, Calif. – 1
– David Gravel, Watertown, Conn. – 1
– Aryton Gennetten, Gravois Mills, Mo. – 1
– Scotty Thiel, Sheboygan, Wis. – 1
– Paul Nienhiser, Chapin, Ill. – 1
– Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. – 1
– Tim Wagaman, Hanover, Pa. – 1
– Steve Buckwalter, Royersford, Pa. – 1
– Brendan Mullen, Grand Forks, N.D. – 1
– Skylar Prochaska, Lakefield, Minn. – 1
­– Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Okla. – 1
– Aaron Reutzel, Clute, Texas – 1
– Henry Malcuit, Strasburg, Ohio – 1
– Cale Thomas, Fairland, Ind. – 1
– Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, Ind. – 1
– Shane Stewart, Bixby, Okla. – 1
– Danny Dietrich, Gettysburg. Pa. – 1
– Brent Marks, Myerstown, Pa. – 1
– Anthony Macri, Dillsburg, Pa. – 1

C-MAIN WINNERS (20 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Trey Starks, Puyallup, Wash. – 1
– Cale Thomas, Fairland, Ind. – 1
– Anthony Macri, Dillsburg, Pa. – 1
– Shane Golobic, Fremont, Calif. – 1
– Brent Marks, Myerstown, Penn. – 1
– Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa – 1
– Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City, Okla. – 1
– Hunter Schuerenburg, Sikeston, Mo. – 1
– Cole Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 1
– Adam Wilt, York, Pa. – 1
– Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tenn. – 1
– Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, Iowa – 1
– Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 1
– Mason Daniel, Springville, Calif. – 1
– Kyle Moody, Lewisberry, Pa. – 1
– Spencer Bayston, Lebanon, Ind. – 1
– Dylan Ciseny, Port Royal, Pa. – 1
– T.J. Stutts, Liverpool, Pa. – 1
– Bill Rose, Plainfield, Ind. – 1
– Matt Farnham, Tonawanda, NY – 1

D-MAIN WINNERS (5 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Kyle Moody, Lewisberry, Pa. – 1
– Anthony Macri, Dillsburg, Pa. – 1
– Skylar Gee, Leduc, AB, Canada
– Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City, Okla. – 1
– Troy Wagaman, Jr., Hanover, Pa. – 1

PODIUM FINISHES (25 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – # of podiums
1 – Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. – 29
2 – Logan Schuchart, Hanover, Pa. – 23
3 – Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. – 18
4 – Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 17
– David Gravel, Watertown, Conn. – 17
5 – Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 16
6 – Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Okla. – 8
7 – Carson Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 5
– James McFadden, Warrnambool, VIC, Australia – 5
8 – Shane Stewart, Bixby, Okla. – 4
9 – Ian Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 2
– Jacob Allen, Hanover, Pa. – 2
– Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, Ind. – 2
– Brent Marks, Myerstown, Pa. – 2
– Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pa. – 2
10 – Carson Short, Marion, Ill. – 1
– Austin McCarl, Altoona, Iowa – 1
– Matt Juhl, Sioux Falls, S.D. – 1
– Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 1
– Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Ind. – 1
– Anthony Macri, Dillsburg, Pa. – 1
– Rico Abreu, St. Helena, Calif. – 1
– Aaron Reutzel, Clute, Texas – 1
– Freddie Rahmer, Salfordville, Pa. – 1
– Danny Dietrich, Gettysburg, Pa. – 1

HARD CHARGER AWARD (20 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C. Awards
1 – Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. – 9
2 – Carson Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 8
3 – Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 7
4 – Logan Schuchart, Hanover, Pa. – 6
5 – Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 5
6 – Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 3
7 – Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Okla. – 2
– David Gravel, Watertown, Conn. – 2
8 – Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tenn. – 1
– Carson Short, Marion, Ill. – 1
– Jacob Allen, Hanover, Pa. – 1
– Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tenn. – 1
– Brent Marks, Myerstown, Pa. – 1
– Jade Hastings, Grand Forks, N.D. – 1
– Tim Kaeding, San Jose, Calif. – 1
– James McFadden, Warrnambool, VIC, Australia – 1
– Cap Henry, Republic, Ohio – 1
– Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pa. – 1
– Freddie Rahmer, Salfordville, Pa. – 1
– Brock Zearfoss, Jonestown, Pa. – 1

TOTAL LAPS LED (18 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps
1 – Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. – 278
2 – Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 238
3 – Logan Schuchart, Hanover, Pa. – 235
4 – David Gravel, Watertown, Conn. – 210
5 – Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. – 203
6 – Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 96
7 – Shane Stewart, Bixby, Okla. – 88
8 – Jacob Allen, Hanover, Pa. – 78
9 – Carson Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 74
10 – Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Okla. – 62
11 – James McFadden, Warrnambool, VIC, Australia – 41
12 – Gio Scelzi, Fresno, Calif. – 40
13 – Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, Ind. – 37
14 – Ian Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 32
15 – Carson Short, Marion, Ill. – 30
16 – Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw, Wash. – 10
– Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pa. – 10
17 – Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Mo. – 3 

QUALIFYING QUICK TIME (19 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTs
1 – Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. – 8
2 – David Gravel, Watertown, Conn. – 7
3 – Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. – 5
4 – Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia – 4
– Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, Ind. – 4
– Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio – 4
– Jacob Allen, Hanover, Pa. – 4
5 – Logan Schuchart, Hanover, Pa. – 3
– Shane Stewart, Bixby, Okla. – 3
5 – Carson Macedo, Lemoore, Calif. – 2
– Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 2
6 – Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Okla. – 1
– Aaron Reutzel, Clute, Texas – 1
– Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw Wash. – 1
– Cory Eliason, Visalia, Calif. – 1
– Scotty Thiel, Sheboygan, Wis. – 1
– Anthony Macri, Dillsburg, Pa. – 1
– Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pa. – 1
– Gio Scelzi, Fresno, Calif. – 1

NEW TRACK RECORDS (4 drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – (TR)
1 – Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. (9.995 sec. at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55)
– Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. (11.061 sec. at Plymouth Speedway)
– Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. (12.490 sec. at Lawton Speedway)
– Shane Stewart, Bixby, Okla. (16.111 sec. at Williams Grove Speedway)

Mainly, it tested how they push through it all.

Brad Sweet’s Kasey Kahne Racing team – consisting of Crew Chief Eric Prutzman and crew members Joe Mooney and Andrew Bowman – exemplified the never give up attitude in 2020. At times they faced Hell, yet still walked through the fire ready for another round. That drive and determination led Sweet to his second consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion and gave Kasey Kahne Racing its third team championship.

“It feels great to get number three,” said KKR owner Kasey Kahne. “And two-straight for Brad Sweet. The guys have done a really good job. A really good job in an interesting year. But overall, they stayed after it and did all they need to do to win.

“They just never slowed up. They never gave up. Brad is as focused and precise out here as ever. It is just fun to watch him. You just know he is always going to be there. He just takes care of everything all of the time. He’s got a really good team behind him and it is fun to watch.”

For the first time since 2013, Sweet and the team suffered four DNF finishes this year. Three of them came consecutively. Logan Schuchart, who finished second in points had one DNF and Donny Schatz, who finished third had two.

While it may have beaten their spirits at the end of the night, it didn’t kill their drive. In the 16-race span where Sweet suffered the four bad finishes, he still managed to earn seven top-10s – three of them runner up finishes. Then, he and the team returned to Victory Lane at I-80 Speedway for their eighth win of the season.

After that win, Sweet reclaimed the points the next weekend from Schuchart, racked off eight top-five finishes in a row and earned five runner-up finishes in the final 15 events. That performance helped him hold of Schuchart by 46 points at the end of the season to get his second title.

“It was a tough year,” Sweet said. “NAPA Auto Parts guys, we overcame a lot of adversity, to have four DNFs and still lead the points. We showed our resilience. We came in here (in the season finale weekend), and I thought, executed perfectly. We did everything we needed to do to win the points and get Kasey Kahne Racing the team championship.”

This year was Sweet’s third season with Prutzman as his crew chief. In their time together they’ve won the 2018 Knoxville Nationals, 2019 Jackson Nationals, 2019 Kings Royal, 33 World of Outlaws events and now two championships.
Prutzman, the 2019 Crew Chief of the Year, was handpicked by Sweet to be his crew chief. However, Sweet had admitted they’re kind of opposites. He likes to talk and figure things out, while Prutzman is a quiet thinker, he said. The key to their relationship is Sweet trusts him and Prutzman trusts Sweet. And the same goes for Mooney and Bowman.

“Me and Eric, Joe and Andrew, we’re all meshing,” Sweet said. “Obviously, to overcome some of the stuff we had to overcome this year I feel like it made us stronger. To win, it makes us desire to win next year even more.”

Prutzman, who had previously spent seven years with Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing as a mechanic and was a part of four championship wins with Donny Schatz, said he sees the continued growth of the team and their strength as championship contenders, no matter the circumstances.

“It’s amazing,” Prutzman said about what the KKR team accomplished this year. “It just shows that our team is really strong and that we keep digging and just keep trying to win races and do our best. Obviously, we had really unfortunate races. It’s just really great.”

Sweet locked up the driver championship during the penultimate race of the year, but the team championship came down to the final lap of the final race with David Gravel trying to win it for Jason Johnson Racing. And Sweet was just as focused as bringing home another title for KKR as he was for himself. After securing his second championship, he said he felt like his work was half done.

“That means a lot,” Kahne said about getting his third championship as a team owner. “That’s kind of a split feeling if you don’t win them both. So, to win them both it feels like you were the best car, the best driver, the best team all season long in the toughest Series that there is in dirt racing.”

It means just as much to the entire KKR team, as well.

“Obviously, the driver [championship] is really important, but the team is all of us and Kasey,” Prutzman said. “Everybody at KKR, so it is a really big deal.”

By claiming a third championship, KKR became the fourth team in the history of the World of Outlaws to have three or more championships. The other three on that elite list our Karl Kinser’s team with 16 championships, TSR with nine championships and Steve Kinser Racing with six championships.

KKR is also only 15 wins away from 200 career World of Outlaws wins now.

They know their title run next year won’t be easy with the rising level of competition, but that’s still not deterring their drive and determination to go after it.

“I know next year is going to be even harder,” Kahne said. “We’re looking forward to that. We’ll be prepared and ready to go again. You can see that next year is going to be a stout field and it will be a lot of fun to see if we can get three in a row.”

Their 2021 season will kick off Feb. 5-7 at the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. Click here for tickets.

He wanted to be a professional race car driver. And for more than 20 years, the now 42-year-old Owasso, OK native has made that a reality.

Tonight, he’ll put a period to one chapter in his storied career. Pittman will hang up his helmet as a full-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series driver after the season finale Last Call at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

In his 23-year history with the Series – 17 of them as a full-time driver – Pittman amassed a plethora of accomplishments:

• 2013 World of Outlaws champion
• 86 career World of Outlaws wins
• More than 1,450 Feature starts
• 2008 Kings Royal winner at Eldora Speedway
• Three-time DIRTcar Nationals champion
• Two Gold Cup victories at Silver Dollar Speedway
• 2001 World of Outlaws Gumout Series champion

But are those satisfying enough to the 13-year-old Pittman who dreamed of being a World of Outlaws driver?

“I hope so,” Pittman said with a chuckle. “There are a lot of things that I’d obviously love to redo. But all in all, it has been a hell of a ride and I’ve accomplished more than I could ever have hoped to have dreamed of in my wildest dreams for sure.”

Among his glories, the championships and wins aren’t what mean the most to him. It’s the lasting impression he’s left on fans and those in the industry. Moments he looked at as insignificant took on new life when they became admired plots to someone’s story. Knowing something he did helped create a happy moment in someone’s life was an unexpected trophy each time.

That doesn’t change the way he views his career. It makes him prouder of it.

“Just to hear that I was a small part of their life that they vividly remember as a good moment makes me proud,” Pittman said. “Proud of all of the wins. Proud of all of the years we’ve been able to do it and all of the car owners I’ve been able to drive for. But I think, more than anything, I’m just proud of all of the relationships that I’ve had and been able to have with teams that maybe we didn’t finish on the best note but from a personal standpoint I think we’ve stayed in good graces with all of my old car owners and crew guys. It’s hard to do this for as long as we’ve done it. There are very few that have the long career that me and (10-time Series champion) Donny (Schatz) and few others have had. Just proud of the way we did it.”

In his final weekend as a full-time World of Outlaws driver, Pittman said he hasn’t let that thought get to him. Like any other season, he’s focused on ending it on a high note.

This year has put him on a roller coaster, with the first two-thirds of the year plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic and inconsistencies with the Roth Motorsports team. In September, shortly after announcing he was stepping away from full-time racing, he also announced he would part ways with Roth – who he had driven for since 2019. He picked up an emotional hometown win at Lawton Speedway before splitting with the team and rejoining Heffner Racing for the remainder of the season.

At Heffner, he was paired with crew member Heath Moyle and reunited with crew chief Kale Kahne – who he worked with at Kasey Kahne Racing when he won the championship. His stint with the team has resulted in one top-five and two top-10 finishes in 11 races, so far. They’ve shown speed in each event, making the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash in about half of them, but part failures and bad luck have hindered their final results.

Despite the poor finishes, Pittman said he’s still having fun. Being paired with Heffner, Moyle and Kahne to finish out his career in Charlotte – a track he has two wins at – is a big contributor to that.

“I couldn’t have asked to finish out the year with a better team and better people, truthfully,” Pittman said. “For as trying and as hard we’ve had to work to keep a competitive car on the racetrack, as much stuff as we’ve gone through, to do it with these guys and the attitudes that they’ve been able to keep and maintain has been refreshing. Brought me back to what it takes to be a part of successful teams with successful crew guys.”

Once he take the checkered flag for the final time as a full-time World of Outlaws driver, during the fittingly named Last Call event, and climbs out of the Shipley Energy #72 car, a new chapter in his life will begin. What that is? He’s still working on it. Maybe some racing. Maybe a lot of racing. Maybe no racing.

He’ll look to find his 13-year-old self again, who found something he loves and turned it into a life’s goal.

“I’ve been able to turn a hobby into a job and it’s the only job I’ve ever had,” Pittman said. “I think for anybody, that’s all you can ever ask for; to find something you love and find a way to make a living doing it and I’ve been blessed to be able to do that for a long time. No doubt moving forward, whatever, we do, it will also be the same way. It’ll have to be something I enjoy, and I look forward to figuring out what that is.”

To see Pittman's last race as a full-time World of Outlaws driver, you can get a pit pass at the track.

The champion could also be determined Friday night.

This season’s championship finale will take place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, at The Dirt Track at Charlotte during the World of Outlaws Last Call. Three drivers – reigning champion Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart and 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz – are still in contention for the driver championship and four teams – Kasey Kahne Racing, Jason Johnson Racing, Shark Racing and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing – are in contention for the team title.

Sweet enters the season finale with the points lead for the second year in a row. Last season, he was able to hold off Schatz by four points in the final race to claim his first championship – the closest championship battle in Series history – and bring Kasey Kahne Racing its second World of Outlaws title.

DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP BREAK DOWN
 

This year, Sweet can breathe a little easier when he passes through the gates at The Dirt Track. He enters the weekend with a 46-point lead over Logan Schuchart versus the eight-point lead he had over Schatz last season.

“Last year, I was very focused on the points,” Sweet said. “This year, I haven’t let myself get too bothered by it. Obviously, being a two-time champion is much better than being a one-time champion. So, obviously, you want to win the championship. The points are super important, super hard to win every year. It brings a lot of money to the team. It brings a lot of exposure to the sponsors and everything like that. You really want to accomplish that.

“We’re focused on bringing Kasey Kahne Racing his third championship and hopefully myself a second championship. I think if we stay focused and do our job, we’re absolutely capable of accomplishing that.”

He can lock himself as the 2020 champion Friday night if he wins or finishes one spot better than Schuchart.

Forty-eight points is the most a driver can gain on another in a single race – if that driver wins and the other driver finishes 24th or worse. There’s a four-point different between first (150 points) and second (146 points). So, if Sweet wins Friday and Schuchart finishes second, that would give Sweet a 50-point lead on the Shark Racing driver for the final event. That means if Schuchart won on Saturday and Sweet finished last, Sweet would still claim the championship by two points.

Every other position is separated by two points. So, aside from a win, if Sweet finishes one spot ahead of Schuchart, he would enter the next night with a 48-point lead. Even if Schuchart were able to make up all 48 points on Sweet, the defending champion would win the tiebreaker due to having more Feature wins this season – Sweet currently has eight and Schuchart has six.

If Schuchart wins both nights and ties with Sweet for the points lead and most wins on the final night, the tiebreaker would then go to who has the most second-place finishes. Sweet would again win that battle with 10 runner-up finishes this year, versus the five Schuchart has.

The bottomline is Schuchart needs to finish ahead of Sweet on Friday to have a shot at his first championship Saturday night.

“From where we’ve came from, all that we’ve overcome to get where we are, you know, I feel like this is a very successful season as it is,” Schuchart said. “But, you know, we started the season with a goal of finishing third. We’re in there. But definitely, we know we’re in a spot with an opportunity and we’re going to try and take advantage of it. I feel like we have a lot to learn and areas of where we can get better. Hopefully we can make these last races count and put some pressure on him (Sweet).”

In the event that the field is expanded beyond 24 cars for the Feature due to provisionals, Sweet and Schuchart could end up earning the same amount of points both nights if they finish 24th or worse with positions 24th and worse paying 102 points.

Schatz’s climb to his 11th title is more difficult. He enters the Last Call with a 64-point deficit to Sweet. He'll need to finish ahead of Sweet and Schuchart both nights to have a shot at another championship.

“I can tell you it is a lot more fun being closer to the top of the championship standings than finding yourself third or fourth, wherever we’re at,” Schatz said. “We don’t want to make excuses at all. We’re not making them. At least we’re making head way now. That’s all you can do. And we’ll make the best of it.”

He and his TSR team have found momentum in the back half of the season, earning 19 top-10 finishes in the last 20 races – including two wins. That’s helped keep him in the championship hunt and put him 18 points behind Schuchart for second. Schatz has finished first or second in the championship standings for the past 14 years.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP BREAK DOWN

Along with the battle for the driver championship, the battle for the team championship is even closer. Kasey Kahne Racing currently leads Jason Johnson Racing by 30 points.

JJR has had three drivers keep it in championship contention throughout the year. David Gravel ran the majority of the races (48) and brought the team six wins this year. When he was out of the car to run ARCA and NASCAR events, Parker Price-Miller and Shane Stewart each got two turns in the #41 car. Stewart won in his debut with the team at Lakeside Speedway, giving them seven wins on the season. Gravel will finish the year with JJR at Charlotte, where he swept the season ending two-day event with the team last year.

If Sweet wins on Friday and Gravel finishes ninth, he'll lock up the team championship for KKR. If he doesn't win, he'll need to finish nine positions ahead of Gravel to lock it up on the first night.

Like Schuchart and Schatz, Gravel will need to keep the pressure on Sweet both nights and aim for another sweep to give JJR its first team championship.

“For us to be in the hunt right now is pretty special,” said Philip Dietz, crew chief of the JJR #41 and cousin of the late Jason Johnson.

“We go out and try to be the best we can each night. At the end of the season, the best car wins. It sure would be cool for our team. It’s cool to just be in the hunt. Brad and Schuchart, they’ve both been really good this year. We’ll just keep plugging away. Hopefully we can be there at the end.”

To see the Nov. 6-7 World of Outlaws Last Call season finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in person, you can get a pit pass package by clicking here.

He’ll break out his own #15 Late Model to compete with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models, Wednesday and Thursday, before stepping behind the wheel of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15, Friday and Saturday, to contend for his 11th World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series title.

“The Late Model is something I’ve enjoyed for quite sometime,” Schatz said. “Charlotte gives us a perfect opportunity. Two nights of Late Models. Two nights of Sprint Cars. I feel like we’ll have the best of both worlds and have a little fun. No pressure leading into the Last Call (with the Sprint Cars).”

Schatz enters the season finale weekend third in the Sprint Car championship standings with a 64-point deficit to points leader and reigning champion Brad Sweet. He wouldn’t call running his Late Model is a source of relaxation before the pressure is on with the Sprint Car, though. It’s more of an opportunity for him to enjoy a couple of extra days behind the wheel of a race car and get an early start on his 2021 DIRTcar Nationals preparations.

“I don’t know that it helps relax you, other than you enjoy to do it,” Schatz said. “That’s why first and foremost we’re all here. We’re here to enjoy it. To be able to go do it with those guys, obviously, doing it with those guys, I go to Florida (at Volusia Speedway Park) with them every year, so ending the season with them and hopefully gain a little experience and learn a few things. Maybe it’ll help us start off a little bit better in Florida (for DIRTcar Nationals). Any time you get laps with a good group, it helps.”

He’s made three Feature starts with the World of Outlaws Late Models this season, earning a top-10 finish in each event. Before this year, Schatz had one top-five and four top-10s with the Series in total.

Of his 21 starts with the Late Models, six of them were at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. In those six starts, he finished 15th, ninth, 11th, 15th, 15th and 16th.

In comparison to running his Sprint Car at Charlotte, there’s little to be learned from running the Late Model ahead of time.

“Charlotte is different for the Late Models,” Schatz said. “It’s really high speed, not super technical. The cars are so close from when I started racing them to today. It seems like fifteen pounds of spring rate here or there could be the difference between great and terrible. It makes it pretty touchy.”

He hasn’t had the opportunity to run as many Late Model events this season as he’d like, but if the schedules align right in 2021, Schatz wouldn’t mind going fender to fender with the likes of two-time and defending World of Outlaws Late Model champion Brandon Sheppard and 2004 Series champion Scott Bloomquist more often.

“It takes people to do this,” Schatz said. “All of these teams take people and I have a full-time guy that does his best keeping up with my Late Model when we can go. He goes 24 hours a day some days, so there’s only so many hours in a day and that’s what kept me from doing it this year and it may keep me from some next year, but we’ll get the schedule and see where everything is at.”

Before then, Schatz's main focus will be on his Sprint Car at Charlotte. A win during the Last Call would hold significance for multiple reasons. It would give him a career milestone of 300 World of Outlaws Sprint Car victories, help him gain points on his championship rivals and be a good momentum builder for the 2021 season.

“For 15 years I’ve been in a championship hunt," Schatz said. "You don’t ever want to lose that. Here we are. We find ourselves in that again and feeling damn good about it. If we win it, great. If we don’t, we’re not going to hang our heads. It’s been a trying year for everyone. We’ll just do our best to see where we end up.”

For tickets to the Nov. 4-7 World of Outlaws Last Call with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models and World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, click here.