ROSSBURG, Ohio – In a slider-fest for the ages, Logan Schuchart dove past Kevin Swindell on the final lap to win Tuesday night’s World of Outlaws iRacing Sprint Car Invitational at the virtual Eldora Speedway.
In a 35-lapper televised live on CBS Sports Network, Schuchart started sixth but came to live in the final third of the race, following a lap-21 caution that stacked him up behind then-leader Kevin Swindell.
Schuchart pitched a slider at the No. 39 at that point, but couldn’t make the pass stick and had to fall back and regroup. He got the chance to after a stack-up involving Brian Brown and Robbie Kendall set up a four-lap fight to the finish.
The Hanover, Pa., native was ready. Schuchart stuck to his plan and went to war with 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.”
That it did. He dove to the inside in turns three and four after building momentum in turns one and two and got alongside Swindell for the race lead – finally wresting control of the top spot away coming under the white flag.
Schuchart finally got clear in turn three on the last lap, never looking back en route to the win.
After the race, Schuchart was as excited as he was exhausted from the intense race he went through.
“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.”
For Swindell on the other hand, it was a mistake on the top side that held him back at the end.
“Cushion, one. Me, zero,” Swindell said on Twitter after the race.
Bill Balog completed the podium after starting from the pole, followed by Brad Sweet and Tyler Courtney.
Former Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya was the night’s hard charger, advancing 13 spots from 20th on the grid to a seventh-place finish and running as high as fifth at one point.
The results:
1. 1s-Logan Schuchart [6] [$1,000]; 2. 39-Kevin Swindell [5]; 3. 17b-Bill Balog [1]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 5. 7bc-Tyler Courtney [14]; 6. 17a-Austin McCarl [11]; 7. 6-Juan Pablo Montoya [20]; 8. 5b-Chase Briscoe [2]; 9. 35-Mike Mahaney [13]; 10. 1a-Jacob Allen [15]; 11. 17-Max McLaughlin [7]; 12. 2c-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. 2m-Kerry Madsen [17].
Lead Change(s): Two among three drivers
Lap Leaders: Chase Briscoe 1-11, Kevin Swindell 12-33, Logan Schuchart 34-35
Laps Led: Kevin Swindell 22, Chase Briscoe 11, Logan Schuchart 2
Hard Charger: 6-Juan Pablo Montoya (+13)