It’s been nearly a week since Logan Schuchart wheeled his No. 1s Shark Racing machine into sprint car racing history as the first driver to earn $1 million in a single race.
The scene was set at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, in front of a packed house of dirt racing fans circling around the half-mile high-banked oval.
Schuchart led all 50 laps from the pole to collect the biggest single-day payday in sprint car racing history.
Having some time to reflect after the whirlwind of a night, Schuchart admitted it’s difficult to pinpoint a single moment that stuck out.
“Really, the whole night in general, I can’t pick out just one,” Schuchart told SPEED SPORT. “The whole night in general, afterward just celebrating with friends and family, and just sharing that moment with everybody.”
What the 30-year-old replays in his mind is the grind leading up to the Eldora Million and how it set the tone for the Shark Racing team.
“The build up to it is what I keep thinking about and how wild, from the day before, to our qualifying night,” Schuchart explained.
Schuchart’s Wednesday preliminary night went smoothly. After a monster lap-one that vaulted the No. 1s from eighth to first in his heat race, a fourth-place finish in the 25-lap prelim gave Schuchart a steady confidence heading into Thursday.
“It just seemed like our car took off great, we were fast,” Schuchart said.
Despite rain in the forecast, Thursday’s million-dollar day dawned sunny and bright. Schuchart showed strength when hot laps began.
As heat racing started, Schuchart already had an idea of who his main competition would be once the feature arrived.
“We knew we were gonna have a tough heat race. There are three or four cars I’d put in the fastest car categories. Probably Brad (Sweet), Rico (Abreu), Carson (Macedo) and ourselves,” Schuchart said.
Starting alongside Abreu, Schuchart outlasted the California standout to win his heat.
“It just seemed like things were falling in line as the night went on,” Schuchart said.
At the redraw, the number one pill appeared for Schuchart. Pole position.
“We knew we had a great shot at it before the week got here,” Schuchart said. “But to actually get it done and have things just fall in place. As the moment got closer, we made it happen.”
From there, the rest was history as Schuchart gave his grandfather and team owner Bobby Allen and the Shark Racing operation a crowning achievement in sprint car racing.
“Everybody did a great job, I’m very proud of my team to be able to just nail it the whole night, not make very minimal mistakes,” Schuchart said. “Because in a race like that, when you have that many good cars, you can’t afford any mistakes and I can’t think of any that were really made.”
In the days following the Eldora Million, Schuchart and Shark Racing are still reaping the glory back home in Hanover, Pa.
“We got fans hanging out their car windows, fist pumping and honking their horns,” Schuchart said. “We’re here on Hanover Street, so it’s a pretty busy road out in front of the shop and people just beeping and waving all day long.
“So, pretty cool feeling coming back to PA.”
Ironically, their homecoming will continue this week as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series competes at nearby BAPS Motor Speedway on Wednesday night.
A doubleheader weekend at Williams Grove Speedway caps off the outlaws’ summer Pennsylvania swing.
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