ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. – Over the last few weeks, Sheldon Haudenschild has pieced together consistent finishes and learned to be pleased with them, closing in on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series point lead with a head of steam.
But, still, one thing was unfulfilled: a win and winning speed throughout the course of the whole night.
On a humid Thursday evening where two hungry drivers dueled early on, Haudenschild finally got the job done and denied Jacob Allen his first Outlaw win by snagging his first checkered flag of the season during the Gettysburg Clash at Lincoln Speedway.
Logan Schuchart beat out Allen for second and finished 2.416 seconds behind Haudenschild, who led the final 21 of 35 laps and picked up $10,000 in the process.
“Definitely felt really good,” Haudenschild said. “My guys have been working really hard and it shows. We’ve been fast and consistent. Just hadn’t gotten over the hump to win.”
The win pulls Haudenschild, who remains fifth in the standings, to 66 points back of leader Donny Schatz. Haudenschild started his night by timing fifth overall in flight two with a lap of 13.721 compared to Jeff Halligan’s 13.579, which put Halligan quickest in the session.
Meanwhile, Anthony Macri set the overall quick time with a lap of 13.483.
But Haudenschild lunged himself into the victory conversation in his heat race, where he blew past Schatz from third on lap one and nearly ran down Halligan for the heat win.
He drew the pole for the DIRTvision Fast Pass Dash and led all six laps to start on the point for the 35-lap feature.
Allen, who started third, drove by Haudenschild on the bottom off the race’s first corner and led the first 10 laps with good pace. But Allen started to lose feel for the top off turn four, while Haudenschild stayed glued to it, and the race for the lead heated up on lap 12.
By lap 13, Allen had moved down to the bottom of turns three and four and by lap 15 Haudenschild powered around Allen on the top for the lead and the eventual win.
“I just showed him my nose down in three and four,” Haudenschild said. “The track was still decent when I did, and I kind of got him thinking a bit. We got to lappers and was able to go around him. Set him up good and kind of raced my own race after that.”
Haudenschild set sail from there, racing out to a three-second lead before a caution with 11 laps to go. He then survived two more restarts in the late going and never missed a beat to secure his first series win of the season.
Allen will have to wait another night at least, coming so close again to getting his first World of Outlaws win. It almost came Thursday night at his home track.
“I felt really good, and I know I haven’t won an Outlaw race, but this year, I feel so good physically and mentally,” Allen said. “Sheldon [Haudenschild] rips [the top]. Logan [Schuchart] rips [the top]. I gave it all I had. The wins are going to come. When I’m working as hard as I am and focused as I’ve been, I don’t see where it can’t not happen. I’m looking forward to that day.”
David Gravel and Carson Macedo rounded out the top five.
Parker Price-Miller, Schatz, Brad Sweet, Brent Marks, and Macri – who was the highest-finishing PA Posse driver – were the balance of the top 10.
Freddie Rahmer, who started fourth and won his heat race, ran inside the top five most of the night before an incident with Danny Dietrich on a restart with 11 laps to go ended his night.
Dietrich started 14th, raced his way up to fifth, and then failed to finish the night in 20th after hopping the cushion with two laps to go and spinning to a stop.
The World of Outlaws’ PA Swing continues Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway with the opening night of the Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals.
To view complete race results, advance to the next page.