CONCORD, N.C. – All year the stars have aligned for Brent Marks.
That plot line wasn’t much different Saturday in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season finale during World Finals weekend at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Marks led the final four of 25 laps for his 13th victory of the year and third with The Greatest Show on Dirt, but it likely wouldn’t have happened without Logan Schuchart’s flat right rear in the closing laps.
Schuchart started from the pole and controlled the $12,000-to-win main event until misfortune robbed him of another victory for the second night in a row.
The Myerstown, Pa., driver announced his new-look Murray-Marks Motorsports team — an expanded partnership with Allen Murray — this past week in the midst of a career year and capitalized in front of a packed crowd.
“This is awesome, to be able to win in front of this crowd,” Marks said. “I usually struggle here. We came here, and we’ve had high hopes for how we’ve run this year. Everything worked out. Right place, right time for me there.
“I thought he was better than me, and I just wanted to make sure I finished second there,” Marks said. “It’s cool to be standing out here.”
Schuchart and David Gravel ran first and second for the first half of the event but Marks, as he’s done all week and, quite frankly, most of the season, lingered amongst the frontrunners.
By lap 14, Marks ran down and passed Gravel in traffic for second. Four laps before that, Gravel was on Schuchart’s heels for the top spot and attempted a slide job for the lead off turn four.
With 10 laps to go, Jac Haudenschild, in his final sprint car start of his 48-year racing career, flipped out of contention when he and Paulie Colagiovanni tangled off turn four. Haudenschild walked off OK and his career as the 11th all-time in World of Outlaws history with 72 wins.
Schuchart got rolling once things resumed, but his right rear tire only lasted six more laps. That put Marks in control and left Schuchart leaving Charlotte empty-handed despite leading 38 of the 55 laps this weekend.
“We’re generally a 14th, 15th-place car here,” Marks said. “We’ve been working on our program all year long. We’re just trying to get better everywhere we go. It’s been working. We’re fortunate. Just can’t say enough about this whole team … Allen and his family back at home. It’s awesome he’s teamed up with us.
“The future is looking good,” Marks said. “We still have one more race, next weekend back in Pennsylvania [at BAPS Motor Speedway].”
Brock Zearfoss managed to finish second for his best finish of the season. Donny Schatz buzzed through the field, from the 25th-starting spot thanks to a provisional, to finish third.
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