Haudenschild steadily improved his FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions statistics between 2014 and ’16. He placed ninth, sixth and third in the standings, respectively, and increased his victory total from one win in 2014 to five in ’15 and a series-best nine in ’16.
The 2017 season marked his first campaign with the World of Outlaws.
“I wouldn’t say we had a projection,” he said. “We took it as it came and saw where we were at. Our goal was to race wherever, whenever we could and race as much as we could for what we could afford back then. Once you start progressing you start making goals. The last two years I ran the All Stars it was, ‘All right, I think I can do this, but how are we going to do this?’ And figuring out plans to make it happen. My goal has always been to race the Outlaws. When I first started sprint cars in 2009, that was the only reason I’d do something is to do it with the best in the world. You try to accomplish the short goals to get to the bigger ones.”
Yet the climb from regional competitor to All Star contender to World of Outlaws regular was a grind despite having the well-known last name.
“A lot of people don’t understand I didn’t go out and race in the nicest cars with the nicest rigs,” he said. “We went out there with a level playing field with everybody and worked our asses off to get to this point, which is great. I loved racing back then for my dad. It switched over to my team toward the end. The sponsorship deal is tough. My last two years of running the All Star deal I had a really good sponsor out of California — Southern Pacific Farms. They helped me get to my first year of racing the Outlaws. Without them and my parents and putting the work in, it never would have happened.”
Year one with The Greatest Show on Dirt yielded the rookie-of-the-year award and the 2018 season brought an opportunity that Haudenschild has latched onto. NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Richard and Jennifer Marshall formed Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing and selected Haudenschild as the driver.
Haudenschild has continued his climb as the team has improved statistically each year leading into this special season when a first World of Outlaws championship is up for grabs at the same time his father is saying goodbye to a racing career.
“That’s why you go through the struggles,” he said. “You look back and see where you came from and where you’ve been. You focus on the future and keep working. It keeps you motivated. There’s no time to slouch.
“I’ve learned a lot from watching my dad. I learned my own style from racing bikes. Jason Sides is the only guy I can think of who grew up racing like I did. Our styles aren’t very similar,” he noted. “With this younger generation they all grow up racing quarter midgets, outlaw karts. I didn’t get brought up like that. From a mental standpoint, growing up racing dirt bikes is great for me and something I have in my back pocket.”
Haudenschild is certainly savoring the success as well as the precious last few moments with his father on the track.
“The biggest thing from my dad is always having a good attitude,” he said. “When you win races have a good attitude and when you lose races have a good attitude; keeping your team happy and everyone happy and staying focused on the future.
“Dad’s won a lot of places and a lot of big races and I was there for them. I have the memories of them, going to Eldora and having the memories of dad winning there. The Front Row Challenge. Just traveling with dad, even just going to hotel parking lots that we go to this year that I was at when I was a kid growing up. We literally go to a lot of the same places.”
The 27-year-old Haudenschild is hopeful his journey is similar to that of his father, who turned 63 years old in April.
“I see myself doing this until I’m 50 years old without a doubt,” he said. “I think the NASCAR deal is great. If the opportunity ever came it’d be a hard decision to make, but there’s no sport as exciting as this.”
Exciting is certainly a word synonymous with Haudenschild.