ROSSBURG, Ohio — There’s only one king of sprint car racing, and his name is Steve Kinser.
But one current competitor has the opportunity to match one of The King’s royal records.
Kinser topped seven Kings Royal during his illustrious career, which is the most through 40 runnings. Last year, Donny Schatz drove the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 to his sixth Kings Royal title, making this year the first chance he’ll have to equal Kinser’s crown collection.
The Kings Royal features two nights of action at Eldora, beginning with the Knight Before, dishing out $25,000 to the victor on Friday.
Then on Saturday the 41st Kings Royal King will be crowned, cementing their name in sprint car history and taking $175,000 to the bank.
There’s no reason to think Schatz won’t be in contention for his seventh coronation. Eldora is home to 18 of the Fargo, N.D., native’s 314 WoO victories.
The 10-time champion also topped the 2002 Historical Big One. Schatz has podiumed in seven of his last 11 Eldora races including both nights of #LetsRaceTwo back in May. He’ll enter the week fresh off his third win of 2024 after an impressive drive at Wilmot Raceway.
Crown Chasers
The list of Kings Royal champions is filled with legends of the sport. But there are a handful of future Hall of Famers and noteworthy names on the World of Outlaws roster still seeking to grace the throne for the first time.
Logan Schuchart stands out among those eying their first Kings Royal victory. The Shark Racing pilot has won four times with the World of Outlaws at Eldora, making it tied for the winningest track on his Series résumé. He also claimed the first Eldora Million last year. The 2019 Kings Royal is Schuchart’s best showing to date when he started 12th and drove to the front and led 15 laps before finishing second.
David Gravel already owns wins in the sport’s two other top crown jewels — Knoxville Nationals and National Open – but the Kings Royal has eluded the current point leader.
Last year he equaled his best Kings Royal run with a third-place outing in the Big Game Motorsports No. 2. Six times
Carson Macedo has been rapping on the castle door through the last four Kings Royals. He’s finished no worse than eighth and grabbed a pair of third place runs in one of the two contested in 2021 and the 2022 editions. Macedo owns a trio of checkered flags at “The House that Earl Built” most recently in last year’s Knight Before in the Jason Johnson Racing ride.
Sheldon Haudenschild is an Ohio native, and he’s still looking to top his home state’s most prestigious sprint car event. He’s been in the top five in four of the last five editions, peaking a second in 2021. Haudenschild won at Eldora earlier this season.
A victory on Saturday would add him to this list alongside his father and three-time King Jac Haudenschild, and they’d become the first father-son duo to don the Crown.
Giovanni Scelzi struggled at “The Big E” early in his career, but he’s found speed as of late at the historic half mile. Four of his last five Eldora starts have resulted in top-five finishes including a trio of podiums.
RETURNING KINGS
The entry list is expected to include more former Kings in addition to Schatz looking to sit atop the throne once again.
Brad Sweet is set to pursue his third crown in the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49. The Grass Valley, Calif., native topped the 2013 edition for his second World of Outlaws victory. The five-time Series champ also earned the spoils of $175,000 when he won in 2019. He’ll look to join Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, Jac Haudenschild, and Sammy Swindell as those with at least three Kings Royal titles.
Two years ago, Brent Marks capped off an incredible week when he was crowned King. Marks also claimed the return of the Historical Big One two days before, totaling $275,000 in winnings between the two. He’ll attempt to become the ninth multi-time King.
Tyler Courtney’s first World of Outlaws triumph came in the form of a Kings Royal crown in 2021.
“Sunshine” is always a threat at Eldora no matter what he’s wheeling as he’s won 13 times at the half mile in four different types of cars.
Kerry Madsen claimed the crown 10 years ago to become the first Australian Kings Royal champion. He’s expected to be behind the wheel of the Vermeer Motorsports No. 55 at Eldora this weekend.
ALL-STAR FIELD
On top of the hugely talented collection of names already listed, many more sprint car stars are planning to be at one or both of the events on this week’s agenda.
The nation’s winningest driver — Anthony Macri — intends to make the trip one state west from Pennsylvania to Ohio. Already in the month of July Macri has won three PA Speedweek races on his way to the event title.
Rico Abreu will be in the Eldora pit area in search of his first Kings Royal. The St. Helena, Calif., native ran second in 2016. Of his nine Eldora wins, three were in World of Outlaws competition including a pair last year.