The 2024 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car campaign rolls on into North Dakota this weekend.
The late summer stretch continues with the final visits to the “Peace Garden State” for the year. First up is a Friday, Aug. 23, trip to Grand Forks, N.D.’s River Cities Speedway. The quarter mile bullring always produces some of the most thrilling action of the season with its high banks and tight confines. Out of the more than 400 tracks he’s visited, longtime Series announcer Johnny Gibson ranks it as his favorite.
Then, it’s an hour south down I-29 to West Fargo, N.D. where Red River Valley Speedway awaits. The three-eighths-mile is set to host The Greatest Show on Dirt for the 69th time on Saturday, Aug. 24, which will equal it with Eagle Raceway for the eighth most visited track in series history.
Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:
HOME SWEET HOME
The final weekend in North Dakota this season means the final chance for Donny Schatz to race in front of home state fans – something the 10-time series champion has always excelled at doing.
Schatz’s River Cities numbers are staggering. He’s competed in all 32 World of Outlaws races contested at the bullring and made a dozen trips to victory lane – a 36-percent winning clip. Twenty-three of those 32 starts have resulted in podiums. Only three times has he missed the top five, and he’s never missed the top 10 with a worst result of eighth. His average finish is 2.7.
Over at Red River Valley, the track closest to his current home, Schatz hasn’t been quite as strong as he is at River Cities but still boasts a solid résumé. The driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 has made 46 series appearances at Red River Valley and won six times. It’s where he made his World of Outlaws debut back in 1993.
Schatz could use a strong weekend on home turf as he looks to catch David Gravel in the battle for the championship. Gravel is currently 106 points ahead.
SHARK SWEEP
Last year, the August trip to North Dakota proved to be a fruitful one for Logan Schuchart.
He and the Shark Racing team swept the River Cities and Red River Valley weekend. The Hanover, Pa. native pulled off a late pass to steal the win. Then, the next night, he dominated by leading all 30 laps for his first Red River Valley checkered flag.
This year, Schuchart rolls into the “Peace Garden State” locked in a tight battle for a top five in the standings. He’s 40 markers behind Michael “Buddy” Kofoid who currently holds down the fifth spot, but he’s got Sheldon Haudenschild just 10 behind him. The stats stay Schuchart could piece together a productive weekend toward that effort.
GRAND FORKS GLORY
Schatz and Schuchart aren’t the only full-timers among the current crop of World of Outlaws competitors to enjoy success at River Cities. In fact, half of the roster has topped a Series race at the quarter-mile dirt track.
Current point leader David Gravel owns a pair of River Cities trophies. Back in 2017 he took the CJB Motorsports No. 5 to a win and then added a second last year with Big Game Motorsports.
Two years ago, Carson Macedo took home his sole River Cities victory to date. It came aboard his current ride, the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41.
In 2012, Kraig Kinser made an impressive drive at River Cities to collect one of his 17 career wins. The Bloomington, Ind. native rolled from 10th to victory lane.
The latest to add his name to the list is Fresno, Calif.’s Giovanni Scelzi. The 22-year-old outdueled Sheldon Haudenschild and crossed the finish line first in the KCP Racing No. 18.
A MATTER OF TIME
Friday’s visit to River Cities looks like the perfect opportunity for Sheldon Haudenschild to break through into victory lane.
After topping seven of the first 27 World of Outlaws races this season, Haudenschild and the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing crew are now on a 19-race winless streak. This past weekend at Jackson, the hunger to win again intensified even more as he finished second both nights, his sixth and seventh podium efforts since his last victory.
Coincidentally, Haudenschild’s last two visits to River Cities have led to runner-up results. He’s come so close to a River Cities triumph with laps led in six different Features and three total second place finishes in his career at the North Dakota bullring. It’s a track where he’s undoubtedly ready to find a way to win.
BULLRING BREAKTHROUGH
Another driver that can be expected to be in contention at Friday’s River Cities tilt is Brock Zearfoss.
The “Jonestown Jet” might’ve developed his skills on the big tracks of Pennsylvania, but the bullring of River Cities has suited him well on the World of Outlaws tour. He’s raced there six times and come away with five top 10s. The last two visits have seen him drive from 22nd to 10th and 21st to ninth.
Zearfoss will head to River Cities already carrying some momentum. Since the break for Fourth of July weekend, he’s earned four top 10s in 11 feature starts including a ninth in this past weekend’s Jackson Nationals finale.
NORTH DAKOTA KNOWLEDGE
North Dakota always offers up a solid collection of local talent ready to face off with the country’s best when the World of Outlaws come to town.
Mark Dobmeier headlines the North Dakota contingent. The Grand Forks, ND driver has been dominant at his home track to the tune of more than 100 career River Cities wins including six this year. He’s yet to beat the World of Outlaws there but has come close with a pair of podiums. Over at Red River Valley, Dobmeier is a former Northern Outlaw Sprint Association (NOSA) winner.
Fellow Grand Forks native and reigning NOSA champion, Jade Hastings, is another local to keep an eye on. He’s already topped four River Cities races this year. Hastings picked up a World of Outlaws top 10 at the quarter-mile track in 2018.
The only person not named Dobmeier or Hastings to claim a River Cities NOSA race this season is Nick Omdahl. He’s from East Grand Forks, Minn. and frequently makes the trip across the Red River when the World of Outlaws visit. He also owns a pair of NOSA runner-ups at Red River Valley.
This trio is likely to be joined by additional local competitors including Brendan Mullen (Grand Forks, N.D.), Jack Croaker (East Grand Forks, Minn.), Adam Sobolik (Grand Forks, N.D.) and more.