GRAND FORKS, N.D. — It’s all about the “Peace Garden State” this week for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
The month of August is ready to be punctuated by a North Dakota tripleheader. A busy weekend will take the tour to three races over three consecutive nights at three different race tracks, all united by the borders they fall within.
The action is unleashed on Friday, Aug. 28 at Grand Forks’s River Cities Speedway. The bullring has become a regular stop on the schedule ever since the Series debut in 2007 and with good reason.
The high speed, close confines racing River Cities always produces have earned it the honor of longtime World of Outlaws announcer Johnny Gibson’s favorite track of the more than 400 he’s visited.
Then it’s a trip down the Red River to West Fargo where Fix It Forward Speedway will host the Danny Schatz Memorial on Saturday, Aug. 29. Donny Schatz’s father was an important part of his racing career, and the World of Outlaws will honor him during Donny’s 30th consecutive season on tour at the Schatz’s home track.
The teams will head west from West Fargo to finalize the weekend at Nodak Speedway on Sunday, Aug. 30. It’ll mark the first trip to Nodak since 2018.
FULL HOMECOMING
This weekend represents about as complete as a homecoming as you can get for Donny Schatz. The living legend has countless laps at all three ovals ahead, including many turned well before he ever hit the road full-time with the World of Outlaws. In the years since joining the tour, he’s always performed at a high level at home.
Schatz’s River Cities numbers are videogame-like. He’s taken part in all 36 series visits, won a dozen of them, and never finished worse than eighth. His average finish across that stretch is a stout 3.1.
Fix It Forward Speedway is where Schatz made his World of Outlaws debut in 1993. Since then, he’s collected six series scores at the track in the town where he now resides. Nodak is Schatz’s original home track as he was born in Minot.
It took him seven tries to get his first checkered flag from the three-eighths-mile, but that ignited a five-race winning streak. Add it all up, and the trio of tracks ahead are responsible for 23 of his 317 career victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt.
The 10-time series champion heads home with the momentum of an FVP Preliminary Program win during the Knoxville Nationals and a top five effort at Jackson Motorplex over the weekend. He and CJB Motorsports sit sixth in the standings.
CALIFORNIA CONQUERERS
Schatz’s overall River Cities résumé may be the most impressive, but recent history points toward a pair of Californians to watch on Friday. Lemoore’s Carson Macedo and Penngrove’s Michael “Buddy” Kofoid have combined to claim the last four visits.
It began with Macedo driving from sixth to the front in the August trip of 2024. Then Kofoid went back-to-back by sweeping the two 2025 features with Roth Motorsports. It was Macedo’s turn again this year with a thrilling charge from ninth to victory lane aboard the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 in May. Add in Macedo’s 2022 win, and his three River Cities triumphs are tied with Craig Dollansky for the second most all-time.
The “Golden State” duo heads into the weekend holding down top five positions in the points. Kofoid is second and already a 10-time winner this season, which is tied with David Gravel for the most. Macedo sits fourth with four victories under his belt.
A BIGGER BOAT
Logan Schuchart and the Shark Racing team are firing on all cylinders right now.
In the last two weeks, they’ve hoisted the Ironman 55 dumbbell, bagged a Knoxville Nationals top five, and are fresh off a thrilling win at Jackson Motorplex.
Those results are part of an even larger hot streak with the No. 1s piling up 13 top fives in the last 17 races, including seven podiums. Schuchart now has three total victories this year, which is the most since snagging six in 2023. He’s fifth in points with Macedo a manageable 50 markers ahead.
History says don’t expect Schuchart and the Shark crew to cool off this weekend. He’s a two-time River Cities winner (2019 and 2023) and has eight top fives in his last 13 tries there.
The Hanover, Pa., native won at Fix It Forward in 2023 and hasn’t missed the top 10 in eight straight races at the West Fargo oval. His last three trips to Nodak have led to solid finishes of fourth, eighth, and seventh.
GETTIN’ AFTER IT
Another driver/team combination on a roll is Sheldon Haudenschild and KCP Racing.
The 32-year-old is experiencing arguably the best stretch of his career in only his first season with the Matt Barbara and Bret Nehring-owned operation.
The last 26 races for Haudenschild have resulted in seven wins, 16 podiums, and only two finishes outside the top 10. The run has elevated the Wooster, Ohio, native to third in points, and he trails Kofoid by only two markers.
Looking ahead to this weekend, victory has eluded Haudenschild in seemingly every way possible at River Cities. He’s led laps there on six occasions and finished runner-up three times. Haudenschild topped last spring’s visit to Fix It Forward and has come home in the top two in his last three races at the track. His last time at Nodak in 2018 resulted in a 13th to sixth charge.
FAMILY TRADITION
The North Dakota swings have become a special occasion for another branch of the Schatz family tree in recent years.
Donny Schatz’s nieces, Amelia and Laela Eisenschenk, will compete alongside their uncle, who doubles as their car owner. They’ve been racing throughout their youth and finally reached the age to graduate to 410 sprint cars.
They each made their World of Outlaws debuts last fall on this very same weekend and plan to be in attendance all three nights in their home state.
The duo has continued to develop this year leading to impressive results. Laela was a River Cities third-place finisher on July 2. Amelia is fresh off notching the best NOSA result for a female driver ever with a runner-up last weekend at River Cities.
