NEW RICHMOND, Wis. — Everyone loves a summertime trip to the lake, and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is no exception.
The country’s best sprint car drivers just wrapped up a week of chasing huge cash at Huset’s Speedway and Cedar Lake Speedway is the next destination.
The Federated Auto Parts Independence Spectacular brings The Greatest Show on Dirt to the three-eighths-mile dirt track this weekend (June 26-27). Cedar Lake is the most visited Wisconsin track in series history with 55 previous stops, a record that will extend by two this weekend.
This trip is about more than racing. With the United States of America’s 250th birthday less than two weeks away, Cedar Lake has an even bigger-than-normal fireworks show planned to wow the fans.
BACK TO THE POINT
Last week, points were off the table as teams put their entire focus on chasing a pair of six-figure checks at Huset’s. Cedar Lake is set to bring the championship fight back to life. Each point gets more and more important as the season nears the halfway mark.
David Gravel leads the way in pursuit of his third consecutive championship. He’s fresh off banking $300,000 at Huset’s and holds an 82-point advantage over Carson Macedo, who leads third-running Michael “Buddy” Kofoid by only 12 markers.
Looking a little farther back, Emerson Axsom is starting to get comfortable atop the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year presented by Five Star Bodies chase. He’s taken the Klaasmeyer/Petry Motorsports No. 27 to a trio of top fives and nine top 10s and is 120 markers clear of Ashton Torgerson in the battle for top rookie honors.
HOME COOKING
The World of Outlaws tour can often be about long stints away from home, but Bill Balog is about to enjoy a rare stretch of sleeping in his own bed.
Four of the next five races on the calendar take place in his home state of Wisconsin. Following the Cedar Lake weekend is Wilmot Raceway’s O’Reilly Auto Parts presents the Larry Hillerud Memorial on July 10-11.
Like most tracks in the “Badger State,” Balog’s résumé boasts plenty of Cedar Lake accomplishments. He’s topped five Interstate Racing Association races there. On the World of Outlaws side, Balog owns 10 Cedar Lake top 10s in 22 tries with a best result of fifth that came in his most recent appearance last year.
After a breakout 2025, Balog has struggled at times during his third season on tour. A trip home may be just what he needs to get on the right track.
HAUD’S HOT
There may be no sprint car team in the country currently performing at the level of the KCP Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 18.
Sheldon Haudenschild has wheeled the Kyle Ripper-wrenched ride to championship-contending consistency with 13 consecutive finishes of seventh or better. Only two of those were outside the top five, and six of the last eight were top two results, including a pair of victories.
The Wooster, Ohio, native has a 140-point hole to dig out of if he hopes to have a shot at his first title, but history says there’s no reason to expect Haudenschild to slow this weekend.
He enters the weekend with a streak of 16 consecutive top 10 finishes at Cedar Lake and a 5.56 average finish over that span, including a win in 2019.
LOVING THE LAKE
No driver currently on tour comes close to the amount of success Donny Schatz has enjoyed at Cedar Lake.
Before he even joined the World of Outlaws tour, Schatz picked up some 360 sprint car checkered flags from Cedar Lake in the mid-1990s. That translated to the big leagues as the Fargo, N.D., driver went on to win five times at the Wisconsin track with The Greatest Show on Dirt. That number trails only Sammy Swindell and Brad Sweet’s equal mark of seven for the most all-time.
The 10-time series champion has momentum on his side with the opportunity for more Cedar Lake trophies ahead. He finalized Huset’s High Bank Nationals week with a runner-up in the prelim before a $25,000 third-place result in the finale aboard the CJB Motorsports No. 15.
THE FIRST TIME
Any visit to Cedar Lake is a special one for Logan Schuchart and his Shark Racing team.
It’s a chance to reflect on a special beginning and the journey that has followed. Schuchart scored his first-ever World of Outlaws victory at the Wisconsin oval a decade ago. It was a statement that they belonged on tour after many questioned how long they could last. Ten years later, Schuchart is a 45-time winner with The Greatest Show on Dirt, and the Shark Racing No. 1s is consistently one of the top cars on tour.
That 2016 triumph isn’t the only time he’s visited Cedar Lake Victory Lane. The Hanover, Pa., native won again in 2024. That’s one of eight consecutive top 10 finishes he’s notched at the three-eighths-mile heading into Friday.
Looking at Schuchart’s 2026 season to date, he recently clawed his way into a tie for a top-five position in points with Donny Schatz. He’s got one win (Eldora Speedway) and 20 top 10s through 32 races this year.
