Schatz and Williamson Repeat; Davenport Tops Late Models at World Finals Finale

 The World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway wrapped up on Saturday night, November 5th. For the first time this week, all three classes that are featured at this event, the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, the World of  Outlaws Late Models and the Super DIRT Big Block Modifieds would all be running a full show with the largest purses of the weekend offered. But despite the large and powerful fields of cars in all three classes, two of the three feature winners would be repeat winners from earlier this week. 

The "old" Donny Schatz seems to have reappeared this week at Charlotte as for the second straight night he scored a dominating win in the Sprint Car feature while Ontario's Mat Williamson would top the Big Blocks for the second time. And to no one's surprise, the most dominant Late Model driver seen this year, Jonathan Davenport, would get up on the cushion and blow away the Late Model field. 

For the first time this week, the event would find weather a possible issue after having set or nearly set records for warmth all week. Even early in the day on Saturday, the temperatures were most comfortable, unlike many years here when it could be bitter cold. However, there was a threat of showers later in the day and while they did indeed hit during the Late Model feature, which was the last event of the night, they just stopped the action for a few brief minutes before the event finished off. The post race celebration for the series champions, however, was done as the rain got heavier. 

A few drivers went home early, either due to mechanical problems or a plague of bad luck, but for the most part, the drivers who had entered were all back for one last shot at success. The program would be identical to the three previous nights with heats, Last Chance events and the three feature races. Both the Late Models and Big Blocks would run ten extra laps for their mains for the extra money offered while the Sprint feature remained at thirty laps, most likely because there was a fear that the tires wouldn't last many more laps than that. 

The one big difference for this night was that there was no qualifying in any of the classes as points accumulated from the first two nights would set the running order for the heat races. And not surprisingly, I didn't hear a single complaint from a fan, feeling that they were robbed of part of their program by not having time trials. Mostly they were happy that the show could start right at the scheduled time and that the track would likely race better because it hadn't been worn out by one hundred and sixty plus race cars pounding it in the same groove during time trials. This might be a hint to the sanctioning bodies but my guess is that they are "nose blind" to it. 

The pit area over night and into Saturday was a busy place as I lost count of the number of motor changes that took place with the vast majority of them being in the Sprint Car pits.  I can't imagine how a team could have a successful week, no matter how they finished, knowing that in order to accomplish their finish they just ruined a fifty or more thousand dollar motor it get a finish. And there were also several teams that had to switch cars too due to mechanical issues or crashes. 

Big Blocks would be first on the schedule with four heats, a pair of Last Chance races and then their forty lap main event. The Big Blocks would again start the largest field of cars in their main event as thirty of them would take the green flag. And has been the pattern here this week, the Big Blocks would also see the most lead changes of any of the classes. 

The Big Blocks have an interesting rule that the other classes here don't and that is the fast qualifier for each heat has the option of taking the inside or outside pole and we consistently saw this week that for the Big Blocks, the place to be in the heats was on the outside where it was easier to keep momentum rolling. 

Erick Rudolph would be the early leader of the Big Block feature with Billy Decker, "Mad" Max McLaughlin and Williamson chasing him. The halfway point of the race would see the top five running close together as things would tighten up. It took twenty five laps of green flag racing before the first yellow flew with McLaughlin making a charge at that point to pass both Decker and Rudolph to take over the top spot. 

Tires are apparently the name of the game in this class and there was much discussion over how hard of tires the drivers would strap on their cars with the abrasive surface here eating tires alive. Super Dirt champion Matt Sheppard had apparently put on tires harder than anyone and while he was barely in the top ten when the first yellow waved, after that he took off like a rocket, passing cars at will. 

It seemed only a matter of time until he would take the lead as he was up to third and ready to pass the top two when his motor went up in smoke, ending his night. McLaughlin would continue to hold the lead but he seemed to be slowing his pace and Williamson, who started eighth, would move to the cushion and blow by for the lead following a late restart. He would pull away at the end for the win while McLaughlin staved off last corner attempts by Demetrios Drellos to pass him for second. 

For Williamson, it was a repeat of his Friday night win and for the Canadian visiting drivers, a clean sweep as they won all three nights and that must be a record too. 

In response to a question earlier in the week by a friend, I had given my opinion that Donny Schatz had wasted two or more years of his prime career racing years, waiting for Tony Stewart to stop messing around with their Ford motors and giving him something that he could win with at the track. Perhaps they heard my remark and decided to "stick it" to me as after a opening night mechanical issue that ended their night early, Schatz and his team came back with two of the most dominant runs seen all year by anyone as he swept to victory on back to back nights, topped by his win on Saturday. 

Schatz would start in row two of the thirty lap Sprint feature but would take the lead with a dynamic turn one move on the first lap. However, that move was called back when a two car collision forced a restart. Schatz couldn't pull off the move again and was forced to settle in at second behind Brad Sweet as the race would now go nonstop. 

Sweet got hung up in traffic on lap eleven however, and with his momentum broken for just a minute, Schatz blew past him for the lead and then proceeded to pull away. Donny was getting a great run off the low side of the track that no one could match and he proceeded to pull away from the field. Even the lapped cars caused him no problems as he made some outstanding moves past them that allowed him to keep his speed up. 

Sweet wasn't able to stay with him with first Geo Scelzi and then Sheldon Haudenshild passing him for position. Haudenshild got to second and seemed to be the only driver able to stay with Schatz, but not able to close on him. 

Just when it looked like the race was over, a late yellow for a slowing car set up a rare, one lap race to the finish. However, Schatz had the field covered as he accelerated away from everyone and had a comfortable margin at the finish. The last corner produced some wild action as Scelzi slid past Haudenshild for second however. 

I am happy to see Schatz back to  his winning form as I have always liked his style, going back to the first time I saw him race when he went over the outside wall at Fargo as a sixteen year old. I also like that he is into Late Model racing too and has had his nieces racing his Late Model on occasion. 

The Late Model feature would wrap up the weekend with twenty six drivers slated to go fifty laps. In the rarest odds, Shane Clanton would start on the pole for the third straight night. Clanton would get plenty of practice in operating the "missing man" formation in honor of Rick Eshelman as being the pole sitter, he was the "missing man" three nights in a row and executed that move. Not so pleasing for Clanton , however, was the fact that even though he started on the pole three straight nights, it didn't win on a single occasion. 

Hudson O'Neal would take the early lead and appear strong and for a time it looked like the new Rocket house car driver was going to get his first win in his new ride. However, he couldn't maintain the pace as Chris Madden gradually began to reel him in with the consistent Dennis Erb running in third. 

Jonathan Davenport started eighth on the grid but by lap nineten, when the first yellow waved, he had worked his way up to fourth. Soon after, he really began to pound the cushion and found success up top, where no one else seemed willing to race. It certainly worked for him as he picked off Erb, Madden and then, on lap twenty eight, he drove past O'Neal to take over the lead. 

After that, he simply pulled away from the field. Madden would move into second but he had nothing for the leader, who continued to pound the cushion while O'Neal continued to slip back in the field. A slowing car triggered the yellow with thirty two laps in the books and just then, it started to mist and then get just a bit heavier. The race was put under yellow as the cars paced the track and it was a close call whether or not to continue. However, the mist abated and the race would resume. 

Perhaps the track changed slightly, but if it did it didn't bother Davenport who just marched away from the pack and drove home uncontested for the twenty five grand win. Madden would get second and Erb, showing the style that gained him his first ever national title, never wavered off the bottom as he would finish third ahead of a charging Tim McCreadie and Dale McDowell. 

The final night of racing featured the pageantry that the opening three nights did not have the time for. They do some neat things during their pre feature ceremonies. The lineup with all feature starters on the track from all three classes is neat as is the parade of state and country flags from all those represented. However, both are borrowed ideas, the multi class parade first seen at the WISSOTA 100 while the parade of flags is of course from the Chili Bowl. However, as the late promoter Hugh Deery used to say, " Most of my best promotional ideas were borrowed from other promoters." 

It was announced that the four night format would return again for 2023 so apparently WoO officials liked how things worked out. The crowd was a very big one for the Saturday night show but lesser crowds were on hand for the previous nights. The grand stand is huge so it is always hard to gauge just how many people were on hand and not having attended this race for a couple years, it is also unknown just have many people have been attending in recent years. The "Split the Pot" for the Speedway Children's Charity, at five bucks a ticket and accumulated over the four nights, was $90,740! The race will again be the first week in November of 2023. 

Thanks to all the officials from the World Racing Group for their help along with the officials of the three racing series. Also, all the employees of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Dirt Track, of which there are many for their long hours of toil over the four nights of racing. A lot of work and effort, along with endless planning, goes into such an event. It is quite a spectacular event and the Dirt Track is certainly an impressive facility to hold such a mega event. 

 

Schatz and Desjardins Are Winners at Charlotte on Friday Night

 It was night number three of the World Racing Group's World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The combination on Friday night would see the Sprint Cars back after one night off and they would be paired with the Big Block Modifieds with the Late Models having Friday night off. Full shows including time trials, heats, Last Chance races and main events would be held for both classes with big money on the line and perhaps just as importantly, the opportunity to earn points that will set the lineups for Saturday night's finale. 

All forty two Big Blocks would be back for their second night in a row of racing although Keith Flach would have to roll out a back up car after badly wrecking his car on his trip into the third turn wall on Thursday night. 

All fifty two Sprint Cars would also return although Gray Leadbetter would move to a different ride for the Friday night show. 

The very first Sprint Car on the track to qualify produced the quick time of the night as Spencer Bayston would turn a 12,645 second lap with Anthony Macri second quick. The Sprint Cars were split into two qualifying groups and the two quickest times would sit on the pole for their respective heats. The second group found Cory Eliason quickest at 12.741 with Donny Schatz second fastest and they would also start on the pole for their heat races. The Sprints would run four heats, a C  Feature and Last Chance race before the thirty lap main event. Also, because of the size of the field, they would run a Non Qualifier race first on the program with the top cars in that event tagging the back of the heat races with the rest relegated to the back of the C Feature. 

The Big Blocks were divided into four groups with drivers qualifying against those that would run against them in their heat races. Again, all starts in heats would be straight up off qualifying with Billy Decker being the only driver under sixteen seconds at 15, 957. 

As this track produces blinding fast speeds, passing is always at a premium here  and with the concluding of the last of the qualifying heat races, we can declare that not a single driver in the three nights farther back than the first row of a heat race could take a win. That emphasizing just how important qualifying is as it takes a super human effort and a lot of luck to overcome any kind of gaff or mechanical issue during time trials. 

This night would produce one of the most interesting contrasts of all time for this event in terms of who the winners would be. One class would produce a winner who has been a ten time champion in his series while the other winner would be racing in this division for the first time in his career!

Twenty seven Sprint Cars would take the green for the thirty lap main event with an impressive front row featuring current series point champion Brad Sweet and Donny Schatz beside him. Sweet would get the jump from the outside and lead the opening lap with Schatz and Anthony Macri trailing him. Logan Schuchart would roll to a halt with four laps complete and be done for the night, putting a dent on his chances for Saturday night. 

There would be trouble on the restart as the second row cars would get together, launching Macri backwards into the first turn wall where he would get smacked several times, once when he was lying sideways on the track. He would be OK though, it a rather scary looking crash. 

Sweet would again grab the lead on the restart but Schatz, looking as racy as he has all season, went blasting by Sweet down the front stretch to take over the lead. Sweet would settle into second and try to track down Schatz with Cole Macedo and then Spencer Bayston taking over third. Schatz was very fast running the low line and getting a great launch off the turns and no matter what Sweet did, he wasn't able to cut into Schatz's lead. 

A late yellow would set up a two lap dash to the finish but there would be no stopping Schatz who got a great start and comfortably pulled away from the field to take the win. There was a scramble behind him though, as Cory Eliason, who had worked his way up to third, would get past Sweet in the two lap dash to the finish. Macedo and Tyler Courtney would complete the top five. Only six drivers would not go the distance and all were on the lead lap at the checkered. 

While a forty five year old veteran of many wars would win the Sprint feature, a first weekend driver in the Big Blocks would surprise everyone in the house by taking the feature race in that class. For the second straight night, a big field of thirty drivers would take the green for the Big Block feature and Matthew Desjardins, driving in only his second Big Block event, would take the early lead by out accelerating Billy Decker. While many in the crowd were consulting their programs to try and figure out who the leader was, Desjardins would continue to hold the top sport for the first thirteen laps of the main. 

However, Matt Sheppard was on the move, getting to second and then putting the pressure on Desjardins for the top spot. Sheppard would continue to push the issue and finally would get under Desjardins to take over the lead, one lap before the yellow flew for the first time for a slowing Ryan Godown. 

Sheppard would continue to hold the lead but Desjardins would continue to run tough as he remained in second. On the move was Tim Fuller who had started twelfth but got past Peter Britten to take third by the halfway point of the race. 

Another yellow flew with nineteen laps in the book when Marcus Dinkins slowed. Then, under yellow, the complexion of the entire race changed as Sheppard rolled to a halt on the front chute and took a push back to the pits, done for the night with some sort of mechanical issue. This gave the lead back to Desjardins with Fuller moving into second. 

The last eleven laps of the race would see a great battle between Desjardins and Fuller with Tim trying lap after lap to get under Desjardins in the turns. However, Matthew would never falter and slip out of the groove and despite Fuller pushing the issue, Desjardins refused to blink. Fuller had the opportunity several times to try a "dirty" slider but he instead chose to hold his line and Desjardins was quick enough to stay in front. 

A last lap attempt came up short and Desjardins would score a shocking win in one of the biggest races of the year over Fuller and a charging Demetrios Drellos who moved up late from ninth spot. Desjardins, a French speaking Quebec driver, gave a broken victory lane speech that included some English and a lot of French but he got his point across that he was pretty excited! A Small Block racer, this was his first weekend in a big motor under the hood but he was smooth and unflappable as he held off the veteran Fuller. 

For the second straight night, the show moved along at a much crisper pace than opening night and track officials were even able to get the poky Sprint Cars to pick up the pace. All racing was complete by around 10:30 pm and when the analysis of the two class programs is broken down, one thing that can be said is that it definitely helped eliminate some of the very long nights that have plagued this event in the past. 

Saturday night all three classes will be in action and that will put a test to this format, especially with extra distance races for two of the classes. The program, however, is scheduled to start two full hours early and in a blessing from above, there will be no time trials on Saturday with all lineups based on points earned for the first two nights. This should produce some interesting looking heat races and likely provide us with the best heats of the week as so far, they have been pretty predictable to this point. We are also likely to hear more about tires on Saturday as drivers have been talking about saving tires already this week in what have been truly pretty short feature races. Apparently the red clay surface here in Cabarrus County is extremely abrasive as well as being gritty and sure doesn't rival the Red Clay found in Douglas and Ashland Counties in Wisconsin.  

English Surprises in Late Models, Williamson Takes Big Block Opener

Night number two of the World Finals Series at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway took place on Thursday night, November 3rd . On Thursday it would be Late Models racing for their second night while the DIRT Car Big Block Modifieds would be making their first appearance of the week. Each division would be running a full program and points racing would be key for both classes as both groups want to assure good starting positions for Saturday night's finale when the biggest bucks are doled out. 

Sixty eight Late Models would sign in for night number two for them, the first group to have run back to back nights during the series this year. Changes would see both Chuckie Lepsch and Kevin Wilson make their first starts which almost assuredly guarantees them terrible starting positions for the Saturday night heats. Trevor Gundaker would be driving the same car for Reid Millard that he drove on Wednesday night, but it would look completely different. The Ed Dixon tribute body would be delivered back to the Dixon family who had requested that they get it after it made an appearance on a race car so Millard's #14 body went back on the car for this night. The Dixon tribute car had some very special graphics including pictures of many of Ed's race cars over the years and certainly something that the family would want as a keepsake. The Cody Cubbage car continues to be listed in the entrants order as well as the running order for time trials and races but the car has yet to be seen on the speedway property. Parker Price-Miller also scratched out of Thursday night action with apparent motor problems. Both Stewart Friesen and Carson Hocever were  Truck racing in Phoenix with it possible they might fly back to race on Saturday night. 

Thursday night's program would mirror that of the night before with qualifying followed by six heats, three Last Chance races and a forty lap main event. All six heats were won off the front row and while the track was a bit drier than it had been on Wednesday night, passing in the heat races was a tough chore. 

The three Last Chance races would fill out the rest of the field with provisional starters Max Blair, Josh Richards and Gordy Gundaker added to the field which gave us twenty seven starters for the main. Having to use a provisional and start so far back in the field pretty much killed Blair's chances of gaining the Rookie of the Year title, a slim chance that was indeed extinguished with the results of the feature race. 

In a tough field of competitors, the result of the feature race would produce at least a mild upset in my mind. And while Tanner English would earn the Rookie title on this night, to expect him to lead from start to finish and truly not be seriously challenged in the forty lap feature was not something that I could have predicted. 

However, that is exactly what happened as he got the jump on Shane Clanton from the outside, a lane that seems to be good for starting and restarting but not worthy of racing on after that and he would then lead all forty laps to take the fifteen grand for the win. 

Clanton could never really get close enough to produce a challenge of any sort as English just drove away from everyone and when he did get to lapped traffic, he made smart moves and never let up on his pace. And there would be plenty of lapped traffic as this race would go nonstop, green to checkered. And even rarer, all twenty seven drivers that started the race would still be around at the finish. There would be no flat tires, no stalled cars and no dive into the infield racers as the laps ran off. I would guess that a key reason why those not doing well didn't pull off was because of the points they would forfeit to some other team that stayed on the track. But it was of so rare to not see a stream of drivers dive to the infield by the halfway point if they weren't going anywhere forward. 

English would finish comfortably in front with Clanton recorded his second straight runner up finish and guaranteeing a front row heat race start on Saturday when the Late Models next appear. Chris Madden would finish third and challenge Clanton at the end with Mike Marlar and Hudson O'Neal rounding out the top five. 

Forty two Big Blocks would sign in to race for their first of three straight nights of racing action. This was a strong field of drivers, particularly when on considers that unlike the other two classes racing here, there are absolutely not local or regional teams and all the drivers in action must travel a considerable distance from the Northeast to race here. This is also the only class that has international competitors with Modified drivers from both Quebec and Ontario and it is always interesting to hear French spoken in the Big Block pits.

The Big Block format would see qualifying followed by four heats and two Last Chance races to set their field for their thirty lap main. They had a considerable number of provisional starters on this night as thirty cars took the green flag for their finale. And unlike the Late Models, the Big Block main had a couple minor yellows and yes, twice a pass for the lead in their main. 

Their night got off to a rocky start when Keith Flach went head on into the third turn wall on the first lap of the first heat race but then things settled down after that .

Anthony Perrago would take the lead at the start of the main and lead the first seven laps of the finale. Two yellows, back to back for spins and a ute tire loose on the front chute, would slow the action at that point. 

Back under green, as often seems to happen these days, a pass would be made for the lead following the yellow flag when Erick Rudolph would drive past Perrago on the high side and take over the point. Quickly following him into second was Mat Williamson and he soon began to put the pressure on Rudolph for the lead. He tired several times and had several near misses but finally on lap twenty he was able to slip past Rudolph coming off turn two and power into the lead. 

Once in front, he pulled away from the lead group and was never challenged the rest of the way as he secured the win. Rudolph would hold off a hard challenge from Matt Sheppard to gain the second spot with Perrago and Demetrios Drellos completing the top five. Other than the quick two yellows, this race would run to the checkers for the last twenty three laps and only two of the starting field were not on the track at the finish. 

Overall, things would go a lot smoother operational wise than they had on Wednesday night. The time trials were conducted much quicker and they actually started racing about fifteen minutes ahead of the actual posted starting time. All racing was complete by 10 pm also. 

On Friday night it will be the Big Blocks and Sprint Cars running as the doubleheader with the Late Models taking the night off. Then, all three classes will get together on Saturday night for one big show with extra dollars on the line and three national champions to be officially crowned. 

Marlar and Schuchart With Late Race Passes for Victories in World Finals Opener

 The World of Outlaws Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway commenced on Wednesday night, November 2nd with two late race passes for the wins as the Late Models and the Sprint Cars took to the track on Wednesday night. 

The Late Model feature saw Mike Marlar make a concerted charge using the low line on the track and with just over two laps to go, he would complete his run to the front as he slid up in front of Shane Clanton and then pulled away on the final lap for the win. 

The Sprint Car feature would see Carson Macedo lead for twenty eight of the thirty lap main with a couple of late race yellows bunching the field and giving Logan Schuchart chances to make the pass for the win. However, each time Macedo would fight off Schuchart but when a mechanical issue saw Macedo start to lose power in the last laps, he wasn't able to fight off Schuchart who drove past him with two to go and then would take the win. 

Under the new format used for the World Finals this year, only two of the three divisions on hand would race on any one night except for the final night on Saturday. The three will rotate so that each has one night off and then all will return for the Saturday night grand finale. Each class racing qualifies and then runs a full show on their nights with points being calculated and on Saturday, instead of three classes qualifying, total points from the two nights they raced will be used to set the heat race lineups for Saturday's events. Therefore, a bad night on either qualifying night could be disastrously damaging to a final night win. 

Unlike some years when the weather was very Midwestern like with  brisk temperatures, the conditions for opening night were quite comfortable but there existed a nagging few rain drops that would fall from time to time all night, not ever threatening the racing but just enough to be annoying.  

Seventy Late Models would sign in to race, up over twenty from last year's event. The top nine in season long WoO point standings were on hand but there were actually quite a few drivers in the top twenty five that chose not to attend for various reasons. However, there were a lot of regional drivers that weren't high in points that joined the action this weekend and the field was solid from top to bottom. 

The Late Models would be split into two flights for qualifying with six heat races then to be run. Three Last Chance races would fill the rest of the field with several provisional entrants attaching themselves to the back of the pack. 

The track was very fast for the heat races so it seems, as with it is for most heads up start events, heat race passing was at a premium, further emphasizing how important qualifying is. Not surprisingly, all six heats were won from the front row and only Josh Richards and Max Blair were able to advance to the feature with a starting spot further back than the second row of a heat. Perhaps the most compelling part of all the heats was the bad luck suffered by Jonathan Davenport who was involved in two heat race scraps, neither of which was his doing, with the result being that he finished nearly a full lap in arrears in his heat and burying him to a point that he wouldn't make the main event. 

Three very large Last Chance races would only take two for the mains with lots of very fine drivers watching the feature race from the sidelines. When provisionals had been passed out, there would be twenty seven drivers that would take the green for the forty lap main. 

Despite starting on the pole, Brandon Overton would not lead a lap as Shane Clanton got the run off the top side and moved to the early lead. Trent Ivey and Tim McCreadie would be the early challengers while Marlar very proficiently moved his way to the front after starting ninth as he was making the low line work for himself. Following a mid race yellow for a slowing Ross Robinson, Ivey started to put the pressure on for the lead while McCreadie slipped back and Marlar continued his charge. Several times it looked like Ivey was going to make the pass for the lead but each time Clanton would fight him off. 

That's when Marlar picked up the pace, passing Ivey for second and then closing fast on Clanton. He was just ready to make a pass for the lead when the yellow flew for a Tyler Erb spin with just four laps to go. Clanton would hold off Marlar for two laps but Mike was just too strong as he would get a great run off the low side of the track. His winning move would come down the back chute after a strong run off turn two and he slid up in front of Clanton and then pulled away on the final lap. 

Marlar would point out in victory lane that seldom is it done when someone starts ninth and wins in just forty laps and that is a true statement, perhaps showing just how strong his efforts were on this night. Clanton would hold on for second and Ivey would dazzle with a strong third place run. Overton and McCreadie would round out the top five but neither would ever be a challenger at the end. Three yellows would slow the race, all for minor issues and for the Late Models it was a very clean night of racing overall. 

The point drama in the Late Models would involve the battle for Rookie of the Year honors and when Max Blair edged out Tanner English for the feature finish, it would tighten up the standings even further with two more shows left to be run. 

Fifty two Sprint Cars would sign in to race with the top seventeen in points and twenty two of the top twenty five on hand. Throw in a strong contingent of Pennsylvania regulars plus All Star regulars and you have a very strong field of Sprint Car drivers on hand. 

Under the Sprint format, such a large field of drivers would require a Non Qualifiers race to send drivers either to the tail of a heat race or to the C Feature. Then there were four heats, a C Feature and a B Feature to set the twenty nine car starting field of the Sprint main, once the provisional entries were added to the back. Just before the green dropped, the lineup had to be jockeyed as Lance Dewease opted for the rear with the report of no brakes. If he indeed had no brakes or they were fixed in a brief stop before the race started, he did well, advancing from twenty ninth to eighth in the thirty lapped. 

Despite sharing the front row with Brad Sweet, it would be Carson Macedo that would get the jump and lead the early laps. Schuchart was flying on the top side of the track and would pass Sweet for second and become the main challenger to Macedo. Macedo would lead through two early yellows, including a flip by James McFadden that triggered the red briefly. 

Macedo would continue to show the way with Schuchart pressuring from time to time. Sweet continued to run third with Rico Abreu moving up as Donny Schatz rolled to a halt with issues with only four laps to go. Another yellow for a slowing car set up a three lap sprint for the Sprints. 

This time there would be problems as Macedo just didn't have the power to pull away and Schuchart would quickly get up to him. Later diagnosed as a motor issue that cut power, Macedo was helpless to fight off Schuchart who drove past him with just two laps to go and would pull away then for the win. Somehow Macedo made his car just wide enough that he was able to limp home second, edging out Sweet for the spot with Abreu and Geo Scelzi completing the top five. 

The Outlaws are in a battle down to the wire for the point title and with his third place finish, Sweet opening up just a bit bigger gap over David Gravel who finished sixth. It was a smooth night for the Sprints also with not a lot of wrecks or grinding crashes on what was a fast, smooth but extremely dirty for the fans, track. I just don't know how you can expect to attract new or casual fans to come out and watch on a night like this, when for hard core fans the dust is so bad as to be almost intolerable. This red clay here is not at all like the red clay where I'm from. 

While the other two classes had their full shows, the Big Block Mods, the third class for this week, had a "meet and greet" on the front chute during the afternoon with the other two classes being rotated in on their nights off. This seems like a very good idea as otherwise it's tough for fan interaction here unless one buys a pit pass. The plan of running only two classes per night and adding one night to the program seemed like a good idea and the old format of just time trials on Thursday followed by two nights of racing was not a fan favorite at all. However, for the opening night, it didn't seem that there were nearly as many fans around as other years. However, that might be just because the extra day was added or their are a huge amount of Big Block fans that didn't bother to show on Wednesday with their class not running. Answers to these questions will come in the following nights. On Thursday the Sprint Cars have the night off with the Late Models having an important night for those that didn't do particularly well on Wednesday along with the Big Blocks hitting the track for the first time. Pre entries show thirty of them but let's hope there are a few more by Thursday night. 

In keeping with the honoring of the late Rick Eshelman, two more Hall of Fame announcers were calling the Late Model portion of the program on this night and throughout the weekend. Of course everyone knows what a great job that James Essex does, but it was a great treat to hear Bret Emrick calling the action also. For someone who hasn't actively announced for a number of years, I thought he did a great job and was the highlight of the evening. I would love to hear his announce anywhere, anytime. What a great job he did!