LEBANON, Ore., Sept. 3 — It was another new track for World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series rookies Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen Tuesday night when the series visited Willamette Speedway, but both Shark Racing drivers qualified for the 30-lap A-main and were running at the finish. Schuchart held off a hard-charging Jonathan Allard at the checkered flag and finished tenth. Allen was a little further back in the pack in 19th place, but his fastest race lap was just 0.104 of a second slower than his teammate in the very competitive field that saw 17 drivers break the track record in time trials.
Schuchart started ninth and Allen started 22nd in the A-main, which was won by Shane Stewart over Daryn Pittman, Donny Schatz, Joey Saldana, Paul McMahan, David Gravel, Brad Sweet, Jason Sides and Jason Solwold. Schuchart was 0.654 seconds behind Solwold but he successfully defended his tenth-place position from Allard, who was just 0.005 of a second behind him at the checkered flag.
Schuchart’s fastest lap of the race was lap 12 when he was timed in 14.514 seconds. Allen’s fastest lap of the race was lap five, when he turned the three-eighths-mile oval in 14.618 seconds.
The race got off to a rough start when Kraig Kinser flipped between Turns 1 and 2 and was hit by Mike Romig before one lap was in the books. Luckily neither was hurt.
Once the race got going there was only one pause in the action. That occurred with 23 laps down when Austen Wheatley spun in Turn 4 and collected Cody Darrah. Schuchart was ninth and Allard was tenth for that restart, but Solwold passed them both in a late-race charge.
Schuchart was one of the 17 drivers who bettered Saldana’s old track record in time trials, with McMahan becoming the new record holder with a lap in 11.595 seconds. Schuchart was sixth in time trials with a time of 11.813 seconds. Allen was 22nd with a 12.301.
Allen finished eighth in Heat 1 and he was fourth in the B-main, running in that position for all 12 laps. Schuchart finished fourth in Heat 3.
Tonight the series appears at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore., which will be another new track for the two rookies from Hanover, Pa.
The action moves to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. on Friday and Saturday night, and Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif. on Sunday night. The entire schedule can be found on woosprint.com.
Free audio coverage of all WoO races is available on Dirtvision.com.
Shark Racing is sponsored in part by the following companies and individuals: Your Auto Source NAPA Autocare Center, Pell’s Tire Service, Marty Thompson, Don Ott Engines, Triple X Race Components, Rich Fogle Custom Pole Buildings, Newman’s Towing & Recovery, CnB Mushroom Farms, Brenneman Painting, Speedway 94, Dirt: The Game, Silpada Jewelry, Lebo Skin Care, DMI, Penske Shocks, ButlerBuilt Seats, Tony Stewart Racing, SR Lubricant Solutions and Mycroleum.
Race updates are posted on Shark Racing’s Facebook page, while additional information is available on Schuchart and Allen’s Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Team apparel may be purchased through Schuchart’s Web site at Shark1s.com.
