Pits open at 4pm, stands at 5pm, racing at 7pm!
WEEDSPORT, NY (July 23, 2018) – The cars and stars of the Craftsman World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series return to Weedsport Speedway this weekend for the Empire State Challenge presented by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England.
As of July 23, the Outlaws have competed in more than 40 A-Main events with veteran Donny Schatz leading the pack.
Schatz has scored a series leading 15 A-Main wins this season in the Tony Stewart Racing No. 15 with an incredible 32 Top5 and 38 Top10 finishes. The Fargo, ND driver will be the odds-on favorite at The Port this weekend, as Schatz was the last Outlaws winner at Weedsport in 2016.
Winning three races so far in the month of July, Schatz took the prestigious $50,000 Kings Royal crown on July 14.
Brad Sweet has been in pursuit of Schatz all season in the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 machine, having visited victory lane three times in 2018. Sweet has done his best to keep pace with Schatz this season with 23 Top5 runs and 33 Top10 runs but remains more than 200-points behind in the championship chase.
Sweet’s most recent victory came at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin on July 6.
Riding third in the standings is last year’s breakout driver on the Outlaws tour, David Gravel.
Wheeling the CJB Motorsports No. 5, Gravel has scored four wins on tour this season, but sits more than 300-points behind Schatz in the standings. Joining Schatz and Sweet, Gravel is the only other driver in the series that has more than 20 Top5 and 30 Top10 finishes at this point of the season.
Gravel has not found victory lane yet in July, winning most recently on June 30 at the famed Knoxville Raceway.
The driver with the second most wins on tour this season is Daryn Pittman and he sits fourth in the overall standings.
Pittman has five A-Main wins in 2018 driving the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 9 sprinter and is currently more than 400-points behind Schatz. The month of July has not seen Pittman in victory lane, but two of his five wins came in June with victories at Nodak Speedway and Beaver Dam Raceway.
Rounding out the top five in the World of Outlaws championship as of July 23 is the pilot of the Kyle Larson Racing No. 2, Shane Stewart.
Stewart has been stout all season but failed to reach victory lane until the Joker’s Wild at Eldora Speedway on July 12. With only one win on the season, Stewart is primed to turn up the heat this weekend and continue to get his season back on track as he chases Schatz, Sweet, Gravel and Pittman in the standings.
Finishing the top ten in the championship this season is Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart, Ian Madsen, Brent Marks and Kraig Kinser.
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Craftsman World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Top10 Standings (as of July 23):
1. Tony Stewart Racing No. 15 – Donny Schatz: 5828
2. Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 – Brad Sweet: 5620
3. CJB Motorsports No. 5 – David Gravel: 5512
4. Kasey Kahne Racing No. 9 – Daryn Pittman: 5394
5. Kyle Larson Racing No. 2 – Shane Stewart: 5356
6. Marshall Racing No. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild: 5250
7. Shark Racing No. 1S – Logan Schuchart: 5208
8. KCP Racing No. 18 – Ian Madsen: 5054
9. Brent Marks Racing No. 19 – Brent Marks: 4882
10. Kinser Racing No. 11K – Kraig Kinser: 4788
About Weedsport Speedway: Purchased in 2013 by Al Heinke, Weedsport Speedway has returned to a real racers track, providing a complete venue for racers, their families and friends, and for the fans looking for motorsports entertainment. Officially opened for the first time on July 24, 1955 – the Weedsport Speedway 3/8 mile dirt oval has produced a legendary list of drivers and champions including Will Cagle, Danny Johnson, Bob McCreadie, Alan Johnson, Jack Johnson, and Dave Lape to name a few. Today the facility welcomes the best of the best in dirt short track racing from the Craftsman World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series to the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds along with the DIRTcar 358-Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro Stocks, and more. While racing entertainment is the focal point, Weedsport Speedway has gone the extra mile in welcoming Weedsport Productions, which brings the facility full circle with a dedicated digital entertainment team for web, television, and on site screen usage.