WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Stout Field Expected for World of Outlaws June Visit to Knoxville

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Alex Nieten

Trent Gower Photo

Premier Chevy Dealers Clash gives the World of Outlaws teams their final chance to prepare for August’s Knoxville Nationals (Trent Gower Photo)

The time has come for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars to travel to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World.”

Knoxville Raceway is ready to welcome The Greatest Show on Dirt for two nights of early summer action. The Premier Chevy Dealers Clash brings the country’s best Sprint Car drivers to the Marion County Fairgrounds this weekend (June 14-15).

The weekend will be the first chance for World of Outlaws teams to get some laps at the historic half mile this year. It’ll also be their only weekend to pad the notebook ahead of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store (August 7-10).

The stars of the World of Outlaws tour, a healthy contingent of locals, and a stout crop of invaders are all expected to make for a huge roster this weekend and put on two nights of can’t-miss Sprint Car racing.

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Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:

SCHATZVILLE: For as long as he’s racing Sprint Cars, Donny Schatz will headline any World of Outlaws trip to Knoxville.

The 10-time Series champion has assembled an astonishing résumé at the half mile over the course of his career. He’s collected 18 of his 313 career wins at Knoxville, and six of them have come during the month of June. The Fargo, ND driver is an 11-time NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals champion (second most), and he’s been on the podium in 20 of his 25 Feature starts in “The Granddaddy of ‘Em All.” The Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 is a threat anytime it rolls into the small town in Iowa.

Schatz heads to Knoxville third in the standings with David Gravel (+40 PTS) and Carson Macedo (+30 PTS) not too far ahead. He’s currently on a streak of 11 consecutive top 10 finishes with seven of those being within the top five.

Donny Schatz driving the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 — Donny Schatz can add to his already extensive list of Knoxville accomplishments this weekend (Trent Gower Photo)

ALMOST THERE: It took a while, but Carson Macedo has almost dug himself out of the hole created at DIRTcar Nationals.

After four consecutive finishes of 12th or worse to begin the year, the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 hasn’t missed the top 10 in the 23 races since. The last 17 races have all been top fives for Macedo leading to a 3.1 average finish over that span. During the incredible stretch of consistency, he’s also stood on the podium 11 times. The run has moved Macedo and the JJR crew within 10 markers of the points lead.

And how fitting it would be if they could claim the top spot this weekend. Last year, Macedo entered Knoxville’s Premier Chevy Dealers Clash as the point leader, but a frightening crash cost him the top spot that he never regained. The Lemoore, CA native owns four victories at Knoxville – a 2018 360 Nationals prelim, a two-night sweep with the World of Outlaws in June of 2021, and a Knoxville Nationals prelim last year.

HAUD’S HOT: The temperatures are rising with summer near, and Sheldon Haudenschild is heating up with them.

After winning three races during all of the 2023 campaign, Haudenschild has reeled off three victories in the last five races. The hot streak has bumped him up to seven wins in 2024 with the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing team, already marking the third most he’s produced in one year. He’s also been stringing together some consistency with 12 top 10s in the last 14 races.

A Knoxville victory has eluded Haudenschild to this point in his career. His best finish is third on four occasions – a trio of Knoxville Nationals prelims (2019, 2022, 2023) and a June World of Outlaws race in 2021.

HOME GAME: A trip to Knoxville means a weekend at home for Giovanni Scelzi and the KCP Racing team.

Scelzi is originally from Fresno, CA, but after being hired by the Des Moines, IA-based team in 2020, Scelzi made the move to the “Hawkeye State.” The Matt Barbara and Bret Nehring-owned team set up shop slightly more than an hour from Knoxville Raceway. KCP owns a pair of Knoxville track championships with Ian Madsen behind the wheel.

Scelzi is always stout at the iconic half mile. He and KCP topped the 2021 360 Nationals, and then a week later they sat on the pole of the 410 Nationals before finishing fourth. Last year, Scelzi matched that fourth place effort in the sport’s most prestigious race. Scelzi also picked up an All-Star Circuit of Champions win at Knoxville back in 2019.

It’s been a strong sophomore season for Scelzi to this point. He’ll head to Knoxville fourth in points with 16 top fives and 25 top 10s through 27 races.

Gio Scelzi walking through the KCP Racing hauler — Knoxville gives Des Moines’ KCP Racing a home game with Gio Scelzi behind the wheel (Trent Gower Photo)

KNOXVILLE NAMES: “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” always offers up plenty of talented regulars ready to challenge for a World of Outlaws win.

Brian Brown is always a driver to watch when the World of Outlaws invade Knoxville. He’s a five-time track champion, and his 65 wins rank second in track history. “Blackjack” has beaten the Outlaws at Knoxville on three occasions, each time during the month of June and most recently last year.

Rolling into the weekend as the most recent Knoxville winner is Altoona, IA’s Carson McCarl. The former 360 Knoxville track champion grabbed his first victory in the 410 class and joined his father (Terry) and brother (Austin) on the all-time win list.

The only two-time winner in the 410 division this year at Knoxville is Waco, TX’s Chase Randall. The 2023 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year took the TKS Motorsports No. 2KS to Victory Lane on May 25 and June 1.

This trio is expected to be joined by many more regular visitors to Knoxville including Garet Williamson (Columbia, MO), Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX), Tasker Phillips (Pleasantville, IA), Riley Goodno (Knoxville, IA), and more.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE

Friday-Saturday, June 14-15 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA

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CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (27/76 Races):

1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (3786 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-10 PTS)
3. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-40 PTS)
4. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-54 PTS)
5. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-96 PTS)
6. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-128 PTS)
7. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-168 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports No. 17B (-370 PTS)
9. Brock Zearfoss – Brock Zearfoss Racing No. 3Z (-584 PTS)
10. Landon Crawley – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-688 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (11 Drivers):

8 Wins – David Gravel
7 Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Wins – Donny Schatz, Carson Macedo, Giovanni Scelzi
1 Win – Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Rico Abreu, Brady Bacon, Michael Kofoid

FEATURE LAPS LED (15 Drivers):

212 Laps – David Gravel
159 Laps – Carson Macedo
154 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
94 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
54 Laps – Rico Abreu
47 Laps – Donny Schatz
34 Laps – Brady Bacon
29 Laps – Kyle Larson
25 Laps – Brad Sweet
23 Laps – Michael Kofoid
13 Laps – Anthony Macri
11 Laps – Bill Balog
3 Laps – Brent Marks
1 Lap – Tyler Courtney, Kalib Henry

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (11 Drivers):

7 Quick Times – David Gravel
6 Quick Times – Carson Macedo
3 Quick Times – Giovanni Scelzi
2 Quick Times – Brent Marks, Michael Kofoid, Sheldon Haudenschild
1 Quick Time – Landon Crawley, Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Donny Schatz

HEAT RACE WINNERS (26 Drivers):

17 Heat Wins – David Gravel
13 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
11 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
10 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi
8 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid
5 Heat Wins – Rico Abreu, Brock Zearfoss
4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks, Donny Schatz
3 Heat Wins – Bill Balog
2 Heat Wins – Brian Brown, Tyler Courtney, Landon Crawley
1 Heat Win – Corey Day, Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Logan Schuchart, Bill Rose, Ryan Timms, Danny Sams III, Kyle Larson, Emerson Axsom, Anthony Macri, Tim Shaffer, Garet Williamson, Nick Omdahl

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (45 Drivers):

22 Dashes – Carson Macedo
21 Dashes – David Gravel
19 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi
18 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
16 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
13 Dashes – Donny Schatz
10 Dashes – Bill Balog
7 Dashes – Rico Abreu, Landon Crawley
6 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Brock Zearfoss
5 Dashes – Brent Marks
4 Dashes – Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown
3 Dashes – Emerson Axsom
2 Dashes – Brad Sweet, Aaron Reutzel, Anthony Macri, Brady Bacon, Cole Duncan, Cole Macedo, Kalib Henry, Garet Williamson
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Zeb Wise, Corey Day, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Bill Rose, Ryan Timms, James McFadden, Logan McCandless, Ayrton Gennetten, Danny Sams III, Kyle Larson, Skylar Gee, Kody Hartlaub, Chase Dietz, Tim Shaffer, T.J. Michael, Craig Mintz, Brandon Spithaler, Sye Lynch, Cale Thomas, Kaleb Johnson, Nick Omdahl

MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (20 Drivers):

2 LCS Wins – Logan McCandless, Bill Balog, Brock Zearfoss, Garet Williamson
1 LCS Win – Austin McCarl, Corey Day, Kasey Kahne, Koty Adams, Jace Park, Anthony Macri, Landon Crawley, Kevin Newton, Brenham Crouch, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brandon Rahmer, David Gravel, Nate Dussel, Cole Macedo, Zeth Sabo, Brooke Tatnell

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (20 Drivers):

4 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz
2 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo
1 Hard Charger – Aaron Reutzel, Jace Park, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Brock Zearfoss, Chase Randall, Chris Windom, Noah Gass, Austin McCarl, Giovanni Scelzi, Sheldon Haudenschild, Danny Dietrich, Landon Crawley, Sye Lynch, Bill Balog, Scotty Neitzel, Michael Kofoid, Garet Williamson

PODIUM FINISHES (17 Drivers):

15 Podiums – David Gravel
14 Podiums – Carson Macedo
10 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
9 Podiums – Donny Schatz, Sheldon Haudenschild
6 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi
3 Podiums – Brad Sweet, Rico Abreu
2 Podiums – Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Bill Balog
1 Podium – Justin Peck, Anthony Macri, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Kyle Larson, Cole Macedo

TOP 10 FINISHES (53 Drivers):

25 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi
24 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Michael Kofoid
23 Top 10s – David Gravel, Carson Macedo
22 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart
19 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild
15 Top 10s – Bill Balog
8 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss
6 Top 10s – Rico Abreu, Tyler Courtney
5 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Anthony Macri
4 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, Cole Macedo, Landon Crawley
3 Top 10s – Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel, Cole Duncan, Skylar Gee
2 Top 10s – Ryan Timms, Chase Randall, Kraig Kinser, Corey Day, James McFadden, Cale Thomas, Brady Bacon, Garet Williamson
1 Top 10 – Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Zeb Wise, Cory Eliason, Jacob Allen, Chris Windom, Joe B. Miller, Ayrton Gennetten, Emerson Axsom, Scotty Milan, Kyle Larson, Troy Wagaman Jr., Danny Dietrich, Chase Dietz, Brandon Spithaler, Kalib Henry, Tim Shaffer, Zane DeVault, Sye Lynch, Travis Philo, Trey Jacobs, Scotty Thiel, Mark Dobmeier, Kaleb Johnson