Logan Schuchart took a big step towards redeeming himself with his first career win at the Knoxville Raceway in Friday’s FVP “Hard Knox” Night at the 58th Annual 5-hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals. After being disqualified Wednesday for not visiting the scales in a transfer spot, the Hanover, Pennsylvania native won a spirited duel with Brian Brown to claim the win and a guaranteed spot in Saturday night’s $150,000 to win championship event. Brown will join him in the “Big Dance” along with Paul McMahan and Matt Juhl as the top four finishers (full Saturday lineups below).
Schuchart grabbed the early lead in the 25-lap main event, ahead of Brown, McMahan and Sheldon Haudenschild. When Haudenschild got sideways on the second lap, Juhl shot into fourth. On lap five, Brown rode the cushion by Schuchart for the first of four lead changes. The leaders entered lapped traffic on lap eight, and Juhl got by McMahan for third.
Schuchart found his way back to the point in heavy lapped traffic on the tenth circuit before Spencer Bayston got into the turn one wall. Haudenschild grabbed the final transfer from Juhl on the restart, in a battle that was every bit as good as the one for the lead. Juhl would snatch it back at the halfway point.
Brown would recapture the lead with ten to go, but Schuchart would rebound to regain the fore for good a lap later. Both Haudenschild and Jamie Veal pressed Juhl for the coveted fourth position. Haudenschild would shoot by for the spot, but a ride over the inside berm in turn three would give the spot back to Juhl.
Up front, Schuchart pulled away in traffic, and took Brown, McMahan and Juhl with him to Saturday night’s championship event. Haudenschild finished sixth and will start 11th in Saturday’s B. Veal, Sammy Swindell, Davey Heskin, Hunter Schuerenberg and Brent Marks rounded out the top ten. Schuchart and Brown set quick times over their respective groups, while Clint Garner, Don Droud Jr., Josh Schneiderman, Brown, McMahan and Haudenschild won heat races. Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Bayston took the B mains.
“If anyone was going to ask, I know where the scales are now,” said a happy Schuchart in Victory Lane. “My leader of this team (grandfather Bobby Allen who is in the hospital) has taught me its not about how you get knocked down, it’s how you get back up. He’s taught Jacob (Allen) and I since we were young kids if you work hard enough, you can get to where you want to go. He’s the man and a champion. He won this thing in 1990 with little to nothing. He’s my hero, and it’s weird him not being here. It’s the first race my grandpa has not been at since I was about ten years old. I know he’s watching, and he’s proud. He’s got both his cars in the A main tomorrow night.”
“I’ve never been so happy to run second in my life at Knoxville,” said Brown. “Logan…he does a phenomenal job, night in and night out. We were racing so hard. I knew I was using my tires up pretty good. I’m just happy. If you knew what we went through the last forty hours, you would cringe. It shows you to work hard and never give up. We start 18th tomorrow, and I’m ready. After last night, I figured there’d be no way. We had a vibration and figured out what it was.”
“I just can’t thank my guys enough,” said an emotional McMahan. “To be here at Knoxville, and put it in the show, I’m so blessed. Our team is just a bunch of misfits that give me a hell of a racecar every night. My wife’s not here, so that’s hard for me right now. My son and my daughter are here, my mom and dad and my brother are here. We’ve got the whole family here.”
“It’s unbelievable and a dream come true,” said Juhl of his first Knoxville Nationals A main start. “My guys worked their tails off. This is a phenomenal place to come to (and race weekly). I drive five hours every week to come here, and we will keep doing it. It’s awesome to come down here and you get treated so well. It sets you up for the Nationals too.”
Wild World Challenge
The Speed Sport World Challenge was a wild affair that saw Dominic Scelzi earn a “Golden Ticket” as Saturday night’s 25th starter in the Knoxville Nationals championship event. Allan Woods would tip over before a lap could be completed, and when Jordyn Brazier exited, it left just sixteen entries.
Brooke Tatnell led from the pole early over Skylar Gee, Scelzi, James McFadden and Cory Eliason. Scelzi would slide by Gee for second on lap four. McFadden would follow him into third three laps later, before the United Kingdom’s Tom Harris stopped in turn four.
Scelzi would use the restart to slide by Tatnell. McFadden followed him into second, while Austin McCarl moved into fourth. Tatnell would get over the turn one cushion and spin ten laps in. Carson Macedo, Kerry Madsen and Ian Madsen took evasive maneuvers to avoid him, with Ian suffering some right front damage.
Scelzi led McFadden, McCarl, Tim Kaeding and Gee back to green. Kaeding was on the move and used the low side to gain third on the restart. In some great action, McCarl would shoot from fourth to second on lap 12, before McFadden reclaimed the runner-up spot a lap later. On lap fourteen, McCarl and Kaeding put McFadden behind them and battled for second.
Meanwhile, Scelzi was pulling away for his first win here over Kaeding, McCarl, Kerry Madsen and McFadden. Macedo, Gee, Tatnell, Eliason and Terry McCarl rounded out the top ten.
“I’m so out of shape, I’m worn out!” said an excited Scelzi in Victory Lane. “My guys gave me a perfect racecar. We’ve been so good around here all year. I’m speechless. We’re in the show. I’ve been waiting 21 years to say that. Never in a million years did I think I’d win here, especially in front of a Nationals crowd on Friday night. I’ve got so many emotions running through my mind. This is the greatest moment of my life by far!”
The 58th Annual 5-hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores conclude on Saturday with the $150,000 main event! There are still tickets available for the biggest event in sprint car racing! For more information, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
- administrator on Aug 13, 2018
- Article Date: 8/10/2018