HAUDENSCHILD AND LARSON STAR AT BRIDGEPORT

World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprintcar Series trip to Bridgeport Motorsports Park earlier this week did not disappoint.

With a nearly sold-out crowd at the Swedesboro, NJ track, plus the online allure of a midweek race on DIRTVision, two of the most fierce pilots in the industry went wheel-to-wheel and put on a top tier show at the 4/10-mile oval.

Officially, it looks like Sheldon Haudenschild controlled much of the race with 21 laps led to Kyle Larson’s four. However, the intensity goes so much further than what the brief analysis of the box score shows. The duo swapped command nearly 20 times in the final 15+ laps with the race-winning move happening in the midst of a dramatic final restart.

Ultimately, it was Haudenschild snapping a 15-race dry spell and taking the NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 back to victory lane for the first time since Cotton Bowl (TX) Speedway on Friday, March 4. His third win of the 2022 season now ranks second-most (Macedo, 4 wins) and brings him to 25 career World of Outlaws wins at 28-years-old.

“It feels like we haven’t won in forever, man,” Haudenschild said.

“This is where this team belongs, up here in victory lane. [Kyle] Ripper, Stephen [Hamm-Reilly], and Jakob [Weaver] have been working their tails off, we’ve been close these last few months. This one feels good.

“Kyle [Larson] and I have had some pretty great races over the years. You know he comes in here and sometimes puts a whooping on us, so it always feels good to get one over on him. Really, though, all of our full-time guys out here on the Outlaw tour make it just as tough. Every single World of Outlaws win you can get is a special one Now that the midweek mayhem is behind us, Haudenschild will lead The Greatest Show on Dirt to his home state for an Ohio doubleheader. He’ll be a favorite at both Attica Raceway Park on Friday and Sharon Speedway on Saturday, two tracks he dominated last year but lost the lead at late in the running.

Attracting a post-race crowd just as large as Haudenschild’s winning camp, Kyle Larson wasn’t short of fanfare following his second-straight runner-up result with the Series. He finished a nail-biting second-place to Spencer Bayston three weeks ago at Bristol (TN), and this time settled into P2 behind Haudenschild by 1.073-seconds at the checkered flag.

However, it was much closer than the final score says. The only caution of the race (Kasey Kahne, shredded right rear tyre) flew on Lap 21 and restarted the race with four laps left in Larson’s hands. The Elk Grove, CA native elected to stay low in Paul Silva’s #57, a decision that opened the door for Haudenschild to go top shelf, build his momentum, and eventually drive around Larson on Lap 23.

The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion threw a series of hay makers at the #17 over the last two laps, but they all fell short as Haudenschild’s resiliency stood the test of Larson’s bravery.

“I definitely had a car capable of winning, but I didn’t do a good job executing that last restart and allowed Sheldon to get by,” Larson admitted. “Paul [Silva] got this thing better every time we hit the track, I just needed to make better decisions. I needed to move up after the caution, but I was too focused on protecting myself. I probably should have let him slide me and just started racing for it.”

Finishing out the podium on Tuesday was 10-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz. The Fargo, ND native earned his first pole position of the 2022 season but forfeited the lead on Lap 1 to a high-side hustling Haudenschild. He fell as far back as fourth before rallying to finish third aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest #15.

“I say it all the time but you have to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run,” Schatz said after back-to-back top-five finishes. “We got going near the end and found something down low, and I think we could’ve got the #57 with a few more laps. The guys did a great job and we’re building some momentum with this thing.”

Closing out the top-five was a pair of Pennsylvanians with Hanover’s Logan Schuchart finishing fourth in the Shark Racing #1S, and Dillsburg’s Anthony Macri earning the KSE Hard Charger Award for a 14th-to-fifth run.

Rounding out the top-10 at Bridgeport was Australia’s James McFadden in the Roth Motorsports #83, California’s Rico Abreu in the Rowdy #24, Pennsylvania’s Jacob Allen in the Shark Racing #1A, Indiana’s Spencer Bayston in the CJB Motorsports #5, and Connecticut’s David Gravel in the Big Game Motorsports #2.

Up Next (Fri-Sat):

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprintcar Series travels to Ohio this weekend with appearances at Attica Raceway Park on Friday, May 20, and Sharon Speedway on Saturday, May 21.