Biggest Ironman 55 to Date Brings World of Outlaws to I-55
PEVELY, Mo. — Much of the world’s focus is on Paris as France currently hosts the Olympics, but the small town of Pevely, MO is set to offer the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars an Olympic challenge this weekend.
It’s grueling. It’s demanding. It’s a test of endurance. It’s the Ironman 55, and it’s next for the country’s greatest Sprint Car drivers.
Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 welcomes The Greatest Show on Dirt this weekend for two nights (August 2-3), culminating in Saturday’s 55-lap finale. This year the 16th running of the event elevates even more, offering a $25,000 payday to the Ironman.
The World of Outlaws will be joined by their open-wheel companions – the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota – for both nights.
I-55 always serves up some of the most intense racing with its high banks and tight confines. The intensity level rises with the high stakes of Ironman weekend and expect this year’s running to be no different.
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Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:
GRAVEL’S GREATNESS: The 2024 dream season for David Gravel has reached new heights in the last two weeks.
First it was a nearly $300,000 week at Eldora Speedway that included claiming his first Kings Royal crown. King David XLI joined Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Donny Schatz, Mark Kinser, and Doug Wolfgang as the sixth driver to win the Knoxville Nationals, Kings Royal, and National Open. Pretty good company to say the least.
Then seven days later Gravel earned his 100th career World of Outlaws win by topping Williams Grove’s C&D Rigging Summer Nationals finale, making him the eighth competitor to join the triple-digit club.
Gravel and the Big Game Motorsports crew roll into Ironman weekend with the momentum of seven consecutive top two finishes. The Watertown, CT native is yet to add his name to the list of Ironman 55 champions, but he’s topped a pair of I-55 Features including one back in April. His best finish in the 55-lapper is a runner-up in 2018.
IRONMEN: Through 16 runnings of the event there are two current competitors with The Greatest Show on Dirt that have earned the right to be called Ironman.
Sheldon Haudenschild has as pair of Ironman 55 dumbbells in his trophy room. The first came in 2019 when the NOS Energy Drink gasser flexed his muscle with one of the most dominant drives the sport has seen. Haudenschild won by more than 10 seconds and lapped through the sixth place finisher. Then the next came in 2021 when he swept the Ironman weekend. A third title on Saturday would equal the driver of the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 with Craig Dollansky for the most all-time.
Logan Schuchart is a one-time Ironman winner, besting the 2018 edition. That night marked his only I-55 victory to date, but he’s been close to another with five more podiums including a trio of runner-ups. One of those second place finishes was in last year’s Ironman when a last lap pass cost him a trip to Victory Lane.
Other active drivers that aren’t current full-time competitors with the World of Outlaws are Kerry Madsen (2014), Rico Abreu (2016 & 2017), and Kyle Larson (2020 & 2023).
HITTING THE GYM: There are a handful of 2024 World of Outlaws full-timers that have been stout at I-55 but haven’t quite been able to hoist the Ironman 55 dumbbell trophy.
Donny Schatz has won nearly every major Sprint Car race in his illustrious career, but the Ironman has eluded him to this point. The Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing driver has been remarkably close with four runner-ups (2012, 2013, 2014, 2019). Despite no Ironman on his résumé, Schatz has topped a trio of races in Pevely, MO including one back in April.
Carson Macedo has proven to be one of the most consistent competitors at I-55 and is still in search of an Ironman. He’s missed the top 10 only once in his last 15 tries at the bullring. That stretch includes a pair of victories, both in 2022 with Jason Johnson Racing, and six podiums in the last eight visits.
I-55 has always been one of Kraig Kinser’s strongest tracks. The Bloomington, IN native claimed a 2005 World of Outlaws race at the Missouri oval. He also owns a pair of Ironman 55 top five finishes with a best of fourth in 2010.
PEVELY POTENTIAL: Two more competitors with The Greatest Show on Dirt are yet to experience victory at I-55 in limited experience but have shown potential whenever they make laps at the quarter mile.
Giovanni Scelzi owns eight I-55 starts, all with his current KCP Racing team. Half of those appearances have led to top five efforts including a personal best second in last year’s Ironman opener.
Michael “Buddy” Kofoid debuted at I-55 last season and has shown speed from the get-go. The Penngrove, CA native’s first I-55 appearance led to a 15th to sixth drive. And then earlier this year the Roth Motorsports driver bagged a pair of Pevely podiums.
BALOG BOUNCE BACK: The last couple weeks haven’t gone according to plan for Bill Balog, but I-55 offers a good opportunity for “The North Pole Nightmare” to bounce back.
After three top 10s in four races in his home state of Wisconsin, the busy stretch through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Weedsport threw Balog some woes. The Series rookie missed a few of the Feature events and earned a best finish of 12th at Weedsport.
Earlier this year the spring visit to I-55 saw Balog piece together perhaps his most productive weekend of the year so far. He came home fourth on the first night. And then the following evening the Hartland, WI driver led the opening 10 laps before bringing home another top five result.
KNOXVILLE AWAITS: Ironman also serves as the final World of Outlaws warm-up for next week’s NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store.
It’s one last opportunity to build some momentum heading to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World.” I-55 and Knoxville may be vastly different ovals, but a little confidence boost entering the sport’s most prestigious crown jewel never hurts.
Last year Kyle Larson became the first Ironman champion to follow it up with a victory in “The Granddaddy of ‘Em All” a week later.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Friday-Saturday, August 2-3 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MO
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CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (41/73 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (5712 PTS)
2. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-110 PTS)
3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-142 PTS)
4. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-204 PTS)
5. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-248 PTS)
6. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-330 PTS)
7. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-356 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports No. 17B (-772 PTS)
9. Brock Zearfoss – Brock Zearfoss Racing No. 3Z (-962 PTS)
10. Kraig Kinser – Premier Motorsports No. 70 (-1198 PTS)
NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (15 Drivers):
13 Wins – David Gravel
7 Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
3 Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz
2 Wins – Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu
1 Win – Brad Sweet, Brent Marks, Brady Bacon, Michael Kofoid, Corey Day, Logan Schuchart, James McFadden, T.J. Stutts
FEATURE LAPS LED (22 Drivers):
317 Laps – David Gravel
227 Laps – Carson Macedo
166 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
135 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
97 Laps – Donny Schatz
75 Laps – Rico Abreu
49 Laps – Logan Schuchart
34 Laps – Brady Bacon, Michael Kofoid, Kyle Larson
25 Laps – Brad Sweet, T.J. Stutts
15 Laps – Ryan Timms, Tyler Courtney, James McFadden
13 Laps – Anthony Macri
12 Laps – Emerson Axsom
11 Laps – Bill Balog
9 Laps – Parker Price-Miller, Corey Day
3 Laps – Brent Marks
1 Lap – Kalib Henry
SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (16 Drivers):
8 Quick Times – Carson Macedo, David Gravel
4 Quick Times – Giovanni Scelzi, Michael Kofoid, Sheldon Haudenschild
3 Quick Times – Brent Marks
1 Quick Time – Landon Crawley, Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Donny Schatz, Daryn Pittman, Cory Eliason, Brock Zearfoss, Rico Abreu, Chase Dietz
HEAT RACE WINNERS (35 Drivers):
25 Heat Wins – David Gravel
19 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
18 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
15 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi
11 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid
9 Heat Wins – Rico Abreu
7 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss
6 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz
5 Heat Wins – Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks
4 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart
3 Heat Wins – Bill Balog
2 Heat Wins – Brian Brown, Landon Crawley, Corey Day, Garet Williamson, Kyle Larson, Anthony Macri, Daryn Pittman
1 Heat Win – Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Bill Rose, Ryan Timms, Danny Sams III, Emerson Axsom, Tim Shaffer, Nick Omdahl, Scott Bogucki, Austin McCarl, Brad Sweet, Spencer Bayston, Brady Bacon, Parker Price-Miller, Chase Dietz, T.J. Stutts
TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (56 Drivers):
33 Dashes – David Gravel
30 Dashes – Carson Macedo
27 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi
26 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
22 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
18 Dashes – Donny Schatz
12 Dashes – Logan Schuchart
10 Dashes – Bill Balog
9 Dashes – Rico Abreu
8 Dashes – Brock Zearfoss
7 Dashes – Landon Crawley, Brent Marks
6 Dashes – Tyler Courtney
5 Dashes – Emerson Axsom
4 Dashes – Brian Brown, Brady Bacon, Corey Day, Anthony Macri
3 Dashes – Aaron Reutzel, Garet Williamson, Brad Sweet, Daryn Pittman, Justin Peck
2 Dashes – Cole Duncan, Cole Macedo, Kalib Henry, Danny Sams III, Kyle Larson, Parker Price-Miller, James McFadden, Chase Dietz
1 Dash – Zeb Wise, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Bill Rose, Ryan Timms, Logan McCandless, Ayrton Gennetten, Skylar Gee, Kody Hartlaub, Tim Shaffer, T.J. Michael, Craig Mintz, Brandon Spithaler, Sye Lynch, Cale Thomas, Kaleb Johnson, Nick Omdahl, Scott Bogucki, Austin McCarl, Christopher Thram, Kraig Kinser, Troy Wagaman Jr., T.J. Stutts, Freddie Rahmer, Jacob Allen, Lance Dewease
MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (31 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Bill Balog
2 LCS Wins – Logan McCandless, Brock Zearfoss, Garet Williamson, Landon Crawley, Anthony Macri
1 LCS Win – Austin McCarl, Corey Day, Kasey Kahne, Koty Adams, Jace Park, Landon Crawley, Kevin Newton, Brenham Crouch, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brandon Rahmer, David Gravel, Nate Dussel, Cole Macedo, Zeth Sabo, Brooke Tatnell, Donny Schatz, Brent Marks, Cory Eliason, Kerry Madsen, Creed Kemenah, Joel Myers Jr., Hunter Schuerenberg, Kody Hartlaub, Lucas Wolfe, Larry Wight
KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (23 Drivers):
8 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz
6 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart
3 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo
2 Hard Chargers – Aaron Reutzel, Michael Kofoid, Cale Thomas, Danny Dietrich
1 Hard Charger – Jace Park, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Brock Zearfoss, Chase Randall, Chris Windom, Noah Gass, Austin McCarl, Giovanni Scelzi, Sheldon Haudenschild, Landon Crawley, Sye Lynch, Bill Balog, Scotty Neitzel, Garet Williamson, Brent Marks, Larry Wight
PODIUM FINISHES (23 Drivers):
25 Podiums – David Gravel
18 Podiums – Carson Macedo
14 Podiums – Donny Schatz
13 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild
12 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
7 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi
5 Podiums – Rico Abreu
3 Podiums – Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Kyle Larson, Brent Marks
2 Podiums – Bill Balog, Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck
1 Podium – Anthony Macri, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Parker Price-Miller, Ryan Timms, Emerson Axsom, James McFadden, T.J. Stutts
TOP 10 FINISHES (70 Drivers):
37 Top 10s – David Gravel
36 Top 10s – Donny Schatz
35 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi
33 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid
32 Top 10s – Carson Macedo
31 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart
27 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild
18 Top 10s – Bill Balog
11 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss
9 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu
8 Top 10s – Brent Marks
7 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, James McFadden, Anthony Macri
5 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Corey Day
4 Top 10s – Cole Macedo, Landon Crawley, Brian Brown, Brady Bacon, Justin Peck
3 Top 10s – Cole Duncan, Skylar Gee, Ryan Timms, Garet Williamson, Emerson Axsom, Kyle Larson, Zeb Wise, Danny Dietrich
2 Top 10s – Chase Randall, Kraig Kinser, Cale Thomas, Jacob Allen, Parker Price-Miller, Cory Eliason, Chase Dietz, Troy Wagaman Jr., Daryn Pittman
1 Top 10 – Kasey Kahne, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Chris Windom, Joe B. Miller, Ayrton Gennetten, Scotty Milan, Brandon Spithaler, Kalib Henry, Tim Shaffer, Zane DeVault, Sye Lynch, Travis Philo, Trey Jacobs, Scotty Thiel, Mark Dobmeier, Kaleb Johnson, Scott Bogucki, Austin McCarl, Tim Kaeding, Christopher Thram, Landon Brooks, Greg Wilson, Spencer Bayston, Daison Pursley, Devon Borden, T.J. Stutts, Freddie Rahmer, Lance Dewease, Stewart Friesen, Jordan Poirier, Larry Wight
2024 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1)
2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (1)
4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
5. Mon, March 4 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1)
6. Fri, March 15 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brent Marks (1)
7. Sat, March 16 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
8. Sat, March 23 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Carson Macedo (1)
9. Sat, March 30 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (1)
10. Fri, April 5 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / David Gravel (2)
11. Sat, April 6 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
12. Fri, April 12 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / David Gravel (3)
13. Sat, April 13 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Donny Schatz (2)
14. Fri, April 19 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Sheldon Haudenschild (3)
15. Sat, April 20 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Brady Bacon (1)
16. Wed, May 1 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / David Gravel (4)
17. Fri, May 3 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (4)
18. Sat, May 4 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (5)
19. Wed, May 8 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / David Gravel (6)
20. Fri, May 17 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Michael Kofoid (1)
21. Sat, May 18 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / David Gravel (7)
22. Fri, May 24 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / David Gravel (8)
23. Sat, May 25 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (5)
24. Mon, May 27 / Fremont Speedway / Fremont, OH / Carson Macedo (2)
25. Fri, May 31 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (6)
26. Fri, June 7 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Giovanni Scelzi (2)
27. Sat, June 8 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Sheldon Haudenschild (7)
28. Fri, June 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (9)
29. Sat, June 15 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Corey Day (1)
30. Wed, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Tyler Courtney (2)
31. Sat, June 29 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Logan Schuchart (1)
32. Wed, July 10 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Giovanni Scelzi (3)
33. Fri, July 12 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Carson Macedo (3)
34. Sat, July 13 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Donny Schatz (3)
35. Tues, July 16 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / David Gravel (10)
36. Fri, July 19 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (2)
37. Sat, July 20 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (11)
38. Wed, July 24 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA / James McFadden (1)
39. Fri, July 26 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / T.J. Stutts (1)
40. Sat, July 27 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / David Gravel (12)
41. Sun, July 28 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (13)
- For the full 2024 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car schedule, CLICK HERE.
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