October 27, 2025 | By Alex Nietem, WOO Sprint Car PR

Kyle Pruitt on Time with Shark Racing, Transitioning to SJMR, 2026 Anticipation

CONCORD, N.C.—Kyle Pruitt pumped his fist in the air before sharing a group hug with new teammates Nate Repetz and Cole Neuhalfen.

They slapped the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing logo printed on the back of their sweatshirts in celebration after watching their driver, Sheldon Haudenschild, finish off a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory at Angell Park Speedway. A month ago, this trio would’ve never expected to be celebrating a win with The Greatest Show on Dirt together. But things don’t always pan out the way they’re expected.

For Pruitt, he started the year as the crew chief for Logan Schuchart. Shark Racing brought him aboard with plans to improve their program, and that’s exactly what Pruitt accomplished. Schuchart’s numbers elevated across the board this season.

“It was a lot of fun,” Pruitt said of his time with Shark. “I got to see all of these tracks, some of them for the first time. Some of them I’ve been to before. And Logan has been on the tour for 12 years, so he has a good grasp on it. We worked well together. I feel like that showed with statistics improving. The major focus was getting his Qualifying better, which then makes the rest of your night not such a battle. We changed a couple things last winter and got his Qualifying efforts better, and it showed. We put him in position, and he can do a good job as a driver. It was a lot of fun. I learned a lot of things from Logan. He’s very knowledgeable, in tune with the cars and in tune with setups and everything. Everybody was great there.”

Pruitt’s performance earned him the opportunity to take over the crew chief role at Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing in 2026 for Spencer Bayston after Sheldon Haudenschild and crew chief Kyle Ripper announced their intentions to depart when 2025 ended.

Plans moved a little quicker than anticipated on both sides as Pruitt’s time with Shark ended at the beginning of October. Then, Ripper’s tenure with SJMR came to a close days later. This opened the door for Pruitt to join his new team early and begin working toward next year while also helping Haudenschild complete his ninth season on tour.

It was a tricky transition as Pruitt had to scrape together a team in less than a week, but he wound up with more than capable teammates to close out 2025. Nate Repetz spent multiple seasons with Jason Johnson Racing and Macri Motorsports, while Cole Neuhalfen worked with Kasey Kahne Racing earlier this year. Things fell in place to bring them aboard.

“Well, really we pulled off a miracle,” Pruitt said with a laugh. “It all happened really quickly. Sheldon and Ripper won the National Open, and that was really cool for them. Then, Ripper was released, and I was asked to come finish the year. Then, the crew guys decided they wanted to leave, which is understandable. Immediately, I was like, ‘Well, I’ve got to find some help here.’ I started making some phone calls. I knew Eric Prutzman, and he offered Cole to come and help, and Cole was all about it. Then, Nate I guess left Macri a few weeks before, and I’ve known him just here and there. Cole was like, ‘Why don’t we call Nate?’And Nate was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it for the last few weeks of the season.’ So, like I said, it was kind of a minor miracle we threw it together, and it’s worked out pretty well.”

Worked out pretty well may be an understatement. They unloaded fast in their first race together at New Egypt Speedway as Haudenschild clocked the quickest time in WEDG High Performance Karts Hot Laps. The night ended with a fifth-place finish, and they followed that up with another top five the next night at Lincoln Speedway. Fast forward a week, and Haudenschild drove the NOS Energy Drink No. 17 to victory at Angell Park in their fourth race since Pruitt joined.

“Everything was in place,” Pruitt said. “They have good equipment, the J&J cars, the Stanton engines run really well. So, when I came in, everything was there. Ripper did a great job making sure everything was organized, ready for battle, if you will, so that part was easy. Then, we got the crew guys together, so that’s another box checked. Sheldon is a professional. He’s been doing this a long time. That box was checked. Then, just like with Schuchart’s, we changed a couple things. The big thing was the Penske shocks for Sheldon. He felt a difference the first night out, but he was a sport about it, a true professional. He was like, ‘Well, I understand what you’re doing, so we’ll work through it.’ And we’ve had speed right out of the gate.”

Only the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Nov. 5-8) remains on the 2025 schedule. Haudenschild will look to conclude his campaign on a high note, and it’ll also signal a start of the next chapter. SJMR will bring a second car to the “Queen City” as Bayston jumps behind the wheel. If the last couple of weeks are any indication, Pruitt and Bayston have plenty to look forward to.

“I’m very excited,” Pruitt said of working with Bayston. “He’s very professional, has a good image, good character, all that stuff. He’s a great driver and won in many different disciplines, the Midgets, the Sprint Cars. I think, just like with Logan Schuchart or Sheldon, we’re going to have to build a program for him.”

Bayston, Pruitt, and the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing team will begin the 2026 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series campaign at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 4-7. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.