By Tony Veneziano

When a driver joins a new team, there are usually many question marks that exist going into a season. Oftentimes the variables of learning new equipment as well as a new crew chief can take weeks, months, or even an entire season. 

Sheldon Haudenschild and the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing team, which is co-owned by NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., along with Richard and Jennifer Marshall, solved the equation quickly this year and hit the ground running in Florida.

Haudenschild kicked off the 2018 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series season by winning on opening night, February 9, at the half-mile Volusia Speedway Park. That victory marked the first of his career with the series, after coming close on a couple of occasions last year. Haudenschild charged by veteran driver Paul McMahan in the late going of the 30-lap event, leading the final two circuits to pick up the victory. 

Yesterday we got a chance to catch up with @Haudenschild_17 on his first career #WoOCraftSCS victory during the first night of action at @DIRTcarNats for the Outlaws.

Hear from the 2017 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year and driver of the @NosEnergyDrink @SJMRacing17 No.17!  pic.twitter.com/zZzmgIoMc1

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) February 11, 2018

“It felt really good to get that win, especially with the new car, team and owners,” Haudenschild said. “It felt good to be strong the first weekend. To get a win was huge for myself and for our guys. It was good all around. I wouldn’t say I was totally surprised. I knew they had really good equipment and really good crew guys. 

"There might have been a little doubt with everything being new and everyone working together for the first time. I think everyone communicates really well and are easy to be around. That takes a little bit of the stress off it to start.”

In three starts with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car series at Volusia, Haudenschild had a win, a third-place finish, and a seventh-place result. The native of Wooster, Ohio, gained more positions than any other driver in those three races, picking up five, 14, and 10 spots, respectively. Twice, he earned the Hard Charger award at the end of the night.

“Our qualifying was right there two of the three nights and we have a lot of speed early,” he noted. “To be able to pass cars is really good. It’s not easy to pass this caliber of cars. If you can pass six or eight cars in a night, I think you are doing really good. I just need to eliminate starting back there and I think we’ll be even better off.”

Prior to the start of the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series season at Volusia Speedway Park, Haudenschild raced with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL, where he picked up a win, along with a ninth-place finish. The fourth-generation driver also raced in the pair of All Stars events at Volusia.

“We just wanted to get some laps at the All Stars races and see how everyone worked together," Haudenschild shared. “To get a win right off the bat in our second race together was huge. That got everyone’s confidence up and going into Volusia you need that. It was definitely good for our team on a couple of different fronts.”

What a night. The @SJMRacing17 boys did an awesome job and @Haudenschild_17 dominated on restarts to put us in victory lane!! #parkedit #wheelman pic.twitter.com/lIenYIAIdv

— Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (@StenhouseJr) February 10, 2018

Haudenschild completed his first full season on the road with the Outlaws in 2017. He finished seventh in points en route to claiming the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, driving for a team that he owned and operated. Haudenschild had 41 top 10 finishes a year ago, with 12 of those being top five performances. 

One of the highlights of his rookie year was getting to race a large part of the season again his father, Jac, who just happened to be piloting the No. 17 that Sheldon now drives. The pair had a spirited duel late in the season at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, as they battled near the front of the field, with Sheldon ultimately finishing second in that race, which at the time matched his best-career finish with the Outlaws.

The younger Haudenschild led the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series standings following his win on opening night and left Florida second in the standings, just 12 markers behind nine-time series champion Donny Schatz. Haudenschild is one of four drivers who have a pair of top five finishes this season and one of five who have three top 10 runs in the first three races. 

With nearly 90 nights of racing on the 2018 schedule, the young driver knows it is a marathon and how important it is to put a “complete night” together.

“Getting through the first half of the night in qualifying, a heat race, the dash, and then making solid laps in the feature is what it comes down to,” he explained. “You have to be there at the end of these races and you have to conserve your equipment. If we do that and are there at the end of races, I think we’ll get some more wins. We’ll just keep working towards that.”

Following the events in Florida, Haudenschild and his team headed to Texas this week where they were supposed to continue the Outlaws season, but Mother Nature had different ideas, with rain interrupting the pair of races that were scheduled for this Friday and Saturday.

Before heading west, Haudenschild made a side trip on Feb. 17, as he was able to be a race fan for a night, taking in the AMA Supercross event in Arlington, Texas. The young driver began his career on two wheels, racing amateur motocross and supercross and from 1996 until 2009, amassing over 70 wins.

“I usually try to get to one a year,” said Haudenschild, when asked about Supercross. “When I saw we had the weekend off and were headed that way, it worked out perfect to be able to stop at the Supercross event. I had a lot of fun there and got to see some old friends. It was definitely worth the drive to go over there.”