Brent Marks and David Gravel were each victorious in the state of New York over the weekend as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series wrapped up its summer East Coast Swing. Marks won at Weedsport Speedway, while Gravel took the checkered flag at Ransomville Speedway. Mother Nature was also a victor last week as the series inaugural event at Airborne Park Speedway fell to inclement weather and will not be re-scheduled. The Outlaws head back to the Midwest this week for the Ironman 55 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Missouri, as the “Month of Money” rolls on. 

Verse two, same as the first

Brent Marks backed up his first World of Outlaws win from earlier this season with another very strong performance at Weedsport Speedway. In his first Outlaws win at Wilmot Raceway in Wisconsin on June 2, Marks lapped all the way up to the seventh-place finisher. This time around, the native of Myerstown, PA lapped up to the eighth-place runner in the 35-lap main event, which ran non-stop, green-to-checker.

History-making win

For David Gravel, the win at Ransomville Speedway, marked the first time his CJB Motorsports team had won with an in-house built chassis. Barry Jackson, crew chief for the team, designed and built the car. The veteran wrench made a living for many years building sprint cars, when previously owned JEI Chassis. Gravel’s win was his fifth of the season, which ties him with Daryn Pittman for second-most on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series circuit. Gravel followed that up with a fifth-place finish at Weedsport Speedway to wrap up the East Coast Swing.

Oh, so close

Sheldon Haudenschild nearly stole a win from Brent Marks in the late going at Weedsport Speedway. The fourth-generation driver closed in on the leader in heavy lapped traffic on the ultra-slick surface, but had a couple of runs thwarted by slower cars. Haudenschild was running the extreme top side of the track, nearly tapping the wall a few times as he made every effort to track down Marks.

Knocking on the door

Jacob Allen continues to close in on his first-career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win. The young driver finished on the podium at Weedsport Speedway in third. Allen ran second for a number of laps, closing in on Brent Marks a couple of times in heavy lapped traffic in a battle for the lead, but was never quite able to get enough of a run. Allen has led several laps of feature racing competition this year and has a couple of runner-up finishes as he chases that elusive first win.

A solid rebound

The only caution flag of the night at Weedsport Speedway flew during time trials and that was for Donny Schatz, who got into the wall as he was getting ready to take the green flag. The nine-time and defending series champion had too much damage to take a qualifying lap and started at the back of the third heat race. Schatz gained two spots in that eight-lap contest, which put him 15^thon the grid for the 35-lap main event. The North Dakota native was able to work his way through the field to finish sixth, which earned him the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award.

Less is more

Chuck Hebing competed against the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Weedsport Speedway with a smaller 360-cubic-inch engine under the hood of his car. On a very slick surface, the lack of horsepower was actually an advance. The New York native finished second in the first heat race to earn a spot in the dash, where he ran third. Hebing ran among the top-five for a large part of the main event, before losing a couple of spots late to finish seventh. That was still good enough for the two-time Empire Super Sprint and two-time Patriot Sprint Tour title winner to earn his best-career Outlaws finish.

A solid debut

Ian Madsen, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, made his debut at Weedsport Speedway. The native of St. Marys, NSW, Australia, was fifth fastest in time trials. He finished third in the second heat race and was eighth in the 35-lap main event.

Podium prowess

Brad Sweet and Donny Schatz both finished on the podium at Ransomville Speedway. Sweet, who ran second, made up ground on eventual winner David Gravel in the late going, as the pair worked their way through lapped traffic. Schatz, who started on the pole ended up finishing third. Sweet came up one spot short of another podium at Weedsport, crossing the line fourth.

Season-best finish

Kraig Kinser finished a season-best fourth at Ransomville Speedway. The veteran driver’s previous best run was a fifth in the Kings Royals at Eldora Speedway. Kinser, who was making his second start at the three-eighths-mile, had visited the track as a youngster, when his father, Steve, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, ran at the track in the mid-to-late-1990s.

Passing cars

Sheldon Haudenschild garnered the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award at Ransomville Speedway, powering his way from 19^thto eighth. Ian Madsen also passed his fair share of cars, after being involved in an early race caution, which lined him up at the tail of the field. The Australian, who now calls the Des Moines, IA area home, worked his way back to a 10^th-place finish.

Points update

Donny Schatz continues to lead Brad Sweet in the chase for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series title. The gap between the pair sits at 202 markers. David Gravel remains third. Daryn Pittman is fourth, 28 points ahead of Shane Stewart. Sheldon Haudenschild currently rides sixth, followed by Logan Schuchart in seventh, Ian Madsen in eighth, Brent Marks in ninth and Kraig Kinser in 10^th.

Up next

The “Month of Money” rolls into Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MO, for the Ironman 55 weekend. A pair of $20,000-to-win main events awaits, as last year’s rained out Ironman 55 will be contested on Friday, August 3, followed by this year’s edition of the grueling 55-lap contest. This will mark the first-time in series history that back-to-back $20,000-to-win races will be contested. The 55-lap distance is the longest race of the season for the series. Rico Abreu won the Ironman 55 in 2016. Daryn Pittman was victorious earlier this season at the always racy, third-mile bullring.