Sheldon Haudenschild, Daryn Pittman and Donny Schatz were all victorious in the state of Washington over Labor Weekend as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series continued their West Coast Swing. Schatz and Pittman are the winningest drivers on the Outlaws tour this season, while Haudenschild is tied for the third-most wins. The series heads to Oregon this week, followed by the historic Gold Cup Race of Champions in California.

Emotional win

Daryn Pittman’s win in the finale at Skagit Speedway on September 1 was an emotional one. The 2013 series champion dedicated the victory to his crew chief Justin Adams, who lost his grandfather earlier in the week. The win was also special for Pittman as it came in the state of Washington, where his car owner Kasey Kahne hails from. For Pittman, it was win No. 7 on the season and the 79^thof his career with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series.

Birthday boy

Sheldon Haudenschild celebrated his 25^thbirthday in style, picking up the win in the opener at Skagit Speedway on August 31. The native of Wooster, OH took the lead coming to the white flag, pulling a slide job on Shane Stewart. Haudenschild led the final two laps to earn his fifth win of the season.

High five

Donny Schatz scored his fifth overall win at Grays Harbor Raceway on Labor Day evening and his fourth in the last five races at the track. The nine-time and defending series champion won for the first time at the picturesque track in 2005, then didn’t return to victory lane at the venue until 2013. Since then, he has been on a tear at the three-eighths-mile. Schatz now has a series-best 18 wins this year as he looks to extend his string of 20-plus win seasons to a six straight.

Oh, so close

Shane Stewart led a total of 27 laps in the opener at Skagit Speedway en route to a runner-up finish. The veteran driver took the lead from pole sitter Rico Abreu on the second lap and paced the field until Sheldon Haudenschild got by him on the 29^thcircuit. For Stewart, it was his 13^thtop-five finish of the season.

New track record

Logan Schuchart was fastest in time trials at Grays Harbor and set a new track record in the process. He broke the existing track record, which had been set by Joey Saldana in 2015, by a tenth-of-a-second. Schuchart was battling for a podium position in the 30-lap main event, when he got tangled up with a lapped car with a couple of laps remaining, which led to a flat tire and a trip to the work area. Schuchart ended up 13^th.

Hard charger

Greg Wilson picked up the Hard Charger Award at Grays Harbor Raceway on Monday evening. The veteran driver started 17^thand methodically worked his way up to ninth. Wilson now has garnered Hard Charger honors a couple of times in 2018.

A torrid battle

Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet had an epic battle for the second spot in the finale at Skagit. The pair traded the position a number of times, with Schatz ultimately prevailing. Schatz and Sweet both got close to eventual winner Daryn Pittman a couple of times in lapped traffic, in a battle for the lead, but were never quite able to make a move.

Back in action

After taking a few weeks off to regroup, the Rudeen Racing team was back in action in their home state of Washington. Joey Saldana finished a solid fourth in the opener at Skagit Speedway, after opening the night as the fourth-fastest driver in time trials. Saldana followed that up with a runner-up finish in the first heat race, which put him in the dash, where he ran third. Saldana found himself sixth at Grays Harbor Raceway on Labor Day evening.

Solid debuts

Ian Madsen, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, finished fifth in the finale at Skagit Speedway. The Australian was seeing Skagit Speedway for the first time in his career. Madsen opened the night as the sixth-fastest driver in time trials. Madsen followed that up with a seventh-place effort in his first-ever trip to Grays Harbor Raceway, also in Washington.

Eventful night

Jason Solwold had a very eventful opening night at Skagit Speedway. The Washington native was fastest in time trials, but had engines woes on his second lap. That led to the team swapping their 410-cubic-inch engine for a smaller 360-engine for the heat race. Solwold held on to finish second in the heat, which put him in the dash. Prior to the dash, the team changed water pumps on the 410-engine and put that power plant back in for the dash and main event. Unfortunately in the feature, Solwold got upside down on lap-13, which ended his night.

Home state pride

Trey Starks finished eighth on the final night at Skagit, in what was a rare appearance in his home state of Washington. The young driver has spent the majority of the last few seasons competing in Central Pennsylvania and on the East Coast. Starks opened the night by turning the fifth-fastest lap in time trials and won the first second heat race to put himself in the dash, where he ran sixth.

A hard tumble

Dominic Scelzi, who finished seventh on the first night at Skagit Speedway, got upside in the main event on the second night. The Californian was transported to a local hospital to treat an injury to his hip. Scelzi has since returned home and will be out of action for a bit as he heals up.

Points update

Donny Schatz gained a few points on Brad Sweet in their battle for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series championship and the gap between the two now sits at 246 points. David Gravel solidly remains third, with Daryn Pittman fourth and Shane Stewart fifth. Logan Schuchart currently rides sixth, with Sheldon Haudenschild seventh, rookie Ian Madsen eighth and Brent Marks ninth. Kraig Kinser has moved back into the top-10, 16 markers ahead of Jacob Allen.

Up next

The World of Outlaws Craftsman continues their trip down the Pacific Coast with a visit to Willamette Speedway in Oregon on Wednesday, September 5. The late Jason Johnson won at the track last year, while Donny Schatz and Shane Stewart are also past winners at the 3/10-mile bullring. The series then invades Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA on September 7-8 for the Gold Cup Race of Champions. Stewart is the defending Gold Cup winner. Pittman and Schatz are also past Gold Cup victors.