SCHATZ SURVIVES: Donny Schatz Holds On for Second Jackson Nationals Title

The 10-time Series champ narrowly beats Sheldon Haudenschild to the line at Jackson for $25,000

JACKSON, MN (August, 17, 2024) - When the white flag flew on Saturday night the 46th FENDT Jackson Nationals looked to already be decided.

Donny Schatz had led from the drop of the green in the 35-lapper. The 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion worked through traffic masterfully, did what he needed to do on a restart, and held a comfortable advantage when the final lap began.

But Sheldon Haudenschild can never be counted out.

The Wooster, OH native was more than a second behind Schatz as the white flag was displayed. He put the NOS Energy Drink No. 17 right where he’s most comfortable – against the cushion – and let it rip. As they exited Turn 2 the gap visibly shrank. And then in the final set of corners Haudenschild went full send around the top and closed in, but Schatz narrowly held him off for $25,000 in a finish that brought the Jackson Motorplex crowd to their feet.

“I guess you’ve got to look at stats and look back at things, and I think we’ve taken these two-day shows, almost every one of them on the first night we’ve kind of tried something to get where we're at," Schatz explained of his speed on Saturday night. “Then when Scuba (Steve Swenson), Todd (Devnich), and Dauson (Heitritter) come back the second day it’s game on. Tonight was another one of those nights. We took what we learned from the first night for the second night. Obviously, we had help with that pill draw.

“Man, on the racetrack you could go everywhere. We could run the bottom and the top. I ran the middle there at the end. I kind of knew I needed to keep my tires underneath me. I was kind of hanging off of (Turn) 4. I don’t know what was going on up there, but that’s my own fault. I asked to get really tight, and sometimes you pay the price when you get over that crown that way.”

Schatz’s win gave him his second Jackson Nationals title to go along with his 2018 triumph. The Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian driver now owns four Series victories at Jackson, putting him in a four-way tie with Logan Schuchart, Brad Sweet, and Carson Macedo for the most wins at the Minnesota oval with The Greatest Show on Dirt. His fourth of 2024 is the 315th of his legendary career.

Schatz led the field to green after coming out on top of the Toyota Racing King of the Hill. Second-starting David Gravel attempted to give him an opening lap challenge. Schatz committed to the bottom on the first circuit while Gravel rolled about a lane higher in the Big Game Motorsports No. 2. Exiting Turn 4 on the first lap Gravel nearly got his left front alongside Schatz but couldn’t quite get there. Schatz began to extend the advantage on Lap 2.

Disaster nearly struck Schatz with 24 laps remaining as he worked through traffic. Landon Crawley and Kelby Watt got together right in front of him and spun. Schatz quickly reacted by driving between the two, narrowly avoiding disaster.

When the green flag brought the action back to life Gravel looked to Schatz’s outside, but just like the race’s initial start he couldn’t find the momentum necessary.

Haudenschild momentarily slipped back to fourth as Aaron Reutzel rolled by, but Haudenschild rallied to drive back around him. Haudenschild then got to work on tracking down Gravel. Haudenschild’s first move for second was countered as Gravel crossed him over. But on Lap 28 Haudenschild ripped the cushion to secure the runner-up spot.

Three lapped cars stood between Schatz and Haudenschild once he snagged the second spot. Victory appeared entirely out of reach until the 30-year-old got clear of traffic. The margin fell bit by bit as Haudenschild prepared for one final swing on the last lap. He gave it everything he had but couldn’t quite make the pass.

The veteran felt especially grateful to hold off Haudenschild’s charge.

“All I can say is if you’re a fan, it’s a good time to be alive,” Schatz said. “These kids, I criticize them a lot there’s no question. But it makes me damn proud to race with guys like Sheldon and Carson (Macedo) and seeing what’s happening because not only are they awesome, but they make the old guys like me even better. And that’s what this is all about. Happy to steal one from them tonight, that’s for sure.”

The runner-up run for Haudenschild’s was his second consecutive second place finish. He and the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing crew are building some momentum with their fourth podium run in the last five points races.

“I think just rolling around there in third and fourth and being able to search especially with a really good race car. That’s the only way you’re able to do that,” Haudenschild said of his late surge. “Hats off to Donny. It’s fun racing Donny. He’s the best at it. I’m just happy with our speed this weekend and looking forward to the next.”

Rounding out the top three was David Gravel in the Big Game Motorsports No. 2. The Watertown, CT native bagged his second straight third place finish at Jackson. If the initial start of the race could’ve gone a little differently for the point leader, it might’ve changed the entire race’s trajectory.

“The top of (Turns) 1 and 2 was pretty good early on, but the top of (Turns) 3 and 4 wasn’t. I felt like I was right there on his (Schatz’s) right rear, but I just wasn’t able to get around him. I feel like that would’ve changed our race a lot there. Donny was good through lapped traffic. I just feel like in the middle of that race I kind of struggled to find a place in (Turns) 1 and 2 where I felt good.”

Aaron Reutzel and Emerson Axsom completed the top five. 

Tim Kaeding grabbed the KSE Racing Hard Charger with a drive from 24th to 15th.

Landon Crawley claimed his second career Simpson Quick Time in Sea Foam Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four belonged to David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, and Sheldon Haudenschild. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went to Aaron Reutzel.

Donny Schatz topped the Toyota Racing King of the Hill.

Landon Crawley won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Break of the Race went to Landon Crawley.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars take on a North Dakota doubleheader at River Cities Speedway (Grand Forks, ND) on Friday, August 23 and Red River Valley Speedway (West Fargo, ND) on Saturday, August 24. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz[1]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[3]; 3. 2-David Gravel[2]; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel[6]; 5. 27-Emerson Axsom[8]; 6. 83-Michael Kofoid[10]; 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[7]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart[5]; 9. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[4]; 10. 5T-Ryan Timms[18]; 11. 10-Scott Bogucki[11]; 12. 41-Carson Macedo[19]; 13. 17B-Bill Balog[12]; 14. 55-Kerry Madsen[9]; 15. 3-Tim Kaeding[24]; 16. 23-Garet Williamson[17]; 17. 2KS-Kelby Watt[16]; 18. 70-Kraig Kinser[13]; 19. 3J-Dusty Zomer[22]; 20. 17GP-Justin Henderson[20]; 21. 16-Brooke Tatnell[14]; 22. 22K-Kaleb Johnson[23]; 23. 7S-Landon Crawley[21]; 24. 24T-Christopher Thram[15]

MINNESOTA MASTERPIECE: Carson Macedo Leads Every Lap to Begin Jackson Nationals in Victory Lane

The Jason Johnson Racing driver equals the record for the most Jackson victories with his fourth

JACKSON, MN (August 16, 2024) - Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing continue to be nearly unstoppable at Jackson Motorplex.

Since teaming in 2021, Macedo and JJR have established themselves as the team to beat at the Minnesota oval. Heading into Friday’s FENDT Jackson Nationals race, Macedo hadn’t missed the top five in eight Jackson attempts behind the wheel of the No. 41. Two of those outings were wins, and another three were podiums. 

All eyes were on them entering the evening, and they met the moment with ease. 

Macedo started second in the 30-lapper and put on a clinic. He drove away from the field in the early portion of the race and sliced through traffic. A late restart served up a potential challenge from Sheldon Haudenschild, but Macedo stayed composed and moved by a couple lapped cars in the closing laps to punctuate a statement victory.

“Man, what a great job by this Albaugh, JJR 41 team,” Macedo said. “It was a great night overall. I feel like we were good in Qualifying and the Heat Race. The Dash I just didn’t really know that the top was that good. But I was able to get a really good start in the Feature and get back by Logan (Schuchart) and kind of take command of the race. Hats off to Philip Dietz. He did a great job. Adam Zimmerman and Robby McQuinn both did a great job working hard.”

The fourth World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car win of 2024 for Macedo is the 39th of his career. With his fourth overall Jackson checkered flag, it now stands alone as the track where he’s won most often with The Greatest Show on Dirt. It also equaled him with Logan Schuchart and Brad Sweet for the most victories at the facility.

It was Schuchart leading the field to green with Macedo alongside. The Lemoore, CA native used a strong start on the top to rocket around Schuchart in the first set of corners to lead the opening lap.

The first few laps saw Macedo waste no time in building his advantage over the Shark Racing No. 1S. The gap grew north of a second in only two laps as Macedo rolled around the 4/10 mile oval. 

Macedo went unchallenged throughout the race’s opening half as he masterfully negotiated traffic. Schuchart and third-running Garet Williamson closed in a couple times but never could get close enough to make a move.

Just beyond the halfway point David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild worked around Williamson to claim the third and fourth positions.

The yellow lights flashed for the first and only time in the Feature with 10 laps remaining setting up a quick dash to the finish.

On the restart Macedo pulled ahead while Gravel peeked to Schuchart’s inside. The Hanover, PA native closed the door which left the top lane wide open for the fourth-running Haudenschild. He quickly ripped the cushion and cleared both Gravel and Schuchart by the time they reached the back straightaway.

Unlike early in the race, Macedo couldn’t manage to distance himself from the runner-up after Haudenschild had taken the spot. The NOS Energy Drink No. 17 stalked Macedo as the laps wound down. Traffic became a factor with only five laps remaining, and the gap shrank even more.

But right when it looked like a final lap thriller might be brewing, Haudenschild tripped up in Turns 3 and 4 right as Macedo managed to put another lapper between himself and Haudenschild. That proved to be the winning move as Macedo drove away to a comfortable victory.

“I could feel that my pace was slowing down when we got to traffic,” Macedo explained. “A lot of guys were running the same lane as we are. I got held up big time once off of (Turn) 4 by a lapper. He kind of got sideways, and I knew I was in trouble. Then I fired it off into (Turn) 1 and cleared him. Then I took the white and got around that last lap well.”

Haudenschild brought the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing machine home second to record his best career Jackson finish. The Wooster, OH native was happy with the speed he had but left a little disappointed that he couldn’t make a move to get by Macedo in traffic.

“I just had a lane open and went around them,” Haudenschild said of the restart that got him to second. “I felt like I was pacing the 41 really nice there. I just didn’t capitalize in traffic. He did a good job. I think he got by two of them in (Turns) 3 and 4. Hats off to (Kyle) Ripper, Steve (Kinzer Dussel), and Luke (Vaughn). They’re working hard here to get this NOS Energy Drink 17 another win. We want to get to that double-digit win mark pretty bad this year, so to come this close hurts a little bit, but we’ll take it and move on to tomorrow.”

The final step of the podium was occupied by David Gravel. He and the Big Game Motorsports crew continue to show unflinching consistency with their 26th top three of the year. If the late restart had unfolded a little differently, the point leader might’ve had a real shot at stealing the win.

“I thought we had a really good race car there,” Gravel said. “The track was slightly top dominant, but the lapped traffic really made it exciting. You could run the bottom groove there. On that restart Logan chose to go high, and I just stayed low like Macedo. And he (Schuchart) just kind of ran defensive down there and bottled us both up and Sheldon got around us. I would’ve loved to have the opportunity to run second there and then in lapped traffic I thought Sheldon had an opportunity to win the race. But man, those lapped cars were not getting off the top, and it was kind of hard to pass them sometimes. I’m really, really happy with the car.”

Aaron Reutzel and Logan Schuchart completed the top five.

Emerson Axsom earned the KSE Racing Hard Charger with a run from 17th to 11th. 

David Gravel claimed his ninth Simpson Quick Time of 2024 and the 119th of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four belonged to Dusty Zomer, Sheldon Haudenschild, and Bill Balog. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went to Carson Macedo.

Logan Schuchart topped the Toyota Racing Dash.

Kelby Watt won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Michael “Buddy” Kofoid.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars take on the $25,000-to-win, $2,000-to-start FENDT Jackson Nationals finale at Minnesota’s Jackson Motorplex on Saturday, August 17. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo[2]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[5]; 3. 2-David Gravel[3]; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel[6]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart[1]; 6. 23-Garet Williamson[4]; 7. 17B-Bill Balog[7]; 8. 55-Kerry Madsen[13]; 9. 3-Tim Kaeding[11]; 10. 15-Donny Schatz[14]; 11. 27-Emerson Axsom[17]; 12. 10-Scott Bogucki[18]; 13. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[19]; 14. 5T-Ryan Timms[20]; 15. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[12]; 16. 17GP-Justin Henderson[10]; 17. 3J-Dusty Zomer[8]; 18. O9-Matt Juhl[15]; 19. 24T-Christopher Thram[24]; 20. 7S-Landon Crawley[16]; 21. 2KS-Kelby Watt[21]; 22. 22K-Kaleb Johnson[22]; 23. 44-Chris Martin[23]; 24. 83-Michael Kofoid[9]