At A Glance: Sharks Stalking ‘Stoga

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series heads to Calistoga Speedway for the Wine Country Outlaw Showdown double-header on Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10

CONCORD, N.C. - April 6, 2016 - As the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series continues its trek through California, the series will make its annual stop at Calistoga Speedway for the Wine Country Outlaw Showdown on Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10.

Heading into last weekend's action at Ocean Speedway and Silver Dollar Speedway, the Shark Racing teammates of Jacob Allen and Logan Schuchart had not recorded a top-five yet this season.

That stat changed when both drivers secured the first ever two-three finish for Shark Racing at Ocean Speedway on Friday night, including a career-best third for Allen and a second-place finish for Schuchart.

Allen's third-place finish is his first ever World of Outlaws top five and his fourth top 10 so far in his short career. Allen captured two top-10 finishes last season and one in his first season in 2014.

"[The finish] means a lot to me, being my best finish with the Outlaws," Allen said. "Any time, whether it's with the Outlaws or just racing, everybody always talks about going one-two with Logan and that kind of thing.

"It's surreal how it all played out - being on the front row and having Kasey Kahne Racing behind us. It's just great for our team, family, sponsors and everyone that helps us out. It was something that was a lot of fun and I'm really thankful for and won't ever forget."

Schuchart's runner-up finish is the second time he has finished second, with his first being at Thunderbowl Raceway in 2014. Schuchart had 11 top-fives and 45 top-10s heading into the 2016 season, in which he has already accumulated one top-five and five top-10s.

"Anytime you get to run in the top-five and race for the lead, it's good for the team," Schuchart said. "To have both cars starting on the front row is a pretty cool honor for our organization, everyone involved and everyone back home watching - our family, sponsors and friends.

"It's cool for Jacob and I to be up here racing. It's hard to be out here [competing with the Outlaws]. We didn't know if we were going to be able to do it the first year, but here we are in the third year and to be able to see the improvements year after year, every time we hit the track, is awesome. We are very thankful to be out here."

The California stretch has been especially nice for Schuchart, who has earned three of his five top-10s this season since the series hit the Golden State on March 11, with his worst finish in that stretch being two 16th place finishes.

Allen has had mixed results over the last month. Allen started off the California stretch missing the feature at Thunderbowl Raceway on March 12, but has since made every race and won the dash at Ocean.

With less than three full seasons under their belts, Shark Racing has catapulted from an up-and-coming organization to a weekly competitor that can capture their first World of Outlaws win at any event.

"If you get your car right and get the driver feeling comfortable, the wins are going to come," Schuchart said. "Even though we ran second [at Ocean Speedway], I feel like we have a lot of room for improvement.

"If we get the car right and I make the right decisions as a driver, then the wins will come. It's just a learning experience and getting better every time I hit the race track."

Allen, taking a more critical stance on himself, also feels like Shark Racing has the ability to score their first win as a team, and hopes it occurs sooner rather than later.

"[At Ocean] I thought I had a good shot at getting our first win," Allen said. "We had a good shot at it, and I don't know how often those opportunities come around. I hope they come around a lot more often for us.

"I think with some better restarts from myself and fix a couple of little mistakes I made, I could've won at Ocean. It's going to take one of those moments again, and when you get it, you have to be able to take it and excel in it and make things happen."

Tickets remain for the Wine Country Outlaw Showdown at Calistoga Speedway and are available by calling 844-DIRT-TIX (347-8849), or by visiting WorldofOutlaws.com/Tickets.com. Watch both nights of the Wine Country Outlaw Showdown live on DIRTVision.com pay-per-view.

ABOUT THE TRACK
CALISTOGA SPEEDWAY is a semi-banked half-mile dirt oval. The track record is 15.731 and was established by Joey Saldana on April 5, 2014.

Previous A-Feature winners:
2015 - Brad Sweet on April 11, Donny Schatz on April 12
2014 - Brad Sweet on April 5, Daryn Pittman on April 6
2012 - Donny Schatz on Sept. 9
2011 - Jason Sides on April 2
2007 - Danny Lasoski on Sept. 1, Danny Lasoski on Sept. 2
2006 - Craig Dollansky on Sept. 3
2005 - Danny Lasoski on Sept. 3
2004 - Donny Schatz on Sept. 4
2003 - Danny Lasoski on Aug. 31
2002 - Daryn Pittman on Sept. 1
2001 - Jeff Shepard on Sept. 2
2000 - Danny Lasoski on Sept. 3
1999 - Sammy Swindell on Sept. 5
1998 - Stevie Smith on Sept. 6
1997 - Sammy Swindell on Aug. 31
1996 - Dave Blaney on Sept. 1
1995 - Steve Kinser on Sept. 3
1994 - Jeff Swindell on Sept. 4
1993 - Steve Kinser on Sept. 5
1992 - Steve Kinser on Sept. 6
1991 - Steve Kinser on Sept. 1
1990 - Sammy Swindell on Sept. 9
1989 - Jac Haudenschild on Sept. 10
1987 - Steve Kinser on Sept. 20
1986 - Doug Wolfgang on Oct. 19
1978 - Rick Ferkel on June 10, Johnny Anderson on Sept. 23