Logan Schuchart looks to defend Ironman title

Logan Schuchart looks to defend Ironman title
Ironman World of Outlaws doubleheader at Federated Auto Parts Raceway set for Aug. 2-3

Story By: Nick Graziano/WoO

Photos By: Dan DeMarco & Harry Meeks/RacersGuide.com

PEVELY, MO – July 29, 2019 – Holding the dumbbell high above his head, Logan Schuchart signified the biggest win of his career at the Ironman 55 event last year.

When the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series returns to Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 Aug. 2-3 for the Ironman doubleheader, Schuchart will, again, have the opportunity for another career achievement.

He currently has four wins this season – matching his highest win total in a single year. A win at the Missouri raceway would set a new career high for the Hanover, Pa.-native.

“We were doing really well for a while. We’re still doing well,” Schuchart said. “We’re consistent. We’ve won four races. I’d like to step that up and win a few more before the end of the year.”

He’s looking forward to getting back to the 1/3-mile raceway to try and accomplish that goal and defend the Ironman title.

“Pevely is a fun one,” Schuchart said. “It’s small. It’s fast. It puts on bull ring racing, but it doesn’t feel that small at the same time. I always like going back. I want to go back there. We haven’t been there since I won there last. I’m looking forward to going back and hopefully repeat what we did last year.”

The Shark Racing driver led 41 or the 55 laps at last year’s Ironman, passing Daryn Pittman – who’s been strong at the track, getting a win there the last two years – in the early stage of the race. Despite his dominance, Schuchart said he never really felt good at the track until last year, though.

He called the track “tricky” with it being small in size, but having high banked turns and drivers turning laps in the 10 and 11 second brackets.

“It’s easy to get yourself in trouble,” Schuchart said. “It’s a small bull ring. It’s high banked. But you can really slow down and catch the bottom good or you can rip the cushion and ride right against the wall.”

Winning the Ironman 55 last year was important for Schuchart and his Shark Racing team. It paid $20,000-to-win and it was his first win of the 2018 season. He considers it his biggest win, so far, for those reasons.

And because it’s just a cool event. The title of it alone, “Ironman,” gets him excited for it.

“It’s the longest race that we run,” Schuchart said. “You get a big old dumbbell with it. It’s a cool win to cross off the bucket list and say that we won.”

The Night Before the Ironman on Friday, Aug. 2 will pay $8,000-to-win and Saturday night’s Ironman will again pay $20,000-to-win, continuing the streak of big money races during the “summer of money.”

Schuchart came close to winning the biggest payday of the year, the $175,000-to-win Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway, but had to settle for second. Continuing to ride the momentum of that strong he looks to park his Drydene No. 1s in Victory Lane a few more times, returning to tracks like Federated Auto Parts Raceway where he’s had success before.

“Any time you go back to tracks you’ve been at before and go there with experience you feel more confident about it,” he said. “You feel like you know what to do when the track changes or goes a certain way. You’re not running into it blind. You have a notebook to look at from the past few years.

“Sometimes I don’t even look at it because I feel like it hurts me more than helps me. It is nice to go back with experience. The more you race it seems like the better we get.”

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

WHEN & WHERE
Friday, Aug. 2, and Satuday, Aug. 3, at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo. for the Night Before the Ironman and then the Ironman. Grandstand gates will open at 4 p.m. with Hot Laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m. Get tickets and more information.

ABOUT THE TRACK
Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 is a high-banked, 1/3-mile track. The track record is 10.189 sec. set by Stevie Smith on March 30, 2002.
Online – FederatedAutoPartsRaceway.com
Phone – (636) 479-3219

TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased by going to WorldofOutlaws.com/tix.