The Vapor Trail: Ohio Speedweek and the Work Area

The “Vapor Trail” is your weekly 410 sprint car notebook. It will be a journey through the past week of sprint car racing around the United States.

The Trailhead: Ohio Speedweek

Ohio Speedweek kicked off on Friday and Attica Raceway Park and things seemed to run pretty smoothly. It wasn’t the greatest Attica track surface we have seen this season, but 53 cars showed up to support the FAST Series and the new-look Ohio Speedweek. Cap Henry was dominate throughout the night, and started his nine consecutive nights of racing with a big win. Overall, it was a good start to Speedweek and a promising sign for the rest of the schedule.

Unfortunately, the following night at Fremont did not go as planned. Before I dive in, I want to make it clear that this is not a shot at Fremont Speedway or the FAST Series. My goal is to promote dirt racing, especially regional racing, and it is never my intention to “bash” anyone putting in an effort to make the sport I love better.

With rain in the area, there was very little urgency to speed the show up and get the 410 feature in before the track was lost. While I don’t mind having two support classes on a Saturday night and attempting to showcase those support classes to a larger audience, the entire point of the week is to showcase the 410 sprint cars. Not only did we not get to see a 410 sprint car feature, one of those support classes barely saw the track. The decision to hold victory lanes and a 15-20 minute redraw was questionable.

My biggest takeaway from that is that if the the All Stars were still sanctioning Ohio Speedweek, we would have gotten that feature race in at Fremont. I have no doubt in my mind that the track will make it up to the drivers, but some of those drivers will not be able to return for a makeup feature and others were penalized in the Speedweek standings by not having an opportunity to run the feature and gain points.

On Sunday, Ohio Speedweek shifted their focus to Waynesfield Raceway Park with the hopes of leaving Saturday’s mishap behind them. Again, that was not the case. I am not sure who was involved in the scheduling and I understand that it is one of the most grueling weeks in sprint car racing and fans/teams have to work on Monday, but I was not a fan of starting this show as early as they did. By time hot laps were complete, the track looked like it was taking rubber. It was very dry and dusty. Windy conditions did not help the situation, but it seemed like some of this could have been avoided with a later start time.

Since the show was already in full-swing, the only thing that track crews could have done was work on the track and attempt the get the surface right for the teams and fans. That just wasn’t the case. The show kept moving right along and the racing suffered because of it. Teams were not happy about junking tires on the abrasive, rubbered-up surface.

Let’s not let a “fluke” great finish gloss over the fact that the entire night was a disaster. Some teams left early. Others expressed their displeasure online. I will end with this: Through the first three nights of Ohio Speedweek, the average car count is 49. Those 49 teams and drivers deserve much better than what they have gotten so far.

Water Break: The Outlaws & High Limit

On Saturday night at Ogilvie, we had a race of the year candidate take place between Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild and Buddy Kofoid. It was a long weekend for the Outlaws up North due to a rain delay and a lot of track prep, but it all paid off in the end for the fans who showed up and waited it out. Haudenschild was ultimately victorious over Macedo and Kofoid with some last lap heroics. It was the second time this season we have seen Carson Macedo lose a race on the final lap.

Through 27 races, David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild have won 55% of the World of Outlaw races. However, as we have learned from Brad Sweet’s five consecutive championships, consistency is the real key to winning. Despite having 7 wins already, Haudenschild is still just seventh in the points standings. He finds himself behind Logan Schuchart, who has yet to make his way on to the podium in 2024. Gravel continues to lead the standings, but Macedo has narrowed that gap down to just 10 points heading into a weekend at Knoxville.

Speaking of Brad Sweet, we didn’t hear much about him during High Limit’s weekend at I-70, but he was able to extend his point lead over Tyler Courtney. Courtney had mechanical issues in the front end of his car on Friday night and got stuck in the work area. He rebounded for a top 10 on Saturday, but the damage was already done on Friday.

Courtney getting stuck in the work area had some people talking about the concept over the weekend. I can’t help but notice that one of the series is constantly screwing around with the work area, while the other plays 0 games. I don’t exactly have the numbers, but anyone who consistently watches the Outlaws knows that both David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild have spent their fair share of time in the work area this season. It just so happens to work out that they always make it back out on to the track just in time for the green flag. The circumstances are never the same, but this is definitely a pattern I have noticed with the Outlaws this year.

People want to talk about a conflict of interest with Brad Sweet and Kyle Larson owning and racing in their High Limit Series, but a conflict of interest will always exist in some capacity in the sport. We have a very important title sponsor for the Outlaws who has done a ton for sprint car racing that just so happens to be a sponsor on one of the most popular driver’s car. We have another car owner and track owner that is dumping a ton of money into the sport that also just so happens to be David Gravel’s car owner. I’m not putting on my tin foil hat for this one, my point is simply that there will always be a conflict of interest when you look at the big picture.

My solution to the work area controversy is simple. If you are involved in the wreck and the red flag is out, you should not be allowed to work on your car until they start pushing cars off again. It should be two minutes, not two minutes plus an entire red flag. Over the weekend, Gravel’s car was in the work area for what seemed like an eternity before Garet Williamson’s car was even removed from the track. Luckily, Williamson was able to get back out, but the situation was still eye-opening.

Halfway: Regional Observations

The big story out of Knoxville was Carson McCarl finally getting the monkey off his back in exciting fashion by passing his brother on the final lap to pick up his first career 410 win at Knoxville. It was slightly overshadowed by the scary crash involving Dusty Zomer and Chase Randall that saw Randall’s car catch fire immediately after coming to rest. Randall was alert enough to jump out and the Knoxville safety team was right there to put out the flames. It has been said time and time again, but the safety team at Knoxville is the best in the business and they deserve a ton of credit for what they do.

After the dust settled, I remembered what was happening on the track right before that incident. It was Dusty Zomer about to take the lead and likely never look back. Zomer already has one win at Knoxville this season and this may be a hot take, but I think the 3J is the car to beat on Saturday nights. The crash was the result of Zomer driving it into the turn too hard and clipping the inside berm, causing him to get sideways and leaving Randall with no place to go. While this incident may have been self-inflicted, Zomer has looked incredibly fast early in the season and he could easily have two more wins with some better luck.

If Zomer wasn’t going to coast to victory, I don’t think it was going to be the McCarl’s who were his closest challenge. It would have been Chase Randall, who was coming off consecutive Knoxville wins and a podium with High Limit at I-70. It’s still early, but I am finding myself believing that Randall has a legitimate shot to be a top 10 starter at the Knoxville Nationals. The real test will be this weekend against the Outlaws and plenty of additional invaders.

I’ve been all aboard the Cole Macedo train since his debut in the Kevin Newton no. 16T machine at East Bay. On Saturday at Knoxville, Macedo again impressed me. This time, he hopped in the TwoC Racing machine and drove it from 16th to 5th. It was his first time in the car and it was the best we have seen the no. 2C run in 410 competition in quite some time. I am not sure if there are plans for Cole to return to that ride, but I think it would be a good move for both sides.

JJ Hickle returned to action following a scary crash at Knoxville that sidelined him and his Sandvig Motorsports team. He was in the COOK Motorsports no. 22x, a car that we have seen Hickle drive in the past with little success. However, the small team put together a solid night and the pair were able to grab a top 10. It was a much needed result for Hickle, who is coming off a down 2023 season.

CJ Leary and the Alex Bowman Racing no. 55 team made their 2024 debut over the weekend. Didn’t hear about it? That’s because it was at Lernerville and Mercer in Western Pennsylvania. Leary ended up fifth on Friday night at Lernerville, and second on Saturday at Mercer. It was a smart way to get some laps and see what they are working with for the remainder of the season. If you were hoping to see Leary and the ABR 55 at Ohio Speedweek or somewhere else this week, you will have to wait, as Leary has USAC Eastern Storm obligations.

Are we There yet? The PA Posse Youth

I have heard a lot about how the Pennsylvania Posse has been struggling to produce talent in recent years outside of Anthony Macri. Troy Wagaman Jr is finally getting some well-deserved recognition. Devon Borden isn’t exactly “true posse,” but has been steadily improving the last few seasons. Freddie Rahmer never leaves the porch, and compared to last season, isn’t getting the results many were expecting.

At Williams Grove on Friday night, youngster Cameron Smith picked up his first career 410 win. Smith, who spent most of last season behind the wheel of the Trone no. 39, has been quietly consistent in 2024. He hasn’t done enough to turn heads and get a bunch of attention, but he has certainly improved as a driver. He was able to follow up his first career win with a top five finish at Lincoln on Saturday. I’m not saying that Smith is going to burst onto the scene and gain national attention, but I am saying it wouldn’t surprise me if he picked up 2-3 additional wins this season.

Speaking of the Trone no. 39, we are seeing something that I am not sure anyone expected after the Callum Williamson experience did not go as planned. 410 sprint car rookie, Kody Hartlaub, has replaced Williamson after his own team suffered a setback. Hartlaub, who we saw make the dash with the World of Outlaws earlier in the season, put the Trone 39 on the podium at Williams Grove. He then put it in the top 10 at Lincoln the following night. The combination has been a pleasant surprise, and one I hope to see continue the rest of the season.

The Photo Finish: Some Feel Good Moments

If you were watching the World of Outlaws on Saturday night, you saw veteran Brooke Tatnell go for a wild ride down the front stretch during the A-Main. About 5 minutes later, you saw Tatnell thrashing with the Jason Sides’ team to help repair Landon Crawley’s car and get him back out on the track. Teams helping other teams in sprint car racing is a common occurrence, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen a driver who just flipped wildly running around offering any help he can to help a competitor just minutes later. Big props for Tatnell for consistently being one of the “good guys” of the sport.

Veteran Pennsylvania racer Ryan Smith kicked off his season last week with Western PA Speedweek. Smith, who has been crew chiefing the Reese Nowotarski no 10X this season, has scaled back his driving duties in 2024. He picked up a win at Sharon during Western PA Speedweek, reminding everyone that he can still get the job done behind the wheel. He showed up at Port Royal on Saturday and was battling for the top five late in the race. Ultimately, he would end up in sixth. Hopefully we see more of Ryan Smith during the rest of the season.

Finally, if anyone hates the rain, it’s the Interstate Racing Association. The series has been rained out more than I can count in 2024. However, if you were lucky enough to catch the action from Angell Park on Sunday, you were not disappointed. A few things need to be pointed out here. The track crew at Angell Park did an incredible job giving the teams a great surface to race on in the feature. The feature went green to checkered, and Scotty Thiel was absolutely surgical through lapped traffic. To top all of that off, the production on FloRacing was some of the best I’ve seen all season. The camera work and focus on the various battles on the track was top notch. Thiel put on a show dicing his way through lapped traffic, but watching Max Guilford rip the lip on his way to the podium was my favorite part of the night.