Weekend Preview: Outlaws Head West; Pennsylvania Tries Again

Donny Schatz is looking to sweep Sin City for the 2nd consecutive year

Last weekend we suffered our first (and hopefully last) weekend washout of 2018. All three scheduled events succumbed to the rainfall as the World of Outlaws came up empty in Texas, and Lincoln Speedway's grounds were too soggy to get the Central PA season underway. Tomorrow night, we'll get our first taste of 410 Sprint Car action here in the States in nearly two and a half weeks.

The Greatest Show on Dirt has made their annual early-season trek west to The Dirt Track at Las Vegas for their typical back-to-back format. They'll kick off the events of NASCAR weekend on Wednesday night (Feb 28), and then turn around and do it all over again on Thursday. They'll utilize Friday as a travel day as they make the roughly five hour trip southwest to Perris Auto Speedway in southern California where they plan to compete on Saturday.

Flashing back to last year's World of Outlaws "FVP Outlaw Showdown", nine-time series champion Donny Schatz was the first to cross under the checkers on both nights for what became at the time his 4th & 5th wins of the season.

Night #1 saw a classic duel take place between Donny Schatz and Brian Brown. The duo exchanged the lead three time in the closing laps, with Schatz narrowly picking up the win by a 0.046-second margin. On Night #2, Schatz again surrendered the lead in the closing laps, this time to Rico Abreu, only to once again regain command and continue on for the victory.

One interesting note to keep an eye on will be the car count in one of the United States' 410 Sprint Car "dead zones". With practically no cars in the immediate area, it's impressive that the show can still produce a strong show - both in quantity and quality.

The "FVP Outlaw Showdown" has averaged just under 38 cars over the past three years, with the car count increasing each season and ultimately reaching its high in 2017 with a turnout of 42 sprints. Since they're heading to Sin City, care to place any bets on the car count tomorrow night?

David Gravel was dominant in last year's visit to Perris Auto Speedway, launching forward from his outside pole starting spot to lead every lap en route to the victory and his third series win of the season.

Back east in Pennsylvania, Lincoln Speedway will try for the second week in a row to get their racing season underway with the Annual "Icebreaker 30" paying $4,000 to win. The weather this weekend is looking much more favorable. Though temps may only reach the mid-40's on race day, a forecasted strong and steady wind can hopefully aid in drying out the track enough to race.

Below you'll find a preview for the Lincoln Speedway opener. If it all sounds familiar, then thank you for clicking the link last week and giving our weekend preview a read. They haven't raced - I have nothing new to talk about out that way. Let's cross our fingers and hope I have reason to cover some new material next week.

Here are the last 10 winners of Lincoln Speedway's "Icebreaker 30":

2017 - Danny Dietrich

2016 - Greg Hodnett

2015 - Greg Hodnett

2014 - Adam Wilt

2013 - Brian Montieth

2012 - Adam Wilt

2011 - Brian Montieth

2010 - Fred Rahmer

2009 - Brian Montieth

2008 - Niki Young

You can expect a stout field of 410's, as per the norm in Central PA. Brian Montieth claimed his sixth Lincoln Speedway track championship in 2017, all of which have come in the last 10 years. You can expect most, if not all, of the remaining drivers in the top 10 in points to be in attendance: Alan Krimes, Chad Trout, Jim Siegel, Freddie Rahmer, Cory Haas, Tim Glatfelter, Gerard McIntyre Jr., Glenndon Forsythe & Brandon Rahmer.

The most dominant driver last season, however, was Danny Dietrich. He still picked up 7 wins at the Abbottstown, PA oval despite missing multiple events while traveling to other races. Forget the Florida struggles, he's the favorite two claim his second straight "Icebreaker 30" crown.

2018 Wins List (410's):
4 - Donny Schatz
2 - Sheldon Haudenschild
1 - Chad Kemenah
1 - Tim Shaffer