ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. — Sprint car racing’s favorite rivalry — the World of Outlaws vs. the PA Posse — returns next month.
Pennsylvania fans will see The Greatest Show on Dirt bring 15 full-time stars to face their impressive crop of local competitors on nine occasions this season, and it starts with a three-race swing through the Keystone State in the middle of May.
The battle begins with the DuraMAX / Drydene Gettysburg Clash at Lincoln Speedway on Wednesday, May 11, and continues with the annual Morgan Cup at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday and Saturday, May 13-14.
The three-race, four-day stretch begins at Lincoln’s three-eighths-mile in Abbottstown, where the Outlaws and the Posse have evenly split the last 10 shows, five-to-five. More impressively, we’ve seen 10 different drivers win the last 10 series events at the Pigeon Hills oval.
For the Outlaws, Brad Sweet, Sheldon Haudenschild, David Gravel, Donny Schatz and Daryn Pittman have taken down wins. For the Posse, Lance Dewease, Freddie Rahmer, Greg Hodnett, Stevie Smith and Danny Dietrich have defended the home turf.
Brent Marks of Myerstown, Pa., is as “true Outlaw” as they come in Central Pennsylvania, but he gets the nod for being a Posse member considering his platinum status. The eight-time World of Outlaws winner already scored a big $20,000 payday against the Series in Texas, and now looks to score another one at home.
The former National Open champion has multiple wins at Williams Grove – including last summer – but still eyes his first Lincoln victory against the Series after losing a heartbreaker last year.
Danny Dietrich, of Gettysburg, Pa., will be going for his third DuraMAX / Drydene Gettysburg Clash victory after winning back-to-back in 2012-13. The five-time World of Outlaws winner currently leads Lincoln Speedway points with wins in March and April of this year.
Another Posse star to watch is Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, Pa., who earned one of his five World of Outlaws podium finishes at the track last year. He’s the only driver thus far to score wins at both Lincoln and Williams Grove in 2022. The 22-year-old is still chasing that elusive first-career win with the Series.
It’s been a slow start to 2022 for the Kreitz Racing No. 69k, but you know Lance Dewease will be a major threat when the Outlaws come to town next month. The Fayetteville, Pa., native rides a six-year streak of multiple podium finishes with all of them coming in his home state. However, it hasn’t been since 2019 that the 17-time World of Outlaws winner stood in victory lane with the series. The 103-time Williams Grove winner and 42-time Lincoln winner looks to change that next month.
When it comes to the Outlaws, Donny Schatz undeniably leads the charge to Williams Grove. He’s scored 21 of his 303 victories at the Mechanicsburg half-mile, making it the winningest track of his legendary career. The six-time National Open champion already has one with the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest No. 15 at this point in 2022.
David Gravel is always a polarizing figure at Williams Grove, but nonetheless, he’s one of the hottest drivers in recent times at the track with eight of his 71 career wins coming there. He’s proven his Big Game Motorsports No. 2 team is a championship contender and looks to get his first WGS win with Cody Jacobs on the wrenches next month.
Carson Macedo has quickly figured out Williams Grove in the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41. He won twice last year – including the $75,000 National Open – and became the first man since Sammy Swindell in 1997 to win twice at WGS, Eldora, and Knoxville in a single season.
Sheldon Haudenschild, along with Schatz and Gravel, is one of only three full-time Outlaws to own series wins at both Lincoln and Williams Grove.
Brad Sweet finally tamed Lincoln Speedway last year, and now one of his biggest goals left in the sport is to get that Williams Grove win. The three-time and defending World of Outlaws champion has made 52 attempts at the Grove with only six top-five finishes, a career-best of third, and an average finish of 12.2.
A foursome of Pennsylvania-based Outlaw teams will return to familiar territory next month with Hanover’s Shark Racing, Carlisle’s CJB Motorsports, and Jonestown’s Zearfoss Racing all heading home. Brock Zearfoss is the only of the four to score a World of Outlaws win at either track, winning his first-career Feature with the Series at Williams Grove in 2017. Along with Zearfoss, James McFadden (Roth Motorsports No. 83) is also a one-time winner at the track with his sole victory coming in 2017 as well.
Logan Schuchart has been close a handful of times and hopes next month’s DuraMAX / Drydene Gettysburg Clash is the time to park his DuraMAX, Drydene No. 1s in victory lane. While he’s still chasing his first win of 2022, teammate and uncle Jacob Allen has knocked out the Jason Johnson Classic and scored a popular second-career World of Outlaws win in his throwback No. 1a.
Hailing from Indiana, Spencer Bayston pilots the CJB No. 5 for Chad Clemens and Barry Jackson of central Pennsylvania. The 23-year-old has won at both venues (Midgets at Williams Grove, All Stars at Lincoln), but now he’ll return to the area as part of the Outlaws vs. Posse rivalry.
Other local names to watch include Williams Grove points leader Dylan Norris, Lucas Wolfe, Steve Buckwalter, Devon Borden, Dylan Cisney, TJ Stutts and Chase Dietz.
Keyword: Outlaws Vs. Posse One Month Away