KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Daryn Pittman made his World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win total match his car number Friday night at Lakeside Speedway, picking up his ninth win of the year in a wire-to-wire rout.
Pittman led all 30 laps of the FVP Platinum Battery Shootout at the four-tenths-mile dirt oval aboard the No. 9 Kasey Kahne Racing sprinter, holding off nine-time Outlaws champion Donny Schatz over a frenetic final five laps in lapped traffic.
The 2013 Outlaws title-winner crossed underneath the checkered flag .586 of a second in front of Schatz. Sheldon Haudenschild completed the podium for Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing.
“This place is always been a track I’ve enjoyed coming to. If your car is good, you can get by guys and as a racer that’s all you can ask for,” Pittman said of Lakeside. “Hats off to my guys, my car was great. It was a lot of fun, lapped traffic was tight, but I could move around and maintain speed everywhere.
“These wins are hard to come by,” he added. “I’ve been doing this a long time and they never get easier.”
Pittman started on the pole of the feature after winning the Sears Craftsman Dash, lining up alongside Logan Schuchart and immediately rocketing to the point when the green flag waved.
Schuchart hung with Pittman for the first handful of laps, but quickly faded as Pittman opened up a one-second margin by the conclusion of the fifth revolution. Three laps later, Pittman was carving through traffic with ease before the night’s lone caution flag flew at the end of lap 12.
Unfortunately, the yellow meant heartbreak for Schuchart, who was running second when smoke began pouring out the back of his No. 1s. Schuchart came to a stop with a trail of fluid behind him, his night and quest for victory vanquished.
That set up Haudenschild on Pittman’s back bumper for the restart, but the second-generation shoe could do nothing as Pittman opened up eight car lengths in the blink of an eye, leaving Haudenschild to go to war with Schatz for the runner-up position.
Schatz finally got the better of Haudenschild moments after the crossed flags were displayed signaling halfway, but could do little to reel in Pittman in the closing laps as Pittman navigated traffic to perfection.
“That’s just the way it goes sometimes,” noted Schatz after the race. “We got ourselves up there to compete for the win but didn’t get it. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Haudenschild completed the podium, his second-such result in two career Lakeside starts, followed by Shane Stewart and Joey Saldana, who completed the top five in his first ride behind the wheel of the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41.
Brad Sweet, Jason Sides, Ian Madsen, Kraig Kinser and Brent Marks completed an all-Outlaw top 10, while Brock Zearfoss earned KSE Hard Charger honors by coming from the Last Chance Showdown to finish 11th in his Lakeside debut.
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