CONCORD, N.C. – Tim Shaffer and Aaron Reutzel earned front-row starting spots for the opening 30-lap World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series feature of the 12th annual World of Outlaws World Finals presented by Can-Am on Friday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Shaffer and Reutzel earned their respective positions by winning the twin Sears Craftsman Dashes held during a rain-delayed Friday program at the four-tenths-mile oval. Both drivers led wire-to-wire in their respective six-lap sprints, with Shaffer garnering the pole by virtue of winning the Flight-A dash race.
Steady rain that soaked the Charlotte area until just after 4 p.m. local time on Friday meant that racing didn’t start until nearly 8:30, well after the sun faded and the lights flickered to life around the track.
While heat races, the two dashes, the C main and B main were all completed on Friday night, a hard curfew of midnight postponed the balance of the program to Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. The 30-lap World of Outlaws sprint car feature is the last of the three Friday main events in the running order.
Shaffer and Reutzel each won their heats to earn their respective dash positions, with Shaffer making a bold pass of Paul McMahan for the race lead on a lap-five restart, while Reutzel led from the outset in his heat race and pulled away from runner-up Brian Brown by more than three seconds.
Other heat race winners on Friday included Flight-A fast qualifier Paige Polyak, Ian Madsen, Spencer Bayston and David Gravel.
Shaffer then bested Ian Madsen by three seconds in the first dash, which ran caution-free, while Reutzel had to endure a green-white-checkered finish after David Gravel spun with a lap remaining in the second dash.
Reutzel was unfazed, however, and still outran Shane Stewart by a second and a half after the restart.
The night’s 10-lap C main went to Gerard McIntyre after early race leader Kyle Reinhardt slowed to a stop with apparent mechanical issues on lap five. Jacob Allen came in as the runner-up and also made the Last Chance Showdown, but Allen elected to take a provisional and did not start the LCS.
Overall Friday fast qualifier Parker Price-Miller didn’t make the feature out of his heat race, but routed the 12-lap Last Chance Showdown, leading all the way over a hard-charging Logan Schuchart.
Newly-crowned 10-time series champion Donny Schatz finished third, with Dominic Scelzi, Trey Starks and Joey Saldana also moving into the main event through the B main.
That race was delayed several minutes by a violent flip for Paul Nienhiser in the third turn, while working lap five. Nienhiser was unhurt in the crash and climbed from his mangled car under his own power.
Four drivers took provisionals for the Friday feature: Daryn Pittman, Brent Marks, Kraig Kinser and Allen.
The opening set of World Finals features will take the green flag Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
Starting Order:
Tim Shaffer, Aaron Reutzel, Ian Madsen, Shane Stewart, Paul McMahan, Brian Brown, Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, Paige Polyak, David Gravel, Kerry Madsen, Spencer Bayston, Kasey Kahne, Gio Scelzi, Cory Eliason, Brock Zearfoss, Greg Wilson, Brad Sweet, Parker Price-Miller, Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz, Dominic Scelzi, Trey Starks, Joey Saldana, Daryn Pittman, Brent Marks, Kraig Kinser, Jacob Allen.
