(Photo by Neil Cavanah)
HAUBSTADT, Ind. – With only two prior World of Outlaws races under his belt, Hunter Schuerenberg tackled the toughest weekend of winged sprint car racing that he’s ever taken on, with three events on three nights with the premiere sprint car series in the world. Making the tough task tougher was the fact that two of the three tracks on the schedule, Schuerenberg had little to no experience at going in.
Leaving his shop in Indiana for a long trip from Oklahoma’s Salina Highbanks Speedway on Thursday, “Hunter Percent” and crew arrived at the half-mile oval Friday to do battle with 26 other World of Outlaws sprints. The night started slow, with Schuerenberg, one of just a handful of drivers without prior races at the track, mustering a 25th-quick effort in qualifying, which gave him the ninth starting spot in heat race one of three. Only able to pick up one spot, the B-Main was up next, with the top six cars transferring.
Schuerenberg started one spot out of a transfer spot, in seventh; he ran in the same position for the majority of the race, but powered into the fifth spot late to earn a main event starting spot. Starting 23rd for the main event, he ran eight laps without moving forward before withdrawing his Mach 1/Rider to the pit area.
Saturday’s events at the Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 – just two hours from his childhood home of Sikeston, Mo. – were a bit more comfortable for the journeyman racer, with some previous experience at the third-mile speed factory. 33 cars signed in for action, with Schuerenberg posting a solid hot lap speed at 16th-quick. Fuel issues in qualifying hindered the No. 20N, however, with Schuerenberg off the pace and taking the 33rd spot. Similar to Friday night, he started ninth and finished eighth in the first heat race, relegating him to the B-Main. The Roof Bolt Express/Nolen Racing-sponsored sprinter came out swinging in that race, moving from the 13th and final spot on the grid to third by the completion of lap three. Not to stop there, Schuerenberg soon closed on leader Brian Brown; moments after, Brown moved too high in turn three and hit the wall, sending his car flipping. Schuerenberg inherited the lead and dictated the balance of the 12-lapper.
Again earning a transfer to the feature, Schuerenberg started 22nd, and powered into 16th by the time lap 10 was completed. Continuing to rally forward, he was scored in the 13th spot when the caution flag waved at the halfway marker on the 40-lap race. The speedway began to take rubber around this point, and Schuerenberg’s track position began slipping with the handling of his machine. After falling to 17th soon after the restart, a caution forcing a green-white-checkered allowed Schuerenberg to finish in the 16th position at the Pevely, Mo. facility.
Sunday night was the most anticipated of the three tracks for Schuerenberg, as he commented “I actually have laps here!” at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., where he has raced wingless sprint cars numerous times. The largest car count of the weekend was on hand at the quarter-mile; Schuerenberg qualified 30th-quick of the 38 teams in attendance. From outside row four in his heat race, he gained one position to finish seventh, but would again be sent to the B-Main. The top four would transfer from that race into the 40-lap main event, and Schuerenberg would have to come from starting tenth to make it in. Quickly moving to sixth, he pulled within striking difference of the final transfer spot. Soon after, if only for a second, he gained the fourth position, but three-time Outlaw champion Sammy Swindell would swoop in from the sixth spot and take it away. Schuerenberg would complete the final two laps in fifth, missing the feature for just the second time this season, while finishing one spot out of the final transfer spot on both occasions. “Just didn’t get qualified,” the driver recognized. “And Sammy got by me in the B. Just gotta qualify better.”
Schuerenberg would like to thank Roof Bolt Express, Nolen Racing, Mach 1 Chassis, Competition Suspension Inc., AFCO Racing, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Hinchman Racewear, Keizer Wheels, High Side Design, and Ron Gorby’s Howard Johnson, as well as all of his fans for their continued support.
Schuerenberg is next scheduled to compete on May 8-9 at Eldora Speedway in New Weston, Ohio with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in the No. 20N 410ci winged sprint entry.
Quick Results
May 1 – Salina, OK – 410ci Winged Sprint – Qualifying: 25; Heat: 8th (9); B-Main: 5th (7); Feature: 23rd (23)
May 2 – Pevely, MO – 410ci Winged Sprint – Qualifying: 33; Heat: 8th (9); B-Main: 1st (13); Feature: 16th (22)
May 3 – Haubstadt, IN – 410ci Winged Sprint – Qualifying: 30; Heat: 7th (8); B-Main: 5th (10)
2015 Stats
10 races, 8 features, 1 win, 2 top fives, 6 top tens, 1 DNF
Social Media
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Article Credit: Redbeard Promotions