CHILLICOTHE – A group of race fans gather in the back of the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing hauler on a Friday afternoon at Attica Raceway Park.
They’re waiting to hear from or take a photo with their home state hero: Sheldon Haudenschild. He’s the kid who thrilled them early in his career on the Ohio ovals on his way to Sprint Car stardom. He is the son of the legendary Jac Haudenschild, who also left an impression on these same fans with his courage behind the wheel. He’s the man who gets a warm round of applause every time his name is announced in “The Buckeye State.”
Haudenschild cut his teeth in Ohio, running near his hometown of Wooster. He followed in his father’s footsteps: perfecting the “Haud line” and racking up checkered flags at tracks like Attica, Wayne County Speedway, Waynesfield Raceway Park and more. And it is for these reasons that Haudenschild is so admired in the community.
The Sprint World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink cars are halfway through a four-race stretch in Haudenschild’s homeland. The final two nights are scheduled for this weekend (May 26-27) at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, just over an hour south of Ohio’s capital, Columbus.
As the 29-year-old navigates his seventh season with The Greatest Show on Dirt, trips home are increasingly welcome.
“It’s always good to be home a little bit and stop thinking for a minute,” Haudenschild said. “And then showing up at the tracks that we’ve raced in the past and grown up racing, especially Attica and Chillicothe, which is kind of where me and (crew chief Kyle) Ripper started, just places where you adapt quickly once . you go back there and you feel like you never left.”
Haudenschild’s 2023 campaign to this point has been one of peaks and valleys. After starting the season with four top 10s in the first five races, he missed the top 10 in three of the next five. The highlight of his year is a win at US 36 Raceway in early April. He has finished on the podium three other times, including a runner-up finish at Tri-State Speedway on a night when he led 16 laps of the feature. After 21 races, he is sixth in points.
The performance aboard NOS Energy Drink #17 has left Haudenschild with mixed feelings. The comfort in the car is there, but you wish that comfort would lead to slightly better results.
“I feel like it’s good,” Haudenschild said of describing his season. “I feel good in the car and I’m happy about the car, it’s just not on paper where we want to be. Obviously we’d like a couple more wins and feel like we’ve had some good races that maybe we didn’t enjoy , but that’s part of it. You have to enjoy the lows and the highs.”
Fortunately for him, the last weekend of racing produced his most consistent pair of races to date. In front of his hometown fans, Haudenschild finished fourth Friday at Attica and came in third Saturday at Sharon after charging from 11th.
History suggests that Haudenschild should continue to build momentum this weekend at Atomic. He is the most recent World of Outlaws winner at the 3/8 mile, and during his most recent All-Star Circuit of Champions visit to the Chillicothe facility in 2016, he won. In five of his last six Sprint Car starts at Atomic, Haudenschild has been on the podium.
Haudenschild’s success at home isn’t just about the number of laps. It’s as if the circuits in Ohio were built for his style. high bank Stain. A great cushion to boot. These features create a track right in Haudenschild’s wheelhouse.
“I think (the tracks) are definitely a lot smoother than some of the places we go,” Haudenschild explained. “I think it’s going around and being comfortable and knowing how the track plays out at night from being here in the past is helpful. It’s a comfort level.”
The Ohioan will bring that comfort level to this weekend’s two-night tilt at the Atomic as he looks to add to his statewide success story. But no matter the results, the fans will support him. They will take pictures. They will get autographs. They will watch with pride as one of their own continues to establish himself as one of the most talented and exciting drivers to ever drive a Sprint Car.
“It’s just being at home with no stress,” Haudenschild said. “And I’m just enjoying it.”
For tickets to Atomic Speedway this weekend, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action on DIRTVision.
The NOS Energy Drink® World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many key sponsors and partners including: NOS Energy Drink (Official Energy Product), CASE Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), CASE No.1 Engine Oil™ (Official Oil & Lubricant), DIRTVision (Official Live Streaming Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Simpson Performance Products (Preferred Safety Partner) , SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) , Toyota (Official Vehicle) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); Contingency sponsors include ACME Trading, ARP (Auto Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Federated Auto Parts, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), Lifeline USA, Low-E Insulation, Micro-Lite LLC, Milton Hershey School, MSD , and Whiskey Myers; Manufacturer sponsors include, FIREBULL, Intercomp, Racing Electronics and Sea Foam.
Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, North Carolina, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the series of Sprint cars NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Annually, the two series run nearly 140 times at tracks in the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. More information about the world of outlaws.
