WoO Notes: First Canadian Swing In Eight Years

OHSWEKEN, Ontario — After eight long years away, The Greatest Show on Dirt is returning to Canada.

The action kicks off where the most recent World of Outlaws race in Canada took place – Ontario’s Ohsweken Speedway. The three-eighths-mile welcomes the tour to town May 14-15 for the Federated Auto Parts Showdown at Ohsweken. The finale boasts a $20,000-to-win/$1,500 to start purse. Ohsweken has hosted the series a dozen previous times.

Two days off will follow before the scene shifts east to Ontario’s Cornwall Motor Speedway on May 18. The PartSource World of Outlaws Invasion serves up a healthy $15,000-to-win/$1,750-to-start main event. It’ll be the third World of Outlaws visit to the Canadian bullring.

The week will push Canada’s total of World of Outlaws races hosted to 46. None have seen more than Alberta’s Castrol Raceway total of 18.

CONQUERING CANADA

There’s one man that’s been dominant at both Canadian tracks ahead and in the country overall, and it’s the 10-time series champion Donny Schatz.

Schatz has competed in all 12 World of Outlaws races at Ohsweken, and he’s won four with scores in 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2016. He was a runner-up on five occasions and has only missed the podium twice. His “worst” night at Ohsweken was a 21st to sixth charge in 2011. The Fargo, N.D., driver’s average Ohsweken finish is a stellar 2.33. His team – Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing – has won half of the races at Ohsweken thanks to bossman Tony Stewart claiming consecutive visits in 2011 and 2012.

Schatz is batting 1.000 at Cornwall. He led all 40 laps of the 2012 series debut and backed that up with another win two years later.

Including his five scores at Castrol Raceway and one at Autodrome Drummond, Schatz has won a dozen of the 43 races hosted by Canada, which is double Sammy Swindell’s six.

DOUBLE DOWN

Jason Sides may have stepped back from driving in recent years, but he’s still entirely immersed with the World of Outlaws as a car owner and crew chief.

Back in his driving days there were few better than Sides at Ohsweken. The Bartlett, Tenn., wheelman won three of the first four Series events including the debut in 2007. He started on the pole and led nine laps on the only one of those four he didn’t top. Ohsweken is the winningest track on Sides’ World of Outlaws résumé.

Now the 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year returns this week with Chris Windom behind the wheel of his NOS Energy Drink No. 7s. It’ll be Windom’s debut at Ohsweken, but he’ll have Sides’ success in his corner to rely on. He’s currently 16 points behind Garet Williamson for top rookie honors.

REPRESENTING

World of Outlaws history isn’t just about traveling to Canadian tracks, but it’s also about welcoming the country’s top drivers to be a part of The Greatest Show on Dirt. Names such as Tim Gee, Jimmy Carr, and more took their talents to the World of Outlaws tour. It’s Tim’s own son, Skylar, continuing the tradition in 2025.

The Gees hail from western Canada. While their original homes aren’t the closest to both tracks on the agenda, it’s still an opportunity to make their native country proud for Skylar as he’s the lone Canadian on tour. Gee’s best finish of his rookie campaign so far came last week when he ran seventh at Lincoln.

CANADIAN COMEBACK

A pair of elite World of Outlaws competitors are in major need of a strong week up north. Logan Schuchart and Carson Macedo were caught up in the same crash at Williams Grove that dealt them both DNFs. The accident put runner-up Schuchart 134 markers behind David Gravel and dropped Macedo from third into fourth behind Michael “Buddy” Kofoid.

Fortunately for Schuchart, he’s the most recent winner at Ohsweken courtesy of claiming the 2017 visit. He also finished a strong fourth in the two trips prior. His only visit to Cornwall resulted in a podium with Shark Racing in 2014.

Macedo has also experienced success at Ohsweken. The Lemoore, Calif., native topped the prestigious Canadian Sprint Car Nationals in 2017 aboard Joe Gaerte’s No. 3g. Sunday will mark his debut at Cornwall.

STRETCHING THE GAP

Schuchart and Macedo’s misfortune was David Gravel’s gain as he came home second at Williams Grove, widely extending his lead atop the points to nearly a full race’s worth of security.

The defending champion is up to 13 podiums in 2025 and boasts a 2.95 average finish after 21 races. He still hasn’t finished worse than sixth and has a top 10 streak of 32 features dating back to last season.

Looking ahead to Canada, Gravel has four top 10s in five tries at Ohsweken, peaking at fifth in 2014 with Roth Motorsports. That same year he finished fourth in his lone Cornwall visit to date.

ONE-FOR-ONE

Ten years ago, Stewart Friesen rolled into Ohsweken and beat the World of Outlaws in only his fourth career series start. That’s his only appearance with The Greatest Show on Dirt at Ohsweken, but he’s coming back this week for more.

The current NASCAR Truck Series full-timer will jump in the seat of a Glenn Styres Racing sprint car and look to join Schatz, Sides, and Stewart as multi-time Ohsweken winners with the World of Outlaws.

Friesen’s most recent appearance with the World of Outlaws was last July at Weedsport Speedway. He was also racing for Styres that night and wheeled from ninth to fourth at the New York facility.