Buckeye Brawl opens three-race World of Outlaws Ohio swing
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 7, 2026
Buckeye Brawl starts
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series heads into a three-race Buckeye Brawl in Ohio, a short state swing that puts sprint car teams on three different tracks in quick succession. The weekend opens at Millstream Speedway in Findlay, then moves to Mansfield Speedway before finishing at Sharon Speedway in Hartford. Each feature in the Buckeye Brawl carries a $18,000 winner’s check, which gives every night real weight and keeps the pressure high from the first green flag to the final lap.
The format makes the trip more than a simple stopover. It gives drivers and crews a chance to chase big money while adjusting to three distinct venues in quick order. The three tracks each bring their own demands, and the points battle and purse make every race matter. For the series, the Ohio run also adds a strong regional feel. The Buckeye State swing puts the spotlight on home-track pride, traveling teams and a field that will need speed, consistency and clean execution to come away with the kind of weekend that changes a season.
Gravel’s chase
David Gravel arrives in Ohio with the kind of cushion every points leader wants and every challenger hunts. He carries a 142-point lead in the World of Outlaws standings and has 10 races left in his push for a third straight championship. That chase is about more than one title. If Gravel closes the deal again, he would become only the fourth driver ever to win three straight World of Outlaws championships, a mark that puts him in rare company and underlines the pace he has set all season.
The run through Ohio comes at a stage of the schedule where every finish can shift the title picture. Gravel does not need to force anything, but he also cannot afford a rough night to open the door. Michael Kofoid and Carson Macedo remain among the top contenders, which keeps the pressure on the leader and adds depth to the championship fight. With 10 races to go, the margin still matters, and the margin can shrink fast if a contender strings together a strong stretch while the points leader runs into trouble. The Buckeye Brawl gives Gravel another set of chances to protect the lead, build on it and keep the championship path in his control.
Haudenschild returns
Sheldon Haudenschild brings a strong local angle to the Ohio swing. The Wooster native heads home for the weekend, and his record gives him plenty of reason to like what awaits. He has 55 career World of Outlaws wins and nine victories this season, numbers that show both experience and current form. He also has history at Millstream Speedway, where he won in 2016, a detail that adds even more weight to his return to the track.
Haudenschild is not the only Ohio name in the field. Dale Blaney, Nate Dussel and Cap Henry are entered for the Buckeye Brawl, giving the three-race run a strong local presence from start to finish. That group will try to use familiarity and momentum to challenge the national regulars while the bigger championship fight unfolds around them. For Haudenschild, the weekend brings a chance to race in Ohio, lean on past success and add another win to a season that already has been productive. For the series, it creates a field with layers. Gravel leads the points race, Kofoid and Macedo press from behind and the Ohio drivers add more depth to a lineup built for a busy, competitive weekend.
