Sheldon Haudenschild Outduels Kyle Larson at Swedesboro
May 18, 2022
Like everyone else who watched the World of Outlaws race on Tuesday night at Bridgeport Speedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was on the edge of his seat.
The co-owner of Stenhouse Jr. - Marshall Racing was glued to the TV as his driver, Sheldon Haudenschild, raced deep in lapped traffic while trading sliders with Kyle Larson for the lead. Then came the caution with four laps to go.
The two again traded sliders and Haudenschild scored one of the biggest wins of the season, and one that put their No. 17 back in the championship mix, too. Stenhouse was equal parts riveted by the drama, but nervous because that’s his car.
"He and Kyle had my heart rate up through the roof because I know how they race," Stenhouse said. "They race as hard as they can, and you just know it's going to be a battle."
Haudenschild got off to a fast start with four straight top-10s to open the season at Volusia and Cotton Bowl, but that was followed by a stretch of five races where they averaged a 10th place finish. But for the most part, the SJMR No. 17 has limited the damage on their most challenging nights.
There only finish outside the top-15 came at Lincoln last weekend and Haudenschild responded with finishes of second and first.
Stenhouse loves what he's seeing right now.
"They were flawless last night," Stenhouse said. "Our NOS Energy Drink team was hitting on all cylinders. Sheldon is in a really good place right now, focused on keeping us in the championship fight. We had that hiccup at Lincoln where we gave up some points. We clawed our way back at Williams Grove and last night, but they're a lot of fun to watch right now."
