Sheldon Haudenschild 'proves it' in Knoxville Nationals prelim — Yahoo Sports

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

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This is the best Sheldon Haudenschild has ever looked in 410 Sprint Car racing and that was before he claimed night one of the Knoxville Nationals on Wednesday night.

During his previous tenure at Stenhouse Jr – Marshall Racing, the now 32-year-old was perpetually fast but also incredibly inconsistent. It always felt like there were missing puzzle pieces and they may have come together this season at KCP Racing.

Again, these were all things that were true even before unloading on Wednesday night, with the son of the legendary Jac Haudenschild sitting third in the World of Outlaws standings with seven victories.

But it’s not like this is a completely different team either. Haudenschild is still working alongside longtime crew chief Kyle Ripper and crew members Adam Clark and Dauson Heitritter. They’re all wearing the NOS colors still.

They’re just a No. 18 instead of a No. 17.

Regardless of why things are different this year, Haudenschild earned one of the highlights of his career on Wednesday with a last lap pass of both James McFadden and Jace Park.

“I saw the 21 cut down real hard,” Haudenschild said of McFadden. “I knew he probably lost a little bit of momentum. Then he slid across the track, and I was like, ‘Man, if I could get my right rear where I’ve been putting it, I think I will have a shot as long as they don’t close that gap too soon.’”

📹 @DIRTVision An insane finish on night one of the #NOSvilleNationals 🔥🔥🔥 @SheldonHaud goes third to first on the final lap and barely beats @JamesMcFadden25 to the line! pic.twitter.com/uI6z8wNwp8

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 13, 2026 With the win, Haudenschild scored the most points of the drivers who qualified on Wednesday with the other half set to race on Thursday. He could earn the pole for Championship Saturday or a front row starting spot but doesn’t want it.

“I don’t even think about it,” Haudenschild said. “That’s not my style. I’m good starting fifth or sixth. I don’t care.”

It’s wild because there hasn’t been a pass for the lead in the Nationals main event since 2022.

“Just put me in the fight and I know we can race well and it's a long race,” Haudenschild said. “So yeah, and I think the track's just been a little bit different too. And yeah, I think you just have to wait and see how Saturday plays out. But I'm confident in my team, in my car. And yeah, no worries if we start fourth, fifth, sixth. We're going to give her 110 percent.”

Haudenschild said ‘fun’ like 100 times on Wednesday night. He’s having fun. He’s loose. The pressure is off from the last couple of years at SJMR. He said going into this race that this week was about ‘proving it,’ and he’s off to validating start to his week.

What’s the difference from Lil Haud in 2026 compared to 2025?

“I think at the end of the day, a different engine package, different cars,” Haudenschild said. “And me and Ripper are doing the same things we've always done. It's just that when you have different pieces in place, we've just been positioning ourselves every night, qualifying better, starting the front of the heat races, getting in the dashes, and that allows us to focus on our race car more.

“And as a driver, starting up front every night cuts my workload in half as a driver to win these races. So for me, it's just confidence and being comfortable and being well-positioned every night.”