The World of Outlaws 410 Sprint Car Nationals at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway - Part 1

Dallas Texas

Trackside report by Mark Roden

13 April 2023

When I think of “outlaws”, I think of the old west; gun-toting, horse-riding gold-chasing men who wandered the frontier in search of trouble.  But these are not the only outlaws; in the racing world, the “outlaws” don’t ride horses, they race winged sprint cars at speeds an old west steam locomotive could only dream of.

A 410 Sprint Car at speed

Sprint cars are built for explosive speed on short dirt tracks, and they produce a lot of power to get that speed.  They are short wheelbase, high output racecars that can scream down the straights in front of a crowd and then slide into the turns, at times facing almost perpendicular to the racing line, while maintaining their speed into the next corner. 

A 410 Sprint Car sliding through Turn 3

The 900-horsepower generated from a 6.7L (410 cu in) normally aspirated, methanol-injected engine results in such a high power-to-weight ratio that they rival Formula One cars in that respect and can hit a maximum speed of up to 160 mph (260 km/h) at 9,000 rpm. 

6.7L V-8 Sprint Car Engine

The massive wing sitting on top glues the car to the track and provides stability even when sliding.  It also provides protection for the driver in the case of a roll-over, which happens with some frequency.

Attaching the top wing to the #1a Jacob Allen Sprint Car

Devil’s Bowl Speedway is a 1/2 mile D-shaped “oval” dirt track with a 4.5m elevated backstretch, designed to give the fans sitting in the grandstands an unobstructed view of the entire track.  The pit area is behind the backstretch and the entrance to the track is from turn 3, the exit is off turn 1, up and over the banking onto the adjacent service road that leads back to the pit area.

31 March, Friday Night: Day 1 of a Sprint / Indycar Race Weekend Double-Header

The track opened around 2pm for pit area only, and the grandstands opened at 4.  I arrived at the track around 6PM after driving the 3-1/2 hours from Houston.  I bought an upgrade to the pit area and wandered around in there for a while until I was able to get to the infield (there are no bridges or tunnels so you have to walk across the packed clay track to get in there).

I did some shooting from outside turn 3.  The cars were very fast, and a few of my shots turned out sharp and what might be considered reasonably well-lit.  The ones that made the cut are included here. 

After Heat 3, I crossed into the infield.  The access I had at the track was complete; I could go anywhere I wanted, including strolling in and out of individual pit spots , shooting over the wall on the main straightaway, and walking out onto the apron at each end of the track where the “short chutes” are.

Looking back across the track at where I had just been snapping the Sprints

The Undercard: Limited Modifieds and Factory Stocks. 

The Limited Modified class is based on a small block 409 cubic inch Chevrolet V8, producing around 650 horsepower.  They have a wedge-shaped body and slide as much as the sprints do.

Factory Stocks look like their street car counterparts and there are many limitations as to what can be done to them, such as no alterations to the frame or body, engine can be up to 400 cu in but no larger (there is an optional factory-sealed crate engine.)

It was a little after 8pm when I crossed the track.  Looking back at my image metadata I can see that the Sprints finished heat #3 at 8:07pm, I crossed at 8:09, and was photographing Limited Mods by 8:11PM.  There isn’t much of a window, so you must pay attention to the action and then scoot fast when everything stops.

A horrible pic, included to show the view crossing the track. Note the sprint on the service road.

Limited Modifieds were the first to hit the track after Sprint heats.  I saw them run years ago at another dirt track close to Houston, but cameras were not allowed at that track.  So, this was the first chance that I had to photograph them.

After the 2 Limited Modifieds heats came the Factory Stock cars.  The slowest of the 3 classes, they were still a joy to watch and photograph.  I felt most comfortable shooting over the “wall” with this class, as I felt a little more able to get out of the way should something come at me.  I decided to hide behind a 3-inch diameter pole, just in case.

Having the undercard gives the sprint teams time to make necessary adjustments and do any repairs that might need to be done before the big features begin, while keeping the action going for the fans.  The next run on the schedule was the Sprint Toyota Dash, which was a 6-lap dash, as the title suggests, and sets the first three rows of the A Feature race.  They were turning 13-14 second laps, so this thing was over in a minute and a half.   

Brent Marks from Myerstown, Pennsylvania took the top spot, followed by Logan Schuchart from Hanover (also Pennsylvania.)  Brad Sweet in the 49 took third, and Jacob Allen in the 1A took 4^th spot.  Of note, Jacob Allen is the son of sprint car hall of famer Bobby Allen and is also the uncle of Logan Schuchart. 

Immediately following the Dash (and I mean within a minute) was the Last Chance Showdown, which sets the rest of the field behind the Dash positions.  The rules for this seem complicated so I won’t get into them here, but they do vary slightly depending on the size of the entry field.  Once this has been run, the field is set for the A Feature race.

Before the Sprints ran their A feature, the Limited Modified ran theirs.  It was a 13-car field but with two non-starters, so 11 Modifieds filled out the grid.  Brett Jensen in the #56c and Jeff McGibboney in the #19, both from the Dallas area, started on the front row.  The big story of the night was Cody Smith in the #25 who started 9^th, and during the 15 quick laps managed to finish in first place.

Cody Smith, Winner of the Friday Night Limited Modified A Feature Race

The main event of the evening was the World of Outlaws 410 Sprint A Feature race.  The Factory Stocks would have to wait to run their feature.  As per the Dash results, the front row lined up with Marks and Schuchart, 2^nd row was Brad Sweet from Grass Valley, California and Jacob Allen.  The starting formation in sprints is particularly tight given the short wheelbase of these cars.  They line up as a salute to the crowd and then they are off like rockets at the start.

At Devil’s Bowl, the sprints are turning 13-14 second laps.  In the span of 2 or 3 laps there are no more gaps in the action, they just keep coming one after another.  As long as there are no incidents it will stay this way.  But then, this is dirt track racing; it doesn’t stay that way for long.  Just as with most other forms of racing, once the track is cleared of debris the field bunches up and they do it all again. 

Something that I noticed after just a few laps was that I could see the glow of the exhaust pipes coming from underneath the rear canopy.  The pace of a sprint car race is extremely quick, and everything in the drivetrain gets brutally punished.  The feature was 25 laps, and I have a total of 9 minutes of photography from start to finish.

Brad Sweet, Winner of the Friday Night World of Outlaws 410 Sprint A Feature Race

After the feature, there was a 12-minute gap between performances, and I stayed in the infield to catch the Factory Stocks run their feature and the last action of the night.

Jason Troutman, Winner of the Friday Night Factory Stocks A Feature Race

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