By ohnson 
Three promising Sprint Car rookies had a rather forgettable night at Volusia County Speedway. Ryan Smith, Brent Marks, and Sheldon Haudenschild were all aiming to chase the rookie crown in their respective organizations. Smith is an ASCoC competitor, and the other two were set to begin their quests on Friday night with the World of Outlaws.
However, Wednesday night didn’t treat them kindly. Haudenschild at least made it home safely but struggled in the B-Main, finishing in sixth place and failing to qualify. In the B-Main, he had a fierce battle for position with Ian Madsen. But suddenly, an advantage vanished, and Danny Dietrich joined the fray in the latter half of the 12-lap race. Haudenschild lost his spot late in the race and had to retire.
Meanwhile, the other two drivers and their crews faced a challenging situation. Ryan Smith was leading heat three when disaster struck. He said, “The rear axle broke as we entered turn three.” The wheel flew off the car and soared over the outside fence, clearing it by nearly 50 feet. The car crashed hard against the wall, and the back end whipped around. In the pits, as Ryan assisted his crew in dismantling the car, he remarked, “It’s gone, and we think the engine is okay. This car probably had 15 races on it last year.” The team had debuted at Bubba Speedway the previous week and seemed to be improving as the nights went on. But he said, “This is the best this car has run, and it seems that just when you think you’ve got things figured out, something goes wrong.”
Brent Marks was making his 2017 debut, but on lap 19, he was sucked into the front stretch wall. The car ended up on its side in the middle of the front stretch. After the race, in the pits, the 19M was sitting with all the rear components removed. One of his crew members noted, “It got the rear end, drive line, tail tank, and we’re still checking for other damages. We’re not sure if the chassis is bent, but we hope it isn’t.”
Volusia County Speedway wasn’t a kind night for these three rookies. Two of them didn’t qualify, and the other settled for a 20th-place finish. It was a disappointing night for these talented drivers as they looked to make a mark in the racing world. But they will no doubt learn from this experience and come back stronger in the future.