11 years ago Friesen shocked the racing world with unlikely World of Outlaws win
July 18, 2026, OHSWEKEN, ON – Photo by Dale Calnan – Stewart Friesen will compete against the best sprint car racers in the world when he straps into a Glenn Styres Racing World of Outlaws car July 21st and 22nd this month. The Niagara-on-the-Lake racer made history in 2015 becoming the second ever Canadian-born racer to win against the Outlaws in only his fourth ever start.
In 2015 Friesen was a substitute driver for his wife Jessica Friesen when she was expecting the birth of their son Parker. Friesen shocked the racing community executing a performance that hasn’t been forgotten.
“One of the greatest pictures ever taken at Ohsweken Speedway was of Stewart Friesen crossing the checkered flag with the crowd going insane in the background,” said Ohsweken Speedway General Manager Clinton Geoffrey. “Beating the Outlaws is an achievement very few in history can say they’ve accomplished, and what a gift that night was to our race fans.”
The 30-lap main event saw four drivers swap the race lead five times, and the cast reads like a who’s who in sprint car racing history.
Brad Sweet led the first lap before 10-time series champion Donny Schatz took over at the front. Over the years when 300-time race winner Schhatz gets out front he generally stays there, but this race was different.
Schatz wanted his third consecutive Six Nations Showdown victory, but young lions Logan Schuchart and Friesen had different plans. Schuchart had started third, and he darted to the front after a lap nine restart. Friesen worked forward from the seventh starting spot, and he cracked the top three just after that.
For the next 20 laps the race was on. Contact was made when Friesen took the lead on lap 22, and even a late-race caution with Schatz in the runner-up spot didn’t stop Friesen from earning the popular win.
“It’s unreal,” said Friesen in victory lane. “Jessica made all the right calls. This is awesome to keep this one in Canada.
“I can’t be more proud of her right now. I really didn’t want to see that last caution. It was a clean last lap. I’m just so thankful to be here.”
Friesen went on to find success in the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series while never giving up on his dirt track roots. The busy racer competes in dozens of races each year behind the wheel of his modified race car while contending for Nascar championships year after year.
A scary crash at a dirt track in Quebec last season kept Friesen out of competition for many months, but despite life-altering injuries the positive role model returned to competition early in 2026 to immediate success.
The racing world will watch to see if savvy veteran can catch lighning in a bottle for a second time in his impressive career.
Event information, tickets, and camping reservations can be made by visiting www.OhswekenSpeedway.ca . Racing starts at 7:30 pm both nights, but you will want to arrive early to experience the full spectacle of the Greatest Show on Dirt at the Big O.