[b World of Outlaws Wrap-Up: Clay County Fair Speedway & Deer Creek Speedway]
[i Concord, NC—September 20, 2009]
What a battle: The battle at the top of the World of Outlaws championship standings remains tight after the two events this past week, with three-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz 18 markers ahead of Jason Meyers and 48 in front of Joey Saldana. Nine point paying events remain on the 2009 schedule, as the trio battles for the top spot. Each of the three leads the World of Outlaws in one of the three most noticeable statistical categories. Schatz currently leads the series in Top-Five finishes with 36, while Meyers has the most Top-10’s with 48 and Saldana leads in wins with 18.
An elite group: Joey Saldana moved into the ninth spot on the all-time World of Outlaws win list earlier this season and is in pretty elite company among the drivers who are in the Top-10. The second generation driver has the utmost respect for the drivers that helped build the sport and get it to where it is today, including two Hall of Famers that he competes against each and every night on the always grueling World of Outlaws circuit.
“You have guys like Steve Kinser and Jac Haudenschild that have paved the way for guys like myself and Donny Schatz has stepped up to the plate and he is the guy you have to beat,” noted Saldana after his win at Deer Creek. “To win a World of Outlaws race these days is pretty tough. I don’t think people realize how tough the schedule is and then you have to race let alone the schedule
Standing room only: The largest crowd in the history of Deer Creek Speedway was on hand on Saturday night for the Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash at the state-of-the-art high-banked 3/8-mile. After all the bleacher seats were sold out, fans purchased standing room only tickets on a hill that overlooked the back straighaway and were treated to the last lap pass by Joey Saldana on Donny Schatz as the pair exited turn two. On a picture perfect fall day in Minnesota, fans began filing into the grandstands in the early afternoon and by the time the driver’s meeting rolled around at 6 p.m. nearly every seat was filled, leading race organizers to make available the spots for fans to stand.
“I wish I was promoting this event,” quipped Terry McCarl during the dash draw on Saturday night. “They have a great crowd here and this is a beautiful facility. The folks here along with the guys at SLS Promotions have done a great job.”
A blazing fast track: A total of 19 drivers broke the existing track record at Deer Creek Speedway on Saturday night during time trials. Sam Hafertepe Jr. set fast time with a blistering lap of 11.583 second at 116.550 mph to set the new mark. The native of Sunnyvale, Texas was nearly four-tenths of a second quicker that the mark that had been set back in June of this year. For Hafertepe it was his second fast time honor of the season with the World of Outlaws.
A great cause: All the proceeds from the inaugural Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash at Deer Creek Speedway went to the Sprint for a Cure, Bob Buckmeier Foundation, which helps families and individuals undergoing cancer treatment. The Queensland family, who owns and operates Deer Creek Speedway, along with officials from SLS Promotions presented a beautiful plaque to Jason Buckmeier on Saturday night following the dash draw to show their support for the charity.
A career best finish: Davey Heskin finished 10th on Saturday night at Deer Creek Speedway to earn the best finish of his career in a World of Outlaws event. It was the Minnesota native’s first start at the high-banked 3/8-mile in his home state and the second World of Outlaws A-Feature event that he has qualified for this season.
Work ‘N Woody helps gear up for Woo Fest at Lone Star Speedway: The first ever WoO-Fest at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas is slated for Saturday, October 24. To help spread the word of the event which will precede Halloween at the blazing fast half-mile, the track is adorning the left sideboard of the wing on Work ‘N Woody, the Official Push Truck and Safety Vehicle of the World of Outlaws piloted by second generation pusher Eric Malies. Lone Star Speedway which is owned and operated by Sam and Lisa Hafertepe, hosted the World of Outlaws earlier this season for the first time since 2004 in an event that saw Joey Saldana earn his first career win at the track before a huge crowd.
Family first: Jason Meyers victory last Wednesday in the Arnold Motor Supply Shootout at Clay County Fair Speedway came on his wife Robyn’s birthday. It was Meyers’ eighth A-Feature win of the season with the World of Outlaws and ninth overall as he looks for his first series title. Meyers had his wife and daughter Delaney on the road with him all summer as they traveled in their motorhome up through the Gold Cup in his home state of California.
“I had to leave my wife and little girl at home,” said Meyers after his win at Clay County Fair Speedway. “My little girl she can talk pretty good on the phone and she gets on there and says I miss you and everything. This is what makes it all worthwhile. Hopefully we’ll get one more here this weekend and get to go home and see here on Sunday.”
A new track record: Kerry Madsen, the 2007 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year with the World of Outlaws, set a new track record in time trials at Clay County Fair Speedway last week, circling the 3/8-mile in 13.345 seconds to break the existing mark which Jason Meyers set last season by about a tenth of a second. Of the 33 cars that took time, Madsen was the only one to break the record and was nearly two-tenths of a second faster than the next quickest car as he earned his first fast time honor of the year with the World of Outlaws.
“I didn’t think that lap was all that fast,” said Madsen. “I was pretty surprised when I looked at the time and saw just how quick it was. The car was running very well and the track was in great shape.”
Another successful event: For the third consecutive year Craig and Julie Dollansky promoted the event at Clay County Fair Speedway. The couple was instrumental in bringing about the first annual Arnold Motor Supply Pit Crew Challenge, which saw six teams participate against the clock for their share of the $1,000 purse put up by Arnold Motor Supply. The race itself played before a packed grandstand again this year with the last lap pass by Jason Meyers of Joey Saldana bringing the crowd to their feet.
“We have such great help here at the Clay County fairgrounds,” said Craig Dollansky. “We got perfect weather for the race and the pit crew challenge added a lot of excitement to it. It’s definitely a lot of work to put one of these races on, but we have a lot of great people that are behind us and support us.”
It’s been a while: Sid Blandford, the 1994 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year with the World of Outlaws, competed at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa last week. It was the Colorado native’s first start with the series since 1997 at Sweetwater Speedway in Wyoming. He won earlier this season in Utah in a 305-sprint car and made a few starts in the Midwest over the last couple weeks.
Photo Gallery: The Media Gallery section of www.worldofOutlaws.com continues to be updated after each event. Visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint/MediaGallery.aspx to see Photo Galleries from 2009 World of Outlaws events. A photo gallery from the inaugural event at Deer Creek Speedway will be posted very soon.
Keep up with all the action: The number of “Followers” keeping up with the World of Outlaws via Twitter online and through text messages on cell phones continues to grow and recently surpassed the 1,600 “Follower” mark. Updates are provided throughout race nights beginning with hot laps and continuing all the way through the final checkered flag of the night. To sign-up visit: http://twitter.com/worldofoutlaws and receive live race updates, anywhere, anytime.
Up next: A trip to Eldora Speedway on Friday, September 25 to help kick off the annual Four Crown Nationals, followed by the Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 26.
2009 STAT ATTACK
There have been 58 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events and two preliminary feature events in 2009.
A-Feature winners (14 Different Drivers) Driver, Hometown – Wins
1- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 18
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 12
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 8
4- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 5
5- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
6- Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 2
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 2
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 2
7- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Preliminary Feature winners (2 Different Drivers) Driver, Hometown – Wins
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 1
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 1
Lap leaders, including A-features and preliminary features Car, driver, hometown - Total laps led (23 Different Drivers)
1- Joey Saldana- Brownsburg, Indiana- 432 laps
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 351 laps
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 279 laps
4- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 141 laps
5- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 146 laps
6- Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 144 laps
7- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 93 laps
8- Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 49 laps
9- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 43 laps
10- Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque, New Mexico- 39 laps
11- Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 35 laps
12- Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 34 laps
13- Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 30 laps
14- Danny Smith, Danville, Indiana- 26 laps
15- Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 25 laps
16- Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 23 laps
17- Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 22 laps
18- Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 21 laps
19- Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 15 laps
20- Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 14 laps
21- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 12 laps
22- Peter Murphy, Clovis, California- 10 laps
23- Jayme Barnes, Everett, Washington- 8 laps
24- Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 5 laps
Time trial leaders (19 Different Drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Quick times
1- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 10
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 10
2- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 6
3- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 5
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 5
4- Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 4
5- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 3
6- Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 2
Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 2
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 2
7- Jonathan Allard, Chico, California- 1
Ryan Bohlke, Fredon, New Jersey- 1
Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 1
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1
Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Track records established during 2009 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series events (10)
Joey Saldana, March 13, Silver Dollar Speedway (1/4-mile), Chico, California, 10.918 seconds at 82.433 mph
Terry McCarl, March 20, Thunderbowl Raceway (1/3-mile), Tulare, California, 12.713 seconds at 94.297 mph
Joey Saldana, April 17, Paducah International Raceway (3/8-mile), Paducah, Kentucky, 12.825 seconds at 105.263 mph
Sammy Swindell, July 4, Eagle Raceway (1/3-mile), Eagle, Nebraska, 11.076 seconds at 108.234 mph
Joey Saldana, July 29, Ohsweken Speedway (3/8-mile), Ohsweken, Ontario, 12.420 seconds at 108.696 mph
Jason Meyers, August 21, River Cities Speedway (0.3-mile), Grand Forks, 9.269 seconds at 116.517 mph
Danny Lasoski, August 22, Dacotah Speedway (3/8-mile), Mandan, North Dakota, 12.705 seconds at 106.257 mph
Jason Sides, September 4, Skagit Speedway (3/10th-mile), Alger, Washington, 10.872 seconds at 99.338 mph
Kerry Madsen, September 16, Clay County Fair Speedway (3/8-mile), Spencer, Iowa, 13.345 seconds at 101.161 mph
Sam Hafertepe Jr., September 19, Deer Creek Speedway (3/8-mile) Spring Valley, Minnesota, 11.583 seconds at 116.550 mph
Crane Cams Dash Winners (20 Different Winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Dash Wins
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 9
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 8
3- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 5
4- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 5
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 5
5- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 4
6- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 3
7- Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 2
8- Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 1
Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 1
Cale Conley, Vienna, West Virginia- 1
Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio-1
Peter Murphy, Clovis, California- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Pole Positions (20 Different Drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown – Poles
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 9
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 8
3- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 5
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 5
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 5
4- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 4
5- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 3
6- Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 2
7- Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 1
Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 1
Cale Conley, Vienna, West Virginia- 1
Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Peter Murphy, Clovis, California- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
B-main Winners (33 Different Winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown - B-Main Wins
1- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 4
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 3
2- Brian Ellenberger, Butler, Pennsylvania- 3
Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma- 3
Tommy Worley, Farmington, Missouri- 3
3- Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 2
Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 2
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 2
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 2
Bob Martin, East Grand Forks, Minnesota- 2
4- Bill Balog, Cameron, Wisconsin- 1
Jayme Barnes, Everett, Washington- 1
Garry Brazier, Sydney, NSW, Australia- 1
Daron Clayton, Sikeston, Missouri- 1
Cale Conley, Vienna, West Virginia- 1
Colby Copeland, Roseville, California- 1
Roger Crockett, Medford, Oregon- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Cole Duncan, Lockborne, Ohio- 1
Mike Erdley, Elizabethville, Pennsylvania- 1
Kaley Gharst, Decatur, Illinois- 1
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1
Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, Missouri- 1
Thomas Kennedy, Winnipeg, Manitoba- 1
Chad Layton, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania- 1
Toni Lutar, White Rock, British Columbia- 1
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 1
Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 1
Greg Nikitenko, Minot, North Dakota- 1
Daryn Pittman, Owasso. Oklahoma- 1
Sean Robinson, Bronson, Michigan- 1
Travis Rutz, Langley, British Columbia- 1
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 1
Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, California- 1
Chris Shirek, Thompson, North Dakota- 1
Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, Ohio- 1
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award
1- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 6
2- Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 5
Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW- 5
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 5
3- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 3
Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Australia- 3
4- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 2
Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 2
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 2
Chris Shirek, Thompson, North Dakota- 2
5- Daron Clayton, Sikeston, Missouri- 1
Dustin Daggett, Portland, Michigan- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Greg DeCaires- Elk Grove, California- 1
Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks, North Dakota- 1
Trevor Green, Adelaide, NSW, Australia- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque, New Mexico- 1
Aaron Higgins, Waverly, Ohio- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 2
Brad Kuhn, Avon, Indiana- 1
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 1
Brian Montieth, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania- 1
Sean Moran, Sherwood Park, Alberta- 1
Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, Pennsylvania- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Olive Branch, Mississippi- 1
George Suprick, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania- 1
Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, California- 1
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 1
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 1
Jessica Zemken, Sprakers, New York- 1
Penske Power Position
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 7
2- Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio-6
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 6
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 6
3- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 5
4- Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 5
5- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 2
Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 2
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 2
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 2
6- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 1
Brian Ellenberger, Butler, Pennsylvania- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Greg Hodnett, Memphis, Tennessee- 1
Brent Kaeding, Campbell, California- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 1
Danny Smith, Danville, Indiana- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, Washington- 1
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 1
Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Australia- 1
SuperClean Start Award
1- Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 7
2- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 6
3- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 5
4- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 4
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 4
5- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
6- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 2
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 2
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 2
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 2
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 2
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 2
Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Australia- 2
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 2
Jessica, Zemken, Sprakers, New York- 2
7- Jonanthan Allard, Chico, California- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Jason Johnson, Eunice, Louisiana- 1
Bud Kaeding, Campbell, California- 1
Tim Kaeding, San Jose. California- 1
Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, California- 1
Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW- 1
Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 1
Chris Shirek, Thompson, North Dakota- 1
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 1
Crane Cams Engine Builder Challenge
Speedway Engines 226
Shaver Specialties 205 -21
Kistler 187 -39
Don Ott 185 -41
Chassis Builder Challenge
Maxim 270
J&J 252 -18
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), Quaker State (Official Motor Oil), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder's Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder’s Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.