[i West Lebanon, NY—July 24, 2009]
Lebanon Valley Speedway played host to the closest finish of the World of Outlaws season last year, as Jac Haudenschild inched out Jason Meyers by just 0.014 seconds at the line to score his first career win at blazing fast half-mile. The win for Haudenschild was the 50th of his career with the World of Outlaws, putting him in an elite group of nine drivers that at the time had accomplished the feat.
The series will return to Lebanon Valley Speedway located in West Lebanon, New York this weekend on Sunday, July 26 for their 29th consecutive appearance at the track. Dating back to 1981, 12 different drivers have visited the winner’s circle at the track with the series, with Steve Kinser topping that list with nine triumphs.
Last season’s event came down to a two-lap shootout, as the caution flag flew on the white flag lap with Jason Meyers leading. On the final restart, Haudenschild looked to the high side of turns one and two, with Meyers holding his lead down the back straightaway. Haudenschild again looked high in turns three and four as the pair motored toward the white flag. On the last lap, he again charged to the high side of turns one and two and was right on Meyers down the back straightaway. Just inches off the wall in turn four, Haudenschild was able squeeze by Meyers as the pair worked their way to the checkered flag in the closest finish of the season.
Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending series champion has won twice in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway, while Jason Meyers and Joey Saldana have been victorious once each at the half-mile. The race on Sunday, July 26 will be the second of three separate visits this season for the series to the Empire State.
[u Slide jobs: Lebanon Valley Speedway:]
Always up front: Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, has won nine times in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway to lead all drivers with the series. He has 23 Top-10 finishes in his career at the track. He has finished fourth or better in seven consecutive starts at the half-mile. The Hall of Famer was victorious in the World of Outlaws debut at the track in 1981 and his most recent win there came in 2005. He has won twice this year and is currently fourth in points, less than 100 markers out of the lead as he chases his record 21st title.
Looking for number three: Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, has won twice in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway, with those victories coming in 2001 and 2006. He has eight career Top-10 finishes at the high-banked track. He recently opened the “Month of Money” by winning the famed Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway and has 10 victories on the season, including a series-best six on half-mile tracks. He leads the series in Top-Five finishes as he chases his fourth consecutive title.
Oh so close: Jason Meyers came within a few inches of scoring his second career win at Lebanon Valley Speedway last season when Jac Haudenschild edged him at the line on the last lap. The native of Clovis, California was victorious in 2007 at the half-mile to score the first win of his career in New York. He has four career Top-10 finishes at the track in just a handful of starts with three of those being Top-Five performances. He currently leads the series in Top-10 finishes and is just five points out of the second spot in the championship standings.
Always a contender: Joey Saldana won at Lebanon Valley Speedway for the first time in his career in 2003. He has finished in the Top-10 in eight of his nine career starts at the track and all eight of those have been in consecutive races. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana leads the series with 12 A-Feature wins this season and is currently second in points as he chases his first series title.
Looking to add another track to the list: Danny Lasoski, the 2001 World of Outlaws champion, has come close to winning at Lebanon Valley Speedway a couple of times in the past as he looks to add the track to the impressive list of speedways he has won at over the years. He has seven career Top-10 finishes at the track. He recently won the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania and has five victories this season and is currently fifth in points. Lasoski set the track record in time trials in 2003 and that mark still stands today.
Learning the track: Jason Sides has made just four starts in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway, and picked up a career-best ninth-place finish at the track last season. He has finished 13th or better in each of the A-Feature events he has competed in at the track. The native of Bartlett, Tennessee recently finished second in the opener of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway recently and has 13 Top-Five finishes this season. He is just four points behind Danny Lasoski for the fifth spot in the series standings.
Closer and closer: Craig Dollansky continues to close in on his first win since joining Kasey Kahne Racing. He was fourth in the finale of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville on Wednesday night and has 27 Top-10 finishes this season with 11 of those being Top-Five performances. He finished second at Lebanon Valley Speedway in 2002 as he looks for his first victory at the track.
A lot of starts: Jac Haudenschild made his debut at Lebanon Valley Speedway back in 1983, finishing seventh in that event. He ran second at the half-mile in 1995 and finally picked up a win in thrilling fashion last season edging Jason Meyers. In his career at the track, Haudenschild has 12 Top-10 finishes. He ran a season-best second on Wednesday night at Lernerville in the finale of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and has 20 Top-10 finishes this season as he chases his first win of the campaign.
Just a few starts: Kraig Kinser has raced just three times in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway. He ran 10th in his debut at the track in 2004. He is currently ninth in the series standings, just 22 markers out of the eighth spot and has picked up 19 Top-10 finishes this year, as he continues his second season behind the wheel for Tony Stewart Racing.
Podium presence: Lucas Wolfe has finished on the podium in each of his last two starts at Lebanon Valley Speedway with the World of Outlaws. He was as career-best second in 2006 and third in 2007. He missed the race last season as the event was completed in September, but the field was set in late July, while he was still on the mend from an injury sustained earlier in the summer. This season he is 10th in points and has seven Top-10 finishes with four of those being Top-Fives.
A career-best finish: Sam Hafertepe Jr. finished third last season at Lebanon Valley Speedway to earn the best finish of his World of Outlaws career. He has matched that mark a couple of times this season including last Saturday night in the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway. The third-year driver from Texas also was third at Virginia Motor Speedway during the World of Outlaws first East Coast swing of the season back in May.
Making his debut: Brian Ellenberger, who is a contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season with the World of Outlaws, will make his first trip to Lebanon Valley Speedway this weekend. The native of Butler, Pennsylvania has made two career starts in the state of New York, including earlier this season with the World of Outlaws at Canandaigua Speedway. He has three Top-10 finishes this season including a career-best third-place run at Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas last month.
By the Numbers: Lebanon Valley Speedway:
0.014- Margin of victory in seconds for Jac Haudenschild over Jason Meyers last season at the track
0.5-Miles around Lebanon Valley Speedway
1- Lap led by Jac Haudenschild to win at the track last season
2- Drivers that have led more than 200 laps of feature racing competition this season with the series, Joey Saldana and Donny Schatz
3- Races for the World of Outlaws in the state of New York this season
5- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that have won at the track
7- Drivers that have won on half-mile tracks with the series this season through July 18
8- Drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws who raced at Lebanon Valley Speedway last season
9- Wins for Steve Kinser in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway to lead all World of Outlaws drivers
12- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws at the track dating back to 1981
16- Events held on half-mile tracks for the World of Outlaws through July 18
16.383- Track record set by Danny Lasoski in time trials in 2003
23- Top-10 finishes for Steve Kinser in his career with the series at Lebanon Valley Speedway to lead all drivers
24- Laps led by Jason Meyers en route to finishing second at the track last season
29- Consecutive years the World of Outlaws have competed at Lebanon Valley Speedway
269- Laps led by Joey Saldana this season to lead the series
317- Miles from Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania where the World of Outlaws compete on July 24-25 to Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, New York
1981- Year the World of Outlaws first competed at Lebanon Valley Speedway
10,000-Dollars the winner will receive on Sunday, July 26
51,690- Dollars in the total purse on Sunday, July 26
221,650- Dollars earned by Donny Schatz through July 22 to lead the series
Tickets: On Sunday, July 26 at Lebanon Valley Speedway, adult general admission tickets will be $25, with general admission tickets for kids 11-under just $5. All reserved tickets will be $26 and will be in the Top-10 rows of each section. Tower and roof seating will also be available for $44. For more information visit http://www.lebanonvalley.com.
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.
- Tony Veneziano on Jul 24, 2009
- Article Date: 7/24/2009