As Smith claims his first ever World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series win, Donny Schatz clinches the 2014 championship
PORT ROYAL, Pa. - Oct. 25, 2014 - The Pennsylvania Posse claimed victory over the Outlaws Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway as Kunkletown, Pa.-native Ryan Smith scored his first career World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series victory.
After an intense battle with series points leader Donny Schatz that lasted through the second half of the feature, Smith, 26, rolled his car into victory lane to roaring applause from the crowd and chants of 'Posse! Posse! Posse!'
"Yeah, I don't know what to say. We just beat the Outlaws!" said Smith, the 23rd different winner and sixth different first-time winner this season. "It's a team effort. To stand here when the Outlaws are here makes it that much better."
Smith started the feature, the first in a decade for the series at the track, in fourth and quickly took over the third spot from Schatz. After a lap-two caution and restart, Smith battled past Kerry Madsen, who led the first two laps, and set his sights on fellow Posse, Lucas Wolfe. Smith finally caught Wolfe on lap 16. The two drivers were side-by-side down the backstretch, into turns three and four and then onto the front stretch. As they dove into turn one, Smith made his move.
"I knew I had to get him quick," Smith said. "And I got to him there, the first time I got to him and I gave him a slide job."
Smith completed the pass as the two drivers entered onto the backstretch.
As Smith worked to build a lead in his No. 94 The Warko Group car through lapped traffic, Schatz started catching the young driver.
"I felt like I was fading," Smith said. "That win, I could see it, I could taste it and I felt like I was slowing down - and the track got slower in lapped traffic.
Schatz made one last run on Smith with two to go but it was not enough.
"I was watching the flag man there. Where's five to go? Where's five to go? And I didn't see it," Smith said. "Finally saw two to go and was looking for the mirror, waiting for somebody and we brought her home."
Schatz finished second while Daryn Pittman, Kerry Madsen and Cody Darrah rounded out the top-five.
Schatz, who cinched the points for the 2014 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship Saturday night (with a trip to Charlotte for the World Finals, Schatz will be able to claim the title - his sixth career series championship) credited Smith and his team.
"I wish I could have had a chance to make a few more adjustments to the car," said Schatz, who won the last time the series was at the track in 2004. "The guys did a phenomenal job but (Smith) was a little bit better than we were. I got to him and he kept slipping off the bottom of one and two and I thought I'd be able to get by him there. We got in lapped traffic and I just caught one car wrong. I lost my run… I did everything I could and tonight, it wasn't good enough."
Wolfe, who took the qualifying quick time Saturday night, started on the feature pole after winning the dash. Kerry Madsen started on his outside. Madsen took over the lead on the start, holding off Wolfe through the first two laps. When the first and only caution flag of the night flew with two complete, Wolfe got the better restart and took over the lead - which he would hold until lap 17.
As Wolfe and Madsen faded back and the battle for the lead heated up between Smith and Schatz, Pittman was working his way through the field. After starting eighth, he had worked his way into the top-five by lap 20. In the closing laps he got around Madsen and then Wolfe on the bottom.
Pittman, who, unlike his fellow Outlaw competitors, has quite a bit of experience at Port Royal, said the track was in good condition Saturday night.
"I'll tell you what, I had a lot of fun, and I'll be honest, I don't typically have a lot of fun when I come here," said Pittman, the driver of the No. 9 Great Clips car. "This is a tough track for me and I haven't had a lot of success. I raced here a lot over the last four years and just kind of always struggled. That was a really fun A main, we had a really good car and I just could move around wherever."
Larson Marks Racing driver Shane Stewart was the KSE Hard Charger of the night after advancing eight positions in the feature in eighth.
The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series returns to action and closes out the 2014 season on Nov. 6, 7 and 8 at the World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Follow the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.
PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY NOTES: Ryan Smith's victory Saturday night was his first World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series win - he is the 23rd different winner and sixth first-time winner of the season… Donny Schatz clinched the championship points Saturday night - he must still travel to and sign in at The World Finals to claim the title… Lucas Wolfe took home the quick time Saturday night, his second of the season, with a lap of 16.012… Ryan Smith, Ryan Taylor, Paul McMahan and Steve Buckwalter claimed heat wins… Shane Stewart received the KSE Hard Charger Award after advancing eight positions to finish in 8th.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 26 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 6, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 19, Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 27, I-96 Speedway on May 31, River Cities Speedway on June 20, 34 Raceway on June 27, Cedar Lake Speedway on June 29, Lernerville Speedway on July 15, Autodrome Drummond on July 26, Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 27, Ohsweken Speedway on July 29, Knoxville Raceway on Aug. 9, Junction Motor Speedway on Aug. 12, Nodak Speedway on Aug. 17, Castrol Raceway on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23, Skagit Speedway on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, Grays Harbor Raceway on Sept. 1, Kokomo Speedway on Sept. 16, Terre Haute Action Track on Sept. 17, Bloomington Speedway on Sept. 26, Berlin Raceway on Sept. 27, Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on Oct. 12, Fremont Speedway on Oct. 19); Daryn Pittman - 13 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14, Calistoga Speedway on April 6, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 19, Williams Grove Speedway on May 16 and May 17, Orange County Fair Speedway, May 18, New Egypt Speedway, May 20, Dodge City Raceway Park on July 4 and 5, Lincoln Speedway on July 17, Fulton Speedway on July 23, River Cities Speedway on Aug. 15 and Southern Oregon Speedway on Sept. 3); Joey Saldana - 7 (Perris Auto Speedway on April 12, Salina Highbanks on April 25, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 23, I-80 Speedway on June 6, Jackson Speedway on June 13, Eldora Speedway on Sept. 19 and Lernerville Speedway on Sept. 20); Kerry Madsen - 6 (Stockton Dirt track on March 22, El Paso Speedway Park on April 15, Lakeside Speedway on June 7, Eldora Speedway on July 12 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 3 and Antioch Speedway on Sept. 8); David Gravel - 5 (Merced Speedway on March 28, Eldora Speedway on May 3, Wilmot Raceway on May 9, Lebanon Valley Speedway on July 20 and Williams Grove Speedway on Oct. 5); Paul McMahan - 5 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 5, Tri-State Speedway on May 10, Limaland Motorsports Park on July 9, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 1 and Deer Creek Speedway on Sept. 13); Brad Sweet - 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Tucson International Raceway on March 8, Calistoga Speedway on April 5, Knoxville Raceway on June 14 and Beaver Dam Raceway on June 28); Cody Darrah - 2 (Kings Speedway on April 11 and Lernerville Speedway on July 15); Shane Stewart - 2 (Eldora Speedway on May 2 and Willamette Speedway on Sept. 2);Sammy Swindell - 2 (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on April 26 and Eldora Speedway on July 11);Rico Abreu - 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 15); Jonathan Allard - 1 (Silver Dollar Speedway, Sept. 6);Christopher Bell - 1 (Jacksonville Speedway on May 7); Dale Blaney - 1 (Attica Raceway Park on May 30);Roger Crockett - 1 (I-94 Speedway on June 21); Lance Dewease - 1 (July 20 at Williams Grove Speedway);Greg Hodnett - 1 (July 18 at Williams Grove Speedway); Mark Dobmeier - 1 (Huset's Speedway on July 2);Kraig Kinser - 1 (Clay County Fair Speedway on Sept. 12); Steve Kinser - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 16);Carson Macedo - 1 (Silver Dollar Speedway on Sept. 5); Ryan Smith - 1 (Port Royal Speedway on Oct. 25); Stevie Smith - 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 14).
- administrator on Oct 27, 2014
- Article Date: 10/27/2014