[b World of Outlaws Wrap-Up: River Cities Speedway & Dacotah Speedway]
[i Concord, NC—August 23, 2009]
A strong rebound: After getting caught up in a first lap incident on Friday night at River Cities Speedway Jason Meyers rebounded on Saturday at Dacotah Speedway running in the Top-Five all night and battling for the lead a couple of times. He wound up third to earn his series-best 40th Top-10 finish of the season. He remains second in the World of Outlaws championship standings with about 20 nights of racing remaining in 2009 as he chases his first career title.
“I can’t say enough about these guys on this team,” said Meyers. “We had a rough night last night tore up some equipment and they slept for about four hours last night and got up this morning and built me a brand new race car. To come back and run in the Top-Three after that shows how good this team is. They do a great job and I’m very blessed to have them.”
A new track record: Danny Lasoski shattered the existing track record at Dacotah Speedway on Saturday night in his first visit to the track located just outside of Bismarck, North Dakota, touring the high-banked 3/8-mile in 12.705 seconds at 106.257 miles per hour which knocked over two seconds off the mark that was set in the World of Outlaws debut at the track last season by Craig Dollansky. A total of 24 drivers broke the old mark on Saturday night.
“This is a pretty fast track,” said Lasoski during the dash draw. “This is a very nice facility and the fans up here are great. I’m glad to be up here racing.”
Continuing to learn the tracks: Brian Ellenberger, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season, raced his way into the Crane Cams Dash in his first ever visit to Dacotah Speedway on Saturday night. He finished a very solid 12th in the 35-lap A-Feature as he continues to gain priceless experience in his first full year on the road with the World of Outlaws.
“This is a very nice track and I’m glad to be here,” said Ellenberger during the dash draw on Saturday night. “Anytime we can make the dash is great and that always helps build the confidence. My team is working hard and we keep learning more and more as we go.”
Turning the corner: Sam Hafertepe Jr. won the Crane Cams Dash on Saturday night in his second visit to Dacotah Speedway to start on the pole for the 35-lap main event. The 23-year old from Sunnyvale, Texas took the lead from 2001 World of Outlaws champion Danny Lasoski on the 16th lap of the A-feature and battled a couple of times down the stretch for the top spot, before setting for a fourth-place finish which was his fifth Top-Five of the year with the World of Outlaws as he closes in on his first career win.
“We have Charlie Fisher building our engines now and that has been a huge deal for our program,” shared Hafertepe. “We are running Maxim cars right now and they really seem to be working good for us. We have gotten to where we are comfortable and that means a lot out here. No matter what track conditions are, when you are comfortable, you can perform and that is what we have been doing.”
Two more top-fives: Joey Saldana drew the nine pill for the Crane Cams Dash both nights this past weekend, and wound up working his way into the Top-Five both nights and was in contention for two wins. In the opener at River Cities Speedway he tracked down his Kasey Kahne Racing teammate Craig Dollansky late in the going nearly stealing a win from him, finishing second. In the finale at Dacotah Speedway, he again moved up in the dash and was up to third in the A-Feature when he went over the banking on the back straighthaway. He kept the car rolling and came back on the track in eighth and would eventually work his way up to finish fifth. He remains third in the series championship standings.
“It was a ninth to a second which with these guys is sometimes impossible,” said Saldana after the race on Friday night. “It was a good run, especially on a track that was very tough to pass on.”
Northern tour title: Chris Shirek earned the most points of the NOSA (Northern Outlaw Sprint Association) drivers that competed in the five-race Northern Tour Mini-Series which was comprised of the five World of Outlaws races in the state of North Dakota this season which were all put on by SLS Promotions. Eligible drivers earned points in qualifying, heat races and feature events. Shirek, picked up his best career finish with the World of Outlaws along with earning the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award at River Cities Speedway last Friday night coming all the way from 18th to finish seventh at the high-banked three-tenths-mile bullring. Greg Nikitenko finished second in the overall standings for the Northern Tour, with Bob Martin third. Nine drivers that race regularly with NOSA competed in all five Northern Tour events with the World of Outlaws.
Blazing fast: Jason Meyers set a new track record on Friday night at River Cities Speedway turning a blistering lap of 9.269 seconds at an average speed of 116.517 mph. That easily set the mark as the quickest lap turned on any track on the World of Outlaws circuit. River Cities Speedway remains one of just three tracks on the 2009 schedule that boasts a single digit track record. In total, 18 cars broke the existing track record of 9.66 second which had stood since 2007.
A yeoman’s effort: The track crew at River Cities Speedway along with SLS Promotions did everything they could to make sure last Friday’s night event happened. After heavy overnight rain on Thursday, the pit area was a quagmire, and with no sun or wind to help dry it on Friday, rigs were forced to pit outside in the parking lot as the pit area was run in enough to get the cars from the parking lot to the track. After a couple of hours of work, the pit area, a path was made for the cars to hit the track and despite starting a couple of hours late, the rest of the night of racing went off without a hitch with a very big crowd in attendance on a very chilly night.
Making the trip west: Erin Crocker, who is back behind the wheel of a sprint car for the first time since 2005, made the trip west to River Cities Speedway and Dacotah Speedway driving for veteran crew chief and car owner Mike Woodring. She finished 11th in her debut at River Cities Speedway. Chad Kemenah, who won earlier this season with the World of Outlaws at the famed Manzanita Speedway in Arizona, also made the trip west after competing in the Midwest for the last few 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. Photo Galleries from the events at River Cities Speedway and Dacotah 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 1,300 “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: The World of Outlaws return to action with the third annual Oil City Cup at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 29.
2009 STAT ATTACK
There have been 50 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events in 2009.
A-Feature winners (14 Different Drivers) Driver, Hometown – Wins
1- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 13
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 12
3- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 5
Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 5
4- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
5- Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 2
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 2
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 2
6- 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
Lap leaders, including A-features and preliminary features Car, driver, hometown - Total laps led (22 Different Drivers)
1- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 323 laps
2- Joey Saldana- Brownsburg, Indiana- 306 laps
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 203 laps
4- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 141 laps
5- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 146 laps
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 93 laps
6- Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 76 laps
7- Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 49 laps
8- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 43 laps
9- Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque, New Mexico- 39 laps
10- Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 35 laps
11- Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 30 laps
12- Danny Smith, Danville, Indiana- 26 laps
13- Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 25 laps
14- Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 22 laps
15- Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 21 laps
16- Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 18 laps
17- Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 15 laps
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 15 laps
18- Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 14 laps
19- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 12 laps
20- Peter Murphy, Clovis, California- 10 laps
Time trial leaders (17 Different Drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Quick times
1- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 10
2- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 5
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 6
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 5
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 4
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 4
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 3
4- Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 2
Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 2
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 2
5- Ryan Bohlke, Fredon, New Jersey- 1
Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Track records established during 2009 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series events (7)
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
Crane Cams Dash Winners (19 Different Winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Dash Wins
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 7
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 7
2- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 5
3- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 4
4- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 3
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 3
5- Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 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
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 1
Pole Positions (19 Different Drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown – Poles
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 7
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 7
2- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 5
3- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 4
4- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 3
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 3
5- Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 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
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 1
B-main Winners (28 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- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 2
Bob Martin, East Grand Forks, Minnesota- 2
4- Bill Balog, Cameron, Wisconsin- 1
Garry Brazier, Sydney, NSW, Australia- 1
Daron Clayton, Sikeston, Missouri- 1
Cale Conley, Vienna, West Virginia- 1
Roger Crockett, Medford, Oregon- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Cole Duncan, Lockborne, Ohio- 1
Mike Erdley, Elizabethville, Pennsylvania- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1
Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, Missouri- 1
Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 1
Thomas Kennedy, Winnipeg, Manitoba- 1
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 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
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 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- 5
Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW- 5
2- Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 4
3- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 3
Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Australia- 3
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 3
4- 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
Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks, North Dakota- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 2
Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque, New Mexico- 1
Aaron Higgins, Waverly, Ohio- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1
Brad Kuhn, Avon, Indiana- 1
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 1
Brian Montieth, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania- 1
Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, Pennsylvania- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Olive Branch, Mississippi- 1
George Suprick, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania- 1
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 1
Jessica Zemken, Sprakers, New York- 1
Penske Power Position
1- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 6
2- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 5
3- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 5
4- Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio-4
Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 4
5- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 3
6- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 2
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 2
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 2
7- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 1
Brian Ellenberger, Butler, Pennsylvania- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Greg Hodnett, Memphis, Tennessee- 1
Tim Kaeding, San Jose, 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 Meyers, Clovis, California- 6
2- Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 5
3- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 4
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 4
4- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
5- Dale Blaney, Hartford, 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
6- Jonanthan Allard, Chico, California- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1
Jason Johnson, Eunice, Louisiana- 1
Tim Kaeding, San Jose. California- 1
Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW- 1
Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 1
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 1
Chris Shirek, Thompsontown, North Dakota- 1
Crane Cams Engine Builder Challenge
Speedway Engines 188
Shaver Specialties 178 -10
Kistler 168 -20
Don Ott 157 -31
Chassis Builder Challenge
Maxim 231
J&J 219 -12
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 Aug 25, 2009
- Article Date: 8/25/2009