[i Concord, NC—September 14, 2009]
Gearing up for the stretch run: Jason Meyers used a very strong Gold Rush Tour, which saw him finish sixth of better in eight of the nine events, including picking up three wins and seven Top-Five finishes to put himself in contention for the World of Outlaws title as the season hits the stretch run. The native of Clovis, California leads the series with 47 Top-10 finishes and is currently is just 29 markers behind Donny Schatz in points with 11 points paying events remaining as he chases his first series title
“Number one, it will take finishing every race,” explained Meyers, when asked what it will take to contend for the title. “If between now and the end of the season you fall out of a race, I’d say your championship hopes are over. We’re going to keep working hard and digging and make sure our car is the way it needs to be. Hopefully we’ll stay up front and stay out of trouble.”
Focusing on wins: Joey Saldana wrapped up the Gold Rush Tour by winning the final two nights of the Gold Cup Race of Champions to earn his 17th A-Feature win of the season and 18th victory overall. He also won the $20,000 finale at Skagit Speedway on September 5 and picked up wins on both nights of the Oil City Cup at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton a few weeks back. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana is currently third in points, 36 points behind Jason Meyers for second and 65 out of the lead.
“Looking at the points right now and the way the season is, about all we can do is look back at races and think about what we could have done different,” said Saldana. “We can go and make things better for next year. Donny (Schatz) is pretty stout and he doesn’t make many mistakes, though this weekend he did and it wasn’t a point’s race. I’m not really concerned about winning the point’s, I’m just concerned with winning races.”
Gracious in defeat: Jason Sides led 39 ¾ of the finale of the Gold Cup before Joey Saldana slipped around him coming off the fourth corner on the last lap. The night before Sides led a number of laps as well before Saldana got around him relegating him to a runner-up finish. Sides is currently fifth in points as he continues the best season of his World of Outlaws career and has racked up 41 Top-10 finishes with 21 of those being Top-Fives.
“My hat is off to the Kasey Kahne crew, they did a great job,” shared Sides after the finale of the Gold Cup last Saturday night. “Thanks to all the fans for coming out here tonight. You are what makes this event happen.”
All about prestige: After winning the second qualifying night of the Gold Cup, Joey Saldana shared his thoughts on the race and what it would mean to win it again. He was victorious in the West Coast’s biggest sprint car race for the first time in 2007, adding to the two Kings Royal victories he previously had to another of the “Crown Jewels” of sprint car racing to his resume.
“It’s huge,” said Saldana when asked on Friday night what it would mean to win a second Gold Cup. “This is one of the biggest races for a sprint car driver. It’s neat when an Indiana guy can come out to these California tracks and be competitive. For me to be able to come out here and be competitive is huge for myself as a driver. The history behind this race is huge and winning it is like winning the Kings Royal or Knoxville Nationals. It’s pretty prestigious so you want to win it.”
A helping hand: Brian Ellenberger has three-time World of Outlaws champion and 1981 Gold Cup winner Sammy Swindell helping his team out during the second qualifying night of the famed event. Swindell finished second in the opener after winning the Crane Cams Dash and helped Ellenberger to a solid 15th-place finish with a strong field of 41 cars in attendance. Ellenberger is the leading contender this season for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.
What a streak: Joey Saldana and Jason Meyers combined to win the final eight events of the Gold Rush Tour, capped off by Saldana’s $50,000 triumph in the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. Saldana picked up his first two wins of the Gold Rush Tour at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton. Meyers followed that up by winning the opening night at Skagit Speedway with Saldana taking the finale of that event. Meyers won again at Cottage Grove Speedway on September 8 and also on the opening night at the Gold Cup, with Saldana taking the final two wins of the famed event.
Condolences: The World of Outlaws offers their condolences to Brian Ellenberger, who missed the finale of the Gold Cup on Saturday after flying back home to Pennsylvania to be with his family, after the passing of his mother-in-law. Ellenberger will return to the tour later this week.
Continuing to build: Tim Kaeding finished third for the second consecutive race with the World of Outlaws in the opener of the Gold Cup last Thursday night, following a podium finish at Cottage Grove Speedway earlier in the week, in a race which saw him lead 16 laps after starting on the pole. The California native won earlier this season with the World of Outlaws at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas for the Roth Motorsports team. In addition to veteran mechanic Ray Brooks turning wrenches, the California-based team recently welcomed the reigning World of Outlaws Crew Chief of the Year to the team.
“We’re building another new team here with Sonny Kratzer on board as crew chief and we’re doing really good right now,” shared Kaeding. “I’m going to take what we can get and finish the season out and we’ll continue to have fun.”
Strong weekend for the locals: A number of drivers that call Silver Dollar Speedway home had strong weekends during the Gold Cup. Jonathan Allard who hails from Chico set fast time in the opener and ran sixth in that preliminary feature before finishing a very strong fourth in the finale on Saturday night. On the opening night, Peter Murphy, 2009 track champion Bobby McMahan, Kyle Hirst and Kyle Larson all picked up Top-10 finishes. On the second night, Brent Kaeding finished third, with Brad Furr fifth and Tommy Tarlton was sixth. In the finale, Tarlton was eighth, with Sean Becker ninth and Brad Sweet 10th.
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 first two nights of the 56th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions are posted and photos from the finale 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 1,500 “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 third annual Arnold Motor Supply Shootout at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa on Wednesday, September 16.
2009 STAT ATTACK
There have been 56 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- 17
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 12
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 7
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 (22 Different Drivers)
1- Joey Saldana- Brownsburg, Indiana- 408 laps
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 323 laps
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 271 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
Time trial leaders (18 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
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
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 (8)
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.
Crane Cams Dash Winners (19 Different Winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Dash Wins
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 9
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 7
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
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 (19 Different Drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown – Poles
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 9
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 7
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
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 (32 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- 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
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 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- Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW- 5
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 5
3- Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 4
4- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 3
Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Australia- 3
5- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 2
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 2
Chris Shirek, Thompson, North Dakota- 2
6- 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- 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
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- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 6
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 6
Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 6
2- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 5
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio-5
3- Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 5
4- 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
5- 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- 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
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 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 216
Shaver Specialties 198 -18
Kistler 182 -34
Don Ott 179 -37
Chassis Builder Challenge
Maxim 260
J&J 244 -16
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 Sep 16, 2009
- Article Date: 9/16/2009