Scores win for the Posse on night one of the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. - July 24, 2015 - Danny Dietrich achieved something few others have this season - he passed Donny Schatz for the lead and kept it. Dietrich charged from a ninth place starting position in Friday night's Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway to score his first World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event win since 2013.
As big of an impediment as Schatz was, the seven other cars that started in front of Dietrich may have been the bigger challenge. As cautions plagued the opening laps of the 25-lap feature, Dietrich was stuck in ninth with Joey Saldana ahead, leading Schatz. After four abortive restarts, all reset by crashes, the race got going again and Dietrich made his move. From ninth to seventh to second in just three laps, the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania-native took advantage of the restarts and pushed forward.
By lap 12, Dietrich had caught Schatz and was looking for a way around. Though Schatz was able to hold him off for the next five laps, it was short lived, as Dietrich got around Schatz as the drivers rounded turn two. Dietrich pulled away from the six-time Outlaws champion.
With just one lap remaining, a caution flag flew for Brent Marks who spun on the front straight. On the restart, Schatz looked for a way around, but Dietrich pulled away.
To cheers and wild applause from Beer Hill to the front grandstands at Williams Grove, the Pennsylvania Posse driver emerged from his No. 48 Sandoe's car a winner.
"It's tough to come from ninth on any given Friday night on a regular show, let alone to come here and win an Outlaws show and win from ninth," Dietrich said in victory lane. "This is real special for that and real special to beat Donny and real special that I got my first Outlaws win here at the Grove."
"It was going to be tough, especially when Joey passed Donny. I had a heck of a restart there - I lined up sixth. I passed three cars in one and two and I thought for sure on the back stretch the caution would probably come out. It didn't and that was the difference maker. I knew I had to pounce on Joey, I had to slot him down there. Just real hard racing with Donny and clean racing. We raced each other tough but that's what you do when you're racing the best in the world."
His team owner Gary Kauffman was ecstatic in victory lane after scoring his first ever Outlaws win at the track.
"It feels great. Anytime you win here at Williams Grove against the Outlaws, it means a lot to us. And I tell you, a 26-year-old driver that I picked, I wouldn't want to change him for anybody else," Kaufman said of Dietrich.
After starting on the feature pole, Schatz battled Joey Saldana through the early cautions and eventually got around him on lap nine. After Dietrich battled around him, Schatz had a new challenge keeping three-time series champion Sammy Swindell from getting by. He ultimately held off Swindell.
If the cheers were loud for Posse favorite Dietrich, the heckles might have been just as loud for the Outlaws' Schatz as he talked about his run on the front stretch.
"He was obviously better than we were on the bottom and the middle," Schatz said of Dietrich. "The only prayer I had was to make the top work there at the end. I was running as hard as I could, he was just a little better. He did a good job. He was just more patient and probably a little better with his tires than we were and he beat us."
Schatz has 20 series wins so far this season with his No. 15 Bad Boy Buggies team and has finished first or second in 15 consecutive full points Outlaws races and 17 of the past 18.
Swindell, the second winningest driver in Outlaws history, scored his best finish with his new, Carlisle, Pennsylvania-based No. 1 CJB Motorsports team.
"We tried something there in the dash and it didn't work so we kind of had to go back to where we were and that probably maybe hurt us a bit as far as really dialing the car in. The guys with the CJB team did a great job. They've been giving me good cars and it's just been rolling right along," Swindell said. "It's only my fourth night in the car and we've already got three top-fives so I really can't complain. This is a dream come true for me.
"I'm just blessed to be out here doing this at my age and still be competitive."
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action tomorrow night as the Outlaws and Posse battle for bragging rights, $25,000 and the coveted Morgan Cup trophy on night two of the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway. To find out more information and to learn how to buy tickets, visit http://woosprint.com/summer-nationals.
Follow the World of Outlaws 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.
Williams Grove Speedway Notebook
RACE NOTES: Greg Hodnett took home the overall quick time award tonight after a qualifying lap of 16.789. It was his third quick time of the season… Danny Dietrich's win tonight was his third career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory and first since May, 2013 at Lincoln Speedway… Brad Sweet was the night's KSE Racing Hard Charger, advancing 12 positions to finish in 12th… Donny Schatz has finished first or second in 15 consecutive full points World of Outlaws races and 17 of the past 18.
CONTINGENCY WINNERS - MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Kerry Madsen; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Danny Dietrich; Sweet Manufacturing ($100 cash): N/A; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Mobil 1 ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; Lincoln Welders ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Daryn Pittman; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Daryn Pittman; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Jason Sides;Super Flow ($50 cash): Jason Sides; Sweet Manufacturing ($50 product certificate): Sammy Swindell;KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Brad Sweet; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Danny Dietrich;Mobil 1 (20% off Mobil1RacingStore.com): Kraig Kinser; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Jason Johnson; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Kerry Madsen.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 20 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Stockton Dirt Track on March 21, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 28, Placerville Speedway on April 8, Calistoga Speedway on April 12, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 26, Eldora Speedway on May 8, Eldora Speedway on May 9, Williams Grove Speedway on May 15, Weedsport Speedway on May 17, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 22, Knoxville Raceway on June 13, Huset's Speedway on June 14, Granite City Speedway on June 17, River Cities Speedway on June 19, Dakota State Fair Speedway on June 20, Beaver Dam Raceway on June 27, Lakeside Speedway on July 1, Dodge City Raceway Park on July 4, Cedar Lake Speedway on July 11); Shane Stewart - 5 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5, Keller Auto Speedway on April 17, Salina Highbanks Speedway on May 1, Crawford County Speedway on June 12, Eldora Speedway on July 17); Daryn Pittman - 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Antioch Speedway on March 29, New Egypt Speedway on May 19); Brad Sweet - 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, Calistoga Speedway on April 11, I-96 Speedway on June 25); Rico Abreu - 2 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14, Stockton Dirt Track on March 22); Dale Blaney - 2 (Attica Raceway Park on May 29, Lernerville Speedway on July 21); Paul McMahan - 2 (Perris Auto Speedway on April 18, Tri-State Speedway on May 3); Joey Saldana - 2 (Kokomo Speedway on June 3, Cedar Lake Speedway on July 12); Christopher Bell - 1 (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on May 2); Brian Brown - 1 (USA Raceway on March 7); Cody Darrah - 1 (Lernerville Speedway on July 21); Danny Dietrich - 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on July 25); Greg Hodnett - 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 13); Tim Kaeding - 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 13); Danny Lasoski - 1 (I-80 Speedway on June 5); Terry McCarl - 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5); Jason Sides - 1 (Dodge City Raceway Park on July 3).
- administrator on Jul 27, 2015
- Article Date: 7/24/2015