Picks up his first ever World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory
CONCORD, N.C. - Nov. 6, 2015 - A wild night two of the Bad Boy Buggies World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte turned into a big night for Dusty Zomer who picked up his first ever World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory.
Zomer started Friday night's feature in sixth and battled early into the top three. After leader Trey Starks pulled in with a bent tie-rod and Joey Saldana, who took over the lead, lost it to a broken top-wing sideboard, Zomer was in position.
Through the closing laps, he held off a hard -charging Greg Hodnett and Stevie Smith to claim the victory for his No. 82 Buffalo Wild Wings team.
"Super happy," Zomer said of the win. "Obviously didn't expect to come down here for the first time and pull off a win. We were able to get it done. We were at the right place at the right time. A few other guys had a little misfortune and I guess you need things to go your way sometimes. That's what happened and we're standing up here in victory lane."
Zomer joins Greg Wilson and Stewart Friesen as a first time winner this season. He was also the 22nd different driver to stand in victory lane this season and seventh different driver to win during World Finals weekend in the last four years.
After a delay for rain, crashes plagued the series heat races early in the night and caused two separate repairs to the catch fence. In all, it took more than three hours.
The 25-lap series feature got underway with 19-year-old Starks leading the field. He was on top of the charts through the first 12 laps, holding off Saldana on two restarts. As the caution flag again waved near the halfway point of the race, Starks was forced into the work area with a bent tie-rod. That put Saldana into the lead. He led the restart and the next four laps until damage to his top-wing sideboard sidelined him.
Zomer battled forward on an early restart into third.
"I started sixth and shot up around some guys on the outside and got to third," Zomer said. "That was what put me in position to be in position when those other guys had things break."
He took over the top spot on lap 17 and held off Hodnett through traffic in the final eight laps.
Hodnett, who has one Outlaws win this season, said throughout the night the biggest challenge for he and his No. 27 Lelands.com team was surviving the conditions.
"I figure the only reason we finished second is because everyone else fell out," Hodnett said. "We just need to get better and hopefully put ourselves in a position to start towards the front again."
Stevie Smith finished the night on the podium in third in his No. 51s Miller Bros. Chevrolet car. Smith has two Outlaws wins this season, both at Williams Grove Speedway.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action tomorrow night for the finale of the Bad Boy Buggies World Finals and the finale of the 2015 season. Find out more information and learn how to buy tickets at http://www.worldofoutlawsworldfinals.com/.
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.
The Dirt Track at Charlotte Notebook
RACE NOTES: Dusty Zomer became the 22nd different driver to win a World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series feature this season and the third different first-time winner… Zomer's win made him the seventh different driver to win at a World Finals feature in the last seven… Trey Starks took his first ever World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series feature pole tonight… Donny Schatz was tonight's KSE Racing Hard Charger, advancing 16 positions to finish in sixth.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 31 (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, Lebanon Valley Speedway on July 26, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 8, Knoxville Raceway on Aug. 15, River Cities Speedway on Aug. 21, Nodak Speedway on Aug. 23, Castrol Raceway on Aug. 28, Grays Harbor Raceway on Sept. 7, Cottage Grove Speedway on Sept. 9, Silver Dollar Speedway on Sept. 12, Berlin Raceway on Sept. 26, Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on Oct. 11); Shane Stewart - 9 (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, Eldora Speedway on July 18, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 8, Skagit Speedway on Sept. 5, Silver Dollar Speedway on Sept. 11); Daryn Pittman - 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Antioch Speedway on March 29, New Egypt Speedway on May 19, Castrol Raceway on Aug. 29, Antioch Speedway on Sept. 13); Brad Sweet - 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, Calistoga Speedway on April 11, I-96 Speedway on June 25, Deer Creek Speedway on Sept. 19, Port Royal Speedway on Oct. 24); Paul McMahan - 3 (Perris Auto Speedway on April 18, Tri-State Speedway on May 3, Lawrenceburg Speedway on Oct. 16); 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); Joey Saldana - 2 (Kokomo Speedway on June 3, Cedar Lake Speedway on July 12); Stevie Smith - 2 (Williams Grove Speedway on July 25, Williams Grove Speedway on Oct. 4); 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); Stewart Friesen - 1 (Ohsweken Speedway on July 28); 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); Kerry Madsen - 1 (Junction Motor Speedway on Aug. 18); Terry McCarl - 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5); Jason Sides - 1 (Dodge City Raceway Park on July 3); Greg Wilson - 1 (Eldora Speedway on Sept. 25); Dusty Zomer - 1 (The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Nov. 6).
- administrator on Nov 09, 2015
- Article Date: 11/6/2015