|
World of
Outlaws Wrap-Up: Thunderbowl Raceway
Concord, NC-March 8,
2010-
Some special
guests: Jason Meyers and the Elite
Racing team had a couple of very special
guests at Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl
Raceway on Friday night, as 14-time NHRA
Funny Car Champion and drag racing legend
John Force was on hand, along with his
son-in-law, Robert Hight, who is the
defending Funny Car titlist. The Elite
Racing shop in Brownsburg, Indiana is housed
at the state-of-the-art John Force Racing
facility. Gary Scelzi, a fellow NHRA
champion was also in attendance at Tulare,
as he hails from nearby Fresno.
"They had a great
time," shared Meyers of Force and Hight. "I
realized the other day that they would be
down in the area, so I gave John (Force) a
call and invited him and Robert (Hight)
over. It was cool that they were able to
make it over. Ever since we moved in with
John there and have gotten to know those
guys, we've been trying to get them to a
race, but they have very busy schedules. It
was great that they took time out of their
evening, when they could have been home with
their families to come over here and see
some great short track racing and spend some
time up in the grandstands with the fans.
They are really great about that. It was
great to have them down and of course they
come out to the first race to see us and we
win. It couldnt be much better. They are
great guys and to see them out here
supporting our sport is awesome."
Winning one for
his son: Joey Saldana has a lot of
fans around the world, but his biggest two
fans are his wife Shannon and his son Reece.
He dedicated his win on Saturday night to
Reece, who comes to a number of World of
Outlaws events each season. Reece was not at
Tulare, but rather back home in Indiana
taking part in a wrestling tournament, where
he ended up finishing second, after making
it to the final round.
"This one is for my son
Reece," said Saldana in Victory Lane on
Saturday night. "He lost in wrestling today
and was a little upset. This should put a
smile on his face."
A little wing
damage: Jac Haudenschild sustained
some significant damage to the top wing on
his machine on Friday night, though that did
not slow him down as he wound finishing a
season-best third. He began the night by
turning in the fourth-fastest lap in time
trials and followed that up with a
second-place effort in the fourth heat race
to earn a spot in the dash for the first
time this season. He moved up to second near
the halfway point of the race and kept pace
with the lead duo of Jason Meyers and Joey
Saldana late in the contest, despite the
crumpled top wing.
"It messed it up a
little bit, but it wasn't too bad on a short
track," shared Haudenschild. "On a half-mile
we would have been in trouble."
First time
visitor: Fred Rahmer made the first
two starts of his legendary career in
California over the weekend at Thunderbowl
Raceway. The Pennsylvania native won the
dash on Friday night to earn the pole
position in the 35-lap main event and wound
up finishing sixth in his debut at the
high-banked 1/3-mile bullring. He charged
from the 14th starting spot in
the finale to finish a very impressive
third. The Hall of Famer and his team had a
helping hand from a fellow Hall of Famer, as
multi-time King of California Brent Kaeding
helped them with their set-up both nights.
"This is a lot
different than any place I have ever
driven," noted Rahmer before racing began on
Saturday night. "I should have done a little
better job driving (on Friday night). The
guys had the car good. It was exciting, Ill
you that much. Hopefully well be ok tonight.
I'd be lost if he (Kaeding) was not helping
us out. It's a different program here, so we
would have been in trouble. He has been a
huge help to us."
And then there
were four: Joey Saldana, Jason
Meyers, Steve Kinser and Jason Sides are the
only drivers that have finished in the
Top-10 in all five of the World of Outlaws
events in 2010. Saldana, who took over the
point lead after his win on Saturday night,
has a win, three runner-up finishes and a
sixth-place effort to his credit. Meyers has
two wins, a runner-up finish, along with a
fourth and sixth. Kinser has a win, a
second, a third, a fifth and a sixth. Sides
has a fourth, a fifth, two ninth-place
finishes and a 10th.
A change at the
top Joey Saldana moved into the top
spot in the World of Outlaws championship
standings after his win on Saturday night.
He currently leads Jason Meyers by seven
points with Steve Kinser third- nine markers
out, with Donny Schatz fourth and Jason
Sides fifth. The weekend at Tulare opened
with Kinser leading Schatz by two points,
with Saldana third- 12 points out and Meyers
fourth- 16 markers back. After the opener at
Tulare, Kinser and Schatz were tied for the
point lead with Saldana third, just three
points out and Meyers fourth, only six
markers behind. Three times in five races so
far this season there has been a change at
the top of the standings.
A new track
record: For the second consecutive
year the track record at Thunderbowl Raceway
was broken during World of Outlaws time
trials. Tim Kaeding turned a lap of 12.651
seconds to break the existing mark of 12.713
that Terry McCarl had set in 2009. Kaeding,
second fastest qualifier Lucas Wolfe and
third quick Joey Saldana all broke the
existing track record in the opener at
Tulare. It was the first track record
established this season after 10 were set
last year at World of Outlaws events.
Starting the
night on a strong note: Lucas Wolfe
was quickest in time trials on Saturday
night to earn his first fast time honor of
the 2010 season. He opened the weekend by
turning the second fastest lap on Friday
night at Thunderbowl Raceway. Unfortunately
bad luck befell the 2008 Kevin Gobrecht
Rookie of the Year on Friday night as he was
running fourth with just five laps remaining
when he lost a rear end. The bad luck
plagues him again the next night as he was
running third in the finale on the 14th
lap when a broken driveshaft ended his
night.
"A first and a second
is our best qualifying of the season," said
Wolfe after time trials on Saturday night.
"Hopefully that trend will continue. We've
had pretty good results in the races this
year we just havent qualified well so weve
started at the back."
Gaining momentum:
Kraig Kinser picked up his best
finish of the season coming home fourth on
Saturday night at Tulare after finishing
eighth in the opener. The third generation
driver is back home in 2010 driving for his
father Steves team, with whom he has had a
lot of success in the past including winning
the 2005 Knoxville Nationals. The younger
Kinser is currently sixth in point and has
three Top-10 finishes this season.
"We qualified good
tonight as opposed to last night," he noted
after his Top-Five run on Saturday. "We were
good last night (Friday) in the feature and
continue to run good here tonight on a track
that was tough for a lot of people this
weekend and we're fortunate that we got to
roll it (the car) into the trailer this
weekend."
Hard charger:
Chad Kemenah, who returned to the road
full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2010,
scored his best finish of the season on
Friday night at Thunderbowl Raceway. The
2006 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year
started 17th and finished seventh
to earn the KSE Race Products Hard Charger
Award.
"It wasn't too bad,"
stated Kemenah of his run last Friday night.
"Some of it was that we had some wrecks in
front of us, but we were passing some race
cars. Hopefully that will give us a little
motivation to keep going a little better
every night here. We've been struggling so
far, but well keep trying."
Signing on:
Terry McCarl and Big Game Motorsports
have signed on to be full-time Platinum
Members with the World of Outlaws in 2010.
They now will be eligible for series
provisionals as well as tow money and other
benefits that are accrued to full-time
Platinum teams that travel the circuit.
McCarl has finished among the Top-10 in the
World of Outlaws championship standings
three times in his career. He began 2010
with nine career A-Feature wins with the
series.
Career best
finish Ben Gregg, one of the
contenders for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of
the Year Award with the World of Outlaws in
2010, picked up his best-career finish with
the series on Saturday night at Thunderbowl
Raceway coming home 11th. It was the third
consecutive year that the native of Phoenix
has competed at the high-banked 1/3-mile
bullring. He currently leads Toni Lutar in
the chase for the rookie title by 63
markers.
Tune in:
Steve Kinser will join host Tim Tuttle on
the On Track On Radio show this afternoon
(Monday, March 8) at 4:45 p.m. Eastern. The
show can be heard online at
www.racefanradio.com. Tuttle will talk
to the 20-time series champion about his
strong start to the 2010 campaign driving
for Tony Stewart Racing as a teammate to
four-time and defending series champion
Donny Schatz.
Up next:
The World of Outlaws head to the Lone Star
State for the Second Annual Texas Two-Step
Weekend, beginning at Lone Star Speedway in
Kilgore on Friday, March 12, followed by a
stop at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown on
Saturday, March 13.
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 2,900 "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.
2010 World of
Outlaws Championship Standings through March
6
|
Position |
Driver |
Pts. |
Difference |
Earnings |
Wins |
Top-5 |
Top-10 |
|
1. |
Joey Saldana |
733 |
|
$27,300 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
2. |
Jason Meyers |
726 |
-7 |
$30,000 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
|
3. |
Steve Kinser |
724 |
-9 |
$21,400 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
4. |
Donny Schatz |
697 |
-36 |
$19,300 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
|
5. |
Jason Sides |
689 |
-44 |
$10,600 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
|
6 |
Kraig
Kinser |
661 |
-72 |
$8,800 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
7. |
Danny Lasoski |
648 |
-85 |
$8,450 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
8. |
Jac
Haudenschild |
640 |
-93 |
$7,550 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
9. |
Tim Kaeding |
625 |
-108 |
$7,350 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
10. |
Lucas Wolfe |
617 |
-116 |
$6,525 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
11. |
Craig Dollansky |
599 |
-134 |
$6,100 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
12. |
Sam Hafertepe Jr. |
588 |
-145 |
$6,300 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
13. |
Terry McCarl |
583 |
-150 |
$5,500 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
14. |
Paul McMahan |
574 |
-159 |
$5,375 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
15. |
Chad Kemenah |
549 |
-184 |
$4,410 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
16. |
Daryn
Pittman |
534 |
-199 |
$4,510 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
17. |
Fred Rahmer |
526 |
-207 |
$7,200 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
18. |
Ben Gregg |
504 |
-229 |
$3,300 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
19. |
Brian Ellenberger |
480 |
-253 |
$2,600 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
20. |
Toni Lutar |
441 |
-292 |
$2,025 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2010 STAT ATTACK
There has been five
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature
events this season.
A-Feature winners (5
Different Drivers) Driver, Hometown Wins
1- Jason Meyers,
Clovis, California- 2
2- Steve Kinser,
Bloomington, Indiana- 1
Joey Saldana,
Brownsburg, Indiana- 1
Donny Schatz, Fargo,
North Dakota- 1
Lap leaders, Driver,
Hometown - Total laps led (6 Different
Drivers)
1- Donny Schatz, Fargo,
North Dakota- 46 laps
2- Jason Meyers,
Clovis, California- 38 laps
3- Joey Saldana,
Brownsburg, Indiana 36 laps
4- Steve Kinser,
Bloomington, Indiana- 17 laps
5- Tim Kaeding, San
Jose, California- 13 laps
6- Tim Shaffer,
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 10 laps
Time trial leaders (4
Different Drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown -
Quick times
1- Jason Sides,
Bartlett, Tennessee- 2
2- Tim Kaeding, San
Jose, California- 1
Terry McCarl, Altoona,
Iowa- 1
Lucas Wolfe,
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania -1
Track Records
established in 2010 World of Outlaws events
(1)
*Tim Kaeding, March 5,
Thunderbowl Raceway (1/3-mile), Tulare,
California, 12.651 seconds at 94.759 mph
Dash Winners (4
Different Winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown -
Dash Wins
1- Tim Kaeding, San
Jose, California- 2
2- Fred Rahmer,
Salfordville, Pennsylvania - 1
Donny Schatz, Fargo,
North Dakota- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa,
Pennsylvania- 1
Pole Positions (4
Different Drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown
Poles
1- Tim Kaeding, San
Jose, California- 2
2- Fred Rahmer,
Salfordville, Pennsylvania - 1
Donny Schatz, Fargo,
North Dakota- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa,
Pennsylvania- 1
B-main Winners (4
Different Winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown -
B-Main Wins
1- Evan Suggs, Scotts
Valley, California- 2
2- Dale Blaney,
Hartford, Ohio- 1
Cale Conley, Vienna,
West Virginia- 1
Danny Lasoski, Dover,
Missouri- 1
KSE Racing Products
Hard Charger Award
1- Chad Kemenah,
Findlay, Ohio- 1
Steve Kinser,
Bloomington, Indiana - 1
Danny Lasoski, Dover,
Missouri- 1
Jason Meyers, Clovis,
California- 1
Lucas Wolfe,
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 1
Kevin Gobrecht Rookie
of the Year Award Standings
Ben Gregg 504
Toni Lutar 441 -63
Engine Builder
Challenge
Speedway Engines 21
Shaver Specialties 19
-2
Don Ott 16 -5
Kistler 14 -7
Chassis Builder
Challenge
Maxim 24
J&J 19 -5
XXX 17 -7
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), Goodyear Tires (Official
Tire), SuperClean (Official
Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official
Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency
sponsors, Jakes 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 Builders Challenge
participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing
and XXX Race Company.
World
of Outlaws At a Glance: Texas Two-Step
Weekend
Concord, NC-March 8,
2010-
WHAT
The World of Outlaws head south for the
Second Annual Texas Two-Step Weekend at Lone
Star Speedway in Kilgore on Friday, March 12
and The Texas Shootout at Houston Raceway
Park in Baytown on Saturday March 13. Joey
Saldana, who was the most recent winner on
the tour, won all three races in the Lone
Star State last season and heads to Texas
this coming weekend as the current World of
Outlaws championship point leader. In the
first five events of the 2010 campaign, four
different drivers have picked up wins, with
Jason Meyers being the only multi-time
victor so far this season.
WHEN
On Friday, March 12 at Lone Star Speedway,
the pit gates will be open all day with the
pit sign-in taking in the middle of the
afternoon with the grandstand gates opening
at 5 p.m. Central and racing set for 8 p.m.
Central.
On Saturday, March 13
at Houston Raceway Park, the pit gates will
open at 2 p.m. Central, with the grandstand
gates opening at 4 p.m. Central and hot laps
set for 6 p.m. Central with qualifying to
follow and racing set for 7:30 p.m. Central.
WHERE
Lone Star Speedway is located in Kilgore,
Texas. Take I-20 to
exit 583 (at Liberty City), then 0.5 mi.
north on Hwy. 135, then 1 mi. east on FM
1252, then 0.5 miles south (track is on the
right).
Houston Raceway Park is located in
Baytown, Texas. Travel
East of Houston
on I-10 to exit 798, then 3 mi. south on SR
146, then .8 mi. east on FM 1405, then 1.5
mi. northeast on FM 565.
TICKETS
On Friday, March 12 at Lone
Star Speedway, Reserved tickets are $30 in
advance and $35 on the day of the race, with
General Admission tickets $25 in advance and
$30 the day of the race. Tickets for
children (ages 6-12) are $15, with kids
5-under admitted free of charge. To purchase
tickets online visit
http://www.lonestarspeedway.com or call
the track at (903)-986-9731.
On Saturday, March 13 at Houston Raceway
Park, Tickets for adults will be $30 in
advance and $35 the day of the race, with
tickets for juniors (ages 6-12) $15.
Children ages five-under will be admitted
free of charge. Pit combos will also be
available for $38, which includes a
grandstand ticket and a pit pass if
purchased in advance. To purchase tickets
online visit
http://www.houstonraceway.com or call
the track at 281-383-7223.
ON THE INTERNET
The World of Outlaws is at
http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint
Lone Star Speedway is at
http://www.lonestarspeedway.com
Houston Raceway Park is at
http://www.houstonraceway.com
DIRTVision & the Dirt Radio Network
are at
http://www.DIRTVision.com
ABOUT THE TRACKS
Lone Star Speedway is a high-banked
half-mile oval. The track record of 13.05
seconds was established by Danny Lasoski on
April 4, 2002.
Houston Raceway Park is a high-banked
¼-mile oval. The track record of 11.996
seconds, established by Joey Saldana on
March 16, 2007.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
World of Outlaws A-Feature winners
at Lone Star Speedway include:
2009- Joey Saldana on April 10, Joey
Saldana on October 24
2004- Steve Kinser on March 12
2003- Steve Kinser on October 24
1986 - Sammy Swindell on March 14,
Sammy Swindell on June 14
1984 - Sammy Swindell on May 5
(completed earlier event), Sammy Swindell on
May 5, Sammy Swindell on June 19
World of Outlaws A-Feature winners
at Houston Raceway Park include:
2009- Joey Saldana on April 11
2007- Donny Schatz on March 16
2005-Donny Schatz on March 19
2004-Steve Kinser on March 27
2003-Steve Kinser on March 22
2002-Mark Kinser on March 24
2001- Mark Kinser on April 7, Steve
Kinser on Oct. 14
2000-Steve Kinser on April 8, Steve
Kinser on Oct. 21
FEATURE WINNERS
There have been five World of Outlaws
Sprint Car Series A-Feature events held in
2010. The winners include: Jason Meyers (The
Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and
Thunderbowl Raceway), Steve Kinser (Volusia
Speedway Park), Joey Saldana (Thunderbowl
Raceway) and Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway
Park).
HALF-MILE WINNERS
Lone Star Speedway is a high-banked
half-mile. The World of Outlaws have raced
three times at a track that size in 2010.
The winners include: Steve Kinser (Volusia
Speedway Park), Jason Meyers (The Dirt Track
at Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and Donny
Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park).
1/4-MILE WINNERS
Houston Raceway Park is a high-banked
1/4-mile. The World of Outlaws raced 10
times on a track that size in 2009. The
winners included: Joey Saldana (Silver
Dollar Speedway-three times and Houston
Raceway Park), Jason Meyers (Silver Dollar
Speedway-twice and Cottage Grove Speedway),
Steve Kinser (Tri-State Speedway and
Limaland Motorsports Park) and Tim Kaeding
(Riverside International Speedway).
DRIVER WEB SITES
The following World of Outlaws
drivers maintain their own Web sites on the
Internet:
Cody Darrah-
http://www.codydarrah.com
Craig Dollansky-
http://www.dollanskyracing.com
Sam Hafertepe Jr.-
http://www.sam15.com
Jac Haudenschild-
http://www.haudenschildracing.com
Tim Kaeding-
http://www.tkaedingracing.com
Chad Kemenah-
http://www.chadkemenah.com
Kraig Kinser-
http://www.kraigkinser.com
Steve Kinser-
http://www.stevekinser.com
Danny Lasoski-
http://www.dannylasoski.com
Terry McCarl-
http://www.terrymccarl.com
Jason Meyers-
http://www.eliteracing.net
Joey Saldana-
http://www.joeysaldana.com
Donny Schatz-
http://www.donnyschatz.com
Jason Sides-
http://www.sidesmotorsports.com
Lucas Wolfe-
http://www.lucaswolfe.com
For information on Brian Ellenberger,
Ben Gregg, Toni Lutar and Paul McMahan
visit:
http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint
Previewing the Opener of the Texas Two-Step
Weekend at
Lone Star Speedway
Kilgore, TX-March 9,
2010-After two very successful events last
year, Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas
welcomes the World of Outlaws again in 2010
as the best sprint car drivers in the world
will converge on the half-mile on Friday,
March 12 for a full night of racing with
$10,000 awaiting the winner in the opener of
the Second Annual Texas Two-Step Weekend.
Joey Saldana, who was
victorious in both races at Lone Star
Speedway last season, heads to the half-mile
with plenty of momentum this week, having
won the finale at Thunderbowl Raceway in
California last weekend as well as taking
over the lead in the World of Outlaws
standings as he chases his first
championship.
In five events this
season, four different drivers have picked
up wins, and each is among the Top-Four in
the point standings. Jason Meyers, who
finished fourth in both races at Lone Star
Speedway last season, is the only driver
that has multiple wins 2010.
Steve Kinser, the 20-time series
champion and
Donny Schatz, the four-time and
defending series titlist, also have picked
up victories this year.
Last season marked the
World of Outlaws return to Lone Star
Speedway for the first time since 2004 and
the first time since the Hafertepe family
took over the facility and put in countless
hours making it one of the nicest tracks on
the tour.
The World of Outlaws debuted at Lone
Star Speedway in 1984 with three-time series
champion
Sammy Swindell winning. He was
victorious in each of the first five events
for the series at the track, before Steve
Kinser broke that streak and won two in a
row.
The Buzz-
- Joey Saldana, who claimed his
first win of 2010 and took over the
World of Outlaws point lead in the
process, looks to make it three in a row
at Lone Star Speedway after victories in
both events at the track last season.
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. looks for his
first
career World of Outlaws A-Feature
win at his home track after finishing
second last season.
- Brian Ellenberger will return to
action after sitting out the finale at
Thunderbowl Raceway after a very hard
crash in the opener last weekend that
left him very sore and with a couple of
injuries.
- Jason Sides, who has made more
starts at Lone Star Speedway than any
other driver competing full-time with
the World of Outlaws this year, looks to
improve upon very strong fifth and
sixth-place runs last season at the
track.
- Following a strong two nights at
Thunderbowl Raceway,
Fred Rahmer will race again with
the World of Outlaws this weekend
beginning at Lone Star Speedway, where
he competed for the first time last
season.
- Lance Dewease looks to make the
trip down from Pennsylvania to compete
in Texas this weekend. He has competed
once in the state with that coming back
in 1996 and will be making his debut at
Lone Star Speedway.
- Daryn Pittman will also be at
Lone Star Speedway with his Central
Pennsylvania based Keen Motorsports
team.
- A strong contingent from
Knoxville Raceway plan on making
the tow south to Lone Star Speedway
including defending track champion and
1986 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht
Rookie of the Year, Johnny Herrera,
former Knoxville titlist Brian Brown,
Lynton Jeffery and Bronson Maeschen.
- Tony Bruce Jr. will make his
first World of Outlaws start of
the season this weekend at Lone Star
Speedway, where he competed in both
events with the series last year.
Over the years
World of Outlaws
A-Feature winner at Lone Star Speedway
include:
2009- Joey Saldana on
April 10, Joey Saldana on October 24
2004- Steve Kinser on
March 12
2003- Steve Kinser on
October 24
1986 - Sammy Swindell
on March 14, Sammy Swindell on June 14
1984 - Sammy Swindell
on May 5 (completed earlier event), Sammy
Swindell on May 5, Sammy Swindell on June 19
One year ago
In the World of Outlaws
return to Lone Star Speedway for the first
time since 2004, Donny Schatz began the
night by setting fast time, with Steve
Kinser, Jason Meyers and
Joey Saldana taking heat race wins.
The dash went to Jac Haudenschild. Joey
Saldana lined up second in the main event
and shot to the lead and would pace the
field for all 30 laps to become the only
driver other than Steve Kinser and Sammy
Swindell to win at the track with the
series. Donny Schatz finished second with
Steve Kinser third, Jason Meyers fourth and
Danny Lasoski fifth.
The World of Outlaws
returned to the half-mile in October for the
inaugural WoO Fest with Schatz again turning
the fastest lap in
time trials. Steve Kinser, Jason
Meyers and Brad Sweet were victorious in the
heat races, while it was Joey Saldana taking
the dash to earn the pole for the A-Feature.
He again led all 30 laps to pick up the win
over Sam Hafertepe Jr., Steve Kinser, Jason
Meyers and Jason Sides.
Sound Bites
Sam Hafertepe Jr.
"We've tried to make a
few changes to the facility and try to make
it better each time everyone comes back. The
track surface itself is about the same.
We're really looking forward to it."
Joey Saldana
"I enjoy Kilgore and
Houston. They are both tracks I look forward
to racing. I think that's a big part of
racing these cars and racing the people we
are. You have to have a mental aspect to
want to go out and win. I think as long as
I'm positive and knowing going in that these
are tracks that I like to race at hopefully
we can continue to succeed. Last year we had
three awesome nights down there and
hopefully we can again this year."
Steve Kinser
"It's important to be
anywhere. Some of the races have slowed in
the Texas/Oklahoma area and that used to be
a hot bed for a number of years. I don't
know why it has, but it has. It will be nice
to down there to Kilgore and Houston.
Kilgore is a fine facility and I have always
enjoyed running there and back on down to
Houston as well."
By the numbers-
World of Outlaws at Lone Star Speedway
0.5- Miles around Lone
Star Speedway
1- Track record that
has been establish so far in 2010 in time
trials
2- Wins for Steve
Kinser at the track in his career
3- Drivers that have
won A-Feature events with the World of
Outlaws at the half-mile; Events on
half-miles this season
4- Drivers that have
won A-Feature events this season; Drivers
that have finished in the Top-10 in all five
races in 2010
5- Races contested by
the World of Outlaws through March 6
6- Drivers that have
led laps in feature racing competition this
season
7- Points that
currently separate Joey Saldana and Jason
Meyers in the World of Outlaws standings
9- A-Feature events
contested by the World of Outlaws at Lone
Star Speedway dating back to 1984
13.05- Track record at
Lone Star Speedway established by
Danny Lasoski in 2002
14- Drivers competing
full-time with the World of Outlaws this
season that raced at Lone Star Speedway last
year
18- Drivers competing
full-time with the series in 2010
46- Laps led by Donny
Schatz in A-Feature events this season to
lead all drivers
60- Laps led by Joey
Saldana en route to winning twice at the
track last season
1631- Miles from
Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California
where the World of Outlaws competed on March
5-6 to Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas
1984- Year the World of
Outlaws first raced at Lone Star Speedway
10,000- Dollars the
winner will receive on Friday, March 12
30,000-Dollars earned
by Jason Meyers so far in 2010 to lead all
drivers
Tickets
On Friday, March 12 at
Lone Star Speedway, Reserved tickets are $30
in advance and $35 on the day of the race,
with General Admission tickets $25 in
advance and $30 the day of the race. Tickets
for children (ages 6-12) are $15, with kids
5-under admitted free of charge. To purchase
tickets online visit
http://www.lonestarspeedway.com
or call the track at
(903)-986-9731.
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),
Goodyear Tires (Official Tire),
SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP
Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition
to contingency sponsors, Jakes 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 Builders Challenge participants J&J
Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race
Company
Previewing The Texas Shootout for the World
of Outlaws at
Houston Raceway Park
Baytown, TX-March 10,
2010-The Texas Two-Step Weekend rolls into
Houston Raceway Park in Baytown on Saturday,
March 13, as the World of Outlaw pay a visit
to the immaculate ¼-mile, which is one of
the nicest facilities on the tour for a full
night of racing.
The Texas Shootout will
feature a 40-lap main event with a $10,000
top prize in what will be the seventh World
of Outlaws event of 2010 and the first on a
¼-mile. A strong field of cars is expected
as the 18 drivers that are currently touring
full-time with the World of Outlaws will be
on hand, in addition to a couple members of
the famed Pennsylvania Posse as well as a
few of the
Knoxville Raceway regulars that will
make the tow south.
Joey Saldana, who was
victorious at Houston Raceway Park last
season, leads the series back to Texas as
the current championship point leader, after
winning his first race of 2010 last weekend
in California. Jason Meyers moved up to
second in points after a win and a runner-up
finish last weekend and is just seven
markers behind Saldana.
Steve Kinser, the 20-time series
champion is third, only two points behind
Meyers and nine out of the lead.
Donny Schatz, the four-time and
defending series champion is fourth- 36
points back, with Jason Sides rounding out
the Top-Five.
The World of Outlaws
first competed at Houston Raceway Park in
2000, Steve Kinser winning both of the
events that season. A total of four drivers
have won A-Feature events with the series at
the track including three that will be in
attendance this week.
The Buzz-
- Joey Saldana looks to make it two
in a row at Houston Raceway Park after
scoring his first win at the track last
season.
- Donny Schatz charged all the way
from 14th to finish second at
the track last season and has two career
A-Feature wins at the ¼-mile. He looks
to rebound from a 20th-place
finish last weekend.
- Steve Kinser has competed in all
14 World of Outlaws events at Houston
Raceway Park and has finished in the
Top-10 in every single one, with 11 of
those being Top-Five performances.
- Craig Dollansky has finished
third in each of his last three starts
at Houston Raceway Park. He has 12
career Top-10 finishes in 14 starts at
the track as he chases his first win at
the ¼-mile.
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. the lone Texan
competing full-time with the World of
Outlaws this season turned some laps
earlier in the year at Houston Raceway
Park behind the wheel of a Modified with
the USMTS, making the main event on two
of three nights against some of the best
Modified drivers from across the
country.
- Ben Gregg, one of the contenders
for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the
Year Award will make his first start at
Houston Raceway Park this weekend. The
native of Phoenix is coming off a
career-best 11th-place run in
California last weekend.
- A strong contingent from the
sprint car hotbed of Central
Pennsylvania, are expected be in action
at Houston Raceway Park including:
Fred Rahmer, Lance Dewease and
Daryn Pittman.
- A couple of
Knoxville Raceway track champions
look to be in attendance as well with
Johnny Herrera making the trip to Texas
as well as Brian Brown. Also making the
trip south will be Lynton Jeffrey and
Bronson Maeschen.
Over the years
World of Outlaws
A-Feature winner at Houston Raceway Park
include:
2009- Joey Saldana on
April 11
2007- Donny Schatz on
March 16
2005-Donny Schatz on
March 19
2004-Steve Kinser on
March 27
2003-Steve Kinser on
March 22
2002-Mark Kinser on
March 24
2001-
Mark Kinser on April 7, Steve Kinser
on Oct. 14
2000-Steve Kinser on
April 8, Steve Kinser on Oct. 21
One year ago
Joey Saldana wrapped up
the inaugural Texas Two-Step Weekend with a
win at Houston Raceway Park after a victory
the previous night at Lone Star Speedway. He
lined up fourth and quickly moved up into
second and got around early leader Johnny
Herrera on the third lap and would lead the
remainder of the 40-lapper to pick up his
first career win at the ¼-mile. Donny Schatz
came from 14th to finish second,
with
Craig Dollansky third,
Danny Lasoski fourth and
Steve Kinser fifth. Lasoski opened
the night by setting fast time, while the
heats went to Saldana, Dollansky and
Terry McCarl, with Jac Haudenschild
winning the dash.
Sound Bites
Joey Saldana
"It's a great facility
and a great place to race. It's like a
diamond in the rough there. Once people come
out there, they see how great out sport is
and what's going on there and a great
facility. Hopefully we can continue to go
back there year after year."
Sam Hafertepe Jr.
"It's always nice to
open up the trailer in paved pits and keep
everything a lot nicer and cleaner. It's
better on the crew guys as well and it does
pump everyone up to race at nice facilities
like that."
Steve Kinser
"I do enjoy running
that race track and weve always had success
there. I'm looking forward to going back
there this year. It is a short track, but it
doesnt race like a choppy short track. It's
a track that is nice and smooth and we got
around there pretty well. It's a nice
facility as well and a nice race track."
By the numbers-
The Texas Shootout at Houston Raceway Park
0.25- Miles around
Houston Raceway Park
1- Driver from the
state of Texas competing full-time with the
World of Outlaws this season, Sam Hafertepe
Jr.
2- Drivers that led
laps in the feature event at the track in
2009; Drivers currently competing for the
Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Title with
the World of Outlaws
3.6- Average finish for
Steve Kinser at the track in 14 career
starts to lead all drivers
4- Drivers that have
won A-Feature events with the series at the
track; Drivers that have competed in all 14
of the World of Outlaws events at the track
5- A-Feature wins for
Steve Kinser at HRP to lead all drivers with
the series
7- Points that separate
leader Joey Saldana and second-place Jason
Meyers in the standings heading into this
weekend
8- Seasons in which the
World of Outlaws have competed at Houston
Raceway Park
10- A-Feature events
contested by the World of Outlaws at HRP
dating back to 2000; Events the World of
Outlaws contested on ¼-mile tracks in 2009
11- Top-Five finishes
for Steve Kinser at the track to lead all
drivers
11.996- Track record at
Houston Raceway Park established by Joey
Saldana on March 16, 2007
12- Positions gained by
Donny Schatz last season at the track to
earn the Hard Charger Award, coming from 14th
to finish second
13- Drivers competing
full-time with the World of Outlaws that
raced at Houston Raceway Park last season
with the series
14- Total events
contested by the World of Outlaws at HRP
dating back to 2000 including preliminary
features; Top-10 finishes for Steve Kinser
at the track to lead all drivers
18- Drivers that are
following the World of Outlaws full-time
this season
25- World of Outlaws
championships accounted for by drivers
competing full-time with the World of
Outlaws in 2010
30- Seasons in which
the World of Outlaws have competed in the
state of Texas
38- Laps led by
Joey Saldana en route to winning at
the track last season
215- Miles from Lone
Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas where the
World of Outlaws race on March 12 to Houston
Raceway Park in Baytown
1978- Year the World of
Outlaws first competed in the state of
Texas, the birthplace of the series
2000- Year the World of
Outlaws first competed at Houston Raceway
Park
10,000- Dollars the
winner will receive on Saturday, March 13
Tickets
On Saturday, March 13
at Houston Raceway Park, Tickets for adults
will be $30 in advance and $35 the day of
the race, with tickets for juniors (ages
6-12) $15. Children ages five-under will be
admitted free of charge. Pit combos will
also be available for $38, which includes a
grandstand ticket and a pit pass if
purchased in advance. To purchase tickets
online visit
http://www.houstonraceway.com
or call the track at
281-383-7223.
|
%205in%20300dpi.jpg){kind=small}
