Category: Featured Other Series

Featured Other Series

Schatz Makes History At Willams Grove

[media-credit name=”Chris Dollack World of Outlaws” align=”alignright” width=”215″][/media-credit]They say that history is fluid. They say it has ebbs and tides just like the ocean. If that is true then Donny Schatz is hitting high tide at the perfect time of the year, the end. But Donny Schatz has more than that in common with history. He now holds a place in it. Tonight the World of Outlaws points leader became the only 5 time winner of the Open Nationals at Willams Grove. Not even teammate Steve Kinser or the wily Sammy Swindell have been able to win it 5 times. Although, Schatz stated, “You will never equal a Steve Kinser or Sammy maybe this is a record that I can capture.” And capture it he did in a spray of oil and plume of smoke, Schatz held off PA Posse member Brian Leppo to take the win.

The night started out with a much faster track than the Outlaws had yesterday evening. Hot lap times were running in the low 16 second bracket with only .526 seconds separating the fastest time from the 20th fastest time. With 54 cars signed in qualifying would be more important than normal. The dash all by itself would start half of the starting field of the A Main.

Qualifying would show a steady hold on the speed of the track. Unlike the previous night where the track slowed dramatically making it a huge disadvantage to have a high qualifying draw. As a matter of fact quick time on the night would be set by the very last car to go out. Paul McMahan turned a lap of 16.366 seconds to take the Quick Time honor from his team mate Brian Leppo. McMahan who won the A Main in the Night Before the Open on Friday was one of the few drivers in the field who could honestly claim he was neither Outlaw or Posse. If not one or the other what was he? “I’m just a kid from California making a living,” he said. The remainder of the top 5 were Sammy Swindell, Lucas Wolfe and Danny Lasoski.

The 54 car field would require 5 heat races. The first heat would be won by Friday nights quick time holder, Stevie Smith. Smith held off a hard charging Craig Dollansky, Greg Hodnett and Danny Deitrich. In a radical change of fortune the winner of the night before’s A Main would have to run the B main Paul McMahan would miss the dash finishing 5th in the heat.

The second heat was all Posse. Well except for Bill Rose who started 5th and finished 9th. And the Posse showed their colors and their skills. With Lance Dewease and Brian Leppo setting the pace for Chad Layton and Cory Haas.

The third heat would be a driving clinic put on by Jac Haudenschild and he didn’t even win. As a matter of fact he didn’t even transfer to the A main. But Jac Haudenschild who started 9th put on a show of skills and intestinal fortitude that was a sight to behold. Haudenschild drove from 9th to 6th on a track that was difficult to pass on to say the least. Track position was everything at The Grove unless you were Jac Haudenschild. Known as the Wild Child, Haudenschild drove above the cushion and on the very bottom passing cars where they weren’t. Unfortunately he needed a caution to get the last two positions to transfer to the A Main that caution would never come. The heat was won by Sam Hafertepe who held off Dale Blaney, Daryn Pittman and Sammy Swindell.

The fourth heat was all Kasey Kahne Racing. With Cody Darrah taking the win over teammate Joey Saldana, Jason Sides and Lucas Wolfe. This heat race would illustrate how quickly fortunes can change in a sprint car race. Brian Montieth who held the final transfer spot all the way to the final corner would clip the wall and finish 9th all in the span of a corner.

The 5th heat race was a barn burner affair that brought David Gravel home in the first spot with points leader Donny Schatz coming in a very close 2nd followed by Ryan Taylor and Danny Lasoski who had his hands full with a hard charging Kerry Madsen.

Perhaps the most surprising of races was the C main. Surprising because of the names that were in it. Fred Rahmer, Danny Holtgraver, Jac Haudenschild, Kyle Larson, and 20 time World of Outlaws champion, Steve Kinser. Kinser would struggle to a 6th place spot and miss the B main by 4 spots. The B would be won by Jac Haudenschild who passed 5 cars in 2 corners before taking the lead and holding off Tim Shaffer.

The Dash would be a very fast paced affair that saw Donny Schatz start on the pole after an inversion of 8 was drawn. Schatz never lead a lap in the dash as Cody Darrah jumped out to the lead off turn 1 and never looked back. But Schatz stayed strong in second to start on the outside of the front row.

The B Main would transfer 4 to the A. Those 4 would be the top two starting rows of Paul McMahan, Brian Montieth, Don Kreitz Jr., and Alan Krimes. The rest of the field would going to the trailer. Well with the exception of 2 Willams Grove provisional holders and 2 World of Outlaws provisional holders. Going into the A on Outlaws provisionals were Steve Kinser and Kraig Kinser. Going in on Willams Grove provisionals were Brent Marks and Doug Esh.

The A main would be snake bitten from the drop of the green all 6 of them. In fact the field was under red with a car upside down before a lap was ever posted to the board. Danny Lasoski jumped the start and was penalized a row. Pole sitter Cody Darrah jumped the start and was penalized a row. When the race finally did get under way Craig Dollansky was the pole sitter. Starting right next to his rival in the points Donny Schatz. Dollansky got an early run and took the lead out of two on the first lap. He lead despite numerous charges by Schatz until on the 24th lap a lapped car spun right in front of him leaving him no where to go and collected the leader. The misfortune for Dollansky was a nightmare but for 2nd place running Donny Schatz it was a stroke of luck. Schatz would lead for the remainder of the A Main even though on the final two laps his car was smoking out of the corners. In victory lane the oil on the side panels was evident the checkers had fallen just in time to beat Schatz’s rapidly expiring engine. Brian Leppo would come home 2nd and Cody Darrah 3rd.

The victory was more than a victory for Schatz. It was history making. With that win Donny Schatz became the first driver to ever win 5 Open Nationals in his career. Something that at the beginning of the year no one would have believed possible. But like the tides change and ebb so does lady luck and so does the drive of a champion. Schatz never had any intention of becoming an also ran. He never had any plans to give up the chase. He and his Tony Stewart Racing STP team dug a little deeper. Worked a little harder. Searched a little further until finally things came together and when they did, Schatz went on a terror, logging 11 top 5 finishes in a row and 9 top 3 finishes. Schatz took the point lead and has never looked back.

Tonight Donny Schatz stretched that points lead out yet again and now leads Craig Dollansky by 158 points going into the last 5 races of the year. But it’s not over not by a long shot. Things happen quickly in Sprint Car racing. Almost as quickly as the weather changes. With no provisionals remaining at his disposal Schatz must race his way into every one of those 5 remaining races. With 150 points awarded to the winner of the A Main every night and 75 to any driver who does not advance to the A. Schatz’s lead could evaporate in one bad night. Schatz knows this and he is not slowing down. Dollansky knows it too. It’s why his team repaired the car in the A and put him back out on the track to finish 16th. Every point counts. Nothing is a given. Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing can be overlooked. This is a game for the championship. Schatz’s 5th and Dollansky’s 1st. And both know without a doubt that the tide can turn. Dollansky is betting it will and that he will be close enough to capitalize when it does. Schatz is betting it won’t turn soon enough if it turns at all. Who is right? We have 5 more races to run to find out.

Qualifying –
1. 51-Paul McMahan, 16.366; 2. 51B-Brian Leppo, 16.473; 3. 1-Sammy Swindell, 16.523; 4. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 16.534; 5. 1Z-Danny Lasoski, 16.549; 6. 39-Greg Hodnett, 16.551; 7. 7L-Chad Layton, 16.560; 8. 27-Daryn Pittman, 16.574; 9. 9-Joey Saldana, 16.582; 10. 21-Brian Montieth, 16.614; 11. 7-Craig Dollansky, 16.624; 12. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr, 16.639; 13. 2-Dale Blaney, 16.648; 14. 4-Cody Darrah, 16.649; 15. 15-Donny Schatz, 16.665; 16. 19-Stevie Smith, 16.669; 17. 30C-Lance Dewease, 16.680; 18. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 16.690; 19. 87-Alan Krimes, 16.692; 20. 89G-David Gravel, 16.706; 21. 19M-Brent Marks, 16.711; 22. 6-Bill Rose, 16.773; 23. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr., 16.795; 24. 7S-Jason Sides, 16.800; 25. 29-Kerry Madsen, 16.801; 26. 48-Danny Dietrich, 16.804; 27. 15A-Adam Wilt, 16.807; 28. 17B-Steve Buckwalter, 16.808; 29. 63-Chad Kemenah, 16.832; 30. 20-Ryan Taylor, 16.846; 31. 30-Doug Esh, 16.847; 32. 11C-Cory Haas, 16.852; 33. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 16.864; 34. 20S-Derek Sell, 16.916; 35. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 16.928; 36. 35-Jessica Zemken, 16.930; 37. 69T-Tim Glatfelter, 16.944; 38. 83-Tim Shaffer, 16.946; 39. 77-Fred Rahmer, 16.966; 40. 8R-Michael Ruttkamp, 16.966; 41. D4-Danny Holtgraver, 16.968; 42. 75-Nicole Bower, 16.984; 43. 59-Jac Haudenschild, 16.990; 44. 71X-Bill Stine, 16.991; 45. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 17.020; 46. 13-Kyle Larson, 17.022; 47. 69-Ryan Smith, 17.121; 48. 11E-Mike Erdley, 17.141; 49. 44W-Rodney Westhafer, 17.185; 50. 5G-Curt Michael, 17.265; 51. 11-Steve Kinser, 17.353; 52. 12W-Troy Fraker, 17.619; 53. 3B-Randy Baughman, 17.764

Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 19-Stevie Smith[1] ; 2. 7-Craig Dollansky[2] ; 3. 39-Greg Hodnett[3] ; 4. 48-Danny Dietrich[6] ; 5. 51-Paul McMahan[4] ; 6. 19M-Brent Marks[5] ; 7. 30-Doug Esh[7] ; 8. 35-Jessica Zemken[8] ; 9. 13-Kyle Larson[10] ; 10. D4-Danny Holtgraver[9] ; 11. 11-Steve Kinser[11]

Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 30C-Lance Dewease[1] ; 2. 51B-Brian Leppo[4] ; 3. 7L-Chad Layton[3] ; 4. 11C-Cory Haas[7] ; 5. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr[2] ; 6. 69T-Tim Glatfelter[8] ; 7. 75-Nicole Bower[9] ; 8. 12W-Troy Fraker[11] ; 9. 6-Bill Rose[5] ; 10. 15A-Adam Wilt[6]

Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1] ; 2. 2-Dale Blaney[2] ; 3. 27-Daryn Pittman[3] ; 4. 1-Sammy Swindell[4] ; 5. 83-Tim Shaffer[8] ; 6. 59-Jac Haudenschild[9] ; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser[7] ; 8. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[5] ; 9. 11E-Mike Erdley[10] ; 10. 3B-Randy Baughman[11] ; 11. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[6]

Heat 4 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 4-Cody Darrah[2] ; 2. 9-Joey Saldana[3] ; 3. 7S-Jason Sides[5] ; 4. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[4] ; 5. 87-Alan Krimes[1] ; 6. 20S-Derek Sell[7] ; 7. 63-Chad Kemenah[6] ; 8. 77-Fred Rahmer[8] ; 9. 71X-Bill Stine[9] ; 10. 44W-Rodney Westhafer[10]

Heat 5 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 89G-David Gravel[1] ; 2. 15-Donny Schatz[2] ; 3. 20-Ryan Taylor[6] ; 4. 1Z-Danny Lasoski[4] ; 5. 29-Kerry Madsen[5] ; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart[7] ; 7. 8R-Michael Ruttkamp[8] ; 8. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[9] ; 9. 21-Brian Montieth[3] ; 10. 5G-Curt Michael[10]

Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 12 starting positions of A-feature
1. 4-Cody Darrah[2] ; 2. 15-Donny Schatz[1] ; 3. 2-Dale Blaney[3] ; 4. 9-Joey Saldana[5] ; 5. 7-Craig Dollansky[4] ; 6. 51B-Brian Leppo[8] ; 7. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[6] ; 8. 19-Stevie Smith[9] ; 9. 1-Sammy Swindell[7] ; 10. 30C-Lance Dewease[10] ; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[11] ; 12. 89G-David Gravel[12]

C-Main – (10 Laps – Top 2 finishers transfer to the B-feature)
1. 59-Jac Haudenschild[7] [-]; 2. 83-Tim Shaffer[2] [-]; 3. 77-Fred Rahmer[3] [$125]; 4. D4-Danny Holtgraver[5] [$125]; 5. 69T-Tim Glatfelter[1] [$125]; 6. 11-Steve Kinser[14] [$100]; 7. 11E-Mike Erdley[11] [$100]; 8. 8R-Michael Ruttkamp[4] [$100]; 9. 75-Nicole Bower[6] [$100]; 10. 3B-Randy Baughman[16] [$100]; 11. 12W-Troy Fraker[15] [$100]; 12. 44W-Rodney Westhafer[12] [$100]; 13. 71X-Bill Stine[8] [$100]; 14. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[9] [$100]; 15. 13-Kyle Larson[10] [$100]; 16. 5G-Curt Michael[13] [$100]; 17. 69-Ryan Smith[17] [$100]

B-Main – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 51-Paul McMahan[1] [-]; 2. 21-Brian Montieth[2] [-]; 3. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr[3] [-]; 4. 87-Alan Krimes[4] [-]; 5. 19M-Brent Marks[5] [$200]; 6. 29-Kerry Madsen[8] [$180]; 7. 59-Jac Haudenschild[17] [$175]; 8. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[10] [$160]; 9. 30-Doug Esh[12] [$150]; 10. 15A-Adam Wilt[9] [$150]; 11. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[7] [$150]; 12. 63-Chad Kemenah[11] [$150]; 13. 83-Tim Shaffer[18] [$150]; 14. 6-Bill Rose[6] [$150]; 15. 20S-Derek Sell[14] [$150]; 16. 11K-Kraig Kinser[13] [$150]; 17. 1S-Logan Schuchart[15] [$150]; 18. 35-Jessica Zemken[16] [$150]

A-Main – (40 Laps)
1. 15-Donny Schatz[2][$50,000]; 2. 51B-Brian Leppo[6][$12,000]; 3. 4-Cody Darrah[1][$7,500]; 4. 27-Daryn Pittman[17][$4,000]; 5. 51-Paul McMahan[13][$3,500]; 6. 19-Stevie Smith[8][$3,000]; 7. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[7][$2,700]; 8. 30C-Lance Dewease[10][$2,500]; 9. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[11][$2,200]; 10. 39-Greg Hodnett[15][$2,100]; 11. 1-Sammy Swindell[9][$2,000]; 12. 48-Danny Dietrich[22][$1,650]; 13. 21-Brian Montieth[18][$1,550]; 14. 19M-Brent Marks[26][$300]; 15. 7S-Jason Sides[21][$1,100]; 16. 7-Craig Dollansky[5][$1,050]; 17. 89G-David Gravel[12][$1,000]; 18. 30-Doug Esh[28][$50]; 19. 11-Steve Kinser[25][$50]; 20. 11K-Kraig Kinser[27][$50]; 21. 7L-Chad Layton[16][$900]; 22. 20-Ryan Taylor[23][$900]; 23. 9-Joey Saldana[4][$900]; 24. 87-Alan Krimes[20][$900]; 25. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr[19][$900]; 26. 11C-Cory Haas[24][$900]; 27. 1Z-Danny Lasoski[14][$900]; 28. 2-Dale Blaney[3][$900]

Lap Leaders: Craig Dollansky 1-13, 15-24; Donny Schatz 14, 25-40
KSE Hard Charger Award: 27-Daryn Pittman[+13]

Final Points following the race are not available at the time of publishing.

September 30, 2012
Shawn Murray has solid season in late model after jump from Pure Stock

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Last season marked a memorable year for 2011 Barrie Speedway Pure Stock Champion Shawn Murray as he became the first driver from Canada to win the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Division III Championship.

“It was an unbelievable experience to be racing against people from all over North America and to finish first overall was one of my greatest accomplishments,” Murray says. “Probably my most memorable championship of all three.”

As a result, Murray got to go down to the NASCAR Hall of Fame last year and be honored as part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Banquet. Murray says the experience was more than he ever thought it would be.

“The total atmosphere the excitement was overwhelming and something I will never forget,” he says. “They totally know how to make you feel like that you have really accomplished something in racing; also, making some friends down there that I will have the rest of my life.”

[media-credit name=”NASCAR” align=”alignleft” width=”301″][/media-credit]So when it came to the 2012 season and through a partnership, the decision was made to move up to the Wahta Springs Late Model division at Barrie Speedway.

“At the start of the season we were hoping to be able to compete for a top 5 spot at some point in the season and keep up with some of the top runners,” Murray says.

Mid-summer would be where Murray would hit his stride, scoring his first feature victory on July 28^th. He followed that up with three more feature victories. In the end, Murray finished sixth in the track point standings, following four feature wins, 14 top fives and 28 top 10s in 34 feature starts. In the end Whelen Series standings, it places him as the highest finishing rookie of the year. Track standings have him finishing to Thayne Hallyburton, 22 points behind.

“All and all, our rookie year was more than we had ever hoped for,” he says.

In making the transition, Murray says it was tough learning how important communication with his crew chief is.

[media-credit name=”Mike Keiers/CableGuyPhotos.com” align=”alignright” width=”301″][/media-credit]“I was lucky enough to get a great crew and very experienced crew chief (Ray McCaughey) who knew exactly what adjustments to make on the car to make it competitive,” he says.

For the success this season, there’s a lot of people that Murray says are on his list of people to thank.

“First I would like to thank all my crew guys and their family for allowing them to come every week – Guy, John, Drew, Chris and Griffin,” Murray says. “Also would like to thank Kyle from Baker Performance Parts for giving me the opportunity to race his late model this year. Dwayne Baker for all his advice and encouragement, and Sherry for all her support.

“Now to my crew chief Ray McCaughey, I can’t thank him enough for having faith, patience and encouragement and total dedication to me. His vast knowledge of how to make the car fast, all the success this year is because of him.

“Now onto the people that got me onto the track, Glenn from Lake Simcoe Heating and Air Conditioning, Tom from the Hitch House, Cheryl from Grantmyre Painting, Mr. Coates, and Jane from Financial Transitions, without great sponsors and people like this our season would never have happened.”

Murray got started in racing after a friend of his, Jim Anderson, called him on a Saturday morning and asked if Murray wanted to go to the races to watch Anderson’s friend Steve race a mini stock.

“After that night went back a couple more times with Jim and was hooked,” Murray says. “Bought a car near the end of the season and then started racing in the mini stock division. Always had an interest, as a little kid my dad would bring my brother and myself to Barrie Speedway to watch.”

Murray would win the Pure Stock Track Championship in 2006, before taking three years off to work on John Gaunt’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series pit crew.

“I learned that attention to detail is huge on any race car, that taking notes, exact measurements is key to a fast competitive car,” Murray says of that experience. “I also learned that to be a successful driver in any series you need to have a dedicated team.”

Gaunt is one of the two drivers that Murray calls his racing hero due to Gaunt’s determination and the total determination of his team.

“Also a very patient driver,” he says. “I have learned a lot from him over the years and have some of the best memories racing with him and Kerry Micks, I really likes Kerry’s aggressive driving style – if he has a 10th place car he will get up on the wheel and drive it into 5th place, he is also not afraid to use the ‘chrome horn’.”

In his own experience of racing, Murray says his biggest lesson is patience and to take the advice of seasoned veterans.

Well for most drivers their memorable moments have come on track, Murray says that his most memorable moment in racing is meeting his future wife Sue at the track.

September 29, 2012
Corey LaJoie Scores First Monster Mile Win In Wild K&N Pro Series East Race

[media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]With wrecks aplenty, a torn off bumper, and a green, white checkered finish, Corey LaJoie survived to score the win in the K&N Pro Series East race, the American Real TV 150, at Dover International Speedway.

And in one of the more unique victory celebrations, LaJoie removed his driving shoe, autographed it and handed it to a young race fan in the stands.

This was LaJoie’s fourth career K&N Pro Series East victory, with all four wins in the 2012 season. It was his first win at the Monster Mile, where he finished

“First I just want to start by saying how blessed I am to be in this situation,” the driver of the No. 07 Sims Metal Management Ford, said. “There are a million and a half kids who’d like to be in my spot right here so I’m just lucky enough to have the opportunity.”

“It doesn’t matter how many races I win in my career, I’ll always be second to the Lord.”

LaJoie was also effusive in his praise for third place finisher and good friend Brandon McReynolds.

“Brandon’s my best buddy since we came out of the womb,” LaJoie said. “To get to race for Miles the Monster in one of his one-off races, man it’s something you couldn’t ask for more.”

“I also need to thank Brand Gdovic for pulling that bumper off or we’d be sitting her in tenth place half tore up.”

“All in all, that was an awesome race.”

LaJoie admitted that the car he was driving and won the race in just happened to be borrowed.

“Miguel Paludo drove it last year and we pulled it out of the barn to get it out,” LaJoie said. “We got it a month ago, stripped it, painted it and the first time it hit the track was yesterday.”

LaJoie is also focused on the biggest prize in the series, the championship. And what does he have to do in his opinion to achieve that goal?

“Win the next two races,” LaJoie said simply. “If we win the next two races, no matter what anybody else does, we’re going to win the championship.”

LaJoie also came into the media center shoeless, thanks to his unique victory celebration.

“I give both of my shoes away,” LaJoie said. “I started that at Iowa.”

“I gave one away in the stands and one away in Victory Lane and my socks are soaking wet with Budweiser.”

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr. had an incredible comeback to finish second, his second top-2 finish at Dover having won the race last year, but he was none too happy in the media center after the race.

“It’s not even that I’m disappointed that we lost,” the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, said. “We lost the wrong way.”

“If you have to cheat to win and get somebody else to take your rear bumper off, I don’t understand that.”

“I’m frustrated over that but great day for us and a great weekend overall,” Wallace said. “We’ve been struggling all year and to be able to finish second, I’ll take it.”

“That’s how it is,” Wallace continued. “Maybe that will come around to us when our bumper gets ripped off and we get someone else to take it off for us.”

“It is complete awesomeness – sarcasm there – but we’ll take it.”

Brandon McReynolds, son of broadcaster Larry McReynolds, came in third in his No. 28 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet. This was McReynolds best finish in his eighth K&N Pro Series East start and his first race of the season.

“I really believe the 18 or us had the best car to beat,” McReynolds said. “I just didn’t get the pickup full of fuel so our restart was pretty terrible.”

“But it all started when I got a good run on the top and got on the outside of the 07,” McReynolds continued. “He just stuck me in the fence and tore up his bumper.”

“But that’s fine,” McReynolds said. “He’s one of our buddies and we’ll get over it and talk about it sometime.”

“He’ll realize pretty quick when you move up, you ain’t going to go far doing stuff like that,” McReynolds continued. “There’s only so many guys who will cut you breaks.”

“I shouldn’t have cut him a break,” McReynolds said. “I should have put him in the fence.”

“But we’ll move on to the next one,” McReynolds continued. “We were here to spoil the party and everyone knows we were a force to be reckoned with.”

“We made our statement and hopefully Mr. Turner sees that we have a really good thing going here and we can get some more races.”

The rest of the top five finishers were Ben Kennedy in fourth and Kyle Larson in fifth place.

September 28, 2012
Joey Saldana Released by Kasey Kahne Racing

On Monday, Joey Saldana was released from his driving duties with the No. 9 Great Clips / Sage Fruit / ASE sprint car for Kasey Kahne Racing, but will complete the remaining races on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series 2012 schedule in the car.

“While I’m disappointed to have been released by Kasey after seven seasons with the team, I’m thankful to Kasey and my crew guys for all their effort,” said Joey. “We have won a lot of races together.”

While driving for Kasey Kahne Racing, Joey has accomplished 77 total wins (70 of them being World of Outlaws wins) and has finished second twice, third twice, and fourth twice in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship points. He currently sits fourth in points with seven races remaining.

“I want to thank all my fans for their support through the years and in the upcoming off-season,” Joey remarked. “I am hopeful to be back out on the World of Outlaws tour next year competing for a championship.” No plans are in place with any team at this time.

September 26, 2012
Crowning Achievement For Kennington

Caps Off NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship With 7th Win At Kawartha

[media-credit name=”Mathew Manor/NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”340″][/media-credit]FRASERVILLE, Ont. (Sept. 22, 2012) – D.J. Kennington won it all. Kennington capped his 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 championship with a victory Saturday in the final race of the season, the Pinty’s 250 presented by Dodge, at Kawartha Speedway.

It is the second championship in three years for the 35-year-old St. Thomas, Ont., driver. And it was his record seventh win in 12 races on the season.

Kennington took the lead from pole sitter J.R. Fitzpatrick on Lap 231 and led the rest of the way. He held off runner-up Andrew Ranger and third-place Fitzpatrick over a green-white-checkered finish that pushed the race to 255 laps.

Fitzpatrick led a race-high 216 laps, losing the lead only on a cycle of pit stops and when Kennington overtook him for the race-winning pass.

Pete Shepherd III and Martin Roy rounded out the top five. Roy entered the weekend having already clinched the Rookie of the Year honors.

Scott Steckly finished sixth, followed by Mark Dilley, Jeff Lapcevich, Donald Chisholm and L.P. Dumoulin.

Kennington took the points lead early in the season on the strength of five-straight wins and finished it off with back-to-back victories. He ended 27 points ahead of Fitzpatrick and 35 over Ranger. Steckly and Ron Beauchamp Jr. were fourth and fifth, respectively.

With the championship, Kennington earned a locked-in spot to the UNOH Battle At The Beach next February on the .4-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway. The champions of NASCAR’s three international series — Canadian Tire Series, Mexico’s Toyota Series, and Euro Racecar Series — have a locked-in spot to one of the three races (K&N Pro Series, Whelen Modified Tour or Whelen All-American Series) they elect to enter.

Kennington will be honored for his title run along with NASCAR’s other touring series champions on Saturday, Dec. 8 at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards at the Grand Ballroom of the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

UNOFFICIAL NASCAR CANDADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by MOBIL 1-Pinty’s 250 presented by Dodge Results
Saturday at Kawartha Speedway
Fraserville, Ontario
Lap length: 0.375 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (4) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 255 laps, 51.480 mph.
2. (3) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Dodge, 255.
3. (1) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont., Chevrolet, 255.
4. (5) Pete Shepherd, III, Brampton, Ont., Dodge, 255.
5. (12) Martin Roy, Napierville, Que, Dodge, 255.
6. (2) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 255.
7. (7) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Ford, 255.
8. (10) Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Dodge, 255.
9. (6) Donald Chisholm, Antigonish, N.S., Ford, 255.
10. (15) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 255.
11. (8) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 255.
12. (14) Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont., Dodge, 255.
13. (9) Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont., Dodge, 255.
14. (18) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Dodge, 255.
15. (27) Dave Connelly, Arnprior, Ont., Dodge, 254.
16. (19) Isabelle Tremblay, St. Hippolyte, Que., Dodge, 253.
17. (13) Howie Scannell Jr., Milton, Ont., Dodge, 251.
18. (22) Ray Courtemanche Jr., Montreal, Que., Dodge, 249.
19. (25) Hugo Vannini, Repentigny, Que., Ford, 243.
20. (20) Elie Arseneau, Laval, Que., Dodge, 232.
21. (16) Max Papis, Como, Italy, Dodge, 219.
22. (17) Derek White, Kahnawake, Que., Chevrolet, 203, fuel pump.
23. (11) Steve Mathews, New Liskeard, Ont., Ford, 195, suspension.
24. (24) Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta., Dodge, 186, accident.
25. (28) Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alta., Chevrolet, 88, accident.
26. (23) Mike Scholz, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Chevrolet, 80, rear end.
27. (21) Dexter Stacey, Kahnawake, Que., Dodge, 45, oil leak.
28. (26) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ont., Dodge, 7, engine.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 51 minutes 27 seconds
Margin of Victory: .440 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: J.Fitzpatrick (75.263 mph, 17.937 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 65 laps.
Lead Changes: 3 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Fitzpatrick 1-118; J. Hathaway 119-132; J. Fitzpatrick 133-230; D. Kennington 231-255.
Standings: 1. D. Kennington, 517; 2. J. Fitzpatrick, 490; 3. A. Ranger, 482; 4. S. Steckly, 471; 5. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 422; 6. L. Dumoulin, 396; 7. J. Hathaway, 390; 8. M. Roy, 383; 9. J. White, 375; 10. N. Dowler, 355.

September 25, 2012
Jeff Hanley Scores OSCAAR Super Late Model Victory after early race incident

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Following early race contact between Jeff Hanley and George Wilson, Hanley would have to restart at the rear of the field. However, Hanley would work his way through the field and take the victory.

The incident between Hanley and Wilson continues a chapter of OSCAAR incidents that have happened in the past. In victory lane, Hanley stated that Wilson caused it by coming across his nose and didn’t understand why he was put to back as he did not cause the incident.

“You poke the bear and this is what happens,” Hanley added in victory lane. He also added that he will not be running future OSCAAR races.

To add to the headlines of the race, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series driver J.R. Fitzpatrick was making his first OSCAAR Super Late Model start driving Roy Passer’s car.

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”266″][/media-credit]Following the qualifying heats, Hanley would be awarded the pole ahead of Derrike Tiemersma, Wilson, Rob Clarke, Wayne Issacs, Shawn Chenoweth, Brandon Watson, Fitzpatrick, Glenn Watson, Jesse Kennedy, Kyle Passer, Todd Campbell, Charlie Gallant, Rob Poole, Shane Maginnis, Chris Burrows, Ian Bourque, the 81, Brandon Vanderwel, Tyler Hawn, the 98, Quinn Misener, Jim Bowman, Mike Bricknell and Paul Milligan.

Hanley would grab the early lead over Tiemersma while Wilson battled with Clarke for second. However, their battle would be short lived as the first caution would fly for Bowman going around.

On the restart, Hanley would once again grab the lead, leaving Tiemersma and Wilson to battle for second when there’d be another caution for Vanderwel and Hawn wrecking.

On the restart, Wilson would get alongside Hanley for the lead, however the third caution would then fly for Glenn Watson going around. Campbell also suffered heavy front end damage in the incident and was done for the race.

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]So three laps into the 50 lap feature, it’d be Wilson leading Hanley, Clarke, Tiemersma, Fitzpatrick, Chenoweth, Issac, Brandon Watson, Kennedy, Passer and Poole.

On the restart would be where the contact would take place between Wilson and Hanley, resulting in Wilson making hard contact with the inside wall on the front stretch. Wilson would be done for the event, well Hanley would be sent to the rear of the field. The incident can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSL5YC8cz1s, as videotaped by Justin Jones.

So three laps into the feature, it’d be last year’s Velocity 250 winner Rob Clarke leading Tiemersma, Fitzpatrick, Chenoweth, Issac, Kennedy, Passer, Poole, Maginnis, Bourque and the 81.

On the restart, Clarke would jump out to the lead while Tiemersma and Fitzpatrick battled for second. Their battle would be short lived as the fifth caution would fly for Misener going for a spin. Under caution, points leader Brandon Watson would come down pit road.

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”266″][/media-credit]On the restart, there’d be another caution as Dave Taylor would run into problems. Under caution, Misener and Brandon Watson would both come down pit road.

With only five laps complete in the event, Derrike Tiemersma had grabbed the lead ahead of Rob Clarke on the restart. J.R. Fitzpatrick ran third, followed by Shawn Chenoweth, Jesse Kennedy, Shane Maginnis, Ian Bourque, the 81, Rob Poole and Jeff Hanley.

On the restart, Clarke would grab the lead ahead of Tiemersma, Fitzpatrick, Chenoweth, Kennedy and Hanley. The top six would run in that order till the seventh caution at lap 17 for the 81 going around. Under caution, Poole would make his way down pit road.

With 33 laps to go, Clarke led Tiemersma, Fitzpatrick, Chenoweth, Kennedy, Hanley, Maginnis and Bourque.

On the restart, Clarke would continue to lead while Fitzpatrick slipped past Tiemersma for second, with Hanley now up to the fourth position ahead of Kennedy and Chenoweth. Hanley would pass Tiemersma for third on lap 19 just before the eighth caution on lap 19 for Hawn stopping up in turn two. Under caution, Bowman and Hawn would make their way down pit road.

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]On the restart, Clarke would lead over Fitzpatrick and Tiemersma while Kennedy and Hanley battled for fourth. Hanley would clear Kennedy for fourth on lap 20 just before the ninth caution for Bourque and Chenoweth wrecking. Under caution, Bourque, Chenoweth, Poole and Tiemersma would make their way down pit road.

With 30 laps to go, it’d be Clarke leading Fitzpatrick, Hanley, Kennedy, Gallant, Brandon Watson, Glenn Watson, Maginnis, Passer and Burrows.

On the restart, Clarke would continue to lead while Fitzpatrick and Hanley battled for second. Hanley would clear Fitzpatrick for second on lap 22.

On lap 24, Clarke would continue leading, now ahead of Hanley, Fitzpatrick, Kennedy and Brandon Watson while Gallant battled with Glenn Watson for sixth. Gallant would pass Glenn Watson for sixth on lap 25.

On lap 33, the yellow flag almost came up when Burrows drove up into the Issacs, though both drivers managed to continue. Poole almost got involved in the incident, slipping past them both, sliding it sideways, though managed to keep it straight and keep going. However, the race would not end without caution as the 10^th caution would fly on lap 34 for Burrows stopping on track as a result of the damage.

With 16 laps to go, it’d be Clarke leading Hanley, Fitzpatrick, Kennedy, Brandon Watson, Gallant, Glenn Watson, Chenoweth, Passer, Poole, Maginnis, Tiemersma and Bourque.

On the restart, Hanley would grab the lead from Clarke while Fitzpatrick battled with Kennedy for third. Kennedy would clear Fitzpatrick for third on lap 36. Brandon Watson would try to pass Fitzpatrick for fourth on lap 40, though no dice. Instead, Watson would slip back to the ninth position by lap 42 after being passed by Glenn Watson, Gallant, Chenoweth and Tiemersma. Chenoweth would bump Watson back to 10^th on lap 44.

The final stretch would belong to Jeff Hanley as he would take the win in convincing fashion. After the race, Hanley gave the trophy away to a little boy.

Rob Clarke finished second, followed by Jesse Kennedy, J.R. Fitzpatrick and Charlie Gallant.

Glenn Watson finished sixth, followed by Shawn Chenoweth, Glenn Watson, Kyle Passer and Rob Poole.

The top 10 finish for Poole marked the end to a long trying day after breaking a drive shaft in practice. Speaking of Poole, stay tuned to Rob Poole Racing as they may have a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series driver driving the No. 45 car at Kawartha Speedway this Friday due to Poole having to work.

September 25, 2012
Gary McLean wins OSCAAR Modified Velocity 250 Feature at Sunset Speedway

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]When it came to the end of the OSCAAR Modified feature at Sunset Speedway, it’d be Gary McLean once again going for victory lane as he did earlier this year at Sunset.

Following qualifying, it’d be Tim Burke starting on the pole, followed by Bill Pearsall, Brent McLean, Gary McLean, Brian McLean, Brandon Crumbie, Monty Kelly, Josh Gruntz, Dave Terry, Adam Adams, Branden Bullen, John Harper, Matt Barton, Chris Burrows and Bill Burrows.

On the opening lap, it’d be Brent McLean and Burke side-by-side for the lead as Pearsall began to fall through the field. Brent McLean would clear Burke for the lead on lap two, followed by Brian McLean.

The first caution would come out at lap four for Monty Kelly going for a spin on the backstretch. Both Barton and Pearsall would make their way down pit road under yellow. So with 26 laps to go, it’d be Brent McLean leading Burke, Brian McLean, Gary McLean, Terry, Gruntz, Harper, Adams, Chris Burrows, Bill Burrows, Bullen, Kelly, Pearsall and Barton.

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”266″][/media-credit]On the restart, Brent McLean would jump ahead of Burke while Brian McLean and Gary McLean battled for third. Gary McLean would clear Brian McLean on lap nine, with Terry clearing Brian McLean on lap 11 for fourth.

The second caution would come out on lap 12 for Brandon Crumbie stopping on track. He’d pull his car into the infield, done for the race, Meanwhile, Bullen would make his way down pit road.

On the restart, Brent McLean would once again jump out to the lead, while Burke and Gary McLean battled for second. Gary McLean would clear Burke for second on lap 14, while Terry ran fourth. On lap 18, Terry would get alongside Burke for third, though the third caution would then come out for Bullen spinning in turn three.

With 12 laps to go, it’d be Brent McLean leading Gary McLean, Burke, Terry, Brian McLean, Gruntz, Kelly, Pearsall, Chris Burrows, Adam Adams and John Harper.

On the restart, it’d be Brent and Gary McLean side-by-side for the lead, with Gary McLean clearing Brent McLean for the lead on lap 19. The[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit] caution would then come out on lap 20 due to smoke from Chris Burrows blowing up.

On the restart, Gary McLean would jump ahead of Brent McLean and Terry while Brian McLean and Burke battled for fourth.

The fifth caution would come out on lap 23 when Bill Burrows and Adams went around for a spin.

On the restart, Gary McLean would jump ahead of the field while Brent McLean and Terry battled for second. There’d then be another caution on lap 25 for Kelly going for a spin.

With five laps to go, it’d be Gary McLean leading Terry, Brent McLean, Brian McLean, Burke, Gruntz, Pearsall, Harper, Adams, Bullen, Kelly and Bill Burrows.

On the restart, it’d be Gary McLean and Terry side-by-side for the lead, with McLean clearing Terry with two laps to go.

Gary McLean would lead the final two laps to take the victory. Dave Terry finished second, followed by Brent McLean, Brian McLean and Tim Burke. Josh Gruntz finished sixth, followed by Bill Pearsall, John Harper, Adam Adams and Monty Kelly. Branden Bullen and Bill Burrows rounded out the field.

September 24, 2012
Monty Kelly, Tim Burke, Brent McLean and Gary McLean wins heats in OSCAAR Qualifying

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Saturday September 22nd meant qualifying day for the OSCAAR Modifieds for the Velocity 250 feature, which is set to be run on Sunday September 23rd. It was a familiar crowd at the front of the field, winning the races, while some drivers found some trouble.

In the first heat, it’d be Monty Kelly taking the win, ahead of Brad Pearsall, Brent McLean, No. 77, Josh Gruntz, John Harper and Branden Bullen.

In the second heat, there’d be a caution on lap five when Chris Burrows would stop on track. Then on the restart, Bill Burrows would go for a spin. The cautions would not end there as on lap six, Gary McLean would send Dave Terry for a spin while Chris Burrows would stall under caution. In the end, it’d be Tim Burke taking the victory, ahead of Brandon Crumbie, Brian McLean, Gary McLean, Terry and Adam Adams.

In the third heat, Kelly would go for a spin after contact from the 77. It’d be Brent McLean taking the victory, ahead of Gruntz, Pearsall, Kelly, No. 77, Bullen and Harper.

In the fourth and final heat, Gary McLean would take the victory, ahead of Brian McLean, Terry, Burke, Crumbie, Chris Burrows, Adams and Bill Burrows.

The feature for the OSCAAR Modifieds would be set to run on Sunday September 23rd, when they’d be joined by the OSCAAR Super Lates.

September 23, 2012

Dale Blaney Beats Mother Nature at Lernerville

[media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]There was a heaviness in the air. A foreboding if you will. The clouds were gathering just beyond the track and the smell of rain became apparent on the wind. It was a hurry up qualifying session for the Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville Speedway. Hurry up next one we can get it in. Hurry up and go. But all the hurrying in the world wasn’t enough even with 12 second laps, at 6:25 EDT the winds and the rain came. Fans were advised to leave the grandstands and take cover. Crews rushed to trailer their cars. Qualifying would have to be started over. And the wait had begun.

It would take patience to wait it out. The delay was a long one, 3 hours to be exact. Qualifying was cut to 1 lap per car and many seemed to struggle in the beginning of the order. Quick time was set by Paul McMahan with a single lap of 12.686 seconds or 127.7 mph. Ed Lynch Jr, the winningest driver at Lernerville Speedway, was 2nd. Track record holder Joey Saldana was 3rd. The current points leader, Donny Schatz was 4th and Dale Blaney was 5th.

The heat races were a challenging feat of skill and determination from every driver involved. It was obvious that some were adept at setting up their cars for a heavy tacky track. While others were struggling to adapt quickly to the change in track conditions. The first heat on the narrow track was won by Jason Sides, with Paul McMahan right on his heels. The Points leader Donny Schatz came home third. Tim Shaffer, Lucas Wolfe, Cody Darrah would also transfer to the A Main from this race. Same Hafertepe Jr. Held a transfer spot until the very last lap when his car lost a muffler and he ran over it shredding a tire. Three would advance to the dash, Jason Sides, Paul McMahan and Donny Schatz.

The second heat was fast paced and foretelling of the rest of the evening. Craig Dollansky would jump out to the early lead and never look back. Dollansky would pull away to a significan’t lead over Kerry Madsen and Ed Lynch and literally run away. Also transferring were Dale Blaney, Sheldon Haudenschild and Kraig Kinser.

The third heat race would pit experience against desire. Sammy Swindell would pull out to the lead over Danny Holtgraver and he would stay there. Holtgraver tried the top. Holtgraver tried the bottom. He could pull right up on Swindell’s bumper a couple of times he got wheel to wheel but he could not find a way around the the experience of the 4 time champion Swindell. Joey Saldana would come home 3rd. Stevie Smith 4th, Jac Haudenschild 5th, Steve Kinser 6th.

The dash inversion was a 6 and put Craig Dollansky on the pole. A position he would never relinquish. The dash however would give Dollansky an idea of who his stiffest competition was going to be, Dale Blaney hung right with him, Blaney tried to set Dollansky up for the slide but the track was simply too narrow to pull off the move. Dollansky and Blaney were chased to the line by Joey Saldana, Paul McMahan and Donny Schatz. Somewhere in the back of his mind Dollansky was taking down names and numbers, because he knew these were the guys that were looking to take away his dominance on the night.

The Last Chance Showdown saw David Gravel take the crossed checker flags followed by Sam Hafertepe Jr, Branden Spithaler, Chris Bell, Shane Stewart and Bill Rose. With the A Main line up set, the real fun was about to begin.

The A Main started off with a bang. On the green flag Kerry Madsen spun collecting Danny Holtgraver and both cars got over on their sides. Both drivers were OK but Holtgraver’s day was over. Madsen would make repairs and return to the fray. When the green flag finally flew, Dollansky set sail. He was smooth and he was fast yet there was a desperation in his run. He was running for the points, for the win, to keep his championship dream alive and he was running from the school of sharks that was forming behind him. The first shark to show his wing was Paul McMahan. McMahan powered to the rear bumper and challenged Dollansky’s Big Tree Stand machine. Dollansky held off the charge lap after lap until with 5 laps to go McMahan suddenly slowed and pulled the car off to the pits. That moved Dale Blaney to second. Blaney made his run. But again Dollansky held off the charge. Behind the leaders Donny Schatz had moved up to third around Jason Sides and he was coming hard and fast. On the white flag lap suddenly Dollansky slowed. he slowed drastically. Blaney flew by, Schatz flew by, Jason Sides flew by, Joey Saldana flew by. The hit to Dollansky was direct and it was to the heart and it came from under his own hood. When the checkers flew it would be Dale Blaney who would take the podium followed by Donny Schatz and Jason Sides. Dollansky’s championship hopes took a hard hit. Losing all the points he had gained back over the last 3 races and 7 more. Schatz was again in control having stemmed the charge from Dollansky. He was on the podium for a 10th time in as many races.

Dale Blaney’s patience paid off with a victory. “I knew it was going to be tough for them to get it in,” he said. “We just put ourselves in good position and were fortunate enough to win one.”

Donny Schatz understood the significance of the win. He over came early mistakes and adverse track conditions to pull off the podium finish. “There was a lot of things going on,” said Schatz, who increased his championship advantage to 114 points over Dollansky. “We had a decent finish. It was a very demanding race track, a very unforgiving night for everyone and I’m glad the fans stuck it out.”

Jason Sides was thankful for the third spot on the podium and voiced the thoughts of perhaps everyone in attendance. “It’s one of those nights where you’re happy that you do what you do,” he said. “Sometimes when it gets like this, when you have to wait out the rain, it makes for a long night, but still it’s better than a real job. We get to come out here and race in front of these fans and have a good night and put on a good show.”

The KSE Hard Charger of the race was Cody Darrah who climbed from 21st starting position to 7th. Jac Haudenschild rallied to a 5th place finish continuing his very dominate return to the World of Outlaws. The King of the Outlaws struggled all night and finished uncharacteristically a lap down in 13th spot. In the end the heavy track created a race of attrition with only 15 of the 24 starters still on the track.

Donny Schatz said last week that things can happen quickly and this race means very little when you get to the next track. Tonight was proof of that. Schatz padded his lead and again pulled away from Craig Dollansky. But with 7 races to go, Dollansky’s chances are not done yet. He can still push it to Charlotte and in fact mathematically he can still win the championship over Schatz. It won’t be easy. As a matter of fact it will be very difficult. Schatz is on a roll. He is not only making good moves on the track, lady luck is on his side as well. Richard Petty once said I would rather be lucky than good. But when you combine lucky and good the train is rolling down hill. Can Dollansky stop it? We will see. But one thing is for sure the real winners in this championship battle are the fans.

Qualifying – 1. 51-Paul McMahan, 12.686; 2. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr., 12.694; 3. 9-Joey Saldana, 12.735; 4. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.739; 5. 2-Dale Blaney, 12.776; 6. 19-Stevie Smith, 12.826; 7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 12.840; 8. 7-Craig Dollansky, 12.870; 9. 1-Sammy Swindell, 12.882; 10. 7S-Jason Sides, 12.897; 11. 29-Kerry Madsen, 12.907; 12. D4-Danny Holtgraver, 12.920; 13. 89G-David Gravel, 12.954; 14. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.971; 15. 59-Jac Haudenschild, 12.997; 16. 83-Tim Shaffer, 13.015; 17. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.027; 18. O-Chris Bell, 13.048; 19. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.051; 20. 22-Brandon Spithaler, 13.079; 21. 6-Bill Rose, 13.106; 22. 29X-Shane Stewart, 13.124; 23. 21N-Andy Priest, 13.140; 24. 20E-Brian Ellenberger, 13.211; 25. 4-Cody Darrah, 13.272; 26. 7E-Eric Williams, 13.283; 27. 11-Steve Kinser, 13.300; 28. 63-Chad Kemenah, 13.307; 29. O8-Dan Kuriger, 13.349; 30. 1R-Gale Ruth, 14.666; 31. 4K-William Kiley, 15.546.

Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 7S-Jason Sides [1]; 2. 51-Paul McMahan [4]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 4. 83-Tim Shaffer [6]; 5. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [7]; 6. 4-Cody Darrah [9]; 7. 89G-David Gravel [5]; 8. 29X-Shane Stewart [8]; 9. 63-Chad Kemenah [10]; 10. 4K-William Kiley [11]; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr [2].

Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 7-Craig Dollansky [2]; 2. 29-Kerry Madsen [1]; 3. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr. [4]; 4. 2-Dale Blaney [3]; 5. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [6]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5]; 7. 22-Brandon Spithaler [7]; 8. 21N-Andy Priest [8]; 9. O8-Dan Kuriger [10]; 10. 7E-Eric Williams [9].

Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 1-Sammy Swindell [2]; 2. D4-Danny Holtgraver [1]; 3. 9-Joey Saldana [4]; 4. 19-Stevie Smith [3]; 5. 59-Jac Haudenschild [5]; 6. 11-Steve Kinser [9]; 7. 20E-Brian Ellenberger [8]; 8. O-Chris Bell [6]; 9. 6-Bill Rose [7]; 10. 1R-Gale Ruth [10].

Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 7-Craig Dollansky [1]; 2. 2-Dale Blaney [2]; 3. 9-Joey Saldana [4]; 4. 51-Paul McMahan [6]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [8]; 7. 1-Sammy Swindell [7]; 8. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr. [5]; 9. 29-Kerry Madsen [9]; 10. D4-Danny Holtgraver [10].

B-Main – (12 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 89G-David Gravel [2] [-]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr [1] [-]; 3. 22-Brandon Spithaler [4] [-]; 4. O-Chris Bell [3] [-]; 5. 29X-Shane Stewart [6] [-]; 6. 6-Bill Rose [5] [-]; 7. 20E-Brian Ellenberger [8] [$200]; 8. 63-Chad Kemenah [10] [$180]; 9. 7E-Eric Williams [9] [$175]; 10. 4K-William Kiley [13] [$160]; 11. 21N-Andy Priest [7] [$150]; 12. 1R-Gale Ruth [12] [$150]; 13. O8-Dan Kuriger [11] [$150].

A-Main – (35 Laps) – 1. 2-Dale Blaney [2] [$10,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [5] [$5,500]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [6] [$3,200]; 4. 9-Joey Saldana [3] [$2,800]; 5. 59-Jac Haudenschild [15] [$2,500]; 6. 1-Sammy Swindell [7] [$2,300]; 7. 4-Cody Darrah [21] [$2,200]; 8. O-Chris Bell [18] [$2,100]; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser [14] [$2,050]; 10. 29-Kerry Madsen [9] [$2,000]; 11. 7-Craig Dollansky [1] [$1,500]; 12. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [17] [$1,200]; 13. 11-Steve Kinser [22] [$1,100]; 14. 6-Bill Rose [24] [$1,050]; 15. 22-Brandon Spithaler [20] [$1,000]; 16. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr [12] [$900]; 17. 51-Paul McMahan [4] [$800]; 18. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [19] [$800]; 19. 89G-David Gravel [13] [$800]; 20. 19-Stevie Smith [11] [$800]; 21. 29X-Shane Stewart [23] [$800]; 22. 83-Tim Shaffer [16] [$800]; 23. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr. [8] [$800]; 24. D4-Danny Holtgraver [10] [$800]. Lap Leaders: Craig Dollansky 1-32, Dale Blaney 33-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 4-Cody Darrah [+14].

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Top 20 Championship Standings

Pos.	Driver	Total	Diff	Wins	T5	T10	QT
1	Donny Schatz	8944	0	10	35	55	3
2	Craig Dollansky	8830	-114	8	33	48	9
3	Sammy Swindell	8817	-127	12	29	45	14
4	Joey Saldana	8789	-155	5	24	50	9
5	Steve Kinser	8701	-243	3	25	45	0
6	Kraig Kinser	8502	-442	4	18	41	6
7	Cody Darrah	8301	-643	1	21	35	2
8	Kerry Madsen	8247	-697	5	14	36	2
9	Chad Kemenah	8016	-928	2	10	30	2
10	Lucas Wolfe	7862	-1082	1	9	24	1
11	Bill Rose	7083	-1861	0	0	10	0
12	Jason Sides	5635	-3309	0	17	28	1
13	Jac Haudenschild	3887	-5057	0	4	11	0
14	Tim Kaeding	3524	-5420	4	10	17	0
15	Sam Hafertepe Jr.	2572	-6372	0	3	7	0
16	Danny Lasoski	2567	-6377	1	5	9	0
17	Daryn Pittman	2537	-6407	0	6	13	1
18	David Gravel	2497	-6447	0	7	9	4
19	Paul McMahan	2417	-6527	1	2	3	1
20	Stevie Smith	2386	-6558	0	3	11	1

September 23, 2012

Tim Norris wins Ontario Pro Challenge Velocity 250 Feature at Sunset Speedway

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]At the end of the 30-lap feature for the Ontario Pro Challenge series as part of Velocity 250 weekend, it’d be Tim Norris taking the victory to cap off his second straight championship in a row.

In the first heat, there’d be trouble right away as Tim Shanahan would go for a spin in turn four on lap one after contact from Matt Marshall. Then on lap three, Justin Billington would spin in turn four while leading. That would hand the lead over to Ken Lillycrop. On lap six, Rick Seeley would go for a spin in turn two.

Then on lap seven, the fourth caution of the 10-lap heat would come out when Dario Valente would spin Owen Smith, followed by Kyle Batty also spinning. In the end, it’d be Lillycrop taking the victory, ahead of Patrick Freel, Valente, Dale Wilson, Marshall, Billington, Seeley, Smith, Batty and Shanahan.

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”258″][/media-credit]In the second heat, the race would start with Ken Crowhurst stalling and as the field slowed up for the caution on the front stretch, Josh Nicholson would spin, collecting Dennis Thomson. In the end, it’d be Norris taking the victory, ahead of Mike Taylor, Ken Nicholson, Tim Forbes, Andrew Sloot, Chris McIssac and Crowhurst.

Once it came feature time, it’d be Ken Lillycrop starting on pole, followed by Patrick Freel, Dale Wilson, Justin Billington, Tim Norris, Dennis Thomson, Mike Taylor, Ken Nicholson, Tim Forbes, Josh Nicholson, Patrick Seeley, Kyle Batty, Owen Smith, Tim Shanahan, Andrew Sloot, Chris McIssac and Dario Valente.

Lillycrop would grab the early lead ahead of Freel while Norris and Billington battled for third. Norris would get by Billington, and then also get by Freel to move up to the second spot. So on lap three, it was Lillycrop leading Norris and Dennis Thomson while Freel battled with Ken Nicholson for fourth. Nicholson would clear Freel on lap four while both Thomson and Norris would slip past Lillycrop in turn three, putting them side-by-side for the lead.

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Thomson and Norris would run side-by-side for the lead till lap eight, when Norris would grab the lead ahead of Thomson while Nicholson battled with Lillycrop for third. Nicholson would clear Lillycrop on lap nine, leaving Lillycrop to battle with Taylor for fourth. Lillycrop would hold off Taylor on lap 10, allowing Josh Nicholson to get alongside Taylor for fifth. They would run side-by-side till lap 13, when Josh Nicholson then moved up to fourth ahead of Taylor and Lillycrop.

So at the halfway mark at lap 15, it’d be Tim Norris leading Dennis Thomson, Ken Nicholson, Josh Nicholson, Mike Taylor and Ken Lillycrop.

On lap 17, Kyle Batty would make his way down pit road.

The first caution of the 30 lap feature would come out on lap 21 when Andrew Sloot would go for a spin.

Then on the restart, there’d be another caution when Dale Wilson would spin in turn two after entering the corner three-wide with two other competitors.

With eight laps to go, it’d be Norris continuing to lead Thomson, K. Nicholson, Taylor, J. Nicholson, Lillycrop, Forbes, Billington, Seeley, Smith, Freel, Valente, McIssac and Valente.

After the restart, the top five would mostly run single-file, except for J. Nicholson passing Taylor, and then Taylor slipping back past J. Nicholson on lap 25 when Nicholson got loose. That’d only be the start of the problems for J. Nicholson as he would bring his car down pit road on lap 26.

In the end, it’d be Tim Norris taking the win, ahead of Dennis Thomson, Ken Nicholson, Mike Taylor and Tim Forbes. Lillycrop finished sixth, followed by Billington, Seeley, Smith and Freel.

September 23, 2012