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Tag: Sammy Swindell

  • Madsen takes The Brad Doty Classic

    Madsen takes The Brad Doty Classic

    [media-credit name=”Ken Simon Photos” align=”alignright” width=”179″][/media-credit]The Brad Doty Classic at Limaland Motorsports Park would hold many surprises as the night unfolded not the least of which would be who didn’t make the show.

    The Brad Doty Classic ran tonight on the 1/4 mile semi banked oval in Lima Ohio. The night was full of anticipation. The field was full of top names who made for a very very deep talent talent pool in the pits. Top names like Kinser, Stewart, Kahne, Swindell, Schatz, Gravel, Haudenschild, and Sweet had all arrived to contest for the $10,000 to win purse. The excitement in the near sell out crowd was obvious. The anticipation in the pits was just as obvious.

    The first hint that this might not be a typical night with the World of Outlaws came in qualifying when top name visitors Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne finished outside the inversion by a significant distance. Stewart would post a time of 11.246 seconds and was only 23rd quick. Kahne would post a time 11.278 which was only good enough for 26th in the 43 car field. Quick time was set by Craig Dollansky with a time of 10.998 seconds. It was Dollansky’s 3rd quick time of the year thus far. The track record of 10.763 set by Joey Saldana in July of 2009 remains intact.

    The heat races would make it clear that this was not going to be a night of visiting stars. The first heat would be dominated by Stevie Smith with Kraig Kinser coming home second to make the transfer to the Dash. Dollansky would solidify his Dash position by transferring to the A Main in the 4th position. The second heat race would see Sam Hafertepe Jr take his first victory of the season with Donny Schatz in hot pursuit in second. Kerry Madsen would solidify the final open dash spot by transferring in 5th. The first big surprise of the evening came in this heat race, when Kasey Kahne finished a weak 9th out of 11 cars to be relegated to the B Main. The third and without a doubt the most challenging of the 4 heat races was heat number 3. The heat would be won by the 20 time champion Steve Kinser with Byron Reed taking the second spot. But relegated to B Main were two huge names, Sammy Swindell who finished 7th and Tony Stewart who pulled off the track at lap 2 and finished 11th out of 11 cars. The final heat of the night was won by Daryn Pittman with second going to Brian Brown. With the dash line up set, the inversion of 4 was drawn putting Steve Kinser on the outside of the front row and Stevie Smith on the pole. The dash was a hard core no holds barred 8 lap affair that saw Stevie Smith take the victory in very dominating fashion over Kerry Madsen, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Daryn Pittman, and Steve Kinser.

    The C Main would transfer only the top 2 to the Last Chance Showdown which would only transfer 4 to the A Main. Outlaws regular Lucas Wolfe would dominate the race. Dean Jacobs would come home second. The rest of 9 car field would go home. But they wouldn’t be alone. The B Main would show the hand of the night and send many others home with them.

    The B Main was full of big names Swindell, Sides, Haudenschild, Kahne, Stewart, and Larson. When the dust cleared only Sammy Swindell, Sheldon Haudenschild, David Gravel, and Bryan Sebbetto would transfer to the big show. Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson, Tony Stewart, Chad Kemenah, Lucas Wolfe, Jason Sides all would be done for the evening.

    The promoter of the event, Brad Doty choose not to carry forward any of those drivers on a promoters option, leaving only full time Outlaws drivers with provisionals to get into the A Main. Chad Kemenah and Bill Rose both opted for provisionals to run the 40 lap A Main. With the now 26 car field set, the battle was about to begin. The race itself was full of power slides for position back and forth and 3 wide racing throughout the pack, but when the checkers waved 9 cars were sitting at the trailers. 3 of which had been upside down and damaged badly. The others had front and rear end damage severe enough to prevent them from continuing or engine problems that ended their night prematurely. But when the dust settled, it was “The Mad Man” Kerry Madsen who stood on the top of the podium. Stevie Smith would come home second and David Gravel would come home third. The KSE Hard Charger Award went to Greg Wilson who started 17th and finished 4th.

    Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz officially tied atop the standings going into the Kings Royal weekend at Eldora. The first tie breaker is wins, and both have three. Second tie breaker of top fives gives Kinser the edge, 17-14, but there’s a lot of racing left this season to worry about tie breakers going into a $50,000-to-win event.

    The next stop on the World of Outlaws tour is the legendary Eldora Speedway on Friday for the Night before the Royal and then again on Saturday for the $50,000 to win Kings Royal.

    Feature Results: 1, Kerry Madsen. 2, Stevie Smith. 3, David Gravel. 4, Greg Wilson. 5, Donny Schatz. 6, Craig Dollansky. 7, Daryn Pittman. 8, Sammy Swindell. 9, Steve Kinser. 10, Tim Shaffer. 11, Dale Blaney. 12, Kraig Kinser. 13, Brad Sweet. 14, Bryan Sebetto. 15, Joey Saldana. 16, Cody Darrah. 17, Tim Kaeding. 18, Byron Reed. 19, Chad Kemenah. 20, Shane Stewart. 21, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 22, Jac Haudenschild. 23, Bill Rose. 24, Sheldon Haudenschild. 25, Brian Brown. 26, Paul McMahan.

  • Kraig Kinser Gets Out of Dodge with Boot Hill Showdown Victory

    Kraig Kinser Gets Out of Dodge with Boot Hill Showdown Victory

    [media-credit name=”World of Outlaws” align=”alignright” width=”211″][/media-credit]DODGE CITY, Kan. – June 23, 2012 – The hottest driver on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series picked up yet another victory at the hottest race of the season.

    Kraig Kinser beat the heat and the rest of the Outlaws on an extremely windy and hot Saturday at Dodge City Raceway Park for Night 2 of the Boot Hill Showdown.

    Kinser led all 30 laps and held off his father, 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, to record his third win in the past seven events on a day when the temperature climbed into the mid-100s and wind gusts of more than 40 miles per hour bombarded the 3/8-mile track.

    “I knew the bottom was going to be tough to beat early,” Kraig Kinser said. “It’s hard sometimes (when) you lead the race. You don’t know whether to get off the bottom and move to the top or move around a little bit. I got lucky lapped cars pushed me up a little bit to get around them and got trucking around the middle there.”

    It was his third victory in the past 19 days, which ties the number of Outlaws wins Kinser amassed since 2005 – when he won a career-high seven features. The win was also his 14th career World of Outlaws feature victory, which ties him for 20th all time.

    As neat as the statistics are, Kinser is more pleased in whom he beat – his father and car owner.

    “The one-two finishes are real nice, especially when I’m in front,” Kraig Kinser said. “This little swing we’ve had has been great with the exception of last night. The car has been there every step of the way.”

    As Kraig shot to the lead from his pole position on lap one, Steve Kinser charged from his fifth starting position to the runner-up spot on the opening lap. He maintained second position the entire race, but only closed within a car length shortly after the duo entered traffic on lap eight.

    “If someone’s gotta outrun me I’d assume it’d be Kraig,” Steve Kinser said. “Toward the end there wasn’t no place to go, the bottom sort of locked down a little bit. It was hard to pass anybody out in the middle the last six or seven laps.”

    Traffic began to play a role in the closing laps as Kraig Kinser lapped up to 12th place, where there was a three-way battle for a top-10 position. Kinser was caught behind the trio sliding each other, which allowed his father to close the gap to within a handful of car lengths. However, it was too little too late.

    The win pulled Kraig Kinser to within 107 points of his father, who moved back into the World of Outlaws championship standings lead.

    Craig Dollansky drove from seventh to third in the first eight laps and maintained the podium finish to record his 14th top five of the season.

    “I definitely felt like we were with them,” said Dollansky, who is only 57 points behind Steve Kinser in the championship standings. “It just took me too long to get into third place.”

    Joey Saldana was fourth and Cody Darrah ended fifth. Jason Sides placed sixth, Kerry Madsen seventh, Donny Schatz eighth, Bill Rose ninth and Lucas Wolfe rounded out the top 10.

    Sammy Swindell, who set quick time with a lap of 13.462 seconds, brought out the initial caution of the race on the opening lap after contact with Madsen entering turn three. Swindell, who started third, fixed a flat left rear tire and restarted 23rd. He finished 12th and was the last car on the lead lap.

    Sixth-starting Chad Kemenah was part of the final caution – also on the first lap – when he spun in turn one to avoid contact with another driver. Steven Richardson slid into Kemenah and flipped, ending both of their races.

    After the two quick cautions, the feature went green to checkered with Kraig Kinser in front.

    Steve Kinser, Jason Sides and Darrah each won a heat race, and Wolfe picked up the Last Chance Showdown victory. Patrick Stasa was the KSE Hard Charger after driving from 22nd to 14th.

    Night 2 of the Boot Hill Showdown Notebook

    NOTES – Sammy Swindell set quick time for a series-best sixth race this season. … Steve Kinser won his sixth heat race, while Jason Sides and Cody Darrah each claimed their third of the season. … Kraig Kinser picked up his second dash victory of the year. … Lucas Wolfe became the 25th different driver to win a Last Chance Showdown in 31 races this year.

    CONTINGENCY WINNERS – Penske Shocks ($100 certificate): Bill Rose; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Kraig Kinser; Comp Cams ($50 certificate): Kraig Kinser; Armor All (case of product): Jason Sides; STP ($50 cash): Steve Kinser; UNOH ($50 cash): Kerry Madsen; Gravely Tractors ($50 cash): Kerry Madsen; VP Racing Fuel ($50 cash): Bill Rose; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Lucas Wolfe; JE Pistons (set of rings): Sammy Swindell; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Sammy Swindell; Wix Filters ($50 cash): Josh Hodges; Superflow ($50 cash): Patrick Stasa; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Josh Baughman; JE Pistons (set of rings): Brian Herbert; MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Chad Kemenah; Klotz Synthetic Lubricants ($50 cash): Kevin Swindell.

    WINNERS – Sammy Swindell – 5 (Red River Valley Speedway on June 16, Eldora Speedway on May 5, Knoxville Raceway on April 28, Missouri State Fair Speedway on April 20 and Merced Speedway on March 30); Craig Dollansky – 4 (I-96 Speedway on June 2, Hagerstown Speedway on May 20, Tri-State Speedway on April 21 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Kraig Kinser – 3 (Dodge City Raceway Park on June 23, River Cities Speedway on June 15 and Kokomo Speedway on June 5); Steve Kinser – 3 (Dodge City Raceway Park on June 22, Orange County Fair Speedway on May 19 and Williams Grove Speedway on May 12); Joey Saldana – 3 (The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 25, Paducah International Raceway on April 13 and Perris Auto Speedway on March 10); Donny Schatz – 3 (Farmer City Raceway on April 25, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 23 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Tim Kaeding – 2 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 16 and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 8); Chad Kemenah – 2 (Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 28 and Eldora Speedway on May 4); Danny Dietrich – 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 10); Danny Lasoski – 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 18); Kerry Madsen – 1 (Knoxville Raceway on June 9); Paul McMahan – 1 (Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on May 16); Fred Rahmer – 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 11); Brad Sweet – 1 (Clay County Fairgrounds on June 8).

    TIME TRIALS – Sammy Swindell was the fastest qualifier around the 3/8-mile oval with a time of 13.462 seconds to earn five championship points. Also earning points were Kerry Madsen (4 points), Kraig Kinser (3), Joey Saldana (2) and Craig Dollansky (1).

    WE’RE ONLINE – Make sure to check out WorldofOutlaws.com for the latest news and results, plus exclusive driver interviews, video and pictures. Also listen to every event live at DIRTVision.com .

    Night 2 of the Boot Hill Showdown Statistical Report; Dodge City Raceway Park; Dodge City, Kan.; June 23, 2012

    A-Main – (30 Laps) – 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1] [$10,000]; 2. 11-Steve Kinser [5] [$5,000]; 3. 7-Craig Dollansky [7] [$3,000]; 4. 9-Joey Saldana [2] [$2,700]; 5. 4-Cody Darrah [8] [$2,500]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [9] [$2,200]; 7. 29-Kerry Madsen [4] [$2,000]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [14] [$1,800]; 9. 6-Bill Rose [10] [$1,600]; 10. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [12] [$1,450]; 11. 83-Tim Kaeding [11] [$1,300]; 12. 1-Sammy Swindell [3] [$1,200]; 13. 74X-Josh Hodges [15] [$1,100]; 14. 11S-Patrick Stasa [22] [$1,000]; 15. 17-Josh Baughman [21] [$950]; 16. 91-Jeff Stasa [19] [$900]; 17. 1X-Kevin Swindell [13] [$850]; 18. 1W-Jordan Weaver [24] [$750]; 19. 72-Ray Seeman [23] [$725]; 20. 1T-Ty Williams [16] [$700]; 21. 97-Brian Herbert [17] [$700]; 22. 2J-Zach Blurton [20] [$700]; 23. 63-Chad Kemenah [6] [$700]; 24. O-Steven Richardson [18] [$700]. Lap Leaders: Kraig Kinser 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 11S-Patrick Stasa [+8].

    Qualifying – 1. 1-Sammy Swindell, 13.462; 2. 29-Kerry Madsen, 13.499; 3. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.507; 4. 9-Joey Saldana, 13.520; 5. 7-Craig Dollansky, 13.562; 6. 83-Tim Kaeding, 13.702; 7. 11-Steve Kinser, 13.708; 8. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.726; 9. 4-Cody Darrah, 13.737; 10. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.799; 11. 6-Bill Rose, 13.836; 12. 63-Chad Kemenah, 13.840; 13. 1X-Kevin Swindell, 13.841; 14. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.956; 15. 74X-Josh Hodges, 14.658; 16. 1T-Ty Williams, 14.663; 17. 97-Brian Herbert, 14.778; 18. O-Steven Richardson, 14.799; 19. 91-Jeff Stasa, 14.856; 20. 2J-Zach Blurton, 14.898; 21. 17-Josh Baughman, 14.910; 22. 72-Ray Seeman, 14.959; 23. 11S-Patrick Stasa, 15.031; 24. 16K-Kaden Taylor, 15.111; 25. 33-Kris Miller, 15.141; 26. 21-Wes Wofford, 15.236; 27. 1W-Jordan Weaver, 15.262; 28. 11X-Tyler Knight, 15.612; 29. 77W-Michael Williams, 16.357.

    Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 11-Steve Kinser [2]; 2. 9-Joey Saldana [3]; 3. 1X-Kevin Swindell [5]; 4. 1-Sammy Swindell [4]; 5. 1T-Ty Williams [6]; 6. 91-Jeff Stasa [7]; 7. 72-Ray Seeman [8]; 8. 33-Kris Miller [9]; 9. 11X-Tyler Knight [10]; 10. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [1].

    Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 7S-Jason Sides [2]; 2. 6-Bill Rose [1]; 3. 29-Kerry Madsen [4]; 4. 7-Craig Dollansky [3]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 6. 97-Brian Herbert [6]; 7. 11S-Patrick Stasa [8]; 8. 2J-Zach Blurton [7]; 9. 21-Wes Wofford [9]; 10. 77W-Michael Williams [10].

    Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 4-Cody Darrah [2]; 2. 63-Chad Kemenah [1]; 3. 83-Tim Kaeding [3]; 4. 11K-Kraig Kinser [4]; 5. 74X-Josh Hodges [5]; 6. O-Steven Richardson [6]; 7. 17-Josh Baughman [7]; 8. 1W-Jordan Weaver [9]; 9. 16K-Kaden Taylor [8].

    Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser [2]; 2. 9-Joey Saldana [1]; 3. 1-Sammy Swindell [4]; 4. 29-Kerry Madsen [3]; 5. 11-Steve Kinser [6]; 6. 63-Chad Kemenah [10]; 7. 7-Craig Dollansky [5]; 8. 4-Cody Darrah [8]; 9. 7S-Jason Sides [7]; 10. 6-Bill Rose [9].

    B-Main – (12 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [1] [-]; 2. 17-Josh Baughman [3] [-]; 3. 11S-Patrick Stasa [5] [-]; 4. 2J-Zach Blurton [2] [-]; 5. 72-Ray Seeman [4] [-]; 6. 1W-Jordan Weaver [9] [-]; 7. 33-Kris Miller [7] [$200]; 8. 21-Wes Wofford [8] [$180]; 9. 77W-Michael Williams [11] [$175]; 10. 16K-Kaden Taylor [6] [$160]; 11. 11X-Tyler Knight [10] [$150].

    World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Top 20 Championship Standings

    Pos. Driver

    Total

    Diff

    Wins

    T5

    T10

    QT
    1 Steve Kinser

    4224

    0

    3

    15

    22

    0
    2 Donny Schatz

    4218

    -6

    3

    12

    25

    0
    3 Sammy Swindell

    4199

    -25

    5

    13

    21

    6
    4 Craig Dollansky

    4167

    -57

    4

    14

    21

    3
    5 Joey Saldana

    4156

    -68

    3

    10

    22

    5
    6 Kraig Kinser

    4117

    -107

    3

    11

    21

    3
    7 Chad Kemenah

    3913

    -311

    2

    7

    14

    2
    8 Kerry Madsen

    3815

    -409

    1

    4

    12

    1
    9 Cody Darrah

    3814

    -410

    0

    6

    12

    2
    10 Lucas Wolfe

    3663

    -561

    0

    3

    9

    0
    11 Jason Sides

    3344

    -880

    0

    9

    16

    0
    12 Bill Rose

    3157

    -1067

    0

    0

    3

    0
    13 Danny Lasoski

    1860

    -2364

    1

    5

    7

    0
    14 Austen Wheatley

    1818

    -2406

    0

    0

    2

    0
    15 Paul McMahan

    1810

    -2414

    1

    2

    3

    0
    16 Daryn Pittman

    1785

    -2439

    0

    5

    9

    1
    17 Jac Haudenschild

    1655

    -2569

    0

    0

    1

    0
    18 David Gravel

    1544

    -2680

    0

    4

    6

    2
    19 Terry McCarl

    1474

    -2750

    0

    1

    4

    0
    20 Sam Hafertepe Jr.

    1408

    -2816

    0

    1

    4

    0
  • ‘The King’ picks up career Outlaws win No. 573 at Dodge City Raceway Park

    ‘The King’ picks up career Outlaws win No. 573 at Dodge City Raceway Park

    [media-credit name=”World of Outlaws” align=”alignright” width=”184″][/media-credit]DODGE CITY, Kan. – June 22, 2012 – The spin seemed like it was in slow motion.

    Polesitter Jason Sides, who led the first 12 laps on a gusty Night 1 of the Boot Hill Showdown on Friday at Dodge City Raceway Park, looped it in turn one just prior to the midway point. As Sides kept his car under power, Steve Kinser dodged the melee to capture the lead and eventually the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory, which was career No. 573.

    “I was pretty sure we were going to drive by him,” said a grinning Kinser, who also won the first-ever Outlaws event at Dodge City Raceway Park in 2004. “He did get a little sideways. It made it a little bit easier.”

    For Sides, it was the latest heartbreak during a season when he has started on the pole of a World of Outlaws feature a series-best four times.

    “We ran in behind a lapped car going into turn one there and I ran in way faster than I thought he was running,” he said after finishing third. “I had to pitch it sideways to keep from running over him. I thought I was going to be able to save it, but once it started to come around I just had to stand on it and keep it going and hope for the best.”

    However, the race was anything but over following the spin. One lap later the fourth-and-final caution bunched the field up for a shootout during the second half of the 30-lap feature.

    Kinser choose the outside lane on the double-file restart with Sammy Swindell and Lucas Wolfe between himself and Sides. Kinser got a solid jump with Swindell tucking into second and Sides sliding by Wolfe for third place on the restart.

    Kinser sailed into a big lead with Swindell dramatically cutting into it once they reached traffic with 10 laps remaining. Swindell’s best opportunity to win came in the closing laps as he reeled Kinser within a car length.

    As the duo entering turn three coming to the white flag Swindell nearly pulled to the inside of Kinser, but traffic slowed his momentum and Kinser utilized the preferred line to cruise to the victory.

    “Just too much traffic and it didn’t work out for us,” Swindell said after finishing second. “We were just as quick as he was. He had the line and I had to kinda go somewhere else. That’s just the way it is sometimes.”

    Wolfe was fourth and Donny Schatz earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after driving from 13th to fifth. Chad Kemenah ended sixth, Joey Saldana seventh, Kerry Madsen eighth, Tim Kaeding ninth and Craig Dollansky rounded out the top 10.

    Kraig Kinser was the quickest in qualifying with a lap of 13.481 seconds, but was caught up in an opening-lap crash during his heat race. Kinser failed to finish and was relegated to the Last Chance Showdown, which he dominated for the second time this year.

    Kaeding, Kemenah and Rose each picked up a heat race win.

    The final night of the Boot Hill Showdown is tonight – Saturday – with the front gate opening at 5 p.m.

    Night 1 of the Boot Hill Showdown Notebook

    NOTES – Kraig Kinser set quick time for the third race this season. … Tim Kaeding earned his second heat race win of the season, Chad Kemenah claimed his sixth and Bill Rose won his first. … Jason Sides picked up his series-best fourth dash win. … Kinser lapped up to fourth place when he won the Last Chance Showdown for the second time this season.

    WINNERS – Sammy Swindell – 5 (Red River Valley Speedway on June 16, Eldora Speedway on May 5, Knoxville Raceway on April 28, Missouri State Fair Speedway on April 20 and Merced Speedway on March 30); Craig Dollansky – 4 (I-96 Speedway on June 2, Hagerstown Speedway on May 20, Tri-State Speedway on April 21 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Steve Kinser – 3 (Dodge City Raceway Park on June 22, Orange County Fair Speedway on May 19 and Williams Grove Speedway on May 12); Joey Saldana – 3 (The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 25, Paducah International Raceway on April 13 and Perris Auto Speedway on March 10); Donny Schatz – 3 (Farmer City Raceway on April 25, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 23 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Tim Kaeding – 2 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 16 and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 8); Chad Kemenah – 2 (Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 28 and Eldora Speedway on May 4); Kraig Kinser – 2 (River Cities Speedway on June 15 and Kokomo Speedway on June 5); Danny Dietrich – 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 10); Danny Lasoski – 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 18); Kerry Madsen – 1 (Knoxville Raceway on June 9); Paul McMahan – 1 (Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on May 16); Fred Rahmer – 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 11); Brad Sweet – 1 (Clay County Fairgrounds on June 8).

    TIME TRIALS – Kraig Kinser was the fastest qualifier around the 3/8-mile oval with a time of 13.481 seconds to earn five championship points. Also earning points were Joey Saldana (4 points), Steve Kinser (3), Sammy Swindell (2) and Jason Sides (1).

    WE’RE ONLINE – Make sure to check out WorldofOutlaws.com for the latest news and results, plus exclusive driver interviews, video and pictures. Also listen to every event live at DIRTVision.com .

    Night 1 of the Boot Hill Showdown Statistical Report; Dodge City Raceway Park; Dodge City, Kan.; June 22, 2012

    A-Main – (30 Laps) – 1. 11-Steve Kinser [4] [$10,000]; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell [2] [$5,000]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [1] [$3,000]; 4. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [5] [$2,700]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [13] [$2,500]; 6. 63-Chad Kemenah [8] [$2,200]; 7. 9-Joey Saldana [3] [$2,000]; 8. 29-Kerry Madsen [12] [$1,800]; 9. 83-Tim Kaeding [6] [$1,600]; 10. 7-Craig Dollansky [9] [$1,450]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [11] [$1,300]; 12. 1X-Kevin Swindell [7] [$1,200]; 13. 6-Bill Rose [10] [$1,100]; 14. 4-Cody Darrah [15] [$1,000]; 15. 11S-Patrick Stasa [21] [$950]; 16. 74X-Josh Hodges [14] [$900]; 17. 1T-Ty Williams [16] [$850]; 18. 72-Ray Seeman [19] [$750]; 19. 1W-Jordan Weaver [24] [$725]; 20. 2J-Zach Blurton [17] [$700]; 21. 33-Kris Miller [22] [$700]; 22. 21-Wes Wofford [23] [$700]; 23. 97-Brian Herbert [18] [$700]; 24. O-Steven Richardson [20] [$700]. Lap Leaders: Jason Sides 1-12, Steve Kinser 13-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 15-Donny Schatz [+8].

    Qualifying – 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.481; 2. 9-Joey Saldana, 13.485; 3. 11-Steve Kinser, 13.646; 4. 1-Sammy Swindell, 13.698; 5. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.726; 6. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.746; 7. 1X-Kevin Swindell, 13.874; 8. 7-Craig Dollansky, 13.905; 9. 29-Kerry Madsen, 13.924; 10. 83-Tim Kaeding, 13.935; 11. 63-Chad Kemenah, 13.984; 12. 6-Bill Rose, 14.136; 13. 15-Donny Schatz, 14.144; 14. 74X-Josh Hodges, 14.298; 15. 4-Cody Darrah, 14.308; 16. 1T-Ty Williams, 14.749; 17. 2J-Zach Blurton, 14.949; 18. 97-Brian Herbert, 14.997; 19. 72-Ray Seeman, 15.011; 20. O-Steven Richardson, 15.113; 21. 11S-Patrick Stasa, 15.155; 22. 21-Wes Wofford, 15.164; 23. 1W-Jordan Weaver, 15.281; 24. 91-Jeff Stasa, 15.295; 25. 17-Josh Baughman, 15.356; 26. 16K-Kaden Taylor, 15.364; 27. 15K-Kerry McAlister, 15.431; 28. 33-Kris Miller, 15.449; 29. 77W-Michael Williams, 16.624; 30. 76J-Justin Schwien, No Time.

    Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 83-Tim Kaeding [1]; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell [3]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 4. 1X-Kevin Swindell [2]; 5. 72-Ray Seeman [7]; 6. 33-Kris Miller [10]; 7. 17-Josh Baughman [9]; 8. 21-Wes Wofford [8]; 9. 1T-Ty Williams [6]; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser [4].

    Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 63-Chad Kemenah [1]; 2. 7-Craig Dollansky [2]; 3. 9-Joey Saldana [4]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [3]; 5. 74X-Josh Hodges [5]; 6. 2J-Zach Blurton [6]; 7. 1W-Jordan Weaver [8]; 8. O-Steven Richardson [7]; 9. 16K-Kaden Taylor [9]; 10. 77W-Michael Williams [10].

    Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 6-Bill Rose [1]; 2. 11-Steve Kinser [4]; 3. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [3]; 4. 29-Kerry Madsen [2]; 5. 4-Cody Darrah [5]; 6. 97-Brian Herbert [6]; 7. 11S-Patrick Stasa [7]; 8. 91-Jeff Stasa [8]; 9. 15K-Kerry McAlister [9]; 10. 76J-Justin Schwien [10].

    Dash – (8 Laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature ) – 1. 7S-Jason Sides [1]; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell [2]; 3. 9-Joey Saldana [4]; 4. 11-Steve Kinser [3]; 5. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [5]; 6. 83-Tim Kaeding [8]; 7. 1X-Kevin Swindell [6]; 8. 63-Chad Kemenah [9]; 9. 7-Craig Dollansky [7]; 10. 6-Bill Rose [10].

    B-Main – (12 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1] [-]; 2. 1T-Ty Williams [2] [-]; 3. 11S-Patrick Stasa [4] [-]; 4. O-Steven Richardson [3] [-]; 5. 21-Wes Wofford [5] [-]; 6. 1W-Jordan Weaver [6] [-]; 7. 91-Jeff Stasa [7] [$200]; 8. 17-Josh Baughman [8] [$180]; 9. 15K-Kerry McAlister [10] [$175]; 10. 77W-Michael Williams [11] [$160]; 11. 16K-Kaden Taylor [9] [$150]; 12. 76J-Justin Schwien [12] [$150].

    World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Top 20 Championship Standings

    Pos. Driver

    Total

    Diff

    Wins

    T5

    T10

    QT
    1 Donny Schatz

    4084

    0

    3

    12

    24

    0
    2 Steve Kinser

    4078

    -6

    3

    14

    21

    0
    3 Sammy Swindell

    4068

    -16

    5

    13

    21

    5
    4 Craig Dollansky

    4022

    -62

    4

    13

    20

    3
    5 Joey Saldana

    4012

    -72

    3

    9

    21

    5
    6 Kraig Kinser

    3964

    -120

    2

    10

    20

    3
    7 Chad Kemenah

    3811

    -273

    2

    7

    14

    2
    8 Kerry Madsen

    3675

    -409

    1

    4

    11

    1
    9 Cody Darrah

    3674

    -410

    0

    5

    11

    2
    10 Lucas Wolfe

    3533

    -551

    0

    3

    8

    0
    11 Jason Sides

    3206

    -878

    0

    9

    15

    0
    12 Bill Rose

    3025

    -1059

    0

    0

    2

    0
    13 Danny Lasoski

    1860

    -2224

    1

    5

    7

    0
    14 Austen Wheatley

    1818

    -2266

    0

    0

    2

    0
    15 Paul McMahan

    1810

    -2274

    1

    2

    3

    0
    16 Daryn Pittman

    1785

    -2299

    0

    5

    9

    1
    17 Jac Haudenschild

    1655

    -2429

    0

    0

    1

    0
    18 David Gravel

    1544

    -2540

    0

    4

    6

    2
    19 Terry McCarl

    1474

    -2610

    0

    1

    4

    0
    20 Sam Hafertepe Jr.

    1408

    -2676

    0

    1

    4

    0
  • Kraig Kinser Notches First Win of Season at Kokomo

    Kraig Kinser Notches First Win of Season at Kokomo

    [media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”211″][/media-credit]Tonight the World of Outlaw Sprints were back in Kokomo, Indiana for the third round of the Kasey Kahne Challenge. The Outlaws are returning to Kokomo for the first time since 2007.

    Steve Kinser, who leads the current championship standings, has claimed a series-best six feature wins at the quarter-mile oval. However, there has been a different winner in each of the past six World of Outlaws events at Kokomo Speedway dating back to 1993.

    Kokomo Speedway is a fast, 1/4 mile semi-banked clay oval. Over the years the track has played host to virtually a who’s who in racing history. A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Lloyd Ruby, Troy Ruttman, Johnny Parsons, Parnelli Jones, Bill Vuckovich, Pancho Carter, John Andretti, Steve Butler, J.J. Yeley, Steve Kinser, Jack Hewitt, Rich Vogler, Tom Bigelow, Tony Stewart and Mike Groff are among those who have both raced at the track as well as in the Indianapolis 500.

    Sprint Cup standouts like Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Ken Schrader, Kasey Kahne, Yeley, Stewart and Dave Blaney are just a few who have visited the track over the years.

    A record setting crowd for Kokomo Speedway would see a new track record set by Sammy Swindell in qualifying, with a lap of 10.950 or 82.192 mph shattering the old record of 11.021 set in September of 2006 by Jeremy Campbell.

    The 31 car field ran 3 heat races that each transferred 6 to the A Main and 2 to the Dash. The first heat was red flagged for repairs to the catch fence in turns 1 and 2 when Geoff Dodge got up into the wall and damaged the catch fence with his right rear tire. Dodge would retire until the B Main. The first heat would be won by Joey Saldana with Sammy Swindell coming home second. Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, Brady Bacon and Brian Paulus would also transfer to the A Main.

    The second heat race would see Daryn Pittman coming home first with Lucas Wolfe a very close 2nd. Craig Dollansky, Dale Blaney, Cap Henry and Steve Kinser would round out the transfer list.

    The third heat would see 4 time champion Donny Schatz leading the way across the stripe with Kerry Madsen close behind. Bill Rose had a great night coming home third. Kraig Kinser, Cody Darrah and Sheldon Haudenschild would round out the transfer list.

    The Dash inversion was drawn by fast time holder Sammy Swindell. The inversion was a 6 putting Swindell on the outside of the 3rd row to start the 10 lap dash. In the end, it would be Joey Saldana on the pole of the A Main with team mate, Brad Sweet to the outside.

    The B Main was a fast moving highly contested event that would see Chad Kemenah come home in the lead. Transfering the top 6 with the top 4 getting their time back and the last 2 starting tail of the A Main, Kody Kinser, Austen Wheatly, Randy Hannagan, Logan Schuchart and Danny Smith would transfer to the A.

    With the field set it was time to determine the king of Kokomo. The A Main took 3 tries to get going. Red Flagged on the first lap for Brian Paulus’ wild roll in turn 3 and then under yellow for a 3 car spin out of 4 that would collect Brady Bacon, Sheldon Haudenschild and Cody Darrah. The 40 lap feature proved to be one of the most exciting of the year with Kraig Kinser taking the lead just before lap 20 and holding off a hard charging Craig Dollansky in tight traffic for his first win of the 2012 season. Dale Blaney would advance from 17th to 4th to win the KSE Hard Charger award. Points leader Steve Kinser would come home 7th and second place points man Donny Schatz would finish in 6th.

    Kokomo proved to be another difficult night for Sammy Swindell who ended up on his roof before half way in the A Main while racing with Brad Sweet for 4th.

    Kokomo reassured us that big things do indeed come in small packages and small packages should never be under estimated. The mighty wings of the outlaws once again put on a show that was second to none. And although the king of Kokomo remains the King of the Outlaws it obviously runs in the blood. Congratulations to Kraig Kinser and everyone at Steve Kinser Racing on their first win of the season.

    Qualifying Results. 1) Sammy Swindell with a New Track Record of 10.950 or 82.192 mph. 2) Craig Dollansky 3) Kraig Kinser 4) Brad Sweet 5) Kody Kinser 6) Bill Rose 7) Joey Saldana 8) Daryn Pittman 9) Kerry Madsen 10) Geoff Dodge 11) Lucas Wolfe 12) Donny Schatz 13) Chad Kemenah 14) Cole Duncan 15) Cody Darrah 16) Kyle Larson 17) Dale Blaney 18) Shane Stewat 19) Brian Paulus 20) Steve Kinser 21) Sheldon Haudenschild 22) Brady Bacon 23) Cap Henry 24) Randy Hannagan 25) Austen Wheatly 26) Greg Wilson 27) Logan Schuchart 28) Danny Smith 29) Justin Grant 30) Stuart Willaims 31) Wes McIntrye.

    Heat Race #1 Results: ‎1)Joey Saldana 2) Sammy Swindell transfer to the dash 3) Kyle Larson 4) Brad Sweet 5) Brady Bacon 6) Brian Paulus 7) Austen Wheatly 8) Chad Kemenah 9) Wes McIntyre 10) Geoff Dodge.

    Heat Race #2 Results: ‎1) Daryn Pittman 2) Lucas Wolfe transfer to dash 3) Craig Dollansky 4) Dale Blaney 5) Cap Henry 6) Steve Kinser transfer to A Main 7) Kody Kinser 8) Greg Wilson 9) Justin Grant 10) Cole Duncan

    ‎Heat Race #3 Results: 1) Donny Schatz 2) Kerry Madsen 3) Bill Rose 4) Kraig Kinser 5) Cody Darrah 6) Sheldon Haudenschild 7) Shane Stewart 8) Randy Hannagan 9) Logan Schuchart 10) Stuart Willaims

    Dash Results: ‎1) Joey Saldana 2) Brad Sweet 3) Kraig Kinser 4) Bill Rose 5) Sammy Swindell 6) Craig Dollansky 7) Daryn Pittman 8) Donny Schatz 9) Kerry Madsen 10) Lucas Wolfe

    B Main Results: ‎1) Chad Kemenah 2) Kody Kinser 3) Austen Wheatly 4) Randy Hannagan 5) Logan Schuchart 6) Danny Smith 7) Geoff Dodge 8) Justin Grant 9) Cole Duncan 10) Wes McIntyre 11) Stuart Willaims 12) Greg Wilson 13) Shane Stewart DNS

    A Main Results: 1) Kraig Kinser 2) Craig Dollansky 3) Joey Saldana 4) Dale Blaney (KSE Hard Charger) 5) Brad Sweet 6) Donny Schatz 7) Steve Kinser 8) Daryn Pittman 9) Kerry Madsen 10) Cody Darrah 11) Kyle Larson 12) Lucas Wolfe 13) Austen Wheatly 14) Danny Smith 15) Chad Kemenah 16) Bill Rose 17) Logan Schuchart 18) Kody Kinser 19) Randy Harragan 20) Sammy Swindell 21) Brady Bacon 22) Sheldon Haudenschild 23) Cap Henry 24) Brian Paulus.

    Top 10 in Outlaw Point Standings:
    Steve Kinser- 3409
    Donny Schatz- -28
    Craig Dollansky- -57
    Sammy Swindell- -67
    Joey Saldana- -69
    Kraig Kinser- -114
    Chad Kemenah- -281
    Cody Darrah- -310
    Kerry Madsen- -413
    Lucas Wolf- -487

  • McMahan takes Opening Night in Empire State!

    McMahan takes Opening Night in Empire State!

    [media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]The Greatest Show on Dirt brought their magic to Rolling Hills Raceway aka “The Fast Track” was one of three founding-member speedways when DIRT Motorsports was established in 1976, Rolling Wheels has matured into one of the most respected ovals on the entire circuit. The big 5/8-mile banked layout was first mapped out by the late Bob Petrocci, once a competitor himself at neighboring Weedsport Speedway. This is the largest track the WoO drivers will compete on this year.

    The only glitch in the evenings action seemed to be when The New York State Liquor Authority didn’t come through on the liquor license in time for tonight’s race. Fans were allowed to bring beer in stadium size coolers, but no glass bottles were allowed.

    Although a late afternoon rain shower cooled the temperature off considerably with the temperature at race time being 58 degrees. But the racing was red hot from qualifying all the way through to the final lap of the A Main.

    Quick Time would be set by last years WoO ROTY and Kasey Kahne Racing driver Cody Darrah, who turned a lap of 16.257 or138.402 mph. The top 15 qualifiers were separated by just .547 of a second.

    The first heat race saw a strong front row with last weeks winner at Williams Grove, Freddie Rahmer starting on the pole with Volusia Park winner and former Outlaws champion Danny Lasoski on the outside. The heat race was a fast hard charging race that Lasoski would win in dominate style over Cody Darrah and Freddie Rahmer. Lasoski and Darrah would advance to the Dash and Rahmer Kerry Madsen, Lance Dewease, and David Gravel would all advance to the A Main.

    The second heat race would find the 20 time WoO champion Steve Kinser on the pole with Jac Haudenschild starting outside. The race would be a high speed ballet of position switches and tip toeing around a very narrow and slick track. Joey Saldana would come from 4th to take the victory while Steve Kinser would finish a solid second to advance to the dash. Haudenschild would lead Daryn Pittman, Paul McMahan, and Michael Parent to the A Main.

    The 3rd Heat race was more of the same with 4 time champion and current points leader Sammy Swindell starting on the pole and to his outside a familiar sight in the STP/Tony Stewart Racing number 15 of Donny Schatz. Schatz and Swindell traded the points lead back and forth until last week when Steve Kinser took over the 2nd spot leaving Schatz just 12 points back. Swindell would dominate until the final lap when his car began smoking heavily on the back stretch. But Swindell would hold on to win the heat with Schatz closing fast. Both Swindell and Schatz would advance to dash. But Swindell would make the first of 2 engines changes on the night. Also advancing to the A Main were Chad Kemenah, Craig Dollansky, Logan Schuchart and Kraig Kinser.

    The Dash inversion was a 6 putting Cody Darrah in the 3rd row to start. In the end, it would be Paul McMahan on the pole of the A Main followed by Chad Kemenah, Craig Dollansky, David Gravel and Donny Schatz. The Dash would find Sammy Swindell with another engine letting go and relegating him to the tenth spot on the start of the A.

    The Last Chance Showdown was scheduled to start 8 cars and transfer 6 to the A Main with 4 getting their time back and the last two taking the tail of the field. But Lucas Wolfe would scratch for the night after losing an engine in the heats as would Blake Breen. That pared the field to 6. Jessica Zemken would lead for the majority of the race before losing an engine and catching on fire between turns 1 and 2. She climbed from the car quickly and was unhurt. The race would be won by Justin Barger, followed by Glen Styres, George Suprick, Chuck Hebing, April Wilson and Zemken would be credited with 6th.

    When the mighty wings of the greatest show on dirt took the track for the A Main, the top 5 rows were a who’s who of racing. Tough competition all the way through. It was hard to pick a winner even for the staunchest of dirt racing fans. With 30 championships starting in the top 10 there was little doubt that this was going to be a hard fought race and the winner would have earned his $10,000 winner’s purse tonight.

    Paul McMahan would take the early lead and never look back. Leading all 25 laps despite hard charges and challenges from David Gravel early and Craig Dollansky late. But through the top 10 it was a show worth twice the price of admission amongst some of the greatest drivers of our time. Danny Lasoski was in championship form cutting his way up to 4th. Steve Kinser would come home 5th. And even after changing 2 engines Sammy Swindell would come home in the seventh position. Interestingly enough all 30 of those championships would finish in the top 10. The Hard Charger award would go to Jessica Zemken who climbed 11 positions in the A main after blowing an engine in the B Main.

    The points closed up almost as tight as the racing with Steve Kinser closing to within 4 points of Sammy Swindell and Kinser well he can’t breathe too much because team mate Donny Schatz is right there just 10 points back.

    At the end of the night, fans and media alike had to sit back and take a breath. They had just witnessed racing at it’s finest. They had witnessed the unique and beautiful joining of man and machine in a display of skill that simply can not be matched else where. The graceful ballet of the masters of dirt had once again played out in front of an eager and excited crowd and they had not disappointed.

    As the crowd gathered at the entrance of the pits, the masters prepared to meet their supporters, sign their names, pose for pictures, and answer questions both easy and hard. To the casual observer it was hard to tell which group was more excited the legions of fans or the master’s that thrilled them.

    The World of Outlaws will run again on Saturday the 19th at the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York. Good tickets are still available. If you are in the area treat yourself to the Greatest Show on Dirt. You will never be sorry.

  • Posse 1, Outlaws 0: Dietrich Claims The Gettysburg Clash

    Posse 1, Outlaws 0: Dietrich Claims The Gettysburg Clash

    [media-credit name=”Lincoln Speedway” align=”alignright” width=”210″][/media-credit]

    The Pennsylvanian collects his first career World of Outlaws victory at Lincoln

    ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. — May 10, 2012 — The flash bulbs kept popping, the confetti kept falling and the celebration kept intensifying.

    It wasn’t a normal Victory Lane. Then again, Danny Dietrich isn’t a normal winner and the World of Outlaws vs. Pennsylvania Posse rivalry isn’t a normal matchup.

    Dietrich, a native Pennsylvanian whose 24th birthday is a week and a half away, picked up his first career World of Outlaws victory on Thursday in The Gettysburg Clash at Lincoln Speedway.

    “Words can’t express,” a beaming Dietrich said. “I’m ready to go drink a few beers.”

    Dietrich was dominant in the first World of Outlaws event at the semi-banked, 3/8-mile oval since 1998. After starting seventh, he was up to fourth place within the first three laps. Following a caution on lap four for Alan Krimes, who spun in turn one, Dietrich took little time finding the lead.

    He passed Danny Lasoski for third on the backstretch of lap four and then blew by polesitter Lance Dewease for the runner-up position on the ensuing lap. Dietrich edged Sam Hafetertepe Jr. for the lead as the duo cross the finish line on lap six and quickly checked out.

    “When he drove around us on the outside I knew that there was nobody going to beat him tonight,” Hafertepe Jr. said. “That’s the most dominant car that’s been out here in a long time.”

    Dietrich had to survive four cautions, including the final three for drivers who had trouble while running in the top 10. Lasoski slowed dramatically on the backstretch on lap 18 and Adam Wilt hit the wall in turn two on lap 24. The final caution came on the restart for fifth-running Doug Esh, who came to a stop in turn two after colliding with another driver.

    Despite double-file restarts, Dietrich rocketed to the lead every time and never faced a stiff challenge once he found the top spot.

    “All about knowing the track and getting the setup right,” he said. “I felt like we hit it perfect from the drop of the green and hopefully we can do that the rest of the weekend.

    “This is pretty much a normal Saturday night for us. We’ve been fast. We just had to clear up a few issues. Luckily we put it all together tonight.”

    It was the third win of the season for Dietrich, which comes as no surprise to Dewease.

    “Danny deserves to win,” he said after finishing second. “He’s been the best race car in Central PA all year and definitely the best race car here all year.

    “He started seventh so he must have been pretty good to get up through there that quick. I’m sure he got to the top before a lot of people did, but he can run anywhere at this race track.”

    Hafertepe Jr. was third with Cory Haas charging from 17th to finish fourth. Lucas Wolfe, who hails from nearby Mechanicsburg, was the top World of Outlaws driver as he placed fifth.

    Kevin Nouse earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after maneuvering from 23rd to sixth. Donny Schatz finished seventh and is the new World of Outlaws points leader. It marks the sixth consecutive race the top spot has changed.

    Fred Rahmer drove from 22nd to eighth, Daryn Pittman finished ninth and Gerard McIntyre rounded out the top 10.

    Sammy Swindell, who entered the event with the World of Outlaws points lead, set quick time with a lap of 14.501 seconds. Wolfe, Chad Kemenah, McIntyre and Esh each claimed a heat race, with Bill Stine winning the C Main and Brad McClelland the Last Chance Showdown.

    The World of Outlaws face the Posse at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg on Friday and Saturday.

    “We’re strong,” Dietrich said of the Posse. “I think we’re always fast when the Outlaws come to town. Hopefully we can keep it up.”

    The Gettysburg Clash Notebook

    CONTINGENCY WINNERS – Penske Shocks ($100 certificate): Brian Montieth; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Lucas Wolfe; Comp Cams ($50 certificate): Cory Haas; Armor All (case of product): Cory Haas; STP ($50 cash): Lucas Wolfe; UNOH ($50 cash): Lucas Wolfe; Gravely Tractors ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; VP Racing Fuel ($50 cash): Alan Krimes; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Gerard McIntyre; JE Pistons (set of rings): Alan Krimes; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Cody Darrah; Wix Filters ($50 cash): Stevie Smith; Superflow ($50 cash): Chad Kemenah; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Brad McClelland; JE Pistons (set of rings): Craig Dollansky; MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Kraig Kinser; Klotz Synthetic Lubricants ($50 cash): Brad McClelland.

    WINNERS – Sammy Swindell – 4 (Eldora Speedway on May 5, Knoxville Raceway on April 28, Missouri State Fair Speedway on April 20 and Merced Speedway on March 30); Donny Schatz – 3 (Farmer City Raceway on April 25, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 23 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Craig Dollansky – 2 (Tri-State Speedway on April 21 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Tim Kaeding – 2 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 16 and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 8); Joey Saldana – 2 (Paducah International Raceway on April 13 and Perris Auto Speedway on March 10); Danny Dietrich – 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 10); Chad Kemenah – 1 (Eldora Speedway on May 4); Danny Lasoski – 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 18).

    TIME TRIALS – Sammy Swindell was the fastest qualifier around the 3/8-mile oval with a time of 14.501 seconds to earn five championship points. Also earning points were Donny Schatz (4 points), Adam Wilt (3), Daryn Pittman (2) and Jac Haudenschild (1).

    The Gettysburg Clash Statistical Report; Lincoln Speedway; Abbottstown, Pa.; May 10, 2012

    A-Main – (30 Laps) – 1. 48-Danny Dietrich [7] [$6,000]; 2. 30C-Lance Dewease [1] [$3,500]; 3. 1Z-Sam Hafertepe Jr [2] [$2,000]; 4. 11C-Cory Haas [17] [$1,800]; 5. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [5] [$1,500]; 6. 14-Kevin Nouse [23] [$1,400]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz [6] [$1,350]; 8. 51-Fred Rahmer [22] [$1,300]; 9. 27-Daryn Pittman [12] [$1,250]; 10. 85-Gerard McIntyre [10] [$1,200]; 11. 87-Alan Krimes [26] [$400]; 12. 4-Cody Darrah [27] [$300]; 13. 19-Stevie Smith [19] [$700]; 14. 11-Steve Kinser [20] [$650]; 15. 63-Chad Kemenah [9] [$600]; 16. 21-Brian Montieth [24] [$550]; 17. 6B-Brad McClelland [16] [$500]; 18. 1-Sammy Swindell [11] [$500]; 19. 9-Joey Saldana [21] [$500]; 20. 5-Jac Haudenschild [13] [$500]; 21. 69-Tim Glatfelter [18] [$500]; 22. 7-Craig Dollansky [15] [$500]; 23. 30-Doug Esh [8] [$500]; 24. 11K-Kraig Kinser [25] [$]; 25. 15A-Adam Wilt [4] [$500]; 26. 98-Danny Lasoski [3] [$500]; 27. 19M-Brent Marks [14] [$500]; 28. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr. [28] [$]. Lap Leaders: Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1-5, Danny Dietrich 6-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 14-Kevin Nouse [+17].

    Qualifying – 1. 1-Sammy Swindell, 14.501; 2. 15-Donny Schatz, 14.765; 3. 15A-Adam Wilt, 14.828; 4. 27-Daryn Pittman, 14.856; 5. 5-Jac Haudenschild, 14.908; 6. 98-Danny Lasoski, 14.911; 7. 19M-Brent Marks, 14.913; 8. 7-Craig Dollansky, 14.930; 9. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 14.954; 10. 6B-Brad McClelland, 14.959; 11. 1Z-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 15.061; 12. 30C-Lance Dewease, 15.069; 13. 48-Danny Dietrich, 15.078; 14. 63-Chad Kemenah, 15.080; 15. 85-Gerard McIntyre, 15.092; 16. 30-Doug Esh, 15.109; 17. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 15.115; 18. 11C-Cory Haas, 15.138; 19. 69-Tim Glatfelter, 15.150; 20. 29-Kerry Madsen, 15.152; 21. 19-Stevie Smith, 15.160; 22. 11-Steve Kinser, 15.163; 23. 9-Joey Saldana, 15.173; 24. 51-Fred Rahmer, 15.186; 25. 92-Niki Young, 15.206; 26. 13-Paul McMahan, 15.217; 27. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 15.254; 28. 4-Cody Darrah, 15.316; 29. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr., 15.348; 30. 77-Aaron Ott, 15.350; 31. 14-Kevin Nouse, 15.377; 32. 87-Alan Krimes, 15.386; 33. 21-Brian Montieth, 15.450; 34. 2-Ryan Bohlke, 15.485; 35. 71X-Bill Stine, 15.486; 36. 3B-Randy Baughman, 15.501; 37. 59-Jim Siegel, 15.535; 38. 54-Cap Henry, 15.565; 39. 65-Johnny Mackison, 15.640; 40. 5T-Glenndon Forsythe, 15.666; 41. 95-Hunter Mackison, 15.673; 42. 70-Sam Schlosberg, 15.750; 43. 20S-Derek Sell, 15.796; 44. 6-Bill Rose, 15.838; 45. 23-Todd Zinn, 16.282.

    Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [2]; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich [1]; 3. 5-Jac Haudenschild [3]; 4. 19-Stevie Smith [6]; 5. 21-Brian Montieth [9]; 6. 1-Sammy Swindell [4]; 7. 92-Niki Young [7]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5]; 9. 59-Jim Siegel [10]; 10. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr. [8]; 11. 95-Hunter Mackison [11]; 12. 23-Todd Zinn [12].

    Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 63-Chad Kemenah [1]; 2. 98-Danny Lasoski [3]; 3. 11C-Cory Haas [5]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 5. 11-Steve Kinser [6]; 6. 77-Aaron Ott [8]; 7. 2-Ryan Bohlke [9]; 8. 54-Cap Henry [10]; 9. 6B-Brad McClelland [2]; 10. 70-Sam Schlosberg [11]; 11. 13-Paul McMahan [7].

    Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 85-Gerard McIntyre [1]; 2. 1Z-Sam Hafertepe Jr [2]; 3. 19M-Brent Marks [3]; 4. 15A-Adam Wilt [4]; 5. 9-Joey Saldana [6]; 6. 69-Tim Glatfelter [5]; 7. 14-Kevin Nouse [8]; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7]; 9. 71X-Bill Stine [9]; 10. 65-Johnny Mackison [10]; 11. 20S-Derek Sell [11].

    Heat 4 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 30-Doug Esh [1]; 2. 30C-Lance Dewease [2]; 3. 7-Craig Dollansky [3]; 4. 27-Daryn Pittman [4]; 5. 51-Fred Rahmer [6]; 6. 4-Cody Darrah [7]; 7. 87-Alan Krimes [8]; 8. 29-Kerry Madsen [5]; 9. 3B-Randy Baughman [9]; 10. 6-Bill Rose [11]; 11. 5T-Glenndon Forsythe [10].

    Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 30C-Lance Dewease [1]; 2. 1Z-Sam Hafertepe Jr [2]; 3. 98-Danny Lasoski [4]; 4. 15A-Adam Wilt [5]; 5. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [3]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [6]; 7. 48-Danny Dietrich [7]; 8. 30-Doug Esh [10]; 9. 63-Chad Kemenah [8]; 10. 85-Gerard McIntyre [9].

    C-Main – (10 Laps – Top 2 finishers transfer to the B-feature) – 1. 71X-Bill Stine [1] [-]; 2. 65-Johnny Mackison [4] [-]; 3. 59-Jim Siegel [3] [$150]; 4. 70-Sam Schlosberg [7] [$125]; 5. 5T-Glenndon Forsythe [5] [$125]; 6. 3B-Randy Baughman [2] [$100]; 7. 95-Hunter Mackison [6] [$100]; 8. 23-Todd Zinn [9] [$100]; 9. 6-Bill Rose [8] [$100]; 10. 54-Cap Henry [10] [$100]; 11. 20S-Derek Sell [11] [$100].

    B-Main – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 6B-Brad McClelland [2] [-]; 2. 69-Tim Glatfelter [4] [-]; 3. 1-Sammy Swindell [1] [-]; 4. 14-Kevin Nouse [12] [-]; 5. 4-Cody Darrah [9] [$200]; 6. 87-Alan Krimes [13] [$180]; 7. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr. [10] [$175]; 8. 71X-Bill Stine [15] [$160]; 9. 65-Johnny Mackison [16] [$150]; 10. 29-Kerry Madsen [5] [$150]; 11. 13-Paul McMahan [7] [$150]; 12. 2-Ryan Bohlke [14] [$150]; 13. 11K-Kraig Kinser [8] [$150]; 14. 92-Niki Young [6] [$150]; 15. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3] [$150]; 16. 77-Aaron Ott [11] [$150].

     

    World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Top 20 Championship Standings

    Pos. Driver

    Total

    Diff

    Wins

    T5s

    T10s

    QT
    1 Donny Schatz

    2223

    0

    3

    7

    14

    0
    2 Sammy Swindell

    2213

    -10

    4

    9

    12

    3
    3 Joey Saldana

    2166

    -57

    2

    7

    12

    2
    4 Steve Kinser

    2152

    -71

    0

    6

    11

    0
    5 Kraig Kinser

    2100

    -123

    0

    4

    11

    2
    6 Craig Dollansky

    2069

    -154

    2

    6

    8

    1
    7 Cody Darrah

    1986

    -237

    0

    3

    5

    0
    8 Chad Kemenah

    1976

    -247

    1

    2

    6

    2
    9 Jason Sides

    1974

    -249

    0

    5

    9

    0
    10 Lucas Wolfe

    1914

    -309

    0

    1

    4

    0
  • Simple Physics spoils Talladega

    Simple Physics spoils Talladega

    [media-credit name=”Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]For a long time I have said of Talladega and Daytona that they are multi-million dollar junk yards. This year was no different but this time it could all be laid at NASCAR’s feet.

    In Daytona, in an effort to break up the tandem draft, NASCAR altered the grill opening and the radiator capacity and put a pressure valve in the cooling system of the cars. The purpose was to keep the cars from pushing one another for laps at a time. They lowered the rear bumper cover. They decreased the size of the spoiler. End result they broke up tandem drafting successfully and sent the teams back to pack racing.

    No I have no problem with pack racing. It was certainly more exciting than surrey racing. But NASCAR did not take into consideration the change of seasons and climates.Talladega in the spring is much warmer temperature wise than Daytona in February. When they made no changes for the 90 degree ambient temperature in Alabama, they created a race situation that was hardly a race. A very sarcastic Tony Stewart said post race, “The racing was awesome,” Stewart said. “It’s fun to be able to race and have to watch the (overheating) gauges at the same time. It just adds that much more. Being able to make yourself run on the apron and everything to try to get clean air, it makes it fun.”

    Teams spent most of the day monitoring water pressure and temperature gauges and trying to hold together engines that were overheating kind of like a boiling tea kettle. Basically the overheating situations made it impossible for the cars to race. At one point in the race Jeff Gordon said ‘My (water) pressure is way high. The temperatures are not flashing but I gotta get out of here.” How exactly do you get out of a pack that has 40 cars in it without wrecking 10 of them and yourself?

    The temperatures affected the ability for teams to fuel the cars. Alcohol is lighter than the petroleum fuel and is much more temperature sensitive. When you add the humidity at Talladega you created a vapor lock type situation where the teams couldn’t get the car full of fuel. With no venting in the can or the system it makes impossible to force the air out of the system and replace it with fuel. Think about the finger on the end of the straw trick. If you heat the straw it doesn’t work as well. It’s more difficult to get fluid into the straw. Now I understand that DW is of the opinion that the fuel was vaporizing from the cars but that is simply not true.

    What is true is that more and more NASCAR shows that its cost containment measures are merely a control of competition measure. The COT itself is more expensive to build. The new EFI system is much more expensive to build, monitor and maintain. And then to decrease the cooling capability of the car on an engine that now uses Ethanol which burns hotter than petroleum fuel you are asking to blow up and destroy very very expensive and highly specialized engines.

    NASCAR needs to once again examine its mandates for teams on the Super Speedways. To force drivers to watch gauges and pressures in packs moving 190 mph is asking for disaster. To put them in packs, which they should, but take away the ability to keep the million dollar engines from blowing up because no air can get to the engine and the engine is trying to cool itself on 2 gallons of water is poor judgment at the very best. It creates situations that even the skills of the best stock car drivers in the world can’t maneuver out of.

    Speaking of maneuvering, huge display of car control by Dale Earnhardt Jr in getting through the first wreck of the day by slicing and dicing his way through the carnage, it was just another example of the talent that is often overlooked behind the wheel of the 88.

    Another point of contention this weekend occurred at the checkered flag in the Nationwide race. It was yet another blatant example of double standards in NASCAR. Sam Hornish, Jr. suffered a flat right front tire coming out of four and with the limited control that brings got into Danica Patrick who got into the wall. Patrick retaliated after the checkered flag going into one on the cool down lap and spun the car of Hornish into the wall.

    NASCAR turned a blind eye to situation, even though when compared to video tape of the Busch/Hornaday incident in Texas they appear to be very similar. Busch as you will recall had been placed on probation for similar incidents and was then sat out for the remainder of the Texas weekend. Patrick however, was not even called to the trailer.

    Let me just say that the touch me not attitude and the tantrums that are synonymous with Danica’s reputation are a result of sanctioning bodies not holding her to the same standards as every other driver on the track. It was those tantrums that made Indy Car breathe a sigh of relief when she left for NASCAR on a full time basis.

    If you are going to climb in and race with the boys you have to expect to be treated exactly like one of them. Because when you climb in that car you are no longer male or female. You are a driver period. I was very disappointed that NASCAR didn’t at least issue a warning about the behavior. Especially in light of the fact that she once again crawls in a Cup Car at Darlington. To let this slide says it’s ok for her to continue this behavior. It is not ok for Kyle Busch or Kevin Harvick or Carl Edwards or Denny Hamlin but it is ok for Danica. Honestly folks that simply doesn’t fly. It does however add another color to the WWE palate that NASCAR has begun to resemble.

    Congratulations to this weeks winners. Kyle Larson and Tracy Hines in USAC competition, Chad Kemenah and Sammy Swindell in World of Outlaws competition, Brandon McReynolds in ARCA competition, Joey Logano on his NNS win and Brad Keselowski on his Sprint Cup Series win.

    Thoughts and prayers continue for Eric McClure and his family as he continues to recover after a very frightening crash during the NNS race on Saturday.

    That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

  • Swindell Walks The Dog for Victory Number 4

    Swindell Walks The Dog for Victory Number 4

    [media-credit name=”World of Outlaws” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]

    The Goodyear Outlaw Thunder returned to Eldora last night for it’s final night. It’s final night would prove much calmer than it’s first. And would see Sammy Swindell take the checkered flag for the 4th time this season.

    After qualifying seventh quickest, Swindell drove from third to second in both his heat race and the dash. He then rocketed to the lead at the start of the feature, which went caution free for 24 laps before Jason Sides’ flat left rear tire brought out a yellow flag.

    “The way the car was rolling through there I knew that if somebody was faster, they’d have to be just really awesome because this thing was almost on rails,” Swindell said. “It was just stuck down so hard I could just drive around there like I’m driving down the freeway.”

    The caution eliminated nearly a straightaway lead for Swindell, who took little time in reestablishing a sizeable advantage. However, Kraig Kinser sustained a flat left rear tire with two laps remaining to bring out the final caution of the race.

    Joey Saldana, who ran second for most of the race, began to slow a couple of laps before the caution because of an engine issue. Swindell chose the outside lane on the double-file restart and Saldana’s car was slow to take off, bogging the inside lane on the start and dropping him to sixth by turn one.

    Swindell sailed to the win as Dale Blaney used the late cautions to pick up a pair of positions.

    “We were probably going to run fourth until those last couple of yellows,” he said after finishing second. “They kind of helped us out. Sometimes yellows can help or hurt, and tonight they helped a little bit.

    “(Swindell) was awful good all night long. He drove away from us early. He was definitely a better car than us and it would have took a little bit of problem from him for us to get up to him. I just wasn’t good enough from the center off to get a run on guys to slide them.”

    Craig Dollansky also capitalized on the two cautions to drive from sixth to third in the final five laps.

    “My car got good as the race wore on,” he said. “Late in the race was when my car felt the best.

    “Any time you can come out with a top three with this group of teams here, it’s a pretty good night.”

    David Gravel, who set fast time for the second night in a row, finished fourth and Daryn Pittman drove from 11th to round out the top five.

    Schatz overcame an early issue of his own and rebounded in the feature. After advancing from eighth to third in the Last Chance Showdown to earn a transfer, Schatz started the main event in 24th. He restarted 14th on the caution with six laps remaining and then restarted ninth on the green-white-checker.

    Schatz finished sixth and he earned the KSE Hard Charger Award for a series-best third time this season.

    Saldana placed seventh, Steve Kinser was eighth, Greg Wilson ended ninth and Friday night winner Chad Kemenah rallied from 22nd to conclude the top 10.

    Paul McMahan won a heat race and the dash, and Trey Starks, Steve Kinser and Jac Haudenschild earned heat wins. Tony Stewart claimed the Last Chance Showdown.

    Swindell and Schatz have exchanged the points lead 8 times in 15 events making it the most hotly contested championship battle in World of Outlaws History.

  • Eldora Hosts Goodyear Outlaw Thunder

    [media-credit name=”Photo Courtesy of Tear Off Haven Fotos” align=”alignright” width=”245″][/media-credit]The World of Outlaws returned for the first time this year to the historic and storied Eldora Speedway. Eldora’s legend and myth are so intertwined with her reality that they can never be truly separated. Her reputation has been gained over the years and has been formed by the perspective of the men who have raced on her surface. She has created champions. She has broken hopeful younsters. She has played host to royalty, millionaires, champions and legends, yet her heart will always belong to those that fill her seats every week.

    Eldora’s trophy is as sought after as the man who calls her his own and has since 2004. Tony Stewart added new catch fencing and a digital scoreboard. A weather alert system to benefit the community and visitors to the track. A smaller track for quarter midgets and an ecologically benficial track preservation system to grow the tracks dirt surface stronger. He brought the diamond of the past that helped form his beloved roots of dirt racing, into the present. Now he has began the journey that will solidify her influence long into the future of the sport.

    Tonight was nothing different for Eldora. She was tough and unforgiving. A total of 10 cautions would slow the normally lightening fast Outlaws with multiple car wrecks and wild rolls leaving drivers safe but shaken and cars piles of brutalized rubble. There were freak happenings that left the casual and die hard fan alike shaking their heads in wonder and a showing of skills that illustrated why they call it “The Greatest Show on Dirt”.

    The night began with a feeling of excitement in the air. Track owner Tony Stewart had announced on Thursday that he would be altering his schedule at Talladega in order to run both nights of the Goodyear Outlaw Thunder at Eldora. When the gates opened the red white and blue Office Depot number 14 was indeed in the pits and its driver was indeed at the track. Stewart who skipped the final practice at Talladega to be present and compete, showed that he was not only a force to be reckoned with behind the wheel of a race vehicle, but he also understood the importance of the role of track owner and promoter.

    Qualifying was an omen of things to come with David Gravel being the fastest in qualifying with a lap of 13.228 seconds, which was only three-thousandths quicker than Chad Kemenah. Steve Kinser (13.277 seconds), Daryn Pittman (13.288) and Jac Haudenschild (13.291) completed the top five. The top 20 drivers were separated by less than three-tenths of a second.

    The heat races were quick. The first heat was won by Dale Blaney (older brother of Dave Blaney) and transferred Jac Haudenschild, Trey Starks, David Gravel and Tony Stewart to the A Main. The second heat was won by Craig Dollansky and transferred Joey Saldana, Donny Schatz, Jason Sides and Chad Kemenah to the A. The third heat was won by Kerry Madsen and transferred Steve Kinser, ‎Stevie Smith, Cody Darrah and Cap Henry to the A. The final heat would be won by Sammy Swindell and transferred Tim Shaffer, Daryn Pittman, Greg Wilson and Danny Holtgraver to the A main.

    The Dash inversion was a 4. Putting Jac Haudenshild on the front row next to Steve Kinser. The fast qualifier would start on the outside 2nd row. Haudenschild would dominate the dash to take the pole with 20 time Outlaw Champion, Steve Kinser coming home second. With the top 5 rows set it was time for the B Main.

    The B Main started 13 cars and transferred 4 to the A. Kraig Kinser would start on the pole and would win the race handily followed by Paul McMahan, Randy Hannagan, Bryan Sebetto. Note of interest here – Sheldon Haudenschild the son of Jac Haudenschild was running in the top 10 of the B Main when an engine expired taking him out of competition. The younger Haudenschild was giving a strong accounting of the education he had received from his father.

    The A Main saw cautions for debris that launched from the track surface breaking out one of the front stretch lights and showering the track with glass, exploding tires, Sammy Swindell, a multi car wreck that took out the top 5. The leader, Jac Haudenschild, pit for fuel which is not allowed in the Outlaws except under open red conditions. The leader, Dale Blaney, pit for a flat tire that he changed outside the work area and thus was not allowed to return to the track.

    There was 3 wide racing and side by side racing throughout the field from the drop of the green. There was not a single position that was not hotly contested on the track by some of the best drivers in the world. Steve Kinser who would have a tire go down would return to finish 3rd. Sammy Swindell would return to the track to finish 6th. Power slides through every corner. Wheel to wheel down the front and back stretches as this field of magicians fought for Eldora’s crown and a $10,000 purse.

    When the checkered flag dropped it was Chad Kemenah who went home the winner. A very emotional Kemenah said in Victory Lane,

    “We got lucky there, you don’t want to win like that, but we’ve given some away so I’m not complaining. A win is a win and they pay the same.

    “When you’re this close to home it makes it that much better. It’s only an hour and a half to home, so this is kinda like home to me.”

    “The last time I won, my wife fired me. I see her down there and it looks alright. I don’t think I am getting fired this time” said Kemenah.

    The top ten finishers were Donny Schatz, Steve Kinser, Cody Darrah, Daryn Pittman, Sammy Swindell, Tony Stewart, Joey Saldana, Kraig Kinser, and Cap Henry. The top 9 cars were the only cars remaining on the lead lap.

    Donny Schatz would drive from 12th to 2nd and finish the night with a 1 point lead over Sammy Swindell in the Outlaw Points. “There were a lot of things going on and I’m glad we weren’t in it,” Schatz said. “We had a so-so car; it wasn’t the greatest. We were just kinda riding around and trying to be cautious and stay out of trouble.”

    The Outlaws will return to Eldora for night 2 of the Goodyear Outlaw Thunder tomorrow night with racing beginning at 730 EST.

    Eldora seemed to sigh as the dust cleared away as though she had revisited the echoes of her past and added the echoes of tonight to them. Tonight she smiled on a young man who took home only his second victory but what a victory it was. Chad Kemenah would never forget the beautiful lady in Ohio who bolstered his confidence for one night. And she would never forget him. Her records would forever show that on this hot humid night in May Chad Kemenah won at Eldora.

  • The Magic of the Night … The Greatest Show on Dirt

    The Magic of the Night … The Greatest Show on Dirt

    [media-credit id=30 align=”alignleft” width=”225″]4 wide[/media-credit]

    The infield was bustling with busy hands and bright shining cars with numbers and sponsor names proudly emblazoned on their wings. Outside the t-shirts swung from trailer awnings of bright oranges, reds and blues. The lines gathered around the racks looking for that special shirt from that special driver at that can’t beat price. Anticipation ruled the cold evening, but the stands continued to fill. The water trucks and pack vehicles circled the track bringing much needed water to soothe the dry thirst of the dirt and clay track.

    Familiar names and faces, legends and up and comers both side by side in the early spring sun. Nomex and helmets spoke to safety and success. It’s Friday – and the dream has begun again, in a new town on a new track with the same goal a race victory and a journey towards the championship. As the sun sank in the sky and the wind picked up it was finally time…The World of Outlaws had arrived.

    As the hot laps unwound the haze of methanol and track dust and hot rubber hung in the air. The sounds of 900 horsepower engines and the sight of the greatest drivers on dirt and the master magicians of speed began to show their talents and magic. But it was merely a taste of the journey that these masters of speed  would take this small town crowd on.

    The field was made up of strong competitors and champions, from Tony Stewart, the current reigning Sprint Cup Champion, to the king of the outlaws, 20 time WoO champion, Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Donny Schatz, Danny Lasoski, Joey Saldana to name just a few. Qualifying would be an exciting show of speed and car control with quick time belonging to Craig Dollansky who turned a lap around the ½ mile track of 15.98 seconds.  Followed by Chad Kemenah and Steve Kinser. The top 10 qualifiers were separated by .13 seconds.

    The heat races set the tone for the evening. Rapid fire fast and dramatic. The first heat race showed Brian Brown leading all but the last 4 laps of the 8 lap race.  At the half way point Brown began smoking from the left side as he came on to the front stretch. By the time he reached the middle of the back stretch the smoke was pouring from the car and Brown needed assistance from a push truck to get back to pit road. That left the Rushville Rocket, Tony Stewart, who had been pressuring Brown, to take the lead. Stewart would take the green and never look back. His margin of  victory 1.112 seconds. Coming home behind Stewart in the first heat were Craig Dollansky and New Zealands Kerry Madsen, Kraig Kinser, Tony Bruce Jr. , Paul McMahan would all transfer to the A Main.

    The second heat race would be won by Missouri local Danny “the dude” Lasoski. Lasoski would lead all 8 laps and his margin of victory was 1.411 seconds. Following Lasoski across the line was Brady Bacon, Joey Saldana, Lucas Wolfe, Donny Schatz and Chad Kemenah. All would lock into the A Main.

    The third heat would present a rare night of difficulties for the King of the Outlaws, Steve Kinser. Kinser who was moving well through the field suddenly slowed between one and two and came to a stop in the middle of the back stretch. The car seemed  to lose power and then just shut off. A push truck brought the oddly silent Bass Pro Shop number 11 to the pit road at lap number 5. Although the familiar bright orange and black car would be pushed back to the track it’s silence would not be broken and Kinser retired from the heat race relegating himself to the B Main. Sammy Swindell however, was on a terror. Leading all 8 laps in dominating style. The Big Game Tree Stands, Rossi Feed and Grain black and hot pink and silver car took the checkers .829 seconds ahead of Stevie Smith, Jason Sides, David Gravel, Cody Darrah, Terry McCarl would all advance to the A Main.

    The Dash inversion draw was 6. Putting Cody Darrah on the front row next to Danny Lasoski. But they would have lots of heat right behind them in Tony Stewart and Sammy Swindell. The Dash wouldn’t make it to turn one before there was a three car pile up on the front stretch with Craig Dollansky, Stevie Smith and Kraig Kinser. Dollansky took a wild ride off the front of Stevie Smith’s nose and Kraig Kinser would tumble in an attempt to keep from hitting Dollansky. Dollansky’s car was brutalized and required a lot of work to get it on the wrecker and back to the pits. None of the 3 would return to the dash but all three would maintain their top 10 starting spot in the A Main if they were able to start. The dash would go to Cody Darrah followed by Lasoski, Swindell, Stewart and Saldana. With the first 5 rows of the A Main set. It was time to fill in the field.

    The B main was a 12 lap last chance dash. With Steve Kinser scheduled to start on the pole. Kinser would not be able to start the main and would take a provisional into the A Main. The B main was lead from green flag to checkers by Grain Valley Missouri’s Brian Brown. Brown won by a commanding 3.397 seconds. Followed by Brad Sweet, Cap Henry, Bill Rose, Danny Smith, Austin Wheatley.

    With the field set it was time for the greatest show on dirt to begin. The four wide salute out of four generated almost an electric response from the crowd. At the green flag Cody Darrah flexed his muscle and set fly to a big lead with Lasoski setting sail behind him. Stewart and Swindell would fight for the third spot. But the initial start was not to be. A wild crash by Brad Sweet in turn one saw the car destroyed but the driver walked away unharmed. When the green flew again Darrah set sail. Stewart and Swindell fought for the third with Stewart looking high and then low. Stewart could make it to the door of the 1 but couldn’t complete the pass. Joey Saldana was pressuring Stewart pushing the low line in every corner. Behind the leaders it was a battle for every position all the way back to the final spot. The final caution flew with 3 laps to go. At the drop of the green Stewart would veer high between 1 and 2 and off above the buffer. A flat right rear took the Sprint Cup Champ out of the race from 4th position. Sammy Swindell took the lead with 5 laps to go and set sail. Ultimately taking the checkers and the first leg of the Kasey Kahne Challenge by 1.328 seconds.  Followed by Joey Saldana, Brian Brown on the podium. In fourth position after starting deep in the field was four time champ Donny Schatz.

    The cold had increased in intensity as the night went on. Jackets, sweatshirts, hats and even gloves were the rule in the grandstands. But excitement didn’t die down with the final checkered flag of the night. Instead it lingered like a sweet memory of a perfect evening. Magicians signed autographs and posed for pictures in the pits next to the tools that had so skillfully used to work the magic of the night. Magic that would linger long after bite of the cold had gone. And long after the haulers had pulled out on their way to Indiana for the next race only one night away. But for another year the greatest magic show on dirt had come and gone.

    Many thanks to Shawn Miller from the World of Outlaws for his hospitality and education. You went above and beyond and it’s greatly appreciated. To all the drivers thank you just thank you for your patience and your talents and most of all for being the magicians of speed you are. To the crew of the 14 from Tony Stewart Racing thank you for taking time to answer what had to be stupid questions to you. Your driver and your boss should be very very proud of all of you.