Rossburg, OH — July 16, 2005 — By Chris Dolack, World of Outlaws Senior
Writer
The king has reclaimed the throne. Steve Kinser powered to the Kings
Royal title Saturday night at Eldora Speedway, driving under Joey
Saldana on Lap 30 and holding him off on four restarts in the final two
laps to claim the crown worth $50,000 for the sixth time in his career.
Kinser, who is chasing his 20th World of Outlaws Sprint Series
championship, is the only driver to start all 22 Kings Royal events.
That knowledge helped position him perfectly through the unique
qualifying format to start on the outside of Row 2. From there he
chased down Saldana, the 2002 winner who started on the pole, and on
Lap 30 shot under him in Turns 1 and 2 and survived a rash of cautions
down the stretch to win at the intimidating high-banked, high-speed
half-mile oval for the third time this season and the 33rd time in his
career.
His victory also marked only the third time in history that the same
driver won the Knight Before the Kings Royal and the Kings Royal.
Kinser previously accomplished the feat in 2003 and Jac Haudenschild
won both events in 1998.
Saldana held off Danny Lasoski to finish second, a remarkable
accomplishment considering only a month ago Saldana was seriously
injured in a three-car crash during a heat race in the Eagle Nationals.
Haudenschild was fourth, followed by Tim Shaffer, Kraig Kinser,
fast-qualifier Chad Kemenah, Daryn Pittman, Terry McCarl and Jason
Solwold.
“We run awful good here,” said Kinser, a Mean 15 racer from
Bloomington, Ind., who won a World of Outlaws A-feature event for the
527th time in his career. “This has always been one of my favorite
racetracks. I always enjoy racing here. We get around here good and we
come here with confidence, and we needed to run good because we’re
still having a little bit of trouble. It’s the same car I ran 20th with
[Wednesday at Attica Raceway].”
In the early going of the 40-lap feature, Saldana quickly motored to
the front with Tim Kaeding in pursuit. Kinser put the heat on Kaeding,
who finished in the top-five in each of the previous three Outlaws
races this season at Eldora. Kaeding pushed hard, going right up to the
wall in the turns and carrying his momentum down the straightaways. But
Kinser was running a groove lower and when Kaeding barely touched the
lapped car of Kenny Jacobs on the backstretch with 12 laps down, Kinser
was there to pounce and slide into second.
Saldana smoothly worked through traffic while his pursuers began
sliding up and down the track trying to find a line through the lapped
cars that would allow them to close the gap. Then Kaeding, still trying
to regain second from Kinser, spun in the cushion at the top of Turn 1
to bring out a caution with 18 laps down.
The field bunched up, but Saldana had a huge jump on the restart as
Kinser’s motor didn’t want to take off. With everybody in line behind
Kinser, no one behind him could take advantage until they got to the
flagstand and by that point his engine recovered and he again charged
after Saldana.
“My motor wouldn’t take off,” Kinser said. “It just had a big stumble
on it. I couldn’t get it to take off, it was that bad. It’s not too bad
if you’re in the lead because you can sort of carry a fast pace and get
on it, but if you’re choked in behind somebody it kills you. You can’t
lean back and get runs on anybody. This is not a good place to not have
a motor take off because you can do a lot of passing on restarts in the
first corner. We’ve won a lot of races being able to do that, just get
on them coming off of Turn 4 on the starts and run underneath and back
in front of them going into Turn 1. I couldn’t even keep up to get that
opportunity.”
Only three laps later the caution waved again, this time for Greg
Wilson who hit debris that tore apart the right side panel of his car.
Officials decided to throw the red flag and allow teams to refuel and
check over their cars.
Kinser had a much smoother restart this time around and didn’t let
Saldana get too far away, but kept Lasoski and Haudenschild behind him
at the same time. Kinser closed quick on Lap 26 but couldn’t make a
move. Finally, coming off of Turn 4 on Lap 29 Kinser decided to take
chance. Going into Turn 1 on Lap 30 he cut to the bottom as Saldana
maintained his line near the top of the track. Kinser slid through the
turns and emerged in front down the backstretch. He made it stick at
the line to lead Lap 31.
“I had a long enough run I could start running Joey back in a little
bit,” Kinser said. “He would get a little bit loose. I actually got to
running above the cushion in Turn 3 and coming back across that rough
stuff [in Turn 4] and caught him a little bit, but it was just so rough
back across there I felt it was going to tear the lines or the oil pan
off it because it was grabbing stuff so hard. I stayed off of it after
that.
“Just when I came off of Turn 4, I was actually back about a car length
and a half farther than what I wanted to be, but I was close enough I
figured I better take a chance right then.”
Lasoski looked at a lower groove, too, but Saldana held him off as
Shaffer caught Haudenschild and joined the hunt.
Then just as Kinser was coming to take the white flag, Donny Schatz,
who had powered through the field from 21st into the top 10, shredded a
right rear in Turns 3 and 4 bringing out a caution, setting up a
green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart, Kinser had a little extra cushion of two lapped cars
between him and Saldana, but Tatnell had trouble coming off of Turn 4
and wound up in the front stretch wall just past the exit of the fourth
turn, bringing out another caution.
Again, Kinser was forced to power back up and lead the field to the
white flag, but this time Sammy Swindell had trouble in Turn 4,
bringing out yet another caution and keeping the huge crowd in
suspense.
Adding to the drama, the lapped cars were no longer a factor as Saldana
pulled up right onto Kinser’s bumper as they circled the track under
caution. Saldana would have only one shot at Kinser this time around as
Eldora’s rules called for the green and white flags to wave together,
signifying one lap would decide who went home with the $50,000 check.
The only chance for Saldana, Lasoski, Haudenschild or Shaffer was if
Kinser’s motor struggled to regain speed, but he cranked up his nearly
900-horsepower machine quickly and made it as wide as possible into
Turn 1, completing the final circuit to take the checkered flag.
“It’s sometimes unbelievable,” said Bob Kinser, Steve’s father and a
legendary racer in his own right. “He never gives up. He can read a
track so good it’s just unbelievable anybody can do as good as he can.
You can’t count Steve out until it’s over.”
Kinser’s success also is a credit to his team, led by crew chief Scott
Gerkin.
“From our standpoint, it doesn’t matter if we’re coming to win a race
that’s $50,000 to win or $10,000 to win, we try to go to every race as
well prepared as we can,” Gerkin said. “We had enough time while we
were home to get a new motor together for up here. That probably had
more to do with winning both nights than anything else.”
A second-place finish for Saldana after he led the first 30 laps was
understandably frustrating, but a month after a bumper from another car
entered his cockpit and caught him in the head, giving him a concussion
and forcing him to miss a couple of weeks of competition, his run at
Eldora was remarkable even if he believes otherwise.
“It was my own fault,” said Saldana, the 1996 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of
the Year. “On one of those restarts I got into the front straightaway
wall and I bent my right rear wheel and knocked my Jacob’s ladder clean
off. I was just hanging on then. I cost myself that race. He slipped me
hard to win it, but he’s going for $50,000. When you’re out front like
that and you’ve got a good car, you can’t screw up and I screwed up and
cost myself the race.
“It seems like when my car is off a little bit I struggle with it. I
think I’m a little gun-shy right now. There’s been some races where
we’ve been either really good or really bad. I’ve got to get my car
right because I don’t really feel like I’m in the right spot to carry
it or make up for what I got. Tonight we had a good car and I lost the
race for my guys.”
Lasoski’s third-place run as the Month of Money picks up steam was his
best finish since finishing fourth in June 4 at Eldora. It had his team
and car owner, Tony Stewart, who also owns Eldora, believing they’re on
the right path.
“It’s been a terrible year by our standards, but we’re here at Big T’s
place and we were right there in the top three,” said Lasoski, the 2001
series champion who is sixth in points this season. “I could see the
lead for the whole race. Steve did a great job, my hat’s off to him.”
Lasoski had been trying moving around on the track, trying to find a
way around the top two cars when the open red flag allowed crews onto
the track to refuel and make adjustments to their cars.
“We didn’t need the red because the longer the run the better our car
was and we didn’t need these guys to stop and rest and work on their
stuff and all,” Lasoski said. “But I’m very proud of Paul Kistler, who
worked his tail off on these Mopar engines.
The strong run gives Lasoski something to look forward to when the
series rolls into Knoxville Raceway in August for the $140,000-to-win
Nationals, an event he’s won four times.
“This [motor] is Paul Kistler’s new creation, so I hope we’ll continue
to run well,” Lasoski said. “This is the only time I’ve been able to
see the lead all year.”
The Outlaws roll Tuesday into Lernerville Speedway for the
$30,000-to-win Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and July 21-23 to
Williams Grove Speedway for the $20,000-to-win Summer Nationals.
THE MARCH TO THE MEAN 15
Because the Kings Royal ran a special format, the race did not count
toward the March to the Mean 15 featuring Brooke Tatnell, Shane
Stewart, Terry McCarl and Jason Solwold. Those four racers will
conclude their battle for the final spot in the elite group of sprint
car racers Tuesday night in the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at
Lernerville Speedway. On Friday at Eldora, Tatnell extended his
advantage with a sixth-place finish in the A-main. Tatnell has been the
top-finishing racer in each of the events in the March. McCarl
maintained second place with a 14th-place run after pacing the field in
time trials. Stewart finished 17th in the feature to hold onto third
place while Solwold missed the A-main in the 51-car field.
On Tuesday, Tatnell needs only to start the A-main to win the March no
matter how any of the other three drivers fare.
March to the Mean 15 Standings, through fourth of five races
Rk. Driver/Owner Points Behind
1 Brooke Tatnell/Rush Racing 574 —
2 Terry McCarl/McCarl 508 -66
3 Shane Stewart/Rudeen Racing 482 -92
4 Jason Solwold/Carnahan 424 -150
KINGS ROYAL NOTEBOOK
• Steve Kinser is expected to appear tonight between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
on SPEED Channel’s Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
• The format for the Kings Royal included six 8-lap heats where the
fast four qualifiers were inverted and the top three finishers advanced
to the A-main. The two fastest qualifiers who failed to transfer out of
their heats were automatically inserted into the 19th and 20th starting
positions in the A-main grid. Then, the three fastest cars that failed
to advance out of the heats were sent to the B-main, with the next
three fastest cars going to the C-main. In the C-main, the top five
finishers advanced to the B-main. The top four finishers in the B-main
advanced to the main event.
• The change in the racing format for the Kings Royal meant all teams
received 75 points in the World of Outlaws Sprint Series championship
standings, thereby putting the focus on the battle for the $50,000 for
winning rather than their ranking within the series.
• Steve Kinser earned his series-leading 14th A-feature victory
Saturday night by winning the Kings Royal. Kinser also has a
preliminary feature win this season in the Eagle Nationals at Eagle
Raceway. When Stevie Smith took the checkered flag Wednesday night at
Attica Raceway Park, he became the 14th different A-feature winner this
season. Kraig Kinser won his fourth A-feature of the season in June at
Knoxville Raceway. He also has a preliminary feature win at Las Vegas.
Jason Meyers earned his fourth win of the season July 2 at Red River
Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D. Donny Schatz also has four
A-feature victories, at Parramatta, Las Vegas and Houston and Joliet,
Ill. Brian Paulus won June 28 at Huset’s Speedway for his second
victory of the season. Tim Shaffer picked up his second win of the
season May 6 at Lake Ozark Speedway. Sammy Swindell won his second
A-feature of the season June 4 at Eldora Speedway. Swindell also has a
preliminary feature win April 8 at Eldora. Craig Dollansky has won two
features, most recently at Powercom Park, and he also has two
preliminary feature wins. Single-event winners include Tim Kaeding June
11 at Sheboygan County Fair Park, Daryn Pittman April 23 at 81 Speedway
in Wichita, Brooke Tatnell July 4 at Cedar Lake Speedway, Chad Kemenah
July 9 at I-55 Raceway, and Jeff Shepard Feb. 11 at Volusia Speedway
Park. In Preliminary Features, Danny Lasoski has won twice and Joey
Saldana has won once.
• The race last night at Eldora was on half-mile oval. Including
preliminary features, the series has raced 20 times this year on
half-mile circuits with Steve Kinser winning six times (Volusia, Eldora
three times, Knoxville and Williams Grove), Sammy Swindell winning
three times (twice at Eldora, once at Hagerstown), Craig Dollansky
winning twice (Manzanita and Williams Grove), Kraig Kinser winning
twice (Las Vegas, Knoxville), Jason Meyers winning twice (Granite City
and Red River Valley), Donny Schatz winning twice (Las Vegas and Route
66 Raceway), and Brian Paulus (Red River Valley), Danny Lasoski
(Knoxville) and Jeff Shepard (Volusia) each winning once.
• In the B-main, the race for the final four spots in the feature and
shot at $50,000 was a wild prelude to the main event. Thanks to Chad
Blonde’s spin in Turn 3, it took two tries to get the B-main started.
When the race restarted, Jimmy Stinson charged to the lead followed by
Jeremy Campbell, Jim Nier and Donny Schatz, who started 10th. Schatz
motored his way through the lead pack, taking the lead on Lap 7 with a
move a under Campbell. A lap later, Shane Stewart spun out of the final
transfer spot in a wild three-car scramble in Turn 3, bringing out a
caution with three laps to go. Schatz, Campbell and Stinson pulled back
to the lead on the restart as Jason Meyers seized the final transfer
spot.
• In the C-main, Stevie Smith, Jason Sides and Paul McMahan shot into
the first turn when Adam Zabonick took a wicked flip behind them,
bringing out a red flag before a lap could be completed. On the
restart, Smith charged back in front as Sides dove into second ahead of
McMahan. As Smith drove off the to the checkered flag, McMahan slipped
back in front of Sides on Lap 5 and held onto second. Sides finished
third with Keith Baxter and Todd Kane picking up the final two transfer
spots to the rear of the B-main. Defending champion Jason Sides wasn’t
• In the first heat, Brooke Tatnell charged to the lead with
fast-qualifier Chad Kemenah sliding into second. Those two pulled away
from the field, leaving Mark Smith grabbing the third and final
transfer position.
• In the second heat, Daryn Pittman led flag-to-flag as the blistering
pace continued. Sammy Swindell and Tim Kaeding raced side-by-side
through Turns 3 and 4 before Swindell slipped ahead, leaving Kaeding in
the final transfer spot.
• In the third heat, Butch Schroeder muscled his way to the front in
the first turn and led the next seven laps, but Jac Haudenschild closed
fast and dove in front in Turn 1 after taking the white flag.
Haudenschild, a three-time Kings Royal winner, held on to win with
Schroeder in second and Joey Saldana, the 2002 Kings Royal winner,
finishing in the final transfer spot.
• In the fourth heat, Phil Gressman grabbed the lead in Turn 1 and
built a huge lead. Randy Hannagan charged past Danny Smith on the
fourth lap to slide into second. Danny Lasoski then closed quickly on
Smith, sliding next to him in Turns 3 and 4 and getting him at the
checkered flag by 0.032 seconds for the final transfer spot.
• In the fifth heat, Kraig Kinser and Greg Wilson were side-by-side
into Turn 1 when Steve Kinser tried to sneak through the middle. The
two leaders turned him back, with Kraig Kinser getting the lead off of
Turn 2. Wilson held on for second with Steve Kinser grabbing the final
transfer spot.
• In the sixth heat, Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award contender
Jason Solwold survived a mad rush in the first turn and led
flag-to-flag. Kenny Jacobs, in his final year of sprint car racing,
held onto second with Tim Shaffer racing into the final transfer spot.
• Chad Kemenah paced the 50 cars that went through time trials with a
lap around the 1/2-mile oval in 13.319 seconds at 135.145 mph. The
Kings Royal marked the 19th time Kemenah has raced with the Outlaws in
2005. He has posted five fast times and has one feature victory. Craig
Dollansky established the track record in a World of Outlaws Sprint
Series race when he turned a lap around Eldora in 12.707 seconds on
April 13, 2002.
• The Outlaws roll Tuesday into Lernerville Speedway for the
$30,000-to-win Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and July 21-23 to
Williams Grove Speedway for the $20,000-to-win Summer Nationals.
• The Outdoor Channel will air at 8 p.m. (ET) on July 20 the 17th
annual Brad Doty Classic from Attica Raceway Park. The action from
Eldora Speedway will air at 8 p.m. (ET) on July 27 and Aug. 3.
• On Tuesday at Lernerville, fans will be able to enter the pits for a
Meet-n-Greet with the teams from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., after which the pits
will be cleared and only those with a pit wristbrands will be allowed
to re-enter. From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. there will be a tailgating
competition with a live remote from Y-108 FM and radio personality Zeke
will assist in the judging (prizes include a new grill). Time trials
are slated to begin at 7:15 p.m. with racing at 8 p.m.
• It might not have a wing on top, but one of the most talked about
vehicles in the pits at all of the Outlaw races is the Segway® Human
Transporter. Tuesday night at Lernerville Speedway, a lucky World of
Outlaws Sprint Series fan will win a Segway courtesy of Rush Racing and
its entire race team during the main event of The Don Martin Memorial
Silver Cup. A Segway HT is a two-wheel, self-balancing personal
transporter designed to take people anywhere they want to go, even a
local dirt track. Many of the top drivers and their team members have
been seen running through the pits or attempting the famous slide jobs
on each other. Now one lucky fan will get their chance to experience
the thrill of a Segway. … Fans can pick up a ticket for the drawing at
the Rush Racing Apparel trailer just outside the entrance to the
stands. Tickets will be available during the fan appreciation and
autograph sessions scheduled to take place between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Rush Racing, and a link to Segway, can be found on the Internet at
http://www.rushracingsprintcars.com.
• If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience
the excitement of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series live on
Dirtvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network. To listen to the audio
broadcasts, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio
Network logo. Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to
listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions,
e-mail webmaster@dirtvision.com.
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is brought to the fans across the
country by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors
Hoosier Racing Tire, Stacker 2®, and The Outdoor Channel. Promotional
Partners include AMB i.t., RACEceiver, HUMMERSGONEWILD.COM, Zippo
Lighters, The University of Northwestern Ohio, Timberwolf, and Race
Punk apparel. Slick 50 is an Associate Program Sponsor and Contingency
sponsors include DART Machinery, MSD Ignitions, and Wrisco Industries.
Writer
The king has reclaimed the throne. Steve Kinser powered to the Kings
Royal title Saturday night at Eldora Speedway, driving under Joey
Saldana on Lap 30 and holding him off on four restarts in the final two
laps to claim the crown worth $50,000 for the sixth time in his career.
Kinser, who is chasing his 20th World of Outlaws Sprint Series
championship, is the only driver to start all 22 Kings Royal events.
That knowledge helped position him perfectly through the unique
qualifying format to start on the outside of Row 2. From there he
chased down Saldana, the 2002 winner who started on the pole, and on
Lap 30 shot under him in Turns 1 and 2 and survived a rash of cautions
down the stretch to win at the intimidating high-banked, high-speed
half-mile oval for the third time this season and the 33rd time in his
career.
His victory also marked only the third time in history that the same
driver won the Knight Before the Kings Royal and the Kings Royal.
Kinser previously accomplished the feat in 2003 and Jac Haudenschild
won both events in 1998.
Saldana held off Danny Lasoski to finish second, a remarkable
accomplishment considering only a month ago Saldana was seriously
injured in a three-car crash during a heat race in the Eagle Nationals.
Haudenschild was fourth, followed by Tim Shaffer, Kraig Kinser,
fast-qualifier Chad Kemenah, Daryn Pittman, Terry McCarl and Jason
Solwold.
“We run awful good here,” said Kinser, a Mean 15 racer from
Bloomington, Ind., who won a World of Outlaws A-feature event for the
527th time in his career. “This has always been one of my favorite
racetracks. I always enjoy racing here. We get around here good and we
come here with confidence, and we needed to run good because we’re
still having a little bit of trouble. It’s the same car I ran 20th with
[Wednesday at Attica Raceway].”
In the early going of the 40-lap feature, Saldana quickly motored to
the front with Tim Kaeding in pursuit. Kinser put the heat on Kaeding,
who finished in the top-five in each of the previous three Outlaws
races this season at Eldora. Kaeding pushed hard, going right up to the
wall in the turns and carrying his momentum down the straightaways. But
Kinser was running a groove lower and when Kaeding barely touched the
lapped car of Kenny Jacobs on the backstretch with 12 laps down, Kinser
was there to pounce and slide into second.
Saldana smoothly worked through traffic while his pursuers began
sliding up and down the track trying to find a line through the lapped
cars that would allow them to close the gap. Then Kaeding, still trying
to regain second from Kinser, spun in the cushion at the top of Turn 1
to bring out a caution with 18 laps down.
The field bunched up, but Saldana had a huge jump on the restart as
Kinser’s motor didn’t want to take off. With everybody in line behind
Kinser, no one behind him could take advantage until they got to the
flagstand and by that point his engine recovered and he again charged
after Saldana.
“My motor wouldn’t take off,” Kinser said. “It just had a big stumble
on it. I couldn’t get it to take off, it was that bad. It’s not too bad
if you’re in the lead because you can sort of carry a fast pace and get
on it, but if you’re choked in behind somebody it kills you. You can’t
lean back and get runs on anybody. This is not a good place to not have
a motor take off because you can do a lot of passing on restarts in the
first corner. We’ve won a lot of races being able to do that, just get
on them coming off of Turn 4 on the starts and run underneath and back
in front of them going into Turn 1. I couldn’t even keep up to get that
opportunity.”
Only three laps later the caution waved again, this time for Greg
Wilson who hit debris that tore apart the right side panel of his car.
Officials decided to throw the red flag and allow teams to refuel and
check over their cars.
Kinser had a much smoother restart this time around and didn’t let
Saldana get too far away, but kept Lasoski and Haudenschild behind him
at the same time. Kinser closed quick on Lap 26 but couldn’t make a
move. Finally, coming off of Turn 4 on Lap 29 Kinser decided to take
chance. Going into Turn 1 on Lap 30 he cut to the bottom as Saldana
maintained his line near the top of the track. Kinser slid through the
turns and emerged in front down the backstretch. He made it stick at
the line to lead Lap 31.
“I had a long enough run I could start running Joey back in a little
bit,” Kinser said. “He would get a little bit loose. I actually got to
running above the cushion in Turn 3 and coming back across that rough
stuff [in Turn 4] and caught him a little bit, but it was just so rough
back across there I felt it was going to tear the lines or the oil pan
off it because it was grabbing stuff so hard. I stayed off of it after
that.
“Just when I came off of Turn 4, I was actually back about a car length
and a half farther than what I wanted to be, but I was close enough I
figured I better take a chance right then.”
Lasoski looked at a lower groove, too, but Saldana held him off as
Shaffer caught Haudenschild and joined the hunt.
Then just as Kinser was coming to take the white flag, Donny Schatz,
who had powered through the field from 21st into the top 10, shredded a
right rear in Turns 3 and 4 bringing out a caution, setting up a
green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart, Kinser had a little extra cushion of two lapped cars
between him and Saldana, but Tatnell had trouble coming off of Turn 4
and wound up in the front stretch wall just past the exit of the fourth
turn, bringing out another caution.
Again, Kinser was forced to power back up and lead the field to the
white flag, but this time Sammy Swindell had trouble in Turn 4,
bringing out yet another caution and keeping the huge crowd in
suspense.
Adding to the drama, the lapped cars were no longer a factor as Saldana
pulled up right onto Kinser’s bumper as they circled the track under
caution. Saldana would have only one shot at Kinser this time around as
Eldora’s rules called for the green and white flags to wave together,
signifying one lap would decide who went home with the $50,000 check.
The only chance for Saldana, Lasoski, Haudenschild or Shaffer was if
Kinser’s motor struggled to regain speed, but he cranked up his nearly
900-horsepower machine quickly and made it as wide as possible into
Turn 1, completing the final circuit to take the checkered flag.
“It’s sometimes unbelievable,” said Bob Kinser, Steve’s father and a
legendary racer in his own right. “He never gives up. He can read a
track so good it’s just unbelievable anybody can do as good as he can.
You can’t count Steve out until it’s over.”
Kinser’s success also is a credit to his team, led by crew chief Scott
Gerkin.
“From our standpoint, it doesn’t matter if we’re coming to win a race
that’s $50,000 to win or $10,000 to win, we try to go to every race as
well prepared as we can,” Gerkin said. “We had enough time while we
were home to get a new motor together for up here. That probably had
more to do with winning both nights than anything else.”
A second-place finish for Saldana after he led the first 30 laps was
understandably frustrating, but a month after a bumper from another car
entered his cockpit and caught him in the head, giving him a concussion
and forcing him to miss a couple of weeks of competition, his run at
Eldora was remarkable even if he believes otherwise.
“It was my own fault,” said Saldana, the 1996 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of
the Year. “On one of those restarts I got into the front straightaway
wall and I bent my right rear wheel and knocked my Jacob’s ladder clean
off. I was just hanging on then. I cost myself that race. He slipped me
hard to win it, but he’s going for $50,000. When you’re out front like
that and you’ve got a good car, you can’t screw up and I screwed up and
cost myself the race.
“It seems like when my car is off a little bit I struggle with it. I
think I’m a little gun-shy right now. There’s been some races where
we’ve been either really good or really bad. I’ve got to get my car
right because I don’t really feel like I’m in the right spot to carry
it or make up for what I got. Tonight we had a good car and I lost the
race for my guys.”
Lasoski’s third-place run as the Month of Money picks up steam was his
best finish since finishing fourth in June 4 at Eldora. It had his team
and car owner, Tony Stewart, who also owns Eldora, believing they’re on
the right path.
“It’s been a terrible year by our standards, but we’re here at Big T’s
place and we were right there in the top three,” said Lasoski, the 2001
series champion who is sixth in points this season. “I could see the
lead for the whole race. Steve did a great job, my hat’s off to him.”
Lasoski had been trying moving around on the track, trying to find a
way around the top two cars when the open red flag allowed crews onto
the track to refuel and make adjustments to their cars.
“We didn’t need the red because the longer the run the better our car
was and we didn’t need these guys to stop and rest and work on their
stuff and all,” Lasoski said. “But I’m very proud of Paul Kistler, who
worked his tail off on these Mopar engines.
The strong run gives Lasoski something to look forward to when the
series rolls into Knoxville Raceway in August for the $140,000-to-win
Nationals, an event he’s won four times.
“This [motor] is Paul Kistler’s new creation, so I hope we’ll continue
to run well,” Lasoski said. “This is the only time I’ve been able to
see the lead all year.”
The Outlaws roll Tuesday into Lernerville Speedway for the
$30,000-to-win Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and July 21-23 to
Williams Grove Speedway for the $20,000-to-win Summer Nationals.
THE MARCH TO THE MEAN 15
Because the Kings Royal ran a special format, the race did not count
toward the March to the Mean 15 featuring Brooke Tatnell, Shane
Stewart, Terry McCarl and Jason Solwold. Those four racers will
conclude their battle for the final spot in the elite group of sprint
car racers Tuesday night in the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at
Lernerville Speedway. On Friday at Eldora, Tatnell extended his
advantage with a sixth-place finish in the A-main. Tatnell has been the
top-finishing racer in each of the events in the March. McCarl
maintained second place with a 14th-place run after pacing the field in
time trials. Stewart finished 17th in the feature to hold onto third
place while Solwold missed the A-main in the 51-car field.
On Tuesday, Tatnell needs only to start the A-main to win the March no
matter how any of the other three drivers fare.
March to the Mean 15 Standings, through fourth of five races
Rk. Driver/Owner Points Behind
1 Brooke Tatnell/Rush Racing 574 —
2 Terry McCarl/McCarl 508 -66
3 Shane Stewart/Rudeen Racing 482 -92
4 Jason Solwold/Carnahan 424 -150
KINGS ROYAL NOTEBOOK
• Steve Kinser is expected to appear tonight between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
on SPEED Channel’s Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
• The format for the Kings Royal included six 8-lap heats where the
fast four qualifiers were inverted and the top three finishers advanced
to the A-main. The two fastest qualifiers who failed to transfer out of
their heats were automatically inserted into the 19th and 20th starting
positions in the A-main grid. Then, the three fastest cars that failed
to advance out of the heats were sent to the B-main, with the next
three fastest cars going to the C-main. In the C-main, the top five
finishers advanced to the B-main. The top four finishers in the B-main
advanced to the main event.
• The change in the racing format for the Kings Royal meant all teams
received 75 points in the World of Outlaws Sprint Series championship
standings, thereby putting the focus on the battle for the $50,000 for
winning rather than their ranking within the series.
• Steve Kinser earned his series-leading 14th A-feature victory
Saturday night by winning the Kings Royal. Kinser also has a
preliminary feature win this season in the Eagle Nationals at Eagle
Raceway. When Stevie Smith took the checkered flag Wednesday night at
Attica Raceway Park, he became the 14th different A-feature winner this
season. Kraig Kinser won his fourth A-feature of the season in June at
Knoxville Raceway. He also has a preliminary feature win at Las Vegas.
Jason Meyers earned his fourth win of the season July 2 at Red River
Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D. Donny Schatz also has four
A-feature victories, at Parramatta, Las Vegas and Houston and Joliet,
Ill. Brian Paulus won June 28 at Huset’s Speedway for his second
victory of the season. Tim Shaffer picked up his second win of the
season May 6 at Lake Ozark Speedway. Sammy Swindell won his second
A-feature of the season June 4 at Eldora Speedway. Swindell also has a
preliminary feature win April 8 at Eldora. Craig Dollansky has won two
features, most recently at Powercom Park, and he also has two
preliminary feature wins. Single-event winners include Tim Kaeding June
11 at Sheboygan County Fair Park, Daryn Pittman April 23 at 81 Speedway
in Wichita, Brooke Tatnell July 4 at Cedar Lake Speedway, Chad Kemenah
July 9 at I-55 Raceway, and Jeff Shepard Feb. 11 at Volusia Speedway
Park. In Preliminary Features, Danny Lasoski has won twice and Joey
Saldana has won once.
• The race last night at Eldora was on half-mile oval. Including
preliminary features, the series has raced 20 times this year on
half-mile circuits with Steve Kinser winning six times (Volusia, Eldora
three times, Knoxville and Williams Grove), Sammy Swindell winning
three times (twice at Eldora, once at Hagerstown), Craig Dollansky
winning twice (Manzanita and Williams Grove), Kraig Kinser winning
twice (Las Vegas, Knoxville), Jason Meyers winning twice (Granite City
and Red River Valley), Donny Schatz winning twice (Las Vegas and Route
66 Raceway), and Brian Paulus (Red River Valley), Danny Lasoski
(Knoxville) and Jeff Shepard (Volusia) each winning once.
• In the B-main, the race for the final four spots in the feature and
shot at $50,000 was a wild prelude to the main event. Thanks to Chad
Blonde’s spin in Turn 3, it took two tries to get the B-main started.
When the race restarted, Jimmy Stinson charged to the lead followed by
Jeremy Campbell, Jim Nier and Donny Schatz, who started 10th. Schatz
motored his way through the lead pack, taking the lead on Lap 7 with a
move a under Campbell. A lap later, Shane Stewart spun out of the final
transfer spot in a wild three-car scramble in Turn 3, bringing out a
caution with three laps to go. Schatz, Campbell and Stinson pulled back
to the lead on the restart as Jason Meyers seized the final transfer
spot.
• In the C-main, Stevie Smith, Jason Sides and Paul McMahan shot into
the first turn when Adam Zabonick took a wicked flip behind them,
bringing out a red flag before a lap could be completed. On the
restart, Smith charged back in front as Sides dove into second ahead of
McMahan. As Smith drove off the to the checkered flag, McMahan slipped
back in front of Sides on Lap 5 and held onto second. Sides finished
third with Keith Baxter and Todd Kane picking up the final two transfer
spots to the rear of the B-main. Defending champion Jason Sides wasn’t
• In the first heat, Brooke Tatnell charged to the lead with
fast-qualifier Chad Kemenah sliding into second. Those two pulled away
from the field, leaving Mark Smith grabbing the third and final
transfer position.
• In the second heat, Daryn Pittman led flag-to-flag as the blistering
pace continued. Sammy Swindell and Tim Kaeding raced side-by-side
through Turns 3 and 4 before Swindell slipped ahead, leaving Kaeding in
the final transfer spot.
• In the third heat, Butch Schroeder muscled his way to the front in
the first turn and led the next seven laps, but Jac Haudenschild closed
fast and dove in front in Turn 1 after taking the white flag.
Haudenschild, a three-time Kings Royal winner, held on to win with
Schroeder in second and Joey Saldana, the 2002 Kings Royal winner,
finishing in the final transfer spot.
• In the fourth heat, Phil Gressman grabbed the lead in Turn 1 and
built a huge lead. Randy Hannagan charged past Danny Smith on the
fourth lap to slide into second. Danny Lasoski then closed quickly on
Smith, sliding next to him in Turns 3 and 4 and getting him at the
checkered flag by 0.032 seconds for the final transfer spot.
• In the fifth heat, Kraig Kinser and Greg Wilson were side-by-side
into Turn 1 when Steve Kinser tried to sneak through the middle. The
two leaders turned him back, with Kraig Kinser getting the lead off of
Turn 2. Wilson held on for second with Steve Kinser grabbing the final
transfer spot.
• In the sixth heat, Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award contender
Jason Solwold survived a mad rush in the first turn and led
flag-to-flag. Kenny Jacobs, in his final year of sprint car racing,
held onto second with Tim Shaffer racing into the final transfer spot.
• Chad Kemenah paced the 50 cars that went through time trials with a
lap around the 1/2-mile oval in 13.319 seconds at 135.145 mph. The
Kings Royal marked the 19th time Kemenah has raced with the Outlaws in
2005. He has posted five fast times and has one feature victory. Craig
Dollansky established the track record in a World of Outlaws Sprint
Series race when he turned a lap around Eldora in 12.707 seconds on
April 13, 2002.
• The Outlaws roll Tuesday into Lernerville Speedway for the
$30,000-to-win Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and July 21-23 to
Williams Grove Speedway for the $20,000-to-win Summer Nationals.
• The Outdoor Channel will air at 8 p.m. (ET) on July 20 the 17th
annual Brad Doty Classic from Attica Raceway Park. The action from
Eldora Speedway will air at 8 p.m. (ET) on July 27 and Aug. 3.
• On Tuesday at Lernerville, fans will be able to enter the pits for a
Meet-n-Greet with the teams from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., after which the pits
will be cleared and only those with a pit wristbrands will be allowed
to re-enter. From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. there will be a tailgating
competition with a live remote from Y-108 FM and radio personality Zeke
will assist in the judging (prizes include a new grill). Time trials
are slated to begin at 7:15 p.m. with racing at 8 p.m.
• It might not have a wing on top, but one of the most talked about
vehicles in the pits at all of the Outlaw races is the Segway® Human
Transporter. Tuesday night at Lernerville Speedway, a lucky World of
Outlaws Sprint Series fan will win a Segway courtesy of Rush Racing and
its entire race team during the main event of The Don Martin Memorial
Silver Cup. A Segway HT is a two-wheel, self-balancing personal
transporter designed to take people anywhere they want to go, even a
local dirt track. Many of the top drivers and their team members have
been seen running through the pits or attempting the famous slide jobs
on each other. Now one lucky fan will get their chance to experience
the thrill of a Segway. … Fans can pick up a ticket for the drawing at
the Rush Racing Apparel trailer just outside the entrance to the
stands. Tickets will be available during the fan appreciation and
autograph sessions scheduled to take place between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Rush Racing, and a link to Segway, can be found on the Internet at
http://www.rushracingsprintcars.com.
• If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience
the excitement of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series live on
Dirtvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network. To listen to the audio
broadcasts, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio
Network logo. Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to
listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions,
e-mail webmaster@dirtvision.com.
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is brought to the fans across the
country by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors
Hoosier Racing Tire, Stacker 2®, and The Outdoor Channel. Promotional
Partners include AMB i.t., RACEceiver, HUMMERSGONEWILD.COM, Zippo
Lighters, The University of Northwestern Ohio, Timberwolf, and Race
Punk apparel. Slick 50 is an Associate Program Sponsor and Contingency
sponsors include DART Machinery, MSD Ignitions, and Wrisco Industries.
