Knoxville, IA — Aug. 9, 2005 — By Chris Dolack, World of Outlaws Senior
Writer
WHAT
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series invades Knoxville Raceway
beginning Wednesday for four nights of racing culminating in the
crowning of the 2005 Knoxville Nationals champion, the most prestigious
title in sprint car racing.
WHERE
• Knoxville Raceway is at the north edge of Knoxville, Iowa, on SR 14
(located at the Marion County Fairgrounds, about 40 miles southeast of
Downtown Des Moines.
WHEN
• The schedule of events at Knoxville includes:
Wednesday
- Outlaw Dirt Kart Racing, 10 AM to 2 PM, English Creek Speedway
- KNIA-KRLS Welcome Center Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Fairgrounds
- 1/4 Scale Knoxville Nationals Practice, 11 a.m., Knoxville Middle
School
- Knoxville Nationals Qualifications, 7:15 PM
- Free Dance after the races
Thursday
- All you can eat “Pit Stop” Pancakes, 7:30 AM to 1 PM, National Guard
Armory
- Outlaw Dirt Kart Racing, 10 AM to 2 PM, English Creek Speedway
- KNIA-KRLS Welcome Center Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Fairgrounds
- 1/4 Scale Knoxville Nationals Qualifying and 2 rounds of heats, 11
a.m., Knoxville Middle School
- Spaghetti Dinner, 4 PM to 6 PM, St. Anthony’s Catholic Church
- Knoxville Nationals Qualifications, 7:15 PM
- Free Dance after the races
Friday
- All you can eat “Pit Stop” Pancakes, 7:30 AM to 1 PM, National Guard
Armory
- National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Golf Classic, 8:30 AM
- Outlaw Dirt Kart Racing, 10 AM to 2 PM, English Creek Speedway
- KNIA-KRLS Welcome Center Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Fairgrounds
- 1/4 Scale Knoxville Nationals, 2 rounds of Heats and Feature Events,
11 a.m., Knoxville Middle School
- Knoxville Nationals Racing, 6:45 PM
- Free Dance after the races
Saturday
- Knoxville Raceway Parade, Line-up 8:30 AM, Begins at 10:00 AM
downtown
- All you can eat “Pit Stop” Pancakes, 7:30 AM to 1 PM, National Guard
Armory
- KNIA-KRLS Welcome Center Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Fairgrounds
- Wacko’s Annual Tour de Knoxville Bike Ride, Register at 9 AM (641)
842-5436
- Bizarre Bazaar, 8 AM to 4 PM, crafts, antiques, memorabilia and more,
on the Square
- Fireman’s Lunch, 10 AM to 2 PM, Fire Station 1 block off the Square
- Farmers Market, 8 AM to noon, downtown
- NSCHoF Museum Annual Racing Auction, 1 PM at the Museum
- 45th Annual Knoxville Nationals, 7:15 PM
TICKETS
• For ticket information, go to Knoxville’s Web site at
http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com.
WEB SITES
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is at
http://www.dirtmotorsports.com/sprint/.
• Knoxville Raceway is at http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com.
ABOUT THE TRACK
• Knoxville Raceway is a semi-banked half-mile oval. When the Outlaws
raced in April at Knoxville, Joey Saldana broke the track record by
turning a lap in 14.908 seconds at 120.741 mph.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Excluding the Nationals, World of Outlaws Sprint Series “A” Feature
winners at Knoxville Raceway include:
2005 – Kraig Kinser on June 24, Steve Kinser on April 30
2004 – Craig Dollansky on June 26, Mark Kinser on May 1
2003 – Danny Lasoski on April 26, Danny Lasoski on July 5
2002 – Steve Kinser on April 26, Danny Lasoski on June 29
2001 – Danny Lasoski on April 28, Stevie Smith on June 30, Jason Meyers
on July 16
2000 – Danny Lasoski on April 29, Stevie Smith on July 1, Steve Kinser
on July 19
1999 – Sammy Swindell on May 1, Danny Lasoski on July 3, Danny Lasoski
on July 21
1998 – Jac Haudenschild on May 2, Jac Haudenschild on July 4, Jac
Haudenschild on July 22
1997 – Mark Kinser on April 26, Jac Haudenschild on July 5, Mark Kinser
on July 23
1996 – Mark Kinser on April 27, Mark Kinser on June 22, Mark Kinser on
July 24
1995 – Mark Kinser on May 6, Mark Kinser on June 24, Steve Kinser on
July 19, Mark Kinser on Sept. 27
1994 – Dave Blaney on April 29, Steve Kinser on June 25, Steve Kinser
on July 20, Jac Haudenschild on Sept. 23
1993 – Danny Lasoski on April 30, Mark Kinser on June 27, Stevie Smith
on Sept. 24
1992 – Sammy Swindell on April 26, Steve Kinser on June 20, Steve
Kinser on July 22, Steve Kinser on Sept. 26
1991 – Steve Kinser on April 27, Doug Wolfgang on June 22, Steve Kinser
on July 24
1990 – Doug Wolfgang on April 29, Steve Kinser on June 23, Sammy
Swindell on July 25
1989 – Sammy Swindell on April 29, Doug Wolfgang on June 24, 1988 –
Steve Kinser on April 30, Steve Kinser on June 22
1987 – Steve Kinser on April 25, Steve Kinser on June 22
1986 – Sammy Swindell on April 26, Steve Kinser on June 25, Steve
Kinser on July 23
1985 – Sammy Swindell on April 28, Doug Wolfgang on Oct. 6
1984 – Sammy Swindell on July 25
1983 – Sammy Swindell on April 16, Sammy Swindell on July 27, Sammy
Swindell on Oct. 16
1982 – Doug Wolfgang on April 17, Danny Smith on July 21
1981 – Steve Kinser on April 18, Doug Wolfgang on May 22, Sammy
Swindell on May 23, Sammy Swindell on July 22, Doug Wolfgang on Sept.
12
1980 – Steve Kinser on April 19, Steve Kinser on April 20, Doug
Wolfgang on May 31, Tim Green on Sept. 20, 1979 – Sammy Swindell on
April 21.
Knoxville Nationals champions include:
2004 – Danny Lasoski
2003 – Danny Lasoski
2002 – Steve Kinser
2001 – Danny Lasoski
2000 – Mark Kinser
1999 – Mark Kinser
1998 – Danny Lasoski
1997 – Dave Blaney
1996 – Mark Kinser
1995 – Steve Kinser
1994 – Steve Kinser
1993 – Steve Kinser
1992 – Steve Kinser
1991 – Steve Kinser
1990 – Bobby Allen
1989 – Doug Wolfgang
1988 – Steve Kinser
1987 – Steve Kinser
1986 – Steve Kinser
1985 – Doug Wolfgang
1984 – Doug Wolfgang
1983 – Sammy Swindell
1982 – Steve Kinser
1981 – Steve Kinser
1980 – Steve Kinser
1979 – Ron Shuman
1978 – Doug Wolfgang
1977 – Doug Wolfgang
1976 – Eddie Leavitt
1975 – Eddie Leavitt
1974 – Dick Gaines
1973 – Kenny Weld
1972 – Kenny Weld
1971 – Jan Opperman
1970 – Joe Saldana
1969 – Ken Gritz
1968 – Ray Lee Goodwin
1967 – Thad Dosher
1966 – Jay Woodside
1965 – Kenny Weld
1964 – Kenny Weld
1963 – Greg Weld
1962 – Jerry Richert Sr.
1961 – Roy Robbins
TELEVISION
• The Outdoor Channel will broadcast the Silver Cup from Lernerville
Speedway at 8 p.m. (ET) on Aug. 10. The Outdoor Channel will then air
the Cleveland Brothers Summer Nationals from Williams Grove at 8 p.m.
(ET) on Aug. 17 and the Polydome Princeton National from Princeton
Speedway on Aug. 24.
• The Knoxville Nationals can be seen live from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Eastern Saturday on SPEED Channel.
CYBERCAST
• The Knoxville Nationals will be broadcast over the Internet by The
American Dirt Network at http://www.americandirtnetwork.com beginning
each night at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. All other World of Outlaws Sprint
Series events will remain on DIRTVision.com.
WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT SERIES STANDINGS, through Eldora, 8-5-2005
Driver Team Team Team Team A
Rank Driver Points Points Earnings Diff. Wins Top 5 Top 10
1 Steve Kinser 7006 7006 $342,830 0 16 35 45
2 Jason Meyers 6586 6586 $165,420 -420 4 17 36
3 Craig Dollansky 6539 6539 $147,070 -467 2 18 31
4 Kraig Kinser 6398 6398 $155,750 -608 5 18 30
5 Donny Schatz 6232 6232 $129,360 -774 4 12 26
6 Danny Lasoski 6224 6224 $111,185 -782 0 8 25
7 Brooke Tatnell* 6130 6406 $145,065 -600 2 16 28
8 Paul McMahan 6117 6117 $97,440 -889 0 7 19
9 Tim Shaffer 6048 6048 $131,215 -958 3 10 20
10 Terry McCarl 6014 6014 $98,800 -992 0 9 21
11 Daryn Pittman 5964 5964 $95,915 -1042 1 7 19
12 Shane Stewart 5886 5886 $84,785 -1120 0 4 18
13 Joey Saldana 5812 5812 $109,305 -1194 0 10 19
14 Brian Paulus 5763 5763 $90,570 -1243 2 6 14
15 Jason Sides 5634 5634 $60,010 -1372 0 2 6
16 Jason Solwold 5391 5391 $66,150 -1615 0 4 9
17 Tim Kaeding 5253 871 $18,070 -6135 0 4 5
18 Brandon Wimmer 4982 4982 $36,820 -2024 0 0 2
19 Sammy Swindell 4025 3875 $108,980 -3131 2 14 17
20 Kevin Swindell 2787 2787 $23,305 -4219 0 1 3
• Rush Racing’s No. 8 car driven by Brooke Tatnell is fourth in owners’
points.
• Dennis Roth’s No. 83 car driven by Jac Haudenschild is 11th in
owners’ points.
• The first of the two victories for the No. 83 car was earned by Tim
Kaeding.
NEWS & NOTES
• On the Web: The Official World of Outlaws Sprint Series Web site is
overhauled and now alive at http://www.dirtmotorsports.com/sprint.
Among the features are updated driver biographies with individual
statistics and pictures, race-by-race statistics, detailed track
information and race coverage, series news and team press releases.
Also, links to the press kit and official rulebook can also be found at
the bottom of the home page.
• Last practice: Danny Lasoski was one of nine touring World of Outlaws
racers to compete Saturday at Knoxville Raceway, one night after racing
at Eldora Speedway. Lasoski, a four-time Knoxville Nationals champion,
held off Daryn Pittman and Sammy Swindell to earn the 86th victory of
his career at Knoxville. Tim Shaffer, Brooke Tatnell, Shane Stewart,
Tim Kaeding, Craig Dollansky and Terry McCarl also competed.
• Half-milers: Including preliminary features, the series has raced 25
times this year on half-mile circuits with Steve Kinser winning seven
times (Volusia, Eldora three times, Knoxville, Williams Grove and
Hartford), 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), Jeff Shepard (Volusia), Jason
Johnson (Williams Grove), Paul McMahan (Williams Grove), Fred Rahmer
(Williams Grove), and Jac Haudenschild (Eldora) each winning once.
• Victory parade: Jac Haudenschild won Eldora for his first Outlaws
victory of the season, making him the 16th different A-feature winner
in 2005 and the 20th different winner including preliminary events. …
Steve Kinser earned his series-leading 16th A-feature victory by
winning Saturday night at Princeton Speedway. Kinser, the Kings Royal
winner, also has a preliminary feature victory this season in the Eagle
Nationals at Eagle Raceway. … Kraig Kinser won at Lawrenceburg for his
fifth A-feature victory of the season. 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, winning most recently on July
8 in Joliet, Ill. … Tim Shaffer’s victory July 19 in the Silver Cup was
his third of the season, going with wins Lake Ozark Speedway and
Thunderbowl Raceway. … Brian Paulus won June 28 at Huset’s Speedway for
his second victory of the season, and picked up a preliminary feature
win in the following race at Red River Valley Speedway. … Craig
Dollansky has won two features, most recently at Powercom Park, and he
also has two preliminary feature wins. … Brooke Tatnell has two
A-feature victories, winning at Cedar Lake and Fulton speedways, as
well as a preliminary feature win at Princeton 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. … Single-event winners include Fred Rahmer July 23 at Williams
Grove Speedway, Stevie Smith July 13 at Attica Raceway Park, Tim
Kaeding June 11 at Sheboygan County Fair Park, Daryn Pittman April 23
at 81 Speedway in Wichita, 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 while Joey Saldana, Paul McMahan
and Jason Johnson have each won once.
• P&P’s new partner: P&P Motorsports announce that beginning with the
Knoxville Nationals the team will have a new Marketing Partner in Toy,
Toy, Toys, Inc. The partnership will promote the company’s new brand
Freaky Flickers that is currently being launched in toy and convenient
stores across the nation. The toys are what are hoped to be the next
big fad amongst kids and even adults. Currently there are 40 different
characters to collect and are sold in four-packs. Adults and kids
attending this year’s Knoxville Nationals can purchase Freaky Flickers
at Brian Paulus’ merchandise trailer. … Freaky Flickers are small
gumball sized toys developed by Peter Gantner that are soft rubber
molded in the shape of different colorful characters like Robo, Aargh!,
Smiley and more that kids of all ages can flick, bounce or roll off
walls, gameboards or whatever.
• New look for Stewart: Leading World of Outlaws Sprint Series rookie
Shane Stewart will unveil a specially designed Snap-on Tools themed
Sprint Car on Wednesday. Currently ranked 12th in WoO points aboard the
Wesmar-powered Rudeen Racing powered by mIn Motorsports No. 26 Maxim,
Stewart and team will unveil the new car during an autograph session at
the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday.
• Stevie Smith sponsor giveaway: The RAACE Foundation is giving away a
one of a kind commemorative 45th Annual Knoxville Nationals Team RAACE
Pocket Bike. It is emblazoned with the Team RAACE decals and
autographed by Team RAACE driver Stevie Smith as well as other sprint
car legends and personalities. The bike also bears the official seal of
the 45th Annual Knoxville Nationals. The mini sport bike has a 49.5 cc
engine, a weight capacity of 300lbs, and a top speed of approximately
60 mph. Entry forms will be available throughout the Knoxville
Nationals at The RAACE Foundation booth located under the main
grandstand or from a RAACE Foundation on-site volunteer. All donations
go to benefit The RAACE Foundation and their on-going campaign to raise
public awareness concerning child sexual abuse. Visit
http://www.raace.org for more information.
• The Mean 15: The impressive 2005 edition of the World of Outlaws
Sprint Series’ Mean 15 racers includes Craig Dollansky (No. 7 owned by
Karavan Motorsports), JacHaudenschild (No. 83 owned by Dennis Roth),
Kraig Kinser (No. 11k owned by Steve Kinser Racing), Steve Kinser (No.
11 owned by Steve Kinser Racing), Danny Lasoski (No. 20 owned by Tony
Stewart Motorsports), Paul McMahan (No. 11h owned by David Helm), Jason
Meyers (No. 14 owned by the Elite Racing Team), Brian Paulus (No. 28
owned by P&P Motorsports), Daryn Pittman (No. 21 owned by Titan
Racing), Joey Saldana (No. 2 owned by Woodward Racing), Donny Schatz
(No. 15 owned by Schatz Motorsports), Tim Shaffer (No. 6 owned by
Parsons Motorsports), Jason Sides (No. 7s owned by Sides Motorsports),
Brooke Tatnell (No. 8 owned by Rush Racing), and Brandon Wimmer (No.
7tw owned by Wimmer-Luck Racing).
• On tour, too: Several other drivers have committed to running the
bulk of the schedule with the World of Outlaws Sprint Series in 2005
with hopes of earning a spot in a future Mean 15: Terry McCarl, who has
won the past six 410 sprint championships at Knoxville Raceway; Shane
Stewart, who is battling for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year
title; Jason Solwold, a former track champion at Skagit Speedway who
also is chasing top rookie honors; Sammy Swindell, a sprint car legend
and three-time Outlaws champion, who has two A-feature victories this
year; and Kevin Swindell, 16, who became the youngest driver to finish
in the top 10 with the Outlaws when finished sixth in the feature at
Parramatta City Raceway in January.
• Sign on, tune in: Dirt track fans can enjoy more than 40 live and
tape-delayed DIRT MotorSports events on Dirtvision. A Season CyberPass
is now just $34.99 (valid through September) or a monthly subscription
is only $9.99. The Dirtvision Cybercast schedule includes a variety of
DIRT MotorSports events including World of Outlaws Sprint Series
Series, World of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Models, Advance Auto Parts
Modified Super DIRT Series, 358 Modified and Big Block Modified Super
DIRT Series, UMP Late Models and MARS Stacker 2 Late Model Series
events. To purchase your subscription, visit www.Dirtvision.com. Visit
our Help/FAQ page if you have any questions or concerns regarding the
Dirtvision CyberPass.
• Tune into the Web: If fans can’t get to any of the upcoming races,
they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws Sprint
Series live on Dirtvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network, where
announcer John Gibson keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the
event. 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.
• Hear it firsthand: RACEceiver is the Official Driver Communicator of
DIRT MotorSports. A compact radio receiver that conveniently fits into
a driver’s pocket, a RACEceiver allows each driver to hear directions
from series officials, which greatly enhances the safety and timeliness
of events. A similar version available to fans will allow RACEceiver
users to hear what information series officials are relaying to the
drivers. For more information about RACEceiver, visit
www.raceceiver.com, call 866-301-7223, or look for their sales trailers
at various events.
QUOTABLE
Craig Dollansky, a two-time A-feature winner this season from Elk
River, Minn.
• On the event: “It’s just a neat atmosphere. Going there as a kid, I
was just in awe. Going in there and being at the Knoxville Nationals,
four days of racing, all the teams, cars and drivers that were there
from everywhere. It’s just a real neat atmosphere and it still is. It’s
getting bigger and bigger all the time. As a kid, I’d go down there
with my dad and watch the races, saying, ‘Man, I can’t wait to race
here some day.’”
• On the purse: “The purse is part of what makes the Nationals what it
is, but you’re going for the trophy. That’s the crown jewel of them
all. To win the Knoxville Nationals is definitely something everybody
wants to accomplish.”
Jac Haudenschild, a winner Saturday at Eldora Speedway who hails from
Wooster, Ohio
• On Nationals memories: “My biggest memory there is the one year we
ran for Pennzoil and we won all but the Nationals and we ended up
running second in the Nationals. That was my most memorable year at
Knoxville. We’re hoping to match it again.”
Kraig Kinser, a five-time A-feature winner this season, including a
victory in June at Knoxville, from Bloomington, Ind.
• On the event: “That four-day show can get kind of grueling. A lot of
people get down to business when it gets to Knoxville. There are so
many big moments in racing that come from the Knoxville Nationals that
it’s hard to pick one that stands out in your mind. Definitely some
people have had some very good wins and some have had tremendous
heartbreak. You need a lot of luck to get in the show just to have a
shot to win the race.”
• On Nationals strategy: “It’s a whole different ball game when you get
there for the Nationals. You have to have the best attitude you can.
What you did before doesn’t mean anything when you get to Knoxville.
Those guys are going to be running you hard, they won’t care whether
you’ve won a race there or never been there before. They’ll be just as
hard on you. People will be running for points, some people will be
scrounging for every position they can get because one more position is
just that many more points and gives them that much more boost to get
in the show. It’s all out as hard as you can go for as many spots as
you can get.”
Steve Kinser, a 12-time Knoxville Nationals champion from Bloomington,
Ind., who has 16 A-feature victories on the World of Outlaws circuit
this season
• On memories of the event: “I think probably one of the bigger times
was the first year we put our race team together and we won from about
the 12th spot. We’ve had a lot of good memories, but probably the
things you remember the most are the worst times you were there. The
last one we won was pretty happy, too. We’ve won a non-wing Nationals
and with a wing. There are just a lot of good memories. I remember
going there before I started racing as a kid with my dad, watching the
Knoxville Nationals. Those are real good memories for me, too. I’ve had
a lot of good times there.”
• On the event itself: “It’s the biggest sprint car race we’ve got. It
has the best payoff of anything we’ve got by far. It’s a tough race.
It’s tough to get yourself into position to win a race through all the
preliminary nights and everything else. Everything has to go well the
whole week to make things work on Saturday night. You have to get
qualified well, then you have to transfer through your heat. You can’t
make a whole lot of mistakes or it will take you right out of the race.
There are a lot of ways to lose that race and very few ways to win it.
… The first thing is to get out and get qualified well to get your
points headed in the right direction. Then in the heats it gets so
tough. You don’t worry too much about points, you just worry about
getting transferred into the main and holding your position so you
don’t have to come through the B to get to it. You just hope you don’t
blow a motor or fall out of a race because if you do, starting in the
back of a 30-lap race you’re not going to have much of a chance.”
Danny Lasoski, a four-time Knoxville Nationals champion from Dover, Mo.
• On the event: “It’s the greatest speedway in the world. Period. It’s
the only place you can go that has the atmosphere of the Daytona 500
and the Indianapolis 500 built into one. People save their vacations,
work all year long and come stay there for a week. That is the
granddaddy of them all. We have been fortunate enough to win four of
them. Just coming to Knoxville is like going home and we love every bit
of it.”
• On winning the Nationals: “When you win one for the first time, then
you’ll understand. But until you win one, you can talk about it but I
still remember every lap of the first one we won. There’s nothing
greater than the first one, but that just gives you the desire and the
fire to win more and more. We’re going back to see if we can win five
of them.”
Writer
WHAT
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series invades Knoxville Raceway
beginning Wednesday for four nights of racing culminating in the
crowning of the 2005 Knoxville Nationals champion, the most prestigious
title in sprint car racing.
WHERE
• Knoxville Raceway is at the north edge of Knoxville, Iowa, on SR 14
(located at the Marion County Fairgrounds, about 40 miles southeast of
Downtown Des Moines.
WHEN
• The schedule of events at Knoxville includes:
Wednesday
- Outlaw Dirt Kart Racing, 10 AM to 2 PM, English Creek Speedway
- KNIA-KRLS Welcome Center Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Fairgrounds
- 1/4 Scale Knoxville Nationals Practice, 11 a.m., Knoxville Middle
School
- Knoxville Nationals Qualifications, 7:15 PM
- Free Dance after the races
Thursday
- All you can eat “Pit Stop” Pancakes, 7:30 AM to 1 PM, National Guard
Armory
- Outlaw Dirt Kart Racing, 10 AM to 2 PM, English Creek Speedway
- KNIA-KRLS Welcome Center Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Fairgrounds
- 1/4 Scale Knoxville Nationals Qualifying and 2 rounds of heats, 11
a.m., Knoxville Middle School
- Spaghetti Dinner, 4 PM to 6 PM, St. Anthony’s Catholic Church
- Knoxville Nationals Qualifications, 7:15 PM
- Free Dance after the races
Friday
- All you can eat “Pit Stop” Pancakes, 7:30 AM to 1 PM, National Guard
Armory
- National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Golf Classic, 8:30 AM
- Outlaw Dirt Kart Racing, 10 AM to 2 PM, English Creek Speedway
- KNIA-KRLS Welcome Center Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Fairgrounds
- 1/4 Scale Knoxville Nationals, 2 rounds of Heats and Feature Events,
11 a.m., Knoxville Middle School
- Knoxville Nationals Racing, 6:45 PM
- Free Dance after the races
Saturday
- Knoxville Raceway Parade, Line-up 8:30 AM, Begins at 10:00 AM
downtown
- All you can eat “Pit Stop” Pancakes, 7:30 AM to 1 PM, National Guard
Armory
- KNIA-KRLS Welcome Center Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Fairgrounds
- Wacko’s Annual Tour de Knoxville Bike Ride, Register at 9 AM (641)
842-5436
- Bizarre Bazaar, 8 AM to 4 PM, crafts, antiques, memorabilia and more,
on the Square
- Fireman’s Lunch, 10 AM to 2 PM, Fire Station 1 block off the Square
- Farmers Market, 8 AM to noon, downtown
- NSCHoF Museum Annual Racing Auction, 1 PM at the Museum
- 45th Annual Knoxville Nationals, 7:15 PM
TICKETS
• For ticket information, go to Knoxville’s Web site at
http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com.
WEB SITES
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is at
http://www.dirtmotorsports.com/sprint/.
• Knoxville Raceway is at http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com.
ABOUT THE TRACK
• Knoxville Raceway is a semi-banked half-mile oval. When the Outlaws
raced in April at Knoxville, Joey Saldana broke the track record by
turning a lap in 14.908 seconds at 120.741 mph.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Excluding the Nationals, World of Outlaws Sprint Series “A” Feature
winners at Knoxville Raceway include:
2005 – Kraig Kinser on June 24, Steve Kinser on April 30
2004 – Craig Dollansky on June 26, Mark Kinser on May 1
2003 – Danny Lasoski on April 26, Danny Lasoski on July 5
2002 – Steve Kinser on April 26, Danny Lasoski on June 29
2001 – Danny Lasoski on April 28, Stevie Smith on June 30, Jason Meyers
on July 16
2000 – Danny Lasoski on April 29, Stevie Smith on July 1, Steve Kinser
on July 19
1999 – Sammy Swindell on May 1, Danny Lasoski on July 3, Danny Lasoski
on July 21
1998 – Jac Haudenschild on May 2, Jac Haudenschild on July 4, Jac
Haudenschild on July 22
1997 – Mark Kinser on April 26, Jac Haudenschild on July 5, Mark Kinser
on July 23
1996 – Mark Kinser on April 27, Mark Kinser on June 22, Mark Kinser on
July 24
1995 – Mark Kinser on May 6, Mark Kinser on June 24, Steve Kinser on
July 19, Mark Kinser on Sept. 27
1994 – Dave Blaney on April 29, Steve Kinser on June 25, Steve Kinser
on July 20, Jac Haudenschild on Sept. 23
1993 – Danny Lasoski on April 30, Mark Kinser on June 27, Stevie Smith
on Sept. 24
1992 – Sammy Swindell on April 26, Steve Kinser on June 20, Steve
Kinser on July 22, Steve Kinser on Sept. 26
1991 – Steve Kinser on April 27, Doug Wolfgang on June 22, Steve Kinser
on July 24
1990 – Doug Wolfgang on April 29, Steve Kinser on June 23, Sammy
Swindell on July 25
1989 – Sammy Swindell on April 29, Doug Wolfgang on June 24, 1988 –
Steve Kinser on April 30, Steve Kinser on June 22
1987 – Steve Kinser on April 25, Steve Kinser on June 22
1986 – Sammy Swindell on April 26, Steve Kinser on June 25, Steve
Kinser on July 23
1985 – Sammy Swindell on April 28, Doug Wolfgang on Oct. 6
1984 – Sammy Swindell on July 25
1983 – Sammy Swindell on April 16, Sammy Swindell on July 27, Sammy
Swindell on Oct. 16
1982 – Doug Wolfgang on April 17, Danny Smith on July 21
1981 – Steve Kinser on April 18, Doug Wolfgang on May 22, Sammy
Swindell on May 23, Sammy Swindell on July 22, Doug Wolfgang on Sept.
12
1980 – Steve Kinser on April 19, Steve Kinser on April 20, Doug
Wolfgang on May 31, Tim Green on Sept. 20, 1979 – Sammy Swindell on
April 21.
Knoxville Nationals champions include:
2004 – Danny Lasoski
2003 – Danny Lasoski
2002 – Steve Kinser
2001 – Danny Lasoski
2000 – Mark Kinser
1999 – Mark Kinser
1998 – Danny Lasoski
1997 – Dave Blaney
1996 – Mark Kinser
1995 – Steve Kinser
1994 – Steve Kinser
1993 – Steve Kinser
1992 – Steve Kinser
1991 – Steve Kinser
1990 – Bobby Allen
1989 – Doug Wolfgang
1988 – Steve Kinser
1987 – Steve Kinser
1986 – Steve Kinser
1985 – Doug Wolfgang
1984 – Doug Wolfgang
1983 – Sammy Swindell
1982 – Steve Kinser
1981 – Steve Kinser
1980 – Steve Kinser
1979 – Ron Shuman
1978 – Doug Wolfgang
1977 – Doug Wolfgang
1976 – Eddie Leavitt
1975 – Eddie Leavitt
1974 – Dick Gaines
1973 – Kenny Weld
1972 – Kenny Weld
1971 – Jan Opperman
1970 – Joe Saldana
1969 – Ken Gritz
1968 – Ray Lee Goodwin
1967 – Thad Dosher
1966 – Jay Woodside
1965 – Kenny Weld
1964 – Kenny Weld
1963 – Greg Weld
1962 – Jerry Richert Sr.
1961 – Roy Robbins
TELEVISION
• The Outdoor Channel will broadcast the Silver Cup from Lernerville
Speedway at 8 p.m. (ET) on Aug. 10. The Outdoor Channel will then air
the Cleveland Brothers Summer Nationals from Williams Grove at 8 p.m.
(ET) on Aug. 17 and the Polydome Princeton National from Princeton
Speedway on Aug. 24.
• The Knoxville Nationals can be seen live from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Eastern Saturday on SPEED Channel.
CYBERCAST
• The Knoxville Nationals will be broadcast over the Internet by The
American Dirt Network at http://www.americandirtnetwork.com beginning
each night at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. All other World of Outlaws Sprint
Series events will remain on DIRTVision.com.
WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT SERIES STANDINGS, through Eldora, 8-5-2005
Driver Team Team Team Team A
Rank Driver Points Points Earnings Diff. Wins Top 5 Top 10
1 Steve Kinser 7006 7006 $342,830 0 16 35 45
2 Jason Meyers 6586 6586 $165,420 -420 4 17 36
3 Craig Dollansky 6539 6539 $147,070 -467 2 18 31
4 Kraig Kinser 6398 6398 $155,750 -608 5 18 30
5 Donny Schatz 6232 6232 $129,360 -774 4 12 26
6 Danny Lasoski 6224 6224 $111,185 -782 0 8 25
7 Brooke Tatnell* 6130 6406 $145,065 -600 2 16 28
8 Paul McMahan 6117 6117 $97,440 -889 0 7 19
9 Tim Shaffer 6048 6048 $131,215 -958 3 10 20
10 Terry McCarl 6014 6014 $98,800 -992 0 9 21
11 Daryn Pittman 5964 5964 $95,915 -1042 1 7 19
12 Shane Stewart 5886 5886 $84,785 -1120 0 4 18
13 Joey Saldana 5812 5812 $109,305 -1194 0 10 19
14 Brian Paulus 5763 5763 $90,570 -1243 2 6 14
15 Jason Sides 5634 5634 $60,010 -1372 0 2 6
16 Jason Solwold 5391 5391 $66,150 -1615 0 4 9
17 Tim Kaeding 5253 871 $18,070 -6135 0 4 5
18 Brandon Wimmer 4982 4982 $36,820 -2024 0 0 2
19 Sammy Swindell 4025 3875 $108,980 -3131 2 14 17
20 Kevin Swindell 2787 2787 $23,305 -4219 0 1 3
• Rush Racing’s No. 8 car driven by Brooke Tatnell is fourth in owners’
points.
• Dennis Roth’s No. 83 car driven by Jac Haudenschild is 11th in
owners’ points.
• The first of the two victories for the No. 83 car was earned by Tim
Kaeding.
NEWS & NOTES
• On the Web: The Official World of Outlaws Sprint Series Web site is
overhauled and now alive at http://www.dirtmotorsports.com/sprint.
Among the features are updated driver biographies with individual
statistics and pictures, race-by-race statistics, detailed track
information and race coverage, series news and team press releases.
Also, links to the press kit and official rulebook can also be found at
the bottom of the home page.
• Last practice: Danny Lasoski was one of nine touring World of Outlaws
racers to compete Saturday at Knoxville Raceway, one night after racing
at Eldora Speedway. Lasoski, a four-time Knoxville Nationals champion,
held off Daryn Pittman and Sammy Swindell to earn the 86th victory of
his career at Knoxville. Tim Shaffer, Brooke Tatnell, Shane Stewart,
Tim Kaeding, Craig Dollansky and Terry McCarl also competed.
• Half-milers: Including preliminary features, the series has raced 25
times this year on half-mile circuits with Steve Kinser winning seven
times (Volusia, Eldora three times, Knoxville, Williams Grove and
Hartford), 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), Jeff Shepard (Volusia), Jason
Johnson (Williams Grove), Paul McMahan (Williams Grove), Fred Rahmer
(Williams Grove), and Jac Haudenschild (Eldora) each winning once.
• Victory parade: Jac Haudenschild won Eldora for his first Outlaws
victory of the season, making him the 16th different A-feature winner
in 2005 and the 20th different winner including preliminary events. …
Steve Kinser earned his series-leading 16th A-feature victory by
winning Saturday night at Princeton Speedway. Kinser, the Kings Royal
winner, also has a preliminary feature victory this season in the Eagle
Nationals at Eagle Raceway. … Kraig Kinser won at Lawrenceburg for his
fifth A-feature victory of the season. 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, winning most recently on July
8 in Joliet, Ill. … Tim Shaffer’s victory July 19 in the Silver Cup was
his third of the season, going with wins Lake Ozark Speedway and
Thunderbowl Raceway. … Brian Paulus won June 28 at Huset’s Speedway for
his second victory of the season, and picked up a preliminary feature
win in the following race at Red River Valley Speedway. … Craig
Dollansky has won two features, most recently at Powercom Park, and he
also has two preliminary feature wins. … Brooke Tatnell has two
A-feature victories, winning at Cedar Lake and Fulton speedways, as
well as a preliminary feature win at Princeton 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. … Single-event winners include Fred Rahmer July 23 at Williams
Grove Speedway, Stevie Smith July 13 at Attica Raceway Park, Tim
Kaeding June 11 at Sheboygan County Fair Park, Daryn Pittman April 23
at 81 Speedway in Wichita, 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 while Joey Saldana, Paul McMahan
and Jason Johnson have each won once.
• P&P’s new partner: P&P Motorsports announce that beginning with the
Knoxville Nationals the team will have a new Marketing Partner in Toy,
Toy, Toys, Inc. The partnership will promote the company’s new brand
Freaky Flickers that is currently being launched in toy and convenient
stores across the nation. The toys are what are hoped to be the next
big fad amongst kids and even adults. Currently there are 40 different
characters to collect and are sold in four-packs. Adults and kids
attending this year’s Knoxville Nationals can purchase Freaky Flickers
at Brian Paulus’ merchandise trailer. … Freaky Flickers are small
gumball sized toys developed by Peter Gantner that are soft rubber
molded in the shape of different colorful characters like Robo, Aargh!,
Smiley and more that kids of all ages can flick, bounce or roll off
walls, gameboards or whatever.
• New look for Stewart: Leading World of Outlaws Sprint Series rookie
Shane Stewart will unveil a specially designed Snap-on Tools themed
Sprint Car on Wednesday. Currently ranked 12th in WoO points aboard the
Wesmar-powered Rudeen Racing powered by mIn Motorsports No. 26 Maxim,
Stewart and team will unveil the new car during an autograph session at
the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday.
• Stevie Smith sponsor giveaway: The RAACE Foundation is giving away a
one of a kind commemorative 45th Annual Knoxville Nationals Team RAACE
Pocket Bike. It is emblazoned with the Team RAACE decals and
autographed by Team RAACE driver Stevie Smith as well as other sprint
car legends and personalities. The bike also bears the official seal of
the 45th Annual Knoxville Nationals. The mini sport bike has a 49.5 cc
engine, a weight capacity of 300lbs, and a top speed of approximately
60 mph. Entry forms will be available throughout the Knoxville
Nationals at The RAACE Foundation booth located under the main
grandstand or from a RAACE Foundation on-site volunteer. All donations
go to benefit The RAACE Foundation and their on-going campaign to raise
public awareness concerning child sexual abuse. Visit
http://www.raace.org for more information.
• The Mean 15: The impressive 2005 edition of the World of Outlaws
Sprint Series’ Mean 15 racers includes Craig Dollansky (No. 7 owned by
Karavan Motorsports), JacHaudenschild (No. 83 owned by Dennis Roth),
Kraig Kinser (No. 11k owned by Steve Kinser Racing), Steve Kinser (No.
11 owned by Steve Kinser Racing), Danny Lasoski (No. 20 owned by Tony
Stewart Motorsports), Paul McMahan (No. 11h owned by David Helm), Jason
Meyers (No. 14 owned by the Elite Racing Team), Brian Paulus (No. 28
owned by P&P Motorsports), Daryn Pittman (No. 21 owned by Titan
Racing), Joey Saldana (No. 2 owned by Woodward Racing), Donny Schatz
(No. 15 owned by Schatz Motorsports), Tim Shaffer (No. 6 owned by
Parsons Motorsports), Jason Sides (No. 7s owned by Sides Motorsports),
Brooke Tatnell (No. 8 owned by Rush Racing), and Brandon Wimmer (No.
7tw owned by Wimmer-Luck Racing).
• On tour, too: Several other drivers have committed to running the
bulk of the schedule with the World of Outlaws Sprint Series in 2005
with hopes of earning a spot in a future Mean 15: Terry McCarl, who has
won the past six 410 sprint championships at Knoxville Raceway; Shane
Stewart, who is battling for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year
title; Jason Solwold, a former track champion at Skagit Speedway who
also is chasing top rookie honors; Sammy Swindell, a sprint car legend
and three-time Outlaws champion, who has two A-feature victories this
year; and Kevin Swindell, 16, who became the youngest driver to finish
in the top 10 with the Outlaws when finished sixth in the feature at
Parramatta City Raceway in January.
• Sign on, tune in: Dirt track fans can enjoy more than 40 live and
tape-delayed DIRT MotorSports events on Dirtvision. A Season CyberPass
is now just $34.99 (valid through September) or a monthly subscription
is only $9.99. The Dirtvision Cybercast schedule includes a variety of
DIRT MotorSports events including World of Outlaws Sprint Series
Series, World of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Models, Advance Auto Parts
Modified Super DIRT Series, 358 Modified and Big Block Modified Super
DIRT Series, UMP Late Models and MARS Stacker 2 Late Model Series
events. To purchase your subscription, visit www.Dirtvision.com. Visit
our Help/FAQ page if you have any questions or concerns regarding the
Dirtvision CyberPass.
• Tune into the Web: If fans can’t get to any of the upcoming races,
they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws Sprint
Series live on Dirtvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network, where
announcer John Gibson keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the
event. 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.
• Hear it firsthand: RACEceiver is the Official Driver Communicator of
DIRT MotorSports. A compact radio receiver that conveniently fits into
a driver’s pocket, a RACEceiver allows each driver to hear directions
from series officials, which greatly enhances the safety and timeliness
of events. A similar version available to fans will allow RACEceiver
users to hear what information series officials are relaying to the
drivers. For more information about RACEceiver, visit
www.raceceiver.com, call 866-301-7223, or look for their sales trailers
at various events.
QUOTABLE
Craig Dollansky, a two-time A-feature winner this season from Elk
River, Minn.
• On the event: “It’s just a neat atmosphere. Going there as a kid, I
was just in awe. Going in there and being at the Knoxville Nationals,
four days of racing, all the teams, cars and drivers that were there
from everywhere. It’s just a real neat atmosphere and it still is. It’s
getting bigger and bigger all the time. As a kid, I’d go down there
with my dad and watch the races, saying, ‘Man, I can’t wait to race
here some day.’”
• On the purse: “The purse is part of what makes the Nationals what it
is, but you’re going for the trophy. That’s the crown jewel of them
all. To win the Knoxville Nationals is definitely something everybody
wants to accomplish.”
Jac Haudenschild, a winner Saturday at Eldora Speedway who hails from
Wooster, Ohio
• On Nationals memories: “My biggest memory there is the one year we
ran for Pennzoil and we won all but the Nationals and we ended up
running second in the Nationals. That was my most memorable year at
Knoxville. We’re hoping to match it again.”
Kraig Kinser, a five-time A-feature winner this season, including a
victory in June at Knoxville, from Bloomington, Ind.
• On the event: “That four-day show can get kind of grueling. A lot of
people get down to business when it gets to Knoxville. There are so
many big moments in racing that come from the Knoxville Nationals that
it’s hard to pick one that stands out in your mind. Definitely some
people have had some very good wins and some have had tremendous
heartbreak. You need a lot of luck to get in the show just to have a
shot to win the race.”
• On Nationals strategy: “It’s a whole different ball game when you get
there for the Nationals. You have to have the best attitude you can.
What you did before doesn’t mean anything when you get to Knoxville.
Those guys are going to be running you hard, they won’t care whether
you’ve won a race there or never been there before. They’ll be just as
hard on you. People will be running for points, some people will be
scrounging for every position they can get because one more position is
just that many more points and gives them that much more boost to get
in the show. It’s all out as hard as you can go for as many spots as
you can get.”
Steve Kinser, a 12-time Knoxville Nationals champion from Bloomington,
Ind., who has 16 A-feature victories on the World of Outlaws circuit
this season
• On memories of the event: “I think probably one of the bigger times
was the first year we put our race team together and we won from about
the 12th spot. We’ve had a lot of good memories, but probably the
things you remember the most are the worst times you were there. The
last one we won was pretty happy, too. We’ve won a non-wing Nationals
and with a wing. There are just a lot of good memories. I remember
going there before I started racing as a kid with my dad, watching the
Knoxville Nationals. Those are real good memories for me, too. I’ve had
a lot of good times there.”
• On the event itself: “It’s the biggest sprint car race we’ve got. It
has the best payoff of anything we’ve got by far. It’s a tough race.
It’s tough to get yourself into position to win a race through all the
preliminary nights and everything else. Everything has to go well the
whole week to make things work on Saturday night. You have to get
qualified well, then you have to transfer through your heat. You can’t
make a whole lot of mistakes or it will take you right out of the race.
There are a lot of ways to lose that race and very few ways to win it.
… The first thing is to get out and get qualified well to get your
points headed in the right direction. Then in the heats it gets so
tough. You don’t worry too much about points, you just worry about
getting transferred into the main and holding your position so you
don’t have to come through the B to get to it. You just hope you don’t
blow a motor or fall out of a race because if you do, starting in the
back of a 30-lap race you’re not going to have much of a chance.”
Danny Lasoski, a four-time Knoxville Nationals champion from Dover, Mo.
• On the event: “It’s the greatest speedway in the world. Period. It’s
the only place you can go that has the atmosphere of the Daytona 500
and the Indianapolis 500 built into one. People save their vacations,
work all year long and come stay there for a week. That is the
granddaddy of them all. We have been fortunate enough to win four of
them. Just coming to Knoxville is like going home and we love every bit
of it.”
• On winning the Nationals: “When you win one for the first time, then
you’ll understand. But until you win one, you can talk about it but I
still remember every lap of the first one we won. There’s nothing
greater than the first one, but that just gives you the desire and the
fire to win more and more. We’re going back to see if we can win five
of them.”
