Colorado Springs, CO — April 27, 2005 — By Chris Dolack, World of
Outlaws Senior Writer
WHAT
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series rolls into historic Knoxville
Raceway for a two-night event. The opening night preliminary feature
Friday is a $5,000-to-win event, followed Saturday by a $12,000-to-win
main event.
WHERE
Knoxville Raceway is at the north edge of Knoxville, Iowa, on SR 14
(located at the Marion County Fairgrounds), about an hour southeast of
Des Moines.
WHEN
On Friday and Saturday, hot laps begin at 6:45 p.m. with qualifying
time trials and racing to follow.
TICKETS
For Friday night, general admission adult tickets are $21, general
admission child tickets are $10.50, reserved adult tickets are $23,
reserved child tickets are $11.50 and pits are $30. For Saturday,
general admission tickets are $23, general admission child tickets are
$11.50, reserved adult tickets are $25, reserved child tickets are
$12.50 and pits are $35. Preschoolers are free in general admission.
WEB SITES
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is at
http://www.theworldofoutlaws.com.
• Knoxville Raceway is at http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com
ABOUT THE TRACK
Knoxville Raceway is a semi-banked half-mile oval that plays host to
the historic Knoxville Nationals each August. Don Droud Jr. established
the track record in an Outlaws event of 14.934 seconds on Aug. 29,
1998.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Excluding the Knoxville Nationals, World of Outlaws “A” Feature winners
at Knoxville Raceway include:
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.
TELEVISION THIS WEEK
• At 8 p.m. ET Wednesday (April 27), The Outdoor Channel will broadcast
coverage of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series event from Tri-State
Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
• All the action from Outlaw Motor Speedway can be seen at 9:30 p.m. ET
on April 27 on a Dirtvision Cybercast. For more information, go to
http://www.dirtvision.com.
• Coverage of the race this past Saturday at 81 Speedway will be
broadcast May 4 on The Outdoor Channel.
STANDINGS, through 81 Speedway, Wichita (April 23, 2005)
Rank Driver Pts Pts Diff Wins Poles Top 5 Top 10 Prelim
1 Steve Kinser 2157 0 5 1 12 14 -
2 Craig Dollansky 2091 -66 1 - 9 12 1
3 Jason Meyers 2011 -146 - 2 4 12 -
4 Kraig Kinser 2009 -148 2 1 7 10 1
5 Donny Schatz 1974 -183 3 1 6 9 -
6 Danny Lasoski 1941 -216 - - 3 9 1
7 Daryn Pittman 1873 -284 1 - 3 6 -
8 Joey Saldana 1850 -307 - 1 2 4 -
9 Shane Stewart 1835 -322 - 1 1 8 -
10 Paul McMahan 1824 -333 - - 1 6 -
11 Tim Shaffer 1817 -340 1 - 2 4 -
12 Tim Kaeding 1816 -341 - - 3 5 -
13 Jason Solwold 1731 -426 - - 2 5 -
14 Jason Sides 1687 -470 - - - 2 -
15 Brian Paulus 1664 -493 - - - 2 -
16 Terry McCarl 1663 -494 - - 1 4 -
17 Brooke Tatnell 1632 -525 - 2 5 6 -
18 Brandon Wimmer 1543 -614 - 1 - 2 -
19 Mark Kinser 1333 -824 - - 1 5 -
20 Sammy Swindell 1204 -953 - 1 2 2 1
21 Randy Hannagan 1186 -971 - - - - -
22 Kevin Swindell 1004 -1153 - - - 1 -
23 Danny Smith 946 -1211 - - 1 2 -
24 Chad Kemenah 889 -1268 - - 1 4 -
25 Peter Murphy 724 -1433 - - - - -
NEWS & NOTES
• Lost world: In the event you decided to see the World of Outlaws
Sprint Series race this weekend and drove to Knoxville, Tenn., you’ll
want to know that according to Mapquest.com it’s only 824.97 miles or
13 hours, 11 minutes, to Knoxville, Iowa, where the racing will take
place. Better get a move on if you want to make the A-main.
• Half-milers: The event this weekend is on the historic half-mile at
Knoxville Raceway. Including preliminary features, the series has raced
seven times this year on half-mile circuits with Steve Kinser winning
twice (Volusia and Eldora), and Jeff Shepard (Volusia), Craig Dollansky
(Manzanita), Kraig Kinser (Las Vegas), Donny Schatz (Las Vegas) and
Sammy Swindell (Eldora) each winning once.
• Streak busting: Daryn Pittman’s victory Saturday at 81 Speedway in
Wichita brought a halt to a couple of streaks. First, Pittman had not
won an A-main feature on the World of Outlaws tour since Aug. 3, 2003,
at Beaver Dam, Wis., although he did post a victory later in 2003 in a
preliminary feature at Texas Motor Speedway. Second, Pittman’s win
ended Steve Kinser’s impressive string of three consecutive victories,
on half-mile Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; quarter-mile Tri-State
Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.; and 3/8-mile Outlaw Motor Speedway in
Muskogee, Okla.
• Casey’s opening: Mean 15 racer Tim Shaffer, who drives the Lonny
Parsons-owned No. 6 Casey’s General Store machine, will appear at noon
Friday in Ames, Iowa, at the grand opening of the newest Casey’s
General Store. The festivities, which will include Shaffer with one of
his cars, will be at 3020 South Duff in Ames.
• Sides Motorsports grows: Sides Motorsports has added Wade Oliver to
the Sides Motorsports 7s World of Outlaws Sprint Series team, which
features Mean 15 racer Jason Sides. Wade will share crew duties with
returning crew chief Scotty Males as well as drive the transporter.
Wade has worked for Bobby Sparks and Ricky Hood, as well as run his own
car in local and ASCS competition during the past 10 years. “I decided
to take a year off and crew for Sides to see if it would improve my
speed and overall performance for my team when I return to racing,”
Wade said. “So far, it has been a lot of hard work.” … Also at Sides
Motorsports, the team has added Electrical Box and Enclosures of
Birmingham, Ala., as a new Marketing Partner. Electrical Box and
Enclosures is one of the largest independently owned and operated
manufacturers of electrical enclosure products in the Southeast and
supplies enclosures to customers throughout the United States. “We are
very pleased to have such a great company come on board with us and we
look forward to a great Marketing Partnership,” said car owner Wayne
Rhodes. For more information about Electrical Box and Enclosures please
go to www.e-boxenclosures.com.
• An appealing proposition: DIRT MotorSports has established an
Appellate Board to rule on appeals by DMS-licensed drivers and owners
who feel they were unjustifiably penalized in a DIRT MotorSports event.
This Panel was selected through the recommendations of drivers,
promoters, team owners, crew members, and parts manufacturers to
represent a fair cross-section of the dirt track racing industry. In
order to appeal, a team must have the requisite paperwork to DIRT’s
operations office in Colorado Springs, Colo., within 30 days of the
disputed incident or ruling, or within 15 days during the final 30 days
of the season. A copy of the Appeal Regulations can be found in each
series’ rulebook. The World of Outlaws Sprint Series board includes
Andy Fusco as chairman, Fred Brownfield representing promoters, Craig
Dollansky representing drivers, Tom Wimmer representing owners, Sonny
Kratzer representing crew and parts manufacturers and Dean Miracle as
the DIRT MotorSports member. To see the full story on the Appellate
Board, go to http://www.theworldofoutlaws.com.
• Elite support: Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing Team announced last
week that each of their sponsors has returned to the team for the 2005
season. In addition, Meyers, a Mean 15 racer from Clovis, Calif., has
added the support of Primerica Financial Perry and Associates and
Riverstone Builders as Associate Sponsors. Meyers hopes the added
support will give the team an added boost to improve the motor program
and PR department. For the full story, go to
http://www.theworldofoutlaws.com.
• Online viewing: At 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, Dirtvision will feature
tape-delayed coverage of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series race from
April 22 at Outlaw Motor Speedway in Muskogee, Okla. The coverage
includes heats, the Stacker 2® Dash and the second Dash, the B-Main and
the 30-lap $10,000-to-win A-Main feature. This tape-delayed race is
only part of Dirtvision.com’s expanding lineup of more than 50 live and
tape-delayed DIRT MotorSports events, including the World of Outlaws
Sprint Series, World of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Model Series, Advance
Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series, UMP and MARS events. A CyberPass
subscription is required to view ALL Cybercast broadcasts.
• Victory parade: Daryn Pittman became the seventh different winner
this season when he took the checkered flag Saturday at 81 Speedway in
Wichita. Steve Kinser’s victory Friday at Outlaw Motor Speedway in
Muskogee, Okla., was his fifth victory of the season. Next on win list
is Donny Schatz with three victories. Kraig Kinser was the hottest
driver on the circuit in early April, winning on back-to-back nights at
Batesville Speedway and I-55 Raceway. He also has a preliminary feature
win at Las Vegas. Craig Dollansky has won a feature and a preliminary,
while Tim Shaffer and Jeff Shepard have each won a feature.
• Looking back: When the World of Outlaws Sprint Series raced at
Knoxville Raceway last spring, Mark Kinser raced to a flag-to-flag
victory for the 152nd win of his World of Outlaws Sprint Series career
and his 13th at Knoxville. Kinser beat Chad Kemenah to the checkered
flag by 1.8 seconds.
• 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), Tim Kaeding (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 Pender 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),
Brandon Wimmer (No. 7tw owned by Wimmer-Luck Racing), and the No. 35
Rick Wright-owned car piloted by Peter Murphy.
• 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: Australian Brooke
Tatnell is back in the series with Rush Racing. Terry McCarl, who has
won the past six 410 sprint championships at Knoxville Raceway. Shane
Stewart, the current leader in the battle for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie
of the Year title. Randy Hannagan, a long-time Outlaws competitor is
running occasionally with the series again. Sammy Swindell, a sprint
car legend and three-time Outlaws champion. 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.
• Tune into the Web: If fans can’t get to Knoxville Raceway to see the
racing this weekend, 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. Companies who are interested in advertising on the new DIRT
Radio Network should contact Mark Noble, DIRT MotorSports VP Sales and
Marketing, at 719-884-2141. 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 Mean 15 racer from Elk River, Minn., who is second
in points
• On the key to success at Knoxville: “For me, it’s where I started out
racing. It’s always nice to go back there. It’s like going home in a
way. There are a lot of great people there, a lot of people who helped
me get my start in racing. We definitely enjoy going there and racing,
it’s about the nicest facility we go to throughout the year, too.”
• On the history of Knoxville: “There’s definitely a lot of history
with the racetrack, but it also hosts the biggest race of the year for
us, the Knoxville Nationals, so I think more than anything I think
people enjoy going there and racing, especially from the World of
Outlaws, to try to get things ironed out to get prepared for the race
in August. They host a very, very large event there so everybody likes
to be prepared for that.”
• On using this weekend as a test: “You might try a few things, and try
to establish whether it’s something you might think will work come
Nationals time, or won’t work. Hopefully you can take out a little bit
of the guessing by the time the Nationals come around because you only
have one qualifying night and you better be on top of your game on that
first night.”
Tim Kaeding, a Mean 15 racer and Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year
Award contender from San Jose
• On racing at Knoxville: “Knoxville is the home for sprint car racing.
That’s where the Nationals are, that’s where everybody shows up to run.
Last year we went there for the first time with Dennis and Theresa Roth
at the beginning of the year and we rained out the first night and ran
fifth the next night. Not bad for going from a short-track the week
before. Hopefully we can go there and run good and run fast like we’ve
been running and just enjoy ourselves without tearing anything up.”
• On confidence heading into Knoxville: “It’s up there, but you can’t
let it get too far because that’s usually when you get in trouble.
We’re just going to try to keep our confidence level right where we’re
at, keep it on a high note and just keep going from there and click off
some more top-fives and top-10s.”
Kraig Kinser, a Mean 15 racer from Bloomington, Ind., who has two
A-main feature wins and set quick time Friday night at Outlaw Motor
Speedway in Muskogee, Okla.
• On Steve Kinser Racing winning seven features and one preliminary
feature so far this season: “It says how good we are right now and how
good everything’s going. Hopefully we can keep it up because these
things can turn around.”
Steve Kinser, a Mean 15 racer and 19-time series champion from
Bloomington, Ind., who has five victories this season
• On racing at Knoxville: “We’ve been chasing the track the last three
or four times we’ve been there so we need to get back there. We’re not
bad there, but we’re just off a little bit right now. We need to watch
something the cars like or I like or something a little bit better than
what we’re doing. We’re close, we’re just not quite where we need to be
there. It gives us two days to sit there and play with it and hope we
can figure something out for the Nationals.”
• On using the races as a test session for the Nationals: “You can. We
know we’ve been chasing the track a little bit so that’s what we’ll use
it for, to try to get things a little better than the setups we’ve been
going with. We’ll try some different stuff and see what we do.”
• On the key to winning a two-day show: “It’s not much different than
any other two-day show. You want to get out there and try to get in the
top-four the first night and get locked in so you have a good starting
spot. After that, you can play with your car a little bit more the
second night. That’s basically the way you go about every two-day show.
Sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn’t. On the first night,
your biggest thought is to get in the top four.
• On his latest hot streak: “We’ve been pretty fast all year, actually
our car’s been pretty fast for the past three years. I think it’s going
to continue for a little bit, but you never know in this racing
business what makes you fast and you don’t know what slows you down,
but I’ve seen it happen before so we’ll just try to hang in there and
continue trying to win races.”
Danny Lasoski, a Mean 15 racer from Dover, Mo., who is one of the
greatest racers in Knoxville history with more than 80 wins at the
historic track
• On racing at Knoxville: “Knoxville is just the best, it’s the
ultimate. We know when we go there, we always get a racetrack that’s
wide. We can run top, bottom, middle. That’s basically why everybody
loves to go there. You don’t just set up for the top; you don’t just
set up for the bottom. You set up for anywhere you want to go because
at some time during the race you got to go there.”
• On your success at the track boosting confidence: “We need it. We
need it bad. This is probably the worst season I’ve ever had at the
start of the season. If we go to Knoxville and we struggle, there’s
something wrong. If there’s any place in the world that I should have
confidence, it should be there.”
• On the history of the facility: “It’s the greatest speedway in North
America. I’ve never been to a greater speedway. It has the best of
everything as far as facility, track preparation, track facility,
surface, people, fans … it’s the best hands down.”
Outlaws Senior Writer
WHAT
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series rolls into historic Knoxville
Raceway for a two-night event. The opening night preliminary feature
Friday is a $5,000-to-win event, followed Saturday by a $12,000-to-win
main event.
WHERE
Knoxville Raceway is at the north edge of Knoxville, Iowa, on SR 14
(located at the Marion County Fairgrounds), about an hour southeast of
Des Moines.
WHEN
On Friday and Saturday, hot laps begin at 6:45 p.m. with qualifying
time trials and racing to follow.
TICKETS
For Friday night, general admission adult tickets are $21, general
admission child tickets are $10.50, reserved adult tickets are $23,
reserved child tickets are $11.50 and pits are $30. For Saturday,
general admission tickets are $23, general admission child tickets are
$11.50, reserved adult tickets are $25, reserved child tickets are
$12.50 and pits are $35. Preschoolers are free in general admission.
WEB SITES
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is at
http://www.theworldofoutlaws.com.
• Knoxville Raceway is at http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com
ABOUT THE TRACK
Knoxville Raceway is a semi-banked half-mile oval that plays host to
the historic Knoxville Nationals each August. Don Droud Jr. established
the track record in an Outlaws event of 14.934 seconds on Aug. 29,
1998.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Excluding the Knoxville Nationals, World of Outlaws “A” Feature winners
at Knoxville Raceway include:
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.
TELEVISION THIS WEEK
• At 8 p.m. ET Wednesday (April 27), The Outdoor Channel will broadcast
coverage of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series event from Tri-State
Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
• All the action from Outlaw Motor Speedway can be seen at 9:30 p.m. ET
on April 27 on a Dirtvision Cybercast. For more information, go to
http://www.dirtvision.com.
• Coverage of the race this past Saturday at 81 Speedway will be
broadcast May 4 on The Outdoor Channel.
STANDINGS, through 81 Speedway, Wichita (April 23, 2005)
Rank Driver Pts Pts Diff Wins Poles Top 5 Top 10 Prelim
1 Steve Kinser 2157 0 5 1 12 14 -
2 Craig Dollansky 2091 -66 1 - 9 12 1
3 Jason Meyers 2011 -146 - 2 4 12 -
4 Kraig Kinser 2009 -148 2 1 7 10 1
5 Donny Schatz 1974 -183 3 1 6 9 -
6 Danny Lasoski 1941 -216 - - 3 9 1
7 Daryn Pittman 1873 -284 1 - 3 6 -
8 Joey Saldana 1850 -307 - 1 2 4 -
9 Shane Stewart 1835 -322 - 1 1 8 -
10 Paul McMahan 1824 -333 - - 1 6 -
11 Tim Shaffer 1817 -340 1 - 2 4 -
12 Tim Kaeding 1816 -341 - - 3 5 -
13 Jason Solwold 1731 -426 - - 2 5 -
14 Jason Sides 1687 -470 - - - 2 -
15 Brian Paulus 1664 -493 - - - 2 -
16 Terry McCarl 1663 -494 - - 1 4 -
17 Brooke Tatnell 1632 -525 - 2 5 6 -
18 Brandon Wimmer 1543 -614 - 1 - 2 -
19 Mark Kinser 1333 -824 - - 1 5 -
20 Sammy Swindell 1204 -953 - 1 2 2 1
21 Randy Hannagan 1186 -971 - - - - -
22 Kevin Swindell 1004 -1153 - - - 1 -
23 Danny Smith 946 -1211 - - 1 2 -
24 Chad Kemenah 889 -1268 - - 1 4 -
25 Peter Murphy 724 -1433 - - - - -
NEWS & NOTES
• Lost world: In the event you decided to see the World of Outlaws
Sprint Series race this weekend and drove to Knoxville, Tenn., you’ll
want to know that according to Mapquest.com it’s only 824.97 miles or
13 hours, 11 minutes, to Knoxville, Iowa, where the racing will take
place. Better get a move on if you want to make the A-main.
• Half-milers: The event this weekend is on the historic half-mile at
Knoxville Raceway. Including preliminary features, the series has raced
seven times this year on half-mile circuits with Steve Kinser winning
twice (Volusia and Eldora), and Jeff Shepard (Volusia), Craig Dollansky
(Manzanita), Kraig Kinser (Las Vegas), Donny Schatz (Las Vegas) and
Sammy Swindell (Eldora) each winning once.
• Streak busting: Daryn Pittman’s victory Saturday at 81 Speedway in
Wichita brought a halt to a couple of streaks. First, Pittman had not
won an A-main feature on the World of Outlaws tour since Aug. 3, 2003,
at Beaver Dam, Wis., although he did post a victory later in 2003 in a
preliminary feature at Texas Motor Speedway. Second, Pittman’s win
ended Steve Kinser’s impressive string of three consecutive victories,
on half-mile Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; quarter-mile Tri-State
Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.; and 3/8-mile Outlaw Motor Speedway in
Muskogee, Okla.
• Casey’s opening: Mean 15 racer Tim Shaffer, who drives the Lonny
Parsons-owned No. 6 Casey’s General Store machine, will appear at noon
Friday in Ames, Iowa, at the grand opening of the newest Casey’s
General Store. The festivities, which will include Shaffer with one of
his cars, will be at 3020 South Duff in Ames.
• Sides Motorsports grows: Sides Motorsports has added Wade Oliver to
the Sides Motorsports 7s World of Outlaws Sprint Series team, which
features Mean 15 racer Jason Sides. Wade will share crew duties with
returning crew chief Scotty Males as well as drive the transporter.
Wade has worked for Bobby Sparks and Ricky Hood, as well as run his own
car in local and ASCS competition during the past 10 years. “I decided
to take a year off and crew for Sides to see if it would improve my
speed and overall performance for my team when I return to racing,”
Wade said. “So far, it has been a lot of hard work.” … Also at Sides
Motorsports, the team has added Electrical Box and Enclosures of
Birmingham, Ala., as a new Marketing Partner. Electrical Box and
Enclosures is one of the largest independently owned and operated
manufacturers of electrical enclosure products in the Southeast and
supplies enclosures to customers throughout the United States. “We are
very pleased to have such a great company come on board with us and we
look forward to a great Marketing Partnership,” said car owner Wayne
Rhodes. For more information about Electrical Box and Enclosures please
go to www.e-boxenclosures.com.
• An appealing proposition: DIRT MotorSports has established an
Appellate Board to rule on appeals by DMS-licensed drivers and owners
who feel they were unjustifiably penalized in a DIRT MotorSports event.
This Panel was selected through the recommendations of drivers,
promoters, team owners, crew members, and parts manufacturers to
represent a fair cross-section of the dirt track racing industry. In
order to appeal, a team must have the requisite paperwork to DIRT’s
operations office in Colorado Springs, Colo., within 30 days of the
disputed incident or ruling, or within 15 days during the final 30 days
of the season. A copy of the Appeal Regulations can be found in each
series’ rulebook. The World of Outlaws Sprint Series board includes
Andy Fusco as chairman, Fred Brownfield representing promoters, Craig
Dollansky representing drivers, Tom Wimmer representing owners, Sonny
Kratzer representing crew and parts manufacturers and Dean Miracle as
the DIRT MotorSports member. To see the full story on the Appellate
Board, go to http://www.theworldofoutlaws.com.
• Elite support: Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing Team announced last
week that each of their sponsors has returned to the team for the 2005
season. In addition, Meyers, a Mean 15 racer from Clovis, Calif., has
added the support of Primerica Financial Perry and Associates and
Riverstone Builders as Associate Sponsors. Meyers hopes the added
support will give the team an added boost to improve the motor program
and PR department. For the full story, go to
http://www.theworldofoutlaws.com.
• Online viewing: At 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, Dirtvision will feature
tape-delayed coverage of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series race from
April 22 at Outlaw Motor Speedway in Muskogee, Okla. The coverage
includes heats, the Stacker 2® Dash and the second Dash, the B-Main and
the 30-lap $10,000-to-win A-Main feature. This tape-delayed race is
only part of Dirtvision.com’s expanding lineup of more than 50 live and
tape-delayed DIRT MotorSports events, including the World of Outlaws
Sprint Series, World of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Model Series, Advance
Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series, UMP and MARS events. A CyberPass
subscription is required to view ALL Cybercast broadcasts.
• Victory parade: Daryn Pittman became the seventh different winner
this season when he took the checkered flag Saturday at 81 Speedway in
Wichita. Steve Kinser’s victory Friday at Outlaw Motor Speedway in
Muskogee, Okla., was his fifth victory of the season. Next on win list
is Donny Schatz with three victories. Kraig Kinser was the hottest
driver on the circuit in early April, winning on back-to-back nights at
Batesville Speedway and I-55 Raceway. He also has a preliminary feature
win at Las Vegas. Craig Dollansky has won a feature and a preliminary,
while Tim Shaffer and Jeff Shepard have each won a feature.
• Looking back: When the World of Outlaws Sprint Series raced at
Knoxville Raceway last spring, Mark Kinser raced to a flag-to-flag
victory for the 152nd win of his World of Outlaws Sprint Series career
and his 13th at Knoxville. Kinser beat Chad Kemenah to the checkered
flag by 1.8 seconds.
• 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), Tim Kaeding (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 Pender 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),
Brandon Wimmer (No. 7tw owned by Wimmer-Luck Racing), and the No. 35
Rick Wright-owned car piloted by Peter Murphy.
• 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: Australian Brooke
Tatnell is back in the series with Rush Racing. Terry McCarl, who has
won the past six 410 sprint championships at Knoxville Raceway. Shane
Stewart, the current leader in the battle for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie
of the Year title. Randy Hannagan, a long-time Outlaws competitor is
running occasionally with the series again. Sammy Swindell, a sprint
car legend and three-time Outlaws champion. 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.
• Tune into the Web: If fans can’t get to Knoxville Raceway to see the
racing this weekend, 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. Companies who are interested in advertising on the new DIRT
Radio Network should contact Mark Noble, DIRT MotorSports VP Sales and
Marketing, at 719-884-2141. 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 Mean 15 racer from Elk River, Minn., who is second
in points
• On the key to success at Knoxville: “For me, it’s where I started out
racing. It’s always nice to go back there. It’s like going home in a
way. There are a lot of great people there, a lot of people who helped
me get my start in racing. We definitely enjoy going there and racing,
it’s about the nicest facility we go to throughout the year, too.”
• On the history of Knoxville: “There’s definitely a lot of history
with the racetrack, but it also hosts the biggest race of the year for
us, the Knoxville Nationals, so I think more than anything I think
people enjoy going there and racing, especially from the World of
Outlaws, to try to get things ironed out to get prepared for the race
in August. They host a very, very large event there so everybody likes
to be prepared for that.”
• On using this weekend as a test: “You might try a few things, and try
to establish whether it’s something you might think will work come
Nationals time, or won’t work. Hopefully you can take out a little bit
of the guessing by the time the Nationals come around because you only
have one qualifying night and you better be on top of your game on that
first night.”
Tim Kaeding, a Mean 15 racer and Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year
Award contender from San Jose
• On racing at Knoxville: “Knoxville is the home for sprint car racing.
That’s where the Nationals are, that’s where everybody shows up to run.
Last year we went there for the first time with Dennis and Theresa Roth
at the beginning of the year and we rained out the first night and ran
fifth the next night. Not bad for going from a short-track the week
before. Hopefully we can go there and run good and run fast like we’ve
been running and just enjoy ourselves without tearing anything up.”
• On confidence heading into Knoxville: “It’s up there, but you can’t
let it get too far because that’s usually when you get in trouble.
We’re just going to try to keep our confidence level right where we’re
at, keep it on a high note and just keep going from there and click off
some more top-fives and top-10s.”
Kraig Kinser, a Mean 15 racer from Bloomington, Ind., who has two
A-main feature wins and set quick time Friday night at Outlaw Motor
Speedway in Muskogee, Okla.
• On Steve Kinser Racing winning seven features and one preliminary
feature so far this season: “It says how good we are right now and how
good everything’s going. Hopefully we can keep it up because these
things can turn around.”
Steve Kinser, a Mean 15 racer and 19-time series champion from
Bloomington, Ind., who has five victories this season
• On racing at Knoxville: “We’ve been chasing the track the last three
or four times we’ve been there so we need to get back there. We’re not
bad there, but we’re just off a little bit right now. We need to watch
something the cars like or I like or something a little bit better than
what we’re doing. We’re close, we’re just not quite where we need to be
there. It gives us two days to sit there and play with it and hope we
can figure something out for the Nationals.”
• On using the races as a test session for the Nationals: “You can. We
know we’ve been chasing the track a little bit so that’s what we’ll use
it for, to try to get things a little better than the setups we’ve been
going with. We’ll try some different stuff and see what we do.”
• On the key to winning a two-day show: “It’s not much different than
any other two-day show. You want to get out there and try to get in the
top-four the first night and get locked in so you have a good starting
spot. After that, you can play with your car a little bit more the
second night. That’s basically the way you go about every two-day show.
Sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn’t. On the first night,
your biggest thought is to get in the top four.
• On his latest hot streak: “We’ve been pretty fast all year, actually
our car’s been pretty fast for the past three years. I think it’s going
to continue for a little bit, but you never know in this racing
business what makes you fast and you don’t know what slows you down,
but I’ve seen it happen before so we’ll just try to hang in there and
continue trying to win races.”
Danny Lasoski, a Mean 15 racer from Dover, Mo., who is one of the
greatest racers in Knoxville history with more than 80 wins at the
historic track
• On racing at Knoxville: “Knoxville is just the best, it’s the
ultimate. We know when we go there, we always get a racetrack that’s
wide. We can run top, bottom, middle. That’s basically why everybody
loves to go there. You don’t just set up for the top; you don’t just
set up for the bottom. You set up for anywhere you want to go because
at some time during the race you got to go there.”
• On your success at the track boosting confidence: “We need it. We
need it bad. This is probably the worst season I’ve ever had at the
start of the season. If we go to Knoxville and we struggle, there’s
something wrong. If there’s any place in the world that I should have
confidence, it should be there.”
• On the history of the facility: “It’s the greatest speedway in North
America. I’ve never been to a greater speedway. It has the best of
everything as far as facility, track preparation, track facility,
surface, people, fans … it’s the best hands down.”
