Colorado Springs, CO — May 4, 2005 — By Chris Dolack, World of Outlaws
Senior Writer
WHAT
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series begins its busiest stretch of the
season to date beginning Friday where it runs for the first time at
Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo., followed by races Saturday at
Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., and Monday in another series
debut at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla. All three events are
$10,000-to-win features.
WHERE
• Lake Ozark Speedway is about 45 minutes south of Jefferson City, Mo.,
off Highway 54 at the Highway 52 exit. The track is at the end of the
frontage road on the south side of Highway 54.
• Tri-City Speedway is across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, a
half-mile south of Interstate 270 on SR 203.
• Tri-State Speedway is 1 mile west of Fort Smith, Ark., on I-540 in
Pocola, Okla.
WHEN
• Friday at Lake Ozark Speedway, pits open at 3 p.m., grandstands at 4
p.m. with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing to follow.
• Saturday at Tri-City Speedway, gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at
6 p.m. and racing to follow.
• Monday at Tri-State Speedway, the show begins at 7 p.m.
TICKETS
• For Friday at Lake Ozark Speedway, reserved seats are $35 and a pit
pass is $45.
• For Saturday at Tri-City Speedway, reserved tickets are $32 and
general admission is $30.
• For Monday at Tri-State Speedway, advance tickets can be purchased
for $30 while pit passes are $45. Kids 11 and under will be $15 on the
day of the show only.
WEB SITES
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is at http://www.woosprint.com.
• Lake Ozark Speedway is at http://www.lakeozarkspeedway.com.
• Tri-City Speedway is at http://www.tricitymotorsports.com.
• Tri-State Speedway is at http://www.tri-statespeedway.com.
ABOUT THE TRACKS
• Lake Ozark Speedway is a 1/3-mile banked oval. The track width is 75
feet all the way around with 10 degrees of banking in the corners and 5
degrees of banking on the front and back straights. Chad Kemenah
established the track record 11.538 seconds for a 410 sprint car, but
the World of Outlaws have not raced at Lake Ozark.
• Tri-City Speedway is semi-banked half-mile oval where Mark Kinser set
the single-lap record 15.917 seconds on June 16, 1999.
• Tri-State Speedway is high-banked 3/8-mile oval where the World of
Outlaws have never raced.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series has never competed at either Lake
Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo., or Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla.
The series has run since 1979 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City,
Ill. Here is a list of winners at Granite City:
2004 – Steve Kinser on Oct. 9, Joey Saldana on May 15
2003 – Paul McMahan on June 22
2002 – Steve Kinser on May 11
2001 – Dale Blaney on May 12
2000 – Steve Kinser on April 15
1999 – Tyler Walker on May 15, Mark Kinser on June 16
1998 – Sammy Swindell on May 9, Jac Haudenschild on June 20
1997 – Dave Blaney on May 10, Steve Kinser on June 21
1996 – Steve Kinser on May 11, Steve Kinser on July 13
1995 – Jac Haudenschild on May 13, Steve Kinser on June 16, Dave Blaney
on July 15
1994 – Sammy Swindell on May 18, Steve Kinser on June 22, Steve Kinser
on July 16
1993 – Kenny Jacobs on May 13, Steve Kinser on July 17, Steve Kinser on
Aug. 16
1992 – Steve Kinser on May 6, Steve Kinser on July 25, Sammy Swindell
on Aug. 10
1991 – Steve Kinser on May 8, Doug Wolfgang on July 13, Sammy Swindell
on Aug. 12
1990 – Steve Kinser on July 14, Steve Kinser on Aug. 13
1986 – Steve Kinser on April 12
1985 – Dave Blaney on April 5, Steve Kinser on May 10
1984 – Sammy Swindell on May 16
1981 – Steve Kinser on April 11, Doug Wolfgang on May 20, Doug Wolfgang
on July 26, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 22, Steve Kinser on Aug. 23
1980 – Steve Kinser on April 12, Sammy Swindell on May 28, Tim Green on
July 9, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 23
1979 – Steve Kinser on May 23, Steve Kinser on July 11, Sammy Swindell
on Aug. 22, Doug Wolfgang on Oct. 18.
TELEVISION THIS WEEK
• At 8 p.m. ET Wednesday (May 4), The Outdoor Channel will broadcast
coverage of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series event from 81 Speedway
in Wichita, Kan.
• Coverage of the race this past weekend at Knoxville Raceway will be
broadcast May 11 on The Outdoor Channel.
STANDINGS, through Knoxville Raceway (April 30, 2005)
Rank Driver Pts Pts Diff Wins Poles Top 5 Top 10 Prelim
1 Steve Kinser 2350 0 6 1 13 15 -
2 Craig Dollansky 2250 -100 1 - 9 12 1
3 Kraig Kinser 2179 -171 2 1 7 11 1
4 Jason Meyers 2167 -183 0 2 4 13 -
5 Danny Lasoski 2127 -223 0 1 4 10 2
6 Donny Schatz 2117 -233 3 1 6 9 -
7 Daryn Pittman 2021 -329 1 - 3 6 -
8 Joey Saldana 2005 -345 0 1 2 5 -
9 Tim Kaeding 1989 -361 0 - 3 6 -
10 Shane Stewart 1969 -381 0 1 1 9 -
11 Paul McMahan 1968 -382 0 - 1 6 -
12 Tim Shaffer 1965 -385 1 - 2 6 -
13 Terry McCarl 1842 -508 0 - 2 5 -
14 Brian Paulus 1825 -525 0 - 1 3 -
15 Jason Solwold 1823 -527 0 - 2 5 -
16 Jason Sides 1815 -535 0 - 0 3 -
17 Brooke Tatnell 1770 -580 0 2 5 6 -
18 Brandon Wimmer 1628 -722 0 1 0 3 -
19 Sammy Swindell 1371 -979 0 1 3 3 1
20 Mark Kinser 1333 -1017 0 - 1 5 -
21 Randy Hannagan 1306 -1044 0 - 0 1 -
22 Kevin Swindell 1096 -1254 0 - 0 1 -
23 Chad Kemenah 1048 -1302 0 - 1 4 -
24 Danny Smith 946 -1404 0 - 1 2 -
25 Peter Murphy 836 -1514 0 - 0 1 -
NEWS & NOTES
• On the Web: The Official World of Outlaws Sprint Series Web site is
overhauled and coming alive Wednesday at http://www.woosprint.com.
Among the features to be included are driver biographies with
individual statistics and pictures, race-by-race statistics, detailed
track information and race coverage, series news and team press
releases.
• Rookie battle heats up: In each of the features last weekend at
Knoxville Raceway, Tim Kaeding started 20th and worked his way to a
sixth-place finish. Those runs in hist Dennis Roth-owned car helped
move him into the lead for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.
Shane Stewart is only 20 points behind in his Rudeen Racing powered by
mIn Motorsports machine with Brandon Wimmer in third driving the
Wimmer-Luck Motorsports car.
• Lake Ozark debut: The race Friday at Lake Ozark Speedway is on a
1/3-mile oval. It will mark the fourth race on a track that size this
season for the Outlaws, with three different winners. In February, Tim
Shaffer captured the A-main at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.,
followed the next night by Craig Dollansky’s win at Bakersfield
Speedway. On April 2, Kraig Kinser won his second feature of the season
by taking the checkered flag at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.
• Halfway there: The event this weekend at Granite City is on a
half-mile track. Including preliminary features, the series has raced
nine times this year on half-mile circuits with Steve Kinser winning
three times (Volusia, Eldora and Knoxville), and Jeff Shepard
(Volusia), Craig Dollansky (Manzanita), Kraig Kinser (Las Vegas), Donny
Schatz (Las Vegas), Sammy Swindell (Eldora) and Danny Lasoski
(Knoxville) each winning once.
• Measuring up: The race Monday at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla.,
is on a 3/8-mile oval. The series has raced five times this season on
tracks that size, at Pike County Speedway, Houston Raceway Park,
Batesville Speedway, Outlaw Motor Speedway and 81 Speedway. Steve
Kinser held off Brooke Tatnell to win at Pike County, Donny Schatz
edged Steve Kinser at Houston, Kraig Kinser dominated at Batesville,
Steve Kinser snuck past Jason Meyers late at Outlaw, and Daryn Pittman
cruised to victory at 81 Speedway.
• Victory parade: Steve Kinser’s win Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in
Knoxville, Iowa, was his sixth 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. Daryn Pittman became the seventh different main-event
winner this season when he took the checkered flag April 23 at 81
Speedway in Wichita. Craig Dollansky has won a feature and a
preliminary, while Tim Shaffer and Jeff Shepard have each won a
feature. Danny Lasoski won his second Preliminary Feature of 2005
Friday night at Knoxville Raceway, and Sammy Swindell has a Preliminary
Feature win at Eldora.
• Looking back: When the World of Outlaws Sprint Series raced last May
at Tri-City Speedway, Joey Saldana became the ninth driver to win a
2004 World of Outlaws Sprint Series main event by leading all 25 laps
to win at Tri-City Speedway. Saldana, who started driving the No. 2
Larry Woodward-owned Volcano Joe’s Coffee car in early April, raced
ahead of “Mean 15” leaders Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski throughout
the feature to claim his first victory of the season and the 13th in
his career.
• 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.
• 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 any of the three tracks this
weekend 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 World of Outlaws schedule picking up speed heading into May:
“It’s our busy time of the year. When you get into May, June and July
you just need to make sure you’re prepared with your equipment and that
you’re situated to make it through those three months. You definitely
need to be situated as far as equipment goes in case you run into
trouble. It’s just a lot of preparation. … For me, I’ve been going back
and forth to home each week. Starting next week that will be few and
far between, being from Minnesota. Come the next three months that will
be pretty tough. Maybe in July when we get to racing in the Midwest a
little bit I’ll get home for a day or two here and there, but for the
most part we’re looking at being gone for the next three or four
months.”
Tim Kaeding, a Mean 15 racer from San Jose, Calif., who is leading the
Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year standings
• On adjusting to life on the road after running on weekends locally in
California: “Yeah, that’s what I did back home the past couple of years
was just race on weekends. That’s something the Outlaws have always
been known for, traveling and racing every third day. I can’t wait for
it. Once it comes about, I think we’ll get going a little bit better. I
think a lot of other guys will, too. It’s one of those things that once
it hits us hopefully everybody has their stuff together to where they
can make it through the end of the year.”
• On benfits of an intense schedule: “It gives you more time in the car
and more time to think about what’s going on with the car, what’s wrong
with the car. It’s one of those things, the more you race the better
you’re going to get. Look at Steve Kinser, and how many races he’s got
compared to a lot of these guys out here. He can go out and watch the
racetrack and run the same line a guy ran in the B-main and make it
twice as fast as he was. I think it will give us a lot more seat time,
a little bit more time to work together with the crew and just make
everything better throughout the year.”
Kraig Kinser, a Mean 15 racer from Bloomington, Ind., who has two
feature wins this season
• On how drivers handle seemingly ordinary things while traveling so
much: “Laundry’s not too bad. We pile as many clothes as we can get and
by the time they get dirty we start doing laundry. A lot of the hotels
we go to have washing machines and we stay up for a while doing
laundry. It’s not too bad. Once you get used to the road, it’s not that
bad. I don’t know how some of these guys who work on these cars stick
around and do it all the time because it is a grueling, grueling life.
If you can last more than a year out here just working on a car, under
paid, just out here every day working in the hot sun in the middle of
the summer, it’s quite an accomplishment for a lot of these guys. I
don’t know how they do it. They really have a love for the sport.”
Steve Kinser, a Mean 15 racer from Bloomington, Ind., who won Saturday
night for the sixth time this season
• On the schedule intensifying: “You got to be prepared when it starts
happening. Any time about the second week in May through the end of
August, it’s wide open. That’s when you’ve got to be strong, through
those three months, at least. That shows where you’re at and how good
you’re prepared for the rest of the year.”
• On racing night after night: “If you do have bad night, then maybe
the next night you go back and have a good run and you forget about
that. It’s just something where you work all winter to get prepared for
the rest of the year and you find out how strong your race team is,
especially June, July and August. There’s a lot of races in those three
months.”
• On life on the road: “It’s something I have done for a long time and
I’m sort of used to it. I have probably more trouble when we have some
time at home. I enjoy getting home, I’ve just never been home enough to
have any kind of routine or anything. Once you’re there for a week or
two, you’re ready to get out and race a little bit.”
Reeve Kruck, owner of the No. 21 Titan Racing USA team, who was in his
native Australia when he found out driver Daryn Pittman won April 23 at
81 Speedway
• On the victory at Wichita, his first as an Outlaws car owner: “I was
at an Australian Football League game in the afternoon and I didn’t
care that we lost the football game because we won the race. We had a
good time after that.”
• On his reaction to the win: “My team was behind by 60 points, I was
in a corporate box with 12 other [Brisbane] Lions supporters and I was
the only one cheering. They looked at me like I was a bit strange
because I was yahooing like a banshee. It was really good. Everybody
did a fine job and everything just fit together. It was especially good
when you start beside Steve [Kinser] and beat him. It was just bloody
fabulous.”
Danny Lasoski, a Mean 15 racer from Dover, Mo., who won the Preliminary
Feature Friday night at Knoxville Raceway
• On life on the road: “I’m the single luckiest guy in the world. I’m
doing something I love to do for a living. It’s kind of tough being
away from home, but we got an airplane so I get to get back. But the
guys are on the road, and we’ve got a traveling shop here with this
trailer so you try to make it the best it can be. Anybody who knows
these World of Outlaws race teams knows they’ve dedicated their whole
lives to this thing and that’s why it’s so successful.”
• On the level of competition the Outlaws face: “Every race I go to, I
go to win no matter who’s there. I don’t pay any attention to who is
there. When you run with the World of Outlaws, you run with the best of
the best 100 times a year. It doesn’t really affect us.”
Paul McMahan, a Mean 15 racer from Nashville, Tenn., with six top-10s
in main events this season
• On the schedule turning busy: “It’s a lot more fun when you race more
than two nights a week. Whenever you can run three or four nights a
week it makes the travel not as bad. Right now, we drive eight hours to
get somewhere to race two days and then turn around and drive back home
and sit around for four or five days before you get to do it again.
It’s nice to race three or four nights a week, but the downside is that
I won’t be able to see my kids and wife as much but this is what I do
for a living so the more I can race, the better it is.”
Terry McCarl, an Iowa native who posted his best results of the season
on back-to-back nights last weekend at Knoxville
• On the traveling: “The traveling has been really easy, especially
where I’m located in Des Moines. We’ve been home every weekend by noon
on Sunday. But it’s bad because we haven’t been doing very well and the
only thing that makes you feel better after a bad night of racing is
racing again. And the only way to get out of a slump is to get on a
roll in a positive way. For us, it’s been kind of bad because we can’t
seem to get going good. We want to get to racing so we can work out the
bugs and get past the little bit of a lull we’re in. Traveling so far
has been pretty easy, but I know it’s coming the next three weeks or
so. Traveling doesn’t bother me. I want to race every night.”
• On upcoming races in Ohio and Pennsylvania: “I hadn’t been to Eldora
since 1997 and I haven’t been to Williams Grove since 1997 when I ran
the All-Star deal. I haven’t been to Lernerville Speedway since 1997. I
really liked Don Martin and I liked going to that track. It’s a fun
track. He was a great guy and treated me real well a long time ago. …
Williams Grove is one of the few places in the world the locals have a
bit of equality with the Outlaws because it’s such a unique track, it’s
a real weird racetrack as a driver to feel comfortable at because it
has such long straightaways and tight corners. It buries the left side
of the car so hard because of wing speed and everything.”
Senior Writer
WHAT
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series begins its busiest stretch of the
season to date beginning Friday where it runs for the first time at
Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo., followed by races Saturday at
Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., and Monday in another series
debut at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla. All three events are
$10,000-to-win features.
WHERE
• Lake Ozark Speedway is about 45 minutes south of Jefferson City, Mo.,
off Highway 54 at the Highway 52 exit. The track is at the end of the
frontage road on the south side of Highway 54.
• Tri-City Speedway is across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, a
half-mile south of Interstate 270 on SR 203.
• Tri-State Speedway is 1 mile west of Fort Smith, Ark., on I-540 in
Pocola, Okla.
WHEN
• Friday at Lake Ozark Speedway, pits open at 3 p.m., grandstands at 4
p.m. with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing to follow.
• Saturday at Tri-City Speedway, gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at
6 p.m. and racing to follow.
• Monday at Tri-State Speedway, the show begins at 7 p.m.
TICKETS
• For Friday at Lake Ozark Speedway, reserved seats are $35 and a pit
pass is $45.
• For Saturday at Tri-City Speedway, reserved tickets are $32 and
general admission is $30.
• For Monday at Tri-State Speedway, advance tickets can be purchased
for $30 while pit passes are $45. Kids 11 and under will be $15 on the
day of the show only.
WEB SITES
• The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is at http://www.woosprint.com.
• Lake Ozark Speedway is at http://www.lakeozarkspeedway.com.
• Tri-City Speedway is at http://www.tricitymotorsports.com.
• Tri-State Speedway is at http://www.tri-statespeedway.com.
ABOUT THE TRACKS
• Lake Ozark Speedway is a 1/3-mile banked oval. The track width is 75
feet all the way around with 10 degrees of banking in the corners and 5
degrees of banking on the front and back straights. Chad Kemenah
established the track record 11.538 seconds for a 410 sprint car, but
the World of Outlaws have not raced at Lake Ozark.
• Tri-City Speedway is semi-banked half-mile oval where Mark Kinser set
the single-lap record 15.917 seconds on June 16, 1999.
• Tri-State Speedway is high-banked 3/8-mile oval where the World of
Outlaws have never raced.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series has never competed at either Lake
Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo., or Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla.
The series has run since 1979 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City,
Ill. Here is a list of winners at Granite City:
2004 – Steve Kinser on Oct. 9, Joey Saldana on May 15
2003 – Paul McMahan on June 22
2002 – Steve Kinser on May 11
2001 – Dale Blaney on May 12
2000 – Steve Kinser on April 15
1999 – Tyler Walker on May 15, Mark Kinser on June 16
1998 – Sammy Swindell on May 9, Jac Haudenschild on June 20
1997 – Dave Blaney on May 10, Steve Kinser on June 21
1996 – Steve Kinser on May 11, Steve Kinser on July 13
1995 – Jac Haudenschild on May 13, Steve Kinser on June 16, Dave Blaney
on July 15
1994 – Sammy Swindell on May 18, Steve Kinser on June 22, Steve Kinser
on July 16
1993 – Kenny Jacobs on May 13, Steve Kinser on July 17, Steve Kinser on
Aug. 16
1992 – Steve Kinser on May 6, Steve Kinser on July 25, Sammy Swindell
on Aug. 10
1991 – Steve Kinser on May 8, Doug Wolfgang on July 13, Sammy Swindell
on Aug. 12
1990 – Steve Kinser on July 14, Steve Kinser on Aug. 13
1986 – Steve Kinser on April 12
1985 – Dave Blaney on April 5, Steve Kinser on May 10
1984 – Sammy Swindell on May 16
1981 – Steve Kinser on April 11, Doug Wolfgang on May 20, Doug Wolfgang
on July 26, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 22, Steve Kinser on Aug. 23
1980 – Steve Kinser on April 12, Sammy Swindell on May 28, Tim Green on
July 9, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 23
1979 – Steve Kinser on May 23, Steve Kinser on July 11, Sammy Swindell
on Aug. 22, Doug Wolfgang on Oct. 18.
TELEVISION THIS WEEK
• At 8 p.m. ET Wednesday (May 4), The Outdoor Channel will broadcast
coverage of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series event from 81 Speedway
in Wichita, Kan.
• Coverage of the race this past weekend at Knoxville Raceway will be
broadcast May 11 on The Outdoor Channel.
STANDINGS, through Knoxville Raceway (April 30, 2005)
Rank Driver Pts Pts Diff Wins Poles Top 5 Top 10 Prelim
1 Steve Kinser 2350 0 6 1 13 15 -
2 Craig Dollansky 2250 -100 1 - 9 12 1
3 Kraig Kinser 2179 -171 2 1 7 11 1
4 Jason Meyers 2167 -183 0 2 4 13 -
5 Danny Lasoski 2127 -223 0 1 4 10 2
6 Donny Schatz 2117 -233 3 1 6 9 -
7 Daryn Pittman 2021 -329 1 - 3 6 -
8 Joey Saldana 2005 -345 0 1 2 5 -
9 Tim Kaeding 1989 -361 0 - 3 6 -
10 Shane Stewart 1969 -381 0 1 1 9 -
11 Paul McMahan 1968 -382 0 - 1 6 -
12 Tim Shaffer 1965 -385 1 - 2 6 -
13 Terry McCarl 1842 -508 0 - 2 5 -
14 Brian Paulus 1825 -525 0 - 1 3 -
15 Jason Solwold 1823 -527 0 - 2 5 -
16 Jason Sides 1815 -535 0 - 0 3 -
17 Brooke Tatnell 1770 -580 0 2 5 6 -
18 Brandon Wimmer 1628 -722 0 1 0 3 -
19 Sammy Swindell 1371 -979 0 1 3 3 1
20 Mark Kinser 1333 -1017 0 - 1 5 -
21 Randy Hannagan 1306 -1044 0 - 0 1 -
22 Kevin Swindell 1096 -1254 0 - 0 1 -
23 Chad Kemenah 1048 -1302 0 - 1 4 -
24 Danny Smith 946 -1404 0 - 1 2 -
25 Peter Murphy 836 -1514 0 - 0 1 -
NEWS & NOTES
• On the Web: The Official World of Outlaws Sprint Series Web site is
overhauled and coming alive Wednesday at http://www.woosprint.com.
Among the features to be included are driver biographies with
individual statistics and pictures, race-by-race statistics, detailed
track information and race coverage, series news and team press
releases.
• Rookie battle heats up: In each of the features last weekend at
Knoxville Raceway, Tim Kaeding started 20th and worked his way to a
sixth-place finish. Those runs in hist Dennis Roth-owned car helped
move him into the lead for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.
Shane Stewart is only 20 points behind in his Rudeen Racing powered by
mIn Motorsports machine with Brandon Wimmer in third driving the
Wimmer-Luck Motorsports car.
• Lake Ozark debut: The race Friday at Lake Ozark Speedway is on a
1/3-mile oval. It will mark the fourth race on a track that size this
season for the Outlaws, with three different winners. In February, Tim
Shaffer captured the A-main at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.,
followed the next night by Craig Dollansky’s win at Bakersfield
Speedway. On April 2, Kraig Kinser won his second feature of the season
by taking the checkered flag at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.
• Halfway there: The event this weekend at Granite City is on a
half-mile track. Including preliminary features, the series has raced
nine times this year on half-mile circuits with Steve Kinser winning
three times (Volusia, Eldora and Knoxville), and Jeff Shepard
(Volusia), Craig Dollansky (Manzanita), Kraig Kinser (Las Vegas), Donny
Schatz (Las Vegas), Sammy Swindell (Eldora) and Danny Lasoski
(Knoxville) each winning once.
• Measuring up: The race Monday at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla.,
is on a 3/8-mile oval. The series has raced five times this season on
tracks that size, at Pike County Speedway, Houston Raceway Park,
Batesville Speedway, Outlaw Motor Speedway and 81 Speedway. Steve
Kinser held off Brooke Tatnell to win at Pike County, Donny Schatz
edged Steve Kinser at Houston, Kraig Kinser dominated at Batesville,
Steve Kinser snuck past Jason Meyers late at Outlaw, and Daryn Pittman
cruised to victory at 81 Speedway.
• Victory parade: Steve Kinser’s win Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in
Knoxville, Iowa, was his sixth 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. Daryn Pittman became the seventh different main-event
winner this season when he took the checkered flag April 23 at 81
Speedway in Wichita. Craig Dollansky has won a feature and a
preliminary, while Tim Shaffer and Jeff Shepard have each won a
feature. Danny Lasoski won his second Preliminary Feature of 2005
Friday night at Knoxville Raceway, and Sammy Swindell has a Preliminary
Feature win at Eldora.
• Looking back: When the World of Outlaws Sprint Series raced last May
at Tri-City Speedway, Joey Saldana became the ninth driver to win a
2004 World of Outlaws Sprint Series main event by leading all 25 laps
to win at Tri-City Speedway. Saldana, who started driving the No. 2
Larry Woodward-owned Volcano Joe’s Coffee car in early April, raced
ahead of “Mean 15” leaders Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski throughout
the feature to claim his first victory of the season and the 13th in
his career.
• 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.
• 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 any of the three tracks this
weekend 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 World of Outlaws schedule picking up speed heading into May:
“It’s our busy time of the year. When you get into May, June and July
you just need to make sure you’re prepared with your equipment and that
you’re situated to make it through those three months. You definitely
need to be situated as far as equipment goes in case you run into
trouble. It’s just a lot of preparation. … For me, I’ve been going back
and forth to home each week. Starting next week that will be few and
far between, being from Minnesota. Come the next three months that will
be pretty tough. Maybe in July when we get to racing in the Midwest a
little bit I’ll get home for a day or two here and there, but for the
most part we’re looking at being gone for the next three or four
months.”
Tim Kaeding, a Mean 15 racer from San Jose, Calif., who is leading the
Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year standings
• On adjusting to life on the road after running on weekends locally in
California: “Yeah, that’s what I did back home the past couple of years
was just race on weekends. That’s something the Outlaws have always
been known for, traveling and racing every third day. I can’t wait for
it. Once it comes about, I think we’ll get going a little bit better. I
think a lot of other guys will, too. It’s one of those things that once
it hits us hopefully everybody has their stuff together to where they
can make it through the end of the year.”
• On benfits of an intense schedule: “It gives you more time in the car
and more time to think about what’s going on with the car, what’s wrong
with the car. It’s one of those things, the more you race the better
you’re going to get. Look at Steve Kinser, and how many races he’s got
compared to a lot of these guys out here. He can go out and watch the
racetrack and run the same line a guy ran in the B-main and make it
twice as fast as he was. I think it will give us a lot more seat time,
a little bit more time to work together with the crew and just make
everything better throughout the year.”
Kraig Kinser, a Mean 15 racer from Bloomington, Ind., who has two
feature wins this season
• On how drivers handle seemingly ordinary things while traveling so
much: “Laundry’s not too bad. We pile as many clothes as we can get and
by the time they get dirty we start doing laundry. A lot of the hotels
we go to have washing machines and we stay up for a while doing
laundry. It’s not too bad. Once you get used to the road, it’s not that
bad. I don’t know how some of these guys who work on these cars stick
around and do it all the time because it is a grueling, grueling life.
If you can last more than a year out here just working on a car, under
paid, just out here every day working in the hot sun in the middle of
the summer, it’s quite an accomplishment for a lot of these guys. I
don’t know how they do it. They really have a love for the sport.”
Steve Kinser, a Mean 15 racer from Bloomington, Ind., who won Saturday
night for the sixth time this season
• On the schedule intensifying: “You got to be prepared when it starts
happening. Any time about the second week in May through the end of
August, it’s wide open. That’s when you’ve got to be strong, through
those three months, at least. That shows where you’re at and how good
you’re prepared for the rest of the year.”
• On racing night after night: “If you do have bad night, then maybe
the next night you go back and have a good run and you forget about
that. It’s just something where you work all winter to get prepared for
the rest of the year and you find out how strong your race team is,
especially June, July and August. There’s a lot of races in those three
months.”
• On life on the road: “It’s something I have done for a long time and
I’m sort of used to it. I have probably more trouble when we have some
time at home. I enjoy getting home, I’ve just never been home enough to
have any kind of routine or anything. Once you’re there for a week or
two, you’re ready to get out and race a little bit.”
Reeve Kruck, owner of the No. 21 Titan Racing USA team, who was in his
native Australia when he found out driver Daryn Pittman won April 23 at
81 Speedway
• On the victory at Wichita, his first as an Outlaws car owner: “I was
at an Australian Football League game in the afternoon and I didn’t
care that we lost the football game because we won the race. We had a
good time after that.”
• On his reaction to the win: “My team was behind by 60 points, I was
in a corporate box with 12 other [Brisbane] Lions supporters and I was
the only one cheering. They looked at me like I was a bit strange
because I was yahooing like a banshee. It was really good. Everybody
did a fine job and everything just fit together. It was especially good
when you start beside Steve [Kinser] and beat him. It was just bloody
fabulous.”
Danny Lasoski, a Mean 15 racer from Dover, Mo., who won the Preliminary
Feature Friday night at Knoxville Raceway
• On life on the road: “I’m the single luckiest guy in the world. I’m
doing something I love to do for a living. It’s kind of tough being
away from home, but we got an airplane so I get to get back. But the
guys are on the road, and we’ve got a traveling shop here with this
trailer so you try to make it the best it can be. Anybody who knows
these World of Outlaws race teams knows they’ve dedicated their whole
lives to this thing and that’s why it’s so successful.”
• On the level of competition the Outlaws face: “Every race I go to, I
go to win no matter who’s there. I don’t pay any attention to who is
there. When you run with the World of Outlaws, you run with the best of
the best 100 times a year. It doesn’t really affect us.”
Paul McMahan, a Mean 15 racer from Nashville, Tenn., with six top-10s
in main events this season
• On the schedule turning busy: “It’s a lot more fun when you race more
than two nights a week. Whenever you can run three or four nights a
week it makes the travel not as bad. Right now, we drive eight hours to
get somewhere to race two days and then turn around and drive back home
and sit around for four or five days before you get to do it again.
It’s nice to race three or four nights a week, but the downside is that
I won’t be able to see my kids and wife as much but this is what I do
for a living so the more I can race, the better it is.”
Terry McCarl, an Iowa native who posted his best results of the season
on back-to-back nights last weekend at Knoxville
• On the traveling: “The traveling has been really easy, especially
where I’m located in Des Moines. We’ve been home every weekend by noon
on Sunday. But it’s bad because we haven’t been doing very well and the
only thing that makes you feel better after a bad night of racing is
racing again. And the only way to get out of a slump is to get on a
roll in a positive way. For us, it’s been kind of bad because we can’t
seem to get going good. We want to get to racing so we can work out the
bugs and get past the little bit of a lull we’re in. Traveling so far
has been pretty easy, but I know it’s coming the next three weeks or
so. Traveling doesn’t bother me. I want to race every night.”
• On upcoming races in Ohio and Pennsylvania: “I hadn’t been to Eldora
since 1997 and I haven’t been to Williams Grove since 1997 when I ran
the All-Star deal. I haven’t been to Lernerville Speedway since 1997. I
really liked Don Martin and I liked going to that track. It’s a fun
track. He was a great guy and treated me real well a long time ago. …
Williams Grove is one of the few places in the world the locals have a
bit of equality with the Outlaws because it’s such a unique track, it’s
a real weird racetrack as a driver to feel comfortable at because it
has such long straightaways and tight corners. It buries the left side
of the car so hard because of wing speed and everything.”
