Dixie a Delight to Saldana: Earns Third Consecutive Victory
Woodstock, GA—March 31, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director
March came in like a lamb for Joey Saldana, after he endured a 17th-place finish to wrap up February, his lowest placing of the season, but it certainly went out like a lion, as he roared to his third consecutive World of Outlaws victory on Saturday night in the Hardee’s Southbound Showdown at Dixie Speedway, before a capacity crowd.
In the six events contested during March, Saldana won three, and finished in the Top-four in the other three, including two runner-up performances. He has eight Top-Five finishes in the first 11 events of the season, driving for NASCAR star Kasey Kahne.
Saldana lined up in the fourth spot for the 30-lap A-Feature on Saturday night aboard the Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI, and was up to third on the opening circuit. He then worked his way around Tim Shaffer on the eighth lap, and set his sights on leader Craig Dollansky.
Dollansky started on the outside of the front row and quickly took the lead from Shaffer as the pair exited the fourth turn on the opening lap. He began to encounter lapped traffic on the eighth lap and this allowed Saldana to close in. After shadowing Dollansky for six laps, Saldana used the high side of the track to his advantage, as he made a strong move coming off the fourth turn to take the lead and ultimately the win.
“The car was definitely a pleasure to drive tonight,” said Saldana, who has a total of four A-Feature wins on the season. “(Crew Chief) Ricky Warner has brought so much to this team. Tonight was a night where it showed how much Ricky does on a race car. We just weren’t real good when we got here, and we just kept working on the car and got better and better. In the feature, that thing was unbelievable. I could go to the top, or to the middle with those guys, or even to the bottom. When it got time to go racing, this thing just rolled around them. I’m real proud of my team.”
A couple of late cautions bunched the field and gave Shaffer and Dollansky a few more chances to take the lead from Saldana. Strong restarts, propelled the native of Brownsburg, Indiana to a sizeable advantage each time. He turned the fastest lap of the race on the 18th go-around, on an ensuing restart after a caution.
“My car was working so good that I didn’t care if we had traffic or not,” Saldana explained. “At the end, I was running my car as hard as it would go. In the middle of the race, we had the fastest the car, and at the end (Tim) Shaffer was really good. Luckily we were in front of him.”
In the process of earning his eighth Top-Five finish of the season, Saldana took the point lead from Donny Schatz, by a mere two markers. Both driver received bonus points on the night, as Schatz gained five of them thanks to his fast time effort, while Saldana posted the fourth fastest lap, garnering himself two points. While pleased to take the lead in the standings, the 1996 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year is quick to point out that plenty of racing remains.
“It’s a long year,” Saldana said. “Winning right now will mean nothing if later in the year, I am fifth in points. Hopefully we continue to run good, and continue to keep Kasey (Kahne) happy so that he will want to continue doing this. He definitely doesn’t have to do this. He does it because he loves it. Hopefully if we keep running good, and he will want to do it for longer than one or two years.”
For the second straight race, Shaffer, a native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania was right in Saldana’s tracks as the laps wound down. After starting on the pole and slipping back to third in the middle of the race, the 1999 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year gave it everything he had after he got around Dollansky to reclaim the second spot. He began the night by winning his first dash of the year to earn his first pole position of 2007.
“If we keep running up front like this, we’ll get one sooner or later,” said Shaffer, driver of the Casey’s General Store Maxim. “You get to a point where you are mad about second, but really, we are happy.”
Dollansky led his first laps of the season, as he powered his way to the point for the first 13 circuits. With his third-place finish, he now has eight Top-10 finishes on the season, as he is solidly in the fourth position in points.
“Starting on the front row, we were definitely looking to get a win tonight,” said Dollansky, driver of the Karavan Trailers Maxim. “We came up a little short. I felt good early on, and then when I got the wing back, I started struggling a little more, and that opened the door for Joey (Saldana) in lapped traffic. We can’t complain. Those guys (the No. 9 team) have been going pretty good here lately. At least we were in the game tonight, and we’ll keep working at it and see what we can do.”
Daryn Pittman continued his solid start to the season, as he recorded his eighth Top-10 finish, and fourth finish of fifth or better. He is currently third in points. He began the night by winning the fourth heat to earn a spot in the dash. In the A-Feature he was fourth.
“I can’t complain about running in the Top-Five and Top-10,” said Pittman, driver of the Titan Garages Maxim. “We’ve been in the Top-Five all year. Our results don’t show it, because I think we have about three or four sixths. All in all, we have been really steady, and on night we have been good enough to win. I’m happy with the way things are going. Our whole team is working really well.”
Steve Kinser picked up his fourth Top-Five finish of the season, as he came home fifth in the Q Oil Maxim. He began the night by turning in the second fastest lap in time trials, which led to him earning a spot in the dash, where he finished sixth. He battled Schatz for a majority of the A-Feature.
The rest of the Top-10 was Schatz in the Parker Store J&J, Terry McCarl in the Big Game Treestands Eagle, Danny Lasoski in the Roth Motorsports Eagle, Jason Meyers in the Primerica Financial Maxim, and Jac Haudenschild in the Wright One Construction Maxim.
The World of Outlaws head to the Midwest next week for an event at Paducah International Raceway on Friday April 6, followed by a stop at I-55 Raceway in Missouri on Saturday April 7.
DIXIE SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK
• FAST QUALIFIER: Donny Schatz paced the 32 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked 3/8-mile oval at 13.275 seconds at 101.695 mph. For his qualifying effort, Schatz earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Steve Kinser (4), Danny Lasoski (3), Joey Saldana (2), and Danny Smith (1).
• QUALIFYING WINNERS: Craig Dollansky, Jac Haudenschild, Tim Shaffer, and Daryn Pittman won heat races… Tony Bruce Jr. won the B-Main… Tim Shaffer won the dash.
• FEATURE WINNERS: There have been 11 World of Outlaws A-Feature events held in 2007. The win list includes: Joey Saldana (February 23 at Thunderbowl Raceway, March 17 at Pike County Speedway, March 24 at Volunteer Speedway, and March 31 at Dixie Speedway), Donny Schatz (February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park, March 3 at Manzanita Speedway, and March 16 at Houston Raceway Park), Tim Kaeding (February 24 at Thunderbowl Raceway), Steve Kinser (March 2 at USA Race Park), Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park), and Daryn Pittman (February 11 at Volusia Speedway Park).
• 3/8-MILE WINNERS: Dixie Speedway is a 3/8-mile high-banked oval. The World of Outlaws raced three times on a track that size this season. The winners include: Joey Saldana (Pike County Speedway and Dixie Speedway) and Steve Kinser (USA Race Park).
ON TELEVISION
• The World of Outlaws return to television on May 13 at 2 p.m. Eastern. The Sprint Car stars from the World of Outlaws return to SPEED at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 13, with the warriors from the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series making their 2007 SPEED debut on Sunday, May 20.
The World of Outlaws will be televised 20 times this season on ESPN2 and SPEED while the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series is set for six appearances on SPEED. The one-hour broadcasts will air on Sundays from May 13 to Nov. 4, when the series champions will be crowned during the World Finals from The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
• ON THE WEB: The Official World of Outlaws Web site is at http://www.worldofoutlaws.com. 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 Media Guide and 2007 Official Rulebook can be found at the bottom of the home page.
• LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws live on DIRTVision.com through the DIRT Radio Network. To listen to the audio broadcasts, log on to www.DIRTVision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo. Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail webmaster@DIRTVision.com.
• UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws will visit Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky for the first time since 2001 on Friday April 6, followed by a visit to I-55 Raceway in Missouri the next night.
• UPCOMING EVENTS: A pair of events are in store at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio on April 13-14. The following weekend, the best sprint car drivers in the world take to the track at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio on April 20, and then head to the high-banked ¼-mile at Tri-State Speedway in Indiana. The month wraps up at the storied Knoxville Raceway in Iowa on April 28.
World of Outlaws Sprint Series Statistical Report; Dixie Speedway; March 31, 2007
Qualifying
Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 7-Craig Dollansky
2) 18-Brian Carlson
3) 15-Donny Schatz
4) 4-Danny Smith
5) R19-Jason Solwold
6) 12M-James Mosher
7) 20-Paul McMahan
8) 76-Jeremy Scott
Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 35-Jac Haudenschild
2) 14-Jason Meyers
3) 11-Steve Kinser
4) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
5) 7S-Jason Sides
6) 2-Brooke Tatnell
7) 36-Jason Martin
8) 3X-Chad Kemenah
Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 6-Tim Shaffer
2) 11K-Tim Kaeding
3) 1X-Randy Hannagan
4) 83-Danny Lasoski
5) 10C-Jeremy Campbell
6) 8K-Zach Chappell
7) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr.
8) 16-Lee Stark
Heat 4 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 21-Daryn Pittman
2) 9-Joey Saldana
3) 5C-Chad Hillier
4) 24-Terry McCarl
5) 11H-Kerry Madsen
6) D1-Justin Henderson
7) 11D-Dion Hindi
8) 96D-Nick Defreo
Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)
1) 6-Tim Shaffer
2) 7-Craig Dollansky
3) 21-Daryn Pittman
4) 9-Joey Saldana
5) 14-Jason Meyers
6) 11-Steve Kinser
7) 11K-Tim Kaeding
8) 18-Brian Carlson
9) 15-Donny Schatz
10) 35-Jac Haudenschild
B-main (12 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr.
2) 20-Paul McMahan
3) D1-Justin Henderson
4) 3X-Chad Kemenah
5) 36-Jason Martin [$200]
6) 1-Sammy Swindell [$180]
7) 2-Brooke Tatnell [$175]
8) 8K-Zach Chappell [$160]
9) 11D-Dion Hindi [$150]
10) 12M-James Mosher [$150]
11) 16-Lee Stark [$150]
12) 96D-Nick Defreo [$150]
13) 76-Jeremy Scott [$150]
A-main (30 laps) - Starting Position [#]
Lap Leaders: Craig Dollansky 1-13; Joey Saldana 14-30
Note: Brooke Tatnell used a provisional to start the A-Feature.
2007 STAT ATTACK
There have been 11 World of Outlaws A-Feature events this season.
A-Feature winners (6 different drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Wins
1- #9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN - 4
2- #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND - 3
3- #11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA - 1
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN - 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s NSW – 1
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK - 1
Lap leaders, including A-features and preliminary features Car, driver, hometown - Total laps led (12 different drivers have led a lap)
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN. – 90 laps
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 68 laps
#11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA – 40 laps
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 30 laps
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 24 laps
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 23 laps
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW – 21 laps
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 20 laps
#D1 Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD – 14 laps
#7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 13 laps
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN – 6 laps
#83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 4 laps
Time trial leaders (8 different drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Quick times
1 – #9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN - 4
2 - #18T Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, KS - 1
#89 Cody Darrah, Red Lion, PA – 1
#7 Craig Dollansky- Elk River, MN - 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW - 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN - 1
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND - 1
#6T Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA – 1
Track records established during 2007 World of Outlaws events (4)
* Craig Dollansky, March 2, United Sports Arizona Race Park (3/8-mile), Tucson, AZ, 12.624 seconds at 106.939 mph.
* Kerry Madsen, March 3, Manzanita Speedway (1/2-mile), Phoenix, AZ, 15.255 seconds at 118.149 mph.
* Joey Saldana, March 16, Houston Raceway Park (1/4-mile) Baytown, TX, 11.996 seconds at 75.025 mph.
* Joey Saldana, March 24, Volunteer Speedway (4/10-mile) Bulls Gap, TN, 11.696 second at 123.119 mph.
Dash Winners (9 different winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Dash Wins
1- #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 2
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 2
3 -#15T Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX - 1
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH - 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN - 1
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN - 1
#6 Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA - 1
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN - 1
Pole Positions (9 different drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Poles
1 – #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 2
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA - 2
3 - #15T Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX - 1
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH - 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN - 1
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK - 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN - 1
#6 Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA - 1
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN - 1
B-main Winners (11 different winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown - "B" Wins
1 –#18T Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, KS - 1
#15H Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX -1
#1X Randy Hannagan, San Jose – 1
#11D Dion Hindi, Albuquerque, NM - 1
#11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose - 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s NSW - 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN - 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 1
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN - 1
#4 Danny Smith, Danville, IN - 1
#2 Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW – 1