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Jason Meyers Completes Grays Harbor Sweep By Richard Day ELMA, WA (August 23) - Jason Meyers picked up where Joey Saldana left off for the second straight race on his way to completing his first O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series double-feature sweep Saturday at Grays Harbor Raceway Park. Saldana started on the pole and led the first 36¼ laps before his flat right rear tire gave Meyers first place. Meyers held off standings leader Steve Kinser to win his third "A" Feature of the year.
Four drivers have combined to sweep seven double-feature events during the O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series' 25th Anniversary Season. "This is awesome to sweep the weekend," Meyers said. "There's nothing better than pretty girls in victory lane. As well as we've run here this week, I'm kind of disappointed we're leaving. My guys, D.J. (Lindsey) and Bryan (Sundby), did a great job and gave me a perfect car all weekend. I have to thank Craig Dollansky and Scott Boyd and the entire VMAC team for giving me this opportunity - and what a great win, especially this close to VMAC's headquarters. I can't wait to get back and call Craig and Scott, but I'm sure they already know what's going on here.
"I can't wait for the day when Craig and I are lining up side-by-side for a race. I've talked to him a lot, and he's going to be back in the car before the end of the year. We're already working on some things for next year for me."
Meyers lined up next to Saldana in the Dash Race and the main event during each racing program at Grays Harbor. The 1996 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year beat Meyers across the finish line for the privilege of starting the "A" Feature on the pole both times. Saldana drove the #17 Eagle Raceway Maxim into the lead as the green flag fell in Saturday's 40-lap main event.
Kinser, who started outside the third row, raced past fast qualifier Roger Crockett, Paul McMahan and Jac Haudenschild to take over third place during the opening lap. Saldana was 15 car-lengths ahead of Meyers when he entered lapped traffic during the sixth lap. Jason Sides, who started outside the fifth row, passed Crockett for seventh place with an inside move between the first and second corners early in lap 10. Randy Hannagan collided with Second Heat Race winner Jim Carter and stopped in turn four the next time around, tightening the field and opening the track ahead of the leaders.
Saldana controlled the ensuing restart and opened a nine-car-length advantage over Meyers within five laps. Meyers closed to within four car-lengths in dense lapped traffic during lap 21, however. Haudenschild steered the #4 RaceToHawaii.com Maxim to the deepest point in the first corner to pass Kinser for third place one lap later, then raced nose-to-tail with Saldana and Meyers around the semi-banked, 3/10-mile oval throughout the 27th lap. Meyers battled Saldana through turns three and four the next time around, but was unable to surge ahead. "The Wild Child" won a front-straightaway drag race with Meyers for second place several seconds later.
Tim Shaffer lost seventh place the next time around when Dennis Moore, Jr., spun into him, Toni Lutar and First Heat Race winner Mike Melwicks in the fourth corner. Haudenschild hooked the cushion and flipped as the field raced back to the finish line, almost hitting Kinser.
Meyers and Kinser exchanged second place as the green flag replaced the red, then raced side-by-side early in the 32nd lap. Meyers was half a lap behind Saldana when Joey caught the back-markers the next time around. The 2000 World of Outlaws Gumout Series Rookie of the Year closed to within four car-lengths when Saldana jumped the cushion in turn two early in lap 34.
"The King of the Outlaws" steered his #11 Quaker State Maxim into the low groove in the first corner, but was unable to pass Meyers for second place one lap later. Saldana was racing through turn one early in the 37th lap when his right rear tire exploded, causing him to stop and surrender the lead. Meyers drove the #7 VMAC Maxim away from Kinser as the race resumed and took the checkered flag with 10 car-lengths to spare.
"I like leading races, but about the worst spot you can be in is to be leading with four laps to go and have Steve Kinser right behind you," Meyers said. "I was trying to decide where to go on that restart. I'd been running good on the top, but I thought if I came off the top for the restart Steve might have a better angle on me in turn one, so I came off the bottom because it's harder to get a run on someone at the cone that way."
McMahan finished in third place, ahead of Sides, 16th-starting Daryn Pittman, Johnny Herrera, Shawna Wilskey, Danny Lasoski, Sammy Swindell and Donny Schatz. Swindell, the "A" Feature winner at Grays Harbor on August 23, 1997, started next to Schatz on the 11th row and each passed 12 cars to claim top-10 finishes. Brian Paulus won the Third Heat Race, then drove P and P Motorsports' #28 Verdeilli Farms Maxim into 12th place from outside the ninth row in the "A" Feature.
The O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series will complete its Wild, Wild Northwest Tour at Cottage Grove Speedway Tuesday, then sanction the 11th Annual Harvest Classic at Calistoga Speedway Friday, Saturday and Sunday. WoO
2003 O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series Grays Harbor Raceway Park, Elma, WA Saturday, August 23, Feature Program #53 Qualifying: 1. Roger Crockett, Doyle 11C, 12.342; 2. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 12.429; 3. Shawna Wilskey, Pierce 5SP, 12.473; 4. Johnny Herrera, Forbrook 5, 12.488; 5. Tim Shaffer, Roth 83, 12.538; 6. Jason Sides, Sides Motorsports 7S, 12.643; 7. Danny Lasoski, Stewart 20, 12.645; 8. Travis Cram, Cram 92, 12.683; 9. Randy Hannagan, TH Racing 1X, 12.751; 10. Toni Lutar, Lutar 4X, 12.766; 11. Dennis Moore, Jr., Williams 0, 12.779; 12. Daryn Pittman, Sher-Don Motorsports 21, 12.825; 13. Chad Hillier, Hillier 24C, 12.834; 14. Brian Paulus, P and P Motorsports 28, 12.850; 15. Jim Carter, Rudeen 26, 12.916; 16. Mike Melwicks, Melwicks 2, 12.995; 17. Sammy Swindell, Roth 1, 12.994; 18. Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 13.076; 19. Jeff Hodgson, Hodgson V8, 13.131; 20. Ed Evans, Evans 96, 13.316; 21. Jesse Whitney, Whitney 88, 13.481; 22. Glen Borden, Jr., Borden 13.491; 23. Barry Martinez, Martinez 66, 13.551; 24. T.J. Winningham, Winningham 9T, 13.694; 25. Andy Jacobson, Jacobson 59, 13.699; 26. Jay Cole, Cole 0J, 13.759; 27. David Gilmore, Gilmore 8, 13.879; 28. Ron Reed, Reed 97C, 13.910; 29. Steve Walker, Walker 7W, 13.969; 30. Dale Smith, Smith 75, 14.041; 31. Brad Holmes, Holmes 5H, 14.139; 32. Randy Van Aagten, Glick 34, 14.411; 33. Rob Johnson, Johnson 83M, 14.499; 34. Dan Dunlap, Dunlap 21D, 14.527; 35. Mike Dunham, Dunham 11D, 14.531; 36. Lance Sponberg, Sponberg 56W, 14.542; 37. John Youngquist, Youngquist 56, no time.
Finishing 1-4 in Friday's preliminary feature qualified Jason Meyers, Karavan Motorsports 7; Joey Saldana, Saldana 17; Jac Haudenschild, Woodward 4; and Paul McMahan, Helm 11H, for the first four starting positions in the Dash Race.
First Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Mike Melwicks, 2. Randy Hannagan, 3. Sammy Swindell, 4. Roger Crockett, 5. Travis Cram, 6. Jesse Whitney, 7. Andy Jacobson, 8. Steve Walker, 9. Rob Johnson. (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
Second Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Jim Carter, 2. Danny Lasoski, 3. Steve Kinser, 4. Donny Schatz, 5. Toni Lutar, 6. Jay Cole, 7. Dale Smith, 8. Glen Borden, Jr., 9. Dan Dunlap. (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
Third Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Brian Paulus, 2. Dennis Moore, Jr., 3. Shawna Wilskey, 4. Jason Sides, 5. Barry Martinez, 6. Brad Holmes, 7. Jeff Hodgson, 8. Mike Dunham, 9. David Gilmore. (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
Fourth Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Daryn Pittman, 2. Chad Hillier, 3. Tim Shaffer, 4. Johnny Herrera, 5. Ed Evans, 6. T.J. Winningham, 7. John Youngquist, 8. Ron Reed, 9. Lance Sponberg, 10. Randy Van Aagten. (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
Dash Race (seven laps): 1. Joey Saldana, 2. Jason Meyers, 3. Jac Haudenschild, 4. Paul McMahan, 5. Roger Crockett, 6. Steve Kinser, 7. Johnny Herrera, 8. Shawna Wilskey. (finish determined the first eight starting positions in the "A" Feature)
B Feature (15 laps): 1. Travis Cram, 2. Toni Lutar, 3. Jeff Hodgson, 4. Ed Evans, 5. Glen Borden, Jr. ($200); 6. Barry Martinez ($175); 7. Jesse Whitney ($150); 8. Jay Cole ($100); 9. Andy Jacobson ($90); 10. Randy Van Aagten ($80); 11. Dale Smith ($60); 12. Steve Walker ($50); 13. T.J. Winningham ($50); 14. Brad Holmes ($50); 15. Ron Reed ($50); 16. John Youngquist ($50); 17. Rob Johnson ($50); 18. David Gilmore ($50); 19. Lance Sponberg ($50); 20. Dan Dunlap ($50). (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
A Feature (40 laps): 1. Jason Meyers [2] ($12,000); 2. Steve Kinser [6] ($6,000); 3. Paul McMahan [4] ($4,000); 4. Jason Sides [10] ($3,500); 5. Daryn Pittman [16] ($3,300); 6. Johnny Herrera [7] ($3,100); 7. Shawna Wilskey [8] ($3,000); 8. Danny Lasoski [11] ($2,500); 9. Sammy Swindell [21] ($2,100); 10. Donny Schatz [22] ($2,050); 11. Roger Crockett [5] ($2,000); 12. Brian Paulus [18] ($1,600); 13. Tim Shaffer [9] ($1,500); 14. Joey Saldana [1] ($1,200); 15. Jim Carter [19] ($1,100); 16. Toni Lutar [14] ($1,020); 17. Dennis Moore, Jr. [15] ($900); 18. Chad Hillier [17] ($800); 19. Mike Melwicks [20] ($800); 20. Ed Evans [24] ($820); 21. Jac Haudenschild [3] ($800); 22. Travis Cram [12] ($820); 23. Randy Hannagan [13] ($800); 24. Jeff Hodgson [23] ($820).
Lap leaders: Joey Saldana 1-36, Jason Meyers 37-40
