Texas Motor Speedway, Dirt Track

World of Outlaws 25th Anniversary

Lasoski Wins Texas Showdown with Late Pass By Richard Day FORT WORTH, TX (September 14) – Danny Lasoski surprised Brad Furr and everybody else in the capacity crowd at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track Saturday by using an outside move to pass Brad Furr for the lead in the second corner during a 38th-lap restart. The uncharacteristic move earned Lasoski – who traditionally races in the low groove – the O’Reilly Texas Showdown championship, a $12,000 paycheck, his 13th “A” Feature victory of the season and the 50th of his Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series career.

“Tonight was just luck,” Lasoski said as fireworks mixed with rain filled the skies above him. “The #20 J.D. Byrider Eagle was great all night. I got caught behind two lapped cars and Furr got around me (during lap 32). Any good racer goes where I am not. If it hadn’t been for that last caution, we would not have got him.” Furr, who won the Southern Bleacher Classic at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track April 5th, was 1.1 seconds ahead of “The Dude” when mechanical problems in the #5M Mopar Maxim forced fast-qualifier Mark Kinser to stop in turn two, setting up a three-lap dash to the checkered flag.

“I should have known better,” Furr said. “We were running well on the inside, but on the restart it was too tight. I should have moved up.” Tim Shaffer, who won Thursday’s Preliminary Feature and passed Furr for the runner-up spot early in final lap, agreed. “He took the wrong line,” Shaffer said. “The inside was too slick on the restart. On the bottom, you couldn’t gain momentum. The high side had all the momentum. It got better and better all weekend. We’re happy with second.”

Speed Channel taped all the action for a December 5th telecast scheduled to start at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.

Lasoski, who ranks second in the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series point standings, raced into second place from outside the second row in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Dash. He started the 40-lap main event on the front row next to Shaffer. Shaffer drove the #83 Beef Packers Eagle into the lead as the green flag fell in the “A” Feature and immediately started racing in the high groove around the semi-banked, 4/10-mile oval.

Lasoski kept pace with the 1999 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year and took the lead deep in turn four late in the seventh lap. The leaders were approaching lapped traffic the next time around when Wayne Johnson stopped in the third corner and brought out the caution flag. Lasoski raced away from Shaffer as the green flag replaced the yellow and opened a 10-car-length advantage within a lap. The defending Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series champion was a half-straightaway ahead when he entered lapped traffic late in the 11th lap. “The Dude” increased his advantage to 2.3 seconds in lapped traffic by the midpoint of the race. Furr, who started inside the second row, drifted back into sixth place early, but started making his way back toward the front during the race’s middle stages. After exchanging fourth place with 11th-starting Stevie Smith three times during laps 22, 23 and 24, Furr drove his #2 Sanmina/SCI Eagle deep in turn four to pass Craig Dollansky for third.

Furr passed Shaffer for second during lap 31, then beat Lasoski down the back straightaway to take the lead one lap later. Furr appeared to have the race won until the 38th-lap caution tightened the field. Lasoski took the lead as the race resumed and beat Shaffer under the checkered flag by 1.39 seconds.

“Texas is a beautiful, beautiful race track,” said Lasoski, who won the 2000 Southern Bleacher Classic at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. “In the past, they have had some problems smoothing out the surface, but we have been successful here so we know what to expect. It is a beautiful place, and one of the top-notch dirt facilities in the country.” Smith finished in fourth place, ahead of Tyler Walker, Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series points leader Steve Kinser, Dollansky, Daryn Pittman, Joey Saldana and Randy Hannagan.

“The key to tonight was the new tires,” Smith said of his 11th-to-fourth run. “We put on new Goodyears and they were awesome.”

The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series will run a $51,600 event at Nebraska Raceway Park Wednesday, then sanction the One/Third-Mile Short Track Nationals at Eagle Raceway Friday and Saturday.

2002 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series Third Annual O’Reilly Texas Showdown Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Fort Worth, TX Saturday, September 14, Feature Program #57

Qualifications: 1. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 13.386; 2. Joey Saldana, Saldana 17, 13.627; 3. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 13.649; 4. Randy Hannagan, TH Racing 1x, 13.686; 5. Tyler Walker, C&W Motorsports 35, 13.775; 6. Daryn Pittman, Sher-Don Motorspots 21, 13.790; 7. Stevie Smith, Helm 11H, 13.876; 8. Shane Stewart, Holbrook 8H, 13.953; 9. Ricky Logan, CRS Racing 3S, 14.039; 10. P.J. Chesson, Chesson 76, 14.039; 11. Jac Haudenschild, Forbrook 5, 14.104; 12. Danny Wood, Parsons 6, 14.120; 13. Brooke Tatnell, Grandstaff 66, 14.126; 14. Craig Keel, Potorff 9, 14.140; 15. Brian Paulus, P and P Motorsports 28, 14.158; 16. Johnny Herrera, Wilburn 2W, 14.161; 17. Bob Bennett, Acme 3, 14.292; 18. Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 14.496; 19. Justin Henderson, Carnahan R19, 14.500; 20. Wayne Johnson, Threatt 29, 14.518; 21. Scott Young, Young F22, 14.555; 22. Brian Carlson, Carlson 18, 14.566; 23. Destiny Hays, Hays 20D, 14.571; 24. Jason Sides, Rhodes 7S, 14.629; 25. Gary Wright, Wright 9W, 14.696; 26. Jeremy Campbell, Campbell 10C, 14.847; 27. Blake Mallory, Mallory 6M, 14.961; 28. Matt Clevenger, Clevenger 31, 15.091. Finishing 1-4 in Thursday’s Preliminary Feature qualified Tim Shaffer, Brad Furr, Craig Dollansky and Danny Lasoski for the first four starting positions in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Dash.

First Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Danny Wood, 2. Daryn Pittman, 3. Stevie Smith, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Johnny Herrera, 6. Brooke Tatnell, 7. Justin Henderson, 8. Gary Wright, 9. Matt Clevenger, 10. Brian Carlson. (first four qualified for the “A” Feature)

Second Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Shane Stewart, 2. Jac Haudenschild, 3. Tyler Walker, 4. Joey Saldana, 5. Craig Keel, 6. Wayne Johnson, 7. Bob Bennett, 8. Jeremy Campbell, 9. Destiny Hays. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)

Third Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Ricky Logan, 2. P.J. Chesson, 3. Steve Kinser, 4. Donny Schatz, 5. Randy Hannagan, 6. Jason Sides, 7. Brian Paulus, 8. Scott Young, 9. Blake Mallory. (first four qualified for the “A” Feature)

O’Reilly Auto Parts Dash (five laps): 1. Tim Shaffer, 2. Danny Lasoski, 3. Brad Furr, 4. Craig Dollansky, 5. Joey Saldana, 6. Mark Kinser, 7. Randy Hannagan, 8. Steve Kinser. (finish determined the first eight starting positions in the “A” Feature)

B Feature (12 laps): 1. Brian Paulus, 2. Wayne Johnson, 3. Brooke Tatnell, 4. Justin Henderson, 5. Jeremy Campbell, 6. Jason Sides ($200); 7. Bob Bennett ($175); 8. Brian Carlson ($150); 9. Matt Clevenger ($100); 10. Blake Mallory ($90); 11. Destiny Hays ($80); 12. Gary Wright ($60); 13. Scott Young ($50). (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)

A Feature (40 laps): 1. Danny Lasoski [2] ($12,000); 2. Tim Shaffer [1] ($6,000); 3. Brad Furr [3] ($4,000); 4. Stevie Smith [11] ($3,500); 5. Tyler Walker [9] ($3,300); 6. Steve Kinser [8] ($3,100); 7. Craig Dollansky [4] ($3,000); 8. Daryn Pittman [10] ($2,500); 9. Joey Saldana [5] ($2,100); 10. Randy Hannagan [7] ($2,050); 11. Donny Schatz [21] ($2,000); 12. Ricky Logan [13] ($1,600); 13. Jac Haudenshild [15] ($1,500); 14. Mark Kinser [6] ($1,200); 15. P.J. Chesson [14] ($1,100); 16. Johnny Herrera [20] ($1,000); 17. Justin Henderson [22] ($920); 18. Brooke Tatnell [17] ($820); 19. Jason Sides [25] ($800); 20. Danny Wood [16] ($800); 21. Craig Keel [18] ($800); 22. Brian Carlson [26] ($800); 23. Shane Stewart [12] ($800); 24. Jeremy Campbell [24] ($820); 25. Brian Paulus [19] ($820); 26. Wayne Johnson [23] ($820).

Provisional starters: Jason Sides, Brian Carlson

Lap leaders: Tim Shaffer 1-6; Danny Lasoski 7-31, 38-40; Brad Furr 32-37

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