JULY 2007 NEWS
“The Modern Day Cowboy” and “The Rocket” Enter Ultimate Challenge!
(Bill W) July 20, 2007 – The Searsboro Ultimate Challenge has received a record number of pre-entries, and the talent that will be assembled is unlike any other non-wing race on the calendar! This outstanding mixture of veterans and teenagers will take their crack at the $30,000 first place prize on Tuesday, August 7, at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The race will kick off the Midwest Sprint Bandit Tour’n Topless Series. As well as the tremendous payoff on the line, a number of contingency sponsors have stepped up! Giveaways will include near rear-ends for the heat winners and awards from KSE Power Steering Pumps, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Fuel Lines and several others! Talented young drivers that are entered include “The Modern Day Cowboy” Daron Clayton, of Sikeston, Missouri. Daron is known for flying up on the cushion and “beyond”! He recently won during Indiana Sprintweek in Gas City. Fellow “Show Me State” driver Jesse “The Rocket” Hockett will be back to thrill the fans as well. For the first time, Hockett is focusing on the USAC sprint car schedule this season, but has still found time to run with a wing both in 360 and 410 competition. In 2004, he came close to the top step of the podium at Osky. Defending race champion, Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Arizona will be back to defend his crown in the legendary Hoffman #69 sprinter. Last year he charged from the fifth row to pass “The Wild Child” Jac Haudenschild and Bryan Clauson on his way to victory! Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois heads the USAC contingent expected in Oskaloosa. Jones is the current USAC point leader, and will be joined by Tony Stewart Racing teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Stenhouse recently won the Knoxville Midget Nationals and at the age of 19 has won in all three USAC disciplines (Sprint Car, Midget, Silver Crown) this season. Kasey Kahne Racing teammates Kevin Swindell and Brady Bacon are also expected. Swindell put his name in the record books as the youngest driver to ever win with the World of Outlaws, while Bacon, just 17 years old, has added sprint cars to his repertoire after much success with the midgets. Their boss has indicated that even he may take a shot at the big check if “things go well” in the previous night’s Front Row Challenge. Fellow Nextel Cup driver J.J. Yeley has also expressed an interest in a return to Oskaloosa to compete. Perennial favorites and legends of sprint car racing, Dave Darland of Indiana and Cory “Kruser” Kruseman of California have also thrown their hat in the ring. Kruseman joins Jones as the only two drivers to compete in every Ultimate Challenge feature event. Even World of Outlaws regular, Brooke Tatnell, will take to the track for the very first time without a “lid”! Brady Short, who is driving for two-time car owner winner, Scott Benic, Brad Sweet and Charles Davis Jr. are just a few of many more entered, who will be rolling three-wide through the turns in Osky! The popular “Sprint Bandit” format will be used again in this year’s UC! Instead of qualifying, heats and qualifiers will be run. After passing points are determined through the heats, a set of qualifiers will be run, inverting the top six in points in each from the heats. The high point-getters from the heats and qualifiers combined will start the main event, while the rest will go to the B. Order your tickets for the Searsboro Telephone Ultimate Challenge today! Call McTwo Promotions Tuesday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 515 957-0020 to order! Infield Party Passes are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the race! For more information on the Ultimate Challenge, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com. Ultimate Challenge History (2002-2006) A look at the winners Year – Driver, Number, Owner 2002 – Travis Rilat, 1a, Chris Archer 2003 – Boston Reid, 2B, Scott Benic 2004 – Dickie Gaines, 70, Dickie Gaines 2005 – Levi Jones, 2B, Scott Benic 2006 - Jerry Coons Jr., 69, Hoffman Racing A main starts 5 - Levi Jones 5 - Cory Kruseman 4 - Damion Gardner 4 - Jay Drake 4 - Jac Haudenschild 4 - Matt Westfall 4 - Charles Davis Jr. 3 - Zach Chappell 3 - Bill Rose 3 - JJ Yeley 3 - Dickie Gaines 3 - Justin Marvel 3 - Jesse Hockett 3 - Jon Stanbrough 3 - Bud Kaeding 3 - Terry Pletch Top 10 Finishes 5 - Cory Kruseman 4 - Jac Haudenschild 3 - Matt Westfall 3 - Damion Gardner 3 - Levi Jones 3 - Jon Stanbrough 3 - Jay Drake 2 - Zach Chappell 2 - Boston Reid 2 - JJ Yeley 2 - Dickie Gaines Top 5 Finishes 3 - Damion Gardner 3 - Jac Haudenschild 2 - Boston Reid 2 - JJ Yeley 1 - Johnny Herrera 1 - Levi Jones 1 - Cory Kruseman 1 - Zach Chappell 1 - Dave Darland 1 - Dickie Gaines 1 - Jesse Hockett 1 - Jon Stanbrough 1 - Matt Westfall 1 - Kasey Kahne 1 - Travis Rilat 1 - Darren Hagen 1 - Don Droud Jr. 1 - Bryan Clauson 1 - Jerry Coons Jr. Bill Wright Bill W Media Monroe, IA USA sprntcar@iowatelecom.net |
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Kasey Kahne to Run the Front Row Challenge!
(Bill W) July 19, 2007 – The 12th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge will again welcome Nextel Cup star Kasey Kahne to its competitive ranks!!! This “can’t miss” event will take place on Monday, August 6 at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Four chassis giveaways to the night’s heat winners will add another highlight to what already is one of the most popular nights of racing around! Kasey has competed in the past, and finished fourth in last year’s event. As always, the survivor of the King of the Hill Races will be given the option to start at the tail of the main event. If they can come through and are victorious, they will have a $50,000 check waiting for them! “The Wild Child” Jac Haudenschild did just that in 1999 and he, as well as many more of the best in the business are expected to attempt a duplication of that effort! America’s four most popular chassis manufacturers will also be a part of the event! The four heat race winners will receive a chassis from Eagle, J&J, JEI or Schnee! This unprecedented heat race prize has a retail value around $3,000! For Brian Schnee, the chassis that will be a part of the Front Row Challenge is special. It will be the 1000th ever produced by the South Dakota builder! In addition, to the chassis kits, other components will be handed out by Vortex Wings, All-Pro Heads, Weld Wheels, Hoosier and KSE Power Steering Pumps! Entertainment, as well as great racing is always a part of the "FRC". "The Mouse" Kenny Jacobs scored one for the state of Ohio, besting Danny Lasoski and Craig Dollansky in the 2006 event. The event is smack dab in the middle of Cox Design and Fabrication "Southern Iowa Sprintweek", so you know the field will include the best in the sprint car business again this year! The chassis giveaway and other prizes are just a few of the reasons to check out the $50,000 to win from the back Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge! Tickets still remain! Don’t miss it! Order your tickets for the Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge as soon as you can! Call McTwo Promotions Tuesday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST at 515 957-0020 to order! Infield Party Passes are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the race! For more information on the Front Row Challenge, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com, and click on the Kasey Kahne picture link on the lefthand side. Front Row Challenge History (1996-2006) A look at the winners Year – Driver, Number, Owner 1996 – Terry McCarl, 51, Brad Gray (Danny Young Memorial) 1997 - Rain 1998 – Tyler Walker, 35, Walker Airsep Racing 1999 – *Jac Haudenschild, 22, Jack Elden 2000 - Jeff Shepard, 4J, Double L Motorsports 2001 - Lance Dewease, 88, Joe Harz 2002 - Tyler Walker, 35, Ledford 2003 - Lance Dewease, 77, Al Hamilton 2004 - Jeff Shepard, 8, Barry Jackson 2005 - Danny Lasoski, 20, Tony Stewart 2006 - Kenny Jacobs, 8J, Barry Jackson * - Won $50,000 from the rear Takers of the Front Row Challenge Year - Name, Number (Amount - Finished) 1996 - Leonard Lee, 16L ($1,500 - 12th) 1998 - None 1999 - Jac Haudenschild, 22 ($50,000 - 1st!) 2000 - Danny Lasoski, 20 ($50,000 - 2nd) 2001 - Don Droud Jr., 1m ($50,000 - 6th) Danny Lasoski, 20 ($10,000 - 2nd) 2002 - Daryn Pittman, 21 ($15,000 - 3rd) 2003 - Kasey Kahne, 83JR ($50,000 - 10th) 2004 - Danny Lasoski, 20 ($50,000 - 4th) 2005 - Jeremy Campbell, 10c ($50,000 - 15th) 2006 - Daryn Pittman, 21 ($50,000 - 7th) Bill Wright Bill W Media Monroe, IA USA sprntcar@iowatelecom.net |
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| TMAC is 3rd at the King's Royal!!! Rossburg, OH—July 14, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director Donny Schatz had won nearly every big event in sprint car racing entering this season. He claimed his first Knoxville Nationals title last season, and also was a past winner of the Historical Big One, the Gold Cup Race of Champions, the National Open and the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup. The one trophy missing on his mantle was the crown that comes with winning the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway. Schatz wore the traditional crown and held the scepter on Saturday night as he stood victorious in the winner’s circle after dominating the 24th Annual Kings Royal by Crown Royal to earn the $50,000 top prize. “This is the Kings Royal,” said a triumphant Schatz, driver of the ParkerStore J&J. “You only get to come around here once a year, and this was one that we had never won. We’re just stoked about it. I think it will be a thing like the (Knoxville) Nationals, where it will begin to sink in a little tomorrow. As a race car driver, your job is to go out and win everything regardless of what it is. It sure feels good, especially for my team.” The 40-lap event began with Craig Dollansky charging from the third starting spot to take the lead on the high side of the track. Schatz, who started on the pole, battled back exiting the second turn as he looked low for the lead. Dollansky continued to run the high side of the track in the opening laps, with Schatz on the bottom. Schatz began to close on Dollansky on the fourth lap. Two laps later, the reigning World of Outlaws champion dove under Dollansky exiting the fourth turn to take the lead. On the seventh lap, Schatz entered lapped traffic and would weave his way through the slower machines until the yellow flag flew on the 22nd lap. Under the Kings Royal format, the lapped cars maintained their position on the track, thus putting six cars between Schatz and Dollansky on the ensuing restart. Schatz quickly pulled away with open track ahead of him and was again in traffic on the 29th lap. When the final checkered flag flew, Schatz had won by over seven seconds, in what was one of the most dominating performances in Kings Royal history, leading the final 35 laps of the event. “This was an awesome night,” acknowledged Schatz. “This team works so hard. Last night was a trying night and we played around. Tonight we went back to an old trusty set-up. It was rocking and rolling.” Schatz took full advantage of the Kings Royal format that kept the lapped cars in the running order, as used a strong restart on the only caution of the night to open another sizeable advantage. “We were glad to see the lapped cars stay in there,” he said. “The car was so good that we could go anywhere. I wasn’t concerned about lapped traffic too much. We have the crown and we have the trophy. We’re going to go and celebrate tonight.” Schatz had a six second lead when the only yellow flag of the race flew on the 22nd lap. He extended that lead even more during the second half of the race which ran in just over 14 and-a-half minutes, as he crossed the finish with a seven second gap between himself and Meyers. “I had no idea that I was that far ahead,” he said. “I just kept pushing and pushing. I knew if I could keep my tires caught up I would be ok. There were some fast cars we were lapping so I knew we were good. We’re glad to have been that good at the right time tonight and be able to get the Kings Royal victory.” Jason Meyers started seventh in the Kings Royal by Crown Royal and wound up second. On the opening lap, he got around Joey Saldana, Brandon Wimmer and Chad Kemenah as he began his march to the front. “We have a great race car right now,” said Meyers, driver of the Primerica Financial Maxim. “The team is doing a great job. I wish we could have started up there a little more. The format didn’t quite work out in our favor tonight, but I don’t know if we would have had anything for Donny (Schatz) anyway.” After shadowing rookie Kerry Madsen for a number of laps, Meyers took the fourth spot from the Australia on the 22nd lap. From there, he set his sights on Jason Solwold and after passing him he took the second spot from Craig Dollansky. “We moved around a lot looking for a better groove,” he said. “We started at the top and then moved to the middle and late in the race I couldn’t get around a lapped car so I moved to the bottom. It wasn’t quite rubber down there but it had gotten clean. All part of the race track worked. My hat is off to Tony Stewart and his crew here at Eldora Speedway. The track was probably the best I have seen it the last two nights in all of the years I have been coming here.” The runner-up finish was the 20th Top-Five of the season for the native of Clovis, California. With three A-Feature wins on the season and a currently holding the fourth spot in points, Meyers is excited for the second East Coast Swing of the season that awaits the World of Outlaws beginning on Tuesday. “We’re excited for a second-place finish in the Kings Royal,” he said. “What a great way to start the “Month of Money.” We’ll be heading to some tracks we have done really well at in the next couple weeks so we’ll see how it goes.” Terry McCarl finished in the Top-three for the second straight night at Eldora. He lined up 11th and wound up third. It was his 22nd Top-10 finish of the season. “We had a great car all weekend,” said McCarl, driver of the Big Game Treestands Eagle. “I screwed up a little bit yesterday and showed my hand too early. Tonight we started a little too far back. You can’t have Donny Schatz up front with one yellow and have a shot at it.” McCarl gained three spots in the opening five laps of the event. On the 10th lap he got around Joey Saldana to move into sixth. He inherited the fifth spot on the lap 22 caution, and then passed Jason Solwold on the 37th lap to secure a podium finish. “Usually you think after a race of the things you would go back and change on the car and this weekend I cannot think of anything that I would change,” he noted. “We’ve been very competitive and this is one of the best cars that I have ever had.” With the Kings Royal by Crown Royal being a 40-lap event. McCarl used plenty of patience as he worked his way to the front, despite only having one caution flag to bunch the field up. “There was some tire management tonight,” he said. “Sometimes it can be tricky wondering if it will lay rubber or not. It was a very racy track tonight. I was patient and tried very hard not to spin my tires and not to blister them up. Early on we were passing a lot of cars, but I was trying to take it easy on my tires.” Jason Solwold started on the outside of the front row and ran in the Top-Five the entire night, finishing fourth as he continues to close in on his first win of the season. “We were good early,” said Solwold, driver of the City Wide Insulation Maxim. “We were as good as we were going to be in the first 20 laps of the race. I started to see people run through the middle and didn’t know if there was rubber or not. It’s good that we finished fourth.” Joey Saldana who won the Kings Royal last season finished fifth in the Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI. Paul McMahan was sixth in the Bass Pro Shops Eagle, with early leader Craig Dollansky seventh in the Karavan Trailers Maxim. Jac Haudenschild, a three-time winner of the Kings Royal was eighth in the Wright One Construction Maxim. Chad Kemenah was ninth in the Kantor Oil Company XXX. Brian Paulus rounded out the Top-10 in the Arnold Transportation Maxim. The World of Outlaws continue the “SuperClean Summer of Money” on Tuesday, July 17 at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania with the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup that will pay $30,000 to win. |
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TMAC is 2nd at Knight Before the King's Royal!
Rossburg, OH—July 13, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director Steve Kinser holds a lot of records with the World of Outlaws. One of the most impressive is the number of wins that he has accumulated at the famed Eldora Speedway. The 20-time series champion in the winningest driver in the history of the track, with over 30 of those coming in World of Outlaws A-Feature events. His first win at the high-banked half-mile came in 1978, the series inaugural season and the most recent was in 2005. Kinser added to this record on Friday night, leading all 30 laps of the Knight Before the Kings Royal to take the checkered flag for the 33rd time in a World of Outlaws event at the track owned by two-time NASCAR champion and fellow Indiana native Tony Stewart. Kinser took the lead on the opening lap powering past pole sitter Kenny Jacobs in the first turn to earn his eighth A-Feature win of the season. On the first lap, Terry McCarl jumped into the second spot after starting fifth and looked to the high side of the track in turn two and again in turn four for the lead, with Donny Schatz just behind him. McCarl dove under Kinser on the fifth lap for the lead exiting the second turn, but the caution flag flew, negating the pass. On the ensuing restart, McCarl looked high coming off the second turn for the lead, but Kinser charged down the back straightaway and continued to hold the point. “Hopefully we can go back-to-back and win the Kings Royal tomorrow,” said Kinser, driver of the Q Oil Maxim. “We weren’t too bad tonight. You have to get started up front. That is what it’s all about right now. There are a lot of good race cars out here, so if you don’t get the right spot you are in trouble.” While McCarl wanted to be standing in the winner’s circle, he was pleased with his second-place run. After getting upside on Wednesday night at Limaland Motorsports Park, he was glad to turn his luck around and finish up front. After passing three cars at the drop of the green, he consistently turned lap times that were comparable with Kinser’s. “We had a great car tonight,” said McCarl, driver of the Big Game Treestands Eagle. “We timed in third and ran strong in the heat. My guys gave me a great car. We junked the car the other night and you hate to do that. My guys put a brand new Eagle (Chassis) together and it ran great.” Donny Schatz finished third on Friday in the Knight Before the Kings Royal. He lost a spot on the opening lap, but on the second lap got around Kenny Jacobs to move into third, where he would patiently follow McCarl and Kinser, looking for any opening to slip around the pair. “We found a few things with our race car that we are happy with,” said Schatz, driver of the ParkerStore J&J. “We know how far we need to go for tomorrow night. We are actually happy right now going into tomorrow night. We’ll give it our best shot tomorrow night.” Kinser masterfully worked his way through traffic for most of the race. He got bottled up a couple of times which allowed McCarl to close in. On the 18th lap Kinser had to get on the brakes just a little, slowing his momentum and putting McCarl right on his bumper. Once he cleared a couple of cars, he began to pull away again, as McCarl then got bottled up. “You never know if traffic will help you or hurt,” said the winner. “It worked out for us today. We have a pretty good car for tomorrow night. The main thing is to get out front and get a good starting spot.” Most of the drivers used the traditional high line around the track at one point or another during the 30-lap event, after the majority of the drivers ran the low side of the track in the World of Outlaws first visit of the season to the track in April and a number of them still ran the low groove last month when the series visited. Kinser predominately ran high on Friday night, though in traffic a couple times he went to the bottom to get around the slower cars. “This is the way it has always been here and the way that it’s supposed to be,” said Kinser. McCarl stayed with Kinser for most of the race and in the late going had a couple of lapped cars racing him very hard, as he tried to clear them to get one more shot at the leader. “That was a great Eldora,” said McCarl, a native of Altoona, Iowa. “A couple of lapped cars got a run on me in turns three and four and I thought it was laying rubber. I kept going down there and looking for it and it didn’t lay rubber, it just cleaned off. That to me was the old Eldora. We were banging the fence all around and there were slidejobs all over the place.” McCarl is confident to return to the track for the Kings Royal by Crown Royal on Saturday night. After winning earlier this season in World of Outlaws action at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, his next goal is to win an event at Eldora. “I think we learned a lot last year here,” he noted. “I think we have a good shot tomorrow night. If we can qualify well and start up front, I think we have a good shot of wearing that crown at the end of the night.” Schatz, the reigning World of Outlaws champion earned his 39th Top-10 finish of the season on Friday night. He had a very consistent night, which started with him turning the seventh quickest lap in time trials. He followed that up with a second-place finish in his heat race and a third in the Crane Cams Dash. “We hit lapped traffic right,” said Schatz. “We kept racing and that is what you want to see. We just wanted to be a little better. We were a little bit gun shy. We haven’t been on a race track like this at Eldora for a couple of years. We’re glad to get home third and learn a lot.” The Kings Royal by Crown Royal on Saturday will be 40 demanding laps on the high-banked half-mile. Schatz is excited for this added challenge as he looks to become the sixth driver in the history of the event to win the $50,000 after finishing second the year before. “It’s great to have the 10 extra laps,” he stated. “That is what the racing is all about. It’s like adding another race. You don’t win on lap 30, you have to get to lap 40 to win the Kings Royal and the 50-grand. That’s better for us. We are pumped for that.” Jason Solwold finished fourth on Friday night after starting 10th in the City Wide Insulation Maxim. He gained three spots on the opening lap before falling back to eighth on the sixth lap. He got around Dale Blaney on the 10th lap, before passing polesitter Kenny Jacobs and then Joey Saldana. With two laps remaining he slipped past Jason Meyers to take fourth. Meyers was fifth in the Primerica Financial Maxim. After lining up ninth for the 30-lap event, he quickly gained three spots in the first two laps. He moved into the Top-Five on the sixth lap getting around Dale Blaney. Joey Saldana was sixth in the Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI, with Danny Lasoski seventh in the Roth Motorsports JEI. Dale Blaney was eighth in the Hoosier Tires Maxim, with Kerry Madsen ninth in the Selma Shell Maxim. Daryn Pittman started 25th and finished 10th to earn the KSE Race Products Hard Charger Award. The World of Outlaws return to action on Saturday night with the 24th Annual Kings Royal by Crown Royal at Eldora Speedway, which will be the fifth event of the “SuperClean Summer of Money” on ESPN2. KNIGHT BEFORE THE KINGS ROYAL NOTEBOOK • FAST QUALIFIER: Kenny Jacobs paced the 49 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked half-mile oval in 14.007 seconds at 128.507 seconds. For his qualifying effort, Jacobs earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Jason Meyers (4), Terry McCarl (3), Steve Kinser (2) and Jason Solwold (1). • QUALIFYING WINNERS: Joey Saldana, Tim Shaffer, Donny Schatz and Brock Mayes won heat races… Lucas Wolfe won the C-Main… Shane Stewart won the B-Main… Kenny Jacobs won the Crane Cams dash. • FEATURE WINNERS: There have been 43 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, March 31 at Dixie Speedway, April 20 at Attica Raceway Park, June 5 at Kokomo Speedway, June 9 at Eagle Raceway, June 29 at River Cities Speedway and July 7 at I-55 Raceway), Donny Schatz (February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park, March 3 at Manzanita Speedway, March 16 at Houston Raceway Park, April 28 at Knoxville Raceway, May 17 at Williams Grove Speedway, May 18 at Williams Grove Speedway, May 25 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, June 25 at Black Hills Speedway and July 3 at Huset’s Speedway), , Steve Kinser (March 2 at USA Race Park, April 21 at Tri-State Speedway, May 15 at Lernerville Speedway, May 20 at New Egypt Speedway, May 28 at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, June 1 at Sharon Speedway, June 20 at Missouri State Fair Speedway and July 13 at Eldora Speedway), Danny Lasoski (April 6 at Paducah International Raceway, May 23 at Grandview Speedway and June 14 at Tri-City Speedway), Jason Meyers (April 13 at Eldora Speedway, May 11 at U.S. 36 Raceway and June 22 at Dodge City Raceway Park), Daryn Pittman (February 11 at Volusia Speedway Park, May 5 at Riverside International Speedway and June 23 at Dodge City Raceway Park), Jac Haudenschild (June 30 at Red River Valley Speedway and July 11 at Limaland Motorsports Park), Paul McMahan (June 2 at Eldora Speedway and July 1 at Cedar Lake Speedway), Craig Dollansky (May 12 at Lake Ozark Speedway), Tim Kaeding (February 24 at Thunderbowl Raceway), Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park) and Terry McCarl (June 16 at Knoxville Raceway). • HALF-MILE WINNERS: Eldora Speedway is a high-banked half-mile oval. The World of Outlaws have raced 13 times this season on a track that size. The winners include: Donny Schatz (February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park, March 3 at Manzanita Speedway, April 28 at Knoxville Raceway, May 17 at Williams Grove Speedway and May 18 at Williams Grove Speedway), Steve Kinser (May 20 at New Egypt Speedway, June 20 at Missouri State Fair Speedway and July 13 at Eldora Speedway), Jac Haudenschild (June 30 at Red River Valley Speedway), Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park), Terry McCarl (June 16 at Knoxville Raceway), Paul McMahan (June 2 at Eldora Speedway), Jason Meyers (April 13 at Eldora Speedway) and Daryn Pittman (February 11 at Volusia Speedway Park). •ON TELEVISION: The World of Outlaws “SuperClean Summer of Money” on ESPN2 continues on Sunday, July 15 with the Kings Royal from Eldora Speedway. The event will air on ESPN2 on Sunday, July 15 at Noon Eastern, 11:00 a.m. Central. The World of Outlaws will be televised 20 times this season on ESPN2 and SPEED while the 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 through the DIRTVision.com Cybercast and on 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. |
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| TMAC is Third at Huset's Brandon, SD—July 3, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director Huset’s Speedway may be 249 miles from Fargo, North Dakota, where he lives, but Donny Schatz considers the high-banked 3/8-mile to be a home track. He raced at the track many times when he was cutting his teeth and climbing the sprint car racing ladder. Schatz won with the World of Outlaws at the track in 2001. On Tuesday night, he returned to the winner’s circle at the track just outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, earning his ninth A-Feature win of the season. The win left him undefeated for the season in the state of South Dakota, having won last Monday at Black Hills Speedway. “Huset’s is one of the places that I grew up racing at,” said Schatz, driver of the Snap-on Tools J&J. “It has been near and dear to my heart for a long time. I feel liked it has robbed me a few times, so tonight was a great night to get back to victory lane. These guys worked hard for it tonight. We are definitely looking forward to Saturday.” The race began with a false start that moved Terry McCarl to the outside of the front row beside Schatz. A second start was negated by an accident. On the third state, Schatz led into turn one on the low side of the track, with McCarl running high and taking the lead entering the third turn on the opening circuit and officially being scored the leader. The six-time Huset’s Speedway champion would lead the first six laps, before Schatz would catch him in heavy lapped traffic. On the seventh lap, Schatz dove low in turn three to take the lead, which he would not relinquish. During the first 10 laps of the race, McCarl closed on Schatz and looked under him a couple of times, but could not make a pass. Craig Dollansky took the second spot from McCarl on the 13th lap and made several runs at Schatz, including on the 18th lap when the pair ran side-by-side down the back straightaway. A late caution and then a red flag gave Dollansky a couple of chances to get a run on Schatz. He did so on the high side of the track numerous times during the last five laps of the event, but each time Schatz fended him off and retained the lead. For Schatz, it was his third win in eight starts in a specially painted red and black Snap-on Tools car. The car will now be put on the shelf until October at Princeton Speedway in Minnesota. Schatz won in the car’s debut at Knoxville on April 28, as well as at Black Hills Speedway. After contact at Eagle Raceway on June 9, Schatz noted that the car never felt the same. “I honestly think that is all for that car,” said the winner. “We are going to build us a new one tomorrow at the shop. It has been to victory lane a few times, but tonight being up front definitely helped.” While he was disappointed that he did not win, Dollansky knew his team gave it all they had and was extremely proud of them. He continues to mesh with new crew chief Mike Woodring and has made several changes to the team’s program over the last few weeks. “We felt like we had a pretty good line working out there,” said Dollansky, driver of the Karavan Trailers Maxim. “The (No.) 15 car has been strong all year. Our team has been working to get a few things sorted out with our cars and our motors. It’s a good run for us, though we don’t like coming home second. We had a shot at the win a couple of times. If he would have bobbled we definitely had a run on him on that one restart.” Terry McCarl who is the winningest driver in Huset’s Speedway history finished third on Tuesday night at the track. After leading the first six laps of the event, he patiently followed Schatz doing everything he could to make a couple more runs on the current championship point leader. “We had a good car out in the open, but when we hit traffic I was tight,” said McCarl, driver of the Big Game Treestands Eagle. “Usually when we race here it gets a lot slicker than what it did. They did a great job of giving us a great race track. The track kind of tricked me a little bit. I thought it would blow off a little bit more than it did and it ledged up. No excuses though, the car was great.” An open red flag with four laps to go gave all the teams a chance to adjust upon their machines for the final sprint to the finish. As is the case most time when there is an open red flag, Schatz and his team did not make any changes, just a couple of tiny adjustments. “I don’t like to change my driving style,” explained Schatz. “I know what I have to do, and I keep my head on straight and hit my marks. We never really changed anything. We checked the air pressure on the tires and made sure nothing was going to fall off the car and went.” Schatz ran a majority of the race in the middle of the track and a fair portion of it on the bottom, but also utilized the top when he needed to. Being in traffic for a large part of the race, he maneuvered his car through multiple lines. “We were glad the track got somewhat slick,” he noted. “There were guys all over, and we were able to run all over as well.” With his runner-up finish, Dollansky earned his 26th Top-10 finish of the season. He drew even with Schatz on the back straightaway a couple of times in the late going, showing the power under the hood from his Fisher engine. “We are getting to where we need to be,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do, but we are gaining on it.” Dollansky always enjoys racing at Huset’s, especially when the grandstand is packed like on Tuesday night. He noted that the track surface was prepared impeccably and led to great racing throughout the field, despite it being a very hot and humid day on Tuesday. “This track is one of the most fun we go to in all of the country,” said the runner-up. “You could run the top here tonight and you could run the bottom. I don’t know what else you could ask for. Hopefully it was a good show for the fans and its always enjoyable coming here.” McCarl and his team made a number of changes during the red flag with four laps to go, but with clean race track facing the leaders, he knew it would be tough to catch Schatz, let alone pass him. “The only chance I had at Donny was in traffic,” said McCarl. “You don’t want to see any reds, but it would have helped us if that was earlier. We had a chance to dial the car in at the end and were better at the end.” After winning at Huset’s a few weeks back in weekly competition, McCarl was confident heading into action on Tuesday night. He has six Top-10 finishes in the last eight World of Outlaws events, a streak that started with his win at Knoxville Raceway on June 16. “It always feels good to come back to these tracks that we know,” smiled McCarl. “To roll out of here with a Top-Three is a good accomplishment.” Kerry Madsen earned his second straight Top-Five finish and his third in the last four events, as he came home fourth in the Selma Shell Maxim after starting ninth. Jac Haudenschild finished fifth in the Wright One Construction Maxim, with Jason Meyers sixth in the Primerica Financial Maxim. Daryn Pittman seventh in the Titan Garages Maxim, Justin Henderson eighth in the Jolt Energy Gum Rocket, Joey Saldana was ninth in the Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI and Jason Solwold was 10th in the City Wide Insulation Maxim. The World of Outlaws return to action on Saturday, July 7 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri, with the fourth event of the “SuperClean Summer of Money” on ESPN2. HUSET’S SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK • ON THE MEND: Zach Chappell recently returned home to Talala, Oklahoma after sustaining an injury to his left knee on Sunday at Cedar Lake Speedway in a non-racing related accident. He visited a surgeon on Tuesday morning and had an MRI on Tuesday evening. • FAST QUALIFIER: Paul McMahan paced the 37 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked 3/8-mile oval in 10.675 seconds at 126.464 mph. For his qualifying effort, McMahan earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Terry McCarl (4), Dusty Zomer (3), Jason Meyers (2) and Joey Saldana (1). • QUALIFYING WINNERS: Kerry Madsen, Randy Hannagan, Jac Haudenschild and Craig Dollansky won heat races… Micah Schliemann won the C-Main… Dusty Zomer won the B-Main… Donny Schatz won the Crane Cams dash. • FEATURE WINNERS: There have been 40 World of Outlaws A-Feature events held in 2007. The win list includes: Donny Schatz (February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park, March 3 at Manzanita Speedway, March 16 at Houston Raceway Park, April 28 at Knoxville Raceway, May 17 at Williams Grove Speedway, May 18 at Williams Grove Speedway, May 25 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, June 25 at Black Hills Speedway and July 3 at Huset’s Speedway), Joey Saldana (February 23 at Thunderbowl Raceway, March 17 at Pike County Speedway, March 24 at Volunteer Speedway, March 31 at Dixie Speedway, April 20 at Attica Raceway Park, June 5 at Kokomo Speedway, June 9 at Eagle Raceway and June 29 at River Cities Speedway), Steve Kinser (March 2 at USA Race Park, April 21 at Tri-State Speedway, May 15 at Lernerville Speedway, May 20 at New Egypt Speedway, May 28 at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, June 1 at Sharon Speedway and June 20 at Missouri State Fair Speedway), Danny Lasoski (April 6 at Paducah International Raceway, May 23 at Grandview Speedway and June 14 at Tri-City Speedway), Jason Meyers (April 13 at Eldora Speedway, May 11 at U.S. 36 Raceway and June 22 at Dodge City Raceway Park), Daryn Pittman (February 11 at Volusia Speedway Park, May 5 at Riverside International Speedway and June 23 at Dodge City Raceway Park), Paul McMahan (June 2 at Eldora Speedway and July 1 at Cedar Lake Speedway), Craig Dollansky (May 12 at Lake Ozark Speedway), Jac Haudenschild (June 30 at Red River Valley Speedway), Tim Kaeding (February 24 at Thunderbowl Raceway), Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park) and Terry McCarl (June 16 at Knoxville Raceway). • 3/8-MILE WINNERS: Huset’s Speedway is a high-banked 3/8-mile oval. The World of Outlaws have raced 12 times on a track that size this season. The winners include: Jason Meyers (U.S. 36 Raceway and Dodge City Raceway Park), Steve Kinser (USA Race Park and Sharon Speedway), Danny Lasoski (Paducah International Raceway and Tri-City Speedway), Joey Saldana (Pike County Speedway and Dixie Speedway, Donny Schatz (Black Hills Speedway and Huset’s Speedway), Paul McMahan (Cedar Lake Speedway) and Daryn Pittman (Dodge City Raceway Park). •ON TELEVISION: The World of Outlaws “SuperClean Summer of Money” on ESPN2 continues on Sunday, July 8 with the event from I-55 Raceway on July 7. The event will air on ESPN2 on Sunday, July 8 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, 10:30 a.m. Central. The World of Outlaws will be televised 20 times this season on ESPN2 and SPEED while the 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 through the DIRTVision.com Cybercast and on 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 fourth event of the “SuperClean Summer of Money” on ESPN2 on Saturday, July 7 at I-55 Raceway in Missouri. • UPCOMING EVENTS: The Brad Doty Classic at Limaland Motorsports Park on Wednesday, July 11, followed by the Knight Before the Kings Royal on Friday, July 13 at Eldora Speedway and the Kings Royal on Saturday, July 14. |
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Driver, Fan, Promoter: McCarl Enjoys All Facets of Sprint Car Racing
Brandon, SD-July 3, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, WoO Sprint Series PR Director When he was a young boy, Terry McCarl used to read the racing papers from cover to cover, dissecting every single race report, story, photo and advertisement that was in them. One of the things that fascinated him the most was the payouts for sprint car races. At this time, he realized that one day he wanted to be a sprint car racing promoter and yearned to find ways to pay a fair purse to the driver and owners. That opportunity came about in the mid-1990's, when his friend Bob Berryhill was in town for the Knoxville Nationals and suggested that a race was needed early in the week leading up to when the festivities began at the famed half-mile. This led to McCarl teaming up with Bill McCroskey, to bring the fans the Front Row Challenge at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, beginning in 1996. The pair expanded to include the Ultimate Challenge, for non-wing sprint cars in 2001. Again this year they will promote the Front Row Challenge and the Ultimate Challenge on August 6-7 at Southern Iowa Speedway. "I just love sprint car racing," said McCarl, driver of the Big Game Tree Stands Eagle. "It is my passion and what I have been around for my whole life. I plan to be in it for the rest of my life. The day I can't race, hopefully I can turn into a promoter. That is what I think makes me a better promoter than some guys. To me it is not all about money. It is about the sport and helping it grow for the future. Certainly I would like to make a few bucks in the mean time." Just as when he is out on the track racing with the World of Outlaws, McCarl faces a number of variables when he prepares to promote the pair of events annually. First and foremost on this list is the weather and the one four-letter word that promoters never use, rain. Despite enduring showers last year on the day of the Ultimate Challenge, McCarl and his staff made the most of what Mother Nature dealt them and the show went on. "The most important thing to promoting a sprint car race or any outdoor event for that matter is the weather," he noted. "That's pretty scary. All year long you are praying for good weather. Last year we had rain in the morning and sprinkles all afternoon for the Ultimate Challenge. Everyone wanted me to cancel it. My wife wanted me to cancel it, but I wouldn't do it. I stuck it through and it ended up being a great race with a great race track." While the bulk of his time is spent operating his World of Outlaws team, and making sure they are ready to race nearly 90 times a year, McCarl puts in a significant amount of time preparing for the two events that he promotes, as does his wife Lori. "We start on this thing in January, and it's certainly not 40 hours a week, but it's always on our mind," he said. "We are always working on selling tickets and getting sponsors. It's not a full-time job for those eight months, but it certainly is a lot of work." McCarl who is always one of the last drivers to leave the pit area after a race is quick to point out how important it is to get the fans involved when they attend a race, especially the children. He remembers how impressionable he was as a child and is quick to point out that this helped develop his love for sprint car racing. "I have a passion for the sport and I want to see it grow," smiled McCarl. "We do a lot of things for the kids. If you can get them hooked like I was when I was a little boy, then they will stay hooked and be in love with sprint car racing forever." One of the things that McCarl often wondered when he was a boy reading the racing papers was how to better take care of the drivers and car owners at the pay window. One of the things that he does with the events that he promotes is that he will provide the heat race winners with an added incentive. Last season it was a rear end that each heat race winner received, and this year he is working on something different that will reward the drivers and teams and help cut down on the expenses they incur to race. "Being a racer I just try to take care of the drivers and the car owners, since I too am a car owner," he said. "You can only pay so much money, but I try to do other things to help them out, and hope they come back." While he still has a couple of weeks to prepare for those events off the track, McCarl's main focus is on the track and returning to Huset's Speedway on Tuesday, July 3 with the World of Outlaws for the series lone visit to the track this season. He won for the 77th time at the high-banked 3/8-mile on June 17, a day after he won his first World of Outlaws A-Feature of the season at Knoxville Raceway. The native of Altoona, Iowa is a six-time champion at the Huset's Speedway, and also holds the track record, which was set in time trials in 2002 and still stands. "I just love that track," said the always optimistic driver. "It's a great track for the fans and the drivers. It will make you a great driver. It's a tricky race track that changes through the night like every dirt track does. It's the perfect size track for sprint cars. You have to drive the top like an animal and the bottom with a lot of finesse like Bobby Allen. They always get great crowds there, because they put on great racing." Last season McCarl won for the first time with the World of Outlaws in the series second visit of the season to the track in July, after recovering from surgery on a severely broken left leg in May of 2006. He also finished second last season in the series first visit to the track that is located just outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where a number of his sponsors are based. "We about won the spring Outlaws show as well," he said. "It's special for me because of the records I hold there and the championships. The same with winning an Outlaws race at Knoxville. Those were a couple of my goals to win those shows and we have been able to do that. Hopefully we can get another one." McCarl enjoys racing at Huset's Speedway because of how enthused the fans are. He races at tracks from coast to coast with the World of Outlaws and is quick to point out how knowledgeable and passionate the fans are at Huset's. "The thing about Huset's is that the fans are so racy," he explained. "They are so into sprint car racing, and that is what makes going up there so special, whether it's for a weekly show or for the Outlaws show." On Tuesday, July 3 at Huset's Speedway, adult tickets will be $30, while tickets for children ages 14-under will be just $5. For ticket information call the track at (605) 582-3536 or the office at (605) 582-3819 or visit: http://www.husets-speedway.com. |
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| Tuesdays with TMAC – Rumbling Through the Upper Midwest! 7/3/2007 - Tuesdays with TMAC – Rumbling Through the Upper Midwest!
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