At A Glance: Sides on the Move with Gerkin

At A Glance: Jason Sides on the Move with Scott Gerkin

The Bartlett, Tenn.-native is knocking on the door of a win as the series moves to Keller Auto Speedway and Perris Auto Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. – April 15, 2015 – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series wraps up its spring California swing this weekend at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. and Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway. One driver who is experiencing a renaissance as the season gets into full swing is Jason Sides.

The Bartlett, Tenn.-native moved into 2015 after a disappointing run the previous season. Sides, a 13-time series winner, finished 2014 with no wins and only three top-five finishes.

So far this year, he has five top-five finishes and has found himself on the podium in the last three straight races, including a season-best second place finish last weekend at Calistoga.

“Right now it’s started off pretty good,” Sides said of 2015 after good runs in Florida at DIRTcar Nationals and success toward the latter end of the California swing.

One important addition for Sides and his team this season is Scott Gerkin.

Gerkin, the longtime and prolific crew chief for Steve Kinser, is a master engine tuner and innovator in the sport. The series veteran is also known for his work teaching many others around the garage. He was honored in the off-season with the Ted Johnson Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sprint Car Racing.

“We’ve been friends for a longtime and having him over here has helped us tremendously just not having to do so much with just myself and (crew member/brother Paul Sides),” Sides said. “He’s brought a lot of knowledge and it’s been good to just be able to bounce stuff off of him and back and forth. It makes for a fun night.”

Sides is on the hunt for his first win this season. His last win came toward the end of the 2012 season at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo. As he looks to the rest of the season, Sides said consistency is the key for success.

“You really need to be consistent every night, in and out,” he said. “The biggest thing is getting out of California. We haven’t always run good here. We get back East a little bit and hopefully we can get things turned around and have a little more consistency as far as top-fives. If you’re in the top-five the wins will come and hopefully we can just be up there.”

Tickets for both World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series events at Keller Auto Speedway and Perris Auto Speedway are still available by visiting http://www.WorldofOutlaws.com/Tickets or by calling the ticket hotline at (877) 395-8606. A free fan pit pass is available for all advance ticket purchases to the Perris event.

ABOUT THE TRACKS
KELLER AUTO SPEEDWAY is asemi-banked, 3/8-mile oval. The track record of 12.293 seconds was established by Joey Saldana on Feb. 23, 2001.For more event information, visit http://woosprint.com/keller-auto-speedway.

Previous A-Feature Winners
2014 – Cody Darrah on April 11
2013 – Donny Schatz on April 12
2003 – Tim Kaeding on Feb. 21
2002 – Danny Lasoski on Feb. 22
2001 – Andy Hillenburg on Feb. 23, Stevie Smith on Aug. 28
2000 – Johnny Herrera on Feb. 25, Joey Saldana on Sept. 8
1999 – Danny Lasoski on Feb. 19, Steve Kinser on Sept. 10
1998 – Steve Kinser on Sept. 11
1997 – Sammy Swindell on Sept. 12
1996 – Sammy Swindell on Sept. 11
1995 – Danny Lasoski on Sept.6
1994 – Dave Blaney on Sept. 7
1993 – Stevie Smith on Sept. 1
1992 – Stevie Smith on March 4, Sammy Swindell on Sept. 2
1991 – Dave Blaney on Sept. 18
1990 – Steve Kinser on Feb. 28, Steve Kinser on Sept. 19
1989 – Joe Gaerte on March 8, Bobby Davis Jr. on Sept. 19
1988 – Doug Wolfgang on Feb. 24, Steve Kinser on Sept. 20
1987 – Bobby Davis Jr. on Feb. 25, Steve Kinser on Sept. 9
1986 – Brad Doty on Feb. 26, Steve Kinser on Sept. 27
1985 – Jeff Swindell on Sept. 25

PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY is asemi-banked, half-mile oval. The track record of 13.875 seconds was established by Danny Lasoski on Feb. 23, 2002. For more event information and to purchase tickets, visit http://dirtcar.ticketforce.com/ordertickets.asp?p=558&backurl=default.asp .

Previous A-Feature Winners
2014 – Joey Saldana on April 12
2013 – Daryn Pittman on April 13
2012 – Joey Saldana on March 10
2007 – Kerry Madsen on Oct. 20
2004 – Jason Meyers on Feb. 28
2003 – Danny Lasoski on Feb. 23
2002 – Daryn Pittman on Feb. 23
2000 – Danny Lasoski on Feb. 26
1999 – Johnny Herrera on Feb. 20, Craig Dollansky on Oct. 30
1998 – Mark Kinser on Oct. 31, Mark Kinser on Oct. 31
1997 – Mark Kinser on Feb. 15, Mark Kinser on Oct. 26
1996 – Mark Kinser on Nov. 1

DRIVER INFO
The following World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series drivers maintain websites:
Jacob Allen – Shark1s1a.com
Craig Dollansky – DollanskyRacing.com
David Gravel – DavidGravel89g.com
Jason Johnson – JasonJohnsonRacing.com
Kraig Kinser – KraigKinser.com
Kerry Madsen – KenericRacing.com
Paul McMahan – PaulMcMahanRacing.com
Daryn Pittman – DarynPittman.com
Joey Saldana – JoeySaldanaRacing.com
Donny Schatz – DonnySchatz.com
Logan Schuchart – Shark1s1a.com
Jason Sides – SidesMotorsports.com
Shane Stewart – ShaneStewart.com
Brad Sweet – Bradsweetracing.com
For more driver information, visit: WoOsprint.com

SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz – 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Stockton Dirt Track on March 21, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 28, Placerville Speedway on April 8, Calistoga Speedway on April 12); Rico Abreu – 2 (Stockton Dirt Track on March 22, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14); Daryn Pittman – 2 (Antioch Speedway on March 29, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13); Brad Sweet – 2 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, Calistoga Speedway on April 11); Brian Brown – 1 (USA Raceway on March 7); Tim Kaeding – 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 13); Terry McCarl – 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5); Shane Stewart – 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5)

LISTEN LIVE: Listen live for FREE to the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at Hanford Speedway and Keller Auto Speedway on http://www.DIRTVision.com.

LIVE ONLINE UPDATES: Check out the Official World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series website at WoOsprint.com for live, interactive text updates of each race. It also includes driver biographies with statistics and pictures, race-by-race stats, detailed track information and race coverage, series news and team press releases.

GET SOCIAL: Follow the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, follow on Instagram at @WoOSprint or check out the latest videos on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to the birthplace of the series, Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 24 and 25 for the Texas Outlaw Nationals. Donny Schatz and Daryn Pittman split wins at the track last season.

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championship Standings

2015 STAT ATTACK
There have been 15 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series features this season.
Winners (8 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown – Wins

1. – DONNY SCHATZ, Fargo, N.D. – 5

2. – RICO ABREU, St. Helena, Calif. – 2

– DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. – 2

– BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. – 2

5. – BRIAN BROWN, Grain Valley, Mo. – 1

– TIM KAEDING, San Jose, Calif. – 1

– TERRY MCCARL, Altoona, Iowa – 1

– SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. – 1

Total Laps Led (15 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown – Laps

1. – DONNY SCHATZ, Fargo, N.D. – 92

2. – TERRY MCCARL, Altoona, Iowa – 57

3. – RICO ABREU, St. Helena, Calif. – 50

4. – JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. – 48

5. – SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. – 46

6. – DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. – 31

7. – BRIAN BROWN, Grass Valley, Mo. – 30

8. – KYLE HIRST, Elk Grove, Calif. – 27

9. – BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. – 22

10. – PAUL MCMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. – 21

11. – CRAIG DOLLANSKY, Elk River, Minn. – 12

12. – KERRY MADSEN, St Marys, New South Wales, Australia – 10

13. – GREG HODNETT, Thomasville, Pa. – 5

– TIM KAEDING, San Jose, Calif. – 5

15. – JASON JOHNSON, Eunice, La. – 3

Pole Positions (10 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown – Poles

1. – PAUL MCMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. – 3

2. – JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. – 2

– DONNY SCHATZ, Fargo, N.D. – 2

– BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. – 2

5. – BRIAN BROWN, Grass Valley, Mo. – 1

– GREG HODNETT, Thomasville, Pa. – 1

– STEVE KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. – 1

– TERRY MCCARL, Altoona, Iowa – 1

– DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. – 1

– JASON SIDES, Barlett, Tenn. – 1

Hard Charger Award (15 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown – H.C. Awards

1. – DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. – 1

– GREG HODNETT, Thomasville, Pa. – 1

– JASON JOHNSON, Eunice, La. – 1

– KRAIG KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. – 1

– BUD KAEDING, Campbell, Calif. – 1

– TIM KAEDING, San Jose, Calif. – 1

– CHAD KEMENAH, Findlay, Ohio – 1

– KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia – 1

– DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. – 1

– DOMINIC SCELZI, Fresno, Calif. – 1

– JASON SIDES, Barlett, Tenn. – 1

– JASON STATLER, Grass Valley, Calif. – 1

– LOGAN SCHUCHART, Dover, Pa. – 1

– BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. – 1

– KEVIN SWINDELL, Germantown, Tenn. – 1

Time Trial leaders (10 Different Drivers)
* (1) championship driver point will be awarded to the Time Trial leader

Rank Driver, Hometown – Quick Times

1. – KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia – 4

2. – JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. – 2

– BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. – 2

4. – RICO ABREU, St. Helena, Calif. – 1

– JONATHAN ALLARD, Chico, Calif. – 1

– DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. – 1

– PAUL MCMAHAN, Nashville, Tenn. – 1

– DANNY LASOSKI, Dover, Mo. – 1

– DONNY SCHATZ, Fargo, N.D. – 1

– SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. – 1

Heat Race Winners (27 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown – Win

1. – CRAIG DOLLANSKY, Elk River, Minn. – 6

2. – TERRY MCCARL, Altoona, Iowa – 5

3. – DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. – 4

– DONNY SCHATZ, Fargo, N.D. – 4

5. – RICO ABREU, Rutherford, Calif. – 3

– JASON JOHNSON, Eunice, La. – 3

– KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia – 3

– D.J. NETTO, Hanford, Calif. – 3

– DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. – 3

10. – BUD KAEDING, Campbell, Calif. – 2

– DANNY LASOSKI, Dover, Mo. – 2

– PAUL MCMAHAN, Nashville, Tenn. – 2

– JASON SIDES, Bartlett, Tenn. – 2

– SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. – 2

– BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. – 2

16. – BRIAN BROWN, Grain Valley, Mo. – 1

– GREG HODNETT, Thomasville, Pa. – 1

– CHASE JOHNSON, Penngrove, Calif. – 1

– TIM KAEDING, San Jose, Calif. – 1

– KRAIG KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. – 1

– STEVE KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. – 1

– JASON MEYERS, Clovis, Calif. – 1

– JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. – 1

– DONNY SCHATZ, Fargo, N.D. – 1

– TIM SHAFFER, Aliquippa, Pa. – 1

– AUSTEN WHEATLEY, Lake Stevens, Wash. – 1

– LUCAS WOLFE, Mechanicsburg, Pa. – 1

Last Chance Showdown Winners (11 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown – Wins

1. – SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. – 3

2. – LOGAN SCHUCHART, Hanover, Pa. – 2

– CODY DARRAH, Red Lion, Pa. – 2

4. – BRYAN CLAUSON, Noblesville, Ind. – 1

– WILLIE CROFT, Roseville, Calif. – 1

– SHANE GOLOBIC, Fremont, Calif. – 1

– KYLE HIRST, Elk Grove, Calif. – 1

– KRAIG KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. – 1

– CARSON MACEDO, Fresno, Calif. – 1

– PAUL MCMAHAN, Nashville, Tenn. – 1

– DUSTY ZOMER, Brandon, S.D. – 1

Dash Draw Selection (15 Dashes)

Number – Times Picked

0 – 2

4 – 5

6 – 7

8 – 1

Feature Winnings (Platinum Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown – Winnings

1. – DONNY SCHATZ, Fargo, N.D. – $69,000

2. – SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. – $50,350

3. – BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. – $45,250

4. – DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. – $40,400

5. – PAUL McMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. – $34,700

6. – JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. – $32,350

7. – KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia – $31,075

8. – JASON SIDES, Bartlett, Tenn. – $26,100

9. – DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. – $23,775

10.– JASON JOHNSON, Eunice, La. – $16,350

11.- CRAIG DOLLANSKY, Elk River, Minn. – $14,550

12.– LOGAN SCHUCHART, Hanover, Pa. – $13,675

13.– KRAIG KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. – $13,550

16.– JACOB ALLEN, Hanover, Pa. – $6,075

2015 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Schedule & Winners

No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Number of Wins in 2014)

1. Friday, Feb. 13 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, Fla. / Daryn Pittman (1)
2. Saturday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, Fla. / Donny Schatz (1)
3. Sunday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, Fla. / Brad Sweet (1)
4. Wednesday, March 3 / The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway / Las Vegas, Nev. / Shane Stewart (1)
5. Thursday, March 4 / The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway / Las Vegas, Nev. / Terry McCarl (1)
6. Saturday, March 7 / USA Raceway / Tucson, Ariz. / Brian Brown (1)
7. Friday, March 13 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, Calif. / Tim Kaeding (1)
8. Saturday, March 14 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, Calif. / Rico Abreu (1)
9. Saturday, March 21 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, Calif. / Donny Schatz (2)
10. Sunday, March 22 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, Calif. / Rico Abreu (2)
11. Saturday, March 28 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, Calif. / Donny Schatz (3)
12. Sunday, March 29 / Antioch Speedway / Antioch, Calif. / Daryn Pittman (2)
13. Wednesday, April 8 / Placerville Speedway / Placerville, Calif. / Donny Schatz (4)
14. Saturday, April 11 / Calistoga Speedway / Calistoga, Calif. / Brad Sweet (2)
15. Sunday, April 12 / Calistoga Speedway / Calistoga, Calif. / Donny Schatz (5)

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Lincoln Welders (Official Welder), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Bruce High Performance Transporters, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, Mobil 1, MSD, Sweet Manufacturing, and Superflow Dynos; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: ButlerBuilt, Intercomp, J&J Auto Racing, Jake’s Carts, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo and TNT Rescue.