By Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director
Danny Lasoski felt like he let a win slip away last Friday in the World of Outlaws event at Williams Grove Speedway, when Donny Schatz got around him in traffic, and he was bound and determined to not let that happen again on Wednesday night at Grandview Speedway in Pennsylvania as the pair found themselves racing again for the win in traffic.
Last week, it was Lasoski leading early in the race with Schatz slipping by late for the win, and this time the tables were turned, with Schatz leading early and then Lasoski taking the lead late, before Schatz retook the top spot. In one of the most thrilling finishes of the season Lasoski took the lead on the final lap to pocket the $10,000 winner’s share of the purse.
Schatz led from the outset of the 35-lap after starting on the pole, and opened up a healthy advantage numerous times that was negated by a number of early caution flags. Lasoski charged around him on the 22nd lap, and would lead until lap 33, when Schatz dove to the inside of him exiting the fourth turn to take the lead as the white flag flew.
With the white flag in the air, the pair ran side-by-side down the front straightaway heading into the first turn, with Schatz just inching ahead. When they came off turn two, Lasoski charged ahead on the back straightaway and held the lead heading into turn three. Schatz made one last charge off the fourth turn and in a photo finish at the line, it was Lasoski winning by 0.036 seconds, marking the second straight race that has been decided by mere inches on the track and less than a tenth of a second on the electronic scoring.
“It was a great race for the fans,” said Lasoski, driver of the Roth Motorsports Eagle. “I am proud of all of my Roth Motorsports crew. They worked their tails off. The car worked absolutely anywhere I wanted to put it. I am just so proud of my crew. They have stuck with me and believed in me. It’s a pleasure to drive this thing.”
As Lasoski climbed from his car in Victory Lane, Schatz was one of the first people to congratulate him. While they raced inches apart for the last two laps of the race, they never touched and gave each other just enough racing room, as they kept the large crowd on their feet for the last five laps of the A-Feature.
“When you race a guy that is a class act like (Donny) Schatz, you can run side-by-side,” said Lasoski. “We never touched. In open track he was quicker than we were. I tried to stay with him a couple times on restarts and I could get beside. My only shot was in lapped traffic and he got held up and I got by him. We got back to lapped traffic and he got back by me and I got back by him on the last lap.”
The win was the second of the year for the 2001 World of Outlaws Champion. He won his first race of the season on April 6 at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky on a frigid night when he charged from the 15th starting spot for the win. The victory was his 16th Top-10 finish of the season as he moved up a spot to fourth in the championship standings.
“We are used to winning a little more than we have this year,” explained the native of Dover, Missouri “We have struggled a little bit and we keep working at it. Dennis (Roth) believes in us, and we are going to keep plugging away. Hopefully we’ll be able to run with that (No.) 9 and (No.) 15 car each night.”
While he was disappointed that he did not win, Schatz was glad that the fans got to see a great race. It was the second straight Top-two finish at Grandview for him, having won on the high-banked 1/3-mile last season. Early in the race, he had one of the fastest cars on the track, turning the quickest lap of the event on the second lap, nearly two miles per hour faster than anyone else on the track.
“I make mistakes in lapped traffic,” said Schatz, driver of the ParkerStore J&J. “I tried to go where they were not. He got by me and I got a good run on him and got back by him. He did the same thing all over again. That’s racing. We put on a good show for the fans, and got out of Pennsylvania with some good finishes.”
Schatz has been competing against Lasoski since he earned the 1997 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, and has a great deal of respect for the fellow series champion.
“It is very comforting knowing we can run side-by-side,” explained Schatz, the reigning series champion. “There are not too many guys that have that kind of car control, but he (Lasoski) is one of them. We made an agreement years ago that we would never turn left on each other. We abide by that, and its fun to finish like that. I took one from him the other night at the Grove and what goes around comes around.”
After two wins last week at Williams Grove Speedway, Schatz bolstered his championship point lead as the series heads south from the Keystone State. The native of Fargo, North Dakota leads the series with 16 Top-Five finishes and 21 Top-10 finishes in the first 24 events of the season.
“We try to push no matter where we are. Pennsylvania has always seemed like one of those places that when we get out here I run pretty well,” he said. “We’re excited about that, and we are glad that we are in winning form. We’ll just keep plugging away and keep trying to win another championship.”
Saldana earned the KSE Race Products Hard Charger Award after powering his way from the 20th starting spot to finish third. He drove a large portion of the race with a broken right rear shock, though that did not appear to slow him down, as he cut through the Top-10 in the final 10 laps of the race.
“You just take it,” said Saldana, driver of the Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI. “We have been struggling and we needed it. One bolt holding a shock on and we could be in victory lane. You just can’t have mistakes, and you try your best to eliminate them. Luckily we came out of here with a Top-Three.”
Saldana had to change lines a couple of times late in the race, as he could not get the car to handle very well on the top side of the track. After a number of cautions early in the race, the last 22 laps ran without a stoppage.
“The way the car was, I really needed a yellow,” he said. “I felt like my car was better than those guys. When you get running like that you have to be able to move from the top to the bottom, and I couldn’t run the top in (turns) one and two like they were. If we would have had a restart, I think it would have been a different story. Those two were so worried about each other that I don’t even think they knew I was in the picture.”
While he felt he had a faster car than the two leaders late in the race, Saldana did not want to jeopardize their battle, knowing he had a broken shock.
“Thankfully we have shock adjusters and I just tied my left rear down a lot and I moved my wing back,” explained the native of Brownsburg, Indiana. “Those two were racing hard for the win and you can’t put yourself in there knowing that you have a car that is not handling the way it should be. I could have easily taken all three of us. You just do the best that you can.”
After nearly winning on Sunday night at New Egypt Speedway, Jason Sides turned in another very solid run aboard the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim, finishing in the fourth spot. He turned in the second fastest lap in time trials, which earned him a spot in the Crane Cams Dash after he transferred from the second heat into the A-Feature.
Paul McMahan earned his fifth Top-Five finish of the season as he was fifth in the Bass Pro Shops Eagle. He began the night by turning the quickest lap in time trials, and in the Crane Cams Dash, he finished ninth. He steadily worked his way up front as the race wore on.
Fred Rahmer raced his way into the A-Feature after winning the B-Main. He finished sixth in the 35-lap contest aboard the C&S Lawn & Landscaping J&J. Greg Hodnett was seventh in the J&S Fabrication J&J, with Jason Solwold in eighth in the City Wide Insulation Maxim. Tim Shaffer was ninth in the Casey’s General Stores Maxim, with Jeremy Campbell rounding out the Top-10 in the RLM Financial Services Maxim.
The World of Outlaws return to action on Friday, May 25 in the Eckerd Outlaw Showdown at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK
• FAST QUALIFIER: Paul McMahan paced the 37 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked 1/3-mile oval in 11.831 seconds at 101.327 mph. For his qualifying effort, McMahan eared five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Jason Sides (4), Jason Solwold (3), Steve Kinser (2) and Daryn Pittman (1).
• QUALIFYING WINNERS: Daryn Pittman, Greg Hodnett, Jeremy Campbell and Zach Chappell won heat races… Fred Rahmer won the B-Main… Donny Schatz won the Crane Cams dash.
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• FEATURE WINNERS: There have been 24 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, and April 20 at Attica Raceway Park), 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 and May 18 at Williams Grove Speedway), Steve Kinser (March 2 at USA Race Park, April 21 at Tri-State Speedway, May 15 at Lernerville Speedway, and May 20 at New Egypt Speedway), Danny Lasoski (April 6 at Paducah International Raceway and May 23 at Grandview Speedway), Jason Meyers (April 13 at Eldora Speedway and May 11 at U.S. 36 Raceway), Daryn Pittman (February 11 at Volusia Speedway Park and May 5 at Riverside International Speedway), Craig Dollansky (May 12 at Lake Ozark Speedway), Tim Kaeding (February 24 at Thunderbowl Raceway) and Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park).
• 1/3-MILE WINNERS: Grandview Speedway is a high-banked 1/3-mile oval. The World of Outlaws have raced five times this season on a track that size. The winners include: Joey Saldana (Thunderbowl Raceway and Attica Raceway Park), Craig Dollansky (Lake Ozark Speedway), Tim Kaeding (Thunderbowl Raceway) and Danny Lasoski (Grandview Speedway).
•ON TELEVISION: The World of Outlaws event at Williams Grove Speedway from Friday, night was taped for broadcast on SPEED at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, June 3. This will be the second of 12 World of Outlaws races broadcast on SPEED this season.
The warriors from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series will make their second appearance of 2007 on SPEED on Sunday, May 27 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
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.
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.
• UPCOMING EVENTS: A Memorial Day event at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York on Monday, May 28. A trip to the Midwest follows, with an event at Sharon Speedway on June 1 followed by the second event of the season at Eldora Speedway on June 2.
World of Outlaws Statistical Report; Grandview Speedway; Bechtelsville, PA.; May 23, 2007
Qualifying
1) 20-Paul McMahan 11.831
2) 7S-Jason Sides 11.876
3) R19-Jason Solwold 11.910
4) 11-Steve Kinser 11.913
5) 21-Daryn Pittman 11.928
6) 83-Danny Lasoski 11.954
7) 14-Jason Meyers 11.957
8) 51-Fred Rahmer 12.007
9) D1-Justin Henderson 12.018
10) 87-Alan Krimes 12.020
11) 15-Donny Schatz 12.025
12) 8K-Zach Chappell 12.046
13) 7K-Keith Kauffman 12.059
14) 22-Greg Hodnett 12.063
15) 10C-Jeremy Campbell 12.079
16) 7-Craig Dollansky 12.087
17) 6-Tim Shaffer 12.120
18) 1X-Randy Hannagan 12.132
19) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 12.134
20) 9-Joey Saldana 12.135
21) 36-Jason Martin 12.136
22) 55-Mark Smith 12.140
23) 35-Jac Haudenschild 12.146
24) 25P-Billy Pauch 12.158
25) 3X-Chad Kemenah 12.174
26) 24-Terry McCarl 12.181
27) 11H-Kerry Madsen 12.189
28) 5C-Chad Hillier 12.210
29) 19-Stevie Smith 12.228
30) 25-Lance Dewease 12.230
31) 39-TJ Stutts 12.261
32) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr. 12.322
33) 71-Brian Leppo 12.354
34) 11D-Dion Hindi 12.434
35) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 12.447
36) 35A-Alan Cole 12.483
37) 93-Jonathan Eriksen 12.998
38) 20T-Ryan Taylor -.—
39) 2-Tim Kaeding -.—
Heat 1 (10 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 21-Daryn Pittman
2) D1-Justin Henderson
3) 20-Paul McMahan
4) 7K-Keith Kauffman
5) 6-Tim Shaffer
6) 19-Stevie Smith
7) 36-Jason Martin
8) 3X-Chad Kemenah
9) 93-Jonathan Eriksen
10) 71-Brian Leppo
Heat 2 (10 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 22-Greg Hodnett
2) 83-Danny Lasoski
3) 7S-Jason Sides
4) 87-Alan Krimes
5) 1X-Randy Hannagan
6) 24-Terry McCarl
7) 25-Lance Dewease
8) 55-Mark Smith
9) 11D-Dion Hindi
10) 20T-Ryan Taylor
Heat 3 (10 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 10C-Jeremy Campbell
2) 15-Donny Schatz
3) R19-Jason Solwold
4) 5W-Lucas Wolfe
5) 14-Jason Meyers
6) 11H-Kerry Madsen
7) 35-Jac Haudenschild
8) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
9) 39-TJ Stutts
10) 2-Tim Kaeding
Heat 4 (10 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 8K-Zach Chappell
2) 7-Craig Dollansky
3) 11-Steve Kinser
4) 9-Joey Saldana
5) 25P-Billy Pauch
6) 51-Fred Rahmer
7) 5C-Chad Hillier
8) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr.
9) 35A-Alan Cole
Crane Cams Dash (8 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)
1) 15-Donny Schatz
2) 8K-Zach Chappell
3) 21-Daryn Pittman
4) D1-Justin Henderson
5) 83-Danny Lasoski
6) 22-Greg Hodnett
7) 10C-Jeremy Campbell
8) 7S-Jason Sides
9) 20-Paul McMahan
10) 7-Craig Dollansky
B-main (12 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 51-Fred Rahmer
2) 36-Jason Martin
3) 35-Jac Haudenschild
4) 5C-Chad Hillier
5) 3X-Chad Kemenah [$200]
6) 11H-Kerry Madsen [$180]
7) 55-Mark Smith [$175]
8) 19-Stevie Smith [$160]
9) 25-Lance Dewease [$150]
10) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr. [$150]
11) 39-TJ Stutts [$150]
12) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [$150]
13) 35A-Alan Cole [$150]
14) 11D-Dion Hindi [$150]
15) 93-Jonathan Eriksen [$150]
16) 24-Terry McCarl [$150]
17) 71-Brian Leppo [$150]
18) 2-Tim Kaeding [$150]
19) 20T-Ryan Taylor [$150]
A-main (35 laps) – Starting Position [#]
1) 83-Danny Lasoski[5] [$10,000]
2) 15-Donny Schatz[1] [$5,500]
3) 9-Joey Saldana[20] [$3,200]
4) 7S-Jason Sides[8] [$2,800]
5) 20-Paul McMahan[9] [$2,500]
6) 51-Fred Rahmer[14] [$2,300]
7) 22-Greg Hodnett[6] [$2,200]
8) R19-Jason Solwold[11] [$2,100]
9) 6-Tim Shaffer[17] [$2,050]
10) 10C-Jeremy Campbell[7] [$2,000]
11) 35-Jac Haudenschild[22] [$1,500]
12) 1X-Randy Hannagan[18] [$1,200]
13) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[19] [$1,100]
14) 7-Craig Dollansky[10] [$1,050]
15) 14-Jason Meyers[13] [$1,000]
16) 21-Daryn Pittman[3] [$900]
17) D1-Justin Henderson[4] [$800]
18) 36-Jason Martin[21] [$800]
19) 7K-Kieth Kauffman[16] [$800]
20) 5C-Chad Hillier[24] [$800]
21) 87-Alan Krimes[15] [$800]
22) 8K-Zach Chappell[2] [$800]
23) 25P-Billy Pauch[23] [$800]
24) 11-Steve Kinser[12] [$800]
KSE Hard Charger Award: Joey Saldana
Lap Leaders: Donny Schatz 1-21, 34; Danny Lasoski 22-33, 35
2007 STAT ATTACK
There have been 24 World of Outlaws A-Feature events this season.
A-Feature winners (9 different drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1- #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 6
2- #9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 5
3- #11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 4
4- #83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 2
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 2
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 2
7- #7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 1
#11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA – 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s NSW – 1
Lap leaders, including A-features and preliminary features Car, driver, hometown – Total laps led (14 different drivers have led a lap)
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN. – 153 laps
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 122 laps
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 110 laps
#7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 74 laps
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 65 laps
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 63 laps
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 46 laps
#11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA – 40 laps
#83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 40 laps
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN – 24 laps
#22 Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, PA – 22 laps
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW – 22 laps
#D1 Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD – 14 laps
#R19 Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, WA- 9 laps
Time trial leaders (15 different drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Quick times
1 – #14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 4
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 4
3- #20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 2
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 2
#R19 Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, WA – 2
6- #18T Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, KS – 1
#10C Jeremy Campbell, Monroe, MI – 1
#8K Zach Chappell, Talala, OK – 1
#89 Cody Darrah, Red Lion, PA – 1
#7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 1
#5C Chad Hillier, Burlington, WA – 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW – 1
#8MChris Meleason, Carlisle, PA – 1
#6T Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA – 1
#5W Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, PA – 1
Track records established during 2007 World of Outlaws events (5)
* 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.
* Jason Solwold, May 5, Riverside International Speedway (1/4-mile) West Memphis, AR, 11.060 seconds at 81.374 mph.
Crane Cams Dash Winners (15 different winners) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Dash Wins
1- #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 4
2- #14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 3
3- #7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 2
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 2
#83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 2
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 2
7 – #15H Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX – 1
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 1
#22 Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, PA – 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 1
#6 Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA – 1
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN – 1
#4 Danny Smith, Danville, IN – 1
#R19 Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, WA – 1
Pole Positions (15 different drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Poles
1- #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 4
2- #14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 3
3- #7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 2
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 2
#83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 2
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 2
7- #15H Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX – 1
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 1
#22 Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, PA – 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 1
#6 Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA – 1
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN – 1
#4 Danny Smith, Danville, IN – 1
#R19 Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, WA – 1
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger (3 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown
1- #35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 1
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownburg, IN – 1
B-main Winners (20 different winners) Rank – Driver, Hometown – “B” Wins
1 –#11D Dion Hindi, Albuquerque, NM – 2
#24 Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA – 2
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 2
#4 Danny Smith, Danville, IN – 2
5 -#18T Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, KS – 1
#24H- Rob Chaney, Wooster, OH – 1
#15H Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX -1
#1X Randy Hannagan, San Jose – 1
#D1 Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD – 1
#22 Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, PA – 1
#11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 1
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s NSW – 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 1
#51 Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, PA – 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 1
#6 Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA – 1
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN – 1
#R19 Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, WA – 1
#2 Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW – 1
