By Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director
Ever since he began racing sprint cars, there have been three tracks that Paul McMahan has yearned to win at: Eldora Speedway, Knoxville Raceway and Williams Grove Speedway. He won at Williams Grove in 2000, and on Saturday night he checked Eldora off that list, as he won a thrilling battle with Jason Solwold and Dean Jacobs.
After lining up second for the 30-lap World of Outlaws event, he quickly moved into the third spot, passing Danny Lasoksi on the fourth lap. He slipped back to fourth on the 13th lap, and after getting around Joey Saldana on lap 17, he was in position for an epic duel with Jason Solwold and Dean Jacobs.
McMahan took the lead for the first time on the night on the 22nd lap, as he went to the low side of turn four. The next lap, Solwold went up the track and took the lead back again in turns three and four. They battled wheel-to-wheel the next couple of laps, with Solwold leading at the line each time, before the caution flag flew leading to a single file restart.
Solwold led on the final restart, with Jacobs briefly slipping past McMahan for the runner-up spot, only to have McMahan power back around him. On the 25thcircuit, McMahan charged around Solwold on the high side of the track to make the pass for the lead and ultimately the win.
McMahan driving for NASCAR star Tony Stewart, who also owns Eldora Speedway, withstood a late flurry of challenges from Solwold as the laps wound down. Lap after lap Solwold tried everything he could to get around McMahan but each time McMahan fought off the challenges. All the while, Jacobs watched from third ready to pounce if the opening presented itself.
“I have been waiting a long time to win a race here at Eldora,” said McMahan, driver of the Bass Pro Shops Eagle. “I’ve run second a number of times. To win a race in Tony’s (Stewart) cars at his race track, I can’t say enough. It was a great night.”
McMahan also had a little luck on his side on Saturday night, as he drove most of the race with a heavily damaged radiator. The win was the sixth of his World of Outlaws career and first of 2007.
“The temperature gauge was wrapped around zero and there was no more water left in the thing,” he said. “I popped a hole in the radiator. That Chevy power just kept on coming though.”
Late in the race, the leaders were close to encountering heavy lapped traffic when the caution flag flew on two separate occasions. This gave McMahan a clear race track ahead of him and put him right behind Solwold. Though Solwold led on each restart, McMahan kept pace with him through each turn.
“I wasn’t sure what Jason would do,” said McMahan when looking back at the two late restarts. “He was running through the middle on the restarts and I was committed to the top. I ran to the top of him and he took the bottom away so I could not slide him. It pulled me up in the cushion and let Dean (Jacobs) get back in there for a battle among the three of us for the lead. I knew if he went to the bottom then I was going to the top or wherever he wasn’t.”
While Tony Stewart was not able to be at the track due to other commitments, McMahan was ready to call him after he and his team finished their post-race celebration. He also had the utmost praise for the countless hours the track crew had put in since the last time the World of Outlaws raced at the track in April, as he and many other drivers were able to run on both the top and bottom of the racing surface..
“I think he might answer this one when I call,” smiled the winner. “Usually I just text message him, but I guarantee tonight I’ll give him a phone call.”
Solwold led 22 laps on Saturday night and finished in the second spot as he continues to close in on his first World of Outlaws A-Feature victory. While he was disappointed that he was not in the winner’s circle, he knows that he and his team are on the cusp of winning races with the World of Outlaws and are consistently one of the fastest cars night in and night out.
“The team is doing a great job,” said Solwold, driver of the City Wide Insulation Maxim. “I feel like I let them down a little tonight. We had a great race car last night and were running second and cut a tire down. We’re definitely capable of winning races. There is no question in my mind. We’ll get some breaks sooner or later.”
Early in the race Solwold charged to some sizeable leads, only to see those disappear when the caution flag flew. Each time on restarts in the first half of the race, he would power his way down the front straightaway and pull back away.
“We were really good at the beginning,” said the native of Mt. Vernon, Washington. “It was a little difficult when we got into lapped cars because everyone was running the bottom. We were good around the bottom. Like my crew chief Leonard (Lee) told me, he (McMahan) was a little faster than us. I was doing the best I could to protect my spot and slow him down. It just didn’t work out tonight.”
Dean Jacobs, who earned his first career World of Outlaws A-Feature win last May at Lernerville Speedway filling in for Terry McCarl, turned in a strong effort on Saturday night, finishing in the third spot, with some broken pieces on the race car.
“I thought on that last restart I had a shot, but honestly I was lucky to finish the race,” said Jacobs, driver of the AAG Inc. Eagle. “About halfway through I felt a vibration. There really wasn’t anything holding the torque tube on. We were fortunate to sees the checkers and finish third. We are happy with that. If that thing wouldn’t have come loose, I really think I would have had a shot at them.”
After most of the cars ran on the low side of the track when the World of Outlaws first visited the half-mile in April, two distinct grooves were present on Saturday night, with a number of cars riding the rim as is customarily the fast way around Eldora.
“I knew with the rain it would keep the bottom good,” he explained. “That is what made the bottom good, not the shape of the race track. The top got such a big ledge from the weather. The track is back. I ran an All Star race a couple weeks ago and Tony (Stewart) is doing everything he can to make this the awesome race track that it is.”
Daryn Pittman ran near the front of the field all night, finishing fourth. Late in the race he closed in on the leaders and was turning some of the fastest laps of the night when the checkered flag flew.
“Any time we can pick up a Top-Five at Eldora is a decent night for us,” said Pittman, driver of the Titan Garages Maxim. “We haven’t been good here for a long time and we were better tonight than we were in April.”
With two wins under his belt this season, and 21 Top-10 finishes, Pittman continues to be one of the most consistent drivers with the series.
“We just keep making headway,” said the native of Owasso, Oklahoma. “We are qualifying better and giving ourselves a better shot. We qualified 15th and finished fourth last night. We just have to work on starting at the front and getting some more wins.”
Jason Meyers started 10th in the A-Feature and wound up fifth in the Primerica Financial Maxim to earn his 11th Top-Five of the season. The native of Clovis, California fell back to 11th on the second lap of the race before making a steady run to the front and quietly working his way into contention.
Donny Schatz, the current World of Outlaws Championship point leader had a steady night finishing sixth in the ParkerStore J&J. After troubles in time trials forced his crew to work on the car, he timed in 17th by way of series rules, since he received one lap of qualifying at the end of the session. He started the A-Feature in 17th spot and charged to the front to earn his 25th Top-10 finish of the season in 28 events.
Randy Hannagan started 13th in the Penthouse Magazine Maxim and finished seventh, with pole sitter Danny Lasoski in the Roth Motorsports Eagle in eighth. Tim Shaffer started 23rd and finished ninth to earn the KSE Race Products Hard Charger Award. Steve Kinser who celebrated his 53rd birthday on Saturday finished 10th in the Q Oil Maxim.
Rain delayed the start of the event, but after several hours of track preparation the racing surface was ready, and provided for close racing all night long.
The World of Outlaws return to action on Tuesday, June 5 in the Hoosier Sprint Nationals at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway.
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ELDORA SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK
• FAST QUALIFIER: Joey Saldana paced the 31cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the semi-banked half-mile oval in 13.341 seconds at 134.922 mph. For his qualifying effort, Saldana eared five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Brian Paulus (4), Tony Bruce Jr. (3), Jason Meyers (2) and Zach Chappell (1).
• QUALIFYING WINNERS: Danny Lasoski, Daryn Pittman and Jason Solwoldwon heat races… Jeremy Campbell won the B-Main… Danny Lasoski won the Crane Cams dash.
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There have been 28 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 and May 25 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor 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 and June 1 at Sharon Speedway), 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), 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), Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park) and Paul McMahan (June 2 at Eldora Speedway).
• HALF-MILE WINNERS: Eldora Speedway is a half-mile high-banked oval. The World of Outlaws have raced 10 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), Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park), 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 event at Williams Grove Speedway from Friday, night was taped for broadcast on SPEED at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, June 3. This will be the second of 12 World of Outlaws races broadcast on SPEED this season.
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 trip to Eagle Raceway in Nebraska for the Eagle Nationals is in store on Saturday, June 9. The series will return to Tri-City Speedway in Illinois on Thursday, June 14, for an event that was postponed by weather in April. On Saturday, June 16th a stop at Knoxville Raceway dots the schedule.
World of Outlaws Statistical Report; Eldora Speedway; Rossburg, OH.; June, 2, 2007
Qualifying
1) 9-Joey Saldana 13.341
2) 28-Brian Paulus 13.343
3) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr. 13.390
4) 14-Jason Meyers 13.392
5) 8K-Zach Chappell 13.412
6) R19-Jason Solwold 13.439
7) 20-Paul McMahan 13.453
8) 24-Terry McCarl 13.465
9) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 13.492
10) 83-Danny Lasoski 13.499
11) 21-Daryn Pittman 13.508
12) 7K-Dean Jacobs 13.519
13) 1X-Randy Hannagan 13.525
14) 11-Steve Kinser 13.553
15) D1-Justin Henderson 13.571
16) 10C-Jeremy Campbell 13.579
17) 15-Donny Schatz 13.580
18) 8H-Shane Stewart 13.581
19) 36-Jason Martin 13.584
20) 6-Tim Shaffer 13.585
21) 35-Jac Haudenschild 13.590
22) 3X-Chad Kemenah 13.601
23) 7-Craig Dollansky 13.639
24) 11D-Dion Hindi 13.643
25) 2-Brooke Tatnell 13.647
26) 11H-Kerry Madsen 13.648
27) 2M-Dustin Daggett 13.669
28) 7S-Jason Sides 13.736
29) 5C-Chad Hillier 13.893
30) 75-Tim Kaeding 13.960
31) 81-Robert Ballou 14.026
Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 83-Danny Lasoski
2) 20-Paul McMahan
3) 9-Joey Saldana
4) 14-Jason Meyers
5) 36-Jason Martin
6) 1X-Randy Hannagan
7) 10C-Jeremy Campbell
8) 2-Brooke Tatnell
9) 3X-Chad Kemenah
10) 7S-Jason Sides
11) 81-Robert Ballou
Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 21-Daryn Pittman
2) 28-Brian Paulus
3) 24-Terry McCarl
4) 15-Donny Schatz
5) 7-Craig Dollansky
6) 11-Steve Kinser
7) 8K-Zach Chappell
8) 5C-Chad Hillier
9) 11H-Kerry Madsen
10) 6-Tim Shaffer
Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) R19-Jason Solwold
2) 7K-Dean Jacobs
3) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
4) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr.
5) 8H-Shane Stewart
6) D1-Justin Henderson
7) 11D-Dion Hindi
8) 35-Jac Haudenschild
9) 75-Tim Kaeding
10) 2M-Dustin Daggett
Crane Cams Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)
1) 83-Danny Lasoski
2) R19-Jason Solwold
3) 7K-Dean Jacobs
4) 20-Paul McMahan
5) 21-Daryn Pittman
6) 9-Joey Saldana
7) 24-Terry McCarl
8) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr.
9) 28-Brian Paulus
10) 14-Jason Meyers
B-main (12 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 10C-Jeremy Campbell
2) 8K-Zach Chappell
3) 35-Jac Haudenschild
4) 2-Brooke Tatnell
5) 6-Tim Shaffer
6) 3X-Chad Kemenah
7) 11H-Kerry Madsen [$200]
8) 11D-Dion Hindi [$180]
9) 7S-Jason Sides [$175]
10) 5C-Chad Hillier [$160]
11) 2M-Dustin Daggett [$150]
12) 81-Robert Ballou [$150]
13) 75-Tim Kaeding [$150]
A-main (30 laps) – Starting Position [#]
1) 20-Paul McMahan[4] [$10,000]
2) R19-Jason Solwold[2] [$5,500]
3) 7K-Dean Jacobs[3] [$3,200]
4) 21-Daryn Pittman[5] [$2,800]
5) 14-Jason Meyers[10] [$2,500]
6) 15-Donny Schatz[17] [$2,300]
7) 1X-Randy Hannagan[13] [$2,200]
8) 83-Danny Lasoski[1] [$2,100]
9) 6-Tim Shaffer[23] [$2,050]
10) 11-Steve Kinser[14] [$2,000]
11) 35-Jac Haudenschild[20] [$1,500]
12) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr.[8] [$1,200]
13) D1-Justin Henderson[15] [$1,100]
14) 8H-Shane Stewart[18] [$1,050]
15) 7-Craig Dollansky[21] [$1,000]
16) 3X-Chad Kemenah[24] [$900]
17) 5C-Chad Hillier[25] [$]
18) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[12] [$800]
19) 24-Terry McCarl[7] [$800]
20) 9-Joey Saldana[6] [$800]
21) 36-Jason Martin[19] [$800]
22) 28-Brian Paulus[9] [$800]
23) 10C-Jeremy Campbell[16] [$800]
24) 8K-Zach Chappell[11] [$800]
25) 2-Brooke Tatnell[22] [$800]
Lap Leaders: Danny Lasoski 1; Jason Solwold 2-21, 23-24; Paul McMahan 22, 25-30
KSE Hard Charger Award: Tim Shaffer
2007 STAT ATTACK
There have been 28 World of Outlaws A-Feature events this season.
A-Feature winners (10 different drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1- #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 7
2- #11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 6
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 5
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
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 1
Lap leaders, including A-features and preliminary features Car, driver, hometown – Total laps led (16 different drivers have led a lap)
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN. – 167 laps
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 138 laps
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 126 laps
#7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 89 laps
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 65 laps
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 63 laps
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 46 laps
#83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 41 laps
#11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA – 40 laps
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 33 laps
#R19 Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, WA- 31 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
#2L Ed Lynch Jr., Apollo, PA – 3 laps
Time trial leaders (17 different drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Quick times
1 – #9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 5
2 – #14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 4
3- #20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 3
#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
#3X Chad Kemenah, Findlay, OH – 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW – 1
#36 Jason Martin, Liberal, KS – 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 (16 different winners) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Dash Wins
1- #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 4
2- #83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 3
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 3
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 3
5- #7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 2
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 2
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 2
8 – #15H Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX – 1
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 1
#D1 Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD – 1
#22 Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, PA – 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 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 (16 different drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Poles
1- #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 4
2- #83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 3
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 3
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 3
5- #7 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN – 2
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 2
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 2
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 2
8- #15H Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX – 1
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 1
#D1 Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD – 1
#22 Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, PA – 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 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 (6 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown
1 – #14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 2
2 – #35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 1
#5C Chad Hillier, Burlington, WA – 1
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownburg, IN – 1
#6 Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA – 1
B-main Winners (21different winners) Rank – Driver, Hometown – “B” Wins
1 – #24 Terry Mcarl, Altoona, IA – 3
2 – #D1 Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD – 2
#11D Dion Hindi, Albuquerque, NM – 2
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 2
#4 Danny Smith, Danville, IN – 2
6 -#18T Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, KS – 1
#10C Jeremy Campbell, Monroe, MI – 1
#24H- Rob Chaney, Wooster, OH – 1
#15H Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX -1
#1X Randy Hannagan, San Jose – 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
