Saldana Feasts at the Knight Before the Kings Royal

Saldana Feasts at the Knight Before the Kings Royal

He earns his 11th career World of Outlaws feature win at Eldora Speedway

ROSSBURG, Ohio – July 13, 2012 – Eldora Speedway has turned into a feast-or-famine facility for Joey Saldana.

A year ago, his season was derailed after a vicious accident during the Kings Royal kept him out of his sprint car for approximately two months. However, Saldana powered to a special victory in his return to Eldora Speedway last fall.

On an overcast Friday, Saldana recaptured that magic and feasted en route to the Knight Before the Kings Royal win – his 11^th with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at the famed half-mile oval.

“Tonight we needed it,” he said. “The last two months we’ve been struggling.

“It definitely makes you feel confident, but you still got to come out here and run all 40 laps and be leading at the end.”

Saldana – a two-time Kings Royal champion – enters Saturday’s 29^th annual Kings Royal, which pays $50,000 to win and will be taped by SPEED for a delayed broadcast, as a favorite after a strong performance that began with the 12^th quickest time in qualifying of the 48 competitors.

Based on the inversion, Saldana started on the outside of the front row of his heat race. He led all eight laps to lock himself into the dash, which he started on the pole after the No. 8 pill was drawn during the dash inversion.

Once again, Saldana led the entire race to earn his third dash win of the season. It gave him the pole for the 30-lap feature and he took advantage early.

Saldana rocketed to the top spot on the start and built a sizeable advantage as a couple of top-10 cars had issues in the opening dozen laps. Danny Lasoski pulled to the pits under thick smoke while running sixth on lap four and Tim Kaeding brought out the first caution on lap 11 when he stopped in turn two while running eighth.

Saldana chose the outside on the double-file restart – like he did on every restart – and was never seriously challenged. The field was brought back together on lap 12 after a five-car crash on the backstretch, which triggered a couple of random events under caution.

As the lights went out, signaling the green flag the next time by, Sammy Swindell spun to a stop on the frontstretch after his steering wheel apparently came off. Swindell, who was running fourth, had to tag the rear of the field and restarted 17^th.

While things were sorting out for Swindell, Kraig Kinser drove to the work area with a flat right rear tire. Kinser would have restarted eighth, but instead had to restart 18^th.

The final caution came on lap 14 when Jac Haudenschild spun entering turn one and NASCAR star Tony Stewart, who owns Eldora Speedway, couldn’t avoid the spinning car and slammed into him. Those cautions helped Greg Wilson work his way toward the front and after starting the race 20^th, Wilson restarted on the inside of Saldana for the last restart.

“We tightened our car up and tried something a little different, and it was real good,” said Wilson, who earned the KSE Hard Charger Award. “We got our car really, really tight and locked down, and were just able to roll around the bottom.”

Once again, Saldana mastered the cushion and pulled away from Wilson and third-place finisher Dale Blaney.

“Greg was really good on the bottom in (turns) one and two … and you get Joey out in clean air and on that curb that way it is, he’s really good on it,” Blaney said. “We’ll take a third, gladly run third every time with the Outlaws, and look forward to tomorrow.”

Craig Dollansky was fourth and Brian Brown placed fifth. Tim Shaffer charged from 21^st to sixth, Justin Henderson finished seventh and Stevie Smith ended eighth. Kinser rebounded to finish ninth and Steve Kinser rounded out the top 10 after starting 22^nd.

Knight Before the Kings Royal Notebook

NOTES – The 48 drivers was a season high. … David Gravel earned his fourth quick time in qualifying this season. … Dale Blaney claimed his third heat race victory, Sammy Swindell his series-best 11^th, Danny Lasoski his seventh and Joey Saldana his eighth of the season. … Brian Paulus became the fourth different winner in as many C Mains this year. … Joey Saldana picked up his third dash victory of the season. … Tim Shaffer became the 28^th different Last Chance Showdown winner this season.

CONTINGENCY WINNERS - Penske Shocks ($100 certificate): Bill Rose; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Craig Dollansky; Comp Cams ($50 certificate): Kraig Kinser; Armor All (case of product): Justin Henderson; STP ($50 cash): Craig Dollansky; UNOH ($50 cash): Stevie Smith; Gravely Tractors ($50 cash): Kraig Kinser; VP Racing Fuel ($50 cash): Kraig Kinser; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Steve Kinser; JE Pistons (set of rings): David Gravel; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): David Gravel; Wix Filters ($50 cash): Sammy Swindell; Superflow ($50 cash): Cody Darrah; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Bill Rose; JE Pistons (set of rings): Kerry Madsen; MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Tyler Walker; Klotz Synthetic Lubricants ($50 cash): Bill Rose.

WINNERS – Sammy Swindell – 6 (Lakeside Speedway on June 30, Red River Valley Speedway on June 16, Eldora Speedway on May 5, Knoxville Raceway on April 28, Missouri State Fair Speedway on April 20 and Merced Speedway on March 30); Craig Dollansky – 4 (I-96 Speedway on June 2, Hagerstown Speedway on May 20, Tri-State Speedway on April 21 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Kraig Kinser – 4 (Beaver Dam Raceway on July 7, Dodge City Raceway Park on June 23, River Cities Speedway on June 15 and Kokomo Speedway on June 5); Joey Saldana – 4 (Eldora Speedway on July 13, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 25, Paducah International Raceway on April 13 and Perris Auto Speedway on March 10); Tim Kaeding – 3 (Cedar Lake Speedway on July 6, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 16 and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 8); Steve Kinser – 3 (Dodge City Raceway Park on June 22, Orange County Fair Speedway on May 19 and Williams Grove Speedway on May 12); Kerry Madsen – 3 (Limaland Motorsports Park on July 11, Belleville High Banks on June 29 and Knoxville Raceway on June 9); Donny Schatz – 3 (Farmer City Raceway on April 25, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 23 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Chad Kemenah – 2 (Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 28 and Eldora Speedway on May 4); Danny Dietrich – 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 10); Mark Dobmeier – 1 (Huset’s Speedway on July 3); Danny Lasoski – 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 18); Paul McMahan – 1 (Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on May 16); Fred Rahmer – 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 11); Brad Sweet – 1 (Clay County Fairgrounds on June 8).

TIME TRIALS – David Gravel was the fastest qualifier around the half-mile oval with a time of 13.343 seconds to earn five championship points. Also earning points were Stevie Smith (4 points), Bill Rose (3), Craig Dollansky (2) and Randy Hannagan (1).

 

Kinser Hits World of Outlaws Jackpot in Exciting Las Vegas Duel with Saldana

Kinser Hits World of Outlaws Jackpot in Exciting Las Vegas Duel with Saldana

Tony Stewart Racing star holds off hard-chargers to earn his fourth victory of the season

 LAS VEGAS – March 3, 2011 – Steve Kinser survived two double-file restarts in the final three laps on Thursday night in the finale of the Las Vegas Nationals Presented by J.D. Byrider to win his fourth World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event this season.

For 27 laps, Kinser had positioned his #11 Bass Pro Shops/J.D Byrider/Chevrolet Maxim almost perfectly on the track to weave through traffic and hold off longtime rival Sammy Swindell. Then a spin by Kraig Kinser with three to go was followed by Paul McMahan’s flip as Steve Kinser was coming to the white flag and set up a furious battle to the checkered flag with Joey Saldana .

Kinser opted to restart on the top side, hoping to pin Saldana’s Kasey Kahne Racing Red Bull Maxim under him. The two went into the first corner with Kinser blasting around the cushion and Saldana cutting to the bottom and sliding up in front of Kinser in Turn 2. Kinser’s momentum shot him by Saldana down the backstretch and they would repeat the maneuver again on the next lap. Kinser then cut to the bottom in Turns 3 and 4 on the final lap and shot down the frontstretch to the checkered flag.

Kinser’s TSR teammate Donny Schatz wound up third followed by pole-sitter Swindell and Saldana’s teammate, Cody Darrah.

“I wasn’t sure how well our car was going to hold up there on the last restart,” said an exhausted Kinser, the Bloomington, Ind., legend who is chasing his 21^st World of Outlaws championship this season. “I knew Joey had a really strong car and I thought he had me beat.”

Saldana, who won his first World of Outlaws race at Las Vegas on Wednesday night, was aiming to complete the Las Vegas Nationals sweep in dramatic fashion but was still pleased with his runner-up finish on Thursday.

“This is traditionally not one of my best race tracks,” said Saldana, of Pittsboro, Ind., who moved into second-place in the standings behind Kinser with his strong Las Vegas run. “To come out of here with a win and second-place finish is huge for us and gives us a lot of momentum heading into the California races that begin next week.”

Schatz was seeking his seventh victory at Las Vegas in the STP/Armor All/Chevrolet J&J, and was in the mix until the end when Saldana shot past him and Swindell on the restart with three-to-go.

“This was just all around great racing tonight,” remarked Schatz, a four-time World of Outlaws champion from Fargo, N.D. “I hope the fans got a real treat tonight because it was a lot of fun for all of us.”

As the evening wore on, the high line became the preferred way around the half-mile oval for many drivers. Coming to the green on the initial start, a pile up in Turn 4 ended the nights of Ben Gregg and Terry McCarl, who was on the pole a night earlier. Kraig Kinser also sustained damage but his Casey’s General Stores team was able to get him back into the event, where raced to a 13^th-place finish.

The Outlaws continue to march on their West Coast Spring Break, where they’ll invade California through April 2 with upcoming events on March 12 atSilver Dollar Speedway in Chico, March 18 atGiant Kings Speedway in Hanford, March 19 atThunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, April 1 atMerced Speedway and April 2 at Calistoga Speedway.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Notebook

Quick Timer - Steve Kinser was the night’s fastest qualifier by turning a lap around the half-mile oval in 15.119 seconds, earning five more championship points. Jac Haudenschild, Paul McMahan, Cody Darrah and Sammy Swindell also earned qualifying points.

 

WORLD OF OUTLAWS SUMMER NATIONALS FINALS RESULTS

Pos	St	#	Driver	Sponsor	Car	Pts
1	1	89	Cody Darrah	J&K Salvage	Maxim	155
2	2	9	Joey Saldana	Budweiser	Maxim	146
3	3	30C	Lance Dewease	Dreez Builders	J&J	144
4	9	6	Danny Lasoski	Casey’s	JEI	144
5	7	11	Steve Kinser	Quaker State	Maxim	140
6	22	15	Donny Schatz	Armor All	J&J	138
7	4	27	Keith Kauffman	Lelands.com	J&J	136
8	12	14	Jason Meyers	DDNI/Elite	KPC	135
9	19	10	Sammy Swindell	Rolfe Trucking	Maxim	132
10	6	51	Fred Rahmer	Miller Bros.	J&J	130
11	14	22H	Greg Hodnett	Macri Concrete	Maxim	128
12	16	R19	Jac Haudenschild	Owens-Corning	Maxim	126
13	20	21p	Brian Montieth	Premiere Auto Works	JEI	124
14	10	5W	Lucas Wolfe	Allebach Racing	Maxim	125
15	11	7S	Jason Sides	WTS	Maxim	120
16	15	1Z	Stevie Smith	Zemko Tool and Die	Maxim	118
17	13	88	Todd Shaffer	McCoy Bros. Construction	JEI	116
18	8	25A	Aaron Ott	Miller Bros. Chevy	J&J	118
19	21	19	Brad Sweet	DIRECTV	Maxim	112
20	18	7	Chad Layton	Middleswarth Chips	J&J	110
21	17	20	Kraig Kinser	Bass Pro Shops	Maxim	108
22	5	71	Brian Leppo	Swope	JEI	106
23	23	63	Chad Kemenah	Hampshire Engines	Maxim	104
24	24	19M	Brent Marks	TJ’s Body Shop	Maxim	102

WORLD OF OUTLAWS RESULTS

Pos	St	No.	Driver	Sponsor	Car	Pts
1	1	22H	Greg Hodnett	Macri Concrete	Maxim	154
2	4	15	Donny Schatz	Armor All	J&J	146
3	3	14	Jason Meyers	DDNI/Elite	KPC	144
4	18	51	Fred Rahmer	Miller Bros.	J&J	142
5	5	6	Danny Lasoski	Casey’s	JEI	140
6	8	3	Pat Cannon	Highlands Tire	Maxim	143
7	25	9	Joey Saldana	Budweiser	Maxim	136
8	16	11	Steve Kinser	Quaker State	Maxim	134
9	28	7M	Mark Smith	NRG Controls	Mach 1	132
10	20	87	Alan Krimes	Conestoga Valley Garage	Maxim	130
11	15	59	Jim Siegel	N-Line	Maxim	128
12	22	20	Kraig Kinser	Bass Pro Shops	Maxim	126
13	27	19	Brad Sweet	DIRECTV	Maxim	124
14	10	25	Brooke Tatnell	Bridge Street Motors	Maxim	122
15	26	88	Todd Shaffer	McCoy Bros. Construction	JEI	120
16	24	27C	Craig Dollansky	Lelands.com	Maxim	118
17	23	83X	Tim Shaffer	Kistler Engines	J&J	116
18	14	71	Brian Leppo	Swope	JEI	114
19	21	7S	Jason Sides	WTS	Maxim	112
20	12	25A	Aaron Ott	Miller Bros. Chevy	J&J	112
21	9	13	Paul McMahan	Indy Race Parts	Eagle	108
22	11	2L	Ed Lynch, Jr.	Howard Concrete	J&J	109
23	2	21p	Brian Montieth	Premiere Auto Works	JEI	104
24	17	15H	Sam Hafertepe Jr.	Fusion Energy	J&J	102
25	19	69k	Don Kreitz Jr.	Charmin Builders	Avenger	102
26	13	75	Dave Ely	Martin Agency	Wolfweld	103
27	6	R19	Jac Haudenschild	Owens-Corning	Maxim	102
28	7	7	Chad Layton	Middleswarth Chips	J&J	102