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Post by woosprints12 on Dec 2, 2018 18:33:37 GMT -8
Lanigan Returning To His Own No. 29 Darrell Lanigan has announced plans to return to his self-owned No. 29 dirt late model next season. Lanigan, who spent three years driving Clint Bowyer Racing’s No. 14, was released earlier this week after the team signed former Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series champion Josh Richards for 2019. The 48-year-old driver is a three-time World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series champion and he won all of those championships while driving his own No. 29. In a post on his website, Lanigan confirmed he’ll also begin building his Club 29 Race Cars separately from Black Diamond Chassis in his race shop in Union, Ky. The No. 29 entry will use Cornett engines. Lanigan has not announced a schedule for next year, but is considering chasing the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series championship if everything comes together. Source: speedsport.com/dirt-late-models/world-of-outlaws-late-models/lanigan-returning-no-29/
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Post by woosprints12 on Dec 3, 2018 19:45:04 GMT -8
Spencer Confirms WoO Late Model Rookie Effort Florida’s Blake Spencer will be venturing into new territory next season after confirming plans to join the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series. Spencer will attempt to claim Rookie of the Year honors aboard the No. 6 Bozard Ford/Revolution Racing/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center/ XR1 Rocket Chassis/Durham Racing Engines super late model. “In 2018 we raced in pretty much all of the series events for the first few months of the season to get a feel for some of the tracks. Then throughout the year we entered various series races to get more experience,” the 38-year-old Spencer said. “I’m still learning the Super Late Model ranks, so I know it will be a big challenge for us to follow the full tour. I’m very excited to be able to have this opportunity and want to thank all of the sponsors and supporters of my program.” The World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series campaign opens on Feb. 8-9 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., with the annual Winter Freeze. The doubleheader will be highlighted by a pair of $10,000-to-win feature events. From there the tour moves to Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., on Feb. 13-16. “It will be nice to start the season at a pair of tracks, where I have some experience,” Spencer said. “I’ll be seeing several tracks for the first time this year, so I know that the learning curve will be steep.” Source: speedsport.com/dirt-late-models/world-of-outlaws-late-models/spencer-confirms-woo-late-model-rookie-effort/
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Post by woosprints12 on Dec 5, 2018 15:22:29 GMT -8
2019 World of Outlaws Schedule: 92 Races in 25 States December 4, 2019 – With great excitement, the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series announces its 2019 schedule that will see The Greatest Show on Dirt invade 25 different states and compete 92 times at 53 different facilities throughout the season. “We are looking forward to another great season of World of Outlaws racing in 2019,” longtime Series Director Carlton Reimers said. “On the strength of our excellent relationships with tracks and promoters, we are eager to get the season started with our determined teams for our dedicated fans.” With driver and team changes taking the majority of the early off-season spotlight, the official announcement of the full schedule heightens the excitement for the 2019 season as the days wind down until the 48th Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park on February 5th-16th in Barberville, FL. Following Florida, the World of Outlaws will head west with stops in Texas and Las Vegas before spending the entire month of March in California, where the Series will stop at eight different facilities, including the return to Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford on Friday, March 29. An additional date in Arizona at USA Raceway in Tucson will open April before the Series heads east for the $20,000-to-win Texas Outlaw Nationals at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX on April 12-13. May remains consistent, with the Series’ first visit of the season to the East Coast with stops in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina. May crosses into June with the much-anticipated inaugural $25,000-to-win Music City Outlaw Nationals at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway that will take place Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1 in the heart of Music City, TN. With the premier drivers comes premier events and as the summer begins to heat up, the World of Outlaws will take center stage at every marquee event, starting at the three-day, $41,000-to-win Jackson Nationals in Jackson, MN. Kings Royal weekend at the famous Eldora Speedway promises to be one to remember as a significant purse increase has been confirmed. Following Kings Royal, the Outlaws will take place in four straight events that pay at least $20,000-to-win at Lernerville Speedway (Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup), Williams Grove Speedway (Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals) and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 (Ironman 55) before ending the lucrative stretch at “The Granddaddy of Them All” the Knoxville Nationals. Following the Nationals, the Outlaws will head west once again with stops in the Dakotas and Montana before their annual stop in Washington and Oregon and fall swing through California. Added to the fall West Coast swing is the Series inaugural visit to Fernley 95A Speedway in Nevada on Sunday, September 15. A return of the two-day Boot Hill Showdown at Dodge City Raceway Park and the final stops of the year at the popular Eldora and Lernerville Speedway’s lead the Outlaws to the Champion Racing Oil National Open at Williams Grove Speedway, which will pay $56,000-to-win. After a final cycle through the Midwest, the World of Outlaws will finish up on the East Coast at Port Royal Speedway before concluding the season alongside the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series and Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds at the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway on November 7-9. With new faces, new partners and the same heart-pounding excitement of 800-plus horsepower Sprint Cars, the 2019 World of Outlaws season promises to be nothing short of spectacular. The full 2019 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series schedule can be viewed. woosprint.com/schedule All 92 nights of Outlaw racing, including the Knoxville Nationals, will be available LIVE on DIRTVision.com Source: woosprint.com/news/latest-news/5338-2019-world-of-outlaws-schedule-92-races-in-25-states
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Post by woosprints12 on Dec 11, 2018 10:22:44 GMT -8
Pittman's No. 83 for 2019.
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Post by woosprints12 on Dec 18, 2018 10:51:58 GMT -8
NASCAR Hall of Fame elect Jeff Gordon: 'I wanted to be a World of Outlaws driver' In many ways, NASCAR was Jeff Gordon's last resort. The story has been told countless time before, but the California native spent his formative years behind the wheel of a dirt sprint car. He was an emerging open-wheel prospect that had no aspirations concerning Charlotte and Daytona by his 16th birthday. At most, his grandest goals included the Indianapolis 500. To that end, his stepfather and mother moved him to Indiana to shepherd an open-wheel career. He became the youngest driver to start a World of Outlaws race at Eldora Speedway in 1984. He made the feature in four of his five overall WoO attempts. Speaking to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Gordon says he expected to spend the rest of his career in dirt sprint cars. "All I wanted to do was race these cars," Gordon said. "That was when I first started racing professionally --where you go to the pay window and they give you a few hundred bucks if you did OK. "I wasn’t thinking NASCAR at all. Actually, I was thinking World of Outlaws Sprint Cars. I wanted to be a World of Outlaw sprint car driver. My heroes were Steve Kinser and Doug Wolfgang. I got to race with those guys when I was like 14, and it was insane." Gordon partnered with team owner Terry Winterbotham in 1988. Together they won championships at Eldora, Mansfield and Millstream. He earned a couple of World of Outlaws podiums, too. But it was short-lived. "I get this ride with this awesome team, (and) I'm like, 'This is my break. This is going to do it.' I don’t know if I just felt the pressure or if I just didn’t have what it took, but I started wrecking the hell out of this thing and costing this car owner a lot of money. "I got fired." Thus, Gordon and stepdad John Bickford found themselves looking for a ride. That's how Gordon ended up on pavement, driving midgets for Rollie Helmling. In his very first race, Gordon entered and won the 'Night before The 500' at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indiana. "I went. New track record, won my heat race and won the race," Gordon said. From there, Gordon became the well-documented star of ESPN's Thursday Night Thunder USAC midget racing series. Gordon thought he could parlay that into an IndyCar career, but they rejected him without an abundance of funding. Larry Nuber, the television voice of Thursday Night Thunder, suggested Gordon reach out to NASCAR teams. He tested a Hugh Connery-owned NASCAR Busch Grand National car at Rockingham. He impressed in the No. 67 to such a degree that he ended up joining Bill Davis Racing. He and crew chief Ray Evernham went on to lead Hall of Fame caliber NASCAR careers. But it started with a teenager who thought he would spend his racing days as a World of Outlaws contender. "So I really wasn’t going to be a NASCAR driver. It just happened," Gordon said. Source: autoweek.com/article/nascar/nascar-hall-fame-elect-jeff-gordon-i-wanted-be-world-outlaws-driver
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Post by woosprints12 on Dec 18, 2018 12:12:11 GMT -8
Wicked Energy Gum Backing Kahne & KKR Wicked Energy Gum, a consumer energy product developed by Wicked Cushion, has joined Kasey Kahne Racing as a sponsor of the No. 9 sprint car for Kasey Kahne next season. Wicked Energy Gum is a convenient, great tasting, alternative to energy drinks – with energy-boosting ingredients compressed into each piece of gum for a fast-acting boost of energy whenever consumers need it most. “We are very excited to welcome Kasey to the Wicked Cushion family,” said Matthew Henninger, founder of Wicked Cushion. “We had such a great experience with KKR this past season and we are thrilled to now have our Wicked Energy Gum brand on Kasey’s car for 2019.” Retiring from full-time NASCAR competition after a 15-year career in stock cars, Kahne is returning to his roots and will compete in more than 50 sprint car events on both the World of Outlaws and All-Star Circuit of Champions tours next season. Wicked Energy Gum will kick off the 2019 season on Kahne’s No. 9 machine, but will also have placement on Brad Sweet’s No. 49 NAPA Auto Parts entry beginning Feb. 6-10 at the DIRTCar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. “We were fortunate enough to start a relationship with Wicked Cushion during the Knoxville Nationals last year and when they decided to launch their new product, Wicked Energy Gum, we were glad they chose KKR to help get their product off the ground,” said Kahne. “This is the most excited I have been in a long time to get back to racing. I feel great and I’ve been working out a lot preparing for the upcoming season. “Returning to sprint cars on a more regular basis is something that I have been looking forward to for years.” Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/wicked-energy-gum-kahne-kkr/
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Post by Buck on Jan 17, 2019 14:09:04 GMT -8
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Post by woosprints12 on Jan 17, 2019 15:56:13 GMT -8
NOS Energy Is New WoO Sprint Car Title Sponsor NOS Energy Drink has become the title sponsor of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in a multi-year deal. The series will now be known as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. “NOS Energy joined the World of Outlaws last season, and we couldn’t be prouder to have them expand their involvement and become our title sponsor,” said World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter. “The Greatest Show on Dirt runs the fiercest schedule in all of motorsports, so our drivers, crews and fans need all the horsepower and stamina they can get.” NOS Energy has grown its sponsorship of short track racing heavily in the last few years. In addition to the sponsorship of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, NOS Energy also recently announced it would become the sponsor of the USAC National Midget Series. NOS Energy is also the primary sponsor of World of Outlaws competitor Sheldon Haudenschild and the No. 17 Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing team as well as multiple entries fielded by Clauson-Marshall Racing in the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series. “The response last season from World of Outlaws fans, drivers and really the whole community was pretty overwhelming and is really the biggest factor in our decision to expand our involvement,” said Lauren Albano, Marketing Director for NOS Energy Drink. “The World of Outlaws brand of racing is authentic, raw and contagious, and we are more than excited to continue to fuel the sport’s passion on and off the track.” “NOS Energy’s trackside sampling program has been a welcome bonus for our fans, and their retail promotional efforts will help spread the World of Outlaws brand through major retailers across the country, which is great for everyone involved in the sport,” said World of Outlaws Chief Marketing Officer Ben Geisler. “It is also important to thank the tens of thousands of employees and associates at Craftsman and Sears for everything they have done for Sprint Car racing over the years as we welcome NOS Energy for 2019 and beyond.” Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/nos-energy-new-world-outlaws-sprint-title-sponsor/
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Post by woosprints12 on Feb 8, 2019 15:55:52 GMT -8
May WoO Event At Charlotte Expands To Two Days
The Dirt Track at Charlotte will double the amount of competition and entertainment coming to Charlotte’s four-tenths-mile clay oval in May. Track officials and the World of Outlaws announced the formation of the Patriot Nationals on Friday, a two-day event May 24-25 featuring the stars of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series. Each Patriot Nationals sprint car feature will pay $15,000 to win and $1,000 to start – making The Dirt Track at Charlotte the host of the richest sprint car event in the Southeast. In addition to the Patriot Nationals – which features a striking, red-white-and-blue logo saluting the U.S. Armed Forces on Memorial Day weekend – The Dirt Track at Charlotte will again host the World of Outlaws World Finals presented by Can-Am, Nov. 7-9. “Our fans want to see more dirt track racing, and the best dirt racers compete with the World of Outlaws,” said Greg Walter, the executive vice president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. “One night isn’t enough, so we’ve partnered with the Outlaws to double the racing, expand the purse and give our fans what they want to see — the best wheel-to-wheel, breathtaking competition on dirt. “Additionally, with the Patriot Nationals coming just before the Coca-Cola 600 during Memorial Day weekend, there’s no better time to salute our military heroes at America’s Home for Racing.” One of the Outlaws’ most popular drivers is all-in on the Patriot Nationals. “I’m glad the Dirt Track at Charlotte is moving to a two-day show in May,” said Kasey Kahne, the owner-driver of Outlaw title-winning Kasey Kahne Racing and the No. 9 Wicked Energy Gum car. “Making the Patriot Nationals a two-day race gives us an extra day to attract sponsors, meet our fans and bring home a trophy from one of my favorite dirt tracks. It also gives NASCAR fans in town for the 600 an opportunity to catch a dirt race.” Fans in attendance will also witness the fender-banging FUEL Racing Series on Friday and the SECA Late Models on Saturday, serving as action-packed undercards for the Patriot Nationals. “The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series couldn’t be more thrilled to work with The Dirt Track at Charlotte to make the Patriot Nationals come to fruition,” World of Outlaws COO Tom Deery said. “With the increased purse for both nights, the Patriot Nationals will be an amazing event for the fans and drivers during a huge weekend of racing in Charlotte.” Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/may-outlaw-event-charlotte-expands/
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Post by woosprints12 on Feb 9, 2019 7:01:30 GMT -8
Third Time’s The Charm For Pittman
Daryn Pittman and Shane Stewart had a fierce battle in Friday night’s 30-lap NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series opener during the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. This time, Pittman came out on top but it wasn’t easy. “I had a shot at Shane once and didn’t get far enough alongside to slide him before we hit lapped traffic again,” Pittman said. “Luckily, I got a second chance when more lapped cars held him up. I went in really hard and I was afraid he’d turn and get back underneath me but it worked.” Stewart ended up second with Christopher Bell, Brad Sweet, David Gravel and Donny Schatz trailing. Stewart, who got the pole by virtue of his Dash win, had front row companion Bell on his tail in the early going, with the youngster making a couple of strong moves on the lead. Meanwhile, second row starters Brian Brown and Pittman were battling for third, which Pittman owned by the time the leaders hit lapped traffic on lap seven. That let him get under Bell when traffic slowed him as they hit turn one two laps later and set out after Stewart. But much to the full house’s delight, the NASCAR star drove back around Pittman in traffic on lap 11 and two laps later did the same to Stewart off turn two, only to have Stewart dig deep and take the lead back from Bell at the other end. At halfway it was Stewart, Pittman, Bell, Sweet and Brown but Pittman was about to pick up the pace even further. On lap 20 he made his first charge, getting even into turn one and five laps later his wicked slide job into the same corner gave him the lead. “He did a good job,” said Stewart. “I heard him coming but he had a really good car and I made a couple of mistakes that cost me. We were in position to win, which is all you can ask for. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.” The action wasn’t over, as Bell managed to challenge Stewart again with two to go and Gravel barely edged Schatz at the flag. “I thought I’d get the lead a couple of times,” said Bell. “But anytime you run this well with the Outlaws, it’s cool.” As for Pittman, he summed up his night by saying “This car is badass. Thursday night we gave up a few spots but tonight we were right on. I wanted to be close to Shane at the end but I didn’t want to make my move too early. I knew he was strong enough to get right back by me if someone held me up but it all worked out in our favor.” Ian Madsen turned fast time among the 33 entrants, with Cale Conley besting the B-main field. NOS Energy Drink A-Main (30 laps): 1. #83 – Daryn Pittman [3], 2. #5 – Shane Stewart [1], 3. #39 – Christopher Bell [2], 4. #49 – Brad Sweet [5], 5. #41 – David Gravel [17], 6. #15 – Donny Schatz [10], 7. #21 – Brian Brown [4], 8. #5w – Lucas Wolfe [6], 9. #2 – Carson Macedo [8], 10. #26 – Cory Eliason [11], 11. #87 – Aaron Reutzel [12], 12. #1s – Logan Schuchart [14], 13. #71 – Parker Price-Miller [16], 14. #13 – Paul McMahan [13], 15. #11k – Kraig Kinser [23], 16. #70x – Spencer Bayston [7], 17. #18 – Ian Madsen [9], 18. #17 – Sheldon Haudenschild [25], 19. #17w – Shane Golobic [19], 20. #7s – Jason Sides [22], 21. #7k – Cale Conley [21], 22. #19 – Brent Marks [26], 23. #70 – Brock Zearfoss [15], 24. #1a – Jacob Allen [24], 25. #33m – Mason Daniel [20], 26. #49x – Tim Shaffer [18]. Lap Leader(s): Shane Stewart 1-24, Daryn Pittman 25-30. Hard Charger: #41 – David Gravel (+12) Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/third-times-charm-pittman-volusia/
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Post by woosprints12 on Feb 9, 2019 7:05:58 GMT -8
Overton & Rum Runner Rule Winter Freeze Brandon Overton led all 50 laps to win the season opener for the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series Friday night at Screven Motor Speedway. It was his fourth career WoO LMS victory and his first since his big $30,000 payday at the Firecracker 100 back in June of 2017. Overton excelled in all areas of competition on Friday night. Qualifying sixth fastest out of 39 cars in the pit area, Overton sat on the pole for the second heat led all 10 laps. He redrew the outside pole, took the lead on lap one over polesitter Chase Junghans and never looked back, going flag-to-flag for Rum Runner Racing’s best finish with Overton behind the wheel of the Schaeffer’s Racing Oil No. 2. The big win to open the 2019 World of Outlaws season comes just two-and-a-half months after Overton and Rum Runner Racing went public with their plans to team up this year. Former pilot Joey Coulter stepped down from his driving duties at the end of 2018 to make room for the 2015 Rookie of the Year, and the decision seems to have paid off well against the Outlaws. But Overton said it didn’t start out that way in his ventures racing elsewhere earlier this week. After two average finishes of 12th and 14th at Golden Isles Speedway and a dismal 23rd earlier this week at East Bay Raceway Park, Overton found his mojo on Wednesday and Thursday with a fourth and an eighth to give him a boost of confidence heading into Screven. “I just rolled off on the outside of that front row,” Overton said. “Hell, if I’d have lost tonight, I’d have been pretty upset, myself. I just got the job done, I guess. Everything fell our way and it had been going pretty [bad], so, it’s time for a change.” His journey to victory lane on Friday night was anything but comfortable, and full of pressure from runner-up Chris Madden and third-place finisher Brian Shirley. Madden started directly behind Overton but had a costly miscue on the opening lap, jumping the cushion in turn three and lightly scrubbing the wall, throwing him all the way back to ninth before the first caution came out. Several yellows and even a red flag for Scott James and Boom Briggs, who managed to stack their cars on top of each other after a jingle in turn 1, gave Overton headaches all race long with constant restarts. This, much to their liking, gave Madden several opportunities to make up the lost ground and aided in Shirley’s efforts to keep up with Overton through lapped traffic. Madden got his new Skyline Motorsports Capital Chassis No. 44 straightened out rather quickly, getting back to fourth by lap 10. He finally broke into the top three with 15 laps to go, getting around Darrell Lanigan after chasing him for half of the race. Then came the pass for second, when Shirley, who drove runner-up for nearly 80 percent of the race, slipped up in turn three with 11-to-go, opening the door for Madden’s slide job out of turn four. “We finally got some green flag laps in and got to rolling pretty good,” Madden said. “I was able to rebound from something that could have been real tragic, but we turned it around into a real positive night. To come back and run second here is pretty impressive for our new team.” After starting fifth, Shirley knew his mistake was costly, but said that he had a great night overall and will be ready to come back on Saturday. “I was trying to keep pace with Brandon and I just went into [turn three] and didn’t get turned and it pushed,” Shirley said. “Chris must have been right there on me so he just got to slide by in the rubber better than me. Thankfully, we were able to get back in there and run third. It’s just one of those things where you make a mistake sometimes and it costs you.” The finish:2-Brandon Overton [2][$10,000]; 2. 44-Chris Madden [4][$5,000]; 3. 3s-Brian Shirley [5][$3,000]; 4. 29-Darrell Lanigan [3][$2,500]; 5. 18-Chase Junghans [1][$2,000]; 6. 1-Brandon Sheppard [10][$1,700]; 7. 25-Shane Clanton [12][$1,400]; 8. 7-Ricky Weiss [9][$1,300]; 9. 9-Billy Moyer [7][$1,200]; 10. 16-Tyler Bruening [20][$1,100]; 11. 36v-Kyle Hardy [18][$1,050]; 12. 1x-Chub Frank [11][$1,000]; 13. 28-Dennis Erb [22][$950]; 14. 97-Cade Dillard [26][$200]; 15. 7r-Ross Robinson [21][$850]; 16. 22x-G.R. Smith [13][$800]; 17. C9-Steve Casebolt [17][$770]; 18. 99B-Boom Briggs [25][$110]; 19. 83-Scott James [19][$730]; 20. B1-Brent Larson [23][$700]; 21. 6-Blake Spencer [24][$700]; 22. 25h-Chuck Hummer [27][$110]; 23. 77-Brian Connor [16][$700]; 24. 72c-Jason Covert [8][$700]; 25. 6m-Mike Marlar [6][$700]; 26. 1D-Brent Dixon [14][$700]; 27. 58-Ivedent Lloyd [15][$700] Source: speedsport.com/dirt-late-models/world-of-outlaws-late-models/overton-woo-lms-opener/
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Post by woosprints12 on Feb 10, 2019 16:34:59 GMT -8
Pittman Keeps Rolling During DIRTcar Nationals Former World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Daryn Pittman wanted to start off his tenure with Roth Motorsports on a strong note, and so far he’s done exactly that. Pittman came out on top of a torrid battle with NASCAR star Christopher Bell to notch his second-straight win during the DIRTcar Nationals on Saturday night at Volusia Speedway Park. The two Oklahoma natives exchanged the lead five times during the final 12 laps of the 30-lap main event, with Pittman making the decisive slide job in turns one and two with three circuits remaining. From there, Pittman drove off to a 1.119-second victory in the No. 83 sprinter for Dennis and Teresa Roth, with Bell chasing him home in second in the Swindell SpeedLab No. 39 entry. Raindrops threatened to wreak havoc with the event, but it wasn’t until the victory lane ceremonies were in full swing that the skies opened up at the Florida half-mile. “Man, that one was a hell of a race. That was really fun, even if I tried really hard not to win that one,” Pittman said. “I felt like I kept making mistakes. I got to the lead, saw the white flag and just completely missed the bottom in (turns) one and two. Christopher got a run on me, but he was awfully nice. He would have had position on me and could have moved down on the backstretch, but he was committed to the top. “This car was really good and a lot of fun to drive. Like I said, I made a lot of mistakes, but luckily we got the job done,” Pittman added. “I couldn’t be happier with the way our season has started here.” Pittman also paid a nod to his chief competition as well. “Christopher Bell is a hell of a talent. I can’t beat him in a midget, but man, I love racing with him,” Pittman said. “It’s a lot of fun and I’m a big fan of his. For as little as he races these cars, damn he’s good. I’m just glad we were able to get one on him here tonight. It means a lot.” Bell, who finished third on Friday night at Volusia, was able to improve one spot but still just missed out on earning a DIRTcar Nationals feature win. “It sucks to lose one like that, but Pittman ran a perfect race,” noted Bell. “When I pulled onto the frontstretch and started looking back on it, I don’t know what I could have done any differently. That’s something I’ll think about when we get on down the road. I hope the fans enjoyed the show, though. I love this race track and love getting the opportunity to come down here.” Ten-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz completed the podium, followed by Brad Sweet and Brian Brown. David Gravel, Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Jason Sides and Carson Macedo completed the top 10. The finish:Daryn Pittman, Christopher Bell, Donny Schatz, Brad Sweet, Brian Brown, David Gravel, Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Jason Sides, Carson Macedo, Lucas Wolfe, Tim Shaffer, Sheldon Haudenschild, Cory Eliason, Kraig Kinser, Parker Price-Miller, Paul McMahan, Spencer Bayston, Shane Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Cale Conley, Brent Marks, Brock Zearfoss, Shane Golobic, Ian Madsen, Jacob Allen. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/pittman-keeps-rolling-dirtcar-nationals/
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Post by woosprints12 on Feb 10, 2019 16:58:12 GMT -8
Shane Clanton Ends 51-Race Drought Shane Clanton led all 50 laps to win Saturday night’s Winter Freeze IX feature for the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series at Screven Motor Speedway. It was Clanton’s first victory in Outlaws competition since Aug. 26, 2017, breaking a 51-race winless streak. This victory also goes in the books as Clanton’s fourth at Screven and 43rd all-time in WoO LMS competition. “It feels real good,” Clanton said. “To go almost a year and a half … like I said at the banquet [last year], it just makes you mad. And the guy who wins, it just makes him more determined to come back and win again, and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve worked awful hard over the winter to build a new race car here.” In what was almost a perfect night, Clanton qualified second overall out of 39 cars, won his heat race and redrew the pole for the Morton Buildings Feature. Taking the lead on lap one, he faced several long strings of lapped traffic, as the race’s first caution didn’t fly until lap 45 – a complete night-and-day difference from Friday night’s feature, which saw numerous cautions and even a red flag. Maneuvering around lapped traffic on any given night is hard enough, let alone doing it on a one-lane race track. But Clanton was able to handle the pressure from those behind him, much like all great veterans of the sport do. “I guess it’s lucky to get number one but I think our car was good enough to pass a couple of cars,” Clanton said. “I was just biding my time, trying not to get into too much lapped traffic, just didn’t want to get myself in a bind. We rode a long way, and to come up with the win, it’s pretty special.” And how special it was for Clanton and the Capital Chassis stable this weekend with Chris Madden putting his Capital on the podium in Friday night’s race and a top-10 on Saturday. Clanton said Madden’s help has been and will continue to be instrumental in Capital’s success on the tour this season. “I’ve had some help when Chris came along after Charlotte [last year] and we went and tested my car, then we built this car,” Clanton said. “We’ve changed some things on it and evidently we’re going in the right direction, so that’s the good thing.” Another special finish came right behind Clanton – the Viper Motorsports entrant of rookie contender Kyle Hardy. The Virginian had a solid night on Friday, coming from 17th to finish 11th after winning his Late Chance Showdown. But Saturday night was a much different story, as he set fast time in Group B, won his heat and redrew third. Hardy made the pass for second around Jason Covert on lap 12 and chased Clanton down the rest of the way but was never able to make the pass on the rubbered track. However, he held his own through lapped traffic, staying right with Clanton the entire way and closing a two-second gap before the lap 45 caution. Overall, a great showing by the new Barry Wright Race Cars house driver. “It turned out to be great,” Hardy said. “We’ve got a greatly prepared car by Lance and Barry Wright, and that means the world. We ran decent last night, wasn’t the greatest, but second place tonight was, by far, great for us.” The finish:25-Shane Clanton [1][$10,000]; 2. 36v-Kyle Hardy [3][$5,000]; 3. 18-Chase Junghans [4][$3,000]; 4. 1-Brandon Sheppard [6][$2,500]; 5. 72-Mike Norris [8][$2,000]; 6. 3s-Brian Shirley [10][$1,700]; 7. 29-Darrell Lanigan [9][$1,400]; 8. 2x-John Henderson [11][$1,300]; 9. 44-Chris Madden [13][$1,200]; 10. 1D-Brent Dixon [12][$1,100]; 11. 28-Dennis Erb [16][$1,050]; 12. 2-Brandon Overton [17][$1,000]; 13. 99jr-Frank Heckenast [20][$950]; 14. 1x-Chub Frank [15][$900]; 15. 7-Ricky Weiss [14][$850]; 16. 9-Billy Moyer [22][$800]; 17. B1-Brent Larson [23][$770]; 18. 72c-Jason Covert [2][$750]; 19. 97-Cade Dillard [5][$730]; 20. 6-Blake Spencer [24][$700]; 21. 27+1-Tyler Carpenter [19][$700]; 22. 6m-Mike Marlar [18][$700]; 23. 22x-G.R. Smith [25][$110]; 24. 58-Ivedent Lloyd [7][$700]; 25. 99B-Boom Briggs [21][$700] Source: speedsport.com/dirt-late-models/world-of-outlaws-late-models/shane-clanton-ends-51-race-drought/
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Post by woosprints12 on Feb 21, 2019 20:17:44 GMT -8
Outlaws & K&N West Gearing Up For Vegas Showdown
The FVP Platinum Battery Showdown presented by Star Nursery will see the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series bring its high-speed thrill show to The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Feb. 27-28. It will also mark the first time in history the World of Outlaws and NASCAR K&N Series are competing on the same night at the same track, bringing two of racing’s biggest sanctioning bodies together. “We have built such history with the FVP Platinum Battery brand and the World of Outlaws at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and we can’t wait to see it all come together again this year,” said FVP Senior Brand Manager Amber Misunas. “In a city known for its big shows, none will be as big as this one, and the FVP team is excited to continue its association with the event.” The FVP Platinum Battery Showdown pairs the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West for the first time. The Star Nursery 100 K&N Pro Series West will have practice sessions on Wednesday night (Feb. 27) and run their main event Thursday, Feb. 28, as part of a double-feature with the second night of World of Outlaws racing. LVMS has hosted World of Outlaws events at its half-mile Dirt Track dating back to 1996. “We’re excited our traditional two-day event in Las Vegas is continuing to grow with the addition of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West,” World of Outlaws COO Tom Deery said. “We’re also looking forward to showcasing this historically popular event with our style of high-horsepower, high-speed, winged Outlaw dirt racing to a whole new audience. We like making history with our World of Outlaws events and combining with NASCAR on the same night at the same track will certainly be a first that no one will want to miss.” FVP-sponsored driver Brian Brown will return to compete in the showdown along with last year’s showdown winners Sheldon Haudenschild and Donny Schatz – the 10-time and defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion. On Wednesday, grandstands will open at 3 p.m., followed shortly after by World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series hot laps and qualifying at 4:30 p.m. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West practice session will be an hour later. Opening ceremonies are slated to commence at 6:15 p.m., with racing to follow immediately. The sprint car feature will be the first feature of the night. Thursday’s schedule of events follows the same times as Wednesday. The sprint cars will again be the first feature of the night, and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Star Nursery 100 will be the final race of the night. Following the World of Outlaws visit to the Sin City, the Series heads to California, commencing a month-long tour through the Golden State at Thunderbowl Speedway in Tulare, Calif., on Friday March 8, and Saturday, March 9. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/outlaws-kn-west-las-vegas-preview/
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Post by woosprints12 on Feb 28, 2019 14:34:43 GMT -8
After 14 Years, Shaffer Scores In Sin City Again
It took a little extra in the tank to get the job done, but Tim Shaffer led from start to finish to capture his first Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track win in 14 years on Wednesday night. Shaffer started from the pole and never looked back despite a caution-laden 30-lap feature, powering away from a charging Tim Kaeding on a four-lap sprint to the finish to notch his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory of the season. The Aliquippa, Pa., veteran noted after the race that a red flag for refueling with 26 laps complete was actually his saving grace, as his Demyan-Rudzik Racing No. 49x was sputtering before the last caution. “I was out of fuel (for) the last four laps,” noted Shaffer. “I was just trying to baby it. The last restart (before the red flag), the 83 car (Scelzi) got a run on me because I was shutting off down the straightaway. It was a blessing when I saw that red flag for the fuel stop, because we needed it.” “This track gets real tricky sometimes, like it was tonight, and it’s a pretty awesome race when you have a great race car like we had,” Shaffer added. “It kept changing; I had to move around, but everything worked in our favor and it was our night to win. The yellows, the red … everything worked out for us.” Wednesday night’s win was Shaffer’s fourth in Las Vegas and the 26th of his World of Outlaws career, breaking a tie with Kerry Madsen for 22nd on the all-time wins list. Shaffer won the DIRTvision Fast Pass Dash to garner the top starting spot for the FVP Platinum Battery Outlaw Showdown opener, and despite pacing all 30 laps had to weather eight different restarts throughout the feature before he could celebrate in victory lane. The most hotly-contested stretch of the main event came with five laps left, when Gio Scelzi, Aaron Reutzel and Kaeding were three-wide for second while Shaffer raced just in front of them, but a slowing Shane Stewart – who was out of fuel in turn two – drew a stop to that battle moments later. That led to a stretch of three additional slowdowns before the final four laps could be completed, including one where Reutzel ran out of fuel from third on the race track that led to the red flag. Once racing resumed for the final time, Shaffer took off while Scelzi stumbled from second, allowing both Kaeding and a fast-moving Donny Schatz to pounce on the California teenager late in the going. Kaeding took second and gave chase to Shaffer, but came up 1.124 seconds short at the finish line. “I think we just picked up right where we left off with Jason last year,” said Kaeding. “He’s given me an awesome opportunity to come drive this thing, and for me to be able to come out here with him and Paul (Sides, Jason’s brother) and race two cars out of one trailer … it’s awesome. We dig deep here.” Schatz charged from 11th to complete the podium, his best finish in three starts this season. “This was the best we could do. We gave it our best shot and were in the mix for the whole race,” Schatz said. “Hats off to my guys. We’re gaining on things and getting a little bit better, but I’m not sure the wind wasn’t throwing me a curveball at the end. We’ll be back tomorrow to try it over again.” Rico Abreu finished fourth ahead of Scelzi, who faded to fifth in the final rundown. Kyle Larson was sixth, followed by Daryn Pittman, Cory Eliason, Brad Sweet and Christopher Bell, who started seventh but had to charge through the field after an opening-lap spin to complete the top 10. NOS Energy Drink A-Feature (30 laps): 1. #49x – Tim Shaffer [1], 2. #7s – Tim Kaeding [10], 3. #15 – Donny Schatz [11], 4. #24 – Rico Abreu [8], 5. #83jr – Gio Scelzi [3], 6. #57 – Kyle Larson [20], 7. #83 – Daryn Pittman [6], 8. #26 – Cory Eliason [23], 9. #49 – Brad Sweet [22], 10. #17x – Christopher Bell [7], 11. #19 – Brent Marks [26], 12. #1s – Logan Schuchart [9], 13. #71p – Parker Price-Miller [18], 14. #9 – Kasey Kahne [21], 15. #17 – Sheldon Haudenschild [4], 16. #13 – Paul McMahan [16], 17. #87 – Aaron Reutzel [2], 18. #41 – David Gravel [12], 19. #18 – Ian Madsen [19], 20. #2 – Carson Macedo [15], 21. #5 – Shane Stewart [14], 22. #45 – Chad Kemenah [13], 23. #21 – Brian Brown [5], 24. #7 – Jason Sides [17], 25. #11k – Kraig Kinser [25], 26. #1a – Jacob Allen [24]. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/14-years-shaffer-scores-sin-city/
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Post by woosprints12 on Mar 5, 2019 14:07:54 GMT -8
HE&M Saw Backing Saldana’s Return To Racing
Officials from HE&M Saw announced Tuesday that the band saw manufacturing company will back veteran Joey Saldana as he returns to sprint car action. Saldana will partner with Ohio car owner Jamie Miller to contest the FAST Championship Series, piloting the Miller Motorsports No. 6 that has been campaigned in recent seasons by Jac Haudenschild. “It’s a pretty cool deal,” Miller told SPEED SPORT during a Monday night phone interview. “People have said that to me, and I’ve laughed and told them, look, I’ve had Jac Haudenschild in my car on and off for the last 15 years, and that’s pretty cool, but Joey and I have been friends for years. His dad drove my grandpa’s car a few times back in the 70s, and we’ve been intertwined and connected for a long time. “When the opportunity came up to do some racing with Joey, I couldn’t pass up the chance.” For Miller, the opportunity to bring Saldana onboard came about in part because of a racing helmet that Saldana was eager to add to his collection. “So what brought this all together … is that Joey has a helmet collection and I had a Jack Hewitt helmet that he wanted in the worst way,” Miller said with a smile. “For the last couple of years, I’ve been texting him pictures of it and teasing him about it. Finally, in December, I asked him if he wanted to go down and run the All Star (Circuit of Champions) races at Bubba Raceway (Park, in Florida). “We talked about it, and he said, ‘You know what? Why don’t we just skip that and put a deal together to race around Ohio?’ That’s how the discussion came to be, and now here we are.” Miller was quick to point out that he believes Saldana will be able to bring home plenty of hardware in his cars this year. “Any time you go to the race track, it doesn’t matter if it’s the guys running at the back of the feature or the guys winning races, all of them think the same thing – that it’d be cool to go win this race or be competitive,” Miller noted. “We’ll look to find some speed right out of the gate, and hopefully from there be able to contend all year long.” In addition to his FAST duties, Saldana will compete in select 410 sprint car events this season at the wheel of the HE&M Saw-backed No. 17 sprinter, including the 59th annual Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway in August. Saldana is looking to race roughly 30 times this year. He’ll be getting back behind the wheel for the first time since the World of Outlaws World Finals in November at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, when he drove for Jason Johnson Racing. HE&M Saw has an 18-year history with Saldana, sticking with him across multiple teams, including the Roth Motorsports No. 83, the Motter Motorsports No. 71, the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 9 and most recently, the Rudeen Racing No. 26. Now, HE&M Saw moves with Saldana both to Miller Motorsports and to the No. 17, which seeks to tackle selected high-profile sprint car events during the season. “I have to thank Doug Harris (President of HE&M Saw) for his support; he’s helped me for a long time in sprint car racing and he’s trying to do what he can for me so I can get back on the track,” Saldana said. “We plan to try and run some of the big races, but right now it’s a limited schedule we’re trying to do.” The FAST Championship Series kicks off on April 6 at Atomic Speedway in Waverly, Ohio. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/other-sprint-cars/hem-saw-backs-saldana-return-racing/
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Post by woosprints12 on Mar 5, 2019 14:55:05 GMT -8
Lucas Oil Backing Kyle Larson Racing Lucas Oil Products has signed on as an official partner of Kyle Larson Racing. The deal will support KLR drivers Kyle Larson and Carson Macedo as they compete with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and in several other crown jewel events during the season. “Everyone at Lucas Oil is very excited to welcome Kyle Larson Racing into the Lucas Oil family,” said Lucas Oil Director of Motorsports Tom Bogner. “Kyle is one of the most talented drivers on both pavement and dirt and has a very strong following while Carson is one of the most exciting up-and-coming drivers in the dirt racing world right now. “We are proud to be a part of their program and can’t wait to see them in victory lane many times this year.” As a driver with a deep passion for sprint car racing, Larson looks forward to working with a company that has strong ties to the dirt track community. “I am excited to partner with Lucas Oil for the 2019 season,” said Larson. “They have always been a big supporter of all different forms of motorsports. To have them want to be a part of my personal dirt racing ventures with Silva Motorsports and KLR with Carson (Macedo) means a great deal to me. “I look forward to growing my partnership with Lucas Oil like Joe (Gaerte) and Carson have been able to do.” Macedo is no stranger to the Lucas Oil family and he is pleased to continue the relationship as he transitions to the KLR team. “Over the past couple years driving Joe Gaerte’s (No.) 3g car, Lucas Oil has been a partner that we are very thankful to have,” said Macedo. “Lucas Oil is full of first-class people that provide a first-class product, so to have them make the transition over to KLR with me and Joe, is something we are pretty proud of.” Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/lucas-oil-backing-kyle-larson-racing/
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Post by woosprints12 on Mar 11, 2019 9:07:30 GMT -8
It’s All Ian Madsen In Thunderbowl Sprint
Last year’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Ian Madsen claims one of his weak points has been short tracks. Not anymore. The Australian won everything there was to win at the third-mile Thunderbowl Raceway Saturday night. Not even a couple of rain showers could slow him down. His team has been working hard to get the KCP Racing car better on the California short tracks, and “it showed tonight,” said Madsen, as he earned his first victory of the season with championship leader Daryn Pittman second and Sheldon Haudenschild in third. Madsen started the night fastest in practice — three tenths faster than second fastest Donny Schatz. He followed that up by claiming his second pole of the season. Then he dominated the first heat race of the night, crossing the line about one second ahead of second place Tim Kaeding. That led to him being the first driver to draw for the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash and leaving seven other drivers disappointed by drawing the pole. A heavy rain shower lingered over the track for about 15 minutes in between Madsen’s Heat and the Dash. It only made him faster. Again, in dominant fashion, he led every lap of the Dash, this time finishing close to two seconds ahead of second-place Pittman. Madsen showed his true speed in the final 35 laps of the night. He pulled away to an early lead, but Tim Shaffer showed muscle early on, keeping pace with Madsen. It didn’t last though. By lap 10, Pittman slid his way underneath Shaffer for second and began to hunt Madsen. Pittman, coming off a heartbreaking runner-up finish in Las Vegas, looked to be the only driver all night who could contend with Madsen. While Madsen battled lap traffic, Pittman closed the gap between them to about a couple of car lengths. And that was as close as he was going to get to the No. 18’s bumper. Madsen found his rhythm in lap traffic, pulling away to about a four second lead over Pittman, whose No. 83 Roth Motorsports car was able to close on Madsen again, but only to a second-and-a-half gap. “Ian was good. We just got beat,” said Pittman, of Owasso, Okla. “I liked the track conditions before it rained, but it is what it is.” Like Madsen, Pittman was unsure how he would perform at the Tulare short track, coming off strong performances at half-mile speedways. “We were kind of curious how our car was going to shake out at a smaller place,” he said. “We kind of got both spectrums there of super dry early in the night and pretty wet after the rain and the car was really good.” Madsen and Pittman drive a KPC Chassis, which is located nearby in Fresno, Calif. Aside from leading every lap, Madsen’s dominance was showcased by him lapping the field up to 11th-place and catching 10th-place Donny Schatz toward the end of the race. “It was just unreal,” Madsen said in almost disbelief, standing on the front stretch podium. “To get the clean sweep tonight is pretty awesome.” While Pittman finished second, he said he won’t hang his head on the finish. He continues to lead the Series’ championship standings over second-place Donny Schatz — adding 16 points to his cushion between the 10-time series champion. NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps) – 1. 18-Ian Madsen [1][$10,000]; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman [2][$5,500]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [4][$3,200]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [5][$2,800]; 5. 49X-Tim Shaffer [3][$2,500]; 6. 5-Shane Stewart [10][$2,300]; 7. 26-Cory Eliason [11][$2,200]; 8. 2-Carson Macedo [7][$2,100]; 9. 87-Aaron Reutzel [14][$2,050]; 10. 15-Donny Schatz [9][$2,000]; 11. O-Bud Kaeding [15][$1,500]; 12. 41-David Gravel [12][$1,200]; 13. 9-Kasey Kahne [8][$1,100]; 14. 4-Terry McCarl [16][$1,050]; 15. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [22][$1,000]; 16. 45-Chad Kemenah [24][$900]; 17. 68-Chase Johnson [17][$800]; 18. 19-Brent Marks [20][$800]; 19. 1S-Logan Schuchart [25][$]; 20. 7S-Tim Kaeding [6][$800]; 21. 17W-Shane Golobic [13][$800]; 22. 83JR-Giovanni Scelzi [23][$800]; 23. 88N-DJ Netto [19][$800]; 24. 11K-Kraig Kinser [21][$800]; 25. 16A-Colby Copeland [18][$800]; Lap Leaders: Ian Madsen 1-35; KSE Hard Charger Award: 45-Chad Kemenah[+8] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/ian-madsen-thunderbowl-sprint/2/
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Post by woosprints12 on Mar 13, 2019 17:19:32 GMT -8
Kahne Adjusting To The Sprint Car Lifestyle
Kasey Kahne’s race days have always been a bit noisy. Dozens of crews scurrying around a nearly two-ton stock car for days, wrenching and tuning. Hundreds of fans walking through the garage area, determined to get a picture or autograph. Media and cameras at every turn, questioning every detail of the weekend. Now, that noise has been turned down, but just a bit. In the pit area of a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car event, like the ones this Friday at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., or Saturday at The Stockton (Calif.) Dirt Track, Kahne is surrounded by only a couple of crew members, who tweak on his 1,400 lb. sprint car. A few dozen fans meandering up and down the pits — some looking for a quick picture or a handshake. And a handful of media members, the majority just looking to take pictures. Turning the volume down was not entirely voluntary. It was forced upon him by a health issue that caused him to put an early end to his NASCAR career. While he was not medically cleared to race again in NASCAR, he’s found a new challenge focusing on racing sprint cars – a division he’s loved since a kid. “It’s like the first thing I really got into at a young age,” Kahne says kneeling next his to orange No. 9 sprint car. “Because I got into it at a young age, and liked it so much, whether I was watching or racing myself, I’ve been hooked.” Kahne began racing sprint cars as a teenager in his home state of Washington. He eventually moved into the USAC ranks, winning a championship in 2000. Then a couple of years later made his move to NASCAR. A few years into his NASCAR career Kahne formed his own World of Outlaws Sprint Car team, Kasey Kahne Racing, which helped keep him in touch with the series — along with running a few races himself. “I’ve had a blast with all that over the years, whether I was at a NASCAR race watching the DIRTVision part of it or actually traveling and watching the races with the guys,” Kahne says. “I’ve always stayed really close to it and enjoyed it.” Since its inception in 2005, KKR has amassed one World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship — in 2013 with Daryn Pittman — and more than 170 series wins among several drivers, including last year’s Knoxville Nationals championship with Brad Sweet. Of the drivers that have won a series race for the team, Kahne is not one of them. He would like to be. NASCAR was his job. sprint cars… well, Kahne says he doesn’t really know what it is right now. “I hope that I actually feel like it’s a bit of a job,” Kahne says, following up with a joke that racing is never really a job. But he wants to work at it. “I want to feel like I’m working at it to make it work and do the things I want and then when we do have success it’ll feel that much better,” Kahne says. “I want to put the time in. I want to put the effort in. No matter what it is, to try and have that success. Doing that is definitely a little bit of work.” He knows he has a bit of homework to do, too. Kahne didn’t qualifying for the season opening race at Volusia Speedway Park and has cracked the top-15 twice so far this season. “I didn’t feel that my performance was good at all (at Volusia),” Kahne says. “I thought the track was really tough… It was slick and it was greasy all in the same corner. Around the whole track just about. It was tough to learn and figure out.” None of it had to do with his health, and he doesn’t expect it to ever be an issue with sprint car racing. Kahne says his issue is driving a car for an hour or two hours straight in humid weather. He would sweat a lot, get dehydrated and cramp up. He knows the temperature during mid-summer World of Outlaws races can get humid, but he is only in the car for 30 to 40 minutes. He says he felt fine after racing in Florida and expects to the rest of this season. His issue is seat time. When he first started in NASCAR, Kahne regularly made time to race sprint cars, but over time put more focus on his Cup Series car. That left less time for sprint cars. “I feel like now is by far the most difficult time I’ve had learning sprint cars,” Kahne says. “I’ve been so focused on the other style and it’s so much different than this (sprint car racing). The feel side of it I’m lacking a little bit and have to do a better job with my feet and my hands in different situations. And I think that’s all just laps. Once I figure that out, I’ll feel a lot more comfortable night in and night out.” His teammate, and last year’s runner-up in series points, Brad Sweet understands Kahne’s struggles well, having raced in NASCAR for three seasons then transitioning to the World of Outlaws full-time. “It’s relearning a lot of things and retraining himself,” Sweet says. “It’s just a completely different discipline.” Sweet is happy to see his car owner racing with the series though, citing Kahne’s deep passion for the sport and love for driving the cars. Kahne has scheduled more than 50 sprint car races – 44 of which, so far, are World of Outlaws races – for himself this year, but says he could easily add more, bringing his schedule to about 70 races. Kahne says he chose that schedule to ease into sprint car racing this year, giving himself time to formulate what he wants to do in 2020. There’s not one race he’s looking forward to more than the other. He’s eager for them all. When the Texas races rained out in late February, Kahne says he was ready to race in the rain. “I don’t like racing in the rain, mud, and all that, but I was like let’s do it, I’ll race,” Kahne says, grinning ear to ear. In the quiet pit area, kneeling next to his car with a couple of crew guys leisurely working around it, Kahne says he knows the new atmosphere and traveling schedule will be a big adjustment. “It’s a different type of pressure,” Kahne says. “There’s so many differences to it. I’m not doing normal things each week I would normally be doing the last 15, 17 years. Everything is different week to week, day to day for what it’s been in the past.” While 50 races are close to half of the World of Outlaws schedule, it’s about a quarter longer than NASCAR’s. There are weekday races, and doubleheader weekend races – sometimes at two different tracks, and sometimes in two different states. Instead of large team debriefs, it’s now just he and a few crew guys. Instead of hundreds of fans, a handful walk by on a race night, some just looking for a quick picture or handshake. And the media mostly is photographers looking for a picture. “So, it’s a much different day to day than what I’ve done for a long time,” Kahne says. “I think as we go, I’ll get more and more use to this and just really, really enjoy it.” Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/kahne-adjusting-sprint-car-lifestyle/
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Post by woosprints12 on Mar 19, 2019 18:34:56 GMT -8
Schuchart ‘Cowboys Up’ At Stockton Blue and orange confetti painted the landscape around Logan Schuchart, who climbed to the top wing of his Shark Racing sprint car with the checkered flag in one hand and other pointing to the sky. Thousands of fans cheered, and the first-time winner this season, Schuchart, cheered with them in victory lane at the Stockton Dirt Track. It was a scene that could have looked much different for Schuchart until about five laps to go in Saturday night’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series 30-lap FVP Platinum Battery Showdown. Shark Racing showed they were the apex predator from the start of the event. Hanover, Pa. native Schuchart was quickest in practice, and backed that up qualifying second behind teammate Jacob Allen. He then won his Heat race and drew the pole for the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, which he also won. At the start of the feature, Schuchart and Allen dueled side-by-side in front for less than half a lap before Schuchart shot to the lead. Four cautions in the first six laps never allowed him to get into a rhythm, but he maintained the lead each restart. Lurking behind him, though, was Shane Stewart — equally as hungry for his first Series win of the season, after finishing outside the top-10 the day prior. When restarting on lap six, Stewart did not let Schuchart out of his sight. With each lap, he inched closer and closer to the red-and-white Drydene-sponsored No. 1s. Coming off of turn four on lap 11, Schuchart, who had kept his car on the high side of the track, hit a rut, about bounced his car completely off the ground and into the wall, and lost the lead to Stewart. “I was running pretty hard when I was out by myself,” Schuchart said. “That’s what kind of got me in trouble. I almost flipped the thing, bouncing around, jumping up and down.” He added to stay consistent on the rough track conditions you had to “cowboy up.” While Stewart began to pull away to close to a half a track lead, Schuchart didn’t lose hope. He knew Stewart would face the same rough conditions running the top side of the track — providing the potential for his own mistake. But he never made one. Even when navigating lap traffic. Schuchart still didn’t give up hope. “I knew he was going to have the same issues, he’s going to want to get out front and stand on it,” Schuchart said. “You can count on probably some more yellows, because we were having one right after the other.” On lap 23, he got one. Kasey Kahne stopped on the frontstretch when his right-rear tire gave up, with debris left in turn four. When the race went back green, Stewart maintained the point once again. Until a lap later. His paced slowed, and Schuchart shot past Stewart for the lead with Brad Sweet following to surge into second place. Shortly after, Stewart was off the track in turn three with a flat right-rear tire. “They were saying some stuff may have broke off of Kasey’s (Kahne) car when I was trying to get around him, and I must have ran something over,” Stewart said. “Just one of those deals.” When the race went back green, Schuchart took command of the lead once again and drove to his ninth World of Outlaws win. “I thought his (Stewart’s) right rear looked a little low, but I’m not going to be the guy running second and tell him his tire is low, but I knew he wasn’t going to give up,” Schuchart said. “I’m just happy for this whole team. It’s very rewarding for all of their hard work to be able to get a win this early in the season.” Schuchart is the sixth different winner this year in seven races. Carson Macedo, who was the fifth different winner this season Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway pulled off another impressive run finishing seventh after starting 23rd – making him the KSE Hard Charger of the night. Even though Stewart’s promising night ended with disappointment, he is still leaving with newfound confidence. “I think we made some big gains throughout the night and learned a lot of stuff,” Stewart said. “We continue to learn. Even Barry (Jackson), you know, he’s been out here a long, long time. But he is dealing with a new driver, so we’re still trying to learn each other. We’re getting better.” It was Sweet’s second consecutive runner-up finish. “Tonight, it took some juevos, you had to get up on the wheel and try to hammer through the holes (in the track),” Sweet said. “Logan did a good job. It was kind of survival there… Two seconds place, we’re knocking on the door (of the points lead).” NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$5,500]; 3. 7S-Tim Kaeding [13][$3,200]; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel [12][$2,800]; 5. 88N-DJ Netto [9][$2,500]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu [14][$2,300]; 7. 2-Carson Macedo [23][$2,200]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [10][$2,100]; 9. 26-Cory Eliason [8][$2,050]; 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [25][$1,200]; 11. 83-Daryn Pittman [16][$1,500]; 12. O-Bud Kaeding [24][$1,200]; 13. 5-Shane Stewart [4][$1,100]; 14. 17W-Shane Golobic [18][$1,050]; 15. 41-David Gravel [20][$1,000]; 16. 18-Ian Madsen [22][$900]; 17. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [6][$800]; 18. 45-Chad Kemenah [15][$800]; 19. 29-Willie Croft [5][$800]; 20. 9-Kasey Kahne [11][$800]; 21. 5H-Cole Macedo [17][$800]; 22. 1A-Jacob Allen [2][$800]; 23. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [3][$800]; 24. 4-Terry McCarl [21][$800]; 25. 21-Brian Brown [19][$800]; Lap Leaders: Logan Schuchart 1-11, 24-30, Shane Stewart 12-23; KSE Hard Charger Award: 2-Carson Macedo[+16] Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/world-of-outlaws-sprint-cars/schuchart-cowboys-stockton/
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