From Lee Elder
A World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship season typically has more twists and turns of fortune than a soap opera. This year’s WoO season has had a cliff hanger after every race.
And it has happened again. A plot twist of Erica Kane proportions burst upon the Outlaws title chasers when Joey Saldana, who has been the championship leader for most of the season, was injured in a crash at Eldora Speedway over the weekend. He crashed after making contact with another car in a racing incident.
Saldana has missed one WoO race so far and has fallen to third place in the standings, trailing Jason Meyers and Steve Kinser. Donny Schatz is fourth, just behind Saldana.
Goodyear is the Official Tiremaker of the WoO and has helped make the 2010 title hunt a thriller by creating tires that have allowed the drivers to charge to the front from starting spots deep in the field.
Jac Haudenschild charged from his seventh starting spot to win at Eldora and the next night he started 19th and finished eighth at Learnerville. Tim Shaffer started 11th and finished third at Learnerville.
Goodyear is the exclusive tire provider for the rear wheel positions on the WoO sprint cars.
Haudenschild beat Sammy Swindell to win at Eldora. Swindell, Paul McMahan, Danny Lososki and Shaffer capped the top five finishers. Schatz won at Learnerville, followed by McMahan, Shaffer and Dale Blaney.
The standings, as of Sept. 28, show Meyers with 8,463 points. Kinser has, 8,413. Saldana is next with 8,378 and Schatz is fourth with 8,374.
More information about Goodyear Racing is available at www.racegoodyear.com. More information about the World of Outlaws is available at www.worldofoutlaws.com.