From Tony Veneziano
Concord, NC — Donny Schatz came out on top of the closest point race ever in World of Outlaws history with a sixth-place finish on Saturday night in the finale of the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway to edge Jason Meyers by just 19 points after 65 A-Feature events and 67 total races including two preliminary features. Schatz began the World Finals by setting fast time in both rounds of time trials which were held last Thursday to earn 10 bonus points in the standings to help wrap up his fourth consecutive title. The North Dakota native won 12 times this season and led the series with 39 Top-Five finishes.
Meyers wrapped up the season with nine A-Feature wins and 10 victories overall and led the series with 55 Top-10 finishes en route to finishing second in points for the second consecutive season and for the third time in his career. Over the course of the final 17 races of the season, the native of Clovis, California finished eighth or better in each of them.
Joey Saldana finished third in points after scoring a career-high 20 A-Feature wins and 21 overall victories. The second generation driver led the series in laps led and money earned. He wrapped up the 2009 campaign with 48 Top-10 finishes of which 37 were Top-Five performances.
Steve Kinser ended up fourth in points which marked the 26th time in his legendary career that he has finished in the Top-Five in points with the World of Outlaws. The 20-time series champion racked up 49 Top-10 finishes this season with 35 of those being Top-Fives with two A-Feature wins to bring his career total to 552.
Jason Sides finished a career-best fifth in the standings on the strength of 47 Top-10 finishes with 24 of those being Top-Fives including two wins.
Danny Lasoski wrapped up his first season driving for the Parsons Motorsports team sixth in the standings on the strength of five A-Feature wins and 42 Top-10 finishes.
Craig Dollansky won three times in 2009 and racked up 41 Top-10 finishes en route to a seventh-place finish in points which marked the eighth consecutive season he has finished seventh or better in the championship standings.
Kraig Kinser picked up 30 Top-10 finishes with 10 of those being Top-Fives en route to an eighth-place showing in points, which marked the third time in his career he has finished in the Top-10 in the World of Outlaws standings.
Jac Haudenschild finished ninth in points on the strength of 31 Top-10 finished with 14 of those being in the Top-Five to earn a Top-10 finish for the 15 times in his career with the World of Outlaws.
Lucas Wolfe completed his sophomore season on the World of Outlaws trail 10th in points with 18 Top-10 finishes of which five were Top-Fives.
Brian Ellenberger finished 11th in points to earn the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. He picked up four Top-10 finishes this season including a career-best third-place run at Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas.
2009 Final World of Outlaws Championship Standings
| Position | Driver | Pts. | Difference | Earnings | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 |
| 1. | Donny Schatz | 8908 | $322,900 | 12 | 39 | 54 | |
| 2. | Jason Meyers | 8889 | -19 | $255,905 | 9 | 34 | 55 |
| 3. | Joey Saldana | 8838 | -70 | $371,535 | 20 | 37 | 48 |
| 4. | Steve Kinser | 8666 | -242 | $176,700 | 2 | 32 | 49 |
| 5. | Jason Sides | 8543 | -365 | $181,780 | 2 | 24 | 47 |
| 6 | Danny Lasoski | 8431 | -477 | $197,230 | 5 | 24 | 42 |
| 7. | Craig Dollansky | 8172 | -736 | $147,800 | 3 | 21 | 41 |
| 8. | Kraig Kinser | 8074 | -834 | $102,075 | 0 | 10 | 30 |
| 9. | Jac Haudenschild | 7889 | -1019 | $110,225 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| 10. | Lucas Wolfe | 7629 | -1279 | $80,425 | 0 | 5 | 18 |
| 11. | Brian Ellenberger | 6699 | -2209 | $46,990 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 12. | Sam Hafertepe Jr. | 5467 | -3441 | $65,230 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
| 13. | Sammy Swindell | 4699 | -4209 | $72,880 | 0 | 7 | 19 |
| 14. | Tim Kaeding | 4574 | -4334 | $70,675 | 1 | 5 | 17 |
| 15. | Chad Kemenah | 4405 | -4503 | $54,765 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| 16. | Terry McCarl | 4030 | -4878 | $84,750 | 2 | 9 | 22 |
| 17. | Daryn Pittman | 2967 | -5941 | $39,000 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| 18. | Randy Hannagan | 2912 | -5996 | $42,885 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 19. | Kerry Madsen | 2877 | -6031 | $33,150 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 20. | Tony Bruce Jr. | 2558 | -6350 | $32,160 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
2009 STAT ATTACK
There have been 65 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events and two preliminary feature events in 2009.
A-Feature winners (16 Different Drivers) Driver, Hometown – Wins
1- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 20
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 12
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 9
4- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 5
5- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 3
6- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 2
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 2
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 2
7- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Preliminary Feature winners (2 Different Drivers) Driver, Hometown – Wins
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 1
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 1
Lap leaders, including A-features and preliminary features Car, driver, hometown – Total laps led (25 Different Drivers)
1- Joey Saldana- Brownsburg, Indiana- 477 laps
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 357 laps
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 306 laps
4- Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 149 laps
5- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 146 laps
6- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 141 laps
7- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 99 laps
8- Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 75 laps
9- Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 49 laps
10- Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 45 laps
11- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 43 laps
12- Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque, New Mexico- 39 laps
13- Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 37 laps
14- Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 34 laps
15- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 30 laps
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 30 laps
16- Danny Smith, Danville, Indiana- 26 laps
17- Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 25 laps
18- Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 24 laps
19- Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 22 laps
20- Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 21 laps
21- Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 14 laps
22- Peter Murphy, Clovis, California- 10 laps
23- Jayme Barnes, Everett, Washington- 8 laps
24- Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 5 laps
Time trial leaders (20 Different Drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Quick times
1- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 13
2- Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 10
3- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 8
4- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 5
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 5
5- Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 4
6- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 3
7- Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 2
Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 2
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 2
8- Jonathan Allard, Chico, California- 1
Ryan Bohlke, Fredon, New Jersey- 1
Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 1
Pat Cannon, Etters, Pennsylvania- 1
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1
Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Track records established during 2009 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series events (10)
Joey Saldana, March 13, Silver Dollar Speedway (1/4-mile), Chico, California, 10.918 seconds at 82.433 mph
Terry McCarl, March 20, Thunderbowl Raceway (1/3-mile), Tulare, California, 12.713 seconds at 94.297 mph
Joey Saldana, April 17, Paducah International Raceway (3/8-mile), Paducah, Kentucky, 12.825 seconds at 105.263 mph
Sammy Swindell, July 4, Eagle Raceway (1/3-mile), Eagle, Nebraska, 11.076 seconds at 108.234 mph
Joey Saldana, July 29, Ohsweken Speedway (3/8-mile), Ohsweken, Ontario, 12.420 seconds at 108.696 mph
Jason Meyers, August 21, River Cities Speedway (0.3-mile), Grand Forks, 9.269 seconds at 116.517 mph
Danny Lasoski, August 22, Dacotah Speedway (3/8-mile), Mandan, North Dakota, 12.705 seconds at 106.257 mph
Jason Sides, September 4, Skagit Speedway (3/10th-mile), Alger, Washington, 10.872 seconds at 99.338 mph
Kerry Madsen, September 16, Clay County Fair Speedway (3/8-mile), Spencer, Iowa, 13.345 seconds at 101.161 mph
Sam Hafertepe Jr., September 19, Deer Creek Speedway (3/8-mile) Spring Valley, Minnesota, 11.583 seconds at 116.550 mph
Crane Cams Dash Winners (23 Different Winners) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Dash Wins
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 10
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 8
3- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 6
4- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 5
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 5
5- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 4
6- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 3
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 3
7- Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 2
8- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 1
Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 1
Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 1
Cale Conley, Vienna, West Virginia- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio-1
Peter Murphy, Clovis, California- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Pole Positions (23 Different Drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Poles
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 10
2- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 8
3- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 6
4- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 5
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 5
5- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 4
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 4
6- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 3
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 3
7- Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 3
8- Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 2
9- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 1
Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Missouri- 1
Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kansas- 1
Cale Conley, Vienna, West Virginia- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Peter Murphy, Clovis, California- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
B-main Winners (36 Different Winners) Rank – Driver, Hometown – B-Main Wins
1- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 4
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 3
2- Brian Ellenberger, Butler, Pennsylvania- 3
Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma- 3
Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 3
Tommy Worley, Farmington, Missouri- 3
3- Cale Conley, Vienna, West Virginia- 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 2
Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 2
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 2
Bob Martin, East Grand Forks, Minnesota- 2
4- Bill Balog, Cameron, Wisconsin- 1
Jayme Barnes, Everett, Washington- 1
Garry Brazier, Sydney, NSW, Australia- 1
Daron Clayton, Sikeston, Missouri- 1
Colby Copeland, Roseville, California- 1
Roger Crockett, Medford, Oregon- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Cole Duncan, Lockborne, Ohio- 1
Dave Ely, Singing Spring, Pennsylvania- 1
Mike Erdley, Elizabethville, Pennsylvania- 1
Kaley Gharst, Decatur, Illinois- 1
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1
Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, South Dakota- 1
Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, Missouri- 1
Thomas Kennedy, Winnipeg, Manitoba- 1
Chad Layton, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania- 1
Brian Leppo, New Oxford, Pennsylvania- 1
Toni Lutar, White Rock, British Columbia- 1
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 1
Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 1
Greg Nikitenko, Minot, North Dakota- 1
Daryn Pittman, Owasso. Oklahoma- 1
Sean Robinson, Bronson, Michigan- 1
Travis Rutz, Langley, British Columbia- 1
Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 1
Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, California- 1
Chris Shirek, Thompson, North Dakota- 1
Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, Ohio- 1
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award
1- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 7
2- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 6
3- Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 5
Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW- 5
4- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 4
5- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 3
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 3
Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Australia- 3
6- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 2
7- Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 2
Chris Shirek, Thompson, North Dakota- 2
Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, California- 2
8- Daron Clayton, Sikeston, Missouri- 1
Dustin Daggett, Portland, Michigan- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Greg DeCaires- Elk Grove, California- 1
Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks, North Dakota- 1
Trevor Green, Adelaide, NSW, Australia- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque, New Mexico- 1
Aaron Higgins, Waverly, Ohio- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Brad Kuhn, Avon, Indiana- 1
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 1
Brian Montieth, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania- 1
Sean Moran, Sherwood Park, Alberta- 1
Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, Pennsylvania- 1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Olive Branch, Mississippi- 1
George Suprick, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania- 1
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 1
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 1
Jessica Zemken, Sprakers, New York- 1
Penske Power Position
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 9
2- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 8
3- Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 7
4- Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio-6
5- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 5
6- Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 5
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 5
7- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 3
8- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 2
Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 2
Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 2
9- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 1
Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 1
Brian Ellenberger, Butler, Pennsylvania- 1
Randy Hannagan, San Jose, California- 1
Greg Hodnett, Memphis, Tennessee- 1
Brent Kaeding, Campbell, California- 1
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1
Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 1
Danny Smith, Danville, Indiana- 1
Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- 1
Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, Washington- 1
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 1
Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Australia- 1
SuperClean Start Award
1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 8
2- Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 7
3- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 6
4- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 4
Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 4
5- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 3
Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 3
6- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 2
Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 2
Tim Kaeding, San Jose. California- 2
Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 2
Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 2
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tennessee- 2
Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Australia- 2
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 2
Jessica, Zemken, Sprakers, New York- 2
7- Jonanthan Allard, Chico, California- 1
Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1
Jason Johnson, Eunice, Louisiana- 1
Bud Kaeding, Campbell, California- 1
Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, California- 1
Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW- 1
Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 1
Travis Rutz, Langley, British Columbia- 1
Chris Shirek, Thompson, North Dakota- 1
Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 1
Crane Cams Engine Builder Challenge
Speedway Engines 253
Shaver Specialties 233 -20
Kistler 208 -45
Don Ott 207 -46
Chassis Builder Challenge
Maxim 302
J&J 283 -19