From Tony Veneziano
Dollansky wins Down Under: Craig Dollansky started 18th on Saturday at Bendigo Bank Arena in Latrobe, Tasmania, Australia and charged all the way to the front to pick up his second win of 2010 Down Under in the 30-lap main event. Lucas Wolfe, the 2008 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, also competed in the event as did veteran Paul McMahan, who finished fourth.
In the U.S.A. vs. Tasmania heat race challenges, which pit the three American drivers against three Tasmanian drivers in six rounds of heats, McMahan won the second heat, with Dollansky victorious in the third heat and Wolfe taking the checkered flag in the fifth heat. Dollansky finished in the Top-Three of five of the six heats that were contested. For the second consecutive weekend, the American team scored the most points and won the overall U.S.A. vs. Tasmania Sprintcar Challenge 2-0.
Another strong run: Jason Sides picked up his second consecutive runner-up finish with the World Series Sprintcars at Parramatta City Raceway in Australia on Saturday. The 2003 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year lined up third for the event and took the lead early, before eventual winner Robbie Farr got around him. Sides began the night with a fourth-place run in the fourth heat race.
A strong start: Jason Sides finished second in the opener of the two-day World Series Sprintcar event at Parramatta City Raceway on Friday night. He began the night by turning in the fourth fastest time of the 52 cars that took to the track for time trials. The native of Bartlett, Tennessee lined up fourth for the preliminary feature. He finished the opener with the third most event points, which put him in a good position for the finale on Saturday night.
The Classic: Craig Dollansky, Jason Sides and Lucas Wolfe all will take part in the Grand Annual Classic at Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway next weekend in Australia. Dollansky will gear up for that event by competing in the Presidents Cup at Avalon Raceway this coming Wednesday.
All America Honors: Donny Schatz and Joey Saldana were both recognized on Saturday night during the 40th Annual American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association All-American Auto Racing Team Banquet for their spots on the 2009 All-America Team. Schatz, the four-time and defending World of Outlaws champion made the First Team for the fourth consecutive year, while Saldana was named to the Second Team for the second time in his career. The banquet was held at the John Force Racing headquarters in Brownsburg, Indiana and was attended by AARWBA members from coast-to-coast.
Well represented: The World of Outlaws claimed each of the top four spots in the 2009 “Driver of the Year” voting conducted by the North American 410 Sprint Car Poll. Donny Schatz claimed the overall “Driver of the Year Award” over Joey Saldana, Jason Meyers and Steve Kinser. World of Outlaws drivers took six of the Top-10 spots in voting, with Danny Lasoski and Jason Sides both tied for the seventh. A total of eight World of Outlaws drivers were among the Top-20 in voting, with Craig Dollansky and Jac Haudenschild also checking in.
Taking home some hardware: Jack Elam of J&J Chassis, who built the machines that Donny Schatz drove to his fourth consecutive World of Outlaws title, recently was honored as the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” by the North American 410 Sprint Car Poll. Elam, who was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2009, has won the award in each of the last two seasons and six times overall in his career.
Up close and personal: A FREE Fan Pit Pass is available to every ticket buyer who comes through the main gates every night during the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park beginning on February 2. All fans have to do once they arrive at the track is take their grandstand ticket and head toward the pits, where a table will be set up to sign-in for an up-close look at the cars and stars who will be racing that night. To purchase tickets call Volusia Speedway Park at 386-985-4402 and for more information visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com.
Keep up with all the action: The number of “Followers” keeping up with the World of Outlaws via Twitter online and through text messages on cell phones continues to grow and recently surpassed the 2,300 “Follower” mark. Updates are provided throughout race nights beginning with hot laps and continuing all the way through the final checkered flag of the night. To sign-up visit: http://twitter.com/worldofoutlaws and receive live race updates, anywhere, anytime. Off-season news and notes are also provided.