By Tony Veneziano
Barberville, FL—January 22, 2010—The numbers are staggering, 25 World of Outlaws championships accounted for, 931 A-Feature wins with the series, seven Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winners, and that’s just the drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2010 that will be at the season opening 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by the University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 5-7.
Add in the drivers that will compete in the three-day lid lifter representing the All Star Circuit of Champions, the Pennsylvania Posse, Knoxville Raceway, Ohio and the West Coast and those numbers swell to well over 1,000 World of Outlaws A-Feature wins, at least 10 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winners and numerous championships accounted for with the All Stars, the Golden State Challenge Series, Williams Grove Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, Huset’s Speedway, Lernerville Speedway and Silver Dollar Speedway among others.
The “best of the best” will be on-hand each and every night of the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park to help raise the curtain on the 2010 World of Outlaws season, which is shaping up to be another of the most competitive in the 30-plus year history of the series.
Five drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2010 are among the Top-10 on the series all-time win list, with 20-time champion Steve Kinser topping that list with an amazing 552 career A-Feature wins. Donny Schatz, the four-time and defending series champion, is currently fifth all-time with 100 A-Feature triumphs, with 2001 titlist Danny Lasoski sixth on the list at 86 victories, while Joey Saldana is ninth with 59 wins and Jac Haudenschild rounds out the Top-10 with 51 A-Feature victories with the series in his Hall of Fame career.
Stevie Smith, the eighth winninest driver in series history with 67 A-Feature triumphs, will open his season at the DIRTcar Nationals as well, pitting six of the Top-10 on the World of Outlaws all-time win list against each other at Volusia Speedway Park for three consecutive nights.
“You show up at the very first race of the year and you have the best of the best there,” stated Danny Lasoski, who has 17 career sprint car wins during the DIRTcar Nationals, including one with the World of Outlaws in 2008. “Everyone is itching to race and you’ll see how you stack up and if you did your homework over the winter and what kind of team you have.”
Each and every one of the Top-11 drivers in the World of Outlaws championship standings from 2009 will return this season beginning at the DIRTcar Nationals. Jason Meyers, who came within 19 points of his first series title last year, begins the year with 35 career A-Feature wins on the World of Outlaws trail. Craig Dollansky is just four wins behind him with 31 A-Feature triumphs in his career with the World of Outlaws.
Jason Sides, who finished fifth in points last year, nearly picked up two wins during the DIRTcar Nationals and will look to add to his four career series wins in 2010. Kraig Kinser, who won during the 2004 DIRTcar Nationals with the All Stars and has nine career World of Outlaws A-Feature wins, will return to the No. 11K machine this year for his father’s team, Steve Kinser Racing. Lucas Wolfe, who was 10th in points in 2009, will return for his third consecutive year with the World of Outlaws. Brian Ellenberger, who claimed the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award last season, will return for his sophomore campaign in 2010.
Also taking to the road full-time with the World of Outlaws beginning at the DIRTcar Nationals will be Cody Darrah who won his first World of Outlaws event in 2009, Ben Gregg from Arizona and Toni Lutar, who hails from British Columbia, Canada. Also back on the road full-time in 2010 will be Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Chad Kemenah, who has three career wins with the series.
“Florida has always been tough” said Kemenah, who won the opener of the DIRTcar Nationals in 2006. “Even when I was a kid and my dad’s race car was down there, it was tough. It never changes. The best of the best come there from all over and they want to get a leg up on the next guy when they go home. Florida is just tough, it’s hard.”
Tim Shaffer, who claimed the All Stars title last season and has 12 career World of Outlaws A-Feature wins, will be on-hand for the DIRTcar Nationals, as well as Terry McCarl, the six-time Knoxville Raceway and Huset’s Speedway track champion, who has nine career World of Outlaws A-Feature wins. Tim Kaeding, who has won the championship with the Golden State Challenge Series as well as at Silver Dollar Speedway and has six career World of Outlaws A-Feature wins, will also be in attendance.
Representing the Pennsylvania Posse will be Greg Hodnett, who won three times with the World of Outlaws in 2009, including the National Open at Williams Grove Speedway. Fred Rahmer, the multi-time Williams Grove Speedway Champion who has five career World of Outlaws triumphs will open his season in the DIRTcar Nationals, along with fellow Pennsylvania standout Lance Dewease, who has won six times over the years with the World of Outlaws.
Daryn Pittman, who has 29 career World of Outlaws A-Feature wins will also represent the Pennsylvania Posse as he will pilot the No. 17 machine for Jesse Keen again in 2010 beginning at the DIRTcar Nationals. Other drivers expected to make the tow south from the Keystone State include: Doug Esh, Mike Erdley and Mark Smith among others.
A full week of Sprint Car racing during the DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH kicks off on Feb. 2 with a test session, followed by two nights under the All Star Circuit Champions banner (Feb. 3-4) before the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series takes center stage Friday through Sunday (Feb. 5-7).
To purchase tickets online for the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park visit: http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call Volusia Speedway Park at 386-985-4402.