By Tony Veneziano
Barberville, FL—January 25, 2010—Champions will abound at Volusia Speedway Park when the World of Outlaws open the 2010 season with the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by the University of Northwestern Ohio, February 5-7. Leading the way will be Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz and Danny Lasoski, who have combined to win each of the last 10 World of Outlaws titles.
Kinser first competed in the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park back in 1977 and has always been fast at the half-mile with four career victories. Schatz won twice last year during the event with the World of Outlaws and four overall victories in the DIRTcar Nationals and has eight wins in his career in the event, while Lasoski is the winningest driver in a sprint car during the season opening event with 17 career triumphs.
Schatz, the four-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, opened last season with a win at Volusia, dueling with Jason Sides for the top prize. He also picked up a victory in the finale of the three-day tilt to leave the Sunshine State as the series point leader. The North Dakota native has eight career wins at the half-mile, with the first of those coming in 2006. He scored his first World of Outlaws win in the DIRTcar Nationals the following season. He made his debut at the track back in 1996, picking up a Top-10 in an event under the All Star Circuit of Champions banner.
“Volusia is a very tricky place,” notes Schatz. “It came be 200 miles apart between two different nights and that’s something that wears on you a little bit. It’s a big track and the gap in the racing at the half-miles has gotten so much closer between everybody. You just have to keep doing things that keep you a little bit ahead. My guys have worked hard this winter to make sure that I am going to be in a good situation.”
Steve Kinser, the 20-time series champion, competed at Volusia for the first 33 years ago and has over 30 starts at the half-mile in his legendary career. He won for the first time in the DIRTcar Nationals in 1984. The native of Bloomington, Indiana scored his first World of Outlaws win at the half-mile in 2005. He has four career wins in the DIRTcar Nationals to go along with 20 Top-10 finishes. He is one of just three drivers that finished in the Top-10 in all three World of Outlaws races during the event last year and was among the Top-10 in all six nights of the sprint car portion of the lid lifter in 2009.
“You have to go down there and bring a good piece of equipment and have everything running well,” shared Kinser. “Everyone that is down there will have fresh cars, fresh motors and fresh everything, not that everyone doesn’t have good equipment generally through the whole season now. You’ll see a lot of cars from all over the Unites States there and a good car count. It’s a tough place to go to.”
Danny Lasoski, the 2001 World of Outlaws champion, made his debut at Volusia in 1986 and won for the first time during the DIRTcar Nationals in 1988. He leads all sprint car drivers with 17 career wins during the season opening event at the half-mile. He scored his victory with the World of Outlaws at the track during the 2008 DIRTcar Nationals. In his career at Volusia in February, the native of Dover, Missouri has nearly 50 Top-10 finishes.
“You show up at the very first race of the year and you have the best of the best there,” Lasoski said. “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.”
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 DIRTcar Nationals visit: http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 386-985-4402. Each ticket purchased is also a free fan pit pass.