By Tony Veneziano
Concord, NC January 29, 2010 Following one of the most competitive seasons in World of Outlaws history, in which 16 drivers won feature events, with 25 leading laps feature racing competition, and just 19 points separating Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers at the top of the standings, with third-place Joey Saldana only 70 markers behind, another stout field of drivers will take to the road for the nine month, nearly 80-race campaign in 2010 beginning in just one week.
The 2010 season kicks off with the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park, February 5-7, with a full night of racing on tap each and every night.
All the drivers that finished among the Top-10 in the series championship standings in 2009 will return, along with the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year.
Of the 17 drivers that are set to compete full-time in 2010, they account for 25 series championships and well over 900 career World of Outlaws A-Feature wins.
Three drivers will contend for the rookie crown this year, with Cody Darrah, Ben Gregg and Toni Lutar all taking to the road for full-time for the first time in their careers.
2010 World of Outlaws Drivers
Cody Darrah- One of three contenders for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award in 2010, Darrah will drive for Kasey Kahne Racing as a teammate to veteran Joey Saldana. Darrah, who hails from Red Lion, Penn., picked up his first career World of Outlaws A-Feature win last season in the finale of the Summer Nationals at his home track of Williams Grove Speedway. Darrah has competed in the DIRTcar National each of the last three years, setting fast time twice including in his debut at the half-mile in 2007.
Craig Dollansky- Driving for Big Game Motorsports and owner Tod Quiring, the veteran will pilot a familiar No. 7 machine this season. Dollansky will be teamed again with veteran crew chief Mike Woodring this season, with the team being based out of Dollansky s shop in Princeton, Minn. The veteran driver won during the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia in 2008 and has won the overall title in the season opening event in two of the last three years.
Brian Ellenberger- The reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner returns for his second full season on the road. The native of Butler, Penn., scored his best career World of Outlaws finish last season with a third-place performance at Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas. Ellenberger has competed in the DIRTcar Nationals seven times in his career including each of the last two years in the World of Outlaws portion of the event.
Ben Gregg- Will contend for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award driving the No. 2B machine. Born and raised in Ohio in the wings of Eldora Speedway, he moved to Arizona in 1995 and has been racing in the Southwest for the last seven seasons. He will have veteran crew chief Kirk Dewease, the brother of longtime Pennsylvania standout Lance Dewease, turning the wrenches for him. Gregg competed in the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia in 2007 and 2008.
Sam Hafertepe Jr.- The native of Sunnyvale, Texas returns to full-time World of Outlaws competition in 2010. After changing chassis and engine suppliers toward the middle of last season, he had a very strong second half of the season and nearly won with the World of Outlaws at his home track of Lone Star Speedway, which his family owns and operates. He picked up his first career World of Outlaws Top-Five finish during the 2007 DIRTcar Nationals, coming home fifth after winning the dash to earn his first career pole position with the series
Jac Haudenschild- The 2009 inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame returns for his third season behind the wheel of the No. R19 for the Carnahan Motorsports team. He will be teamed with veteran crew chief Leonard Lee again this season. The pair won five times in their first season together back in 2008. Haudenschild finished ninth in the opener of the DIRTcar Nationals last season and was third on the second night and has five career Top-10 finishes with the World of Outlaws at Volusia.
Tim Kaeding- The two-time Silver Dollar Speedway track champion and 2000 King of California returns to the World of Outlaws tour aboard the familiar No. 83 for the Roth Motorsports team based out of California. Kaeding will be teamed with veteran crew chief Mike Cool with Sonny Kratzer and Todd Ventura overseeing the team. Kaeding and Cool won a number of races together in 2006 and early 2007. In his career in the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Kaeding has eight Top-10 finishes dating back to 2005, including a win in 2007 with the All Star Circuit of Champions, with Cool turning the wrenches.
Chad Kemenah- The 2006 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year returns to full-time competition this season, after beginning last year on the road, before the team he was driving for ceased operations. He was victorious last season in the final World of Outlaws event ever held at the famed Manzanita Speedway. Kemenah won the season opener of the 2006 DIRTcar Nationals and has competed in the event for each of the last five years.
Kraig Kinser-Returns this year to Steve Kinser Racing to pilot the No. 11K. Will have rookie crew chief Mike Kuemper turning the wrenches along with his sister Stevie. The third generation driver was the 2004 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year driving for his father s team and also won the 2005 Knoxville Nationals in the No. 11K machine. He finished fourth in the opener of the DIRTcar Nationals last season and was sixth in the finale.
Steve Kinser-Will be chasing his record 21st World of Outlaws title this season driving for Tony Stewart Racing as a teammate to four-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz. Kinser, who had surgery in the off-season to fix a bulging disc, is back to 100 percent as he looks to add to his amazing 552 career A-Feature wins with the series. In the DIRTcar Nationals, Kinser has one win with the World of Outlaws in 2005 and four overall victories over the years.
Danny Lasoski- Is back with the Parsons Motorsports Team again this season after winning five times in his first year with the team in 2009 to finish sixth in points. He is one of three former champions competing full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2010. Lasoski won for the first time with the World of Outlaws in the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia in 2008 and is the winningest sprint car driver in the event with 17 overall triumphs dating back to 1988.
Toni Lutar-Will be the first Canadian driver to take to the road with the World of Outlaws in quite some time. Hailing from British Columbia, he will have the longest tow to Florida to kick off the season. Lutar will be one of three contenders for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. He will be making his debut in the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.
Jason Meyers- After coming up just 19 points short of winning the title last year, the native of Clovis, California, returns with his entire crew and team intact from last year. Meyers won a career-best 10 times overall with the World of Outlaws last year and led the series in Top-10 finishes and was one of just three drivers to lead at least 300 laps of feature racing competition. He won for the first time with the World of Outlaws in the DIRTcar Nationals in 2008 and finished in the Top-10 in each of the last six events for the series at the half-mile.
Joey Saldana-The second generation driver won a career-best 20 A-Feature events and 21 times overall with the World of Outlaws last year en route to finishing third in points. Saldana will have Willie Kahne as his crew chief again in 2010. The pair reunited last year after working together in 2006, which was Saldana s first year with Kasey Kahne Racing. They have won 27 races together and have finished third in points in each of their two seasons together. Saldana was victorious on the second night of the DIRTcar Nationals last year to earn his second World of Outlaws win in the event. He has eight overall triumphs at Volusia Speedway Park in his career.
Donny Schatz-Four-time and defending series champion will be back in the No. 15 machine for Tony Stewart Racing with longtime crew chief Ricky Warner turning the wrenches. He will be teamed with 20-time series champion Steve Kinser this year for TSR. Schatz won his 100th career World of Outlaws A-Feature event last season in his home state of North Dakota and is just seven wins away from being tied for the fourth spot on the all-time win list. He won twice with the World of Outlaws last season during the DIRTcar Nationals along with picking up a pair of wins with the All Star Circuit of Champions to bring his career win total to eight at the half-mile.
Jason Sides- The native of Bartlett, Tennessee won twice last season and picked up a career high number of Top-Five and Top-10 finishes and wound up a career-best fifth in points. The 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year will pilot his familiar No. 7S machine again in 2010. Sides opened last season with a couple of runner-up finishes in the DIRTcar Nationals including a thriller on opening night which saw him and Joey Saldana battle for the win. His second-place performance on the second night of the season found him tied for the series point lead for the first time in his career. He has finished seventh or better in three of his last four starts at Volusia with the World of Outlaws.
Lucas Wolfe- The 2008 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner returns for his third consecutive season on the road with the World of Outlaws. The second generation driver will have his father Randy, the reigning World of Outlaws Crew Chief of the Year, turning the wrenches for him again in 2010. The native of Mechanicsburg, Penn, who finished a career-best 10th in points, last year, has opened each of the last three seasons in the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia.
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 visit: http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 386-985-4402. Each ticket purchased is also a free fan pit pass.
Race fans unable to make the annual trek south to Volusia need not worry. All 12 nights (Feb. 2nd-13th) will air LIVE on www.dirtvision.com beginning approximately at 7 p.m. each night.
For full 2010 driver previews and complete 2010 driver bios visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Goodyear Tires (Official Tire), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake s Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder’s Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder s Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.