By Lee Elder
BARBERVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 4, 2010) – Craig Dollansky started up front and he finished there, but in between he had to race like crazy. Dollansky prevailed in a green, white, checker finish at Volusia Speedway Park to win the opening night for the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Stars Circuit of Champions portion of the Dirt Car Nationals.
Goodyear is the exclusive tire provider for the rear tire positions for the All Stars, as well as for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.
“One question I had was about these Goodyear tires,” Dollansky said after winning the race. “I talked to some of the guys who tested them and I’m pretty happy with the result.”
Joey Saldana finished second, followed by Donny Schatz, Steve Kinser and Stevie Smith.
Dollansky posted the quickest time during qualifying, a time of 13.206 seconds, and started on the front row. He briefly lost the lead, then got it back and overcame the late yellow to win the event. The race featured a run of 16 green-flag laps and another run of 11 laps.
“We’re obviously very pleased with the performance of our Goodyear Eagles,” said Justin Fantozzi, Goodyear’s marketing manager of global race tires. “Tonight’s racing was very intense, as sprint car fans expect it to be, and our tires allowed the teams and drivers to race that way.”
The Dirt Car Nationals continue Thursday with another All Stars race and the Outlaws take over for the weekend.
Stevie Smith, the veteran who plans to race all five nights here, said he has already raced on the new Goodyear offerings twice this season. “I’m really happy,” Smith said. “I feel good about it.”
More information about Goodyear is available at www.racegoodyear.com.