By Tony Veneziano
Attica, OH-May 18, 2010- Versatility will be the name of the game this weekend for World of Outlaws drivers as they head to the 1/3-mile high-banked bullring at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio on Friday, May 21, following six consecutive races on half-miles. The series has competed on a 1/3-mile track twice this season with Jason Meyers and Joey Saldana picking up wins.
Following a trio of races last week on the East Coast, Joey Saldana has moved back atop the World of Outlaws championship standings for the second time this year and currently holds a 13-point advantage over 20-time series champion Steve Kinser, while Jason Meyers, the series leader in wins is third, 20 markers out of the top spot.
Dale Blaney beat the World of Outlaws last season at Attica Raceway Park, taking the top spot when Donny Schatz tangled with a lapped car while leading and he wound up holding off Meyers, who led early in the race.
Schatz, the four-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, was victorious at Attica Raceway Park in 2008. He finished third in 2007 and was eighth in his debut at the high-banked bullring in 2005. The North Dakota native is looking to return to Victory Lane for the first time since the season opener on February 5.
Saldana won at Attica in 2007 with the World of Outlaws and has finished second and eighth in the two following races. In his career at the high-banked bullring, he has won a total of six times and has over 30 Top-10 finishes.
The World of Outlaws competed at Attica Raceway Park for the first time in 1990 with Steve Kinser picking up the checkered flag in that race. The 20-time series champion won the following season as well and is the only driver that has won more than once with the series at the track. Kinser has a total of four career wins at Attica over the years.
In each of the last seven races for the World of Outlaws at Attica, there has been a different winner.
The Buzz-
* Jason Meyers heads to Attica carrying the momentum from his fifth win of the season last Saturday night at Virginia Motor Speedway. He has finished in the Top-Five in each of his last three starts at Attica Raceway Park.
* Joey Saldana leads the series standings heading to Attica where he has six overall career wins and over 30 Top-10 finishes in his career at the track. The Indiana native came from 22nd to finish eighth there last season.
* Steve Kinser won in 1990 and 1991 at the 1/3-mile bullring and looks for his first win of 2010 on a short track. He has been victorious twice on half-miles and is just 13 markers out of the point lead as he chases his record 21st title.
* Donny Schatz looks to rebound after having some bad luck last season at Attica. He led 20 laps before contact with a lapped car ended his night. He won at the track in 2008 with the series.
* Paul McMahan has had a great deal of success in his career at Attica, finishing in the Top-10 in nearly every start he has made at the track as he looks for his first win there. He is currently sixth in points and won a few weeks ago in Ohio at Eldora Speedway.
* Chad Kemenah has won 20 times in his career and has well over 100 Top-10 finishes at his home track of Attica Raceway Park.
* Jac Haudenschild, who has a couple of career wins at Attica, will have the chance to race against his son Sheldon for the second time in a World of Outlaws race. They raced for the first time against each other with the series last fall at Eldora.
* Craig Dollansky has the best average finish at Attica Raceway Park of the drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws, with that being six. He has finished sixth or better in three of his four career starts with the series at the track and been among the Top-10 all four times he has raced with the series there.
* Sam Hafertepe Jr. came all the way from 21st to finish fifth last season at Attica. He looks to carry momentum from a runner-up finish last weekend as he continues to chase his first World of Outlaws win.
* Ben Gregg and Toni Lutar who are competing for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award will both be making their first career starts at Attica Raceway Park.
One year ago
Dale Blaney scored his first World of Outlaws A-Feature triumph in nearly nine years as he took the checkered flag over Jason Meyers and Tim Shaffer. The race began with Donny Schatz leading from the pole, though prior to the first lap being complete, a red flag led to a complete restart. On the second start, Meyers got the jump from outside the front row and held off several challenges by Schatz during the first few laps. Schatz got around Meyers on the fifth lap but the caution flew and Meyers retained the lead. Meyers led the restart and the pair quickly found traffic, allowing Schatz to close. He used the low side of turn one to take the point on lap 10 while Meyers nearly retook the lead.
From there, Schatz began to pull away until a lap 16 caution. He used a strong restart to quickly jump to a lead over Meyers, who had hands full with Blaney. Blaney took second on lap 21 and slowly began to chip away at Schatz’s lead. Schatz was in command on lap 31 when he tangled with a lapped car that caused him to spin and get into the wall and then was hit by another car, handing the lead to Blaney.
By the numbers-Attica Raceway Park
0.33- Miles around Attica Raceway Park
0.900- Margins of victory last season at Attica for Dale Blaney over Jason Meyers
3 -Drivers that led laps in the feature event at the track last season; Drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that were born and raised in Ohio
4- Track records that have been established in time trials this season
5- A-Feature wins for Jason Meyers this season to lead the series
7- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws at Attica Raceway Park; Races in the state of Ohio in 2010 for the World of Outlaws
8- Times this season that the margin of victory in a feature event has been less than a second
10- Drivers that have won A-Feature events this season; Laps led by Dale Blaney en route to winning at Attica last season
11- Drivers that have been quickest in time trials in 2010
11.306- Track record established by Butch Schroeder at Attica Raceway Park in 1998
13- Points that currently separate point leader Joey Saldana and second-place Steve Kinser; Top-Five finishes for Saldana & Steve Kinser to lead the series
17- Top-10 finishes for Steve Kinser this season to lead the series
18- A-Feature events that have been contested this season through May 15; Drivers that have led laps in feature events this season
28- Lead changes in the 18 feature events that have been contested this season
43- Drivers that competed at Attica Raceway Park with the World of Outlaws in 2009
107- Laps led by Joey Saldana in feature events this season to lead the series
550- Miles from Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Virginia where the World of Outlaws completed on May 15 to Attica Raceway Park in Ohio
1990- Year the World of Outlaws first raced at Attica Raceway Park
10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Friday, May 21
51,690- Dollars in the total purse on Friday, May 21
87,100- Dollars earned by Joey Saldana this season to lead the World of Outlaws
Tickets
On Friday, May 21 at Attica Raceway Park, adult tickets will be $30, with tickets for those ages 11-15 $15, with kids 10-under admitted free of charge. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the track at 419-680-5606. For more information visit http://www.atticaracewaypark.com.
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), Chizmark & Larson Insurance , 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.