By Tony Veneziano
Cottage Grove, OR-September 1, 2010- Danny Lasoski certainly didn’t forget how to get to Victory Lane with the World of Outlaws, despite having gone 77 consecutive races without a victory dating back to July of 2009. He returned to a very familiar place on Wednesday night and that was the winner’s circle at Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon, as he scored his first win of 2010 and the fourth of his career with the series at the high-banked ¼-mile bullring.
Lasoski took the lead from Craig Dollansky coming off turn two on the 23rd lap and would pace the remainder of the 40-lap contest, using four strong double file restarts to stay out front. For the 2001 World of Outlaws champion, the $10,000 win was the 87th of his career with the series.
“This feels great,” said Lasoski. “Lonnie Parsons (Car Owner) deserves a lot more of these. We’ve had a terrible year and want to thank him and Don Lamberti and all the people at Casey’s General Stores and everyone that is involved in this team and makes it strong. This show that we never gave up. Every time you win is great and it definitely builds momentum.”
Lasoski had a big lead coming to the white flag, when the red flag flew, for Lucas Wolfe, who got upside while running in the Top-Five, setting up a final two lap shootout, with Joey Saldana, lining up alongside Lasoski, with Sammy Swindell and Donny Schatz in the second row. Lasoski chose the low side of the track for the double file restart, as he did each and every time when he was leading and quickly jumped to a lead and would pull away on the final circuit aboard the Casey’s General Stores JEI.
“I was going down the back stretch and thinking we might win us one and the red came out, so I did cringe a little bit,” stated Lasoski in Victory Lane. “Our car was good and we could go on the top and the bottom. That’s a testament to my crew and how hard they work and what a good car they gave me tonight.”
Lasoski, who led the final 18 laps on Wednesday night, has finished in the Top-10 in all but one of his 12 starts with the series at the track, with nine of those being Top-Five performances. Lasoski took the lead for the first time on the 19th lap in turns one and two only to have the caution flag fly before that lap was completed, thus placing him back in second on the ensuing double file restart. He then kept pace with Dollansky and once he got around him, the native of Dover, Missouri masterfully worked lapped traffic as the laps wound down.
“Brian (Crockett) does a great job with the track and he gave us a top and a bottom tonight and let us race on this thing,” shared the winner. “I always enjoy coming here to race. Thanks to all the fans for coming out.”
Lucas Wolfe started on the pole and paced the field for the first 10 laps, before Craig Dollansky used a strong restart on the 11th lap to charge by him on the high side of turn two. Dollansky, who wound up running out of fuel on the 36th lap while running third, led 12 laps on Wednesday night.
Donny Schatz charged from the back of the field after getting caught up in a lap-five incident to finish second aboard the Armor All/STP J&J. It was the second consecutive year he came from the back of the pack to finish on the podium at Cottage Grove Speedway, where he scored his first career World of Outlaws A-Feature win in 1998. He originally lined up 15th which helped him earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award for a series-best sixth time in 2010.
“I just put myself in a beehive there, I don’t know what happened,” said Schatz of the early race incident. “We’ve had to do that here before and it’s a fun little place to race. When you come from the back like that you hope for 50 laps and its fun when it gets like this. My team did a great job and Danny (Lasoski) did a great job tonight. If we keep getting those seconds and thirds, we’ll get the wins.”
Joey Saldana, the current World of Outlaws point leader, finished third in the Budweiser Maxim after lining up eighth, to earn his series leading 33 rd Top-Five finish of the season and gain 10 points on Steve Kinser, who finished eighth on Wednesday night and now has a 26-point advantage over the 20-time series champion, while Jason Meyers who finished sixth, is 39 markers out of the top spot with 16 events remaining in 2010.
“We had a pretty good night,” said Saldana. “We just kind of missed it there. We were close, so I’ll take it. Obviously Donny (Schatz) was pretty good coming from where he did twice. We were trying to be pretty basic tonight. Willie Kahne my crew chief just had a little girl so he was home with her tonight, so it was just Kale (Kahne) Kolten (Gouse) and myself so I’d say it was a pretty good night just going off our notes.”
Schatz lined up on the outside of the second row on the final double file restart with two laps to go, charging by Sammy Swindell to move into third and then getting by Joey Saldana on the final circuit to finish in the runner-up spot. For Schatz, it was his 28th Top-Five finish of the season.
“I knew I was better than Sammy (Swindell) and Joey (Saldana), but I could never really see Danny (Lasoski),” shared Schatz. “When the leader is out front you can see what’s going on behind him, but you can’t see him. Those guys knew where I was going to be on the race track and I had to go somewhere else. We had an awesome car tonight.”
Saldana now has eight career Top-10 finishes at in 10 starts at Cottage Grove Speedway. He worked the high side of the track for a majority of the 40-lap contest as he first battled his way into the Top-Five and then the Top-Three in the late going, as he continues to chase his first World of Outlaws title.
“I wanted to win the race and thought we were in position to win it and just wasn’t good enough,” said Saldana. “I’m not even thinking about points right now, I’m just thinking about what I needed to do to win this race.”
Sammy Swindell finished fourth in the Big Game Treestands Maxim, with Jason Sides fifth in the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim. Jason Meyers was sixth in the GLR Investments KPC. Paul McMahan was seventh piloting the Great Clips Maxim, with Steve Kinser coming all the way from the 20 th starting spot to finish eighth aboard the Bass Pro Shops Maxim. Brad Sweet came home ninth in the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Maxim, with Jonathan Allard rounding out the Top-10 in the Red Line Oil A.R.T.
The World of Outlaws return to action on Friday, September 3 and Saturday, September 4 at Skagit Speedway in Washington.
COTTAGE GROVE SPEEDWAY NOTES
•FAST QUALIFIER: Jason Meyers paced the 30 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked 1/4-mile oval at 10.411 seconds. For his qualifying effort Meyers earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Craig Dollansky (4), Kraig Kinser (3), Paul McMahan (2) and Jonathan Allard (1).
•COTTAGE GROVE SPEEDWAY QUALIFYING WINNERS: Joey Saldana, Sammy Swindell and Danny Lasoski won heat races. Lucas Wolfe won the dash. Jac Haudenschild won the Last Chance Showdown.
•APPEAL FILED: Kasey Kahne Racing has appealed the five-race suspension and fine that was issued to Brad Sweet following an incident at Nodak Speedway in Minot, North Dakota on August 21. Sweet has thus been reinstated and will be able to compete until the appeal is heard.
• FEATURE WINNERS: There have been 54 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events held in 2010. The winners include: Joey Saldana (Thunderbowl Raceway, Volunteer Speedway, I-55 Raceway, Eldora Speedway-twice, Dodge City Raceway Park, River Cities Speedway, LaSalle Speedway, Beaver Dam Raceway, Lernerville Speedway, Nodak Speedway and Castrol Raceway), Jason Meyers (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Thunderbowl Raceway, Volunteer Speedway, Tri-State (Okla.) Speedway, Virginia Motor Speedway, I-96 Speedway, North Central Speedway, I-55 Raceway and Castrol Raceway), Steve Kinser (Volusia Speedway Park, Jackson Speedway, River Cities Speedway, Lakeside Speedway, Eldora Speedway, Autodrome Drummond and Fulton Speedway), Jason Sides (Houston Raceway Park , Tri-City Speedway, Missouri State Fair Speedway and Ohsweken Speedway), Craig Dollansky (Lone Star Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway and Nodak Speedway), Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park, The Dirt Track at Charlotte and Ohsweken Speedway), Lance Dewease (Lernerville Speedway and Williams Grove Speedway), Jac Haudenschild (Paducah International Raceway and Knoxville Raceway), Sammy Swindell (Dodge City Raceway and Huset’s Speedway), Brooke Tatnell (Knoxville Raceway and Junction Motor Speedway), Dale Blaney (Limaland Motorsports Park), Doug Esh (Lebanon Valley Speedway), Greg Hodnett (Williams Grove Speedway), Danny Lasoski (Cottage Grove Speedway), Chad Layton (Williams Grove Speedway), Paul McMahan (Eldora Speedway), Fred Rahmer (Williams Grove Speedway) and Tim Shaffer (I-55 Raceway).
•1/4-MILE-WINNERS: Cottage Grove Speedway is a high-banked 1/4-mile oval. The World of Outlaws have raced five times this season on a track that size. The winners include: Joey Saldana (River Cities Speedway and LaSalle Speedway), Dale Blaney (Limaland Motorsports Park), Steve Kinser (River Cities Speedway), Danny Lasoski (Cottage Grove Speedway) and Jason Sides (Houston Raceway Park).
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Cottage Grove Speedway; Cottage Grove, OR; September 1, 2010
Qualifying
1) 14-Jason Meyers 10.411
2) 7-Craig Dollansky 10.429
3) 11K-Kraig Kinser 10.457
4) 91-Paul McMahan 10.467
5) O-Jonathan Allard 10.525
6) 7S-Jason Sides 10.554
7) R19-Jac Haudenschild 10.587
8) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 10.594
9) 11C-Roger Crockett 10.598
10) 9-Joey Saldana 10.607
11) 1-Sammy Swindell 10.624
12) 6-Danny Lasoski 10.627
13) 63-Chad Kemenah 10.648
14) 2B-Ben Gregg 10.653
15) 15-Donny Schatz 10.666
16) 94-Zach Zimmerly 10.675
17) 49-Brad Sweet 10.680
18) 3-Kerry Madsen 10.730
19) 83-Tim Kaeding 10.730
20) 4X-Toni Lutar 10.832
21) 2L-Logan Forler 10.844
22) 11-Steve Kinser 10.875
23) 75-Kevin Smith 10.936
24) 33V-Henry VanDam 11.071
25) 55-Trey Starks 11.101
26) 6UP-Danielle Simpson 11.102
27) 25C-Chad Groves 11.149
28) 4S-Dan Simpson 11.263
29) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 11.659
30) 26F-Shane Forte 11.705
31) 3-Kerry Madsen -.—
Heat 1 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) – Starting Position [#]
1) 9-Joey Saldana[1]
2) 91-Paul McMahan[3]
3) 14-Jason Meyers[4]
4) 63-Chad Kemenah[5]
5) 11-Steve Kinser[8]
6) 83-Tim Kaeding[7]
7) 94-Zach Zimmerly[6]
8) R19-Jac Haudenschild[2]
9) 4S-Dan Simpson[10]
Heat 2 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) – Starting Position [#]
1) 1-Sammy Swindell[1]
2) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[2]
3) O-Jonathan Allard[3]
4) 49-Brad Sweet[6]
5) 7-Craig Dollansky[4]
6) 2B-Ben Gregg[5]
7) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[10]
8) 75-Kevin Smith[8]
9) 4X-Toni Lutar[7]
10) 6UP-Danielle Simpson[9]
Heat 3 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) – Starting Position [#]
1) 6-Danny Lasoski[1]
2) 11C-Roger Crockett[2]
3) 7S-Jason Sides[3]
4) 11K-Kraig Kinser[4]
5) 3-Kerry Madsen[6]
6) 15-Donny Schatz[5]
7) 2L-Logan Forler[7]
8) 33V-Henry VanDam[8]
9) 25C-Chad Groves[9]
10) 26F-Shane Forte[10]
Dash (8 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) – Starting Position [#]
1) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[1]
2) 91-Paul McMahan[3]
3) O-Jonathan Allard[2]
4) 7-Craig Dollansky[5]
5) 11K-Kraig Kinser[4]
6) 11C-Roger Crockett[7]
7) 1-Sammy Swindell[9]
8) 9-Joey Saldana[8]
9) 6-Danny Lasoski[10]
10) 14-Jason Meyers[6]
B-main (12 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) – Starting Position [#]
1) R19-Jac Haudenschild[1]
2) 33V-Henry VanDam[6]
3) 25C-Chad Groves[9]
4) 94-Zach Zimmerly[2]
5) 4X-Toni Lutar[3]
6) 55-Trey Starks[7]
7) 26F-Shane Forte[12] [$200]
8) 2L-Logan Forler[4] [$180]
9) 4S-Dan Simpson[10] [$175]
10) 6UP-Danielle Simpson[8] [$160]
11) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[11] [$150]
12) 75-Kevin Smith[5] [$150]
A-main (40 laps) – Starting Position [#]
1) 6-Danny Lasoski[9] [$10,000]
2) 15-Donny Schatz[15] [$5,500]
3) 9-Joey Saldana[8] [$3,200]
4) 1-Sammy Swindell[7] [$2,800]
5) 7S-Jason Sides[11] [$2,500]
6) 14-Jason Meyers[10] [$2,300]
7) 91-Paul McMahan[2] [$2,200]
8) 11-Steve Kinser[20] [$2,100]
9) 49-Brad Sweet[17] [$2,050]
10) O-Jonathan Allard[3] [$2,000]
11) 11K-Kraig Kinser[5] [$1,500]
12) 94-Zach Zimmerly[16] [$1,200]
13) 83-Tim Kaeding[19] [$1,100]
14) 11C-Roger Crockett[6] [$1,050]
15) R19-Jac Haudenschild[12] [$1,000]
16) 2B-Ben Gregg[14] [$900]
17) 4X-Toni Lutar[23] [$800]
18) 25C-Chad Groves[22] [$800]
19) 63-Chad Kemenah[13] [$800]
20) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[1] [$800]
21) 7-Craig Dollansky[4] [$800]
22) 55-Trey Starks[24] [$800]
23) 33V-Henry VanDam[21] [$800]
24) 3-Keary Madsen[18] [$800]
25) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[25] [$]
Lap Leaders: Lucas Wolfe 1-10, Craig Dollansky 11-22, Danny Lasoski 23-40
KSE Hard Charger Award: Donny Schatz
Penske Power Position Award: Ben Gregg
Note: Sam Hafertepe Jr. used a World of Outlaws Provisional to start the A-Feature.
World of Outlaws Championship Standings through September 1
1. Joey Saldana 7315
2. Steve Kinser 7279 -36
3. Jason Meyers 7276 -39
4. Donny Schatz 7168 -147
5. Jason Sides 7098 -217
6. Paul McMahan 7012 -303
7. Craig Dollansky 6764 -551
8. Lucas Wolfe 6737 -578
9. Danny Lasoski 6614 -701
10. Kraig Kinser 6572 -743