By Tony Veneziano
Haubstadt, IN-October 13, 2010 – Versatility has been one of the defining characteristics of the World of Outlaws over the years, with the best sprint car drivers in the world competing on a wide variety of tracks. That will again be the case this coming weekend as the series heads to the high-banked and always racy ¼-mile bullring at Tri-State Speedway in Indiana, after competing on the largest track on the circuit, the sprawling 5/8-mile Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York last weekend.
Mother Nature won the originally schedule race at Tri-State Speedway in the spring, necessitating the return of the World of Outlaws on Saturday, October 16 for the series only event of the season in the state of Indiana and the final race in the Midwest in 2010.
With just three events remaining in 2010, Jason Meyers leads 20-time series champion Steve Kinser by 98 points in the battle for the World of Outlaws champion, with four-time and defending series titlist Donny Schatz third and Joey Saldana fourth.
Kinser looks to add to his impressive record at Tri-State Speedway. He has 22 career wins at the ¼-mile, with eight of those coming in World of Outlaws events. He has 23 Top-10 finishes in 26 starts with the series at the track, with 20 of those being Top-Five performance. Kinser’s average finish in World of Outlaws races at Tri-State Speedway is 4.8, the best of all current drivers. He has won three of his last four starts at the track and finished second in the other.
Craig Dollansky is the only driver other competing full-time with the World of Outlaws other than Kinser that has won at Tri-State Speedway. The native of Elk River, Minnesota won most recently at the track in 2008 and scored his first win their in 2006.
The World of Outlaws competed at Tri-State Speedway for the first time in 1979 and in 28 A-Feature events contested at the track 13 drivers have found Victory Lane with the series.
The Buzz:
* Steve Kinser leads the series in Top-10 and Top-Five finishes this season as he chases his record 21st title.
* Joey Saldana looks for his first World of Outlaws win at the track in his home state. He finished second at Haubstadt last year after a fifth-place run in 2008.
* Jason Meyers is seeking his first win at Tri-State Speedway as well as his first series title. He finished a career-best third in 2007 and has three career Top-10 finishes in five starts.
* Donny Schatz, the four-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, also is looking for his first win at Tri-State Speedway. The North Dakota native has eight career Top-10 finishes at Haubstadt, with a best finish of third in 2007.
* Jason Sides finished a career-best third-place finish last season at Tri-State Speedway. He won earlier this season on a ¼-mile at Houston Raceway Park.
* Danny Lasoski, the 2001 World of Outlaws champion, is seeking his first victory at Tri-State Speedway this weekend. He finished second in his second career start at the track in 1992, which to date is his best finish at the always racy bullring.
* Craig Dollansky has a very strong track record at Tri-State Speedway, having won twice in the last four races at the track. He has six career Top-10 finishes in eight starts at the track.
* Jac Haudenschild, who has won five times this season, is looking for his first World of Outlaws win at Tri-State Speedway. The Hall of Famer has nine career Top-10 finishes with the series at the track, with a runner-up performance in 2007 the best of the lot.
* Paul McMahan has had a good amount of success in a limited number of starts at Haubstadt. He has finished sixth or better in three of his last four starts at the track, with one of those being a podium run. He will be making his first start at the track since 2008 this weekend
* Ben Gregg, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, will be making his first visit to Tri-State Speedway.
By the Numbers: Tri-State Speedway
0.25- Miles around Tri-State Speedway
1 – Race in the state of Indiana for the World of Outlaws this season;
2- Tracks named Tri-State Speedway that the World of Outlaws will compete at in 2010
3 – Drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2010 that have won at the track during their career; Drivers that led laps in the feature event at Tri-State Speedway last season; Laps led by Steve Kinser en route to winning at the track last season
4.8 – Average finish for Steve Kinser at Tri-State Speedway in World of Outlaws events in his career at Tri-State Speedway
8- Wins for Steve Kinser in World of Outlaws events at the track over the years
10- Track records that have been set in time trials this season
11.110- Track record at Tri-State Speedway established by Sammy Swindell in 2004
13- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws at Tri-State Speedway
18- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the series this season
20 – Seasons in which the series has competed at Tri-State Speedway; Drivers that have been quickest in time trials this season
22 – Total wins for Steve Kinser in his career at Tri-State Speedway
26- Drivers that have led laps in feature events this season
28- A-Feature events that the World of Outlaws have contested at Tri-State Speedway dating back to 1979
33- Drivers that competed at Tri-State Speedway with the series last season
38- Top-Five finishes for Steve Kinser this season to lead the series
55- Top-10 finishes for Steve Kinser this season to lead the series
66- A-Feature events contested by the World of Outlaws through October 9
98- Points that separate Jason Meyers and Steve Kinser at the top of the World of Outlaws standings
368- Laps led in main events by Joey Saldana to lead the series
766- Miles from Rolling Wheels Raceway in New York where the World of Outlaws competed on October 10 to Tri-State Speedway in Indiana
1979 – Year the World of Outlaws first competed at Tri-State Speedway
10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Saturday, October 16
51,690- Dollars in the total purse on Saturday, October 16
302,250- Dollars earned by Steve Kinser through October 9 to lead the series
Tickets: On Saturday, October 16 at Tri-State Speedway, adult general admission tickets will be $30, with general admission tickets for children (ages 6-12) $15, with kids 5-under admitted free of charge in the general admission section. Adult reserved tickets (ages 13-over) will be $35 and reserved tickets for children will be $25. Tickets for this event can be purchased at the track on Friday, April 23 from 12- 6 p.m. Central or by calling (812) 768-6025- Monday – Friday. General Admission tickets will also be available at the ticket booths on the day of the race starting at 4 p.m. Central.
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 , R2C Performance, 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.