By Kyle Luetters
KNOXVILLE, Iowa. — June 11, 2011 — Sammy Swindell tracked down Jason Sides midway through the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Mediacom Shootout on Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway, executed a perfect slide job to move into the lead and then held on for his fourth victory of the season.
Swindell, of Germantown, Tenn., started the feature on the outside of the second row and took advantage of Sides’ efforts to determine which groove to race during the 25-lap event. Sides started on the pole and remained patient through red flags on two initial starts and led the first 13 laps. As the leaders caught the back end of the field, Swindell surged and made his move to the front in Turns 1 and 2 at the historic half-mile oval.
“Tonight was really about waiting to let the events of the race unfold and having it come to you,” said Swindell, who has 10 Top-Five finishes this season. “Jason took off from us and was getting a pretty good run on the field. Eventually I just found a line that worked for me pretty good and was able to reel off some great laps in a row and catch him.”
Sides tried to track Swindell back down in the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim but he was satisfied with his runner-up finish, which was the best of his career at Knoxville, where the Outlaws will return in August for the 51st Goodyear Knoxville Nationals.
“When you’re the leader, you never know which line to take or run,” said Sides, of Bartlett, Tenn., who has three wins this season. “I saw some lapped cars that were running the bottom so I tried it down there and before I knew it, I saw Swindell go by. It’s just one of those things. You never really know how they are going to turn out.”
Despite turning the second quickest lap in time trials, Swindell and his Big Game Treestands team had to work throughout the night to find the right balance for his car. After carefully studying track conditions and surviving the early race incidents, Swindell found some grip in the middle groove and rode it all the way to the victory.
Jason Meyers chased Sides from the start in his Allstar Performance/GLR Investments/DDNi KPC car and eventually wound up finishing third for his 10 th Top-Five finish of the season and his series-leading 17th Top-10 run. Donny Schatz charged past Brooke Tatnell down the stretch to finish fourth while Tatnell held onto fifth.
Schatz’s move was important because combined with the two points he earned in time trials, Schatz was able to take over the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship points lead by one point over Joey Saldana. Schatz is aiming for his fifth World of Outlaws championship, and will carry that slim lead into his native North Dakota on Friday as the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series prepares to invade River Cities Speedway for the two-day Duel in the Dakotas.
Swindell’s win was the bright spot on the night for the Big Game Treestands machines. Of the team’s three cars, Swindell was the only one to finish after two others were caught up in the opening lap red flags. His son, Kevin, and teammate Craig Dollansky both experienced trouble in Turns 1 and 2 before a lap could be completed. The first incident saw the cars of Kevin Swindell, Kerry Madsen and Cody Darrah all head for the work area. On the restart, Steve Kinser and Dollansky suffered heavy damage in the same spot. None of the cars returned to the event, which led to a big shakeup in the standings.
“We didn’t have a very good car to start the night off with and just got caught up in the melee in Turn 1,” said Dollansky, of Elk River, Minn., who entered the race sitting fifth in the point standings. “I got in a little high and got up in the cushion and bicycled it a bit and that’s when it all happened. It seemed to be a trouble spot for a lot of people tonight. Hopefully we learned something tonight and can continue to move on. Really happy about being closer to home with Grand Forks (River Cities Speedway) and a few more races coming.”
Joey Saldana, the points leader entering Knoxville, had a quiet night and finished 10th, which dropped him to second in the championship standings. His Kasey Kahne Racing teammate, Brad Sweet, set quick time with a lap of 15.239 seconds around the semi banked half mile.
KNOXVILLE RACEWAY NOTEBOOK
QUICK TIME – Brad Sweet was the night’s fastest qualifier with a lap around the half-mile oval in 15.239 seconds at 118.118 mph, earning five championship points. Sammy Swindell, Jason Meyers, Donny Schatz and Kraig Kinser also earned qualifying points. It marked Sweet’s first Quick Time of the season.
WINNERS – There have been 21 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events in 2011. The winners include: Steve Kinser – 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 11 and 12, Pike County Raceway on Feb. 25, the Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 4, Lakeside Speedway on June 4); Sammy Swindell – 4 (Royal Purple Raceway on Feb. 26, Merced Speedway on April 1, Tri-State Speedway on April 30, Knoxville Raceway on June 11); Joey Saldana – 3 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 19, Eldora Speedway on May 6); Jason Sides – 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Calistoga Speedway on April 2, I-96 Speedway on May 30); Craig Dollansky – 2 (Silver Dollar Speedway on March 12, Salina Highbanks Speedway on May 3); Paul McMahan – 2 (the Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 28, Belleville Highbanks on June 3); Daryn Pittman – 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 13); Donny Schatz – 1 (Attica Raceway Park on May 20.)
NEW ONLINE HOME – Make sure to check out the all-new WorldofOutlaws.com for the latest news and results, plus exclusive driver interviews, video and pictures. Also listen to every event live at DIRTVision.com .
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway; June 11, 2011
A-Main – (25 Laps) – 1. 1-Sammy Swindell [4] [$10,000]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides [1] [$5,500]; 3. 14-Jason Meyers [3] [$3,200]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [5] [$2,800]; 5. 59-Brooke Tatnell [2] [$2,500]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [6] [$2,300]; 7. 55-Terry McCarl [8] [$2,200]; 8. 63-Chad Kemenah [7] [$2,100]; 9. 6-Kraig Kinser [11] [$2,050]; 10. 9-Joey Saldana [12] [$2,000]; 11. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [10] [$1,500]; 12. 83-Paul McMahan [9] [$1,200]; 13. 33-Danny Lasoski [17] [$1,100]; 14. 13-Mark Dobmeier [26] [$250]; 15. 7X-Dustin Selvage [14] [$1,000]; 16. 91X-Dusty Zomer [22] [$900]; 17. 56-Davey Heskin [21] [$800]; 18. 21-Brian Brown [24] [$800]; 19. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [20] [$800]; 20. 71R-Ryan Anderson [13] [$800]; 21. 6R-Bill Rose [25] [$]; 22. 92-Kerry Madsen [15] [$800]; 23. 1S-Kevin Swindell [16] [$800]; 24. 91-Cody Darrah [18] [$800]; 25. 7-Craig Dollansky [19] [$800]; 26. 11-Steve Kinser [23] [$800]; 27. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [27] [$].
Lap Leaders: Jason Sides 1-13, Sammy Swindell 14-25. KSE Hard Charger Award: 13-Mark Dobmeier [+12]
Qualifying – 1. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.239; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell, 15.357; 3. 14-Jason Meyers, 15.396; 4. 15-Donny Schatz, 15.402; 5. 6-Kraig Kinser, 15.468; 6. 9-Joey Saldana, 15.487; 7. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 15.561; 8. 63-Chad Kemenah, 15.571; 9. 12-Lynton Jeffrey, 15.683; 10. 71R-Ryan Anderson, 15.691; 11. 7X-Dustin Selvage, 15.713; 12. 92-Kerry Madsen, 15.833; 13. 59-Brooke Tatnell, 15.839; 14. 7S-Jason Sides, 15.871; 15. 55-Terry McCarl, 15.934; 16. 83-Paul McMahan, 15.948; 17. 1S-Kevin Swindell, 15.967; 18. 33-Danny Lasoski, 16.028; 19. 91-Cody Darrah, 16.043; 20. 7-Craig Dollansky, 16.075; 21. 49J-Josh Schneiderman, 16.092; 22. 56-Davey Heskin, 16.116; 23. 91X-Dusty Zomer, 16.163; 24. 19-Bob Weuve, 16.165; 25. 11-Steve Kinser, 16.229; 26. 10-Rager Phillips, 16.314; 27. 47-Don Droud Jr., 16.439; 28. 17A-Austin McCarl, 16.550; 29. 13-Mark Dobmeier, 16.611; 30. 21-Brian Brown, 16.699; 31. 2-Josh Higday, 16.878; 32. 68-Mike Houseman, 16.902; 33. 56JC-Johnn Cressman, 16.909; 34. 69-Mike Moore, 17.014; 35. 6R-Bill Rose, 17.382; 36. 20-A.J. Moeller, 17.457.
Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 59-Brooke Tatnell [1]; 2. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [2]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 4. 1S-Kevin Swindell [5]; 5. 6-Kraig Kinser [3]; 6. 11-Steve Kinser [7]; 7. 13-Mark Dobmeier [8]; 8. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [6].
Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 7S-Jason Sides [1]; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell [4]; 3. 9-Joey Saldana [3]; 4. 33-Danny Lasoski [5]; 5. 71R-Ryan Anderson [2]; 6. 56-Davey Heskin [6]; 7. 21-Brian Brown [8]; 8. 10-Rager Phillips [7].
Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 55-Terry McCarl [1]; 2. 14-Jason Meyers [4]; 3. 91X-Dusty Zomer [6]; 4. 91-Cody Darrah [5]; 5. 7X-Dustin Selvage [2]; 6. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [3]; 7. 47-Don Droud Jr. [7]; 8. 6R-Bill Rose [9]; 9. 2-Josh Higday [8].
Heat 4 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 83-Paul McMahan [1]; 2. 63-Chad Kemenah [3]; 3. 92-Kerry Madsen [2]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 5. 7-Craig Dollansky [5]; 6. 17A-Austin McCarl [7]; 7. 68-Mike Houseman [8]; 8. 20-A.J. Moeller [9].
Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 7S-Jason Sides [1]; 2. 59-Brooke Tatnell [2]; 3. 14-Jason Meyers [6]; 4. 1-Sammy Swindell [7]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [8]; 7. 63-Chad Kemenah [4]; 8. 55-Terry McCarl [9]; 9. 83-Paul McMahan [10]; 10. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [3].
B-Main – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [2] [-]; 2. 11-Steve Kinser [5] [-]; 3. 56-Davey Heskin [3] [-]; 4. 21-Brian Brown [10] [-]; 5. 13-Mark Dobmeier [9] [$200]; 6. 47-Don Droud Jr. [7] [$180]; 7. 6R-Bill Rose [15] [$175]; 8. 17A-Austin McCarl [8] [$160]; 9. 68-Mike Houseman [12] [$150]; 10. 10-Rager Phillips [6] [$150]; 11. 69-Mike Moore [14] [$150]; 12. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [1] [$150]; 13. 19-Bob Weuve [4] [$150]; 14. 56JC-Johnn Cressman [13] [$150]; 15. 2-Josh Higday [11] [$150]; 16. 20-A.J. Moeller [16] [$150].
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championship Standings, through June 11, 2011
Pos.
Driver
Total
Diff
W
T5
T10
QT
1.
Donny Schatz
2905
1
12
16
1
2.
Joey Saldana
2904
-1
3
11
16
3
3.
Jason Meyers
2868
-37
0
10
17
1
4.
Steve Kinser
2849
-56
5
9
16
1
5.
Jason Sides
2830
-75
3
9
16
1
6.
Craig Dollansky
2789
-116
2
9
14
1
7.
Paul McMahan
2782
-123
2
6
12
7
8.
Cody Darrah
2630
-275
0
5
10
0
9.
Lucas Wolfe
2596
-309
0
1
8
0
10.
Chad Kemenah
2589
-316
0
2
7
2
11.
Kraig Kinser
2569
-336
0
2
8
0
12.
Sammy Swindell
2539
-366
4
10
12
2
13.
Bill Rose
2374
-531
0
0
1
0
14.
Ben Gregg
1673
-1232
0
0
0
0
15.
Kerry Madsen
1282
-1623
0
1
2
0
16.
Brad Sweet
1137
-1768
0
0
3
1
17.
Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1029
-1876
0
2
5
0
18.
Lance Dewease
982
-1923
0
0
2
0
19.
Jac Haudenschild
944
-1961
0
1
2
0
20.
Terry McCarl
940
-1965
0
0
2
0
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), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Goodyear Tires (Official Tire), Chizmark & Larson Insurance , Factory Motor Parts, VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel), Vicci (Official Apparel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, RacingJunk.com KSE Race Products, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo and R2C Performance; 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.