From Susan Arnold
New Egypt, N.J. — (May 21, 2013) — A large contingent of Pennsylvania Posse drivers were on hand at New Egypt Speedway tonight for the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Classic.
Perhaps the uncustomary presence of the Posse in New Jersey and out of the confines of Pennsylvania was relative to the washout of the Morgan Cup competition at Williams Grove, Pa. With the Morgan Cup presentation moved to July 20 at Williams Grove, this gave the rivals another chance to size each other up. The Posse and Outlaws are tied at one win each and the tiebreaker for the Cup will be in July.
The New Egypt event was the final event on the spring East Coast swing and the Outlaws had not raced at this facility since 2007.
Joey Saldana set the track record of 13.828 seconds at this facility July 30, 2001 which was broken tonight. Daryn Pittman set the new benchmark as the No. 1 qualifier with a 13.396-second lap.
Saldana was the No. 10 qualifier in the Motter Equipment Fatheadz Eyewear 71M with a 13.701-second lap around the D-shaped oval.
The Brownsburg Bullet rolled off on the outside of row one in the second heat and shortly after the green flag waved, he grabbed the lead and set the pace for the eight-lap event, leading from flag to flag.
The heat win solidified a spot for Saldana in the dash. But between the heat and the dash the 71M team went to work to change the engine in the Motter Equipment mount to cure an oil leak.
At the start of the dash, Saldana was on his game, launching an attack that gained two positions, but coming out of turn four, the 71M went into a massive wheel stand the entire length of the front stretch. Though it was a nice Kodak moment, because there was no power to the ground, Saldana lost the two positions he had just gained. He crossed the finish line in eighth position and would occupy the eighth starting berth in the A-Main.
Prior to the Feature, the team made some set-up adjustments on the 71M to loosen the car up to allow Saldana more movement on the sticky, fast track surface. The Brownsburg Bullet drove aggressively and gained two positions during the race, while challenging the competitors in front of him. He finished sixth in the 30-lap Feature.
“We are very happy with the improvements we have been making recently,” said team owner Dan Motter. “Joey did a great job driving tonight and we feel like we’re getting bolder and better. We also want to thank the folks from Penske Shocks who have given us some guidance during the last few races. Their input has been very helpful.”
The NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Classic was won by Daryn Pittman. Sammy Swindell was second and Jason Sides rounded out the podium.
Next up on the race schedule is the Outlaw Showdown May 24 at the Dirt Track at Charlotte.