By Susan Arnold
JACKSON, Minn. (June 14, 2013) – Tonight was the first of two consecutive half-mile races beginning with The Eyecon Trail Cameras Presents the Big Game Shootout at Jackson Speedway.
Joey Saldana and the Motter Equipment Fatheadz Eyewear 71M team were looking forward to two nights on tracks the same distance to size up some setup changes they made.
In preliminary action, Saldana turned a 16.352-second lap around the semi-banked track, placing him sixth in the qualifying order.
Starting on the inside of the second row in the second heat, Saldana received a ‘lucky dog’ when pole sitter Skylar Prochaska jumped the start. Outlaws officials penalized Prochaska one row to Saldana’s second-row position and Saldana was moved forward to the pole position. Saldana took the lead when the green flag waved and had an impressive run, scoring a wire to wire victory.
The heat win earned the Brownsburg Bullet a position in the dash and guaranteed starting berth in the A-Main.
As has happened so often recently, Outlaws officials were forced to pick up the pace of the event as weather began to move in and threaten the area around the Speedway.
After the inversion draw, Saldana was consigned to start on the inside of the third row for the dash. As the green flew, the cars were all aiming for the same turf, pinching the middle of the field and the inside rows as the outside starting positions got the advantage. Saldana, Paul McMahan and Donny Schatz were three-wide jockeying for position. As the field sorted itself out and headed for home, Saldana crossed under the checkered flag in seventh position, which would also be his starting position for the A-Main.
In addition to the four-wide salute to the fans prior to the start of the A-Main, the starting field of the Big Game Shootout also rolled in the missing man formation in honor of Jason Leffler, who lost his life in a dirt track accident Wednesday night. When the green flew to unleash the field there were a lot of lead and position changes at the front of the field.
The red flag was thrown with 14 laps complete when Dusty Zomer’s car erupted in flames after losing an engine. Zomer guided the car to a stop in front of the fire crew and was not injured.
Saldana was eighth on the restart and fluctuated between seventh and eighth throughout the race finishing eighth.
“We still have some work to do on the setup,” said Saldana. “We were sort of stalled out and unable to make a run for the leaders. I think we’re making progress but we have to do better.”
Donny Schatz was the race winner, Daryn Pittman was second and the final podium spot went to Craig Dollansky.
The Outlaws continue their Midwest swing tomorrow at the famed Knoxville Raceway.