From Susan Arnold
Tulare, CA — (March 17, 2014) — Joey Saldana received congratulatory well wishes from fans, friends, family and supporters today, as he celebrated his 42nd birthday.
It would take a consolidated effort by Saldana and the Motter Equipment HE&M Saw Beltline Body Shop 71M team to help earn the birthday present he wanted most: tonight’s World of Outlaws trophy.
The birthday boy clearly began the evening on a drive for five race wins at Thunderbowl Raceway leading off the night by capturing No. 1 qualifying honors (12.800 seconds) for the third time in the last four events. The Brownsburg Bullet has won four times at Tulare, more than any other Outlaws driver, and was looking for more hardware to add to his collection on this special day.
Saldana rolled off fourth in the first heat race. When the green flew, Donny Schatz took the lead with Brad Sweet second, Daryn Pittman third, and Saldana fourth. The field quickly began to spread out. Driving the cushion was the desired line around the track as the bottom of the track had not yet come in. There was no battle for position and the top four finished the same as they scored after the first lap: Schatz, Sweet, Pittman and Saldana.
Saldana’s No. 1 qualifying position coupled with his fourth place finish in the heat, earned him a starting berth in the dash. After the inversion draw, the Bullet was assigned the No. 6 starting position in the six-lap event. After the green flew, Saldana maintained sixth position until Brad Sweet slipped by two laps before the checkered flag. The Brownsburg Bullet would start seventh in the A-Main.
The 35-lap A-Main was a dogfight with competitors showing their driving skills high and low, riding the cushion and working the bottom as it started to come in during the A-Main. Logan Schuchart, who got his first look at Thunderbowl Raceway tonight, started on the pole and led laps 1-22 until Daryn Pittman took the lead on 23, holding on for the victory. Donny Schatz was second and Paul McMahan was third.
Saldana didn’t get his birthday victory wish but his calculated driving tactics gained him two positions and he finished fifth. It was a good finish for the gutsy driver who will return to Indianapolis for an appointment with his surgeon on Wednesday to discuss
a plan of action for a re-injury of his right arm after a rock (Saldana said it felt like a bowling ball) came through the arm guard during the dash at Las Vegas March 6.
“We had a good, quick car,” said Saldana. “But I was having some trouble with pushing the car because it wanted to skate across the track. We had a team meeting after the race, and we have a plan of action for tomorrow night’s event here. We feel like we know what changes we need to make to take home that trophy.”