Dodge City, KS — (July 3, 2015) — After fighting forward in Friday night’s Boot Hill Showdown at Dodge City Raceway Park, Jason Sides dodged his way through traffic and battled Donny Schatz to score his first World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory since 2012.
“It’s been a long time,” said an emotional Sides in victory lane. “It’s been a long last couple of years. It’s just one of those things that we just keep plugging away. We’re out here having a good time about it but for the most part still trying to make a living and beat this 15 car over here.”
The win, his second at Dodge City Raceway Park, comes as Sides has spent much of the last month without any full-time crew members to help his family owned team.
“I miss my brother (Paul) being out here but he had to go home,” Sides said. “It’s just one of those things where it’s a big family sport and it’s like a big family to us out here and we really appreciate it.”
A favorite with fans and his fellow competitors alike, Sides’ win was met with congratulations from the guys he beat.
“I’m happier than hell for Jason Sides,” said Schatz, who finished second. “He drove the wheels off that thing and I tried everything I could to get back by him but he was awful good tonight.”
Joey Saldana, who finished on the podium in third on Friday night, followed that up.
“He’s been out here doing this deal all by himself so he’s very much deserving of this win tonight,” Saldana said. “Proud of him and his guys.”
The last time Sides stood in victory lane with the World of Outlaws was at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in October 2012.
David Gravel led the field to green but it was Jason Johnson, back in just his second race since returning from medical leave, who led the first six laps. Schatz shot to second place before the field made the first circuit and hung tight on Johnson as the two began to work their way through traffic. Schatz, who was fast on the bottom all night, got around Johnson off of turn four and went on to lead lap six. Johnson tried to work his way back by a few laps later, but Schatz was able to hold him off.
It was a surging Sides though who posed the biggest threat to Schatz. Sides, who started fifth in his No. 7S Dancer Logistics/FSR/ WTS/King Racing Products car, took over third on lap 1 and second on lap 12. As Schatz worked his way through traffic, Sides waited.
“It was just one of those things where I was committed to the bottom and if they tried to slip up off the bottom we were going to get underneath them,” said the Bartlett, Tennessee-native.
As Schatz did just that in his No. 15 Bad Boy Buggies car, Sides made his move and took over the lead as the two drivers completed lap 14. Schatz closed the gap a couple of times as the laps ticked by, including a close call for Sides on lap 17, but Sides held off the reigning champion.
Sides pulled away in the waning laps as he worked his way through traffic.
“It seemed like we rotated pretty good around the corners and we could get underneath the slower cars there,” Sides said. “We could run the top in three and four pretty hard and got around a few cars like that. We just were committed to the bottom and the Kistler Engine just kept pulling hard off the bottom and we kept going with it down there.”
Schatz said he struggled all night to get his car to work as well on the top of the race track as it did on the bottom.
“That was obviously the preferred line,” Schatz said of the top. “I told the guys the wrong direction to go with the racecar and it’s my own fault. Tonight’s the night you want to do that. We want to be better for tomorrow night. There are no excuses, (Sides) drove around us. He got me in lap traffic and that’s how you win them and that’s how you lose them. We don’t want to run second but if we have to run second, racing that way, that hard, is pretty awesome.”
Saldana, who, in addition to scoring his third podium finish in a row, took home the KSE Racing Hard Charger Award, methodically worked his way forward from a ninth place starting position. The driver of the No. 71M Motter Equipment car jumped to fifth by lap two and to fourth by lap seven. After briefly slipping back to fifth, Saldana worked his way forward and got around Daryn Pittman for third with three laps to go.
“Lap traffic was really tough,” Saldana said. “We definitely have a good car, we’ve just got to do things right. And the driver has got to do things right. Tonight we did OK, we just need to get a little bit better.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series celebrates the 4th of July and closes out the Boot Hill Showdown tomorrow night at Dodge City Raceway Park. For more information on the event and to learn how to purchase tickets, visit http://woosprint.com/boot-hill-showdown.
Follow the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.
Dodge City Raceway Park Notebook
RACE NOTES: Logan Schuchart was the night’s quick qualifier after a lap of 12.708. It was the first quick time of the season for Schuchart… Jason Sides’ win tonight was the first for him since winning at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in October 2012… With his win tonight, Jason Sides became the 15th different winner of a World of Outlaws event this season… Joey Saldana was the night’s KSE Racing Hard Charger, advancing six positions to finish in third.
CONTINGENCY WINNERS – MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Brian Herbert; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Jason Sides; Sweet Manufacturing ($100 cash): Logan Schuchart; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Mobil 1 ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; Lincoln Welders ($50 cash): Kerry Madsen; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): David Gravel; Super Flow ($50 cash): Brad Loyet; Sweet Manufacturing ($50 product certificate): Joey Saldana;KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Joey Saldana; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Jason Sides;Mobil 1 (20% off Mobil1RacingStore.com): Brian Herbert; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Jacob Allen; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Brian Herbert.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz – 18 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Stockton Dirt Track on March 21, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 28, Placerville Speedway on April 8, Calistoga Speedway on April 12, Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 26, Eldora Speedway on May 8, Eldora Speedway on May 9, Williams Grove Speedway on May 15, Weedsport Speedway on May 17, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 22, Knoxville Raceway on June 13, Huset’s Speedway on June 14, Granite City Speedway on June 17, River Cities Speedway on June 19, Dakota State Fair Speedway on June 20, Beaver Dam Raceway on June 27, Lakeside Speedway on July 1); Shane Stewart – 4 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5, Keller Auto Speedway on April 17, Salina Highbanks Speedway on May 1, Crawford County Speedway on June 12); Daryn Pittman – 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Antioch Speedway on March 29, New Egypt Speedway on May 19);Brad Sweet – 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, Calistoga Speedway on April 11, I-96 Speedway on June 25); Rico Abreu – 2 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14, Stockton Dirt Track on March 22); Paul McMahan – 2 (Perris Auto Speedway on April 18, Tri-State Speedway on May 3);Christopher Bell – 1 (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on May 2);Dale Blaney – 1 (Attica Raceway Park on May 29); Brian Brown – 1 (USA Raceway on March 7); Greg Hodnett – 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 13); Tim Kaeding – 1(Thunderbowl Raceway on March 13);Danny Lasoski – 1 (I-80 Speedway on June 5); Terry McCarl – 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5); Joey Saldana – 1 (Kokomo Speedway on June 3); Jason Sides – 1 (Dodge City Raceway Park on July 3).
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Dodge City Raceway Park; Dodge City, Kan.; July 3, 2015
A-Main – (30 Laps) – 1. 7S-Jason Sides [5] [$10,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4] [$5,000]; 3. 71M-Joey Saldana [9] [$3,000]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [3] [$2,700]; 5. 41-Jason Johnson [2] [$2,500]; 6. 29-Kerry Madsen [7] [$2,200]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [11] [$2,000]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [8] [$1,800]; 9. 51-Paul McMahan [14] [$1,600]; 10. 11-Steve Kinser [6] [$1,450]; 11. 2-Shane Stewart [12] [$1,300]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [10] [$1,200]; 13. 7-David Gravel [1] [$1,100]; 14. O5-Brad Loyet [18] [$1,000]; 15. 31B-Kevin Swindell [16] [$950]; 16. 1X-Don Droud Jr [15] [$900]; 17. 1A-Jacob Allen [13] [$850]; 18. 1J-Danny Jennings [17] [$750]; 19. 51A-Andy Anderson [20] [$725]; 20. 17-Mikey Kuemper [19] [$700]; 21. 97-Brian Herbert [21] [$700]. Lap Leaders: Jason Johnson 1-6, Donny Schatz 7-13, Jason Sides 14-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 71M-Joey Saldana [+6]
Qualifying – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.708; 2. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.733; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman, 12.751; 4. 7S-Jason Sides, 12.761; 5. 7-David Gravel, 12.782; 6. 71M-Joey Saldana, 12.851; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.886; 8. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.917; 9. 41-Jason Johnson, 12.963; 10. 11-Steve Kinser, 12.971; 11. 29-Kerry Madsen, 12.992; 12. 2-Shane Stewart, 12.997; 13. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.032; 14. 51-Paul McMahan, 13.035; 15. 1X-Don Droud Jr, 13.155; 16. 31B-Kevin Swindell, 13.243; 17. 1J-Danny Jennings, 13.308; 18. O5-Brad Loyet, 13.482; 19. 17-Mikey Kuemper, 13.836; 20. 51A-Andy Anderson, 14.013; 21. 97-Brian Herbert, 14.158
Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 11-Steve Kinser [1]; 2. 11K-Kraig Kinser [2]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [3]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4]; 5. 31B-Kevin Swindell [6]; 6. 1A-Jacob Allen [5]; 7. 17-Mikey Kuemper [7]
Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 29-Kerry Madsen [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 4. 51-Paul McMahan [5]; 5. 7-David Gravel [3]; 6. 1J-Danny Jennings [6]; 7. 51A-Andy Anderson [7]
Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 41-Jason Johnson [2]; 2. 2-Shane Stewart [1]; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [4]; 4. 71M-Joey Saldana [3]; 5. O5-Brad Loyet [6]; 6. 1X-Don Droud Jr [5]; 7. 97-Brian Herbert [7]
Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 7-David Gravel [2]; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [1]; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [4]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [3]; 6. 11-Steve Kinser [7]; 7. 29-Kerry Madsen [8]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [6]