By Tony Veneziano
BROCKVILLE, Ontario — July 27, 2015 — The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to Brockville Ontario Speedway for the first time since 2011 on Friday, July 31 for the Haulmark World of Outlaws Sprint Weekend. The event will mark the second of five scheduled races in Canada for the series in 2015 and is part of the second East Coast Swing of the season.
In the World of Outlaws inaugural event at Brockville Ontario Speedway in 2011, Paul McMahan was victorious. The veteran driver started fourth in the 35-lap event and took the lead from Craig Dollansky on the lap-32 en route to winning for the first time on Canadian soil.
For most of the race, Hall of Famer and three-time series champion Sammy Swindell was out front, before suffering a flat tire, which handed the lead to Dollansky. While in front, Dollansky sustained front wing damage that hampered the handling on his car in the late going.
In time trials, two-time series champion Jason Meyers was the only driver in the 10-second bracket, stopping the clocks with a lap of 10.923-seconds, to establish a new track record. Five drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series were in competition in that race in 2011.
Leading the way to Brockville Ontario Speedway this year is six-time and defending World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz, who drives for Tony Stewart Racing. Schatz has won 21 races this season and has finished first or second in 17 consecutive full point paying races for the World of Outlaws. The North Dakota native finished eighth in his only start at Brockville in 2011.
Shane Stewart, who drives for a team co-owned by NASCAR driver Kyle Larson, has won five times this year, including the biggest win of his career in the $50,000-to-win Kings Royal at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio, which kicked off the “Month of Money” earlier this month. Stewart’a team is in their first full season on the road with the World of Outlaws. The Oklahoma native has won in Canada in the past in a 360-sprint car.
Joey Saldana, who is currently fourth in points, will be making his debut at Brockville this weekend. The second-generation driver is a past winner in Canada with the series on the western side of the country.
Brad Sweet, who is currently fifth in points, finished seventh at Brockville in 2011, in a fill-in role for Saldana, who was injured a few weeks prior to the race. Sweet has won three races thus far in 2015.
Kraig Kinser, the son of 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, raced at Brockville in 2011, finishing sixth. The third-generation driver is currently 10th in the series standings. Jason Sides, who won his first race of 2015 earlier this month, picked up a top-10 at Brockville in 2011. The veteran driver is also a past winner on Canadian soil.
Drives competing full-time with the Outlaws in 2015 that will be making their debut at Brockville Ontario Speedway this weekend include Australian Kerry Madsen, who is currently third in points, as well as 2013 series champion Daryn Pittman, who is Sweet’s teammate at Kasey Kahne Racing.
Also racing for the first time at Brockville will be young guns David Gravel, Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen. Jason Johnson, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award with the series, will be making his first trip north of the border. Johnson, who hails from Eunice, Louisiana, recently returned to the driver’s seat after sitting out nearly three months due to injury and finished a season-best second in the Kings Royal.
Tickets for the Haulmark World of Outlaws Sprint Weekend at Brockville Ontario Speedway on Friday, July 31, can be purchased by calling the track at 613-345-6324.
For more information on tickets, visit http://brockvillespeedway.com/events/world-of-outlaws.