By 
Tony Veneziano
OSBORN, Mo. — September 7, 2016 — The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series returns to U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Missouri for the first time since 2009 on Saturday, September 17 for the FVP Missouri High Banked Nationals, along with the National Sprint League. The race will mark just the fourth time the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series has visited the ultra-high-banked three-eighths-mile.
Joey Saldana was victorious in the Outlaws last visit to U.S. 36 Raceway, with a thrilling last lap pass of Johnny Herrera. The pair traded the lead officially five times at the line, but unofficially they exchanged the top spot numerous times over the course of the 40-lap main event.
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series made their debut at U.S. 36 Raceway in 2006, with Hall of Famer Jac Haudenschild picking up the win. The series returned in 2007, with two-time champion Jason Meyers scoring the victory.
Leading the way this season for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series is seven-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz, who has won 20 races and is on top of the leaderboard in top-five and top-10 finishes. U.S. 36 Raceway is one of the few tracks on the schedule that the North Dakota native has not won at.
David Gravel is currently second in points, on the strength of nine wins, including a pair last weekend at Skagit Speedway in Washington. Brad Sweet, who led the point standings for the first four-plus months of the season, is currently third in the standings, just six markers behind Gravel. Sweet has seven wins thus far in 2016, as he does his teammate Daryn Pittman, who is fourth in points.
Saldana, who has won four races this season, rounds out the current top-five in points. Shane Stewart is currently sixth in points, on the strength of five wins this season. Jason Johnson, who scored the biggest win of his career last month, claiming the $150,000 Knoxville Nationals at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, is seventh in points. Logan Schuchart, who earned his first-career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win in July at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin, is eighth in point. Jason Sides, who has a win this season is ninth, with Paul McMahan rounding out the top-10. Jacob Allen, son of Hall of Famer Bobby Allen and teammate to Schuchart, is back on the road again in 2016.
A pair of drivers are contending for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season, led by Greg Wilson from Ohio, who won in Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend. Wilson finished second in 2009 at U.S. 36 Raceway with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions. Clyde Knipp, a teenager from California, Missouri, is also battling for the rookie. Knipp has competed at U.S. 36 Raceway in the past in a 360-sprint car.
Leading the way for the National Sprint League is Danny Lasoski, who has three wins, as he chases his second straight NSL title. Craig Dollansky, who also has three wins, is second in points. Brian Brown, who has won twice, is third in points, followed by Australian drivers Ian Madsen and Brooke Tatnell.
Tickets for the FVP Missouri High Banked Nationals for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series and National Sprint League U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Missouri on Saturday, September 17 and can be purchased online at https://slspromotions.ticketforce.com or by calling 815-344-2023 and at the track on race day.
Discount General Admission tickets can also be purchased at participating O’Reilly Auto Parts stores. Each General Admission ticket purchased at an O’Reilly Auto Parts location will feature a special $5 discount. Tickets buyers will exchange their O’Reilly receipt for tickets at the Main Grandstand ticket booth on race day.
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