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World of Outlaws Preview: Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash at
Deer Creek Speedway
SPRING VALLEY, MN (August 14) - History will be made on Wednesday, August 19
as the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series visits Deer Creek Speedway in
Spring Valley, Minnesota for the first time in the 31-plus year history of
the series for the Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash at the state-of-the-art
high-banked 3/8-mile.
Deer Creek Speedway will be the sixth track that the World of Outlaws will
have visited in the state of Minnesota dating back to 1979. Steve Kinser was
victorious in that event 30 years ago in the Gopher State. Nine drivers have
won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws in Minnesota, with Donny
Schatz taking the most recent checkered flag last season.
The event at Deer Creek Speedway will be the 19th overall A-Feature event
contested by the World of Outlaws in the state of Minnesota. Drivers
currently competing full-time with the series that have won in the state in
addition to Kinser and Schatz include Minnesota native Craig Dollansky and
Kraig Kinser, Steve’s son who was victorious in the series debut at North
Central Speedway last year.
Steve Kinser, the 20-time series champion has four career wins in Minnesota
at three different tracks, while Donny Schatz has three wins at two
different tracks and Craig Dollansky has won at one track.
The Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash kicks off the Gold Rush Tour for the
World of Outlaws, which will encompass 12 nights of racing in a 25-day span
which begins the stretch run of the 2009 season. Donny Schatz, the
three-time and defending series champion, currently has a 55-point lead in
the series standings over Jason Meyers as he chases his fourth consecutive
title, with Joey Saldana third and Steve Kinser fourth.
A special “Underdog Award” will be in effect, for the inaugural World of
Outlaws race at Deer Creek Speedway. Any non-touring World of Outlaws driver
that competed in the Knoxville Nationals and finished in the C-Main or lower
will be eligible for a $1,000 bonus which will go to the highest finisher
that meets this criteria. Also any drivers that are currently in the Top-10
in the Knoxville Raceway 410- Sprint Car championship standings, the IRA
standings, or the NOSA standings and are the highest finisher meeting that
particular criteria in the Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash will earn a $1,000
bonus. A driver could qualify to earn an extra $2,000 in addition to their
race winnings if they meet both the criteria for the separate $1,000
bonuses. Also the driver that is the second highest finisher from one of the
three aforementioned Top-10 standings will earn a $500 bonus.
The inaugural World of Outlaws event at Deer Creek Speedway will benefit the
Sprint for a Cure charity that helps families undergoing cancer treatment.
Slide jobs: Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash at Deer Creek Speedway:
A second home state: Donny Schatz, who hails from North Dakota, competed
quite a bit in Minnesota early in his career. The three-time and defending
series champion has nine career wins in the state. He has finished in the
Top-10 in all but one of his 27 career starts in Minnesota. He won last
season at Princeton Speedway and has been victorious at three different
tracks in the state. Schatz has won 11 times this season and currently has
99 career A-Feature wins with the World of Outlaws as he looks to become
just the fifth driver in the 31-plus year history of the series to win at
least 100 A-Feature events. He leads the series with 30 Top-Five finishes
this season as he chases his fourth consecutive title.
Back home again: Craig Dollansky will make his first start in his home state
since 2008, as the World of Outlaws visit Deer Creek Speedway. The native of
Elk River missed both events in the state last season as recovered from an
arm injury sustained in September. In his career, Dollansky has won three
times in his home state, with two of those coming in World of Outlaws action
at Princeton Speedway. He won his first career race in Minnesota in 1993
over Hall of Famer Doug Wolfgang and three-time and defending World of
Outlaws champion Donny Schatz. Dollansky has won twice this season in World
of Outlaws action is currently seventh in points, less than 65 points out of
the Top-Five as he continues his first season driving for Kasey Kahne
Racing.
Plenty of starts: Steve Kinser won the World of Outlaws first ever race in
the state of Minnesota in 1979, over fellow Hall of Famers Jerry Richert Sr.
and Sammy Swindell. In his career, the 20-time series champion has four wins
in the state. He has finished sixth or better in six of his last seven
starts in Minnesota and has made 20 career starts in the state. His most
recent win came at Princeton Speedway in 2005. The native of Bloomington,
Indiana has won twice this season and is currently fourth in points as he
chases his record 20th series title.
Running up front: Joey Saldana has 10 career Top-10 finishes in Minnesota
with the World of Outlaws. The second generation driver has finished second
twice in the state as he looks for his first win. The native of Brownsburg,
Indiana leads the World of Outlaws with 13 A-Feature wins this season and is
currently third in points driving for Kasey Kahne Racing. He won the most
recent World of Outlaws event at I-55 Raceway in Missouri as part of the
“Month of Money.”
Closing in: Jason Meyers has seven career Top-10 finishes in Minnesota as he
chases his first win in the state. The native of Clovis, California finished
fifth and eighth in two starts in the state last season. He has won five
times this year and leads the series with 39 Top-10 finishes. He was
victorious earlier in the season on a 3/8-mile track at Paducah
International Raceway in Kentucky. Meyers is currently second in points, 55
markers behind Schatz as he chases his first career title.
A strong debut: Jason Sides made his debut in Minnesota back in 1999,
finishing third. To date it is his best career finish in the state where he
has competed a total of nine times. The 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the
Year picked up two Top-Five finishes in the recent Ironman 55 to bring his
season total to 16. He is currently fifth in points and has racked up 33
Top-10 finishes and a win as he continues his strong 2009 campaign.
The most starts of anyone: Danny Lasoski has made 30 starts in his career in
Minnesota the most of any full-time World of Outlaws driver, with a majority
of those coming in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. He has won seven times
in the state, though he is still looking for his first triumph with the
World of Outlaws in Minnesota. The 2001 series champion has won five times
this season, including on a 3/8-mile track at Nodak Speedway in North
Dakota. He is currently sixth in the series standings just 19 markers out of
the fifth spot as he continues his first season driving for the Parsons
Motorsports team based out of Iowa.
Looking for that first win: Jac Haudenschild, who was inducted into the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame this season, is looking for his first win
of the 2009 campaign heading into the race at Deer Creek Speedway, as well
as his first triumph in the state of Minnesota. He has finished second in
the state on three occasions and has finished in the Top-10 in 11 of his
last 12 starts in the Land of 10,000 Lakes He is currently eighth in points
on the strength of 23 Top-10 finishes driving for the Carnahan Motorsports
team which is based in Minnesota.
Right at home: Kraig Kinser won in his debut at North Central Speedway in
Minnesota last year and has five career Top-10 finishes in the state with
four of those being Top-Fives in a limited number of starts. He finished
second, third and fourth in his first three starts in the Gopher State in
2004. He picked up two Top-10 finishes in the recent Ironman 55 weekend and
has 24 Top-10 runs as he closes in on his first win of the season driving
for Tony Stewart Racing as a teammate to Donny Schatz.
What a debut: Lucas Wolfe finished second last season in his first-ever
start in the state of Minnesota, at North Central Speedway. The reigning
Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner has 10 Top-10 finishes this
season and is 10th in points as he chases his first career World of Outlaws
win.
Adding another state to the list: Brian Ellenberger will compete in
Minnesota for the first time this week when he takes to the track at Deer
Creek Speedway. The native of Butler, Pennsylvania, who is the leading
contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season has
visited numerous tracks for the first time this year in his first full
season on the road. He has three Top-10 finishes, including a third-place
performance on a 3/8-mile at Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas earlier this
summer. He turned in the fifth fastest lap in qualifying in the finale of
the Ironman 55 most recently.
By the Numbers: Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash at Deer Creek Speedway:
0.375- Miles around Deer Creek Speedway
1- Race this season in the state of Minnesota for the World of Outlaws;
Driver competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that hails from
Minnesota- Craig Dollansky
2- Consecutive years the series has visited a track for the first time in
Minnesota
4- Career wins for Steve Kinser in the state of Minnesota with the World of
Outlaws
5- Tracks in the state of Minnesota that the World of Outlaws have visited
dating back to 1979; Track records established in qualifying at World of
Outlaws races this season; Wins for Joey Saldana on 3/8-mile tracks this
season to lead the series
9- Drivers competing full-time with World of Outlaws that raced in the state
of Minnesota last year
11- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws
12- Events thus far this season for the World of Outlaws on 3/8-mile tracks
13- A-Feature wins for Joey Saldana to lead the series
14- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws this
season
17- Drivers that have been fastest in time trials in World of Outlaws events
in 2009
18- Drivers that have won the Crane Cams Dash this season to earn a pole
position in an A-Feature event
19- A-Feature events for the World of Outlaws in Minnesota dating back to
1979 including the race at Deer Creek on August 19
30- Top-Five finishes for Donny Schatz through August 8 to lead the series
39- Top-10 finishes for Jason Meyers to lead the series
48-World of Outlaws events contested through August 8
55- Points that separate Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers in the World of
Outlaws championship standings entering the Sprint for a Cure Summer Clash
99- A-Feature wins for Donny Schatz in his career with the World of Outlaws
310- Laps led by Joey Saldana this season in A-Feature events to lead the
series
552- Career A-Feature wins for Steve Kinser with the World of Outlaws
to-date
2008- Year that Minnesota native Craig Dollansky last raced in his home
state, after missing both events last season as he recovered from injury
10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Wednesday, August 19
51,690- Dollars in the total purse on Wednesday, August 19
251,800- Dollars earned by Donny Schatz through August 8 to lead the series
Tickets: On Wednesday, August 19 at Deer Creek Speedway, adult general
admission tickets will be available on the day of the race for $35, with
general admission tickets for children 12-under $15. Adult reserved tickets
will be available in advance for $35 with reserved tickets for children
12-under $15 if purchased in advance. Pit combos will also be available for
$40 and include a reserved ticket and a pit pass. For tickets call the track
at 507-754-6107.
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