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SPRING VALLEY, MN (September 18) - The World of Outlaws will visit Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minnesota on Saturday, September 19 for an even which was postponed by rain last month. The event will mark the first visit to the state-of-the-art 3/8-mile in the 31-plus year history of the series. 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 the first ever series 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. Heading into the inaugural event at Deer Creek Speedway, three-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz holds a slim 17 point advantage over Jason Meyers in the series championship standings with just 10 points paying events remaining on the 2009 schedule. Slide jobs: 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 12 times this season and currently and last month became just the fifth driver in the 31-plus year history of the series to win at least 100 A-Feature events with his victory at Dacotah Speedway in his home state of North Dakota. He leads the series with 35 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 2007, as the World of Outlaws visit Deer Creek Speedway. The native of Elk River missed both events in the state last season as he 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 three times this season in World of Outlaws action is currently seventh in points, just 23 markers out of the sixth spot as he continues his first season driving for Kasey Kahne Racing.
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 in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana leads the World of Outlaws with 17 A-Feature wins and 18 overall triumphs this season and is currently third in points driving for Kasey Kahne Racing. He is currently 37 points behind Jason Meyers for the second spot in the standings and 54 out of the lead.
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 eight times this year in A-Feature events and nine time overall and leads the series with 47 Top-10 finishes. He has been victorious this season on 3/8-mile tracks at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky, Ohsweken Speedway in Canada and most recently at Clay County Fair Speedway in Iowa. Meyers is currently second in points, just 17 markers behind Donny 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 continues his best season with the World of Outlaws and is currently fifth in points on the strength of42 Top-10 finishes with 22 of those being Top-Fives, including in the series most recent race at Clay County Fair Speedway in Iowa.
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.
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 is currently eighth in points on the strength of 28 Top-10 finishes with 10 of those being Top-Fives as he continues his second season driving for Tony Stewart Racing.
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 ninth in points on the strength of 27 Top-10 finishes driving for the Carnahan Motorsports team which is based in Minnesota. He finished third in the most recent World of Outlaws event at Clay County Fair Speedway.
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 15 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. He will return to the tour after missing a couple events due to a death in the family which saw him travel back home. 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 four Top-10 finishes, including a third-place performance on a 3/8-mile at Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas earlier this season.
2009 World of Outlaws Championship Standings through September 16
By the Numbers: Deer Creek Speedway: Tickets: On Saturday, September 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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