 APRIL
8, 2006 - Rossburg, OH
Author: Chris Dolack, VP Public Relations
Eldora Experience Drives Sammy Swindell to Preliminary Feature Victory
Experience always figures to be a key part of any victory at Eldora Speedway,
and Friday night it was no different.
In an event pitting the stars of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series against the
racers from the All Star Circuit of Champions, it was Sammy Swindell who stole
the show when he shot from third to the front on the first lap of the preliminary
feature and held on to capture the checkered flag despite running the final five
laps with no brakes and a throttle stuck open.
It marks the second time this season Swindell has driven the Forbrook Motorsports
Mopar-powered Volcano Joe's Coffee/Wirtgen Maxim to the RacinSoles Victory Lane
with the World of Outlaws after he won last month in Las Vegas on a night with
remarkably similar cold and windy conditions. With 45 cars in the pits, Swindell,
a three-time World of Outlaws champion from Germantown, Tenn., needed every bit
of his know-how to earn the $5,000 victory.
Danny Lasoski in the Roth Motorsports Eagle chased Swindell to the finish as
World of Outlaws championship points leader Donny Schatz in the ParkerStore J&J
and Tim Kaeding in the Slick 50 Maxim completed the top four and will be locked
into the dash that will set the top six positions for the main event Saturday
night at the intimidating high-banked, half-mile oval.
Joey Saldana improved two spots to grab fifth in the Mopar-powered Central Merchant
Services JEI while Craig Dollansky continued his impressive performance of late
by setting quick time in the Karavan Trailers Maxim and posting a sixth-place
run.
Chad Kemenah charged from 16th to finish seventh in the Underground Utilities
Inc. Eagle with Brooke Tatnell in the Garlic Jim's Pizza/Castrol Eagle, Jason
Solwold in the City Wide Insulation Maxim and Terry McCarl in the Big Game Treestands
Eagle rounding out the top 10.
Threatening skies led only to a brief rain delay with time trials nearly complete,
forcing the qualifying session by rule to be re-run so each car had an equal
chance to post laps on a comparable racing surface.
With the field dialed-in for the main event, it was Swindell who got the jump
at the green flag and he never looked back. After two early red flags, for Eldora
veterans Kenny Jacobs and Jac Haudenschild, Swindell settled in at the front
and powered his way to victory in the 25-lap feature to earn a spot in Saturday's
dash.
Swindell was smooth through traffic, catching the tail end of the field with
11 laps complete. Lasoski tried to close the gap but not until Swindell's machine
began to struggle with failing brakes, throttle issues and radiator trouble was
he able to cut the deficit. All the while Swindell continued to carefully pick
his way through the field on a track that is predictably unpredictable.
"You have to make sure you're up far enough so that somebody is going to see
you when you go to pass," Swindell said. "There were a couple of times I had
to wait, but most of the time I was catching guys just right where it really
wasn't holding me up at all. I think there were only two cars that forced me
to change my line a little bit or slow down just a bit until we got to the end.
We ripped a brake line off. We ripped a radiator out. We were pretty fortunate
just to finish. I ran up on a couple of guys when they got together and the throttle
didn't come back and there weren't any brakes. I was lucky that there was enough
room to get right on the outside and bleed off a little bit of speed because
there wasn't anything I could do. From that point on, probably the last five
laps, I had both feet on the floor because there weren't any brakes and the throttle
wouldn't go down or come up. When we got the checkered flag, I just shut the
switch off. I was able to get back a little bit and give myself a little bit
of room. It was a good thing it was stuck at that point so it ran fast enough
to make it.
"It wasn't wide open, but it was close. The problem was that you needed to work
the throttle a little bit when you hit the ruts and I couldn't do that. I knew
it was getting close to the end because they gave me the five-to-go. I hoped
I had a bit of a lead because I tried to ride it out. I was a sitting duck. I
couldn't go faster and I couldn't go slower. I was just fortunate that I got
into some open track where I could just run laps by myself. It was good enough.
I saw somebody right there at the end, but once I got past the checkered flag
I just turned the switch off. That was the only way I could stop."
Meanwhile, Schatz and Kaeding rewarded the hearty crowd as they ran different
lines into the 24-degrees of banking in each corner. Kaeding put his car on the
cushion while Schatz had been locked into the bottom groove all night long. Schatz
made the bottom work to finally clip Kaeding for third on the final lap.
"We're locked in for Saturday and that's all we wanted to do," said Schatz, of
Fargo, N.D. "We would have liked to have been a little better. Sammy was the
class of the field tonight. I let these guys down a little bit. I waited too
long to get going. I made a few moves the wrong way, but that's a part of racing.
We've been decent and can't hang our heads here with a third."
Like Swindell, Schatz was having his own issues with his car and was forced to
fight through them in order to increase his advantage in the World of Outlaws
championship standings to 51 points.
"I think if we can ever solve the issue where it quits shifting from fourth to
seventh gear, that's what it feels like it's doing, we'll be fast on the bottom," Schatz
said. "It's cool out and sometimes you just can't get enough fuel to them. My
car was good down there. The bottom is a little more forgiving. It gained us
a lot of spots in the heat but it hurt us in the dash. In the feature I got myself
into third-place from sixth. It's one of those deals where it helped us and hurt
us, but Saturday night is where we want to be up front. We're going to work hard
and see if we can get our problems straightened out coming off the corner. It's
not terrible, but it's just not the way it should be. I've never had a motor
feel like it's shifting from fourth to seventh gear before. I'm just not giving
the right input."
In the end, Swindell credited his vast racing knowledge at Eldora, especially
in less-than-favorable weather conditions, for the victory.
"I think it's experience," Swindell said. "This place is all about the momentum
and keeping the speed up, keeping the car under you and the tires on it. It's
a little intimidating. It's pretty fast and we run close to the wall. You've
got to have confidence in the car and know that you can run right to that point
and not wreck. A lot of guys aren't comfortable getting that extra foot of the
racetrack that maybe I think I can get."
With conditions expected to be quite different for Saturday's main event, it's
likely all the experience gained from Friday might not come into play. Then again,
it's Eldora and every lap adds to the learning curve.
"I've never been here when the wind was this way," Schatz said. "You felt like
you had a 900-pound guy sitting on the nosewing all night long. The car just
buried in the racetrack. Everybody went around there fast, even up on the hill.
The wings are really working because the wind was blowing. It was a little different
than Vegas because at Vegas you get more of a side wind but at Eldora it just
affected the cars all night long from the performance of the engine, you'd get
a big burst of air. It was a little unique and Sammy is generally good in these
conditions and they've got their motors running really good for this place. We've
got kind of an all-around program. We're excited about it. This is probably not
our best motor by any means. If that's the worst performance we'll have with
this motor, I'm happy."
Following the two-night show at historic Eldora Speedway, the World of Outlaws
will begin Quarter-Mile Mania with events April 15 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt,
Ind., and April 21 in the City of Lawrenceburg Sprint Nationals at Lawrenceburg
(Ind.) Speedway near Cincinnati. The series closes out the month with races April
29 at legendary Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, and April 30 at Huset's
Speedway in Brandon, S.D.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is brought to the fans across the country
by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Hoosier Racing Tire
and The Outdoor Channel. Promotional Partners include AMB i.t., Choice Hotels
and The University of Northwestern Ohio. Contingency sponsors include DART Machinery,
MSD Ignitions, Wrisco Industries and RacinSoles.
ELDORA SPEEDWAY NIGHT ONE NOTEBOOK
. FAST QUALIFIER: Three cars from the end of time trials,
a steady rain forced the qualifying session to be halted. The rain stopped within
10 minutes and by rule all cars had to requalify, which they did with one green-flag
lap. Craig Dollansky paced the 45-car field in the Karavan Trailers Maxim with
an AMB i.t.-timed lap around the 1/2-mile oval in 13.043 seconds at 138.005 mph.
Because it was a preliminary feature, no time trial points were awarded, nor
was there any lap leader bonus in the feature. Dollansky established the track
record on April 13, 2002, when he turned a lap around Eldora in 12.707 seconds.
"Definitely we're happy," said Dollansky, a Mean 15 racer from Elk River, Minn. "We
made a lot of changes to this team in the past few weeks. We've changed to a
Maxim chassis and it seems to fit me pretty good. We're gaining some momentum
right now, we just have to keep it going. . This is one of the best racetracks
in the country right here. A lot goes on, a lot of action, so I always enjoy
racing here."
. PRELIM WIN: Sammy Swindell on Friday night at Eldora Speedway
captured the World of Outlaws first preliminary feature event of the season.
The next preliminary feature is slated for May 26 on the first of back-to-back
race nights at Williams Grove Speedway.
. VICTORY PARADE: Donny Schatz's victory Saturday night at
I-55 Raceway was his third World of Outlaws A-feature victory this season. There
have been six different racers in eight events to visit the RacinSoles Victory
Lane with the World of Outlaws this season. In addition to Schatz's win Saturday
night, he also won March 31 at Batesville Speedway and March 9 at The Dirt Track
at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The win list also includes Sammy Swindell (March
10 at Las Vegas), Paul McMahan (March 4 at USA Race Park), Danny Lasoski (March
3 at Manzanita), Joey Saldana (Feb. 10 at Volusia) and Chad Kemenah (Feb. 9 at
Volusia).
. HALF-MILE WINNERS: Eldora Speedway is a high-speed, half-mile
oval. The World of Outlaws Sprint Series has now raced six times this season
on half-mile ovals, including preliminary features. Winners include Chad Kemenah
(Volusia), Joey Saldana (Volusia), Danny Lasoski (Manzanita), Donny Schatz (Las
Vegas), Sammy Swindell (Las Vegas) and Sammy Swindell (Eldora Speedway).
. QUALIFYING EVENTS: Kraig Kinser powered his way to victory
in the first dash while Danny Lasoski motored to the checkered flag in the second
dash. . Terry McCarl captured the B-main. . Heat race winners included Kraig
Kinser, Joey Saldana, Randy Hannagan and Donny Schatz.
. ON TELEVISION: The Outdoor Channel will air at 8 p.m. (ET)
on April 12 the World of Outlaws Friday night event from Eldora Speedway. The
Saturday night World of Outlaws event will air on April 19. The Outdoor Channel
is available nationwide through the DISH Network (Channel 153) and DIRECTV (Channel
606).
. ON THE WEB: The Official World of Outlaws Sprint Series Web
site is at http://www.dirtmotorsports.com/sprint. Among the features are updated
driver biographies with individual statistics and pictures, race-by-race statistics,
detailed track information and race coverage, series news and team press releases.
Also, links to the Media Guide and 2006 Official Rulebook can be found at the
bottom of the home page.
. UP NEXT: Following the two-night show at historic Eldora
Speedway, the World of Outlaws will begin Quarter-Mile Mania with events April
15 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., and April 21 in the City of Lawrenceburg
Sprint Nationals at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway near Cincinnati. The series
closes out the month with races April 29 at legendary Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville,
Iowa, and April 30 at Huset's Speedway in Brandon, S.D.
. LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can't get to a track to see the series,
they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series live
on Dirtvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network. To listen to the audio broadcasts,
log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo. Listeners
will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network.
For technical support or questions, e-mail webmaster@dirtvision.com.
. SPONSOR SUPPORT: The World of Outlaws Sprint Series is brought
to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including series
sponsors Hoosier Racing Tire and The Outdoor Channel. Promotional Partners include
AMB i.t., Choice Hotels and The University of Northwestern Ohio. Contingency
sponsors include DART Machinery, MSD Ignitions, Wrisco Industries and RacinSoles.
World of Outlaws Sprint Series Statistical Report; Eldora Speedway; Rossburg,
Ohio; April 7, 2006
Qualifying
1) Craig Dollansky, Karavan 7, 13.043
2) Jason Solwold, Carnahan R19, 13.057
3) Jason Meyers, Elite Racing Team 14, 13.066
4) Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 13.108
5) Sammy Swindell, Forbrook 5, 13.128
6) Kenny Jacobs, Woodring 19J, 13.161
7) Terry McCarl, McCarl 24, 13.185
8) Danny Lasoski, Roth 83, 13.206
9) Kraig Kinser, Kinser 11, 13.238
10) Tim Kaeding, Kinser 11K, 13.244
11) Brooke Tatnell, Rush Racing 8, 13.284
12) Greg Wilson, Warnimont 20W, 13.297
13) Justin Henderson, Oswalt D1, 13.314
14) Daryn Pittman, Titan Racing USA 21, 13.316
15) Joey Saldana, Kahne 9, 13.332
16) Butch Schroeder, Jessup 7K, 13.332
17) Brock Mayes, Mayes 11B, 13.343
18) Chad Kemenah, Kemenah 15K, 13.351
19) Stevie Smith, Smith 19S, 13.387
20) Brian Paulus, Pender 28, 13.389
21) Rob Chaney, Martin 36, 13.395
22) Randy Hannagan, TH Racing 1X, 13.399
23) Bill Rose, Rose 6, 13.415
24) Ryan Coniam, Miller 2X, 13.416
25) Shane Stewart, Rudeen 26, 13.431
26) Tim Shaffer, Parsons 6, 13.434
27) Jac Haudenschild, Wright 35, 13.440
28) Chad Blonde, Blonde 5B, 13.474
29) Kevin Swindell, Swindell 1, 13.489
30) Barry Ruble, Ruble 63, 13.519
31) Nick Smith, MPHG 81, 13.536
32) Ron Blair, Blair 35B, 13.537
33) Dion Hindi, Hindi 11D, 13.560
34) Billy Alley, Gifford 17G, 13.568
35) Ryan Myers, Myers 56R, 13.570
36) Becca Anderson, Woodring 19, 13.580
37) Jeremy Campbell, Campbell 10C, 13.616
38) Tim Hunter, Morrison 0, 13.637
39) Mike Brecht, Warnimont 20M, 13.653
40) Brian Carlson, SC Motorsports 18, 13.656
41) Paul McMahan, Stewart 20, no time
42) Brandon Martin, Martin 11M no time
43) Paul May, may 71M, no time
44) Mike Miller, Holbrook/Wood 8X, no time
45) James Mosher, Mosher 12M, no time
First Heat Race (8 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) Kraig Kinser
2) Craig Dollansky
3) Danny Lasoski
4) Kevin Swindell
5) Butch Schroeder
6) Shane Stewart
7) Jeremy Campbell
8) Ryan Coniam
9) Brock Mayes
10) Dion Hindi
11) Paul May
Second Heat Race (8 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) Joey Saldana
2) Chad Kemenah
3) Tim Kaeding
4) Jason Solwold
5) Bill Rose
6) Terry McCarl
7) Paul McMahan
8) Tim Shaffer
9) Billy Alley
10) Tim Hunter
11) Barry Ruble
Third Heat Race (8 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) Randy Hannagan
2) Brooke Tatnell
3) Stevie Smith
4) Jason Meyers
5) Jac Haudenschild
6) Daryn Pittman
7) Kenny Jacobs
8) Nick Smith
9) Ryan Myers
10) Mike Brecht
Fourth Heat Race (8 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) Donny Schatz
2) Brian Paulus
3) Rob Chaney
4) Sammy Swindell
5) Greg Wilson
6) Justin Henderson
7) Chad Blonde
8) Becca Anderson
9) Brian Carlson
10) Ron Blair
First Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined inside first 6 rows of
A-feature)
1) Kraig Kinser
2) Sammy Swindell
3) Craig Dollansky
4) Joey Saldana
5) Brooke Tatnell
6) Jason Meyers
Second Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined outside first 6 rows
of A-feature)
1) Danny Lasoski
2) Tim Kaeding
3) Donny Schatz
4) Jason Solwold
5) Greg Wilson
6) Butch Schroeder (DNS)
B-main (12 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) Terry McCarl
2) Daryn Pittman
3) Kenny Jacobs
4) Shane Stewart
5) Justin Henderson [$150]
6) Tim Shaffer [$125]
7) Brock Mayes [$100]
8) Nick Smith [$100]
9) Jeremy Campbell [$100]
10) Chad Blonde [$100]
11) Tim Hunter [$100]
12) Dion Hindi [$100]
13) Billy Alley [$100]
14) Paul McMahan [$100]
15) Ron Blair [$100]
16) Paul May [$100]
17) Barry Ruble [$100]
18) Brian Carlson [$100]
19) Becca Anderson [$100]
20) Ryan Myers [$100]
21) Ryan Coniam (DNS) [$100]
22) Mike Brecht (DNS) [$100]
23) James Mosher (DNS) [$100]
24) Brandon Martin (DNS) [$100]
25) Mike Miller (DNS) [$100]
A-main (25 laps)
1) Sammy Swindell [$5,000]
2) Danny Lasoski [$3,000]
3) Donny Schatz [$2,500]
4) Tim Kaeding [$2,200]
5) Joey Saldana [$2,100]
6) Craig Dollansky [$2,000]
7) Chad Kemenah [$1,800]
8) Brooke Tatnell [$1,600]
9) Jason Solwold [$1,500]
10) Terry McCarl [$1,300]
11) Jason Meyers [$1,200]
12) Butch Schroeder [$1,100]
13) Kraig Kinser [$1,000]
14) Greg Wilson [$700]
15) Daryn Pittman [$600]
16) Shane Stewart [$600]
17) Kevin Swindell [$600]
18) Randy Hannagan [$600]
19) Bill Rose [$600]
20) Stevie Smith [$600]
21) Rob Chaney [$500]
22) Brian Paulus [$500]
23) Jac Haudenschild [$500]
24) Kenny Jacobs [$500]
Lap leaders: Sammy Swindell 1-25
World of Outlaws Sprint Series Championship Standings, through April
7, 2006
Rk. / Driver / Driver Points / Team Points / $ / Back / Wins / Top 5 / Top 10
1 / Donny Schatz / 1200 / 1200 / $51,150 / 0 / 3 / 6 / 6
2 / Joey Saldana / 1149 / 1149 / $31,100 / -51 / 1 / 4 / 7
3 / Terry McCarl / 1129 / 1129 / $22,300 / -71 / 0 / 5 / 6
4 / Daryn Pittman / 1114 / 1114 / $18,250 / -86 / 0 / 4 / 7
5 / Brooke Tatnell / 1101 / 1101 / $20,100 / -99 / 0 / 2 / 5
6 / Craig Dollansky / 1099 / 1099 / $18,800 / -101 / 0 / 2 / 6
7 / Jac Haudenschild / 1088 / 1088 / $18,750 / -112 / 0 / 3 / 5
8 / Chad Kemenah / 1048 / 1048 / $23,200 / -152 / 1 / 2 / 5
9 / Greg Wilson / 1030 / 1030 / $11,800 / -170 / 0 / 0 / 3
10 / Jeremy Campbell / 1029 / 1029 / $14,900 / -171 / 0 / 1 / 3
11 / Justin Henderson / 999 / 999 / $11,200 / -201 / 0 / 0 / 2
12 / Randy Hannagan / 998 / 998 / $13,060 / -202 / 0 / 3 / 3
13 / Sammy Swindell / 880 / 880 / $26,350 / -320 / 1 / 2 / 6
14 / Kaley Gharst / 863 / 863 / $6,650 / -337 / 0 / 0 / 0
15 / Bill Rose / 826 / 826 / $5,760 / -374 / 0 / 0 / 0
16 / Brian Carlson / 793 / 793 / $4,550 / -407 / 0 / 0 / 0
17 / Kevin Swindell / 752 / 752 / $9,000 / -448 / 0 / 0 / 2
18 / Dion Hindi / 723 / 723 / $3,330 / -477 / 0 / 0 / 0
19 / Rob Chaney / 685 / 955 / $9,760 / -245 / 0 / 1 / 2
20 / Becca Anderson / 672 / 672 / $2,6855 / -528 / 0 / 0 / 0
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