Ohsweken, ON—July 23, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director
Sprint car fans in Canada have been waiting a long time for the World of Outlaws, 25 years to be exact. That wait will come to an end on Wednesday, July 25 as the best sprint car drivers in the world will invade the high-banked 3/8-mile Ohsweken Speedway for their inaugural event.
This will mark the first time since 1982 that the series has competed north of the border and the fifth time overall. In the prior four events that were all held at Winnipeg Speedway, three-time World of Outlaws champion Sammy Swindell was the victor.
Donny Schatz leads the way with 13 A-Feature wins, along with 45 Top-10 finishes. He is on top of the championship standings as he chases his second straight title. The reigning World of Outlaws champion earned over $100,000 for his last four wins and has nearly won $300,000 on the season. He won the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway on July 14 and followed that up with a victory in the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway. In the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway, he was victorious twice, including in the finale. He carries a 119 point leader over Joey Saldana into action on July 25.
Joey Saldana has nine A-Feature wins this season and is solidly in the second spot in points. He leads the series with seven fast time honors and also has led over 250 laps on the year. In his second season driving for Kasey Kahne Racing, Saldana has 16 total wins for the team. He earned his 40th Top-10 finish of the season on Sunday night at Lebanon Valley Speedway, as he continues to chase his first series title.
Danny Lasoski will head to Canada third in championship points. The 2001 World of Outlaws champion has three A-Feature wins on the season, along with 35 Top-10 finishes. He has three wins in the Crane Cams Dash which has earned him the same number of pole positions.
Jason Meyers used his fourth A-Feature win of the season on Sunday at Lebanon Valley Speedway to move back into the fourth spot in points. The native of Clovis, California has won twice this season on 3/8-mile tracks. He has 32 Top-10 finishes on the season, with 21 of those being in the Top-Five.
Daryn Pittman will make his first trip north of the border fifth in points. The native of Owasso, Oklahoma has three A-Feature wins on the season to go along with 33 Top-10 finishes. He is a former champion of the World of Outlaws Gumout Series.
Steve Kinser competed in the prior four events in Canada and will be the only series driver in attendance that took part in those races at Winnipeg Speedway. The 20-time World of Outlaws champion has eight A-Feature wins this season and is sixth in points. He has 31 Top-10 finishes and has won the Crane Cams Dash four times.
Craig Dollansky moved back into seventh in points after Sunday’s event at Lebanon Valley Speedway. The native of Elk River, Minnesota won earlier this season at Lake Ozark Speedway in Missouri. He heads to Canada with 30 Top-10 finishes on the season.
Paul McMahan has won twice this season driving for two-time NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart’s team. McMahan won at Eldora Speedway which is owned by Stewart, as well as at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin. He finished in the Top-Five in all three nights of the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway last week, with 50-plus cars in attendance each night.
Jason Solwold finished fifth on Sunday night at Lebanon Valley Speedway to earn his 27th Top-10 finish of the season. He also has set fast time three times this season and has one Crane Cams Dash win to his credit.
Jac Haudenschild will head north with two A-Feature wins on the season. He has picked up victories at Red River Valley Speedway and Limaland Motorsports Park. The native of Wooster, Ohio is 10th in the championship points on the strength of 22 Top-10 finishes.
Tim Shaffer is just outside the Top-10 in points. The native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania has 22 Top-10 finishes on the season, with 12 of those being in the Top-Five. He set fast time on Sunday night at Lebanon Valley Speedway. It was the third time this season he has been fastest in time trials.
Terry McCarl won his first event of the season last month at the famed Knoxville Raceway, where he is a six-time track champion. The native of Altoona, Iowa has 22 Top-10 finishes as he heads to Canada for the first time.
Jason Sides has 16 Top-10 finishes on the season and earned a season best second-place finish at New Egypt Speedway during the first East Coast swing of the season for the World of Outlaws. The 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has won the Crane Cams Dash four times to earn the same number of pole positions.
Kerry Madsen continues to lead the standings in the battle for the Kevin Gobecht Rookie of the Year Award. The native of St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia won earlier this season at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida.
Randy Hannagan is solidly in the Top-15 in championship points as the series makes their long awaited return to Canada. He has five Top-10 finishes on the season, including a season-best runner-up performance at Knoxville Raceway last month where he led a number of laps.
Justin Henderson will make his first start in Canada as he continues his second full season on the road with the series. The native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and former Huset’s Speedway track champion has nine Top-10 finishes this season.
Chad Kemenah, the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has eight Top-10 finishes on the season. He recently joined Hard 8 Racing and earned his first Top-10 with the team at Eldora Speedway in the Kings Royal.
Chad Hillier continues his first season with the World of Outlaws and is second in rookie points. He raced in the past in a 360-sprint car in the Western part of Canada. Jeremy Campbell will make the trip north from Monroe, Michigan for the event at Ohsweken. The second year driver has three Top-10 finishes on the season.
Sam Hafertepe Jr. another of the contenders for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award recently moved into the Top-20 in championship points and is third in rookie points. He has two Top-Five finishes on the season.
Tony Bruce Jr. will make his first trip to Canada on Wednesday, July 25. The rookie from Liberal, Kansas has two Top-Five finishes on the season as well.
Jason Martin, who also hails from Liberal, Kansas will head north of the border, fresh off a strong Top-10 finish on the second night of the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway.
Brian Carlson picked up an A-Feature finish on Sunday night at Lebanon Valley Speedway and will compete for the first time in his career in Canada on Wednesday.
Rookie Zach Chappell will miss the event after having surgery today on his left knee.
On Wednesday, July 25 at Ohsweken Speedway tickets for those ages 13-over will be $40, with tickets for those 12-under $25. Visit http://www.ohswekenspeedway.com for more information.
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