DOLLANSKY SLIDES TO VICTORY AT ELDORA

Source: WoO PR
Date: 04/12/2008

Dollansky lined up second behind Schatz on a restart with 10 laps to go and slid under the two-time defending Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion exiting the second turn. Schatz battled back down the stretch, with Dollansky holding him off after a restart with just two laps remaining. The current World of Outlaws championship point leader earned $10,000 for his 23rd career A-Feature win with the series.

“It was a great run for this race team,” said Dollansky. “I’m very happy for this Larry Woodward team and everyone that is supporting it. To get win number two this early in the season and have a strong start to the year is very important. We just have to keep working hard and working hard at wining races.”

Dollansky aboard the Auto Value Parts Stores Maxim began the night by turning in the sixth fastest lap in time trials, and he followed that up with a strong run in the third heat to earn a spot in the Crane Cams Dash. He finished fifth in the dash, to earn a starting spot on the inside of the third row for the 30-lap A-Feature. He powered his way past Kerry Madsen on the third lap to move into fourth. After shadowing Shane Stewart for a number of laps, Dollansky got around him on the 18th circuit to move into third.

“We learned some things tonight and got stronger as the night went on, which is important to us,” noted the native of Elk River, Minnesota, who has six Top-Five finishes this season in the same number of starts. “We began sputtering on the last lap. The car was stumbling on the restarts, but we got a good run on Donny (Schatz) and I felt real strong once we got the lead and felt like he would have to be real strong on a restart to slide back by us. It was a great team effort and I am happy for everyone.”

The race began with Joey Saldana leading from the pole position in the Budweiser/Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI. Early in the race, he opened a comfortable lead over Schatz. Saldana was out front for the first 20 laps, before he suffered a flat left rear tire, giving the lead to Schatz under caution. There were a number of drivers that had flat tires while running in the Top-10 over the course of the 30-lap event. There were also a couple of drivers that ran out of fuel late in the going.

“I don’t know what was going on with the tires for some of those guys,” said Dollansky. “They did a great job preparing this race track, with all the rain they had. This race track, you could pass on it pretty nice. It had a top and a bottom and you could do slide jobs. It was typical Eldora. Our tires held up and the car was great.”

Schatz, the two-time defending Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion, lined up second and ran there for the entire distance, after being the fastest driver in time trials and finishing second in the Crane Cams Dash.

Several times early in the race he caught Saldana right as the pair was about to enter lapped traffic, only to have the caution flag fly. For Schatz, it was his fourth runner-up finish of the season in the Armor All J&J for Tony Stewart Racing. While he inherited the lead under caution, he was never officially credited with leading a lap under green flag conditions.

“You’re always going to get yellows,” said Schatz. “It’s never fun when its cold out, but once you get in the car and put the helmet on, its time to go racing. We would have liked to have had some long runs, but it wouldn’t have mattered for us. We couldn’t get there quick enough and the guy that finished ahead of us deserved to.”

Jason Sides recorded his best finish of the season, coming home third on Friday night. The native of Bartlett, Tennessee driving the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim, who won the Kings Royal in 2004 at Eldora started ninth on Friday night and steadily worked his way to front, passing Chad Kemenah and Kerry Madsen in the middle of the race and taking advantage of some bad luck that plagued Terry McCarl and Shane Stewart late.

“It seems like we have hit on something here,” said Sides. “Last year we had a good run here the first time around. Usually when its cooler like it was, it stays a little more wet and a little bit better for me around the bottom. We got around the top some, but we on the bottom most of the time. We’ll take them anyway we can get them.”

Kerry Madsen finished fourth on Friday night driving the TK Concrete Maxim, to earn his first Top-Five finish of the season. The reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year started sixth and found himself locked in an early battled with Terry McCarl. He too gained a couple of spots late when Stewart suffered a flat tire and McCarl ran out of fuel.

“It’s always good to get a Top-Five,” stated Madsen. “I think we had a better car than fourth, but we had some problems and got a few breaks with a few guys dropping out. All in all, we’ll take a Top-Five. We’re very happy and looking forward to the next run.”

Tim Shaffer earned the KSE Race Products Hard Charger Award, after lining up 23rd and finishing fifth aboard the Casey’s General Store Maxim. It was the second consecutive Top-Five finish for the native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.

Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion also made up a lot of ground, as he came from 21st to finish sixth in the Q Oil Maxim.

Paul McMahan, who won with the World of Outlaws at Eldora last season, was seventh driving the Shorty’s Variety Recycling J&J for Hall of Famer Rick Ferkel.

Jason Meyers, who is second in World of Outlaws championship points, had a very eventful night, as he was eighth in the GLR Investments KPC. His team changed an engine after time trials and then he lost a tire while leading the Crane Cams Dash and another one during the A-Feature, which relegated him to the back of the field on the restart. He used several cautions to his advantage, as each time it bunched the field back up.

Lucas Wolfe was ninth driving the Allebach Racing Maxim, with Tim Kaeding rounding out the Top-10 piloting the Tom Rolfe Trucking Maxim.

A very good crowd was in attendance on a very chilly night for the first of six events this season for the World of Outlaws at the famed half-mile owned by two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart.

“It’s great that the fans came out tonight,” said Dollansky from Victory Lane. “I know everyone was worried about the rain. There are great race fans here. Eldora is always exciting and a fun place to come. It’s one of my favorite tracks. I’m feeling really good about our team and coming back here tomorrow night.”

While a number of drivers had trouble with their tires over the course of the 30-lap feature, Donny Schatz was confident with the Hoosier’s that his team bolted on for the main event.

“The tires weren’t a concern for me,” noted the North Dakota native. “With the speeds guys are going here, they are spinning the tires and that is what is worst on them. When you get on these fast race tracks and it gets slick, you’ll see that happen. I don’t think there is anything you can do to fix it, you just have to take care of your tires a little bit better.”

The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action again on Saturday at Eldora Speedway for another full night of racing.

ELDORA SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK

• FAST QUALIFIER: Donny Schatz paced the 30 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked 1/2-mile oval at 13.459 seconds at 133.740 mph. For his qualifying effort, Schatz earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4), Kerry Madsen (3), Jason Sides (2), and Joey Saldana (1).

• QUALIFYING WINNERS: Chad Kemenah, Joey Saldana and Terry McCarl won heat races… Joey Saldana won the Crane Cams Dash…Brian Paulus won the B-Main.

• FEATURE WINNERS: There have been six Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events held in 2008. The winners include: Jason Meyers (Volusia Speedway Park, Manzanita Speedway and I-55 Raceway), Craig Dollansky (Volusia Speedway Park and Eldora Speedway) and Danny Lasoski (Volusia Speedway Park).

• HALF-MILE WINNERS: Eldora Speedway is a high-banked 1/2-mile oval. The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series have raced five times this season on a track that size. The winners include: Jason Meyers (Volusia Speedway Park and Manzanita Speedway), Craig Dollansky (Volusia Speedway Park and Eldora Speedway) and Danny Lasoski (Volusia Speedway Park).

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