Fast Talkers: Drivers Outline Return to Midwest Tracks
The World of Outlaws compete at Farmer City, Eagle and Knoxville this week
FARMER CITY, Ill. — April 24, 2012 — With a trio of races in a four-day span across the Midwest this week, the World of Outlaws schedule is heating up.
The Outlaws are headed to Farmer City Raceway for the first time since 2003 for an event on Wednesday, followed by the first race at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., since 2009 on Friday for the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Showdown. The World of Outlaws wrap up the weekend with its first event at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, on Saturday.
Here are some quotes about the facilities and the events from the full-time World of Outlaws drivers:
Cody Darrah (Red Lion, Pa.) – “I haven’t been there before so it’s new to me. I’m looking forward to going there.”
Craig Dollansky (Elk River, Minn.) – “It’s a good, little short track. Hopefully they can get us a decent track prepared there. It’s good to have a race in Illinois. I’m glad we’re going back there.”
Chad Kemenah (Findlay, Ohio) – “I’ve never raced Farmer City so this is going to be a new venture for me. I think my father-in-law actually raced there years back with Jack Hewitt. (I’ll) take a little of his advice and we’ll go there and hopefully have a good run.”
Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, Ind.) – “It’s small and it’s tight racing. (There are) a lot of great fans there so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”
Steve Kinser (Bloomington, Ind.) – “It’s just a little, bitty, small short track. It’s sort of similar to what we run out in Northern California. It’s actually a track you can do some passing on for such a short, little race track, so it’s a fun, little track to run on.”
Kerry Madsen (St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia) – “From what I understand it’s pretty little. I seem to be able to adapt to new tracks pretty quick, so (we’ll try to) go there and have a good run and try to win the thing.”
Bill Rose (Plainfield, Ind.) – “I remember it was a good, racy little race track. I used to run late models there and actually ran an All Star race there probably about 10 years ago. Hopefully we get a good crowd and have a good race.”
Joey Saldana (Brownsburg, Ind.) – “It’s an awesome track. We used to run there in the early 2000s with the Outlaws. We always ran really well there. It’s close to home; it’s like an hour and a half from my house.”
Donny Schatz (Minot, N.D.) – “I remember the old, wooden grandstand. It’s a neat atmosphere with a lot great people. We’re looking forward to having a great night of racing.”
Sammy Swindell (Germantown, Tenn.) – “I just remember a pretty small, flat track out there in Illinois. It’s similar to some of the other tracks we’ve run around there back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.”
Lucas Wolfe (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) – “I heard it’s on the smaller side of things. (We will) probably get there a day or so early so we can kinda get a bit of a game plan, but not expecting too big of issues with it.”
Eagle Raceway:
Cody Darrah (Red Lion, Pa.) – “Everything I’ve heard, it’s just been exciting. It’s another track I haven’t been to. I’m looking forward to getting on the track. For a smaller place it seems like it’s going to be fast.”
Craig Dollansky (Elk River, Minn.) – “It’s been a few years since we’ve been there. I think we picked up a win in one of the last races we had there. It’s definitely a fast track. It’s good to be good going back there.”
Chad Kemenah (Findlay, Ohio) – “We’ve struggled with Eagle before. We’re doing some different things this year and so far we’ve been competitive. Hopefully we can go there and we can run well.”
Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, Ind.) – “That’s another track that I can’t wait to get back to. For some reason when I first started it just agreed with me. It’s just a track I love going to regardless of how we finish.”
Steve Kinser (Bloomington, Ind.) – “I’ve always enjoyed running Eagle. I’ve always run real well there. We haven’t ran there for a few years either, so it’s going to be nice to get back there.”
Kerry Madsen (St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia) – “I feel like I’ve never been super great there. We’re kinda doing things a little different this year. I’m really excited about going back to Eagle with a fresh approach and looking at coming away with a great result.”
Bill Rose (Plainfield, Ind.) – “That’s a good, racy place. That’s just a fun race track to race at. There’s always good racing.”
Joey Saldana (Brownsburg, Ind.) – “I love it. It’s a lot like running in Pevely, Mo. It’s a cool track. It’s always been a statement in the Outlaws schedule.”
Donny Schatz (Minot, N.D.) – “I’ve had great success there for quite a while. We haven’t been there for a few years. I can’t wait to get back in the Midwest.”
Sammy Swindell (Germantown, Tenn.) – “It’s a place where you can hustle the car. The driver can definitely make a difference there. It changes sometimes so it’s a lot different the way you drive it or the way the car has to be set up from where you run the top or the bottom. If it changes, you’ve got to change your driving style to match the track. It can be a big difference to run the bottom compared to running the top at Eagle.”
Lucas Wolfe (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) – “I’m excited to get back to Eagle. I’ve always heard really great things about it. It races similar to (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in) Pevely, which is a track I enjoy quite a bit.”
Cody Darrah (Red Lion, Pa.) – “For me, every time I’ve been there has kinda been a test. We just want to go there and get a nice baseline to work on something for the rest of the year.”
Craig Dollansky (Elk River, Minn.) – “Definitely you go in there with the focus to try to win the race. We’ll hopefully go in there and try to get a good balance with the race car and learn some things as you go forward to other races like the Knoxville Nationals.”
Chad Kemenah (Findlay, Ohio) – “Any time you can run laps at Knoxville that’s good. That place is kinda its own little beast. We don’t get to go too many times before the Nationals, so we’ve got to take advantage of when we can get some laps there.”
Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, Ind.) – “Any time you go to Knoxville you want to win. You might try some things there in the spring … at the same time it’s a race and you don’t want to finish second there.”
Steve Kinser (Bloomington, Ind.) – “Any time you go to Knoxville before the Nationals it turns into a race and a test session both. They’re not afraid to make some different changes and learn a little bit every time you hit the track there no matter when it is.”
Kerry Madsen (St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia) – “Definitely super excited about Knoxville. Our shop is 1.5 miles north of the race track. Any time you get to Knoxville it’s definitely a tune-up for the Nationals, so we’re really pumped about doing well at Knoxville and I’m really looking forward to that race.”
Bill Rose (Plainfield, Ind.) – “I’ve usually struggled at Knoxville, so hopefully we get there and do some good and do some testing to get ready for the Nationals.”
Joey Saldana (Brownsburg, Ind.) – “You just use it as a training, but actually when you go into the Nationals it’s a totally different feeling.”
Donny Schatz (Minot, N.D.) – “It’s obviously a fun place for us to go. My guys have a great setup there. Everything when you go there is about the Nationals. You only get one or two tries before you go there and every year it seems like there is a little change to the surface.”
Sammy Swindell (Germantown, Tenn.) – “It’s always been a good track for me. I’ve won there quite a few times. I always have a good time there. I have a lot of friends and it’s just a nice place for us to run.”
Lucas Wolfe (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) – “Any time you get to go to Knoxville it’s pretty important. It should be a good preparation for us. Obviously having the Nationals there is the most important race for us of the year, so the chance to get on the track as much as possible is definitely important.”
Tickets for Farmer City Raceway can be ordered online by clicking WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets or by calling 877-395-8606.
Tickets for the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Showdown at Eagle Raceway can be ordered online at SLSPromotions.com or by calling 1-815-344-2023 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Central) Monday thru Friday.
Tickets for Knoxville Raceway can be ordered online at KnoxvilleRaceway.com.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Goodyear Tires (Official Tire), Gravely Tractors (Official Lawn Equipment), University of Northwestern Ohio, VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel), Vicci (Official Apparel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, MSD Ignitions, Penske Shocks, Superflow Dynos and Wix Filters; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Astro Titanium, ButlerBuilt, Fuel Safe, Intercomp, J&J Auto Racing, Jake’s Carts, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo and TNT Rescue.
