Down to the Wire: Saldana Wins Thriller over Johnny Herrera at U.S. 36 Raceway on Last Lap
Osborn, MO— June 26, 2009—Officially Joey Saldana only led three times for three single laps on Friday night in the Missouri High-Banked Nationals at U.S. 36 Raceway, but he traded the top spot with Johnny Herrera countless times over the course of the 40-lap event, sometimes multiple times on the same lap, as the pair battled tooth and nail in heavy lapped traffic on the high-banked bullring.Saldana would go on to lead the most important lap, the final one en route to picking up his 11th A-Feature win of the season and the 50th of his World of Outlaws career, making him just the 10th driver in the 30-plus year history of the series to accomplish the feat.
Saldana was running second coming to the white flag lap as the pair charged into turn one with a lap machine on the high side of the track. Herrera was bottled up for just a split second with the slower machine, giving Saldana the opening he needed as the pair headed for turn two. Saldana took the lead and would stay out front for the final half a lap.
“I don’t know what to say” said Saldana in Victory Lane. “I’m very proud of this team and this is a great team. It’s great to win. My dad just got inducted into the BCRA (Big Car Racing Association) Hall of Fame today so it’s pretty cool to win here tonight.”
Saldana started fourth and quickly got to third with Terry McCarl leading from the pole, but a caution came out before that lap was completed leading to a complete restart. On the second start, he again got to third after battling with Jason Meyers and he then got under McCarl in turn four to take the runner-up spot.
At this point, Herrera, who took the top spot on the opening lap of the second start from McCarl, opened a comfortable lead as he worked his way up to lapped traffic. Saldana closed in as the pair negotiated the slower machines, with a red flag flying on the seventh lap and giving them clean track to work with.
Herrera used a strong restart to quickly jump to a lead while Saldana had his hands full with Jason Meyers who was battling him for the second position. As Herrera got to traffic again, Saldana was able to gain ground and get right back up on him.
On the 16th lap Saldana used a slider off turn four to take the lead, but Herrera won a drag race down the front straightway to officially be credited with leading the lap at the line. On the next go-around, Saldana went high in turns three and four and took the lead to officially be credited with the lead for the first time on the night. On the 18th lap, Herrera retook the lead in turn one with Saldana inching ahead in turn two, with them battling into turns three and four with Herrera being scored the leader on that circuit. The 19th lap saw Saldana again get around Herrera in traffic, with the latter getting back by him on the next lap.
“Lapped traffic was the whole race,” noted Saldana. “That’s how I got him and then he just snookered me on the restart. He outdrove into (turn) one and two and I went in there too easy. I just kept digging and got him at the end.”
Saldana would run second for the next 20 laps, most it in heavy lapped traffic before snagging the lead on the last lap in the Budweiser Maxim. He continually used the high side of the track just inches off the wall in turn four as he tracked Herrera down.
“I was pretty good on top of (turn) four and I kept screwing up and hitting the fence.” he stated. “I knew if I could hit my marker, I would have something for him. Those last two laps, I just ran it in there to win and won the race.”
Herrera, who was looking for his first World of Outlaws win since 2000 wound up second in the Perfect Circle Bending Maxim. It was the second time this season he led laps in a World of Outlaws event.
“It was a heck of a race with Joey (Saldana),” said Herrera. “He is a long time friend of mine and we had a great race. I got a little messed up with lapped traffic there one time and he got a good run on me and I got a good run on him on a restart. There at the end I made one little bobble and hesitated just a little bit with a lapped car and went to the wrong part of the race track and he got a run on me. I didn’t know how close he was, but obviously he was close enough.”
For Herrera, who led 37 of the 40 laps on Friday night, it was his best finish of the season with the World of Outlaws. He started the night by turning in a strong run in time trials, which coupled with a fourth-place finish in the third heat race earned him a spot in the Crane Cams Dash in his debut at the high-banked bullring.
“This is a real racy place,” shared the runner-up. “I’m glad all of you fans came out. I have to thank Larry Woodward, my car owner, he was here tonight. I sure would have liked to have gotten that win for him tonight and for me tonight. Thanks to Troy (Renfro) and all the guys that work on the car and everyone back home. Without their support, I would not be doing what I love to do. Without them it would not happen.”
Kraig Kinser wound up third in the Bass Pro Shops Maxim to earn his second consecutive finish of fourth or better. He also was making his debut at U.S. 36 Raceway on Friday night.
“The car was good, we just weren’t good enough to run with those two ahead of us, they were really put on a good show the last couple of laps,” said Kinser. “We came from seventh to run third and I’ll take that any day.”
Lapped traffic played a large factor in the race and Kinser was glad to have some long green flag runs to pit the leaders in traffic. He restarted third on each of the final two restarts, but was not able to gain any ground on the leaders.
“The car was definitely working good,” he said. “I got screwed up a couple of times in traffic trying some different things that really weren’t working. I gave up a lot on restarts and those two took right off and I had a big gap from the restart on. That’s where I felt I really struggled at.”
Donny Schatz finished fourth after starting 12th on Friday night in the Armor All J&J to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award, with Jac Haudenschild fifth aboard the Owens-Corning Fiberglass Maxim. Terry McCarl started on the pole and ended up sixth in the Big Game Treestands Maxim. Steve Kinser recovered from an early flat tire to come for the back of the field to finish seventh in the Quaker State Maxim. Jason Sides was eighth in the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim, with Jason Meyers ninth in the GLR Investments KPC. Tony Bruce Jr. rounded out the Top-10 in the Racerswholesale.com Maxim.
The World of Outlaws return to action on Saturday, June 27 at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
MISSOURI HIGH-BANKED NATIONALS AT U.S. 36 RACEWAY NOTES
• FAST QUALIFIER: Jac Haudenschild paced the 27 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked 3/8-mile oval at 10.887 seconds at124.001 mph. For his qualifying effort, Haudenschild earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Tim Kaeding (4), Lucas Wolfe (3), Jason Sides (2), and Joey Saldana (1).
• QUALIFYING WINNERS: Kraig Kinser, Joey Saldana and Steve Kinser won heat races. Terry McCarl won the Crane Cams Dash. Garry Brazier won the B-Main.
There has been 31 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature event held in 2009. The winners include: Joey Saldana (Volusia Speedway Park, Silver Dollar Speedway, Thunderbowl Raceway, Lone Star Speedway, Houston Raceway Park, The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Virginia Motor Speedway, Lawrenceburg Speedway, Dodge City Raceway Park-twice and U.S. 36 Raceway), Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park-twice, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, Eldora Speedway, Canandaigua Speedway, Lawrenceburg Speedway and River Cities Speedway), Jason Meyers (Silver Dollar Speedway, Paducah International Raceway, I-96 Speedway and Red River Valley Speedway), Danny Lasoski (Delaware International Speedway and Nodak Speedway), Dale Blaney (Attica Raceway Park), Randy Hannagan (Thunderbowl Raceway), Greg Hodnett (Williams Grove Speedway), Tim Kaeding (Riverside International Speedway), Chad Kemenah (Manzanita Speedway), and Steve Kinser (Tri-State Speedway).
• 3/8-MILE WINNERS: U.S. 36 Raceway is a high-banked 3/8-mile oval. The World of Outlaws have raced seven times on a track that size this season. The winners include: Joey Saldana (Lawrenceburg Speedway, Dodge City Raceway Park-twice and U.S. 36 Raceway), Danny Lasoski (Nodak Speedway), Jason Meyers (Paducah International Raceway), and Donny Schatz (Lawrenceburg Speedway).
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; U.S. 36 Raceway; Osborn, MO; June 26, 2009
Qualifying
1) R19-Jac Haudenschild 10.887
2) 83-Tim Kaeding 10.905
3) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 10.918
4) 7S-Jason Sides 10.926
5) 9-Joey Saldana 10.995
6) 2W-Johnny Herrera 11.024
7) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 11.048
8) 24-Terry McCarl 11.071
9) 15-Donny Schatz 11.074
10) 20-Kraig Kinser 11.080
11) 41-Jason Johnson 11.100
12) 11-Steve Kinser 11.118
13) 2-Travis Rilat 11.119
14) 18-Tony Bruce Jr 11.129
15) 55-Kerry Madsen 11.178
16) 1K-Kim Kennedy 11.193
17) 6-Danny Lasoski 11.225
18) 19-Craig Dollansky 11.226
19) 10-Sammy Swindell 11.234
20) 1AU-Garry Brazier 11.262
21) 14-Jason Meyers 11.267
22) 96-Bronson Maeschen 11.323
23) 21AU-Brooke Tatnell 11.351
24) 22-Brian Ellenberger 11.374
25) 14AJ-Wayne Johnson 11.561
26) 30-Brant O”Banion 11.997
27) 19W-Bob Weuve 12.179
28) 18V-Tim Newman -.—
Heat 1 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 20-Kraig Kinser
2) R19-Jac Haudenschild
3) 7S-Jason Sides
4) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
5) 2-Travis Rilat
6) 10-Sammy Swindell
7) 14AJ-Wayne Johnson
8) 96-Bronson Maeschen
9) 1K-Kim Kennedy
10) 18V-Tim Newman
Heat 2 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 9-Joey Saldana
2) 24-Terry McCarl
3) 41-Jason Johnson
4) 83-Tim Kaeding
5) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.
6) 6-Danny Lasoski
7) 1AU-Garry Brazier
8) 21AU-Brooke Tatnell
9) 30-Brant O’Banion
Heat 3 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 11-Steve Kinser
2) 14-Jason Meyers
3) 15-Donny Schatz
4) 2W-Johnny Herrera
5) 19-Craig Dollansky
6) 5W-Lucas Wolfe
7) 22-Brian Ellenberger
8) 55-Kerry Madsen
9) 19W-Bob Weuve
Crane Cams Dash (8 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)
1) 24-Terry McCarl
2) 2W-Johnny Herrera
3) 14-Jason Meyers
4) 9-Joey Saldana
5) R19-Jac Haudenschild
6) 5W-Lucas Wolfe
7) 20-Kraig Kinser
8) 83-Tim Kaeding
9) 11-Steve Kinser
10) 7S-Jason Sides
B-main (10 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 1AU-Garry Brazier
2) 21AU-Brooke Tatnell
3) 55-Kerry Madsen
4) 22-Brian Ellenberger
5) 14AJ-Wayne Johnson
6) 96-Bronson Maeschen
7) 30-Brant O”Banion [$200]
8) 1K-Kim Kennedy [$180]
9) 19W-Bob Weuve [$175]
10) 18V-Tim Newman [$160]
A-main (35 laps) – Starting Position [#]
1) 9-Joey Saldana[4] [$10,000]
2) 2W-Johnny Herrera[2] [$5,500]
3) 20-Kraig Kinser[7] [$3,200]
4) 15-Donny Schatz[12] [$2,800]
5) R19-Jac Haudenschild[5] [$2,500]
6) 24-Terry McCarl[1] [$2,300]
7) 11-Steve Kinser[9] [$2,200]
8) 7S-Jason Sides[10] [$2,100]
9) 14-Jason Meyers[3] [$2,050]
10) 18-Tony Bruce Jr[15] [$2,000]
11) 41-Jason Johnson[13] [$1,500]
12) 6-Danny Lasoski[17] [$1,200]
13) 10-Sammy Swindell[19] [$1,100]
14) 21AU-Brooke Tatnell[21] [$1,050]
15) 22-Brian Ellenberger[22] [$1,000]
16) 83-Tim Kaeding[8] [$900]
17) 1AU-Garry Brazier[20] [$800]
18) 19-Craig Dollansky[18] [$800]
19) 96-Bronson Maeschen[24] [$800]
20) 55-Kerry Madsen[16] [$800]
21) 2-Travis Rilat[14] [$800]
22) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[11] [$800]
23) 14AJ-Wayne Johnson[23] [$800]
24) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[6] [$800]
Lap Leaders: Johnny Herrera 1-16, 18, 20-39; Joey Saldana 17, 19, 40
SuperClean Start of the Night Award: Jason Meyers
Penske Power Position Award: Kraig Kinser
KSE Hard Charger Award: Donny Schatz
Top-10 in points
1. Donny Schatz 4321
2. Joey Saldana 4271
3. Jason Meyers 4213
4. Steve Kinser 4206
5. Jason Sides 4107
6. Craig Dollansky 4097
7. Danny Lasoski 4091
8. Jac Haudenschild 3977
9. Kraig Kinser 3953
10. Lucas Wolfe 3601
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), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), Quaker State (Official Motor Oil), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder’s Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder’s Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.
