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RACE REPORT: Schatz Motors To Manzy Win

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By Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director

Donny Schatz was the first driver to win a race this season with the World of Outlaws, and on Saturday night he became the first repeat winner in the seventh event of the year.

 

(Click for a complete MyLaps.com statistical report from Saturday night’s Cactus Classic at Manzanita Speedway.)

In what is quickly becoming a common occurrence this season, Schatz and Joey Saldana battled for the win in the Cactus Classic at Manzanita Speedway. The pair ran side-by-side before a packed grandstand that cheered them on as they battled lap after lap. Schatz came out on top and took home the $10,000 winner’s share of the purse.

Schatz used the low side of the track for the majority of the race, with Saldana using the momentum he gained on the high side to stay even with the reigning series champion as the laps wound down.

The 30-lap contest began with second-year driver Justin Henderson in search of his first World of Outlaws win, powering his way around polesitter Paul McMahan on the opening circuit exiting the second turn. He began to pull away before encountering lapped traffic, which helped Schatz close the gap.

On the 13th go-around, Schatz shot to the high side of Henderson and took the lead. The reigning series champion was able to quickly open up a sizeable advantage that was negated by a caution at the halfway mark of the event. He used a strong restart to retain the lead, which led to thrilling battle with Saldana.

“It was a good night,” said Schatz, driver of the Parker Store J&J. “We were racing for a win last night, and just broke a motor. Tonight we had one of our old faithful hitters in. The race track was fast. I didn’t expect it to stay that fast. It was really good on the bottom and you had to work your way through on the top. My guys did a great job. We tried a few things and they worked.”

Schatz had a very close call late in the race, as the machine of rookie Tony Bruce Jr. lost an engine right in front of him. With Saldana just a few car lengths behind, Schatz kept his line and did not let the heavy smoke interrupt his rhythm.

“You just have to watch far enough ahead, so you don’t get yourself in trouble,” said the 1997 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year. “I always try to watch far enough ahead and sometimes that does get you in trouble. We could see the smoke up there and tried to play it a little cautious.”

With his sixth Top-Five finish in the first seven races of the year, Schatz continues to lead the championship standings over Saldana, as he seeks his second consecutive series title. It was his second win at Manzanita and 53rd of his World of Outlaws career.

For Saldana, the runner-up finish was his fourth Top-Five of the young season. After the mid-race caution, the native of Brownsburg, Indiana began to have trouble with his left rear tire, and when the checkered flat flew, it was nearly deflated. He was able to hold on and bring the car home solidly in the runner-up position.

“We had a good strong second,” said Saldana, driver of the Mopar-powered Open Joist JEI. “We can’t let running second get us down. It is definitely better than running third. I feel like we have a car that is good enough to win. That was definitely an exciting race for the fans,” he shared. “We ran side-by-side for a while. That is pretty neat to race with somebody that close and that clean.”

There is only one driver besides Schatz, who has six Top-10 finishes on the season and that is Brooke Tatnell, driving for Larry Woodward Racing. The first Australian born driver to win a World of Outlaws event was thrilled with a third-place effort on Saturday night. While he wants to win every time he straps into the car, he felt as thought it was a win to run as strong as the did on Saturday night, with the circumstances the team was faced with after damaging an engine on Friday night in Tucson.

“We’re very happy with tonight,” said Tatnell, driver of the Volcano Joe’s Coffee Schnee. “We came here with a motor that Larry uses in his non-wing car. It’s not the biggest horsepower and it’s about five years old, and it’s getting pretty tired. I’m really proud of the team. Everyone has their head up.”

Tim Kaeding powered his way to a fourth-place run in the Steve Kinser Racing Maxim. After having some trouble with the fuel pump in the dash, his crew made sure they had the problem remedied as he took to the track for the A-Feature.

Paul McMahan picked up his first Top-Five finish of the season, as he came home fifth. He won his first dash of the year to earn his first pole position in an A-Feature in 2007, driving the Bass Pro Shops Eagle.

Jason Sides aboard the Wetherington Tractor Services Maxim picked up his second straight Top-10 finish in the Arizona desert, as he came home sixth. Justin Henderson led the first 12 laps of the event, after starting on the outside of the front row, and finished seventh in the Dan Dan the Sonic Man/Jolt Energy Gum Rocket. Jason Solwld picked up his third Top-10 finish of the season as he came home eighth in the City Wide Insulation Maxim. Steve Kinser scored his third straight finish in the Top-10, as he was ninth in the Q Racing Maxim. Craig Dollansky rounded out the Top-10 in the Karavan Trailers Maxim.

Kerry Madsen began the night by setting a new track record in time trials. In the process, he became the seventh different driver in the same number of events to stop the clock first. In total, four drivers broke the previous track record that Jac Haudenschild had set back in 1997.

After a weekend off, the World of Outlaws will return to Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas on March 16, followed by a stop at Pike County Speedway in Mississippi the following night.

MANZANITA SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK

• FAST QUALIFIER: Kerry Madsen paced the 36cars that took time with a record setting AMB i.t. timed lap around the half-mile semi-banked oval at 15.235 seconds at 118.149 mph. For his qualifying effort, Madsen earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Joey Saldana (4), Jason Solwold (3) Daryn Pittman, (2), and Jason Meyers (1).

• QUALIFYING WINNERS:  Tim Keading, Paul McMahan, Justin Henderson, and Jason Sides won heat races… Dion Hindi won the B-Main… Paul McMahan won the dash. 

• FEATURE WINNERS: There have been seven World of Outlaws A-Feature events held in 2007. The win list includes: Donny Schatz (February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park and March 3 at Manzanita Speedway), Tim Kaeding (February 24 at Thunderbowl Raceway), Steve Kinser (March 2 at USA Race Park), Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park), Daryn Pittman (February 11 at Volusia Speedway Park), and Joey Saldana (February 23 at Thunderbowl Raceway).

• HALF-MILE WINNERS: Manzanita Speedway is a semi-banked half-mile track. The World of Outlaws have now raced four times this season on a track that size. Winners include: Donny Schatz (February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park and March 3 at Manzanita Speedway), Kerry Madsen (February 10 at Volusia Speedway Park), and Daryn Pittman (February 11 at Volusia Speedway Park).

• ON THE WEB: The Official World of Outlaws Web site is at http://www.worldofoutlaws.com. 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 2007 Official Rulebook can be found at the bottom of the home page.

• LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws 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 [email protected].

• UP NEXT: A return to Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas is in store on March 16, with a trip to Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Mississippi to follow on March 17.

• UPCOMING EVENTS: The series will make their inaugural visit to Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee on March 24, and will close out the month at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia on March 31.On April 5, the World of Outlaws return to Paducah International Speedway in Kentucky, followed by a stop at I-55 Raceway in Missouri the next night.

World of Outlaws Sprint Series Statistical Report; Manzanita Speedway; March 3, 2007
Qualifying
1) 11H-Kerry Madsen 15.235
2) 9-Joey Saldana 15.255
3) R19-Jason Solwold 15.285
4) 21-Daryn Pittman 15.319
5) 14-Jason Meyers 15.428
6) 11-Steve  Kinser 15.440
7) 83-Danny Lasoski 15.446
8) 7-Craig Dollansky 15.463
9) 11K-Tim Kaeding 15.484
10) 19-Becca  Anderson 15.490
11) 1x-Randy Hannagan 15.493
12) 7S-Jason Sides 15.499
13) 15-Donny Schatz 15.502
14) 20-Paul McMahan 15.519
15) D1-Justin Henderson 15.537
16) 2-Brooke Tatnell 15.549
17) 11D-Dion Hindi 15.582
18) 45X-Johnny Herrera 15.594
19) 10C-Jeremy Campbell 15.631
20) 24-Terry McCarl 15.652
21) 8K-Zach Chappell 15.658
22) 18-Brian Carlson 15.669
23) 70-Chad Kemenah 15.681
24) 35-Jac Haudenschild 15.683
25) 5-Dustin  Lindquist 15.758
26) 12M-James Mosher 15.762
27) 6-Tim Shaffer 15.780 28)
18T-Tony Bruce Jr 15.792
29) 5C-Chad Hillier 15.833
30) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr 15.834
31) 22B-Ben Gregg 15.845
32) 36-Jason Martin 15.945
33) 9K-Brent Kronfuss 15.971
34) 1M-William Hernandez 16.058
35) 15X-Bud Goodwin 17.508
36) 22-Eric Farrin 17.737

Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 11K-Tim Kaeding
2) 15-Donny Schatz
3) 14-Jason Meyers
4) 8K-Zach Chappell
5) 11H-Kerry Madsen
6) 5-Dustin Lindquist
7) 11D-Dion Hindi
8) 5C-Chad Hillier
9) 9K-Brent Kronfuss

Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 20-Paul McMahan
2) 19-Becca  Anderson
3) 9-Joey Saldana
4) 11-Steve Kinser
5) 45X-Johnny Herrera
6) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
7) 18-Brian Carlson
8) 12M-James Mosher
9) 1M-William Hernandez

Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) D1-Justin Henderson
2) 1X-Randy Hannagan
3) R19-Jason Solwold
4) 83-Danny Lasoski
5) 10C-Jeremy Campbell
6) 70-Chad Kemenah
7) 22B-Ben Gregg
8) 15X-Bud Goodwin
9) 6-Tim Shaffer

Heat 4 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 7S-Jason Sides
2) 2-Brooke Tatnell
3) 21-Daryn Pittman
4) 7-Craig Dollansky
5) 24-Terry McCarl
6) 35-Jac Haudenschild
7) 36-Jason Martin
8) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr.
9) 22-Eric Farrin

Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)
1) 20-Paul McMahan
2) D1-Justin Henderson
3) 15-Donny Schatz
4) 1x-Randy Hannagan
5) 2-Brooke Tatnell
6) 9-Joey Saldana
7) 7S-Jason Sides
8) 11H-Kerry Madsen
9) 19-Becca  Anderson
10) 11K-Tim Kaeding

B-main (12 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 11D-Dion Hindi 
2) 35-Jac Haudenschild 
3) 5-Dustin  Lindquist 
4) 18-Brian Carlson 
5) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [$200]
6) 5C-Chad Hillier [$180]
7) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr. [$175]
8) 22B-Ben Gregg [$160]
9) 36-Jason Martin [$150]
10) 12M-James Mosher [$150]
11) 9K-Brent Kronfuss [$150]
12) 15X-Bud Goodwin [$150]
13) 6-Tim Shaffer [$150]
14) 70-Chad Kemenah [$150]
15) 1M-William Hernandez [$150]
16) 22-Eric Farrin [$150]

A-main (30 laps) – Starting Position [#]
1) 15-Donny Schatz[3] [$10,000]
2) 9-Joey Saldana[6] [$5,500]
3) 2-Brooke Tatnell[5] [$3,200]
4) 11K-Tim Kaeding[10] [$2,800]
5) 20-Paul McMahan[1] [$2,500]
6) 7S-Jason Sides[7] [$2,300]
7) D1-Justin Henderson[2] [$2,200]
8) R19-Jason Solwold[11] [$2,100]
9) 11-Steve  Kinser[14] [$2,050]
10) 7-Craig Dollansky[16] [$2,000]
11) 21-Daryn Pittman[12] [$1,500]
12) 11H-Kerry Madsen[8] [$1,200]
13) 19-Becca  Anderson[9] [$1,100]
14) 83-Danny Lasoski[15] [$1,050]
15) 24-Terry McCarl[20] [$1,000]
16) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[25] [$100]
17) 45X-Johnny Herrera[18] [$800]
18) 10C-Jeremy Campbell[19] [$800]
19) 14-Jason Meyers[13] [$800]
20) 5-Dustin  Lindquist[24] [$800]
21) 11D-Dion Hindi[17] [$800]
22) 18T-Tony Bruce Jr.[26] [$]
23) 1x-Randy Hannagan[4] [$800]
24) 35-Jac Haudenschild[23] [$800]
25) 8K-Zach Chappell[21] [$800]
26) 18-Brian Carlson[22] [$800]
Lap Leaders: Justin Henderson 1-12; Donny Schatz 13-30
Note: Sam Haftertepe Jr. and Tony Bruce Jr. used provisionals to start the A-Feature

2007 STAT ATTACK
There have been 7 World of Outlaws A-Feature events this season.

A-Feature winners (6 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – #15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 2
2-  #11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA – 1
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s NSW – 1
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 1    
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 1

Lap leaders, including A-features and preliminary features
Car, driver, hometown – Total laps led (10 different drivers have led a lap)
#11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA – 40 laps
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 32 laps
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 30 laps
#11 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN – 24 laps
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN. – 24 laps
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 23 laps
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW – 21 laps
#D1 Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD – 14 laps
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN – 6 laps
#83 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO – 4 laps

Time trial leaders (7 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Quick times
1 – #18T Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, KS – 1
#89 Cody Darrah, Red Lion, PA – 1
#7 Craig Dollansky- Elk River, MN – 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW – 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 1
#6T Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA – 1

Dash Winners (7 different winners)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Dash Wins
1 – #15T Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX – 1
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 1
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 1
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 1           
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D. – 1
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN – 1     

Pole Positions (7 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Poles
1 – #15T Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX – 1
#35 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH – 1
#20 Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN – 1
#14 Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA – 1
#21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK – 1
#15 Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 1
#7S Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN – 1

B-main Winners (7 different winners)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – “B” Wins
1 –#1X Randy Hannagan, San Jose – 1
#11D Dion Hindi, Albuquerque, NM – 1
#11K Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 1
#11H Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s NSW – 1
#20 Paul McMahan- Nashville, TN – 1
#9 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN – 1
#2 Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW – 1

 

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