Saldana Wins at Four Crown Nationals

Saldana Scores Four Crown Win at Eldora Speedway

Dominant run gives him his sixth World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series victory of the season

ROSSBURG, Ohio – Sept. 19, 2014 – Donny Schatz had World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series win number 23 in his sights at Eldora Speedway on Friday night but Joey Saldana had other ideas as Saldana held off the five-time champion on the way to victory at the Four Crown Nationals.

“This is amazing because I actually beat Donny Schatz,” Saldana said in victory lane following his win. “He’s been unbelievable this year and just to be able to race with him and be able to drive with the World of Outlaws – honestly, it’s an honor to just be out here and race.”

Saldana said the win meant a lot to him personally because it is one of the places he grew up at watching his father Joe Saldana race.

“This is an awesome place, a humbling place and I love racing here.”

Saldana started on the pole and held off Kerry Madsen through the first third of the Outlaws event at the Four Crown Nationals. Then Schatz began to make his move. He took over the second spot on lap 12 and worked to take advantage of the two cautions that followed. Despite side-by-side racing and nose out front on a couple of occasions, Saldana held off Schatz scoring his sixth World of Outlaws win of the season.

Saldana, who dedicated his win to crew member Sean Strasbaugh, said he thought Schatz had the better car throughout the night but that qualifying made the difference for his Motter Equipment team over Schatz.

“I think what beat him tonight, not to put him down, was his qualifying effort,” Saldana said. “He just didn’t qualify good enough. I think he had the best car, I just held him up.

“Once I could keep my momentum up front I was pretty good. When it’s in the middle he’s definitely got the car to beat. He was there a couple of times so I knew I had to hit my mark and not let him slide me. But we just qualified well and put ourselves in position and that’s why we beat him tonight. That’s what you’ve got to do every night if you’re going to beat him. Tonight we did it. At least as a team we know we can do it, we just have to keep doing it.”

Saldana currently sits fifth in the championship standings, 511 points out of the lead. His battle for fourth with Kerry Madsen is heating up as the season draws to a close – just 17 points separate the two drivers.

Schatz, who won the last two Outlaws events at Terre Haute and Kokomo, said he made a few mistakes along the way in his STP / Armor All car that left him in second.

“Yeah we were really good early through the middle of the race there but in the end we weren’t as good as we needed to be with all the cautions. But you know that’s the way it goes. These STP guys gave me an awesome racecar. It was a race winning car – I just put myself in a couple of the wrong spots at the right time. It feels good when you make mistakes like that and have a second place finish. Hats off to the guys and we’ll go out and try to get a win tomorrow.”

Schatz continues to lead the standings for the 2014 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship. The driver has a 254 point lead built up over defending champion Daryn Pittman.

Dale Blaney charged forward from an 11th place starting position in his Kennedy Cattle car, taking advantage of the restarts following each of the three cautions on the way to his third place run. On the next to last restart of the night, Blaney moved from fifth into third. Though he challenged Schatz, Blaney was not able to make up any more spots in the final laps.

“Yeah we had a couple of good restarts and gained a bunch – went from fifth to third,” Blaney said. “It was a good race – a good racetrack. It got pretty wide and if you got the wing back you could stick the bottom and fly a little bit. I had a really good car. To run from 11th to third with these guys here at this place is pretty neat.”

Jason Sides was the KSE Hard Charger award recipient of the night after starting in 25^th and advancing nine positions to finish in 16th.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series takes on the Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville Speedway on Saturday. The Outlaws then return to Indiana for Indy Race Parts presents the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series at Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway on Friday, Sept. 26.

Follow the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.

ELDORA SPEEDWAY NOTES: Rico Abreu scored the quick time of the night with a lap of 12.733. His lap was just .026 seconds off the 12-year-old track record of 12.707… Joey Saldana scored his sixth World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series win of the season at Eldora… Donny Schatz, David Gravel, Cody Darrah and Daryn Pittman all won their Heat races tonight… Jason Sides received the KSE Hard Charger Award after advancing 9 positions to finish in 16th.

SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz – 22 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 6, Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 19, Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 27, I-96 Speedway on May 31, River Cities Speedway on June 20, 34 Raceway on June 27, Cedar Lake Speedway on June 29, Lernerville Speedway on July 15, Autodrome Drummond on July 26, Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 27, Ohsweken Speedway on July 29, Knoxville Raceway on Aug. 9, Junction Motor Speedway on Aug. 12, Nodak Speedway on Aug. 17, Castrol Raceway on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23, Skagit Speedway on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, Grays Harbor Raceway on Sept. 1, Kokomo Speedway on Sept. 16 and Terre Haute Action Track on Sept. 17); Daryn Pittman – 13(Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14, Calistoga Speedway on April 6, Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 19, Williams Grove Speedway on May 16 and May 17, Orange County Fair Speedway, May 18, New Egypt Speedway, May 20, Dodge City Raceway Park on July 4 and 5, Lincoln Speedway on July 17, Fulton Speedway on July 23, River Cities Speedway on Aug. 15 and Southern Oregon Speedway on Sept. 3); Kerry Madsen – 6(Stockton Dirt track on March 22, El Paso Speedway Park on April 15, Lakeside Speedway on June 7, Eldora Speedway on July 12 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 3 and Antioch Speedway on Sept. 8); Joey Saldana – 6(Perris Auto Speedway on April 12, Salina Highbanks on April 25, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 23, I-80 Speedway on June 6, Jackson Speedway on June 13 and Eldora Speedway on Sept. 19); Paul McMahan – 5(The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 5, Tri-State Speedway on May 10, Limaland Motorsports Park on July 9, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 1 and Deer Creek Speedway on Sept. 13); Brad Sweet – 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Tucson International Raceway on March 8, Calistoga Speedway on April 5, Knoxville Raceway on June 14 and Beaver Dam Raceway on June 28); David Gravel – 4(Merced Speedway on March 28, Eldora Speedway on May 3, Wilmot Raceway on May 9 and Lebanon Valley Speedway on July 20); Cody Darrah – 2 (Kings Speedway on April 11 and Lernerville Speedway on July 15); Shane Stewart – 2(Eldora Speedway on May 2 and Willamette Speedway on Sept. 2); Sammy Swindell – 2(Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on April 26 and Eldora Speedway on July 11); Rico Abreu – 1(Thunderbowl Raceway on March 15); Jonathan Allard – 1 (Silver Dollar Speedway, Sept. 6); Christopher Bell – 1(Jacksonville Speedway on May 7);Dale Blaney – 1 (Attica Raceway Park on May 30); Roger Crockett – 1(I-94 Speedway on June 21); Lance Dewease – 1 (July 20 at Williams Grove Speedway); Greg Hodnett – 1 (July 18 at Williams Grove Speedway); Mark Dobmeier – 1 (Huset’s Speedway on July 2); Kraig Kinser – 1 (Clay County Fair Speedway on Sept. 12);Steve Kinser – 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 16); Carson Macedo – 1 (Silver Dollar Speedway on Sept. 5); Stevie Smith – 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 14).

World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Eldora Speedway; Rossburg, Ohio; Sept. 19, 2014

A-Main – (30 Laps) – 1. 71M-Joey Saldana [1] [$10,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [3] [$5,500]; 3. 14K-Dale Blaney [11] [$3,200]; 4. 29-Kerry Madsen [2] [$2,800]; 5. 83-David Gravel [8] [$2,500]; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [9] [$2,300]; 7. 51-Paul McMahan [5] [$2,200]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [16] [$2,100]; 9. 4-Cody Darrah [6] [$2,050]; 10. 45-Tim Shaffer [10] [$2,000]; 11. 9-Daryn Pittman [7] [$1,500]; 12. 10H-Danny Holtgraver [14] [$1,200]; 13. 1s-Logan Schuchart [15] [$1,100]; 14. 53-Christopher Bell [22] [$1,050]; 15. 59-Tim Kaeding [23] [$1,000]; 16. 7S-Jason Sides [25] [$100]; 17. 11N-Randy Hannagan [19] [$800]; 18. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [13] [$800]; 19. 71-Bryan Clauson [18] [$800]; 20. 24-Rico Abreu [4] [$800]; 21. 11K-Kraig Kinser [24] [$800]; 22. 49-Brad Sweet [21] [$800]; 23. 11-Steve Kinser [17] [$800]; 24. 7-Craig Dollansky [12] [$800]; 25. 28D-Jac Haudenschild [20] [$800]. Lap Leaders: Joey Saldana 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 7S-Jason Sides [+9]

Qualifying – 1. 24-Rico Abreu, 12.733; 2. 29-Kerry Madsen, 12.764; 3. 51-Paul McMahan, 12.819; 4. 71M-Joey Saldana, 12.840; 5. 2-Shane Stewart, 12.853; 6. 45-Tim Shaffer, 12.878; 7. 14K-Dale Blaney, 12.918; 8. 7-Craig Dollansky, 12.927; 9. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.930; 10. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 12.937; 11. 4-Cody Darrah, 12.938; 12. 10H-Danny Holtgraver, 12.942; 13. 1s-Logan Schuchart, 12.954; 14. 83-David Gravel, 12.962; 15. W20-Greg Wilson, 12.967; 16. 9-Daryn Pittman, 13.024; 17. 11-Steve Kinser, 13.072; 18. 71-Bryan Clauson, 13.091; 19. 11N-Randy Hannagan, 13.104; 20. 28D-Jac Haudenschild, 13.112; 21. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.113; 22. 53-Christopher Bell, 13.138; 23. 59-Tim Kaeding, 13.159; 24. 9W-Derek Hagar, 13.170; 25. 71MX-Paul May, 13.171; 26. 24H-Brandon Wimmer, 13.188; 27. 19-Paige Polyak, 13.189; 28. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.202; 29. 55F-Taylor Ferns, 13.275; 30. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.350; 31. 9P-Parker Price-Miller, 13.601; 32. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.684; 33. 7C-Caleb Armstrong, 14.074; 34. 33M-Beau Stewart, 14.163; 35. 21-Travis Philo, nt

Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 2. 1s-Logan Schuchart [1]; 3. 11-Steve Kinser [5]; 4. 2-Shane Stewart [3]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu [4]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 7. 71MX-Paul May [7]; 8. 55F-Taylor Ferns [8]; 9. 7C-Caleb Armstrong [9]

Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 83-David Gravel [1]; 2. 29-Kerry Madsen [4]; 3. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [2]; 4. 45-Tim Shaffer [3]; 5. 53-Christopher Bell [6]; 6. 71-Bryan Clauson [5]; 7. 7S-Jason Sides [8]; 8. 24H-Brandon Wimmer [7]; 9. 33M-Beau Stewart [9]

Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 4-Cody Darrah [2]; 2. W20-Greg Wilson [1]; 3. 14K-Dale Blaney [3]; 4. 51-Paul McMahan [4]; 5. 11N-Randy Hannagan [5]; 6. 59-Tim Kaeding [6]; 7. 19-Paige Polyak [7]; 8. 9P-Parker Price-Miller [8]; 9. 21-Travis Philo [9]

Heat 4 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [1]; 2. 10H-Danny Holtgraver [2]; 3. 71M-Joey Saldana [4]; 4. 28D-Jac Haudenschild [5]; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7]; 6. 9W-Derek Hagar [6]; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [8]; 8. 7-Craig Dollansky [3]

Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 71M-Joey Saldana [1]; 2. 29-Kerry Madsen [3]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 4. 24-Rico Abreu [4]; 5. 51-Paul McMahan [2]; 6. 4-Cody Darrah [6]; 7. 9-Daryn Pittman [8]; 8. 83-David Gravel [7]

Last Chance Showdown – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 7-Craig Dollansky [1] [-]; 2. 59-Tim Kaeding [4] [-]; 3. 71-Bryan Clauson [2] [-]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [3] [-]; 5. 9W-Derek Hagar [5] [$200]; 6. 19-Paige Polyak [8] [$180]; 7. 7S-Jason Sides [10] [$175]; 8. 71MX-Paul May [6] [$160]; 9. 24H-Brandon Wimmer [7] [$150]; 10. 55F-Taylor Ferns [9] [$150]; 11. 9P-Parker Price-Miller [11] [$150]; 12. 21-Travis Philo [14] [$150]; 13. 33M-Beau Stewart [13] [$150]; 14. 1A-Jacob Allen [12] [$150]; 15. 7C-Caleb Armstrong [15] [$150]

World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Championship Standings

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: American Racing Custom Wheels (Official Custom Wheel), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Lincoln Welders (Official Welder), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Bruce High Performance Transporters, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, Mobil 1, MSD, Sweet Manufacturing, and Superflow Dynos; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: ButlerBuilt, Intercomp, J&J Auto Racing, Jake’s Carts, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo and TNT Rescue.