'Dude' Pads Ratbag Cup points lead

KNOXVILLE, IA (August 16) -- Not only did Danny Lasoski earn $125,000 for winning the 41st Annual Amoco Ultimate Knoxville Nationals, he opened a five-point lead over defending Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series champion Steve Kinser in the Second Annual Ratbag Cup point standings.

"The Dude" has scored 90 points in the first 10 races televised on TNN: The National Network this season.

Mark Kinser's second-place finish in sprint car racing's premier event pushed him to within two points of defending Ratbag Cup champion Sammy Swindell. Swindell, still recovering from broken bones in his hands and a fractured knee cap, courageously finished 21st at the Nationals and received five Ratbag points.

The Ratbag Cup is a season-long points battle among the top 10 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series drivers from the 2000 season. Points can only be accrued during the 18 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series telecasts on TNN. Ratbag, the Australian-based software company that developed the smash-hit "Dirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars -- The Official Video Game of the World of Outlaws," is offering a $120,000 prize pool for the competitors this season. The 2001 Ratbag Cup champion will receive $25,000 at the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series banquet following the season finale in Las Vegas.

Swindell won the Ratbag Cup in 2000 by having the best average finishing position in all TV events after the Cup was announced at the inaugural event at Bristol Motor Speedway in June of 1999. It was a close battle with Steve Kinser that went down to the final laps of the 2000 finale in Las Vegas.

The Ratbag Cup's next event will be TNN's telecast of the Second Annual Texas Showdown from Texas Motor Speedway September 14th.

New entries to the 2001 Ratbag Cup are Joey Saldana, Dale Blaney and Jac Haudenschild. They replace Donny Schatz, Tim Shaffer and Jeff Swindell, who failed to finish in the top 10 in the 2000 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series point standings.

<pre> Second Annual Ratbag Cup Point standings after 10 events Pos. Driver Knoxville Points Current Points 1. Danny Lasoski 10 90 2. Steve Kinser 6 85 3. Sammy Swindell 5 80 4. Mark Kinser 9 78 5. Andy Hillenburg 1 73 6. Stevie Smith 7 70 7. Joey Saldana 8 67 8. Dale Blaney 2 40 9. Johnny Herrera 3 37 10. Jac Haudenschild 4 34

-WoO