Iowa 34 Raceway preview

Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Preview: 34 Raceway

West Burlington, IA-- July 28, 2008--The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series makes their debut at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa on Wednesday, July 30. It will be the second of six tracks this season that the series will make their inaugural visit to in 2008.

Five current Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series drivers have competed at 34 Raceway, which is a high-banked 3/8-mile that has been hosting sprint car racing since 1973 in the past.

Terry McCarl, the lone World of Outlaws driver that hails from the state of Iowa, has raced the most of any series driver at the track in his home state. He has competed 11 times at the high-banked 3/8-mile dating back to 1988, winning three of those events and finishing in the Top-10 in each and every one. The six-time Knoxville Raceway and Huset's Speedway track champion last competed at the facility back in May and finished third. He currently has 12 Top-10 finishes on the season.

Daryn Pittman, who recently won the 25th Annual Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway competed at 34 Raceway back in May and picked up a win against a very strong field in his debut at the track. In that event, the native of Owasso, Oklahoma Pittman broke the 17-year old track record set by Doug Wolfgang, stopping the clocks at 12.461 seconds during time trials. He also recently picked up a win on the opening night of the Summer Nationals at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania.

Sam Hafertepe Jr., who is in the midst of his sophomore season with the World of Outlaws also competed at 34 Raceway back in May and finished fourth in that event. The Texas native has 11 Top-10 finishes this season as he closes in on his first career World of Outlaws victory.

Craig Dollansky, who is third in World of Outlaws points, competed twice at 34 Raceway in 1995, picking up Top-Five finishes in both of those events. The Minnesota native has six wins this season and has finished in the Top-10 in 30 events this season.

Joey Saldana, who is currently fourth in World of Outlaws championship standings just 14 markers behind Dollansky, competed at 34 Raceway in 1998 and finished fourth. The Indiana native has won twice this year as he continues his third season behind the wheel of the No. 9 machine for Kasey Kahne Racing.

Steve Kinser, the 20-time series champion, who has won 60 times in his career in the state of Iowa, will also be making his first career visit to 34 Raceway. He recently won the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and at I-96 Speedway in Michigan and has 547 career A-Feature wins with the series. He is solidly in the fifth spot in the championship standings.

Donny Schatz, the two-time defending series champion, who has won the last two Knoxville Nationals in Iowa will make his first visit to 34 Raceway on July 30. He currently leads the series with 11 wins and is atop the championship standings as he chases his third consecutive title.

Jason Meyers is second in points and has won six times this year as he chases his first World of Outlaws title. The native of Clovis, California has 31 Top-10 finishes in 35 events. He is tied for the series lead with six fast time honors in time trials.

Jac Haudenschild of Wooster, Ohio, has 18 career wins in the state of Iowa. He will be making his debut at 34 Raceway on Wednesday, July 30. In his first season driving for the Carnahan Motorsports team, he has 25 Top-10 finishes.

Kerry Madsen, the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner who now called the Knoxville, Iowa area home will be making his first career visit to 34 Raceway this week. In his sophomore season with the World of Outlaws, he has racked up 23 Top-10 finishes as he looks for his first win of the season.

Chad Kemenah, the series top rookie in 2006 will also be making his debut at 34 Raceway. He recently led a number of laps at K-C Raceway en route to a fourth-place finish. The native of Findlay, Ohio has 21 Top-10 finishes, with eight of those being in the Top-Five as he also closes in on his first win of the season.

Shane Stewart, who wore the rookie crown in 2005, won earlier this season in the state of Iowa at the famed Knoxville Raceway. The native of Bixby, Oklahoma is solidly in the Top-10 in points on the strength of 17 Top-10 finishes.

Kraig Kinser, the 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year is another driver making his first visit to 34 Raceway. The son of 20-time series champion Steve Kinser has seven Top-10 finishes this season.

Jason Sides, the series top rookie in 2003 will make his debut at the track on July 30. The native of Bartlett, Tennessee has five Top-Five finishes this season.

Tony Bruce Jr. earned a season-best fourth-place finish at Knoxville Raceway earlier this season. The native of Liberal, Kansas continues to gain experience in his second full season with the World of Outlaws.

Chad Hillier has picked up a couple of Top-10 finishes this season as he too continues his sophomore season with the World of Outlaws. He has turned in a number of Top-10 qualifying efforts in time trials over the last few weeks.

Paul McMahan has 31 Top-10 finishes in his career in the state of Iowa. The veteran driver has nine Top-10 finishes with the World of Outlaws this season, including seven since joining forces with the Parsons Motorsports team.

Lucas Wolfe, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season will miss the event as he continues to recover from a back injury sustained last month.

In addition to the blazing fast racing surface at the high-banked 3/8-mile, 34 Raceway is a state-of-the-art facility that features Musco Lighting, along with aluminum seats in the grandstands that each have seatbacks for added comfort.

What to look for at 34 Raceway:

* Terry McCarl, the lone World of Outlaws driver that hails from the state of Iowa, has raced the most of any series driver at the track in his home state. He has competed 11 times at the high-banked 3/8-mile dating back to 1988, winning three of those events and finishing in the Top-10 in each and every one.

* Craig Dollansky, who is currently third in points, competed twice at 34 Raceway in 1995, picking up two Top-Five finishes in both of those events.

* Joey Saldana, who is currently in the Top-Five in World of Outlaws championship points, driving for NASCAR star Kasey Kahne competed at 34 Raceway in 1998 and finished fourth.

* Steve Kinser has an amazing record at tracks he visits for the first time in his career, being victorious in well over 50 inaugural events for the World of Outlaws at tracks from coast-to-coast. He also has won 60 times in the state of Iowa in his career.

* Donny Schatz, the two-time defending series champion leads the series with 11 A-Feature wins this season and is the only driver that has finished in the Top-10 in every event this season

* In what is turning into one of the most competitive seasons in series history, nine drivers have visited Victory Lane, with 17 drivers having led laps in A-Feature races. Also, 15 drivers have been quickest in time trials, while 18 drivers have won a Crane Cams Dash to earn a pole position.

* The event at 34 Raceway will be the second of six tracks that the series visits for the first time this season.

By the Numbers- 34 Raceway:

0.375- Miles around 34 Raceway

1- World of Outlaws driver that hails from the state of Iowa, Terry McCarl

3- Drivers that have won A-Feature events on 3/8-mile tracks this season with the World of Outlaws

4- World of Outlaws drivers that have competed at 34 Raceway in the past; Events in the state of Iowa for the World of Outlaws this season

5- Races in the state of Iowa for the World of Outlaws this season

6- Tracks that the World of Outlaws will be visiting for the first time this season including 34 Raceway

8- Events on 3/8-mile tracks for the World of Outlaws through July 26; Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws this season

12.461- Track record set by Daryn Pittman in time trials earlier this season

13- Events the World of Outlaws will complete in the month of July

15- Drivers that have been quickest in time trials with the series this season

17- Drivers that have led laps in A-Feature competition this season with the series

18- Drivers that have won a Crane Cams Dash this season to earn a pole position in an A-Feature event

22- World of Outlaws championships that will be accounted for at the event by drivers competing full-time with the series

35- Events contested through July 26 for the World of Outlaws; Top-10 finishes for Donny Schatz this season in the same number of events

249- Laps led by Craig Dollansky through July 26 to lead the series

394- Miles from Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky where the World of Outlaws compete on July 28 to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa.

1973- Year that 34 Raceway began hosting sprint car racing

10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Wednesday, July 30

51,690- Dollars in the total purse on July 30

234,735- Dollars earned by Donny Schatz through July 30 to lead the series

Tickets: On Wednesday, July 30 at 34 Raceway, all seating will be reserved and will be $35 for adults and $15 for children ages 12-under. Also, the Top-2 Rows in the grandstand will be available as part of the Pit/Combo for $40, which includes a reserved ticket and a pit pass. For ticket information visit: www.slspromotions.com.

Prior to the World of Outlaws debut at 34 Raceway, there will a Meet & Greet on Tuesday, July 29 from 5-8 p.m. Central at Bob Knolls / Heartland Harley-Davidson, featuring The Bud Girls, ice cold Budweiser and plenty of Johnsonville Brats. A number of World of Outlaws drivers will be on-hand to meet with the fans, and sign autographs, along with having their souvenir trailers for fans to purchase merchandise. There will also be Door Prizes as well. Bob Knolls/ Heartland Harley-Davidson is located at 155 S. Roosevelt Ave in Burlington, Iowa a half-mile south of the intersection of Highways 34 & 61 (4 miles east of the track).

Next Up: The Badger Classic, beginning with a return to Wilmot Speedway on Friday, August 1, followed by a stop at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam on Saturday, August 2.

-credit: woo