Rob Hart new Woodward Racing crew chief

Larry Woodward announced today that he has hired Rob Hart as crew chief of the Woodward Race Team that competes on the World of Outlaws sprint car circuit with driver Joey Saldana.

Hart, who recently resigned from the mln Motorsports Sprint Car Team that fielded an entry for Shane Stewart, has accepted Woodward's offer to join the Volcano Joe's Coffee Company/Champion Rescue Tools sponsored team, and is busy with his wife, Cathy Barrows, building two new cars for Sprint Car competition during the Month of Money.

"We are excited about Rob and his wife Cathy joining us at the Woodward Racing Team," said Larry Woodward Monday afternoon. "This is a total team effort, and Rob is a team player. We look forward to the rest of the season competing with the World of Outlaws, and are very excited about our chances to run for the championship in 2005. We felt a change was needed within our team, and Rob is our new crew chief, replacing Mike Cool."

Woodward is no stranger to racing, being a former race car owner as far back as the 1960's, competing in the CRA, SCRA and USAC sanctions in addition to several forays into land speed assaults at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats.

In 2003, Woodward assembled a wingless Sprint Car team with driver Jac Haudenschild and won $200,000 at the largest paying event in Sprint Car history, The MOPAR Million at the legendary Eldora Speedway in Ohio.

Hart's resume speaks for itself, as the car he prepared for Stewart captured the 2003 ASCS Speedweek championship and the Southern Iowa Sprint Week Mr. Sprint Car title in 2003.

"I look forward to working with the Woodward Racing Team and Joey Saldana," said Hart early Tuesday morning. "I know I have some big shoes to fill, as Mike Cool did a hell of a job for the Woodward Racing Team, helping driver Joey Saldana win four races en route to his current seventh place ranking in the 2004 World of Outlaws point standings.

Hart and Stewart combined to start 2004 off with a win at Brisbane, Australia on January 6, 2004, and then headed back to the United States to capture the 6th Annual King of 360's Winter Nationals preliminary feature event at East Bay Raceway Park near Tampa, Florida on January 29, 2004. They then won their first World of Outlaws feature March 26, 2004 at Thunder Valley Speedway in Union Hill, Louisiana. Hart's wrenches have also tuned Stewart's mount to a prestigious $20,000 victory at the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Washington State's Skagit Speedway June 19, 2004, and at State Fair Speedway's Oklahoma City Sprint Bandits event on July 4th, 2004.

Hart's mechanical abilities have also guided Stewart into the point lead of the 2004 Sprint Bandits championship standings through the series' first eight events.

In 55 race events with Stewart in 2004, Hart's mechanical presence has accounted for 5 wins, 26 top five finishes, and 41 top ten finishes.

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