Series Concord World Finals preview

World of Outlaws Preview: Third Annual World Finals

Concord, NC-- November 3, 2009--The three-way battle for the 2009 World of Outlaws championship which is the closest in series history between three-time and defending titlist Donny Schatz, Jason Meyers and Joey Saldana will be decided during the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, November 5-7. Schatz and Meyers are separated by just 19 points entering the three-day event, which begins with two rounds of qualifying on Thursday, November 5, that will set the heat race line-ups for the racing programs on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7.

Joey Saldana, who won at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway back in May enters the event as the most recent winner in World of Outlaws action on October 24 at Lone Star Speedway in Texas and has captured a series best 19 A-Feature wins this season and has 20 overall victories. He is currently third in points, 46 markers out of the lead.

Heading into the third annual World Finals, Schatz and Saldana are the only two drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that have taken part in all 21 of the previous races for the series at the semi-banked four-tenths-mile. Schatz, who is chasing his fourth consecutive World of Outlaws title has three career wins at the track along with 17 Top-10 finishes of which 14 are Top-Five performances. Saldana won for the first time at the track back in May and has 13 career Top-10 runs there. Meyers, who is chasing his first series title won during the inaugural World Finals in 2007 and has nine career Top-10 finishes at the track including six consecutive.

The first edition of the World Finals in 2007 saw Jason Meyers and 20-time series champion Steve Kinser pick up wins, while last season it was Brooke Tatnell and Donny Schatz scoring victories. The World of Outlaws visited The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the first time in 2000 with Mark Kinser scoring that win. A total of 11 different drivers have scored A-Feature wins at the track with the series in the 15 A-Feature events that have been contested.

The finale of the World Finals on Saturday, November 8 will air live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern with Bobby Gerould on the call and Hall of Famer Brad Doty offering expert analysis along with Shane Andrews and Erin Crocker reporting from the pit area.

The opening two nights of the World Finals will be broadcast via the DIRVision.com Cybercast. For more information and to purchase the World Finals Race Pass visit www.DIRTVision.com.

Slidejobs- Third Annual World Finals:

Closing in on another title: Donny Schatz heads to World Finals in search of his fourth consecutive World of Outlaws championship on the strength of 12 A-Feature wins and a series-best 38 Top-Five finishes. The North Dakota native has competed in all 21 of the previous World of Outlaws events at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway and has three career wins at the track along with 17 Top-10 finishes of which 14 have been Top-Five performances. He was victorious last season in the finale of the World Finals to cap off his third consecutive championship. Schatz led a number of laps at the track back in May and wound up finishing third in that event.

Chasing his first title: Jason Meyers is chasing his first career World of Outlaws championship and heads into the World Finals just 19 points behind Donny Schatz with two full point paying events on the docket, as well as two rounds of qualifying with bonus points on the line during those time trials sessions as well. Meyers has won a total of nine times this season and leads the series with 53 Top-10 finishes. In his career at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the California native has nine Top-10 finishes and five Top-Fives, including a win in 2007 during the World Finals. He finished sixth at the track back in the spring.

Looking to repeat: Joey Saldana scored his first career win at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway back in May, taking the lead from Donny Schatz in traffic with the cameras from SPEED capturing all the action live. Making the win even more special for Saldana was the fact that his car owner Kasey Kahne was in attendance for the race which came just days after the team unveiled a brand new shop in the Charlotte area, where they are based out of. Saldana heads into the World Finals leading the World of Outlaws with 19 A-Feature wins and 20 victories overall. He is third in points on the strength of 47 Top-10 finishes. In his career at the four-tenths-mile he has 13 Top-10 finishes and is the only driver other than Donny Schatz to have competed in all 21 races the series has contested at the track dating back to 2000.

Always up front: Steve Kinser has competed 20 times at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in his career and has finished in the Top-10 in each and every one of those races, with 14 of those being Top-Five performances including two wins. He was victorious in 2007 during the inaugural World Finals. The 20-time World of Outlaws champion finished fifth at the track back in May. He has won twice this season and is currently fourth in points on the strength of 48 Top-10 finishes.

Oh so close: Jason Sides finished second at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway back in May and was fifth in the finale of the World Finals last season as he closes in on his first career win at the track. The 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner has won twice this season and is fifth in points on the strength of a career-best 46 Top-10 finishes and 24 Top-Fives. He has earned 10 fast time honors in qualifying which is also a career-high.

Consistency is key : Danny Lasoski will wrap up a very consistent 2009 season this weekend at the World Finals. He has one career win at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway to go along with 11 Top-10 finishes. He ran ninth at the four-tenths-mile back in May. He has won five times this season and has racked up 40 Top-10 finishes in his first year driving for the Parsons Motorsports team. The 2001 series champion is currently sixth in points.

Back at the World Finals: Craig Dollansky will make his first start at the World Finals since 2007 this weekend. He missed the race last year while recovering from a broken arm, with Brooke Tatnell filling in for him and winning the opener of the event. Dollansky has won three times this season and is currently seventh in points on the strength of 40 Top-10 finishes.

Looking for another good run: Kraig Kinser finished second last season in the finale of the World Finals to earn the best finish of his career at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The third generation driver has a couple of Top-10 finishes at the track in just a limited number of starts. He heads into the World Finals this season eighth in points on the strength of 29 Top-10 finishes with 10 being Top-Five performances.

On display: Kraig Kinser's No. 20 Bass Pro Shops machine that he pilots for Tony Stewart Racing will be on display at the Bass Pro Shops in Concord, North Carolina on Wednesday, November 4 from 2-5 p.m. Eastern, with Kraig on hand to sign autographs at the store from 3-5 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday afternoon. The store is located at 8181 Concord Mills Blvd. in Concord, North Carolina, less than three miles from The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Looking for that first win: Jac Haudenschild has four career Top-10 finishes at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in his career as he chases his first win at the track and also his first win of the 2009 season. The 2009 inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame is currently ninth in points on the strength of 31 Top-10 finishes. He is just 43 markers behind Kraig Kinser as the pair battles for the eighth spot.

Three in a row: Lucas Wolfe, the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, will make his third consecutive trip to the World Finals this week. He finished a career-best eighth in the first ever A-Feature event during the inaugural World Finals in 2007. He also set fast time in qualifying during the second round of time trials in the inaugural World Finals, besting a very strong 48-car field. The native of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania is currently 10th in points on the strength of 17 Top-10 finishes and five Top-Fives.

Second time around: Brian Ellenberger, the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season, competed in the World Finals for the first time in his career last year. The native of Butler, Pennsylvania has visited countless tracks for the first time this year in his first full year on the road, collecting Top-10 finishes at Dodge City Raceway Park, where he finished a career-best third, as well as at Castrol Raceway, Charter Raceway Park and I-96 Speedway.

First time at the World Finals: Brad Sweet will make his debut at the World Finals as well as at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway this weekend, driving for Kasey Kahne Racing. He has made three starts for the team this season and has one Top-10 with the World of Outlaws earlier this season during the finale of the Gold Cup Race of Champions in his home state of California. He has one career start in the state of North Carolina, with that coming last year in a midget on asphalt.

A second trip south: Cody Darrah will compete in the World Finals for the second consecutive season. He will pilot one of the Kasey Kahne Racing entries, as the team will have three cars participating in the event. Darrah finished fifth in the opener of the World Finals last season in just his second career start at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway and was ninth in the finale aboard his family owned machine. The native of Red Lion, Pennsylvania made his first start for Kasey Kahne Racing at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York on October 10 finishing sixth. He won his first career World of Outlaws event a week before that at his home track of Williams Grove Speedway.

Catch all the action: The opening two nights of the World Finals will be available via the DIRTVision.com Cybercast. For more information and to purchase the World Finals Race Pass visit www.DIRTVision.com. The finale of the World Finals will air live on SPEED beginning at 8 p .m. Eastern with Bobby Gerould on the call with Hall of Famer Brad Doty offering expert analysis.

By the Numbers: Third Annual World Finals:

0.4- Miles around The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway

2- Drivers that have competed in all 21 of the previous World of Outlaws races at the track- Donny Schatz and Joey Saldana

3- A-Feature events this season for the World of Outlaws at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway; Consecutive seasons that the World of Outlaws have wrapped up the season at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway with the World Finals

4- Drivers that have won an A-Feature event during the World Finals 11 Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway dating back to 2000; Laps led by Joey Saldana to win at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May

11.880- Track record set by Jeff Shepard in time trials on October 6, 2001

15- A-Feature events contested by the World of Outlaws at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway dating back to 2000

16- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws this season

19- Points that separate Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers in the World of Outlaws championship standings; A-Feature wins for Joey Saldana this season to lead the series

20- Drivers that have been fastest in time trials this season with the World of Outlaws

21- Total races for the World of Outlaws at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway dating back to 2000 including preliminary features

22- Drivers that have won the Crane Cams Dash this season to earn pole positions in feature events

25- Drivers that have led laps in A-Feature events this season

38- Top-Five finishes for Donny Schatz through October 24 to lead the series

47- Drivers that competed in the World Finals last season

48- Drivers that competed in the inaugural World Finals in 2007

53- Top-10 finishes for Jason Meyers to lead the series through October 24

93- Laps lead by Steve Kinser at the track during his career in A-Feature and preliminary feature events to lead all drivers at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway

121.221- Track record in miles per hour established in time trials by Jeff Sheppard in 2001

462- Laps led by Joey Saldana this season to lead the series

933- Miles from Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas where the World of Outlaws compete on October 24 to The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina

2000- Year the World of Outlaws first competed at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway

2007- Year the World Finals was first held

10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Friday, November 6; Dollars the winner will receive on Saturday, November 7 360,535-Dollars earned by Joey Saldana this season to lead the series

Tickets : On Thursday, November 5 at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motors Speedway, adult tickets will be $10, with tickets for children 12-under just $5.

On Friday, November 6 at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway, adult tickets will be $35, with tickets for children 12-under just $10.

On Saturday, November 7 at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway, adult tickets will be $35, with tickets for children 12-under just $10.

Three-Day ticket packages are also available for the World Finals and can be purchased online by visiting www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling (800) 455-3267 for only $59 for adults and $19 for children 12 and under.

-credit: WoO