Series news and notes 2010-02-14

Gearing Up: A Look Ahead at a Busy Next Month for the World of Outlaws

Concord, NC-February 14, 2010-With the season opening 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park in the books, the World of Outlaws prepare for a busy stretch of races that will take the series to five different tracks in four states for seven races over a 23-day period as the 2010 season begins to shift into gear.

The first of those events is the Second Annual Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, February 26. Donny Schatz, the four-time and defending series champion was victorious last season at the half-mile, where he has won six times in his career. Joining the North Dakota native atop the win list at Las Vegas is his teammate, 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, who also has six victories at the state-of-the-art facility. The pair split the first two wins of the World of Outlaws season at Volusia and are currently first and second in points. Danny Lasoski, the 2001 series titlist, is tied with that duo as well with six checkered flags to his credit at Las Vegas.

The first short track race of the season will take place at the always exciting Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6. Joey Saldana, who led the World of Outlaws with 20 A-Feature wins in 2009, picked up his first win of the season at the high-banked 1/3-mile last year, while California native Randy Hannagan was victorious in the opener. The event will mark the first time in 2010 for double file restarts on a track smaller than a half-mile.

A return to the Lone Star State is in store on March 12-13 for the second edition of the Texas Two-Step Weekend. The World of Outlaws will visit Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore on Friday, March 12 and then head to Houston Raceway Park on Saturday, March 13. Joey Saldana was victorious in both events at Lone Star last season as well as at Houston Raceway Park and began the 2010 season on a strong note a win and three runner-up finishes in Florida.

Wrapping up the busy stretch will be a return to the blazing fast and ultra high-banked Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee with a two-day event on March 19-20 in the shadows of Bristol Motor Speedway which will be hosting the top two NASCAR series as well that weekend. Joey Saldana driving for Kasey Kahne Racing was victorious in the series inaugural visit to the high speed facility in 2007.

-source: WoO