Tri-City preview

World of Outlaws Ready for Action at Tri-City Speedway

The World of Outlaws were set to take to the reconfigured Tri-City Speedway in May, but Mother Nature had other ideas, forcing the postponement of the event until, Thursday, June 14. With 30 events in the books, the series will head to the facility just outside of St. Louis, to tackle the 3/8-mile track, with 10 degrees of banking in the turns that has received rave reviews.

This will mark the first time that sprint cars will take to the reconfigured surface, as they look to break the current track record of 14.244 seconds set earlier this season by reigning UMP DIRTcar Late Model National Champion Randy Korte.

Steve Kinser has won at Tri-City Speedway 22 times in his career. The 20-time World of Outlaws champion last won at the track in 2004. The native of Bloomington, Indiana has won an event at the Tri-City in 16 different seasons. He has six victories this season, including two on 3/8-mile tracks, one at USA Race Park in Arizona and the other at Sharon Speedway in Ohio. He is currently sixth in World of Outlaws championship points on the strength of 19 Top-10 finishes.

Donny Schatz, the reigning World of Outlaws champion heads to Tri-City Speedway atop the standings by 40 markers over Joey Saldana. Schatz is tied for the series lead with seven A-Feature wins on the season, and will be looking for his first win of 2007 on a 3/8-mile track at Tri-City. The native of Fargo, North Dakota leads the series with 27 Top-10 finishes in the first 30 events of the season. The 1997 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year finished sixth in his last visit to Tri-City in 2005, on the former half-mile configuration.

Saldana is tied with Schatz win a series-best seven A-Feature wins in 2007. He is in the midst of a two-race win streak that began at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway in the Hoosier Sprint Nationals on June 5. He followed that up with a victory in the Eagle Nationals at Eagle Raceway in Nebraska last Saturday. He has 24 Top-10 finishes as he chases his first series title. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana leads the series in laps led, as well as fast time honors. He is in his second season driving for NASCAR star Kasey Kahne and seeks his first World of Outlaws win at Tri-City.

Danny Lasoski heads to Tri-City Speedway third in World of Outlaws Championship points, after a strong run in the Eagle Nationals that saw him finish fourth. The native of Dover, Missouri won his first race of the season and the 75th of his World of Outlaws career on April 6 at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky, and followed that up with a thrilling win at Grandview Speedway in Pennsylvania in May where he edged Schatz by 0.036 seconds. In his last visit to Tri-City, the 2001 series champion finished a very solid seventh.

Daryn Pittman finished in the Top-10 in his last visit to Tri-City in 2005. The native of Owasso, Oklahoma is currently fourth in World of Outlaws championship points, on the strength of 21 Top-10 finishes. He won his first race of the season in the finale of the Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in February, and followed that up with a win at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas in May.

Jason Meyers won in the World of Outlaws last visit to Tri-City and in 2005 on the half-mile. He won his first race of 2007 on April 13 at Eldora Speedway, and followed that up with a win in the Missouri High-Banked Nationals at U.S. 36 Raceway in May. The native of Clovis, California is fifth in points on the strength of 20 Top-10 finishes. He has been quickest in time trials, on four occasions, and has won a Crane Cams Dash three times to earn the same number of pole positions.

Craig Dollansky heads to Tri-City Speedway seventh in World of Outlaws championship points. The former World of Outlaws Gumout Series champion has 18 Top-10 finishes, including a win at Lake Ozark Speedway in Missouri in May. The native of Elk River, Minnesota has set fast time once this year, and also has won a Crane Cam Dash twice to earn two pole positions.

Paul McMahan, driving for two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart won at Tri-City Speedway in 2003. The native of Nashville, Tennessee won his first race of the season at Eldora Speedway on June 2, the track his car owner two-time NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart owns. McMahan is eighth in points heading to Tri-City with 14 Top-10 finishes. He has set fast time three times this year and also has won a Crane Cams Dash to earn a pole position.

Jason Solwold has had a very consistent season and is currently ninth in points. The native of Mt. Vernon, Washington, who won two World of Outlaws preliminary features last season, has been close on a couple of occasions this season to picking up his first A-Feature win, and has 16 Top-10 finishes to his credit.

Jac Haudenschild knows Tri-City Speedway very well. The fan favorite won two World of Outlaws events on the former half-mile in 1995 and 1998. The native of Wooster, Ohio enters the event this week 10th in points on the strength of 12 Top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish last weekend in the Eagle Nationals.

Tim Shaffer finished fourth in the series last visit to Tri-City Speedway in 2005. The native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania has 13 Top-10 finishes on the season, with eight of those being in the Top-Five, including three runner-up finishes as he closes in on his first win of the season.

Jason Sides ran very strong in the World of Outlaws last visit to Tri-City in 2005, as he came home in the fifth spot. The native of Bartlett, Tennessee has 11 Top-10 finishes on the year heading to the pair of events this weekend and is just outside the Top-10 in points as well. He earned a season best runner-up finish on May 20 at New Egypt Speedway in New Jersey, finishing just 0.026 seconds behind Steve Kinser.

Terry McCarl set fast time in his last visit to Tri-City Speedway with the World of Outlaws, with a very solid field of cars in attendance. The six-time Knoxville Raceway and Huset's Speedway track champion has 13 Top-10 finishes on the season, with four of those being in the Top-Five.

Randy Hannagan, the 1995 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, a native of San Jose, has turned many laps at Tri-City during his career. A consistent last month of racing has vaulted him into the 14th spot in points.

Kerry Madsen, a native of St. Mary's, NSW, Australia currently leads the battle for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. He won his first World of Outlaws A-Feature of his career on the second night of the season at Volusia Speedway Park as part of the Florida DIRTcar Nationals. He charged from the 23rd starting spot in the Eagle Nationals last Saturday to finish seventh.

Justin Henderson will make his first trip to Tri-City Speedway this weekend. The second-year driver has six Top-10 finishes this season. He led 14 laps at the famed Manzanita Speedway in Arizona earlier this season.

Chad Kemenah, the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year looks to continue building on the momentum he has been gaining the last couple weeks as he heads to Tri-City. He currently has six Top-10 finishes on the season, highlighted by a third-place finish at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky earlier this season.

Also in action will be second-year driver Jeremy Campbell of Michigan, who is solidly in the Top-20 in points. He has three Top-10 finishes on the season, with a season-best fourth-place finish at Tri-State (Ind.) Speedway in April.

Chad Hillier will make his first visit to Tri-City Speedway this season. The rookie contender from Burlington, Washington is currently 19th in points, as he continues to gain experience in his first full season on the road.

Zach Chappell used a consistent last month of the season to break into the Top-20 in points after the Eagle Nationals. The rookie from Talala, Oklahoma earned his first Top-Five finish his World of Outlaws career earlier this season at Tri-State (Ind.) Speedway.

Also in action on Thursday, June 14 will be veteran Dion Hindi of New Mexico, second-year driver Jason Martin of Kansas, Australian Brooke Tatnell who finished third in the Eagle Nationals last Saturday, and veteran Brian Carlson of Indiana.

Other contenders for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award that will make their first visit to Tri-City include Tony Bruce Jr. of Kansas and Sam Hafertepe Jr. of Texas.

On Thursday, June 14 at Tri-City Speedway, reserved tickets in the Top-Five rows will be $32. General admission tickets will be $30. Children ages 12-under will be admitted free of charge. For ticket information call 1-800-617-9077 or visit: www.tricityspeedway.net.

-credit: woo