World of Outlaws' finale at Heartland Park Topeka, June 17th

Hillenburg Wins Sunflower Shootout Finale By Richard Day TOPEKA, KS (June 17) -- Andy Hillenburg has developed quite a relationship with Topeka in the last year. The former Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' Rookie of the Year won his first Preliminary Feature of 1998 at the Inaugural O'Reilly's Auto Parts Sunflower Shootout last June 19th. Hillenburg duplicated that feat Friday, then won his first main event since October 10, 1998, Saturday, leading all 30 laps in the championship feature. TNN taped the action and aired it between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. Sunday. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' media partner will show the race again July 10th, starting at midnight. "This track was awful tough tonight, but like I said last night -- Topeka's been good to Andy Hillenburg," Andy said. "It was just so much different than the last two nights. There's nothing worse than struggling out here, and I think this weekend will do a lot for us. We'll back home, then run Wednesday night at Oklahoma City and try to get another one. I want to thank Luxaire, John Christner Trucking, J&J and Hoosier. Without them, I wouldn't be able to do any of this." The $20,000 victory pushed Hillenburg past Joey Saldana into seventh place in the driver point standings. He is the 10th driver to win a Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series "A" Feature this season. Hillenburg earned the right to start the "A" Feature outside the front row by following Craig Dollansky across the finish line in the Second CHANNELLOCK Dash. He beat Dollansky out of the fourth corner as the green flag fell in the main event, only to have Aaron Berryhill stop in turn two with a broken brake caliper. Dollansky burst into the lead when the race resumed, but that start went awry when Sammy Swindell's #1 CHANNELLOCK Stealth wheelied, hit Dean Jacobs and flipped. Stevie Smith's #19 Ingersoll-Rand Black Bandit also turned over and collided with Ronald Laney, Brooke Tatnell and Kraig Kinser. Hillenburg raced into first place when the front tires on Dollansky's #7 Polydome Maxim left the ground as the green flag replaced the red. Greg Hodnett's second-corner spin canceled the third attempt to start the race, however. The fourth time was the charm for Hillenburg, who surged into the lead in the low groove between turns one and two after racing wheel- to-wheel down the front straightaway with Dollansky. Hillenburg was one second ahead of Craig when the leaders entered lapped traffic 4 1/2 laps later. Dollansky narrowed the gap to .7 seconds in dense lapped traffic two laps later. Hillenburg started building a comfortable advantage midway through the race, and was 2.1 seconds ahead of Dollansky by lap 17. Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series points leader Steve Kinser made his move toward the front during the next several laps, driving his #11 Quaker State Maxim past NAPA AUTO PARTS Heat Race winners Danny Lasoski and Tim Shaffer to take over fourth place. Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year candidate Danny Wood exchanged fifth place with Shaffer during the 28th lap. Hillenburg was 1.1 seconds ahead of Dollansky when he took the checkered flag. Wood bicycled in turn four, allowing Shaffer and Lasoski to pass him, then Jacobs flipped in the fourth corner seconds later. "Craig got me twice and I got him twice on those starts," Andy said. "It was just a matter of who didn't catch a rut getting out of (turn) four. We had some problems getting by lapped traffic there at the end, and I didn't know how close he was to me. "'Diesel' (Keith Carlson) and Jason (Hageman) changed all four bars, all four shocks, the tires -- just about everything you can change on one of these cars tonight." Second NAPA AUTO PARTS Heat Race winner Mark Kinser finished in third place, ahead of cousin Steve, Shaffer, Lasoski, Wood, Shane Stewart, Jason Meyers and 21st-starting Johnny Herrera. Tracking Speed clocked Swindell at 14.910 seconds -- 1.1 seconds faster than the single-lap record Jac Haudenschild set Friday -- in hot laps. The leaders circled the temporary, semi-banked, 3/8-mile oval in the low 15-second range throughout the championship feature. Donny Schatz used his third provisional of the season and drove the #15 ParkerStores Maxim into 17th place from inside the 13th row. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series will sanction the O'Reilly's Auto Parts Bud Carson Memorial at State Fair Speedway Wednesday, then run the Eagle Nationals at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, NE, Friday and Saturday. WoO