World of Outlaws Preview: Cedar Lake Speedway
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Steve Kinser, the 20-time series champion, was victorious in the series debut at Cedar Lake Speedway in 1983 and has five career triumphs at the track to lead all active drivers, along with finishing in the Top-10 in all but one of his 25 starts at Cedar Lake.
Courtesy; World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Media Relations
New Richmond, WI—July 10, 2009—Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin has been a staple on the World of Outlaws circuit every year since 1983, as the best sprint car drivers in the world have visited the track for 26 consecutive seasons. The series will continue that trend this coming Sunday, July 12 in an event which will be the final one of the season for the series in the Badger State.
Steve Kinser, the 20-time series champion, was victorious in the series debut at the track in 1983 and has five career triumphs at the track to lead all active drivers, along with finishing in the Top-10 in all but one of his 25 starts at Cedar Lake Speedway.
Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending series champion, is the defending winner at Cedar Lake, after winning a duel with Australian Kerry Madsen last season to take the top prize. The North Dakota native competed at the track a number of times early in his career as he was climbing the sprint car ladder and has six career triumphs at the high-banked 3/8-mile.
Five drivers currently competing full-time with the series have won at the track with series, with Craig Dollansky, Jac Haudenschild and Danny Lasoski also picking up victories at the bullring.
The event at Cedar Lake will be the fifth of a six-race stretch on bullrings for the World of Outlaws as they continue a trek through the Midwest.
Slidejobs- Cedar Lake Speedway
All but one: Steve Kinser has finished in the Top-10 in 24 of his 25 career starts at Cedar Lake Speedway dating back to 1983. He has won five times at the track, with his most recent victory coming in 2003. He finished second last season at the track. The 20-time series champion leads the series this season with 27 Top-10 finishes and is currently fourth in points. He has one win so far in 2009 and led the points earlier this season for the first time since 2005.
Sort of a home track: Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, has competed at Cedar Lake Speedway a number of times in his career. When he was cutting his teeth in the sport, he competed at the track on a consistent basis, picking up five wins at the high-banked 3/8-mile between 1995 and 1996. He won at the track last season for the first time in his career with the World of Outlaws after an early race battle with Australian Kerry Madsen. Schatz is the current series point leader as he chases his fourth consecutive title.
Six in a row: Joey Saldana has finished ninth or better in six consecutive starts at Cedar Lake Speedway, including finishing a career-best third at the track last season. He made his debut at the high-banked bullring in 1996 and has made nine starts at the track over years. He leads the World of Outlaws in wins this season with 12 and is currently second in points as he chases his first career title.
Always in the Top-10 : Jason Meyers has made seven starts in his career at Cedar Lake Speedway and has finished in the Top-10 in each and every one of them. He finished a career-best second in 2006 and 2007 and was sixth last season. The California native is currently third in points as he seeks to become the first Californian to win a World of Outlaws championship. He has won four times this season including on a 3/8-mile at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky.
Faster and faster: Jason Sides has three career Top-10 finishes at Cedar Lake Speedway in just a handful of starts. The 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year finished a career-best fourth at the track in 2006. He is currently fifth in the series standings and continues to close in on his first win of the season. He picked up his 25th Top-10 finish of the season on Wednesday night at 34 Raceway in Iowa.
Knowing the way to Victory Lane: Danny Lasoski, the 2001 series champion, won at Cedar Lake Speedway in 1999 with the World of Outlaws. The native of Dover, Missouri has 16 career Top-10 finishes at the track with eight of those being Top-Fives. He has won three times this season and is just outside of the Top-Five in points as he continues his first season behind the wheel for the Parsons Motorsports team owned by longtime car owner Lonnie Parsons.
A short drive: Craig Dollansky, who hails from Elk River, Minnesota lives just about an hour from Cedar Lake Speedway. The veteran driver won for the first time at the track in 2004 with the World of Outlaws. In his first season driving for Kasey Kahne Racing, Dollansky is just outside of the Top-Five in the series standings as he chases his first win of the year.
Experience counts: Jac Haudenschild made his first start at Cedar Lake Speedway back in 1986. The veteran driver won for the first time at the track in 1989. He has 14 career Top-10 finishes at the track and was fifth there last season. He continues to chase his first win of the 2009 campaign as he continues his second season driving for the Carnahan Motorsports team based out of Minnesota.
Closing in on a win: Kraig Kinser and his Tony Stewart Racing team have been running very strong the last couple of weeks as they
close in on their first win of the season. The third generation driver finished fourth at Nodak Speedway in North Dakota on June 21 and followed that up with two consecutive third-place finishes at U.S. 36 Raceway in Missouri and Knoxville Raceway in Iowa. He is currently ninth in the series standings as he battles Jac Haudenschild for the eighth spot.
Hoping the third time is the charm: Sam Hafertepe Jr. will make his third start at Cedar Lake Speedway this weekend. The third-year driver from Sunnyvale, Texas has had some bad luck in his first two starts at the track. He is currently just outside of the Top-10 in the series standings and has six Top-10 finishes this season with three of those being Top-Five performances.
A pair of Pennslyvanians making their debut: Lucas Wolfe, the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, along with current rookie contender Brian Ellenberger, both of Pennsylvania, will make their debuts at Cedar Lake Speedway on July 12. Wolfe missed the event at the track last season as he was recovering from an injury suffered earlier in the season.
By the Numbers: Cedar Lake Speedway:
0.375- Miles around Cedar Lake Speedway
2- Races for the World of Outlaws this season in the state of Wisconsin; Drivers that led laps in the A-Feature at the track last season
3- Drivers that have led more than 100 laps of A-Feature racing competition this season (Joey Saldana, Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers)
4- Drivers that have won on 3/8-mile tracks this season
5- Career wins for Steve Kinser at Cedar Lake Speedway; Drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that have won at the track with the series
8- Events contested by the World of Outlaws on 3/8-mile tracks this season to date
10- Drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws this season that raced at Cedar lake Speedway last season
10.775- Track record at Cedar Lake Speedway set by Terry McCarl in 2004
11- Drivers that have led laps in A-Feature competition this year
12- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws at Cedar Lake Speedway
21- Laps led by Donny Schatz en route to winning at Cedar Lake Speedway last season; Drivers that have led laps in A-Feature events this season with the World of Outlaws
24- Top-10 finishes for Steve Kinser in 25 career starts at the track
40- Points that separate Donny Schatz and Joey Saldana atop the standings entering this weekend
252- Miles from Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin where the World of Outlaws compete on Saturday, July 11 to Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisconsin
263- Laps led by Joey Saldana this season to lead the series
1983- Year the World of Outlaws first raced at Cedar Lake Speedway
10,000-Dollars the winner will receive on Sunday, July 12
51,690- Dollars in the total purse on Sunday, July 12