Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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+1

Totally agree. If you listen to Steve Kinser's episode on the Open Red podcast, he admits he won a lot of races due to titanium. While you might think the names in WoO aren't as big now, the cars are much more equal(competitive) today. Very similar to the years of Earnhardt's success in Nascar... There was many races half the field didnt finish the race and only a handful of cars were on the lead lap. All this being said I'm not trying to discredit either driver as they can't help what era they raced in... but I'm also not going to ignore these facts and crown them as the greatest ever.

More food for thought... Dave Blaney, whos raced in the same eras as Kinser and Schatz, went on the Open Red podcast as well. In his episode he said from a talent perspective Doug Wolfgang was the best to ever drive a sprint car... until Kyle Larson came along.

For me it is almost impossible to say one is better than the other. The prime for both basically are in different generations and both are the most dominant of their generation. I only was able to start following Sprintcar racing around 98/99 when we were finally able to get cable and I was 12. Kinser won most of the time and today most of the time Schatz wins. I do not get into the whole who had tougher competition or who raced against tougher equipment because all of that is subjective to the eyes of the beholder.

As I put it to my buddy when it comes to comparing the two. When my now 2year old son asks me who is Steve Kinser, as he was not around to see any of Steve's races first hand, the best way I can describe to him who is would be to say, you know how Donny Schatz wins almost every other race? That was what Steve Kinser did when I grew up. The whole vs thing is just something that is fun to talk about amongst fans and is the sprint car version of Brady vs Montana, Lebron vs Jordan, Gretzky vs Crybaby(Crosby), Earnhardt vs Gordon.

There's a lot to be said for how the cars handle. Smokey Yunick once said about Foyt that once they made the cars driveable Foyt was lost. He couldn't just will or drive the car where he wanted to. Before that he said about Foyt "many people today don't know just how good AJ really was. We did.....we chased the son of a bitch for ten years and never could beat him." He said "Foyt would kill himself three times a lap at Indianapolis and never get a scratch" meaning he was on the edge at all times, but still in control. It is possible I suppose that the most naturally gifted drivers could have a difficult time with technically advanced cars and handling. Many of their instints and driving ability would be nuetralized to a degree, making the playing field more even.

"It is possible I suppose that the most naturally gifted drivers could have a difficult time with technically advanced cars and handling. Many of their instints and driving ability would be nuetralized to a degree, making the playing field more even."

Just quoting this line here.  Do you think age has anything to do with that?  I guess what I'm saying is maybe drivers don't "lose it" as they get older but maybe they have a harder time adapting to change?

To change the narrative for a minute....I think crew chiefs are vastly underrated in this discussion. I see Schatz running the bottom and getting the car to rotate better than anybody else on a consistent basis. He cuts through the field basically running his own line while everybody else just seems to get in their own way running around the top. If Sweet  could have had his car running the bottom better, he would have won the King’s Royal.  He wouldn’t have had to battle his teammate for a few laps.  It’s amazing to me that no other crew chief in the pits can figure out what Ricky can

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 World of Outlaws Timeline

The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series is the premier winged sprint car series in the world, featuring the most world class drivers. Beginning in 1978, the World of Outlaws tour invades racetracks and thrills fans in more than 23 different states while sanctioning events at some of the most famous dirt racing facilities in the world. In addition, the Outlaws will be racing for nearly $6 million in purses and other prize money between the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park and the Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The series is rich in history and tradition. Scroll along to read about the World of Outlaws through the years, Then visit our listings of Series Champions, Rookies of the Year, year-by-year standings, and career-wins list.

1978: At a time when sprint car racing in the United States lacked a true national series, Ted Johnson, a former midget racer from Madison, Wis., organizes the World of Outlaws sanctioning body. He establishes a schedule, a set of rules and a points system to crown a champion of his series. The inaugural season features 41 events as well as drivers such as Steve Kinser, Rick Ferkel, Bobby Allen, Doug Wolfgang and Jack Hewitt. Jimmy Boyd, in a non-wing car, wins the series’ inaugural event March 18 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, for his only victory in series history. Steve Kinser, the son of future Hall-of-Famer Bob Kinser, races to his first Outlaws feature victory by taking the checkered flag May 21 at Eldora Speedway. Kinser goes on to win 11 events and wrap up the first championship of what will become a legendary career. Another legend in the making, Sammy Swindell, wins the first two features of his Outlaws career. Doug Wolfgang wins the Knoxville Nationals at historic Knoxville Raceway.

1979: Steve Kinser wins 23  features to wrap up his second consecutive series title as the Outlaws add tracks across the country to the schedule. Sammy Swindell earns 11 victories as a runner-up to Kinser, including the Outlaws’ first sanctioned event at Knoxville Raceway other than the Knoxville Nationals.

1980: Steve Kinser rolls to 28  feature victories to hold off 10-time winner Doug Wolfgang for his third consecutive championship. Kinser also captures his first of what will be a record 12 Knoxville Nationals titles.

1981: Sammy Swindell breaks Steve Kinser’s grip on the Outlaws’ crown as he wins a series-high 28 races and fends off Doug Wolfgang and Kinser to capture his first championship. Including non-sanctioned events, Swindell takes the checkered flag in 41 features.

1982: Thanks to a series-high 14 victories, Sammy Swindell tops Steve Kinser by 274 points to earn his second championship in a row. Only 18 years-old, Bobby Davis Jr., the 1980 Rookie of the Year, becomes the youngest driver to win an Outlaws feature when he takes the checkered flag at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Brad Doty garners top rookie honors.

1983: As wings atop the cars become more prominent in sprint car racing, Steve Kinser finds his way back to the top of the series podium, with 18 victories to hold off Doug Wolfgang and Sammy Swindell, who captures what will be the only Knoxville Nationals title in his storied career.

1984: Series president Ted Johnson declares the Outlaws will compete only in winged sprint races. With 19 victories, Steve Kinser holds off Sammy Swindell by 101 points for his fifth series championship.

1985: Doug Wolfgang wins the Knoxville Nationals, the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway and the Williams Grove National Open. Thanks to 15 victories, Steve Kinser claims his sixth series title by outdistancing Bobby Davis Jr. and Ron Shuman. Mark Kinser captures the first victory of his career March 24 at Lanier Speedway.

1986: Mirroring the 1985 results, Steve Kinser wraps up his seventh title while Bobby Davis Jr. and Ron Shuman finish second and third again. Kinser led the series with 18 feature victories.

1987: In winning his eighth series championship, Steve Kinser has the most remarkable season in Outlaws history with 46  feature victories, including wins in 24 of the final 26 races. Kinser also posts his fifth Knoxville Nationals title, his sixth Gold Cup Race of Champions crown and set the short-track record with 56 overall feature victories. Jac Haudenschild wins his first $50,000 Kings Royal.

1988: Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell battle it out for the championship, with Kinser coming out on top for the ninth time. Kinser posts 27 victories as he holds off Swindell, Bobby Davis Jr., Dave Blaney, Mark Kinser and Andy Hillenburg, who is honored as the series’ top rookie. Brad Doty, a rising star and crowd favorite, is left paralyzed from injuries sustained in a crash during the Kings Royal at Eldora. Doty returns years later as a television commentator and drives a specially outfitted sprint car at Eldora.

1989: With 13 wins, including the $50,000 Kings Royal, Bobby Davis Jr. wins his only Outlaws points championship. Danny Lasoski earns his first Outlaws victory. The series adds the 1/3-Mile Nationals at Eagle Raceway to the schedule, an event created in 1968 but cancelled in 1975.

1990: After racing outside of the Outlaws for much of the 1989 season, Steve Kinser returns to win 27 events and claim his 10th series championship by holding off Doug Wolfgang, Joe Gaerte, Bobby Davis Jr., and Stevie Smith, who is the series’ top rookie.

1991: The King of the Outlaws, Steve Kinser rolls to 36 feature victories to win his 11th championship. Among his wins are the Knoxville Nationals title and the Kings Royal crown. Sammy Swindell’s unique season included a victory in the $65,000 Fram Dash Championship and two wins on Oct. 12, one each at New York State Fair Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway. He remains the only driver to win features at different tracks on the same day.

1992: Steve Kinser takes the checkered flag 31 times, the last time he will win more than 30 Outlaws features in a single season. Kinser also earns his 12th series title.

1993: Dave Blaney begins to push Steve Kinser, but thanks to Kinser’s 19 victories he is able to clinch his 13th series title by 107 points.

1994: Steve Kinser and Dave Blaney once again run an epic battle for the title, with Kinser winning 29 features and coming out on top for a 14th championship. In September, Kinser, who in April had won an IROC event at Talladega Superspeedway, announces he will spend the 1995 season racing in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in a car owned by NHRA legend Kenny Bernstein. Steve Kinser’s departure at the end of the season leads car owner Karl Kinser to begin working with Karl’s son, Mark Kinser.

1995: Dave Blaney wins 12 events and wraps up his first Outlaws championship. Danny Lasoski races his first complete season on the Outlaws circuit. Steve Kinser returns to the series after his venture into Winston Cup ends in April. Kinser, now an owner-driver, wins a series-high 18 events but finishes ninth in points. Cable television network TNN, or The Nashville Network, announces at the season-ending banquet it will broadcast six events in 1996, including three live telecasts.

1996: TNN and the Outlaws reach a deal to market and promote the series, including the addition of Brad Doty to live broadcasts. CBS Sports televises a June race from Eldora Speedway, where Steve Kinser held off his cousin, Mark Kinser, to win. A major boost in sponsorship leads to a points fund worth more than $324,000. The series competes for the first time at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Speedway, with Mark Kinser taking the checkered flag. With 27 victories, Mark Kinser wins his first series championship, holding off a virtual all-star field of Dave Blaney, Sammy Swindell, Steve Kinser, Jeff Swindell and Andy Hillenburg.

1997: Pennzoil announces a three-year agreement to become the Outlaws’ title sponsor. The points fund is increased to more than $500,000. TNN schedules 10 races to be telecast. Celebrating his 25th year of racing, Sammy Swindell drives a silver car to 19 victories and claims the championship for the first time since he won back-to-back titles 1981-82. Steve Kinser qualifies for the Indianapolis 500, nearly finishing in the top 10 if not for a late-race accident. Dave Blaney captures the Historic Big One and the Knoxville Nationals, netting more than $200,000 in the process.

1998: The series celebrates its 20th anniversary season. Former champion Dave Blaney moves into the NASCAR Busch Series while his brother, Dale, steps into the Outlaws and wins top rookie honors. Steve Kinser wins only six features, fifth-best in the series, but still comes out on top to earn his 15th championship by only 93 points over Mark Kinser. Stevie Smith wins a series-high 13 races. In a specially outfitted car, Brad Doty paces the field for the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway 10 years after sustaining career-ending injuries at the high-speed Ohio track. Danny Lasoski passes Sammy Swindell on the final lap to win his first of four Knoxville Nationals championships.

1999: Pennzoil extends its title sponsorship of the series to 2002 at a cost of $4 million, lifting the points to $1 million by 2000. Mark Kinser rolls to 19 victories and his second series championship, holding off Danny Lasoski by a mere 71 points. TNN schedules 12 lives telecasts and 13 tape-delayed races. The success of the World of Outlaws helps to convince Lowe’s Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler to build a 15,000-seat dirt track adjacent to the facility’s 1.5-mile high-speed tri-oval. The series announces the creation of a Support Series (later known as the Gumout Series). Rising star Kevin Gobrecht sustains fatal injuries in a crash at I-80 Speedway. The series subsequently announces the top rookie honor will become known as the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.

2000: The Gumout Series debuts at Lernerville Speedway. The series and Speedway Motorsports reach a deal to run Outlaws races at Las Vegas, Texas, Lowe’s and Bristol. The Channellock Challenge at Bristol requires the most work as the normal concrete racing surface is covered with more than 1,000 truck-loads of dirt. Sammy Swindell wins the event. Craig Dollansky captures the inaugural Gumout Series championship. Steve Kinser wins 10 times in 61 features to hold off Sammy Swindell, Mark Kinser and Danny Lasoski to claim his 16th series championship.

2001: Former open wheel star and Indy Racing League champion Tony Stewart fields a team and hires Danny Lasoski as driver. Despite only four feature wins, Lasoski goes on to edge Mark Kinser by 30 points in the closest championship race in series history. Although Kinser wins 16 main events, Lasoski outperforms him in preliminary round races, providing just enough points for the overall title. Daryn Pittman holds off Jason Sides to win the Gumout Series championship. Lasoski wins his second Knoxville Nationals crown.

2002: Speed Channel takes over Outlaws television coverage with 12 telecasts. The Sprint Car Network reaches a deal to broadcast Outlaws races through radio and the Internet. Danny Lasoski joins Steve Kinser to compete in the IROC series. Western Pennsylvania star Ed Lynch Jr. gets the best of the Outlaws for the first time in his career when he wins the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Lernerville Speedway. Danny Lasoski sustains a concussion after crashing during a hot lap session July 26 at Williams Grove Speedway. He returns two weeks later to race in the Knoxville Nationals. Tyler Walker wins the Gumout Series title. Steve Kinser uses 20 feature wins and another five in preliminaries to capture his 17th series championship.

2003: Boundless Motor Sports Racing, Inc., enters into an agreement to purchase the World of Outlaws. Craig Dollansky sustains a fracture in his lower back during a crash in an IRL Infiniti Pro Series race May 17 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Danny Lasoski wins his third Knoxville Nationals title. Steve Kinser’s 25 victories and 60 top 10s are more than enough to help him win his 18th championship over Danny Lasoski and Joey Saldana.

2004: The Outdoor Channel signs a deal to televise 35 races. Boundless Motor Sports Racing, Inc., now known as DIRT MotorSports, under the leadership of Paul A. Kruger, Boundless Chairman and CEO, in August completes the acquisition of the World of Outlaws, Inc. The organization signs agreements with 15 drivers to compete at each event, naming the group the Mean 15. Fourteen drivers travel to Australia to compete in “Outlaws Down Under” to kick off the season in January. Steve Kinser wins the feature. Steve Kinser wins the 500th feature of his career March 27 at Houston Raceway Park. Kraig Kinser, Steve’s son, wins his first career Outlaws race Aug. 31 when he takes the checkered flag at Cottage Grove Speedway — with his father finishing second. Danny Lasoski rolls to his fourth Knoxville Nationals title. Erin Crocker becomes the first woman to win an Outlaws preliminary feature when she takes the checkered flag at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. ... With 17 feature victories, 56 top-10s and 11 poles, Steve Kinser claims his 19th championship by 246 points over Danny Lasoski.

2005: DIRT MotorSports continues to build the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Series with a traditional schedule featuring more than 90 events at all of the major dirt track facilities in the United States. Steve Kinser earns 20 Feature victories to go with six preliminary wins as he captures his 20th World of Outlaws championship. Donny Schatz storms down the stretch run of the season for five victories, giving him nine wins for the season. Terry McCarl and Brooke Tatnell finish in the top 10 in the championship standings for the first time in their careers while Craig Dollansky matches a career-best third-place finish. Daryn Pittman wins at 81 Speedway, making Titan Racing USA owner Reeve Kruck the first Australian car owner to win a World of Outlaws feature event. 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Kraig Kinser wins the Knoxville Nationals. Shane Stewart hangs on to capture the 2005 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award honors. The Outdoor Channel makes World of Outlaws events available to more than 74 million households with its weekly primetime coverage. DIRTVision.com, with more than four million page hits per month and 20,000 registered members, and the DIRT Radio Network broadcast live World of Outlaws events to listeners all over the world. The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Series website housed at www.dirtmotorsports.com attracts more than 25 million page hits per month.

2006: Donny Schatz has the best year of his career as several drivers compete on the World of Outlaws tour for the first time in their careers. Schatz wins not only his first World of Outlaws championship in 2006, but also claims his first Knoxville Nationals title and 17 World of Outlaws feature events. Chad Kemenah, a four-time champion with the All Star Circuit of Champions, captures top rookie honors. World of Outlaws drivers sweep the Month of Money events, with Joey Saldana winning the Kings Royal at Eldora, Schatz earning victories in the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville and the Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway, and Daryn Pittman winning the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove and the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway. The World of Outlaws announces new broadcast partners for 2007, with the eight-race "Summer of Money" airing on ESPN2 and an additional 12 events on SPEED.

2007: The World of Outlaws is seen by millions worldwide during the "Summer of Money" on ESPN2, along with a number of races on SPEED. Donny Schatz wins a series-best 19 times en route to capturing his second consecutive championship. It is his final title driving for his family owned team, as he announces he will join Tony Stewart Racing for the 2008 season. Schatz also captures his second consecutive Knoxville Nationals. Schatz also wins his second $50,000 Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway during the "Summer of Money" as well at $30,000 at Lernerville Speedway in the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and $20,000 at Williams Grove Speedway in the Summer Nationals. He caps the year off with a $50,000 triumph in the National Open at Williams Grove Speedway. Joey Saldana turns in a career year picking up 12 feature wins and finishing second in points driving for Kasey Kahne Racing. Kerry Madsen from St. Mary's, NSW, Australia wins twice en route to earning the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. The series returns to Canada for the first time in more than 25 years, with Jason Sides picking up a win in the Six Nations Showdown at Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario, followed by Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser splitting victories in the series debut at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. The first Outlaws World Finals are held at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway, pitting the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series and World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series on the same bill. Jason Meyers and Steve Kinser splits wins in the event, with the finale televised live on SPEED.

2008: Donny Schatz captures his third consecutive World of Outlaws title and first as a member of Tony Stewart Racing, earning the team their second series championship. Schatz leads the series with 18 feature wins, including the $25,000 Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway, in addition to winning the Knoxville Nationals for the third consecutive season. He caps off the year in style winning live on SPEED during the World Finals. Lucas Wolfe, despite missing a significant amount of time due to injury in the summer, is able to claim the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. The World Finals are held for the second consecutive year at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series again sharing the card. The Outlaws Showdown from The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway is also televised live on SPEED with Lance Dewease picking up that win. Kraig Kinser returns to full-time sprint car competition after a couple of years racing stock cars. He joins Tony Stewart Racing as a teammate to Donny Schatz and finds his way to Victory Lane twice, including in the series debut at North Central Speedway in Minnesota.

2009: The closest points race ever sees Donny Schatz capture his fourth consecutive championship by just 19 markers over Jason Meyers with Joey Saldana third – only 70 points back. Schatz not only makes history becoming the only driver other than Steve Kinser to win four titles and win four consecutive, but he also claims his 100th career World of Outlaws feature win at Dacotah Speedway in his home state of North Dakota to make him just the fifth driver in series history to accomplish that feat. Schatz wins a total of 12 times, including his second career $50,000 Kings Royal triumph at Eldora Speedway, as well as his fourth consecutive Knoxville Nationals. Schatz also wins in the World of Outlaws return to Las Vegas at the end of February. He leads the series with 39 Top-Five finishes and 13 fast time honors in qualifying to win the title. Joey Saldana also makes history, becoming just the fifth driver ever to win at least 20 feature events in a single season with the World of Outlaws, as he takes home 20 feature checkered flags and a preliminary feature wins. Highlighting his season is his second career win in the $50,000 Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in California. Saldana leads the series in laps led and money earned en route to a third-place showing in points. Jason Meyers wins a career-high nine feature events and 10 times overall en route to his third career runner-up finish in points. He leads the series with 55 Top-10 finishes. Cody Darrah earns his first career World of Outlaws win at Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvnaia and signs to drive for Kasey Kahne Racing in 2010 as a teammate to Joey Saldana. Danny Lasoski returns to the series for the first time since 2007, winning five times for the Parsons Motorsports team which was the most they had ever won in a single season. Brian Ellenberger claims the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. The season wraps up with a sell-out crowd at the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway live on SPEED. It was one of three events this year broadcast live on SPEED with Joey Saldana picking up the win, which was his second at the track this season, both of which were on SPEED. Greg Hodnett also wins live on SPEED taking home $50,000 in the National Open at Williams Grove Speedway. The inaugural Ironman 55 at I-55 Raceway was held, with Craig Dollansky winning the opener and Joey Saldana taking home the top prize in the $20,000 finale which was 55 laps in distance, the longest race in the modern era of the World of Outlaws.

2010: After winning a career-high 12 features at 11 different tracks in 10 different states, Jason Meyers picks up his first championship, becoming the 8th driver in the 30 year history of the series to win the title. The native of Clovis, Calif., leads the series in bonus points earned in time trials, which are awarded to the Top-Five in qualifying each night. He also is tied for the series lead in fast time honors with 10. The veteran racks up 56 Top-10 finishes with 36 Top-Five performances en route to his first championship after finishing second three times in his career, including in each of the last two years. Defending four-time champion Donny Schatz finishes in the top five in final points for the ninth time in his career, including each of the past eight years, with his runner-up finish in the 2010 championship. 20-Time World of Outlaws Champion Steve Kinser ends up third in final points, leading the series with 57 Top-10 finishes and 38 Top-Fives, winning nine times along the way to bring his career total to a staggering 561 feature triumphs. After winning a series-high 13 events, Joey Saldana settles for fourth in the final standings. The second-generation driver also leads the series in laps led for the 2010 season. Ben Gregg captures the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.

2011: Jason Meyers carries his momentum from the 2010 season into the 2011 season, capturing his second consecutive title and the second driver in a row to go back-to-back as champion of the World of Outlaws. Meyers ties Craig Dollansky and Steve Kinser with most wins during the 2011 campaign with nine. He also leads the series in quick times (12), laps led (288), and poles (8). Meyers proves consistency wins championships by only finishing outside the top 15 three times in 65 races. After not taking the points lead until July, Meyers ends the season with 16 straight finishes of 9th or better, including five wins during that period. Four-time series champion Donny Schatz comes up one spot short to post his second consecutive runner-up finish in the points, collecting eight wins to continue his streak of finishing top five in the final points. Coming in third for the second consecutive year is 20-time series champion Steve Kinser, who again posts nine wins to finish out the year. Paul McMahan picks up four wins and 46 top-10 finishes to come in fourth in the final standings. Cody Darrah claims the 2011 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.

2012: Donny Schatz reels off an impressive eight wins, 20 podiums and 24 top fives in a 27-race span leading up to the season finale en route to his fifth championship. Schatz also claims his sixth Goodyear Knoxville Nationals title and his unprecedented fifth National Open victory. Craig Dollansky finishes second in the standings, which is his best result since 2006. Dollansky has nine wins to surpass 50 career and he earns the title from the inaugural four-race Kasey Kahne Challenge. Sammy Swindell returns to the series full-time and places third to earn his 11th career podium with the World of Outlaws. Swindell leads the series with 13 feature victories 21 heat race wins and 14 quick times. Joey Saldana finishes fourth – his eighth top-five result since 2002. Steve Kinser rounds out the top five, which is his 31st top-five finish. Kraig Kinser’s four feature wins are his most since a career-high seven in 2005. Cody Darrah wins the famed Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway. Kerry Madsen claims five feature victories, which more than doubled his previous career total. Lucas Wolfe earns his first career feature victory at Bloomington Speedway on Aug. 4. Chad Kemenah records his most top fives and top 10s since 2008. Bill Rose more than doubles his top 10s from the previous season, which was his first on the tour.

2013: After a few years off of the tour, Daryn Pittman returned to the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series and won 8 features, including the opening night at the Dirt Car Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park and the second feature at Lernerville Speedway’s Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, to lead the championship from wire to wire and held off Donny Schatz by the closest championship margin, 14 points. Pittman’s championship run in the No. 9 Great Clips entry was also the first for Kasey Kahne Racing which was founded in 2005, and began racing full time with the World of Outlaws in 2006. Pittman had a consistent season earning 45 top five finishes and 59 top ten finishes to become the ninth series champion. Schatz finished second in the championship with help with a second-half charge that included a stretch from the Kings Royal through the Cottage Grove (early July through early Sept.) where he finished outside the top three only once including his 7th Knoxville Nationals victory. Schatz swept the first two events at Williams Grove Speedway at the Morgan Cup and Summer Nationals with his 23rd and final win of the season coming on the first feature night of the World Finals. 2013 marked the first year with the CBS Sports Network striking a schedule to air both preliminary and finals nights of the National Open at Williams Grove, Rolling Wheels Raceway Park during Super Dirt Week and both feature nights of the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Paul McMahan finished third in points with 4 wins including the series finale on Saturday’s World Finals and 17 quick time awards, his best championship performance. Joey Saldana placed fourth in the championship with a win on the opening night of the Gold Cup Race of Champions for his eighth top five championship finish of his career. Craig Dollansky earned six wins, including his third $20,000 to win Ironman 55 victory, to take entry to a fifth place championship finish. David Gravel won at 1-94 Raceway en route to the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.

2014: Donny Schatz dominated the 2014 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series season scoring 26 wins, 63 top-fives, 80 top-10s and eight Quick Time awards. It was winningest single season of Schatz’s career. Throughout the season he became the third winningest driver in series history, went on a six-race win streak, swept all of the season’s Canadian races – the first driver to ever accomplish the feat – won his eighth Knoxville Nationals title and scored the most ever single season points in series history, besting Steve Kinser’s old 1991 record with 12,427 points. Coming off a championship run in 2013 Daryn Pittman had a season for the record books. In his second full year with Kasey Kahne Racing, Pittman drove to 14 wins, the most single season wins of his career and finished second in the championship standings. In the biggest win of his career, Kerry Madsen took him the crown at the Kings Royal. Joey Saldana was the Quick Time award leader, scoring 24 throughout the season. There were only two rainouts all the season leading the series to complete 98 percent of events... In his first full season, Brad Sweet won five races on the way to becoming the 2014 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year presented by Butlerbuilt.  CBS Sports Network broadcast World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series events at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Lincoln Speedway, Williams Grove Speedway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte. The winningest drivers in the sport’s history, Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell, scored their final series wins - Kinser at Volusia Speedway Park and Swindell at Eldora Speedway - and retired from full-time competition.

2015: Donny Schatz had another history making World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series season scoring 31 wins – the winningest season of his career – 60 top-fives, 70 top-tens and five quick time awards. It was the winningest season of Schatz’s career and tied him with Steve Kinser for the third most single season wins in series history. Kinser accomplished the feat in 1992. In addition, Schatz scored five wins in a row between Knoxville Raceway and Dakota State Fair Speedway. He won his ninth Knoxville Nationals title and seventh series championship. Nine different drivers won races to start the 2015 season. In his first full season back with the World of Outlaws in a decade Shane Stewart and his Larson Marks Racing team won nine times, including two of the biggest wins of the season – the Kings Royal and Ironman 55. Stewart finished the season second in the championship standings. Joey Saldana was again the quick time leader for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, scoring 17 throughout the season… There were 75 completed features throughout the season with 22 different winners and three first-time winners in Dusty Zomer, Greg Wilson and Stewart Friesen. Stewart Friesen became just the second ever Canadian driver to win an Outlaws feature and the first to do so on Canadian soil at Ohsweken Speedway. CBS Sports Network broadcast the Bad Boy Buggies World Finals from the Dirt Track at Charlotte.

2016: Donny Schatz recorded his third consecutive championship in the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. Schatz collected 25 wins, 60 top-fives, 77 top-tens and five quick time awards. Schatz, in his 20th year in the series, has captured eight championships throughout his career. In his championship campaign, Schatz won his third King’s Royal title since 2005. David Gravel finished third in points, recording his best career with the Outlaws. Gravel picked up nine more wins and 36 more top-fives than 2015. Brad Sweet was the quick time leader for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, scoring 13 throughout the season. There were 80 completed features throughout the season, with17 different drivers winning races in the 2016 season. Logan Schuchart recorded his first series win since joining the tour full-time in 2014. Greg Wilson earned the 2016 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year honors, recording one win, four top-fives and 13 top-tens.

2017: Donny Schatz scored 20 or more wins for the fifth consecutive year en route to his fourth straight Series Championship and ninth in his historic career. Schatz added 66 top-five finishes and 74 top-tens and finished 210 points in front of Brad Sweet. Schatz became the first driver to ever score back-to-back Kings Royal victories at the famous Eldora Speedway. David Gravel and CJB Motorsports scored a career-best 18 wins, including the Williams Grove National Open and the Textron Off Road World Finals, to finish third in the Series Championship. Schatz claimed his 10th Knoxville Nationals after Gravel, who tallied the first perfect score at 'The Nationals' in 25 years, dropped out of the lead after leading 22 laps. The 2017 season saw 20 different winners in 81 races, including four first-time winners (Parker Price-Miller, Brock Zearfoss, Kyle Hirst, James McFadden). 356 different drivers raced with the Series. NASCAR stars Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell score Outlaw wins at Eagle Speedway and Eldora Speedway, respectively. For the second consecutive year an Ohio native claimed the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year award as Sheldon Haudenschild edged Brent Marks for top rookie honors. 

I saw Steve do things with a race car that I've never seen anyone else do. Come from the tail of the Williams Grove National Open when penalized at the half-way point...that was incredible. Even more incredible was at Millstream when his car caught on fire while leading with 14 laps to go. He stopped on the track, fixed the problem himself, went to the tail and came through the field to battle Sammy for the lead with a couple laps to go. They tangled, he flipped, they pushed him to the pits and made a few quick fixes and he rejoined tail again and in the last 2-3 laps passed half the field again with a busted up car to finish 5th or 6th. In over 40 years of watching racing, that race at Millstream stands out as the most incredible thing I've ever seen. When Steve was mad he took it to a whole different level. Schatz is great but doesn't have the same mentality that Steve had.

Age has to have some bearing. But like with everybody, age affects us all differently. That Kinser, Sammy, Blaney, Jac, Danny, Dewease and host of other drivers have been competitive into their fifties is remarkable. And a few of those guys have seen pretty much the entire change in winged sprint car racing from the beginning. Begs the arguement/opinion....how good would they have been in todays cars, if they were in their prime. Pretty evident with Kinser how difficult it had become with the added weight and the many years of smoking. There is much more that can be debated about this and that, but in the end only the numbers remain as the only facts available. Every generation gets to see the "best" during their lifetimes as a fan. Some of us have gotten to see four and five generations of the best. Steve Kinser is younger than I am. I saw the very best of the fifties and sixties growing up, so you can guess who my heros were. It only took a few years of watching Kinser, Swindell and Wolfgang to know they were something special. It only took a short time for me to realize Schatz was in that same class of special. I only wish Schatz had somebody around that could push him every single night wheel to wheel, like Sammy and Doug were pushing Kinser. To me that's the test that made Kinser the GOAT.........to hell with just the numbers in his case.

This will always be a topic of discussion and there won’t ever be a correct answer. 

Here are a few things to consider. 

1. Steve’s outlaw career started in one of the best cars with the best builder crew chief. Him and Carl were together through 1994. Having the best team behind him for the first 17 years was huge. 

2. Donny’s outlaw career started in the family car which had really good equipment and multiple good crew chiefs. That being said he didn’t start out with the best crew chief / car in the country, let alone for the first 17 years. Now that him and Tricky Ricky have been together for 11 years at TSR they’re the ones who have been together the longest on the woo trail and It’s showing results like Steve and Carl. 

Im not 100% on this number but I think He’s won about 215 of his outlaw races in the last 12 years.

the first 9 years he won somewhere between 25 to 35 total. 

I don't really care about the outcome of this debate but I will say I don't understand the argument that there are not other people winning to prove anything.

Schatz is literally winning so much that nobody else has a chance to get a ton of wins. Locals are always going to take a share, and the rest of the guys are fighting for maybe half of the WoO wins between them. Donny is dominant where as Kinser was the best car of a dominant group of cars. I don't think Kinser was ever completely stomping the WoO is much as Donny does.

You might say it is because there are not as many winning cars, but I think the inverse is true that there are not as many winning cars because Donny is so dominant.

The best of the best go to the WoO, there are not a whole bunch of guys not running WoO now that I think are any better than Gravel, Sweet, Haud, etc. Maybe Larson, Reutzel and possibly Brian Brown and K. Madsen. But the last three are probably top 5 cars on WoO but not leaps and bounds better than Sweet and those guys.

So the argument then is that drivers are just worse now than they were back then? I'm not sure of that, I think equipment is more equal which makes the fact that Donny is so dominant even more impressive. 

This is comming from a Posse fan so obviously I'm not biased.

Thanks,

Jeff.

Many of you seem to stumble on Donny's competition not having the opportunity to win races because Donny wins so much. Have you looked at how many Kinser won every year.....and the numbers his competitors were able to garner? I'll catch hell for this, but the last several years the WoO as a group is as weak as it's ever been!  And every now and then a "hot shoe" (and damn he's good)  by the name of Kyle Larson comes along and not only makes Donny sweat, but kicks the butts of the rest of the field just as easy as Donny does. Maybe easier. And very limited part timer. That's what the WoO is missing right now......more than one great driver flag to flag! Greatness is often times defined by rivalries.

None of the drivers Donny is beating is equal to Sammy or Wolfie in their prime. And that's who Steve beat regularly. 

Kyle Larson is a once in a lifetime talent, so he really doesn't belong in this argument. 

And it's silly to say the WoO is as weak as it's ever been and I don't even know how you can justify that. There are upwards of 8-10 Outlaws that can win any given night, and that's not even including guys that aren't 100% fulltime but show up often (Eliason, Kerry Madsen).

I guess to you, a more difficult series is one where the winning is distributed in a more top heavy fashion (ie: Steve, Sammy, Wolfie) and to me, it's one where the winning is distributed more evenly (current day). 

The average number of drivers winning WoO features each season has always been about the same. I know, they hype that number all the time but it's not that relevant. So you can't base the strength of the Outlaws on that. Look at it another way......remove Donny from the equation, and how strong are the Outlaws? Who's the dominant driver then, or as it stands now among the rest, does it remain rather even?  I don't think any one guy fills Donny's shoes, I think they all just get more of the pie. And it's not that I think a series is stronger when it's top heavy with winners. But I do believe the guy leading the way has done more to prove himself as a champion when he has beaten proven big time winners.

Donny would have won many more if he would throw the right rear as did the Big 3 (Kinser, Swindell, Wolfgang) ...... races very clean

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A couple points I haven't seen posted in this thread.

Speeds have changed.  Using Knoxville as an example, 1979 19.490, 1985 16.652, 1989 16.211, 1996 15.276 and in 2006 Brooke Tatnell set the current record of 14.407.  By way of comparison current 360 record is 15.520 and 305s is 16.736.  I have never driven a sprinter but I would think this would make a difference as Steve got older and the cars got faster.  The things are like warp drive nowadays to the point where it's a different type of racing that requires faster reflexes.  

Another point is the pr that drivers have to do today.  That intense scowl and brushing off reporters wouldnt fly in today's market where racing at the top level requires relating to customers and businesses, something that wasn't as critical to success in the past.

With that in mind could the son of an Indiana bricklayer even break into the sport and attract the funds to reach the top of the sport?  It isn't like a guy can take off with an open trailer and pickup truck and become an Outlaw on a whim like they did in 1978.  

Stan Meissner

Say what? Nobody ever ran any cleaner than Wolfgang.

Steve was so good and Donny is so good that both could be 8th quickest in Time Trials, finish second in their heat, and then draw the pole for the dash! Now that's good!

Kinser stated his declining eyesight as a factor when he started gettng older

Haha, well played.