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American Line-up Looks Sweeter
Posted Thursday, 18 December 2008 by Dennis Newlyn

The top three drivers in the 2008 World of Outlaws point standings are included in the line-up of Americans who will appear at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway this season.

TPCR this week finalised its US sprintcar driver imports for the 2008-2009 season.
In total, eight Americans will be brought to TPCR for the high time of the 2008-2009 season and its annual international sprintcar racing carnival.

Reigning World of Outlaws National Champion and Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz will again return to TPCR.

WoO 2008 runner-up Jason Meyers and Steve Kinser, who finished third in the 2008 WoO standings, head the line-up that also includes Steve’s son Kraig, Jason Sides, Danny Lasoski, Jonathan Allard and Brad Sweet.

Sweet is a late addition to the starting line-up after Tyler Walker, who had originally planned to race at TPCR this season, sustained an arm injury and was forced to withdraw.

Schatz, the two Kinsers and Sides will make their season debut at TPCR for the annual running of the Valvoline Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix.

The remainder of the US contingent will commence their TPCR campaign on January 1 and will race here on January 1-2-3.

The $50,000-to-win Classic on January 2 and 3 will feature all of the Americans in action.

The Grand Final of Wanless World Series Sprintcars will bring down the curtain on the international sprintcar events and appearance by Americans.

Schatz needs no introduction to Aussie fans as one of the most successful Americans to ever race here, largely through his dominance of TPCR’s $50,000-to-win Classic.

With age still well and truly on his side, he has the potential to go on and set a winning record that could set the benchmark for the future.

Schatz will again drive for Garry Rush and the Pick ‘N’ Payless team.

He has won the past three World of Outlaws Driving Championships and is also a triple winner of the prestigious Knoxville Nationals.

Schatz this year changed race teams in the US and linked with Tony Stewart Racing after having previously driven sprintcars for his parents operation.

Meyers, who will again drive for NSW sprintcar owner Harry Delamont, returns to TPCR after one of his best-ever season on the Outlaws trail. His second placing in the standings was just 132 points adrift of Schatz and it came after Meyers posted eight main event wins and 56 top ten feature race results.

Steve Kinser just gets better with age and added another seven main events in 2008 and 49 top ten feature results to his incredible career tally.

Steve’s son Kraig is coming back to TPCR after his first full season in a few years on the World of Outlaws circuit after looking at the NASCAR scene. Kraig, who in 2008 signed on with the Tony Stewart Racing Team, filled twelfth in the final 2008 WoO standings.

Sides, who has been a regular visitor to TPCR over recent seasons, was placed thirteenth in the WoO 2008 championship.

He again returns under the banner of the Sides Motorsport Team and will make his season debut on the night of the December 26 Valvoline Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix.

Jonathan Allard is back at TPCR carrying the mantle of 2008 King of California following another strong season on the US west coast.

A highlight was his victory in the seventeenth annual Pacific Sprintcar Fall Natonals at Chico, California.

In 2008 Danny Lasoski picked up a record eighth Knoxville Raceway Track Championship. He stands alone as the most successful driver in Knoxville Raceway history with 91 A-Main feature race successes.

He also competed in World of Outlaws competition and finished in position 20 in the final standings. He drove for several different car owners on the WoO trail this year including Denis Roth (Roth Motorsport) and Guy Forbrook.

Late addition is 23 year-old Brad Sweet from Grass Valley, California. He drives for NASCAR star Kasey Kahne and in 2008 took out the Belleville Midget Nationals.

He also won the Knoxville Midget Nationals and was victorious in his first United States Auto Club sanctioned race in September, 2008 under the banner of the Western States Midgets at Bakersfield, California.

This year he concentrated mainly on USAC competition where he finished eighth in the USAC Sprintcar National Championship and was a strong third in the USAC National Midget Driving Championship.

Several other free-lance Americans will stop off at TPCR for the major sprintcar shows including Jason Johnson and the perennial Danny Smith whose involvement with Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway traces back to the early ‘eighties when he first raced at the venue.

They were the days when he was the “house” driver for the era’s high profile Gambler Chassis Company.

That visit commenced a long and illustrious association with Parramatta Raceway and Australian sprintcar racing highlighted with his six wins in Warrnambool’s Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.