Contact: World Racing Group Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director 704-467-7803 * [email protected]
First Time Visit, No Problem: Another Win for Meyers As He Takes the Checkers at Virginia Motor Speedway
Jamaica, VA- May 24, 2008- Even though Jason Meyers had never seen Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Virginia until Saturday afternoon, that did not stop him from continuing his fast start to the 2008 season, as he won his fifth Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature event of the campaign.
The California native led 29 of the 30 laps to pocket $10,000 for the 25th A-Feature win of his career, holding off a hard charging and determined Daryn Pittman as well as Sam Hafertepe Jr. in the series inaugural event at the high-banked half-mile. For Meyers, it was his series leading third triumph on a half-mile track, as he extended his championship point lead over Craig Dollansky and two-time defending series champion Donny Schatz.
"We feel great," Meyers noted, after becoming the first series driver to win in the state of Virginia. "Everyone who is behind this team is giving 100 percent right now. To come out and put up these kinds of results is what we work hard each day to do. It will be nice to call home and let everyone know how we did. Hopefully we keep this up. It's a long summer, but I think we are up to the challenge."
The race began with Meyers darting to the lead, with Pittman and Joey Saldana chasing him. Early in the race, Meyers opened several comfortable leads in open track, with a number of drivers closing in on him as he entered lapped traffic.
"Something that is neat about coming to new facilities is that everyone is on the same playing field," said the driver of the GLR Investments KPC. "We just kind of compared it to some places we have been and made changes throughout the night to get the car better. It has some characteristics of its own and that makes the track different. We stayed after it and tried to make the car better each time we came on and off the race track."
Meyers had a tense moment on the sixth lap while pacing the field, as Tony Bruce Jr. tagged the wall in the second turn and got upside right in front of him. Meyers was able to take evasive action, and remain in the lead.
"It's always a little nerve wracking when you get to traffic," he noted. "We were able to avoid him by taking another line. You never know how those things are going to go. Sometimes they bite you. We were able to get through that one tonight and was able to win the race."
Meyers used a strong restart to again open a lead over Pittman, who was in search of his first win of the season. Pittman closed on the leader late in the race, as Meyers was bottled up in lapped traffic, though he could not quite catch the leader.
"The car was good," said Pittman, driver of the Titan Garages Maxim. "We were in contention for a win and there are things to build on. It's been a frustrating year so far and we have a tough uphill climb. The team is capable of it. There is no doubt about that. We have proved that the last couple of years. We just have to go out and try to find Victory Lane. We feel like we are on the right track and are fairly close."
Meyers held a comfortable lead at the halfway point of the 30-lap contest, though he was bottled up by a couple of lapped cars, giving Pittman the opening he needed to challenge for the lead. On the 17th lap, Meyers slipped high exiting the second turn, and that was the opening that Pittman needed to dive under him for the lead. The lead was short lived, as Meyers would battle back on the next lap to retake the point, which he would not relinquish the rest of the way.
"The car was pretty much good anywhere," described the winner. "The way this track is shaped, you are better off to get in on the top. It got so deep up there that it got tougher and tougher as the race went on. We just had to keep moving around and finding the race track."
Sam Hafertepe Jr. also put himself in the mix late in the race, as he had one of the fastest cars on the track down the stretch, as he sliced his way through lapped traffic. He would wind up third, to earn his best-career finish with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.
"We had a really good car tonight," said the native of Sunnyvale, Texas. "We had a new crew member tonight in Sean McClelland. I had my crew guy quit last night and we have Sean on hand. I don't know if that's the reason we ran good, but I have to thank him for coming out and helping us out."
Jac Haudenschild earned his second consecutive fourth-place finish as he closes in on his first A-Feature win of the season.
"The car felt good," said the driver of the Owens Corning Fiberglass Maxim. "Leonard (Lee) has it running very strong and handling good. We're just hoping to keep it rolling. We've had some good finishes and hoping to get a win here soon."
Meyers, who has been to countless tracks around the country was very impressed as were all of the drivers of the amenities at Virginia Motor Speedway.
"This is absolutely one of the nicest facilities that we come to all year," shared the winner. "We're happy to be able to come here and happy to win in the Outlaws first race here. It's just a great facility. There are a lot of places we go across the county and a few that stand out, and this is definitely one of them."
Joey Saldana finished fifth on Saturday night in the Budweiser/Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI, to earn his ninth Top-10 finish in the first 11 events of the season. He began the night by obliterating the track record in time trials by over 1.3 seconds.
After flipping out of the track during the second heat race, Kerry Madsen and his team repaired the car in time for the Crane Cams Dash which he was eligible for. This earned him a Top-10 starting spot in the A-Feature, which he parlayed into a sixth-place finish aboard the TK Concrete Maxim.
Donny Schatz, the two-time defending series champion was seventh on Saturday night, driving the Armor All J&J for Tony Stewart Racing. He is the only driver that has finished in the Top-10 in all 11 events this season.
After suffering heartbreak last night after having a hole in the fuel line while running second, Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender Lucas Wolfe came home eighth in the Hunter Truck Sales/Peterbuilt Maxim.
Chad Kemenah earned his fifth Top-10 finish of the season as he came home ninth in the Kantor Oil Company Maxim.
Craig Dollansky who is currently second in the World of Outlaws standings crossed the line in 10th, piloting the Aggressive Hydraulics Maxim.
The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action on Monday, May 26 at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York.
VIRGINIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK
* FAST QUALIFIER: Joey Saldana paced the 23 cars that took time with a record setting AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked half-mile oval at 14.537 seconds at 123.822 mph. For his qualifying effort, Saldana earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Shane Stewart (4), Donny Schatz (3), Jac Haudenschild (2), and Kerry Madsen (1).
* QUALIFYING WINNERS: Chad Kemenah, Jason Meyers and Lucas Wolfe won heat races... Daryn Pittman won the Crane Cams Dash...
* FEATURE WINNERS: There have been 11 Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events held in 2008. The winners include: Jason Meyers (Volusia Speedway Park, Manzanita Speedway, I-55 Raceway, Lernerville Speedway and Virginia Motor Speedway), Craig Dollansky (Volusia Speedway Park and Eldora Speedway), Lance Dewease (The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway), Steve Kinser (Williams Grove Speedway), Danny Lasoski (Volusia Speedway Park) and Donny Schatz (Knoxville Raceway).
*HALF-MILE WINNERS: Virginia Motor Speedway is a high-banked half-mile oval. The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series have raced eight times this season on a track that size. The winners include: Jason Meyers (Volusia Speedway Park, Manzanita Speedway and Virginia Motor Speedway), Craig Dollansky (Volusia Speedway Park and Eldora Speedway), Steve Kinser (Williams Grove Speedway), Danny Lasoski (Volusia Speedway Park) and Donny Schatz (Knoxville Raceway).
* ON THE WEB: The Official Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Web site is at http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint. Among the features are updated driver biographies with individual statistics and pictures, race-by-race statistics, detailed track information and race coverage, series news and team press releases. Also, links to the 2008 Official Rulebook can be found at the bottom of the home page.
* LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can't get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws live on DIRTVision.com through the DIRT Radio Network. To listen to the audio broadcasts, log on to www.DIRTVision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo. Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail [email protected].
* UP NEXT: The first East Coast swing of the season wraps up at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York on Memorial Day.
* UPCOMING EVENTS: A return to the Midwest for a doubleheader weekend in Ohio, at Attica Raceway Park and Eldora Speedway, followed by two full night of racing at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Virginia Motor Speedway; Jamaica, VA; May 24, 2008
Qualifying
1) 9-Joey Saldana 14.537
2) 83-Shane Stewart 14.585
3) 15-Donny Schatz 14.606
4) R19-Jac Haudenschild 14.619
5) 55-Kerry Madsen 14.643
6) 2L-Ed Lynch Jr. 14.654
7) 8K-Chad Kemenah 14.656
8) 14-Jason Meyers 14.710
9) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 14.711
10) 2-Craig Dollansky 14.716
11) 11-Steve Kinser 14.763
12) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 14.841
13) 6-Tim Shaffer 14.860
14) 21-Daryn Pittman 14.892
15) 5C-Chad Hillier 14.896
16) 7S-Jason Sides 14.897
17) 5B-Chad Blonde 14.995
18) 18-Tony Bruce Jr. 15.023
19) 20-Kraig Kinser 15.080
20) 24-Terry McCarl 15.285
21) 81-Craig Folmar 16.340
22) 42-Eric Keck 17.441
23) 4-Randy Kaylor 18.149
Heat 1 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 8K-Chad Kemenah
2) 9-Joey Saldana
3) 2-Craig Dollansky
4) R19-Jac Haudenschild
5) 7S-Jason Sides
6) 6-Tim Shaffer
7) 20-Kraig Kinser
8) 42-Eric Keck
Heat 2 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 14-Jason Meyers
2) 21-Daryn Pittman
3) 11-Steve Kinser
4) 5B-Chad Blonde
5) 24-Terry McCarl
6) 55-Kerry Madsen
7) 83-Shane Stewart
8) 4-Randy Kaylor
Heat 3 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 5W-Lucas Wolfe
2) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
3) 15-Donny Schatz
4) 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.
5) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.
6) 5C-Chad Hillier
7) 81-Craig Folmar
Crane Cams Dash (8 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)
1) 21-Daryn Pittman
2) 14-Jason Meyers
3) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
4) 9-Joey Saldana
5) R19-Jac Haudenschild
6) 5W-Lucas Wolfe
7) 15-Donny Schatz
8) 55-Kerry Madsen
9) 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.
10) 8K-Chad Kemenah
A-main (30 laps) - Starting Position [#]
1) 14-Jason Meyers[2] [$10,000]
2) 21-Daryn Pittman[1] [$5,500]
3) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[3] [$3,200]
4) R19-Jac Haudenschild[5] [$2,800]
5) 9-Joey Saldana[4] [$2,500]
6) 55-Kerry Madsen[8] [$2,300]
7) 15-Donny Schatz[7] [$2,200]
8) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[6] [$2,100]
9) 8K-Chad Kemenah[10] [$2,050]
10) 2-Craig Dollansky[11] [$2,000]
11) 11-Steve Kinser[12] [$1,500]
12) 5B-Chad Blonde[16] [$1,200]
13) 24-Terry McCarl[18] [$1,100]
14) 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[9] [$1,050]
15) 6-Tim Shaffer[13] [$1,000]
16) 7S-Jason Sides[15] [$900]
17) 83-Shane Stewart[19] [$800]
18) 20-Kraig Kinser[20] [$800]
19) 5C-Chad Hillier[14] [$800]
20) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[17] [$800]
21) 4-Randy Kaylor[23] [$800]
22) 42-Eric Keck[22] [$800]
23) 81-Craig Folmar[21] [$800]
Lap Leaders: Jason Meyers 1-16, 18-30; Daryn Pittman 17
Chicken Hawk Hot Lap Award: Jason Meyers
Penkse Power Position Award: Sam Hafertepe Jr.
KSE Hard Charger Award: Terry McCarl
2008 STAT ATTACK There have been 11 Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events this season.
A-Feature winners (6 Different Drivers) Driver, Hometown - Wins 1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 5 2- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 2 3- Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 1 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1 Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 1 Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 1
Lap leaders, including A-features and preliminary features Car, driver, hometown - Total laps led (12 Drivers have led laps) 1- Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 90 laps 2- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 71 laps 3- Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 30 laps Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 30 laps 5- Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 27 laps 6- Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 25 laps 7- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 20 laps 8- Craig Keel, Weedsport, New York- 17 laps 9- Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 9 laps 10- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 8 laps 11- Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 7 laps 12- Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 1 lap
Time trial leaders (7 different drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Quick times 1- Shane Stewart, Bixby, Oklahoma- 3 2- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 2 Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota - 2 4- Cody Darrah, Red Lion, Pennsylvania- 1 Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 1 Greg Hodnett, Thomasville, Pennsylvania- 1 Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio - 1
Track records established during 2008 Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series events (1) * Joey Saldana, May 24, Virginia Motor Speedway (1/2-mile), Jamaica, VA, 14.537 seconds at 123.822 mph.
Crane Cams Dash Winners (9 different winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Dash Wins 1- Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 2 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana - 2 3- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota - 1 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1 Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 1 Craig Keel, Weedsport, New York- 1 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1 Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 1 Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 1
Pole Positions (9 different drivers) Rank - Driver, Hometown - Poles 1- Daryn Pittman, Owasso, Oklahoma- 2 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana - 2 3- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota - 1 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1 Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 1 Craig Keel, Weedsport, New York- 1 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1 Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 1 Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 1
B-main Winners (9 different winners) Rank - Driver, Hometown - B-Main Wins 1- Pat Cannon, Etters, Pennsylvania- 1 Rob Chaney, Wooster, Ohio-1 Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1 Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1 Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 1 Brian Paulus, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania- 1 Danny Smith, Danville, Indiana - 1 T.J. Stutts, Liverpool, Pennsylvania- 1
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award 1- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 2 Kerry Madsen, St. Mary's, NWS- 2 Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 2 4- Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 1 Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1 Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 1 Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 1 Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania- 1
Penske Power Position 1- Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 3 2- Shane Stewart, Bixby, Oklahoma- 2 3- Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas- 1 Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio- 1 Chad Kemenah, Findlay, Ohio- 1 Terry McCarl, Altoona, Iowa- 1 Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 1 Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tennessee- 1
Chicken Hawk Hot Lap 1- Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minnesota- 2 2- Dale Blaney, Hartford, Ohio- 1 Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania- 1 Tim Kaeding, San Jose, California- 1 Craig Keel, Weedsport, New York- 1 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana- 1 Danny Lasoski, Dover, Missouri- 1 Jason Meyers, Clovis, California- 1 Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, Indiana- 1 Donny Schatz, Fargo, North Dakota- 1
Qwik Liner Cup Points through May 24 Craig Dollansky 22 Shane Stewart 19 Joey Saldana 17 Jason Meyers 15 Donny Schatz 14 Cody Darrah 10 Ed Lynch Jr. 8 Greg Hodnett 7 Kerry Madsen 7 Jac Haudenschild 6 Daryn Pittman 6 Jeff Shepard 6 Sam Hafertepe Jr. 5 Chad Kemenah 5 Steve Kinser 3 Danny Lasoski 3 Sammy Swindell 3 Randy Hannagan 2 Kraig Kinser 2 Terry McCarl 2 Jason Sides 2 Alan Cole 1
Crane Cams Engine Builder Challenge Shaver Specialties 45 Don Ott Engines 38/ -7 Speedway Engines 37 / -8 Kistler Engines 32 / -13
Chassis Builder Challenge Maxim 53 J&J 46 / -7 Triple X Race Co. 15 / -38
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company's web site at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com<http://www.advanceautoparts.com/>.
