Backstretch Motorsports

PERRIS UP NEXT FOR USAC/CRA SPRINTS; MILLER, JONES GRAB “LAS VEGAS DIRT CLASSIC” FEATURES

Cory Kruseman of Ventura, Calif. continues to lead the USAC/CRA Sprint Car standings after second and third-place finishes in the “Las Vegas Dirt Classic” Thursday and Friday at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway Dirt Track. He has a 40-point lead over USAC National Champion Levi Jones and is 56 ahead of Blake Miller going into a March 8 race at the Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.

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The O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions wrapped up their Florida swing with 51 cars signed in at Volusia Speedway Park on night number three of the 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. The heat races were stacked as they have been the entire week with the best drivers in the country doing battle on the fast half mile.  The best of the All Stars and Outlaws combined for another night of heart stopping action before the All Stars pull up their stakes and head back North.

Donny Schatz proved once again why he is the two time defending Outlaw champion by knocking out the competition for the second time in just three races as he bested the stellar field.  Many of the drivers have compared the level of competition at Volusia this week to the Knoxville Nationals as many top notch drivers have spent time in the B and C mains.

“It’s good to get back to Victory Lane," said Schatz. "These guys deserve this, they have been working real hard. Our Chevrolet engine got us a good lap in qualifying tonight. We’re doing some playing the last couple of nights and we’ll go back to basics tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be back in Victory Lane.”Schatz jumped out to the lead at the initial green flag leading Lance Dewease and Joey Saldana to the line.  Jason Meyers was close behind and took the third spot by lap 15.  Saldana began to get a handle on the track and moved back into the third spot by lap 18.  While Schatz ran and hid from the rest of the field, Craig Dollansky was making a charge to the front and moved into the third spot on lap 21 as Dewease tried to gain ground on Schatz in traffic. 

The red flag flew for Kraig Kinser who turned over the Tony Stewart owned ride in turn three on lap 23.  The running order at the restart was Schatz, Dewease, Saldana, Dollansky, Meyers, and Fred Rahmer.  Saldana tried to make things tough on Schatz moving up to second on lap 25 and running down the leader in traffic.  Saldana made a last effort on the final lap closing to within two car lengths of Schatz, but ran out of laps and settled for second.  Meyers would cross the line third, followed by Dewease and Dollansky who rounded out the Top 5.

Schatz went on to say, “We ran a whole different thing tonight than we have and we said we would commit to it tonight and do it, no matter if we win or lose. I had to drive as hard as I could and some nights you have to do that. It helps me get better and you become more diversified as a driver.”Heat race number one was won by Donny Schatz who got by Randy Hannagan on lap 6 and went on to victory.  Jac Haudenschild and Stevie Smith went at it hard in heat race number two with Smith coming out on top.  Craig Dollansky passed Tony Bruce Jr. for the win in heat number three as Chad Kemenah just got by Wolfe for the transfer spot.  Heat race number four was won by Dale Blaney as Jason Meyers put Greg Wilson in the B-main at the line.

C-main action got off to a fast start with last night’s winner Wayne Johnson running side by side with Tim Shaffer.  Shaffer took the lead early as Terry McCarl got by Paul May early for third.  After a lap 6 caution the running order was Shaffer, Johnson, McCarl, Ben Gregg, and May.  After the retart, Shaffer pulled out to a good lead and took it to the checkered flag with May just getting by Gregg at the line for the transfer spot.

Cody Darrah ran away and hid from Lucas Wolfe in the B-main, but the action back through the pack was furious as Shane Stewart spent most of the race dodging in and out of cars putting slide jobs on half of the field on his way to the front, threading the needle several times as the crowd was on their feet.  Darrah won as Chad Hillier just got by Greg Wilson by a nose wing at the flag stand.  Wolfe finished second with Stewart coming home third.

The O’Reilly All Star Dash was won by Lance Dewease, but the race was slowed on lap one as Fred Rahmer, Randy Hannagan, and Dewease went three wide in turn three with Rahmer getting tagged and breaking a front end.  Dewease picked up the dash win which pays season points to the top six qualifying All Star members who transfer out of their heat race.

The O’Reilly All Stars will resume the 2008 season at Attica Raceway Park on April 4th.  Visit www.atticaraceawaypark.com for more information.  For more information on the All Star series, visit www.allstarsprint.com – the internet home of “America’s Series.”

Volusia Speedway (2-7-08)O'Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions

Qualifying - Kistler Engines

1. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.583; 2. 9-Joey Saldana, 13.738; 3. 5-Danny Lasoski, 13.752; 4. 14-Jason Myers, 13.777; 5. 89-Cody Darrah, 13.779; 6. 5C-Chad Hillier, 13.801; 7. 6F-Bob Felmlee, 13.823; 8. 30C-Lance Dewease, 13.842; 9. 51-Fred Rahmer, 13.852; 10. 11-Steve Kinser, 13.857; 11. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.887; 12. 20-Kraig Kinser, 13.889; 13. 20E-Brian Ellenberger, 13.898; 14. R19-Jac Haudenschild, 13.899; 15. 2-Craig Dollanksy, 13.968; 16. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.972; 17. 1X-Randy Hannagan, 13.975; 18. 11B-Brock Mayes, 13.995; 19. 1-Jeff Shepard, 13.996; 20. 21-Daryn Pittman, 14.013; 21. 28-Brian Paulus, 14.016; 22. 19-Stevie Smith, 14.038; 23. 18-Tony Bruce Jr., 14.039; 24. 2B-Dale Blaney, 14.050; 25. 10-Tim Kaeding, 14.062; 26. 29A-Jason Botsford, 14.093; 27. 8K-Chad Kemenah, 14.150; 28. 9P-Rager Phillps, 14.176; 29. 83-Shane Stewart, 14.177; 30. 39-TJ Stutts, 14.227; 31. 7MX-Mark Smith, 14.228; 32. 4-Danny Smith, 14.239; 33. 22-Greg Hodnett, 14.245; 34. O-Paul McMahan, 14.259; 35. 25-Chad Layton, 14.326; 36. 8H-Dustin Morgan, 14.357; 37. 22B-Ben Gregg, 14.364; 38. 94-Wayne Johnson, 14.395; 39. 6-Tim Shaffer, 14.402; 40. 94S-Natalie Sather, 14.424; 41. 71-Paul May, 14.439; 42. 80-Spud Gustin, 14.472; 43. 56R-Ryan Myers, 14.483; 44. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 14.532; 45. B4-Eric Baldaccini, 14.555; 46. 24-Terry McCarl, 14.558; 47. 11M-Brandon Martin, 14.602; 48. 71J-Bob Schaeffer, 14.621; 49. 16S-Lee Stark, 14.818; 50. 7M-Geoff Dodge, 15.052; 51. 4N-Neil Shepherd, 15.435;

Heat 1 - All Pro Heads

1. 15-Donny Schatz; 2. 1X-Randy Hannagan; 3. 10-Tim Kaeding; 4. 28-Brian Paulus; 5. 51-Fred Rahmer; 6. 83-Shane Stewart; 7. 20E-Brian Ellenberger; 8. 22-Greg Hodnett; 9. 89-Cody Darrah; 10. 22B-Ben Gregg; 11. 71-Paul May; 12. 16S-Lee Stark; 13. B4-Eric Baldaccini;

Heat 2 - Engler Machine & Tool

1. 19-Stevie Smith; 2. R19-Jac Haudenschild; 3. 11-Steve Kinser; 4. 9-Joey Saldana; 5. 11B-Brock Mayes; 6. 5C-Chad Hillier; 7. O-Paul McMahan; 8. 94-Wayne Johnson; 9. 24-Terry McCarl; 10. 39-TJ Stutts; 11. 7M-Geoff Dodge; 12. 80-Spud Gustin; 13. 29A-Jason Botsford;

Heat 3 - Hoosier Tire

1. 2-Craig Dollanksy; 2. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.; 3. 1-Jeff Shepard; 4. 5-Danny Lasoski; 5. 8K-Chad Kemenah; 6. 5W-Lucas Wolfe; 7. 25-Chad Layton; 8. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 9. 7MX-Mark Smith; 10. 6-Tim Shaffer; 11. 11M-Brandon Martin; 12. 56R-Ryan Myers; 13. 4N-Neil Shepherd;

Heat 4 - Hank's Performance Products

1. 2B-Dale Blaney; 2. 21-Daryn Pittman; 3. 20-Kraig Kinser; 4. 14-Jason Myers; 5. 30C-Lance Dewease; 6. W20-Greg Wilson; 7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.; 8. 94S-Natalie Sather; 9. 8H-Dustin Morgan; 10. 9P-Rager Phillps; 11. 4-Danny Smith; 12. 71J-Bob Schaeffer; Dash - O'Reilly Auto Parts

1. 30C-Lance Dewease; 2. 2B-Dale Blaney; 3. 1X-Randy Hannagan; 4. 11B-Brock Mayes; 5. 28-Brian Paulus; 6. 51-Fred Rahmer;

C-main - Outerwears Racing Accessories

1. 6-Tim Shaffer; 2. 24-Terry McCarl; 3. 94-Wayne Johnson; 4. 71-Paul May; 5. 11M-Brandon Martin; 6. 94S-Natalie Sather; 7. 22B-Ben Gregg; 8. 4N-Neil Shepherd; 9. 56R-Ryan Myers; 10. 7M-Geoff Dodge; 11. 16S-Lee Stark; 12. 80-Spud Gustin; 13. 71J-Bob Schaeffer; 14. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.;

B-main - University of Northwestern Ohio

1. 89-Cody Darrah; 2. 5W-Lucas Wolfe; 3. 83-Shane Stewart; 4. 5C-Chad Hillier; 5. W20-Greg Wilson; 6. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 7. 7MX-Mark Smith; 8. O-Paul McMahan; 9. 24-Terry McCarl; 10. 20E-Brian Ellenberger; 11. 22-Greg Hodnett; 12. 4-Danny Smith; 13. 8H-Dustin Morgan; 14. 6-Tim Shaffer; 15. 25-Chad Layton; 16. 94-Wayne Johnson; 17. 39-TJ Stutts; 18. 9P-Rager Phillps; 19. 71-Paul May; 20. 29A-Jason Botsford;

A-main - MSD Ignition  — Starting Position []

1. 15-Donny Schatz[1]; 2. 9-Joey Saldana[3]; 3. 14-Jason Myers[5]; 4. 30C-Lance Dewease[2]; 5. 2-Craig Dollanksy[10]; 6. 51-Fred Rahmer[4]; 7. 21-Daryn Pittman[17]; 8. 5-Danny Lasoski[6]; 9. 8K-Chad Kemenah[23]; 10. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[13]; 11. 1X-Randy Hannagan[14]; 12. R19-Jac Haudenschild[9]; 13. 11-Steve Kinser[7]; 14. 83-Shane Stewart[24]; 15. 2B-Dale Blaney[21]; 16. 10-Tim Kaeding[22]; 17. 89-Cody Darrah[11]; 18. 5C-Chad Hillier[12]; 19. 28-Brian Paulus[18]; 20. 19-Stevie Smith[19]; 21. 11B-Brock Mayes[15]; 22. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[20]; 23. 20-Kraig Kinser[8]; 24. 1-Jeff Shepard[16];

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Night number two of the 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals once again had 52 cars signed into the pits looking to steal the $7000 top prize put up by the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions.  Craig Mintz and John Westbrook were unable to return after their night one crash, but Jason Sides and Chad Hillier filled their spots keeping the field at 52 of the finest sprint car drivers in the country.  However, like at any All Star race throughout the decades, you just never know going in who is going to come out on top.

Danny Lasoski took the green flag in the 25 lap A-main event and got out to an early lead while Paul May and Mark Smith dueled for second place.  Cautions on lap 7 for Daryn Pittman and on lap 9 for Brian Ellenberger slowed the action, but Lasoski retained the lead on each restart.  The red flag flew for Brandon Martin on lap 11 as martin got caught up in a Cody Darrah spin and had no place to go but into the turn one fence sending the 11m end over end.  On the restart it was Lasoski, Mark Smith, May, Hafertepe, and Wayne Johnson.  Donny Schatz restarted in 9th after starting 19th.

The next several laps were wild as May and Smith traded slide jobs for the second spot and Hafertepe and Johnson duked it out behind the leaders.  May started to fade late in the race while Hafertepe looked to run down The Dude in traffic.  Wayne Johnson waited for the right time to strike.  Hafertepe took the lead on lap 18 and Lasoski reclaimed it on lap 19.  As the two were side by side going into turn one, Johnson made a sling shot move with a run off the bottom passing them both in turn two.  Johnson managed to pull away over the next five laps to claim the victory.  Hafertepe was second followed by Lasosksi, Dollansky who started 24th, and Schatz who started 19th.

An elated Johnson said from the victory stage, “I was trying to pass Hafertepe but I got such a good run I just drove past them both.  I was kind of shocked myself.  I knew we could run around the bottom when nobody else could, so I was just saving my tires when all those guys were running up in the rubber.”

“I have to thank all my guys and Penske Shocks,” said Johnson.  “It shows just how good of a racecar we’ve got.  I want to thank everyone who is involved with this thing because this is a low buck team.  Tony Stewart’s guys can sit over there and spend all the money they want, but we’re one of the lowest budget teams in the pit area.”

Heat race action was intense with a much slicker track than the previous night.  Heat race number one had some great action as All Star driver Brandon Martin found a sweet spot on the high side and charged from the back of the pack to a transfer spot, passing the King Steve Kinser in the process.  Kinser, who was the fast qualifier of the night, was able to get back under Martin on the final lap, but Martin motored by on the outside at the flag stand sending Kinser to the B-main.

Heat race number two saw Donny Schatz run away with it while Craig Dollansky charged from 11th to 4th.  Cody Darrah dominated heat race number three and Lucas Wolfe took the win in heat race number four while several great cars were sent packing to the C and B-mains.

The C-main was won by Greg Wilson who started on the front row by virtue of Terry McCarl opting not to start.  Wilson jumped out to the lead over Paul McMahan and Kraig Kinser with Brock Mayes holding the final transfer spot.  Bob Felmlee challenged Mayes several times but could not get past him as the track slicked off and the low line was the fastest way around the speedway.  On lap 8, Kinser got loose in the marbles in turn three and spun taking himself out of contention.  Felmlee inherited the final spot as Wilson won followed by McMahan and Mayes.

Steve Kinser won the B-main, but not without Joey Saldana nipping at his heels.  Kinser appeared to let off the throttle on lap 8 as Saldana rocketed past the King, but kinser put the hammer back down and reclaimed the lead from Saldana and went on to win the event.  Saldana was second followed by Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Chad Hillier.  Tim Kaeding just missed the transfer spot after qualifying 7th earlier in the evening.

The All Stars will wrap up their Florida swing on Thursday February 7th at Volusia Speedway Park making way for the World of Outlaws season opener on Friday.

Volusia Speedway (2-6-08)O'Reilly All Star Circuit of ChampionsQualifying - Kistler Engines1. 11-Steve Kinser, 15.206; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 15.250; 3. 28-Brian Paulus, 15.301; 4. 7MX-Mark Smith, 15.303; 5. 71-Paul May, 15.309; 6. 5C-Chad Hillier, 15.315; 7. 10-Tim Kaeding, 15.331; 8. 9-Joey Saldana, 15.336; 9. 8H-Dustin Morgan, 15.373; 10. 18-Tony Bruce Jr., 15.381; 11. 7S-Jason Sides, 15.403; 12. 5-Danny Lasoski, 15.469; 13. 39-TJ Stutts, 15.489; 14. R19-Jac Haudenschild, 15.491; 15. 20E-Brian Ellenberger, 15.497; 16. 22-Greg Hodnett, 15.500; 17. 94-Wayne Johnson, 15.521; 18. 21-Daryn Pittman, 15.522; 19. 89-Cody Darrah, 15.548; 20. 4-Danny Smith, 15.567; 21. 51-Fred Rahmer, 15.630; 22. 15-Donny Schatz, 15.632; 23. 56R-Ryan Myers, 15.774; 24. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 15.782; 25. 14-Jason Myers, 15.789; 26. 1X-Randy Hannagan, 15.818; 27. 83-Shane Stewart, 15.825; 28. 8K-Chad Kemenah, 15.826; 29. 11M-Brandon Martin, 15.862; 30. 25-Chad Layton, 15.877; 31. 19-Stevie Smith, 15.883; 32. 1-Jeff Shepard, 15.922; 33. 30C-Lance Dewease, 15.937; 34. 2B-Dale Blaney, 15.956; 35. 16S-Lee Stark, 15.965; 36. 24-Terry McCarl, 15.982; 37. O-Paul McMahan, 15.998; 38. W20-Greg Wilson, 16.001; 39. 6F-Bob Felmlee, 16.008; 40. 20-Kraig Kinser, 16.023; 41. 11B-Brock Mayes, 16.057; 42. 2-Craig Dollanksy, 16.119; 43. 9P-Rager Phillps, 16.219; 44. 29A-Jason Botsford, 16.261; 45. 94S-Natalie Sather, 16.340; 46. 80-Spud Gustin, 16.414; 47. 7M-Geoff Didge, 16.438; 48. 4N-Neil Shepherd, 16.615; 49. 22B-Ben Gregg, 16.789; 50. 71J-Bob Schaeffer, 17.095; 51. B4-Eric Baldaccini, 18.022; 52. 72J-Johnny Johnson, 18.912; Heat 1 - All Pro Heads1. 51-Fred Rahmer; 2. 94-Wayne Johnson; 3. 71-Paul May; 4. 39-TJ Stutts; 5. 11M-Brandon Martin; 6. 11-Steve Kinser; 7. 14-Jason Myers; 8. 30C-Lance Dewease; 9. 8H-Dustin Morgan; 10. 11B-Brock Mayes; 11. O-Paul McMahan; 12. 22B-Ben Gregg; 13. 94S-Natalie Sather;Heat 2 - Engler Machine & Tool1. 15-Donny Schatz; 2. 21-Daryn Pittman; 3. 25-Chad Layton; 4. 2-Craig Dollanksy; 5. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.; 6. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.; 7. 2B-Dale Blaney; 8. 5C-Chad Hillier; 9. 1X-Randy Hannagan; 10. W20-Greg Wilson; 11. R19-Jac Haudenschild; 12. 80-Spud Gustin; 13. 71J-Bob Schaeffer;Heat 3 - Hoosier Tire1. 89-Cody Darrah; 2. 20E-Brian Ellenberger; 3. 7S-Jason Sides; 4. 28-Brian Paulus; 5. 83-Shane Stewart; 6. 10-Tim Kaeding; 7. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 8. 19-Stevie Smith; 9. 9P-Rager Phillps; 10. 56R-Ryan Myers; 11. 7M-Geoff Didge; 12. 16S-Lee Stark; 13. B4-Eric Baldaccini;

Heat 4 - Hank's Performance Products1. 5W-Lucas Wolfe; 2. 5-Danny Lasoski; 3. 4-Danny Smith; 4. 7MX-Mark Smith; 5. 22-Greg Hodnett; 6. 8K-Chad Kemenah; 7. 9-Joey Saldana; 8. 24-Terry McCarl; 9. 20-Kraig Kinser; 10. 1-Jeff Shepard; 11. 4N-Neil Shepherd; 12. 29A-Jason Botsford; 13. 72J-Johnny Johnson; C-main - Outerwears Racing Accessories1. W20-Greg Wilson; 2. O-Paul McMahan; 3. 11B-Brock Mayes; 4. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 5. 9P-Rager Phillps; 6. 94S-Natalie Sather; 7. 7M-Geoff Didge; 8. 4N-Neil Shepherd; 9. 22B-Ben Gregg; 10. 20-Kraig Kinser; 11. 80-Spud Gustin; 12. 71J-Bob Schaeffer; 13. 72J-Johnny Johnson; 14. 24-Terry McCarl; 15. 29A-Jason Botsford; 16. B4-Eric Baldaccini; B-main - University of Northwestern Ohio1. 11-Steve Kinser; 2. 9-Joey Saldana; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.; 4. 5C-Chad Hillier; 5. 10-Tim Kaeding; 6. 14-Jason Myers; 7. 1-Jeff Shepard; 8. 8K-Chad Kemenah; 9. 8H-Dustin Morgan; 10. O-Paul McMahan; 11. 56R-Ryan Myers; 12. R19-Jac Haudenschild; 13. 2B-Dale Blaney; 14. 19-Stevie Smith; 15. 30C-Lance Dewease; 16. 1X-Randy Hannagan; 17. W20-Greg Wilson; 18. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 19. 11B-Brock Mayes; 20. 16S-Lee Stark; A-main - MSD Ignition  Starting Position []1. 94-Wayne Johnson[9]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[12]; 3. 5-Danny Lasoski[2]; 4. 2-Craig Dollanksy[24]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz[19]; 6. 7MX-Mark Smith[1]; 7. 11-Steve Kinser[11]; 8. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[4]; 9. 71-Paul May[3]; 10. 7S-Jason Sides[6]; 11. 22-Greg Hodnett[8]; 12. 28-Brian Paulus[5]; 13. 4-Danny Smith[17]; 14. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[20]; 15. 5C-Chad Hillier[13]; 16. 25-Chad Layton[23]; 17. 83-Shane Stewart[21]; 18. 9-Joey Saldana[14]; 19. 51-Fred Rahmer[18]; 20. 39-TJ Stutts[7]; 21. 89-Cody Darrah[16]; 22. 21-Daryn Pittman[10]; 23. 11M-Brandon Martin[22]; 24. 20E-Brian Ellenberger[15];

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The O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions rolled into Volusia Speedway Park with 52 cars to kick of the 37^th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. With a field second only to the Knoxville Nationals, the All Stars had their work cut out for them to try to grab a piece of the pie and the $7000 winner’s share. The best of the World of Outlaws and the PA Posse came to compete with the All Stars with a large crowd on hand on a warm Florida evening.

Daryn Pittman set the Kistler Engines Quick Time, laying down a new track record of 12.951 on the super-fast half mile. The margin between quick time and 47^th place was less than one second, which goes to show you how important it is to rip off a perfect qualifying run each and every time.

Heat race action was fast and fierce with wins going to Wayne Johnson, Lucas Wolfe, Greg Hodnett, and Brian Ellenberger. Craig Mintz lost a left front wheel in his heat and was clobbered by John Westbrook as he sat helpless at the bottom of turn three. Westbrook had no place to go and Mintz suffered a vicious hit causing a minor knee injury and major damage to the 09 car.

The C-main was packed with talent as would be expected with such a stellar field of cars. Tim Kaeding won with Shane Stewart close behind. Paul McMahan was third with Eric Baldaccini taking the final transfer spot.

The B-main looked like an A-main with all the good cars lining up to try to make it into the feature event, but only four drivers would be so lucky. Danny Lasoski took the checkers followed by Jeff Shepard, Tony Bruce Jr., and Jac Haudenschild. Several great drivers were reduced to spectators for the A-main event.

The redraw of the Top 6 spots by the young fans on the front stretch put Donny Schatz on the pole and Jason Meyers to his outside. Steve Kinser would line up behind Schatz and Lance Dewease took the outside of row two. Daryn Pittman and Craig Dollanksy made up row three.

At the drop of the green, Meyers took the early lead and held the point for several laps over Schatz. When the two hit lapped traffic, Schatz was finding the high side to his liking and overtook Meyers on lap 15. Schatz then set sail picking off back markers one by one as Meyers kept him within his sight. Steve Kinser was busy holding off Daryn Pittman. Meyers got one last good run on Schatz on lap 22, but Schatz would pull away again. Lance Dewease got by Pittman with five laps to go as Schatz went on to win. Meyers crossed the line second with Kinser, Dewease, and Pittman rounding out the Top 5.

"It was a good night,” said Schatz from the Alltel victory lane. “Our first night out in the car and we won. I look forward to calling Tony (Stewart) to tell him how we did tonight. The team worked hard and we were in a good spot tonight. We came out here tonight to try a few things and to learn a few things. We will try some more stuff tomorrow and the next night. We have a couple days to keep getting better."

The O’Reilly All Stars will be back in action on Wednesday February 6^th at Volusia Speedway Park.. Reserved seat tickets for each night of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals can be purchased online at www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com . The Pit Gates will open at 2 p.m. EST, with Grandstand gates set to open at 4 p.m. EST and Hot Laps are tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. EST.

Fans unable to attend the spectacular week at Volusia can still catch all the action on the DIRTVision Cybercast. For just $29.99 fans can purchase the ‘Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass’ and watch live streaming video of all 12 nights of racing action. Log on to www.dirtvision.com  for more information.

Volusia Speedway Park is located just 15 miles west of Ormond Beach, Florida. From I-95, take exit 88 West on State Rd. 40. From Highway 17, take State Rd 40, 5 miles east of Barberville, Florida.

Volusia Speedway (2-5-08)O'Reilly AllStar Circuit of Champions

Qualifying - Kistler Engines

1. 21-Daryn Pittman, 12.951; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 13.025; 3. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.048; 4. 30C-Lance Dewease, 13.064; 5. 14-Jason Myers, 13.066; 6. 8K-Chad Kemenah, 13.127; 7. 11-Steve Kinser, 13.167; 8. 5-Danny Lasoski, 13.185; 9. 1X-Randy Hannagan, 13.204; 10. 24-Terry McCarl, 13.205; 11. 9-Joey Saldana, 13.208; 12. 2-Craig Dollanksy, 13.217; 13. 20-Kraig Kinser, 13.236; 14. 25-Chad Layton, 13.243; 15. 51-Fred Rahmer, 13.250; 16. 7MX-Mark Smith, 13.259; 17. 6F-Bob Felmlee, 13.267; 18. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.276; 19. 18-Tony Bruce Jr., 13.285; 20. 11B-Brock Mayes, 13.288; 21. 94-Wayne Johnson, 13.320; 22. 3W-John Westbrook, 13.322; 23. 22-Greg Hodnett, 13.329; 24. 20E-Brian Ellenberger, 13.331; 25. 11M-Brandon Martin, 13.332; 26. 1-Jeff Shepard, 13.353; 27. 89-Cody Darrah, 13.387; 28. 22B-Ben Gregg, 13.388; 29. 28-Brian Paulus, 13.392; 30. 39-TJ Stutts, 13.413; 31. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.418; 32. 19-Stevie Smith, 13.428; 33. 80-Spud Gustin, 13.482; 34. 4-Danny Smith, 13.487; 35. 2B-Dale Blaney, 13.492; 36. R19-Jac Haudenschild, 13.495; 37. 10-Tim Kaeding, 13.504; 38. 83-Shane Stewart, 13.521; 39. O-Paul Mcmahan, 13.582; 40. B4-Eric Baldaccini, 13.595; 41. 71-Paul May, 13.623; 42. O9-Craig Mintz, 13.657; 43. 8H-Dustin Morgan, 13.679; 44. 16S-Lee Stark, 13.747; 45. 56R-Ryan Myers, 13.768; 46. 71J-Bob Schaeffer, 13.776; 47. 4N-Neil Shepherd, 13.881; 48. 7M-Geoff Didge, 13.973; 49. 9P-Rager Phillps, 14.182; 50. 29A-Jason Botsford, 14.429; 51. 72J-Johnny Johnson, 17.365; 52. 94S-Natalie Sather, NT;

Heat 1 - All-Pro Heads

1. 94-Wayne Johnson; 2. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 3. 20-Kraig Kinser; 4. 14-Jason Myers; 5. 21-Daryn Pittman; 6. 10-Tim Kaeding; 7. 28-Brian Paulus; 8. 11M-Brandon Martin; 9. 71-Paul May; 10. 56R-Ryan Myers; 11. 80-Spud Gustin; 12. 1X-Randy Hannagan; 13. 9P-Rager Phillps;

Heat 2 - Engler Machine & Tooll

1. 5W-Lucas Wolfe; 2. 25-Chad Layton; 3. 8K-Chad Kemenah; 4. 24-Terry McCarl; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.; 6. 1-Jeff Shepard; 7. 83-Shane Stewart; 8. 39-TJ Stutts; 9. 71J-Bob Schaeffer; 10. 29A-Jason Botsford; 11. 3W-John Westbrook; 12. O9-Craig Mintz; 13. 4-Danny Smith;

Heat 3 - Hoosier Tire

1. 22-Greg Hodnett; 2. 9-Joey Saldana; 3. 51-Fred Rahmer; 4. 11-Steve Kinser; 5. 15-Donny Schatz; 6. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.; 7. 2B-Dale Blaney; 8. 89-Cody Darrah; 9. 8H-Dustin Morgan; 10. W20-Greg Wilson; 11. O-Paul Mcmahan; 12. 4N-Neil Shepherd; 13. 72J-Johnny Johnson;

Heat 4 - Hank's Performance Products

1. 20E-Brian Ellenberger; 2. 2-Craig Dollanksy; 3. 11B-Brock Mayes; 4. 30C-Lance Dewease; 5. 7MX-Mark Smith; 6. 5-Danny Lasoski; 7. R19-Jac Haudenschild; 8. 19-Stevie Smith; 9. 22B-Ben Gregg; 10. B4-Eric Baldaccini; 11. 16S-Lee Stark; 12. 7M-Geoff Didge; 13. 94S-Natalie Sather;

C-main – Outerwears Racing Accessories

1. 10-Tim Kaeding; 2. 83-Shane Stewart; 3. O-Paul Mcmahan; 4. B4-Eric Baldaccini; 5. 71-Paul May; 6. 4N-Neil Shepherd; 7. 16S-Lee Stark; 8. 8H-Dustin Morgan; 9. 7M-Geoff Didge; 10. 56R-Ryan Myers; 11. 71J-Bob Schaeffer; 12. 29A-Jason Botsford; 13. 72J-Johnny Johnson; 14. O9-Craig Mintz; 15. 9P-Rager Phillps; 16. 94S-Natalie Sather;

B-main - University of Northwestern Ohio

1. 5-Danny Lasoski; 2. 1-Jeff Shepard; 3. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.; 4. R19-Jac Haudenschild; 5. 28-Brian Paulus; 6. 11M-Brandon Martin; 7. 83-Shane Stewart; 8. 10-Tim Kaeding; 9. 39-TJ Stutts; 10. 2B-Dale Blaney; 11. 89-Cody Darrah; 12. 19-Stevie Smith; 13. W20-Greg Wilson; 14. B4-Eric Baldaccini; 15. 1X-Randy Hannagan; 16. 22B-Ben Gregg; 17. 80-Spud Gustin; 18. 4-Danny Smith; 19. O-Paul Mcmahan; 20. 3W-John Westbrook;

A-main - MSD Ignition — Starting Position []

1. 15-Donny Schatz[1]; 2. 14-Jason Myers[2]; 3. 11-Steve Kinser[7]; 4. 30C-Lance Dewease[5]; 5. 21-Daryn Pittman[4]; 6. 2-Craig Dollanksy[10]; 7. 9-Joey Saldana[9]; 8. 20-Kraig Kinser[12]; 9. 8K-Chad Kemenah[3]; 10. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[6]; 11. 25-Chad Layton[13]; 12. 24-Terry McCarl[8]; 13. 5-Danny Lasoski[11]; 14. 51-Fred Rahmer[14]; 15. R19-Jac Haudenschild[24]; 16. 1-Jeff Shepard[23]; 17. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[17]; 18. 7MX-Mark Smith[15]; 19. 6F-Bob Felmlee[16]; 20. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[18]; 21. 22-Greg Hodnett[21]; 22. 11B-Brock Mayes[19]; 23. 20E-Brian Ellenberger[22]; 24. 94-Wayne Johnson[20];

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Two-Time Defending WoO Champion Donny Schatz To Make Tony Stewart Racing Debut in the Alltel DIRTCar Nationals

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 4, 2008) – The excitement of a new season brings out the best in every racer and every team.  Whether it’s the optimism of a new start or the freshness of a new car, new scheme or new opportunity.

For two-time defending Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz, the 2008 season marks a new beginning in his promising career as he joins forces with Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) as driver of the No. 15 Armor All/ Chevy/ ParkerStore J&J.

After spending 15 seasons behind the wheel of his family-owned No. 15, Schatz will spearhead the newly formed team onto the track in search of his third WoO crown and second series championship for TSR. 

Schatz will reunite with crew chief Ricky Warner, who joined TSR in July of 2007 and was part of the Schatz Motorsports team that claimed the 2006 title. The team also includes Shane Bowers, who has worked with Schatz for the past two seasons, and Kyle Sunby, who is the third member of the Armor All team’s crew.

Schatz and the Armor All team will also benefit from the experienced crew of the No. 20 Bass Pro Shops/Chevy/Maxim team led by Jimmy Carr, who helped TSR win the WoO title in 2001. Steve Swenson and Mike Kuemper will also be turning the wrenches for Kraig Kinser in the TSR camp on the WoO trail for the second consecutive season.

Schatz scored a career-best 19 WoO “A” feature wins en route to his second consecutive WoO title last season. He won his second consecutive Knoxville Nationals title, and won the final crown jewel that had been eluding him last July when he dominated the Kings Royal at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway. He also picked up his second Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, his second Williams Grove Summer Nationals triumph and his fourth National Open victory, and by doing so became the first sprint car driver to win all of those events in one season.

While the TSR crews have been preparing for the WoO campaign that includes more than 85 nights of racing, Schatz kept his skills sharp behind the wheel by competing in Australian sprint car action.

Schatz is coming off another sensational run in Australia, where he won five times in his eight starts, including his fifth $50,000 Bevelite Glass Sprintcar International at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway (TPCR) near Sydney, and the $20,000 Australia Open win at Titan Garages Brisbane International Speedway in Brisbane.

The Fargo, N.D., racer returned to the U.S. on Monday and he’ll be the first to tell you the only race that matters is the next one.  The next time Schatz will get back into a sprint car will be at the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park (VSP) in Barberville, Fla., Feb. 8-10.

It will mark the third consecutive year the Outlaws have kicked off their season at VSP. Schatz won last year’s season opener at the track and followed that win with a pair of third-place finishes.  Two years ago, he won his first career All-Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) feature event at the track.  In the 2005 WoO season opener, Schatz took the lead on Lap 5 and built a comfortable margin during the next nine laps before a burnt coil wire took him out of the race.

The pit gates will open each night at VSP at 2 p.m. EDT, and the main grandstands will open at 4 p.m.  Hot laps are set to begin at approximately 5:45-6 p.m. The official track Web site is www.volusiaspeedwaypark. Tickets can be purchased by calling (386) 985-4402.

Race fans can also listen to all the action from the weekend on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Visit www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all the features, including updated results from each night of racing, as well as a chat room to interact with other fans listening to the action. 

Quotes from Donny Schatz, driver of the No. 15 TSR/Armor All/Chevy/ParkerStore J&J:

What are your thoughts on the 2008 season?

“I’m really excited to get started with the 2008 season.  Joining Tony Stewart Racing has been really exciting and we haven’t even been in a race, yet.  The guys at TSR have been working hard all winter to build me some great cars to race while I was over in Australia doing some R&D, trying to keep us ahead of the curve. Every season is special, and with the success we’ve had the last two years, our goals and expectations continue to be about having more success.  We want to win a championship for Tony Stewart Racing, Armor All, Chevy, ParkerStore and everyone associated with this team.  By having two teams, we’ll have twice as much information for Ricky and Jimmy to work with. Kraig (Kinser) may find something that can help us, and vice-versa. The more information we can have will only help us to continue being in contention to win.  We have to be good every night and also try to find ways to improve as the season goes along. It’s just like a feature event.  You want to be good early, but you absolutely have to be your best at the end.”

You’ve had a lot of success at Volusia the past few years. What is it about VSP that you like?

“Volusia is a high-speed track that really goes back to where our program has been successful. Ron Shaver builds us some really strong Chevy motors, and typically the weather allows you to really produce a lot of horsepower. The key is keeping all that horsepower moving you forward and not spinning your wheels. Volusia tends to get slicker as the weekend goes on and that plays into our hands. We’ve got a great combination with our J&J cars and Afco shocks that allow us to adapt to nearly any track condition, which at Volusia you may have to be ready for at any time. It can start wet and heavy and end up really abrasive.  We’ve been able to win a feature event there the last two years, so we’re going to try and keep our winning streak going.”

Everyone wants to get off to a good start. What factors will determine whether or not you have the kind of results you are expecting?

“Our expectations are to go out and win all three nights. If we don’t do that, then we’ll know we’ve got work to do. Everyone will be there to start the year with new stuff and trying to prove they’re going to be the guy to beat this year.  Fortunately, I’ll be working with guys (Ricky Warner and Shane Bowers) who have been with me the past couple of years, and we’re adding a new crew guy (Kyle Sunby) who’s been on the road before. You want to gel as a unit and come out of the box strong. Every year it seems we’re working with a new racing format, so we’ll have to see how things are going to be different this year. The bottom line is you have to start the program by getting qualified well.  Then, each time you hit the track, try to get your car better. Whether it’s 25- or 30-lap features, you have to get within the first six to eight spots to have a chance, so that’s your goal each night … start close enough to the front to have a chance at the win.”

For complete Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series results, log on to www.worldofoutlaws.com. For information regarding TSR, Schatz, Armor All, Chevy, or ParkerStore, log on to www.tonystewartracing.com, www.donnyschatz.com, www.aa-ownercenter.com, www.chevrolet.com, or www.parkerstore.com.

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The O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions began the 2008 season with two great nights of racing at North Florida Speedway and will continue their Florida swing on Tuesday February 5th at Volusia Speedway Park.  The teams had two days off to relax and regroup and prepare for the tough ½ mile where several more Outlaws will join the party to compete for $7,000 each night of the three day run.

Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Fred Rahmer picked up wins to start the All Star season and new comer Lance Dewease left North Florida with the season point lead.  The 2008 season forecast looks very good for the series with a strong field of cars and a schedule that has 45+ dates throughout the year.  The road to the 2008 championship runs through Volusia Speedway Park this week and with the level of competition expected, there is no telling who will come out on top when the series heads back north.The 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals begins on Tuesday and runs through Sunday with three nights of All Stars followed by three nights of Outlaws amounting to 6 nights of fierce action in the Florida swamp.  Last year it was Joey Saldana, Kerry Madsen, and Tim Kaeding who picked up All Star victories in front of rabid sprint car fanatics who craved early season methanol and mud.  Reserved seat tickets for each night of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals can be purchased online at www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com.  The Pit Gates will open at 2 p.m. EST, with Grandstand gates set to open at 4 p.m. EST and Hot Laps are tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. EST.Fans unable to attend the spectacular week at Volusia can still catch all the action on the DIRTVision Cybercast. For just $29.99 fans can purchase the ‘Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass’ and watch live streaming video of all 12 nights of racing action. Log on to www.dirtvision.com for more information.Volusia Speedway Park is located just 15 miles west of Ormond Beach, Florida. >From I-95, take exit 88 West on State Rd. 40. From Highway 17, take State Rd 40, 5 miles east of Barberville, Florida.UPDATED POINTS: 2-3-081 30c Lance Dewease 3672 51 Fred Rahmer 3663 1x Randy Hannagan 3564 2 Dale Blaney 3465 25 Chad Layton 3426 11b Brock Mayes 3337 11m Brandon Martin 3298 w20 Greg Wilson 3269 28 Brian Paulus 32510 22 Greg Hodnett 31911 20e Brian Ellenberger 31812 39 TJ Stutts 30913 71m Paul May 29914 0 Paul McMahan 29315 4n Neil Shepherd 29216 8h Dustin Morgan 29117 56r Ryan Myers 28318 O9 Craig Mintz 25919 16 Lee Stark 23020 4 Danny Smith 18321 7m Geoff Dodge 115

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JONES OPENS USAC/CRA TITLE DEFENSE AT PERRIS;30-LAP FEATURES SLATED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

 Tony Jones of Norco, Calif. opens defense of his USAC/CRA Sprint Car Championship this weekend, with 30-lap feature events slated both Friday and Saturday nights at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.

 Jones won last year’s title by 60 points after a late-season shootout with Mike Spencer of Temecula, Calif., who is again expected to be a title contender in 2008. Jones and Spencer each won five times in 2007, as did former USAC/CRA Champ Cory Kruseman.

 It remains to be seen if the 2008 series will produce the kind of results experienced last year when a record-tying 11 different drivers won the first 11 races! The only other time that occurred in USAC history was in 1994 in USAC’s now-defunct Modified Series.

 The Perris events will also serve as a “tuneup” for those drivers and cars planning to compete in the following weekend’s “The Copper on Dirt” at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz. where the USAC National/Western Midgets and USAC Silver Crown cars will share billing in the “tripleheader” on the 1/2-mile dirt oval.

 Jones trails Damion Gardner on the all-time USAC/CRA Sprint race winners list at Perris, 19-12 since the 2004 USAC/CRA debut at the 1/2-mile dirt oval. Kruseman is the only other driver in double figures at 10 wins, while Rip Williams has seven and Mike Kirby six. Spencer has five.

 Williams and Kruseman are the only drivers who have won at least one race at Perris in each of the last four USAC/CRA seasons.

 Friday’s race marks the 82nd appearance of the USAC/CRA Sprint cars at The PAS. A total of 22 different drivers have graced victory lane in the previous 81 races.

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First Night — Haefertepe Jr. Wins Sunshine Showdown Round 1

The O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions kicked off the 2008 season with an appearance at North Florida Speedway in Lake City, FL.  The first night of the two night show saw 27 cars and stars signed in to do battle in the Icebreaker 2008: The Sunshine Showdown. 

Defending All Star champion Greg Wilson struggled early missing the transfer spot and would start on the pole of the B-main.Wilson took the green flag, then ran off an hid from the remainder of the field.  TJ Stutts finished second with 2008 rookie contender Ryan Meyers third.  Paul McMahan, who struggled early with motor issues, took the final transfer spot.

The All Stars implemented a new twist on an old idea in having six young fans join the Top Six A-main starters on the front stretch to redraw for their starting positions.  After the re-draw, Brian Paulus was sitting on the pole for the main event next to Randy Hannagan.  Dale Blaney was shuffled to the third starting position and Brock Mayes to the fourth.  Lucas Wolfe was lined up on the inside of the third row, and Sam Haefertepe Jr. would take the outside of row three.

When the green flag flew on the first ever 410 sprint car A-main at this speedway, Dale Blaney jumped out to the early lead as Randy Hannagan and Brock Mayes battled hard side by side.  Sam Haefertepe Jr took the opportunity to cruise around the two of them to challenge Brian Paulus for second.  Haefertepe got by Paulus and set his sights on Blaney who was coming into lapped traffic.  Haefertepe shot past Blaney only to have the caution fly for Kaley Gharst who was slowing on the front stretch.  “I was really hoping we got that lap compete, but I knew once we got back to lapped traffic that we may be able to do something with him,” said Hafertepe. “I hate to show somebody my nose and have the caution come out like that. We got the lapped traffic and it worked in our favor.”

On the restart, it was Blaney, Haeftertepe, Paulus, Hannagan, and Mayes as the green flag flew once again.  Lance Dewease made a charge to the front and challenged Mayes for fifth, eventually taking the spot.  Blaney was pulling away from the field, but slipped up a bit in traffic in turn four, allowing Haefertepe to take advantage and charge into the lead on lap 12 of the 25 lap event.

At the half way point, Haefertepe was holding off Blaney as Paulus and Hannagan were nose to tail.  Hannagan finally got around Paulus and moved into the third spot as Dewease jumped into fourth.  Dewease started to give Hannagan fits as the laps were winding down.  Blaney chased Haefertepe down in traffic, but ran out of laps to make a final challenge on the kid from Texas.

At the line it was Haefertepe over Blaney, Hannagan, Dewease, and Paulus on the fast 4/10 mile speedway.  “The track was really racy for the feature,” said Haefertepe. “Our car was really hooked up good in the feature. He (Blaney) made a little mistake and we didn’t.”

The entire event was run with very few incidents, which considering it was the first night of All Star action in 2008, was quite an accomplishment.  The North Florida crowd saw some great racing with the ultra-fast 410 sprints putting on an exiting show as the All Stars will begin to tally season points with a long season ahead.  Will Greg Wilson defend his championship?  Or will one of the other stars step up and give him a run for the money by the time September rolls around?

Qualifying - Kistler Engines1. W20-Greg Wilson, 14.378; 2. 15-Sam Haefertepe, 14.456; 3. 1X-Randy Hannagan, 14.536; 4. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 14.732; 5. 11B-Brock Mayes, 14.746; 6. 28-Brian Paulus, 14.813; 7. 39-TJ Stutts, 14.835; 8. 2-Dale Blaney, 14.900; 9. 30C-Lance Dewease, 14.929; 10. 20E-Brian Ellenberger, 14.946; 11. 18-Tony Bruce Jr., 14.955; 12. 6F-Bob Felmlee, 15.008; 13. 25-Chad Layton, 15.014; 14. 22B-Ben Gregg, 15.122; 15. 51R-Fred Rahmer, 15.163; 16. 71M-Paul May, 15.279; 17. O9-Craig Mintz, 15.293; 18. 11M-Brandon Martin, 15.303; 19. 8H-Dustin Morgan, 15.366; 20. 51-Kaley Gharst, 15.372; 21. 22-Greg Hodnett, 15.812; 22. 56R-Ryan Myers, 15.932; 23. 4N-Neil Shepherd, 16.050; 24. 16S-Lee Stark, 16.248; 25. 4-Casey Shuman, 16.256; 26. 0-Paul McMahan, 18.204; 27. 3-Claire Wintermeyer, 18.622;

Heat 1 -1. 22-Greg Hodnett; 2. 30C-Lance Dewease; 3. 25-Chad Layton; 4. O9-Craig Mintz; 5. 11B-Brock Mayes; 6. W20-Greg Wilson; 7. 4-Casey Shuman;

Heat 2 -1. 11M-Brandon Martin; 2. 15-Sam Haefertepe; 3. 22B-Ben Gregg; 4. 20E-Brian Ellenberger; 5. 28-Brian Paulus; 6. 56R-Ryan Myers; 7. 0-Paul McMahan;

Heat 3 -1. 8H-Dustin Morgan; 2. 4N-Neil Shepherd; 3. 51r-Fred Rahmer; 4. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.; 5. 1X-Randy Hannagan; 6. 39-TJ Stutts; 7. 3-Claire Wintermeyer;

Heat 4 -1. 51-Kaley Gharst; 2. 2-Dale Blaney; 3. 71M-Paul May; 4. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 5. 5W-Lucas Wolfe; 6. 16S-Lee Stark;

B-main - University of Northwest Ohio1. W20-Greg Wilson; 2. 39-TJ Stutts; 3. 56R-Ryan Myers; 4. 0-Paul McMahan; 5. 4-Casey Shuman; 6. 16S-Lee Stark; 7. 3-Claire Wintermeyer;

A-main - MSD Ignition  Starting Position []1. 15-Sam Haefertepe[6]; 2. 2-Dale Blaney[3]; 3. 1X-Randy Hannagan[2]; 4. 30C-Lance Dewease[7]; 5. 28-Brian Paulus[1]; 6. 11B-Brock Mayes[4]; 7. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[5]; 8. 20E-Brian Ellenberger[8]; 9. 25-Chad Layton[13]; 10. 6F-Bob Felmlee[10]; 11. 51R-Fred Rahmer[15]; 12. W20-Greg Wilson[11]; 13. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[9]; 14. 22-Greg Hodnett[21]; 15. 39-TJ Stutts[12]; 16. 11M-Brandon Martin[18]; 17. 71M-Paul May[16]; 18. 22B-Ben Gregg[14]; 19. 4N-Neil Shepherd[23]; 20. O9-Craig Mintz[17]; 21. 8H-Dustin Morgan[19]; 22. 0-Paul McMahan[24]; 23. 56R-Ryan Myers[22]; 24. 51-Kaley Gharst[20]

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It has become the annual kick off for 360 sprint car racing, the Winternationals at the East Bay Raceway Park.  Every year the 25th Anniversary Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) makes a presence at the sunshine state and in 2008 that is no different with young stars Michael Parent and Anthony Cain heading south.

  The King of the 360’s spans a total of three nights with the finale on Saturday night which is the 7th Annual Ronald Laney Memorial paying the winner a cool $10,000.  Holding up the banner of the newly sponsored Lucas Oil tour will be two of the brightest stars in the ESS fold.

  Parent hails from Granby, Quebec and 18 year old driver is entering his third season in a winged sprint car.  In 2006 he took home the Jereco Competition Engine and Parts rookie of the year title and last season he just missed several A-Main victories in route to a solid 6th place finish in the final points.  Parent has a F5 chassied sprint with Fisher power under the hold.  The main backer is Les Constructions Ultra which is the Parent family business and also an ESS sponsor.

  For Cain, the Fairfax, VT driver is making his maiden voyage to East Bay which will head a very aggressive schedule for 2008.  Joined forces with Lonny Lacaillade and Lacaillade Masonry, Cain will hit the ESS tour fulltime for the first time in ’08.  Three cars are ready for the attack with a J&J chassis mount heading to Florida.

  For up to date information on the King of the 360’s, you can log on to www.eastbayracewaypark.com or www.hoseheads.com .  If you want to listen to the action live you can log on to www.HighSpeedRadio.com where it all starts at 7PM each night.

  The 25th Anniversary Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints will see their season’s first green flag on the dirt on Saturday, April 12th at the Black Rock Speedway.  Some 30 dates will back up the special anniversary celebration with some of the best stars from two nations looking for the Lucas Oil Crown at seasons end.  For the latest news you can log on to www.empiresupersprints.com where it has become tradition of excitement guaranteed!

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The O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions are ready to kick off the 2008 racing season this Friday night at North Florida Speedway in Lake City, FL before traveling across the Sunshine State to Volusia Speedway Park the following week to take part in the 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals.  With a strong roster of cars chasing the $50,000 season points championship in 2008, the All Stars have put together a promising schedule that will bring the ground pounding, fire breathing winged 410 sprint car series to 10 different states.

While “Ohio Speedweek” will once again be the premier week of events on the schedule, new life has been pumped into the traditional “Thunder Through the Plains” tour which will take place the week prior to the Knoxville Nationals this year.  The season will wind down with the Hoosier Fall Classic, which was a huge success in 2007 and bigger and better things are planned for that weekend in 2008.

The All Stars have bolstered their roster with some fresh rookie talent as well as some drivers who will make their return to the series full time in 2008.  Other nationally recognized stars will also make several appearances throughout the season.   More information on the complete driver roster will be available soon. 

The following schedule consists of 42 confirmed race dates with 5 dates “To Be Announced” as contracts are received.  More dates could still be added as the All Stars are still seeking dates at various facilities for 2008.  There are currently no co-sanctioned events with the World of Outlaws in 2008, although the schedule was purposely structured to allow the All Star drivers to attend many of those higher paying events around the Midwest.

FEBRUARY2-1       North Florida Speedway                      Lake City, FL2-2       North Florida Speedway                      Lake City, FL2-5       Volusia Speedway Park                        Barberville, FL2-6       Volusia Speedway Park                        Barberville, FL2-7       Volusia Speedway Park                        Barberville, FL

APRIL4-4       Attica Raceway Park                            Attica, OH4-26     Eldora Speedway                                 Rossburg, OH

MAY5-9       Williams Grove Speedway                    Mechanicsburg, PA5-10     Port Royal Speedway                           Port Royal, PA5-11     Bedford Speedway                               Bedford, PA5-16     Beckley Speedway                               Beckley, WV5-17     Tyler County Speedway                       Middlebourne, WV5-23     Lernerville Speedway                           Sarver, PA5-24     Fremont Speedway                              Fremont, OH

JUNE6-12     TBA6-13     Williams Grove                                     Mechanicsburg, PA6-14     Lincoln Speedway                                Hanover, PA6-15     Sportsman Speedway                           Knox, PA6-21     Waynesfield Motorsports Park             Waynesfield, OH

Ohio Speedweek6-22     Attica Raceway Park                            Attica, OH6-23     Wayne County Speedway                    Orrville, OH6-24     Hilltop Speedway                                 Millersburg, OH6-25     Skyline Speedway                                Stewart, OH6-26     Fremont Speedway                              Fremont, OH6-27     Limaland Motorsports Park                  Lima, OH6-28     Eldora Speedway                                 Rossburg, OH

JULY7-3       KC Raceway                                       Chillicothe, OH7-4       TBA7-5       TBA7-18     Skyline Speedway                                Stewart, OH7-19     Butler Battlegrounds                             Quincy, MI

Thunder Through the Plains7-28     Thunderhill Speedway                          Mayetta, KS7-29     RPM Speedway                                   Hays, KS7-30     81 Speedway                                       Wichita, KS7-31     Belleville High Banks                            Belleville, KS

AUGUST8-2       Eagle Raceway                                    Eagle, NE8-13     Waynesfield Motorsports Park             Waynesfield, OH8-15     Auto Tire & Parts Race Park                Benton, MO8-16     Riverside International Speedway          West Memphis, AR8-23     TBA8-29     Lernerville Speedway                           Sarver, PA8-30     Attica Raceway Park                            Attica, OH8-31     Hilltop Speedway                                 Millersburg, OH

SEPTEMBER9-6       Fremont Speedway                              Fremont, OH9-12     Lawrenceburg Speedway                     Lawrenceburg, IN9-13     Lawrenceburg Speedway                     Lawrenceburg, IN

OCTOBER10-4     TBA

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