• Home
• About LSS
• Dirt Calendar
• Paved Calendar
• Touring Series

Subscribe

• Login
• Forums
• Audio
• Live Blogs
• Video

Lone Star Speedzone Video - Texas Super Racing Series at Thunderhill Raceway, 3/27/2010

In this Lone Star Speedzone video segment Nick Holt heads to Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas, for their 2010 Season Opener featuring the Texas Super Racing Series Late Models. Nick had a nice chat with Mary Ann Naumann, THR owner and TSRS founder and director, as well as a few of the TSRS drivers. Many Thanks to Duke at TexasHighDef for working with us to produce this video segment.

Robert Barker blasts to TSRS Late Model win at Thunderhill Raceway

Veteran Texas Super Racing Series (TSRS) driver Robert Barker made it look easy Saturday night at Thunderhill Raceway (THR). Barker had the fastest car in qualifying, started from the pole position after the draw and led all 30 laps of the shortened event that was originally set for 75 laps.

“We had a really good combination of handling and power,” Barker said after the race. “The car stayed under me all night. Bobby (Teer) had a good car too and he stayed close, but our Ford was just hooked up all night.”

The race, which was scheduled for last Saturday but was postponed due to adverse weather conditions, was shortened due to the low car count after a vote by the seven drivers who actually made the show.

“A lot of the TSRS teams that were originally scheduled to be here last weekend had already made plans for this weekend,” explained Mary Ann Naumann, TSRS founder and THR owner and promoter. “Racing is such a family sport and since we don’t race every weekend, families make plans for the off weekends which are hard to reschedule. And, of course, the postponement had us running on the same night as Houston Motorsports Park and I-37 Raceway so that played a part too.”

Barker’s only real competition was Bobby Teer, another veteran driver who was ready to pounce if the winner had slowed even a little.

“We had a great car,” Teer said, “but we picked up a little push going into the turns which made us a little free on the exits. We were able to stay with Robert anyway, but couldn’t quite get close enough to make a run on him. We hate to finish second, but we’re real happy with the car and Greg (Spreen) has given us a really strong engine. I think we’ll have something for Robert this season.”

Another veteran campaigner, Larry Bendele finished third, the only other car on the lead lap at the checkered.

Except for a yellow on the first lap which called for a complete restart, the race was caution free.

Unofficial Results of the TSRS Late Model feature

1. (17) Robert Barker, 30 laps
2. (2) Bobby Teer, Jr., 30
3. (23) Larry Bendele, 30
4. (04) Cory Roper, 29
5. (11) Cody Iltis 29,
6. (3) Mike Reininger, 29
7. (28) Jeff ONeill, 28

By Nick Holt, Lone Star Speedzone
Photos by Jeff Garvin

Live Updates from Thunderhill Raceway, 3/27/10

Lone Star Speedzone invites you to check out our Live Interactive Updates from the Thunderhill Raceway’s Season Opener this Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

Nothing ever can take the place of being at a race in person, but we do our best to bring you the racing action as the evening progresses. Since the Live Updates blog software is “interactive,” folks who follow along can make comments or ask questions.

Qualifying starts at 4:30 so I’ll be firing up the software around 4:00 p.m.

Please keep in mind that the software has built-in controls to prevent spammers and those intent on causing harm, etc, from posting. So there may be a few minutes delay between when you post your comment or question and when it shows up in the dialogue box.

Texana Raceway Park ready for Season-Opener under new Management

There is an excitement in the air at Texana Raceway Park (TRP) this year. The new track officials are “pumped” and everything’s set for a fantastic 2010 season at the quarter-mile dirt track located in Edna, Texas.

A little history: At the end of the 2009 season and during the off-season, there was uncertainty as to the future of Texana Raceway Park. There was no news about the 2010 season and the rumor mill was working overtime with all kinds of stories being told, re-told and told again.

Then in January at the TRP Racer’s Awards banquet, everyone waited in great anticipation to hear what the future of this great racing facility would be. After all the trophies and awards had been presented, track owner Bruce Tesch made the announcement to squelch the rumors and uncertainty.

Tesch stood up and announced that the track would indeed be open for the 2010 season, but that there would be some management changes since he and his wife, Donna, wanted to spend more time with their family and children. He then announced that former track flagman and “Jack-of-all-trades” around the track, Ken Bulsterbaum, had accepted their request that he take over the promoter/track manager role at the track.

Bulsterbaum, who accepted his new position with great humbleness, has been busy putting the upcoming season in motion with a great deal of support from the Texas racing community.

“We have a new flagman this year,” Bulsterbaum said, “It’s Ricky Konvinka, who is a former racer like me. He brings the experience of a racer to the flag stand and he’s excited to be a part of this race track.

“So now the pieces are in place,” Bulsterbaum continued, “And it’s time to get the new season started. The machinery has been working, fields are mowed, track is prepped, concessions are loaded, drinks are cold and we are waiting for the opening night of the season. Come Saturday April 3rd, we’ll hear those famous words, “Start your engines!” and the new season will be under way. “

Opening night will be a double points night for the racer’s, which should provide a little extra incentive for them. And a “Parade of Champions” for last year’s champs is on the schedule as well.

“We have heard that some racers are coming back after a season or two off,” Bulsterbaum said, “And that a few Houston and Corpus Christi “Hot Foots” will be making a run for the championship in their respective classes too. The ‘word’ is out. We are excited to be racing Street Stocks (bombers), Mini-Stocks, Texana Classic Dwarfs, Hot Stock Trucks, Limited Modifieds, and the “ground-pounding” Modifieds. And on Friday, July 2nd, will be hosting the ASCS Sprint Cars which is always a highlight of any season,” Bulsterbaum concluded.

Check out the Texana Raceway Park website for more information at www.texanaracewaypark.org.

by Nick Holt and Ken Bulsterbaum
Photo courtesy of Texana Raceway Park

Sammy Swindell opens ASCS Season with Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals win

Sammy Swindell kicked off his pursuit of the 2010 Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Sere presented by K&N Filters $60,000 championship by winning Friday night’s 37th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals 30-lap main event.

The winningest driver in Devil’s Bowl Speedway history, Swindell stormed into the lead on the sixth round aboard the J&D Motorsports/Swindell Motorsports No. 10 Maxim and never looked back en route to the $6,000 triumph.

Originally slated as a two-day event, encroaching foul weather forced the early cancellation of the Saturday portion, ratcheting up Friday’s event to the standard Lucas Oil ASCS National one-day purse.

And when all the final checkered flag flew, the Lucas Oil Sprint Cars opened the 2010 season the same way 2009 finished out; with Tennessee’s Swindell in victory lane.

Swindell, who closed out the 2009 campaign with a Western World Championships score at USA Raceway, gridded Friday’s feature outside the second row as pole starter Sean McClelland outgunned Brodix Rookie of the Year contender Channin Tankersley for the early lead.

Swindell chased the lead duo for several rounds before racing by Tankersley for second on the fifth round and then disposing of McClelland for the lead on the low side of turns one and two on a lap six restart.

“I was searching around and finally found a good spot to get off the bottom of turn two,” Swindell explained after his fifth career ASCS National triumph.

While Swindell paced the field, fifth-starter Brady Bacon surged past both Tankersley and McClelland for second on the eighth round and set his sights on Swindell.

Bacon reeled in the veteran ace a time or two, only to have a caution slow the pace. Swindell proved much too strong on the restarts and raced to Will Hale’s checkered flag virtually unchallenged.

“I’m still learning these ASCS cars, I was actually getting a little too tight toward the end,” Swindell explained. “That might have been a problem if we’d got into a lot of traffic, but with the yellows we didn’t really run into that.”

Picking up a night in Joe Zierolf’s No. c41, Wayne Johnson rallied from the 18th starting position to fifth in the opening seven circuits. After trading some wild sliders with Danny Wood, Johnson ultimately battled past Bacon for the runner-up slot on the 21st lap and held the position to the line.

Bacon matched his career-best Lucas Oil Sprint Car finish by taking the show position aboard the Wesmar-powered Tel-Star Communications No. 99 Triple-X, with Wood fourth in the H&H Enterprises No. 94.

Tony Bruce, Jr., rounded out the top five in the Bruce Racing No. 18 Maxim, with defending series champion Shane Stewart charging from 23rd to sixth after utilizing a provisional to start the main event.

Jesse Hockett was seventh, with Ricky Logan, Zach Chappell and Travis Rilat completing the top ten. Austen Wheatley ran among the top ten most of the way until a right rear vibration that resulted from some frontstretch wall contact dropped him to eleventh.

Debuting with his own race team, 2008 series champion Jason Johnson finished 12th after a lap 12 spin in turn one.

Tankersley held down the third position in the main event until a lost muffler prompted the black flag and a race-ending trip to the pit area after seven laps.

Chappell, Bruce, Tankersley, McClelland, Swindell, Derek Hagar and Danny Jennings topped heat race action for the 62-car field, with Jason Johnson, Wayne Johnson and Jack Dover winning the “B” Mains.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters return to action on Friday night, April 9, at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, TX, before moving on to Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway the following night, April 10.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters
37th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals Results:

Heat Races (Top 16 in Passing Points to “A” Main; Balance to 3 “B” Mains):

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 50z-Zach Chappell, 2. 65-Skip Wilson, 3. 14-Michael Lang, 4. 29-Travis Rilat, 5. 45-Martin Edwards, 6. 91x-Taylor Milton, 7. 15-Bud Goodwin, 8. 30-Brandon Corn, 9. 03-Joe Wood, Jr.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 2. 10a-Ricky Logan, 3. 75-Jesse Hockett, 4. C41-Wayne Johnson, 5. 57-Shane Stewart, 6. 95-Matt Covington, 7. 5-Brent Swift, 8. 14e-Todd Evans, 9. 74x-Joshua Hodges.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 21L-Trevor Lewis, 3. 5h-Justyn Cox, 4. 24-Justin Carver, 5. 6-Kyle Hirst, 6. 27-Andy Shouse, 7. 97b-Aaron Berryhill, 8. 6s-Justin Spoerl, 9. 3g-Darren Long.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 1-Sean McClelland, 2. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 3. 00-Michael Dupuy, 4. 75x-Don Young, 5. 35-Matt Sherrell, 6. 72-Sherman Davis, 7. 17b-Ryan Bickett, 8. 86-Josh Fisher. DNS: 5m-Glenn Martin.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 10-Sammy Swindell, 2. 22-Koby Barksdale, 3. 31-Matt Clevenger, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 93-Dustin Morgan, 6. 53-Jack Dover, 7. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 8. 9x-Gary Wright, 9. 88-Tim Crawley.

Heat Six (8 Laps): 1. 9h-Derek Hagar, 2. 2-Kenneth Walker, 3. 99-Brady Bacon, 4. 94-Danny Wood, 5. 98-Joe Ramaker, 6. 9-Brian Parker, 7. 8w-Jordan Whitehead, 8. 87x-Billy Melton. DNS: 22k-Kevin Barksdale.

Heat Seven (8 Laps): 1. 1J-Danny Jennings, 2. 44w-Austen Wheatley, 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 2w-Whit Gastineau, 7. 21-Brian Brown, 8. 14x-Jody Rosenboom.

“B” Mains (Top 2 From Each Advance to “A” Main):

First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 3. 57-Shane Stewart, 4. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 2-Kenneth Walker, 6. 75x-Don Young, 7. 72-Sherman Davis, 8. 6-Kyle Hirst, 9. 30-Brandon Corn, 10. 74x-Joshua Hodges, 11. 8w-Jordan Whitehead, 12. 27-Andy Shouse, 13. 9-Brian Parker. DNS: 14x-Jody Rosenboom, 14e-Todd Evans, 5m-Glenn Martin.

Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. C41-Wayne Johnson, 2. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 3. 5h-Justyn Cox, 4. 93-Dustin Morgan, 5. 65-Skip Wilson, 6. 95-Matt Covington, 7. 97b-Aaron Berryhill, 8. 6s-Justin Spoerl, 9. 2k-Whit Gastineau, 10. 35-Matt Sherrell, 11. 17b-Ryan Bickett, 12. 15-Bud Goodwin, 13. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 14. 3g-Darren Long. DNS: 21-Brian Brown.

Third “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 53-Jack Dover, 2. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 3. 45-Martin Edwards, 4. 91x-Taylor Milton, 5. 98-Joe Ramaker, 6. 88-Tim Crawley, 7. 87x-Billy Melton, 8. 31-Matt Clevenger, 9. 24-Justin Carver, 10. 9x-Gary Wright, 11. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 12. 00-Michael Dupuy, 13. 5-Brent Swift, 14. 22k-Koby Barksdale. DNS: 86-Josh Fisher.

37th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals “A” Main Event:

“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 10-Sammy Swindell, 2. C41-Wayne Johnson, 3. 99-Brady Bacon, 4. 94-Danny Wood, 5. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 6. 57-Shane Stewart, 7. 75-Jesse Hockett, 8. 10a-Ricky Logan, 9. 50z-Zach Chappell, 10. 29-Travis Rilat, 11. 44w-Austen Wheatley, 12. 41-Jason Johnson, 13. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 14. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 15. 1-Sean McClelland, 16. 53-Jack Dover, 17. 1J-Danny Jennings, 18. 9x-Gary Wright, 19. 9h-Derek Hagar, 20. 14-Michael Lang, 21. 71-Channin Tankersley, 22. 21L-Trevor Lewis, 23. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 24. 22-Koby Barksdale.

Lap Leaders: Sean McClelland 1-5, Sammy Swindell 6-30.

Note: Shane Stewart and Gary Wright utilized provisionals based on 2009 points to start the “A” Main.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters Points (Top 15): 1. Sammy Swindell 150, 2. Wayne Johnson 142, 3. Brady Bacon 135, 4. Danny Wood 130, 5. Tony Bruce, Jr. 125, 6. Shane Stewart 122, 7. Jesse Hockett 119, 8. Ricky Logan 116, 9. Zach Chappell 113, 10. Travis Rilat 110, 11. Austen Wheatley 108, 12. Jason Johnson 106, 13. Kevin Ramey 104, 14. Johnny Herrera 102, 15. Sean McClelland 100.

by Lonnie Wheatley
Photo Lonnie Wheatley

Thunderhill Raceway opens this Saturday with the Texas Super Racing Series and a full program on tap

The season opener for stock car racing at Thunderhill Raceway (Kyle, TX) is only a few days away, and everything is moving forward at full speed to make 2010 the best racing season ever in the 13-year history of this 3/8-mile asphalt track.

This Saturday (March 20) will be the season opener. During the winter months, the Thunderhill Raceway (THR) staff and racing teams have been working hard to get ready for this big day.

Open Test-n-Tune practice sessions began the first Saturday in February, and drivers have continuously worked to fine-tune their race cars each weekend as the first race date approaches.

During the off-season, the staff has been coming up with innovative ways to create excitement and entertainment value for the fans.

Changes for the upcoming season include an expanded Midway area near the front entrance to the grandstands. Various food booths will be available, and fans will be given the opportunity to interact with the drivers at the new Drivers’ Autograph Booth. Kids can also expect to have lots of fun this year with inflatable bouncers, bike races and rides in the race cars on the track.

“We went through a few rough spots at the end of last year, and we weren’t sure if we’d even be able to keep the track open in 2010,” said Mary Ann Naumann, THR’s Owner and Promoter. “Fortunately, we were able to work out an agreement with the landowner, and we plan to make this year the best one ever – and hopefully for many more years to come!”

Naumann added, “Stock car racing is my life, and we’re so lucky to have a great car count and lots of dedicated drivers at Thunderhill Raceway. It’s our goal to showcase our drivers and make them more available to the fans. We also feel that we have the best entertainment value in the area – with 4-5 hours of jam-packed, up-close racing action on a Saturday night.”

The full racing agenda for Saturday night will include the fan-favorite TSRS (Texas Super Racing Series) Late Models, along with the TSRS Allison Legacys, Texas Pro Sedans, Dwarf Cars, SportMods, ASA A-Line Super Stocks, Thunder Stocks, Grand Stocks and Mini Stocks.

Kids’ bicycle races are on Saturday’s list of activities, and kiddie rides (in the race cars) will also be offered at the end of the night.

Grandstand gates will open on Saturday a little earlier than usual – at 4 p.m. Qualifying will start at 4:30 p.m., followed by a Driver Autograph Session at 5:15 p.m. The racing action will begin with heat races at 6 p.m. and opening ceremony and feature races immediately afterwards.

Admission for the grandstands is $12 for adults (including tax), with a $2 discount for seniors, military and police and EMS personnel (with ID). Children 12 and under are free.

Thunderhill Raceway is a 3/8-mile, D-shaped asphalt oval track that’s located at 24801 IH-35, on the access road just north of San Marcos (TX) near Yarrington Road (Exit #210). Information on Thunderhill Raceway may be found on the track website at www.thunderhillraceway.com.

by Debbie Williams, Thunderhill Raceway Media & Public Relations Director

Jason Sides Wins World of Outlaw thriller over Tim Kaeding at Houston Raceway Park

Jason Sides drives as hard as he can anytime he takes to the race track, whether it’s for hot laps, time trials, a heat race, a dash or a main event. On Saturday night at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, he drove 40 of the hardest and best laps he has ever turned as he and Tim Kaeding put on a phenomenal show at the ¼-mile bullring trading slide jobs lap after lap as they worked their way through traffic. In the end, Sides came out on top in the thrilling battle to win The Texas Showdown which was his first victory of 2010 and the fifth of his World of Outlaws career.

While there were only two official lead changes at the line, Sides and Kaeding swapped the top spot countless times over the course of the 40-lapper, sometimes multiple times on the same lap as they weaved in and out of traffic in an event that had just one caution on the third lap and went the remaining 37 circuits green-to-checkers. Sides took the checkered flag just 0.160 seconds ahead of Kaeding.

“It was a great race,” said Sides. “Tim (Kaeding) was there the whole time and the track really got good and wide where you could run the bottom and the top made for a great race as well running up there. I felt like it was our race to lose and we kept plugging away and plugging away and came out on top. I am so proud of this team and everything that helps us.”

Sides led at the start from the pole in the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim with Kaeding, who started third quickly jumping into second and challenging him in the early going. The only caution of the night flew on the third lap setting up a double file restart with Sides choosing the low line. He used a strong restart to jump to a lead, though Kaeding was able to track him down just a couple of laps later as the pair entered lapped traffic.

In traffic is where they began their battle that raged for the remainder of the 40-lap contest. A couple of times they split a lapped car and ran side-by-side a number of times as the jockeyed for the top spot. Kaeding officially took the lead on the 10th lap in traffic, with Sides keeping pace with him for the next nine circuit and charging around him on the high side of the track on the 20th lap to take the lead officially for the final time.

“You try not to give it away and hope that you can get back by or get back in traffic,” noted Sides. “You watch for opportunities where he isn’t. If he goes to the top, then you got the bottom and vice versa. It was good we got in lapped traffic and that got us bottled up a little bit. We were able to get back by him.”

Sides is one of just three drivers that has finished in the Top-10 in all seven World of Outlaws events this season, joining current series point leader Joey Saldana and Jason Meyers in that category. Sides has finished in the Top-Five in five of those events as well and is currently fourth in the series championship standings.

“It shows that our team is capable of running up front with these guys,” he said after his win. “Hopefully we can keep plugging away and stay up there. It’s been a great start to the season. I’m proud of everyone on the team and very thankful to everyone that helps us out.”

Kaeding wound up second in the DTR Transport KPC to earn his third Top-Five finish of the season. After getting caught up in a couple of accidents last weekend in his home state of California, he was glad to finish and be in contention for the win at Houston Raceway Park, a track he had not competed at for a number of years.

“We have struggled the last few races and it was more racing incidents than anything, so to get a solid second place run tonight is great for the team,” explained Kaeding. “Jason (Sides) raced me clean and I raced him clean and we battled hard and we put on a great show for the fans in my eyes.”

Kaeding was a little surprised that there was only one caution in the 40-lapper, though he used lapped traffic to his advantage to track down Jason Sides a couple of times, after the latter jumped out to a lead in open track.

“As slick as it started getting toward the end of the race, I thought there would be a yellow or two,” stated Kaeding. “There were a lot of good cars out there and I didn’t have any problems with that. We made it through the night and had a good night. Everybody had fun and it’s exciting. I have a great team behind me and now it’s my job to keep the thing going straight and have some fun.”

After getting caught up in an early accident on Friday night at Lone Star Speedway which relegated him to a 14th-place finish, four-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, Donny Schatz turned in a very solid third-place effort on Saturday night in the Armor All J&J. It was his fifth Top-Five finish of the season.

“We’ve just been in the wrong spot at the wrong times lately,” Schatz said. “It’s good to have a strong run like this tonight and it’s fun to get in the car every night when it’s fast and rolling around like we had it here. We’ll just keep working at it and see if we can pick up a win next weekend.”

Joey Saldana finished fourth in the Budweiser Maxim to earn his seventh Top-10 of the season and extended his lead in the series standings to 23 markers over Jason Meyers as he chases his first series title.

Paul McMahan came home fifth in the Great Clips Maxim for Kasey Kahne Racing to wrap up a very strong Texas Two-Step Weekend. Lance Dewease was sixth in his debut at Houston Raceway Park aboard the Advanced Developments J&J. Terry McCarl was seventh piloting the Big Game Treestands Maxim. Lucas Wolfe, who began the night by setting a new track record in qualifying, was eighth in the Allebach Racing Maxim. Danny Lasoski was ninth in the Casey’s General Store JEI. Jason Meyers rounded out the Top-10 in the GLR Investments KPC and moved into second in the series standings in the process.

The World of Outlaws return to action on Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee for Kasey’s King of Bulls Gap Presented by Budweiser.

HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK NOTES

•FAST QUALIFIER: Lucas Wolfe paced the 29 cars that took time with a record setting AMB i.t. timed lap around the semi-banked 1/4-mile oval at 11.561 seconds at 77.848 mph. For his qualifying effort, Wolfe earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Kraig Kinser (4), Bill Rose (3), Joey Saldana (2) and Jason Sides (1).

•LONE STAR SPEEDWAY QUALIFYING WINNERS: Sam Hafertepe Jr., Lance Dewease and Tim Kaeding won heat races. Jason Sides won the dash. Terry McCarl won the B-Main.

• FEATURE WINNERS: There have been seven World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events held in 2010. The winners include: Jason Meyers (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway), Craig Dollansky (Lone Star Speedway), Steve Kinser (Volusia Speedway Park), Joey Saldana (Thunderbowl Raceway), Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park) and Jason Sides (Houston Raceway Park).

•1/4–MILE WINNERS: Houston Raceway Park is a semi-banked 1/4-mile oval. The World of Outlaws have raced once this season on a track that size. The winner was Jason Sides (Houston Raceway Park).

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Houston Raceway Park; Baytown, TX; March 13, 2010

Qualifying

1) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 11.561

2) 11K-Kraig Kinser 11.732

3) 6R-Bill Rose 11.791

4) 9-Joey Saldana 11.796

5) 7S-Jason Sides 11.853

6) 83-Tim Kaeding 11.868

7) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 11.869

8. 15-Donny Schatz 11.890

9) 24-Terry McCarl 11.897

10) 4X-Toni Lutar 11.908

11) 30C-Lance Dewease 11.914

12) 1-Bronson Maeschen 11.980

13) 44W-Austen Wheatley 11.985

14) 6-Danny Lasoski 12.002

15) 14-Jason Meyers 12.004

16) 10A-Ricky Logan 12.023

17) R19-Jac Haudenschild 12.041

18) 91-Paul McMahan 12.044

19) 51-Fred Rahmer 12.066

20) 11-Steve Kinser 12.070

21) 17-Daryn Pittman 12.082

22) 7-Craig Dollansky 12.161

23) 63-Chad Kemenah 12.162

24) 18-Tony Bruce Jr. 12.163

25) 45X-Johnny Herrera 12.222

26) 22-Brian Ellenberger 12.348

27) 2B-Ben Gregg 12.356

28) 51W-Wes Miller 12.479

29) 5-Ray Allen Kulhanek 12.654

Heat 1 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[2]

2) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[4]

3) 4X-Toni Lutar[1]

4) 9-Joey Saldana[3]

5) 10A-Ricky Logan[6]

6) 7-Craig Dollansky[8]

7) 44W-Austen Wheatley[5]

8. 45X-Johnny Herrera[9]

9) 51-Fred Rahmer[7]

10) 51W-Wes Miller[10]

Heat 2 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 30C-Lance Dewease[1]

2) 15-Donny Schatz[2]

3) 11K-Kraig Kinser[4]

4) 7S-Jason Sides[3]

5) R19-Jac Haudenschild[6]

6) 11-Steve Kinser[7]

7) 6-Danny Lasoski[5]

8. 63-Chad Kemenah[8]

9) 22-Brian Ellenberger[9]

10) 5-Ray Allen Kulhanek[10]

Heat 3 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 83-Tim Kaeding[3]

2) 91-Paul McMahan[6]

3) 14-Jason Meyers[5]

4) 18-Tony Bruce Jr[8]

5) 6R-Bill Rose[4]

6) 17-Daryn Pittman[7]

7) 2B-Ben Gregg[9]

8.1-Bronson Maeshen[1]

9) 24-Terry McCarl[2]

Dash (8 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 7S-Jason Sides[2]

2) 9-Joey Saldana[3]

3) 83-Tim Kaeding[1]

4) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[6]

5) 15-Donny Schatz[8]

6) 30C-Lance Dewease[9]

7) 11K-Kraig Kinser[5]

8. 91-Paul McMahan[10]

9) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[7]

10) 6R-Bill Rose[4]

B-main (12 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 24-Terry McCarl[1]

2) 6-Danny Lasoski[4]

3) 63-Chad Kemenah[6]

4) 45X-Johnny Herrera[7]

5) 22-Brian Ellenberger[8]

6) 2B-Ben Gregg[9]

7) 51-Fred Rahmer[5] [$200]

8. 5-Ray Allen Kulhanek[11] [$180]

9) 44W-Austen Wheatley[3] [$175]

10) 51W-Wes Miller[10] [$160]

11) 1-Bronson Maeshen[2] [$150]

A-main (40 laps) - Starting Position [#]

1) 7S-Jason Sides[1] [$10,000]

2) 83-Tim Kaeding[3] [$5,500]

3) 15-Donny Schatz[5] [$3,200]

4) 9-Joey Saldana[2] [$2,800]

5) 91-Paul McMahan[8] [$2,500]

6) 30C-Lance Dewease[6] [$2,300]

7) 24-Terry McCarl[11] [$2,200]

8. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[4] [$2,100]

9) 6-Danny Lasoski[13] [$2,050]

10) 14-Jason Meyers[14] [$2,000]

11) 17-Daryn Pittman[18] [$1,500]

12) 11-Steve Kinser[17] [$1,200]

13) 11K-Kraig Kinser[7] [$1,100]

14) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[9] [$1,050]

15) 45X-Johnny Herrera[22] [$1,000]

16) 7-Craig Dollansky[19] [$900]

17) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[21] [$800]

18) 6R-Bill Rose[10] [$800]

19) 10A-Ricky Logan[15] [$800]

20) R19-Jac Haudenschild[16] [$800]

21) 2B-Ben Gregg[24] [$800]

22) 22-Brian Ellenberger[23] [$800]

23) 4X-Toni Lutar[12] [$800]

24) 63-Chad Kemenah[20] [$800]

Lap Leaders: Jason Sides 1-9, 20-40; Tim Kaeding 10-19

KSE Hard Charger Award: Daryn Pittman

Penske Power Position Award: Lance Dewease

World of Outlaws Championship Standings through March 13

1. Joey Saldana 1021
2. Jason Meyers 998 -23
3. Steve Kinser 996 -25
4. Jason Sides 983 -38
5. Donny Schatz 968 -53
6. Kraig Kinser 924 -97
7. Danny Lasoski 910 -111
8. Tim Kaeding 903 -118
9. Jac Haudenschild 886 -135
10. Lucas Wolfe 884 -137

by Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director
Photos by Joey Millard, thesportswire.net

Craig Dollansky takes World of Outlaws win at Lone Star Speedway

Craig Dollansky had been fast right out of the box in 2010, but had been plagued with bad luck in nearly every one of the first five World of Outlaws events of the season. He put all of that behind him on Friday night at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas, turning in a very strong performance from start to finish en route to picking up his first World of Outlaws victory of the season.

For Dollansky, the $10,000 win over 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser and current series point leader Joey Saldana, was the 32nd of his World of Outlaws career. It was his second career victory in Texas and his first in the state since 2001.

“This is a great way to get this monkey that has been on our back off it,” said Dollansky. “This is a great team effort and we had to work for it. We started in the fourth row of the dash and when you can win races that way, it shows you have a strong team.”

Dollansky used a strong restart on the 19th lap in the Big Game Treestands Maxim to dive under Jac Haudenschild in turns one and two as Haudenschild bounced through a couple of holes and nearly got upside down, somehow keeping the car going and getting it back on all fours, though he lost six spots in the process.

Dollansky then opened up a comfortable lead in open track before a yellow flag bunched the field up. He withstood two double file restarts in the late going, which he chose the low line each time with Kinser lined up to his outside. A single file restart with five laps to go gave Kinser one final shot at Dollansky, but the native of Elk River, Minnesota was too strong and wound up winning by about a second and a half.

“Obviously those are great race cars and we had to deal with strong cars all night long,”
Dollansky said. “Steve (Kinser) has definitely been strong and Joey (Saldana) coming from 17th to third, that’s a great run for his team. Thanks to everyone that supports us and digs deep to make this happen, especially my wife Julie who is back home in Minnesota.”

Dollansky began Friday night by turning in the second quickest lap in time trials. He followed that up with a solid third-place finish in the second heat race to pick up a spot in the dash, where he charged from seventh to third to earn a second row starting spot in the 30-lap main event.

“I’m fortunate to have some great people behind me, starting with Tod Quiring,” said Dollansky. “I’m so happy to join with him as our car owner and Big Game Treestands, along with the great sponsors we have in Karavan Trailers and Aggressive Hydraulics. It’s always a team effort when you win races and hopefully the fans enjoyed the race tonight. There was a lot going on there, and I’m just glad to bring home a win.”

Kinser ended up second in the Bass Pro Shops Maxim to earn his fifth Top-Five and sixth Top-10 finish of 2010 and also move up to second in the championship standings, just seven markers behind Joey Saldana as he chases his record 21st title. Kinser tried everything he could on the late restarts, but could not quite get a run on Dollansky.

“I had to hang on and not hit those holes coming off (turn) four,” shared Kinser. “Craig (Dollansky) was able to pick it back up pretty good. I might have tried to get a run on him, but he blocked the bottom and he was a little faster than us in the front. To come home second after starting way back in the dash isn’t too bad. We missed a couple of wrecks and have been running pretty good. We just need to move up a spot or two.”

Joey Saldana, the current World of Outlaws point leader, who was victorious last weekend in California, powered his way through the field to come from the 17th starting spot to finish third in the Budweiser Maxim.

“It was a great night,” Saldana said. “That is definitely the kind of night that you have to have when you start out having a bad night. We had a really good car, we just started really far back. We’ll go to Houston and try to get two spots more.”

The race began with Paul McMahan jumping to an early lead from the pole, with Jac Haudenschild in second, though the first caution of the night flew on the opening lap for an incident involving Donny Schatz and Terry McCarl. On the complete restart, McMahan again led with Dollansky battling Haudenschild for second.

Haudenschild moved into the lead on the ninth lap diving under McMahan in turn one and quickly put some distance between the pair, with Dollansky moving into the runner-up spot on the next circuit. Haudenschild was strong in lapped traffic, though a caution on the 19th lap set up a double file restart with him choosing the outside line and Dollansky lining up down low.

Jason Meyers had a consistent night finishing fourth in the GLR Investments KPC to earn his fifth Top-Five finish of the season. He has finished sixth or better in all six races in 2010 and is just nine points behind Joey Saldana as he chases his first World of Outlaws title.

Jason Sides picked up his third Top-Five finish of the season coming home fifth in the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim, which moved him up to fourth in the series championship standings after Donny Schatz finished 14th.

Paul McMahan ended up sixth in the Great Clips Maxim after leading the first eight laps, to score his best finish of the season and his best since joining Kasey Kahne Racing filling in for the injured Cody Darrah.

Jac Haudenschild finished seventh in the Owens-Corning Fiberglass XXX. Haudenschild, who led 10 laps crossed the line in fifth, but was docked two positions at the finish by way of World of Outlaws rules for passing a car before the restart cone on the front straightaway on the final restart of the night, which was a single file restart due to consecutive yellow flags flying before a lap was completed on the double file restart. Kraig Kinser was eighth in the Quaker State Maxim, with Tim Kaeding ninth piloting the DTR Transport KPC. Danny Lasoski rounded out the Top-10 in the Casey’s General Stores JEI.

The World of Outlaws return to action on Saturday, March 13 at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown for The Texas Shootout to wrap up the Texas Two-Step Weekend.

LONE STAR SPEEDWAY NOTES

•FAST QUALIFIER: Donny Schatz paced the 29 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked half-mile oval at 14.411 seconds at 124.905 mph. For his qualifying effort, Schatz earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Craig Dollansky (4), Jason Sides (3), Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2) and Kraig Kinser (1).

•LONE STAR SPEEDWAY QUALIFYING WINNERS: Jac Haudenschild, Terry McCarl and Steve Kinser won heat races. Paul McMahan won the dash. Brian Ellenberger won the B-Main.
• FEATURE WINNERS: There have been six World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events held in 2010. The winners include: Jason Meyers (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway), Craig Dollansky (Lone Star Speedway), Steve Kinser (Volusia Speedway Park), Joey Saldana (Thunderbowl Raceway) and Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park).
• HALF-MILE WINNERS: Lone Star Speedway is a high-banked half-mile oval. The World of Outlaws have raced four times at a track that size in 2010. The winners include: Craig Dollansky (Lone Star Speedway), Steve Kinser (Volusia Speedway Park), Jason Meyers (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park).

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Lone Star Speedway; Kilgore, TX; March 12, 2010

Qualifying

1) 15-Donny Schatz 14.411

2) 7-Craig Dollansky 14.549

3) 7S-Jason Sides 14.617

4) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 14.670

5) 11K-Kraig Kinser 14.689

6) 6-Danny Lasoski 14.703

7) R19-Jac Haudenschild 14.725

91-Paul McMahan 14.750

9) 14-Jason Meyers 14.760

10) 21-Brian Brown 14.769

11) 24-Terry McCarl 14.773

12) 11-Steve Kinser 14.774

13) 51-Fred Rahmer 14.815

14) 83-Tim Kaeding 14.816

15) 2B-Ben Gregg 14.824

16) 6R-Bill Rose 14.881

17) 9-Joey Saldana 14.881

18) 18-Tony Bruce Jr. 14.887

19) 22-Brian Ellenberger 14.897

20) 4X-Toni Lutar 14.904

21) 17-Daryn Pittman 14.940

22) 30C-Lance Dewease 15.010

23) 45X-Johnny Herrera 15.144

24) 44W-Austen Wheatley 15.167

25) 10A-Ricky Logan 15.294

26) 1-Bronson Maeschen 15.369

27) 63-Chad Kemenah 15.467

28) 4-Eric Baldaccini 15.811

29) 85-Josh Hawkins 16.447

30) 5W-Lucas Wolfe -.—

Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) R19-Jac Haudenschild[2]

2) 21-Brian Brown[1]

3) 15-Donny Schatz[4]

4) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[3]

5) 51-Fred Rahmer[5]

6) 6R-Bill Rose[6]

7) 10A-Ricky Logan[9]

22-Brian Ellenberger[7]

9) 30C-Lance Dewease[8]

10) 4-Eric Baldaccini[10]

Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 24-Terry McCarl[1]

2) 91-Paul McMahan[2]

3) 7-Craig Dollansky[4]

4) 11K-Kraig Kinser[3]

5) 9-Joey Saldana[6]

6) 83-Tim Kaeding[5]

7) 4X-Toni Lutar[7]

45X-Johnny Herrera[8]

9) 1-Bronson Maeschen[9]

10) 85-Josh Hawkins[10]

Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 11-Steve Kinser[1]

2) 14-Jason Meyers[2]

3) 6-Danny Lasoski[3]

4) 7S-Jason Sides[4]

5) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[6]

6) 2B-Ben Gregg[5]

7) 63-Chad Kemenah[9]

17-Daryn Pittman[7]

9) 44W-Austen Wheatley[8]

10) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[10]

Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 91-Paul McMahan[3]

2) R19-Jac Haudenschild[4]

3) 7-Craig Dollansky[7]

4) 14-Jason Meyers[2]

5) 7S-Jason Sides[6]

6) 15-Donny Schatz[8]

7) 11-Steve Kinser[10]

24-Terry McCarl[9]

9) 21-Brian Brown[1]

10) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[5]

B-main (12 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature) - Starting Position [#]

1) 22-Brian Ellenberger[1]

2) 4X-Toni Lutar[2]

3) 30C-Lance Dewease[4]

4) 17-Daryn Pittman[3]

5) 44W-Austen Wheatley[6]

6) 10A-Ricky Logan[7]

7) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[12] [$200]

63-Chad Kemenah[9] [$180]

9) 45X-Johnny Herrera[5] [$175]

10) 4-Eric Baldaccini[10] [$160]

11) 1-Bronson Maeschen[8] [$150]

12) 85-Josh Hawkins[11] [$150]

A-main (30 laps) - Starting Position [#]

1) 7-Craig Dollansky[3] [$10,000]

2) 11-Steve Kinser[7] [$5,500]

3) 9-Joey Saldana[17] [$3,200]

4) 14-Jason Meyers[4] [$2,800]

5) 7S-Jason Sides[5] [$2,500]

6) 91-Paul McMahan[1] [$2,300]

7) R19-Jac Haudenschild[2] [$2,200]

11K-Kraig Kinser[11] [$2,100]

9) 83-Tim Kaeding[14] [$2,050]

10) 6-Danny Lasoski[12] [$2,000]

11) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[25] [$700]

12) 51-Fred Rahmer[13] [$1,200]

13) 24-Terry McCarl[8] [$1,100]

14) 15-Donny Schatz[6] [$1,050]

15) 63-Chad Kemenah[26] [$200]

16) 2B-Ben Gregg[15] [$900]

17) 4X-Toni Lutar[20] [$800]

18) 17-Daryn Pittman[21] [$800]

19) 6R-Bill Rose[16] [$800]

20) 22-Brian Ellenberger[19] [$800]

21) 44W-Austen Wheatley[23] [$800]

22) 30C-Lance Dewease[22] [$800]

23) 10A-Ricky Logan[24] [$800]

24) 18-Tony Bruce Jr[18] [$800]

25) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[10] [$800]

26) 21-Brian Brown[9] [$800]

Lap Leaders: Paul McMahan 1-8, Jac Haudenschild 9-18, Craig Dollansky 19-30

KSE Hard Charger Award: Lucas Wolfe

Penske Power Position Award: Ben Gregg

Note- Lucas Wolfe and Chad Kemenah used World of Outlaws Provisionals to start the A-Feature.

World of Outlaws Championship Standings through March 12

1. Joey Saldana 877
2. Steve Kinser 870 -7
3. Jason Meyers 868 -9
4. Jason Sides 830 -47
5. Donny Schatz 824 -53
6. Kraig Kinser 796 -81
7. Jac Haudenschild 780 -97
8. Danny Lasoski 778 -99
9. Tim Kaeding 757 -120
10. Craig Dollansky 753 -124

by Tony Veneziano

Live Updates from Houston Motorsports Park “Speedfest,” 3/13/10

Lone Star Speedzone invites you to check out our Live Interactive Updates from the “Fiesta Speedfest presented by Cricket Wireless” at Houston Motorsports Park this Saturday.

Nothing ever can take the place of being at a race in person, but we do our best to bring you the flavor and action as the evening progresses. Since the Live Updates blog software is “interactive,” folks who follow along can make comments or ask questions during the evening.

Since the racing action is set to get started at 5:00 p.m. I will try to fire up the Live Updates at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Please keep in mind that the software has built-in controls to prevent spammers and those intent on causing harm, etc, from posting. So there may be a few minutes delay between when you post your comment or question and when it shows up in the dialogue box.

Houston Motorsports Park to host “Fiesta’s Speedfest presented by Cricket Wireless” this Saturday, March 13th.

Houston Motorsports Park is hosting their annual “Fiesta Speedfest presented by Cricket Wireless” this Saturday, March 13, 2010, at the well-maintained 3/8-mile oval located in Northeast Houston.

Big purses and big fields of cars will be the norm as the Houston area racing season heats up.

John Mandabach, HMP Vice President and General Manager, is enthusiastic about the upcoming Speedfest event. “The weather forecast for Speedfest is great,” Mandabach said, “And we’re expecting to start 24 NASCAR Fiesta Late Models, 24 NASCAR 360 Trucks and 20 NASCAR Cricket Modifieds.”

Those are some good numbers for any local racing track.

And the numbers advertised for the purses are equally good.

Featured races will include:

$5000 to Win for the NASCAR Fiesta Late Models for the “Delmar Systems 75”
$3000 to Win for the NASCAR Cricket Modifieds for the “Cricket 50”
$1500 to Win for the NASCAR 360 Trucks for the “DDC 50”
$500 to Win for the Pro Stocks – 30 Laps
$300 to Win for the Eco Stocks – 20 Laps
$75 Fiesta Gift Card to Win for the Bandoleros – 15 Laps

Two weeks ago the racing was fast and furious on the concrete/asphalt surface with new race procedures - including double-file restarts and “driver self policing” – in force during the racing action.

Racing at the track located at 11620 N. Lake Houston Parkway is set to take the green flag at 5:00 p.m.

Five dollar adult tickets are available at any Houston area Fiesta Mart and $10-off coupons are available at select Cricket Wireless locations. And with $1 beer, $1 cokes and $1 hot dogs, a family of four can afford to take in all the racing excitement.

Further information is available at http://www.houstonmotorsportspark.com/ or by calling the track at 281-458-1972.

by Nick Holt, Admin, Lone Star Speedzone
Photos by Steve Steinle

Next Page »

Copyright © 2005-2009 Lone Star Speedzone · 139 E. Hopkins, Suite 200-E, San Marcos, TX 78666 · Log in