World of Outlaws Preview: Charter Raceway Park
The World of Outlaws first competed at Charter Raceway Park in 1996 and have raced at the track every year since 2002. Five drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws have won at the high-banked 1/3-mile.
Courtesy: World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Media Relations
Beaver Dam, WI—July 9, 2009—Short track racing and the state of Wisconsin have been synonymous for years and the World of Outlaws have been competing in the state since 1983. This weekend the series will make two stops in the Badger State with the first of those coming on Saturday, July 11 at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam.
The World of Outlaws first competed at Charter Raceway Park in 1996 and have raced at the track every year since 2002. Five drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws have won at the high-banked 1/3-mile, with Steve Kinser and Jac Haudenschild the only ones that have won more than once. Kinser was victorious at the track last season after battling Jason Meyers in traffic throughout the race and taking the lead late in the going.
Other current World of Outlaws drivers that have won at the track with the series include: Craig Dollansky, Joey Saldana and Donny Schatz.
Entering the event, Schatz and Saldana are separated by just 40 points at the top of the World of Outlaws championship standings, after a thrilling battle on Wednesday night at 34 Raceway in Iowa that saw Saldana pick up his series leading 12th A-Feature win of the season.
Slidejobs- Charter Raceway Park:
Up front in Wisconsin: Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, is the defending race winner at Charter Raceway Park after battling Jason Meyers for the top spot last season and taking the lead on the 33rd lap of the 40-lap contest. In his career he has won twice at Charter Raceway Park and has a number of runner-up finished at the bullring. He has 13 career Top-10 finishes at the tack.
On a roll: Donny Schatz picked up his first win at Charter Raceway Park in 2002 and since that event has finished in the Top-10 in 11 of his last 12 starts at the track. He was fifth last season and finished fourth or better on each of his four starts prior to that. He is the current series point leader as he chases his fourth consecutive title.
A few extra laps: Joey Saldana was victorious earlier this season at Charter Raceway Park with the IRA (Interstate Racing Association). It was his second career victory at the high-banked bullring, as he was also victorious in 2003 with the World of Outlaws. He has racked up five consecutive Top-10 finishes at the track. He heads to Charter Raceway Park carrying the momentum of a win on Wednesday night at 34 Raceway in Iowa, an event which his car owner Kasey Kahne was in attendance for.
Always a contender: Jason Meyers has finished in the Top-10 in eight of his 10 career starts at Charter Raceway Park. He finished a career-best second last season after leading the first 32 laps of the race before Steve Kinser got around him on a late restart. He is currently third in the World of Outlaws championship standings as he chases his first career title.
Fast on all types of tracks: Jason Sides has six career Top-10 finishes at Charter Raceway Park including a runner-up performance in 2003. The native of Bartlett, Tennessee has been close to winning on a number of occasions this season and is off to the best start of his career. He finished fifth on Wednesday night at 34 Raceway to earn his 25th Top-10 of the season, of which 11 are Top-Fives. He is currently fifth in the series standings.
Continuing to climb: Danny Lasoski recently moved into the sixth spot in the World of Outlaws standings and is currently battling Jason Sides for the fifth position. The native of Dover, Missouri has six career Top-10 finishes at Charter Raceway Park as he chases his first win on the 1/3-mile. He picked up his 23rd Top-10 finish of the season on Wednesday night and is just four markers out of the fifth spot in points.
A sort of home track: Charter Raceway Park is considered a de facto home track for Craig Dollansky, as his race team was housed nearby for a number of seasons. He is currently in the midst of his first season driving for Kasey Kahne Racing as a teammate to Joey Saldana. The native of Elk River, Minnesota has four career wins at the track with one of those coming with the World of Outlaws and a couple in Gumout Series events. He finished fourth at the bullring last season and was third earlier this year in a special event that his car owner Kasey Kahne also competed in.
Home on the high banks: Jac Haudenschild has two career wins at Charter Raceway Park. The native of Wooster, Ohio was victorious for the first time at the track in 1998 and followed that up with another triumph in 2006. He has finished in the Top-10 in seven of his nine career starts at the 1/3-mile. He picked up his 16th Top-10 finish of the season at 34 Raceway as he continues to chase his first win of the 2009 campaign.
Looking to chance his luck: Kraig Kinser has not had the best of luck in a handful of starts in his career at Charter Raceway Park. He does have a couple of Top-10 finishes at the high-banked bullring. In his second season with Tony Stewart Racing, the third generation driver has 16 Top-10 finishes and is ninth in points.
Debut at Beaver Dam: Lucas Wolfe, the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, missed last season’s event at Charter Raceway Park as he was recovering from an injury and will make his first visit to the track this weekend. He enters action this week 10th in the series standings with five Top-10 finishes.
Fourth time is the charm: Sam Hafertepe Jr. will make his fourth career start at Charter Raceway Park this weekend. The native of Sunnyvale, Texas finished 12th at the track last season which marked his second consecutive 12th-place effort at the track. He has six Top-10 finishes this season as he chases his first career win with the World of Outlaws.
First time in the Badger State: Brian Ellenberger, who is contending for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season, will make the first start of his career in the state of Wisconsin at Charter Raceway Park. The native of Butler, Pennsylvania continues to gain valuable experience each and every time he visits a track for the first time during his first year on the road with the World of Outlaws.
2009 World of Outlaws Championship Standings through July 8
Position | Driver | Pts. | Difference | Earnings | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 |
1. | Donny Schatz | 4727 | $149,250 | 8 | 21 | 25 | |
2. | Joey Saldana | 4687 | -40 | $168,825 | 12 | 19 | 24 |
3. | Jason Meyers | 4625 | -102 | $108,605 | 4 | 11 | 26 |
4. | Steve Kinser | 4600 | -127 | $92,450 | 1 | 17 | 27 |
5. | Jason Sides | 4519 | -208 | $75,680 | 0 | 11 | 25 |
6 | Danny Lasoski | 4515 | -212 | $91,255 | 3 | 14 | 23 |
7. | Craig Dollansky | 4457 | -270 | $67,200 | 0 | 9 | 23 |
8. | Jac Haudenschild | 4361 | -366 | $54,850 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
9. | Kraig Kinser | 4344 | -383 | $57,725 | 0 | 8 | 16 |
10. | Lucas Wolfe | 3989 | -738 | $38,405 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
11. | Sam Hafertepe Jr. | 3864 | -863 | $39,605 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
12. | Brian Ellenberger | 3560 | -1167 | $25,500 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
13. | Sammy Swindell | 3053 | -1674 | $52,580 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
14. | Terry McCarl | 2801 | -1926 | $55,700 | 1 | 6 | 15 |
15. | Tim Kaeding | 2634 | -2093 | $39,100 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
16. | Kerry Madsen | 2421 | -2306 | $27,550 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
17. | Randy Hannagan | 2145 | -2582 | $34,125 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
18. | Chad Kemenah | 2097 | -2630 | $33,325 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
19. | Tony Bruce Jr. | 1926 | -2801 | $24,710 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
20. | Brooke Tatnell | 1769 | -2958 | $18,175 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
By the Numbers: Chater Raceway Park
0.333- Miles around Charter Raceway Park
1- Event for the World of Outlaws at the track this season
2- Drivers that led laps in the A-Feature event at the track last season
4- Drivers that have won more than one A-Feature with the series at the track with the World of Outlaws
8- Laps led by Steve Kinser en route to winning at the high-banked 1/3-mile last season; Consecutive years the World of Outlaws have competed at the track including this season
9- Drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws this season who raced at the track in 2008
10- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the series at Charter Raceway Park
11- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws this season
11.275- Track record set by Daryn Pittman in 2001
12- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws; A-Feature wins for Joey Saldana through July 8 to lead the series
14- Drivers that have been quickest in time trials this season with the World of Outlaws
16- Drivers that have won a Crane Cams Dash to earn a pole position this season with the series
21- Top-Five finishes for Donny Schatz through July 8 to lead the series; Drivers that led laps in A-Feature events
27- Top-10 finishes for Steve Kinser through July 8 to lead the series
32- Laps led by Jason Meyers en route to a runner-up finish at the track last season
33- Drivers that competed at Charter Raceway Park with the World of Outlaws last year
34- A-Feature events completed through July 8
268-Laps led by Joey Saldana this season to lead the series
1996- Year the World of Outlaws first raced at Charter Raceway Park
10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Saturday, July 11
51,690- Dollars in the total purse on Saturday, July 11
168,825- Dollars earned by Joey Saldana through July 8 to lead the series
