Minot Magic: Pittman Wins Magic City Showdown at Nodak Speedway

Minot, ND—Aug. 14, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director

Daryn Pittman knew it would be no easy task to win at Nodak Speedway on Tuesday night in the Magic City Showdown. He knew that the man to beat was reigning World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz, who was born and raised in Minot, and was fresh off his second consecutive Knoxville Nationals win last Saturday night. On top of that, Schatz began the night by blistering the existing track record in time trials by over three-tenths of a second.

None of that stopped Pittman, as he battled Schatz along with 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser for the $10,000 winner’s check and after 35 hard fought laps, he came out on top to earn his fourth A-Feature win of the season and second on a 3/8-mile track.

“Any win is good,” said Pittman, driver of the Titan Garages Maxim. “This is great for this whole team. We’ve been fast, but we haven’t been giving ourselves a chance to win a race. I’m tickled to death to get this, in front of this great crowd.”  READ MORE

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Pittman Powers to Riverside Win

West Memphis, AR-May 5, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas will always be a very special place to Daryn Pittman. He met his wife (Mandy) there 10 years ago, and on Saturday got to celebrate in the winner's circle with her after claiming a very emotional win in the World of Outlaws return to the ¼-mile for the first time in 26 years, before a capacity crowd. Racing near his wife's hometown in an event that featured side-by-side heat race action with his father-in-law Mike Ward, Pittman took his second checkered flag of the season in the 40-lap main event to earn the $10,000 payday, with much of his wife's family and many friends in attendance. "This is a huge to win in front of my wife and her whole family," said Pittman, driver of the Titan Garages & Carports Maxim. "With all the tradition of her and me at this race track, this is pretty special. There are so many things that make this so meaningful. Her stepfather is really sick and he was able to be here and watch it. I'm really happy to get a win for them." Pittman took the lead from Jason Solwold on the 10th lap, as he charged to the high side of the track entering the first turn. He started fourth in the event and gained two spots on the opening lap as he rode the high side of the track. After winning the finale of the Florida DIRTcar Nationals in early February, Pittman had racked up 12 Top-10 finishes as he sat third in championship points heading into Saturday night's event. "Our team really needed another win," he said. "We got off to such a good start this season, and we have been steady and right there each night. Our car has definitely been good enough to win. This is for my crew. They work so hard and it is good to get another win. We'll try to go out next week and get win number three." Solwold began the night by shattering the track record by nearly a second. He followed that up by winning the first heat, as well as the Crane Cams Dash, to earn his first pole position of the season. He shot to the early lead as he dove low in turn one with Steve Kinser in-toe on the opening lap. The native of Mt. Vernon, Washington was able to make up ground in traffic late in the race, as he earned his ninth Top-10 finish of the year, with his second-place effort. "Anytime you can lead laps and finish in the Top-Three it is a good night," said Solwold, driver of the City Wide Insulation Maxim. "We had never been here and Daryn (Pittman) had been here a few times, and he had a good car. I felt like we had the fastest car and it's too bad we didn?t have more lapped traffic there towards the end. The crew has been doing a great job all year. We've had good cars here and there, and we just have to get a little more consistent." Kinser battled Solwold early in the race for the lead, and then had an entertaining duel with Paul McMahan for the third spot in the late going. McMahan got around the 20-time World of Outlaws Champion, but Kinser powered back around him to finish in the third position. The native of Bloomington, Indiana won in the World of Outlaws second visit to Riverside International Speedway in 1979. He also won in 1981 to become the only repeat winner with the series at the ¼-mile. "We had a pretty good car," said Kinser, driver of the Q Oil Maxim. "I just getting tighter and tighter. I probably should have changed some air pressures (on the tires) on the first red (flag), but didn't do it. With all the rain they had here and with how rough the track was, you have to be happy with a Top-Five finish." Pittman found himself in traffic a number of times on the quarter-mile, and was able to masterfully weave his way through it each time. After taking the lead, he had to endure two red flags along with two yellow flags. Strong restarts each time helped propel him to a healthy advantage as Solwold and Kinser chased him. "Our car was so good that I was not really worried about the yellows," explained Pittman. "Once I got into lapped traffic I wanted it to stay green because, it seemed like we were getting through traffic good enough that (Jason) Solwold would not be right behind us, but he was. Our car was so good that I could go anywhere I wanted. It shows how good our car was and how easy my crew made my job." The fans, who were on their feet for most of the feature cheering Pittman on, began lining up for tickets in the late morning and a steady stream of spectators continued to file through the gates well into the heat races. "It was great to be back here," Pittman said. "West Memphis, as well as the Tennessee area and Arkansas are such sprint car hotbeds. The fans are diehards around this area. It's a shame we only get down here once a year, because if they had 10,000 seats they would fill every one of them." Paul McMahan had a very solid night in the Bass Pro Shops Eagle, as he lined up sixth for the A-Feature and quickly worked his way into the Top-Five. He made it up to third before contact he received from another car forced him up the track and back to the fourth spot. The native of Nashville now has six Top-10 finishes on the season. Tim Shaffer earned his sixth Top-Five finish of the season as he finished in the fifth spot on Saturday night in his first visit to Riverside. The 1999 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year won the fourth heat to earn a spot in the Crane Cams Dash. Jason Meyers finished sixth in the Primerica Financial Maxim, with Terry McCarl in the Big Game Treestands Eagle in seventh. Chad Kemenah was eight in the Arizonatools.com Maxim. Craig Dollansky passed more cars than anyone on the track as he lined up 27th after taking a provisional, due to engine trouble earlier in the night. He cane home ninth in the Karavan Trailers Maxim. Tim Kaeding finished a very solid 10th as he filled in for Brooke Tatnell in the Volcano Joes Coffee Schnee. Donny Schatz the current World of Outlaws championship point leader overcame a flip in the second heat and a flat tire in the A-Feature to finish 14th in the ParkerStore J&J. He raced his way into the 40-lap contest by virtue of winning the B-Main. Joey Saldana who is currently second in points, driving the Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI used a provisional to start the A-Feature and finished one spot behind Schatz in 15th. The World of Outlaws return to action on Friday, May 11 at US 36 Raceway in Osborn, Missouri for the Second Annual Missouri High Banked Nationals. On Saturday, May 12 the series travels to Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri.   READ MORE

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Inaugural World of Outlaws Benevolent Fund Golf Outing Set for July 12

Concord, NC—April 16, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, WoO Sprint Series PR Director

The World of Outlaws Benevolent Fund will be hosting their inaugural golf outing on July 12 at Meadowbrook Country Club in Dayton Ohio. The event will be sponsored by The Tony Stewart Foundation.

The cost of the outing will be $100 for participants, with each 8 golfers being paired with a World of Outlaws driver. The driver will be part of this group for the entire 18 holes. The format will be a scramble, with a lottery-style draw being used to determine who each player will play with. There also will be a hole-in-one contest, with the winner receiving $15,000 if they get a hole-in-one. Space is limited, and spots will be filled by the order in which registrations are received.

For golfers, the entry fee will also cover a dinner to be held after the outing, as well as gifts that each participant will receive. All proceeds will go to the World of Outlaws Benevolent Fund to help continue the dedicated work that they do for the sport.

The World of Outlaws Benevolent Fund has been helping injured drivers and their families during the recovery process for over 25 years.

A silent auction will take place during the dinner, with various items from World of Outlaws drivers available for bidding. For those who cannot make it to the golf portion of the day, tickets for the dinner are $30.

For more information contact: Mandy Pittman, the Tournament Liaison at darynpittman@yahoo.com or Angie Hannagan, the Tournament Ambassador at mshurricane1x@aol.com.

Meadowbrook Country Club is located in Dayton, Ohio, one mile off of I-70 & I-75

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Weather Wins at Eldora on Saturday

Rossburg, OH—April 14, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, WoO Sprint Series PR Director

Due to extreme cold temperatures and heavy overnight rain, in addition to a snow/rain mixture falling on Saturday, the World of Outlaws event at Eldora Speedway for, April 14 has been cancelled.

The series will return to the famed half-mile in July for two nights of racing including the Kings Royal.

Fans can catch all the exciting action from Friday night’s event on Sunday, May 13 on SPEED at 2 p.m. Eastern.

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World of Outlaws Return to Paducah International Raceway

Paducah, KY—April 4, 2007--By: Tony Veneziano, WoO Sprint Series PR Director

It’s been six years since the World of Outlaws have competed at Paducah International Raceway. On Friday April 6, the series will return to the high-banked 3/8-mile oval, which is co-owned by racing stars: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ken Schrader, and Tony Stewart, along with long-time respected promoter Bob Sargent.

In the series first two visits to the track, there have been two different winners. With neither of those drivers competing this season, a third driver to visit Victory Lane at Paducah International Raceway is guaranteed.

Joey Saldana will head to Paducah in search of his fourth consecutive World of Outlaws victory, as he ended the month of March with a flourish. After enduring his lowest finish of the season (17th) in the final race of February, he has not finished lower than fourth in the six ensuing events.

Driving for NASCAR star Kasey Kahne, Saldana has finished in the Top-10 in all but one of the first 11 events of the campaign. He leads the series in most statistical categories, including: A-Feature wins with four. He also has led 90 laps on the year, in addition to setting fast time on four occasions, including establishing two new track records.

After his win last weekend, he took a two point lead in the championship standings over Donny Schatz. Saldana, the 1996 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year finished eighth in the Outlaws last visit to Paducah in 2001.

Schatz enters the event, fresh off his 10th Top-10 finish of the season last weekend, and is second in championships points. The reigning World of Outlaws Champion and Knoxville Nationals winner has already earned three A-Feature wins in 2007. He won the season opener on February 9 in Florida, and backed that up with wins in Arizona and Texas. He has led 68 laps on the season, in addition to having two dash wins that earned him pole positions in A-Feature events. In addition to this, he set fast time last weekend in Georgia for the first time in 2007. In his previous two events at Paducah, the always focused driver finished just outside the Top-10.

Daryn Pittman will make his second start at Paducah International Raceway on Friday. He scored his eighth Top-10 finish of the season last weekend, and currently is third in championship points, only 90 markers out of the top spot. The native of Owasso, Oklahoma won earlier this season in Florida, to earn his 20th career A-Feature triumph. In that event, he led wire-to-wire, after earning winning his first dash of the season to earn the pole position.

Craig Dollansky returns to Paducah for the third time with the World of Outlaws. He is currently fourth in championship points on the strength of eight Top-10 finishes, including a third last weekend. The native of Elk River, Minnesota enters the event this weekend with 18 career A-Feature triumphs. He is a former World of Outlaws Gumout Series Champion as well.

Terry McCarl last competed at Paducah in an O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions event a couple years ago. He set fast time that night en route to a third-place finish. The native of Altoona, Iowa is currently fifth in World of Outlaws points, with seven Top-10 finishes in the first 11 races of 2007. He is just 11 points out of the fourth spot, and just 147 out of the lead.

Danny Lasoski, the 2001 World of Outlaws Champion heads to Paducah in search of his first win of the season and his first win at the 3/8-mile facility. He finished fourth in the Outlaws last visit to the track. Driving for veteran car owner Dennis Roth, Lasoski is sixth in points, on the strength of seven Top-10 finishes. He is only 11 markers out of the Top-Five.

Brooke Tatnell, a native of San Souci, NSW, Australia, will make his second visit to the Bluegrass State oval on Friday. He competed with the series at the track in 1998. He is currently seventh in points, in his first season driving for Larry Woodward Racing. The three-time reigning Australian sprint car champion has seven Top-10 finishes on the season.

Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion is eighth in points, as he heads to Paducah International Raceway. The native of Bloomington, Indiana finished fifth last weekend, and now has six Top-10 finishes on the year. He is just 51 points out of the Top-Five. He earned his 534th career A-Feature win with the series in early March in Arizona. In his last visit to Paducah, he was second, and prior to that he was third in the Outlaws first visit to the facility in 1998.

Tim Kaeding, a third generation sprint car star from San Jose, California enters this weekend ninth overall in championship points. He is in his second season driving for Steve Kinser Racing and earned a very emotional home state win at the end of February. He has picked up six Top-10 finishes in the first 11 events of the 2007 season.

Kerry Madsen, a rookie from St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia rounds out the Top-10 in points heading to Paducah. He won on the second night of the season in Florida, and has four Top-10 finishes. He currently leads the battle for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award by 255 points. This will be his first visit to Kentucky to compete.

Other drivers in action will include: Paul McMahan who drives for two-time NASCAR Champion and part owner of Paducah Tony Stewart, Jac Haudenschild, who set fast time in the series first visit to the track in 1998 and finished seventh will be in action. Also, on-hand will be Tim Shaffer, the 1999 series Rookie of the Year who also has competed at Paducah in the past. California native Jason Meyers, who has raced at Paducah in 2001, will also be in action, as he seeks his first win of the year. Jason Solwold of Washington will make his first visit to the track. Jason Sides, the 2003 Rookie of the Year will also make his first start at the 3/8-mile.

Second-year driver Justin Henderson will make his first trip to Kentucky. Randy Hannagan, the 1995 Rookie of the Year, will make his second start with the Outlaws at the track. Chad Kemenah, the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, finished sixth at Paducah in 2004 with the All Stars. Second year driver Jeremy Campbell, was fifth at the track in 2004 with the All Stars as well. Veteran Dion Hindi of New Mexico will make his second visit to the track, as he raced there in 1998. Brian Carlson heads to Paducah, fresh off earning a spot in the dash last weekend, after setting the ninth quickest lap in time trials, and finishing second in a very strong first heat.

Rookies that will be in attendance include: Tony Bruce Jr. of Kansas, Zach Chappell of Oklahoma, Sam Hafertepe Jr. of Texas, Chad Hillier of Washington, Madsen, and James Mosher of New Mexico.

On Friday April 6 at Paducah International Raceway, adult reserved tickets will be $30, with children 12-under, just $5. For ticket information call (270)898-7469, or the track ticket hotline at (270)448-4747 or visit: http://www.paducahinternationalraceway.com.

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Race Report: Pittman Powers to Volusia Victory

By Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director

BARBERVILLE, FL — Last season Daryn Pittman patiently waited until early June to make his first visit of the season to Victory Lane. This year, he made sure that it would not take nearly as long, as he led wire-to-wire on Sunday night in finale of three straight nights of racing for the World of Outlaws as part of the 36th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Mopar Speedshop.

After winning the dash to earn the pole position for the 30-lap event, he held off a hard charging Tim Kaeding and Donny Schatz, in heavy lapped traffic. The pair staged a fierce battle for the second spot in the late going as they chased Pittman, who used strong restarts twice in the late going to pull away. The $12,000 triumph was the 20th of his career in World of Outlaws action.

“It is a great way to get started and a great boost for the whole team,” said Pittman, driver of the Titan Garages Maxim. “It’s always good to get a win at the end of the week. Our team just keeps getting better every year, and hopefully we can stay consistent and get wins when we can.”

Starting the season off on a high note was one of Pittman’s goals for 2007, and after the win, he is well on his way. The veteran driver was one of the most consistent drivers over the last three months of last season.

“No matter who you are and how long you have been doing this and how many wins you have, come June and July if you have no wins, car owners get a little antsy,” he said. “They spend a lot of money and want wins. Being able to always refer back to getting one early is great. We got one now and we have some confidence, and hopefully we can go out and get some more.”

With a cross-country trip awaiting the team, Pittman is glad that they will have some time to go back to the shop and prepare to head to California at their own pace. The group led by Crew Chief Glenno Inglis, who was battling illness during the late stages of the DIRTcar Nationals, will have an enjoyable trip back to their shop in Indiana.

“We going to go home and relax,” Pittman commented. “My crew has worked their tails off. Every year when we come to Florida we come down here ready for 100 races. We don’t go home to build cars. We’ll do the maintenance on the car we ran tonight and take it to Tulare. My guys are going to get some time off. We are ready to go. I look forward to going home and fine tuning on a few things so we can keep getting better.”

Tim Kaeding made a late charge for the lead, as he closed the gap on Pittman with a couple laps to go. On the final lap, he and Donny Schatz staged an entertaining battle for the second spot, as they both were just behind Pittman. Schatz used a slide job on Kaeding to momentarily move into the second spot exiting the fourth turn. Kaeding immediately fought back and claimed the runner-up spot at the line by mere inches.

“We had a little trouble with this thing taking off, and Daryn would get ahead of us a little bit,” said Kaeding, driver of the Steve Kinser Racing Maxim. “I knew Donny was coming eventually and he pulled off a slider, and I did what I knew how to do and what I needed to do, and that was turn back underneath him and get back in front of him as quick as I could and get the air off his wing.”

For Schatz, the reigning series champion, he finished in the Top-Three each in night of the World of Outlaw portion of the Florida DIRTcar Nationals. He won the season opener on Friday night, and backed that up with a third-place run on Saturday night, and was third again on Sunday, after starting the event on the outside of the third row.

“We came here to win and we were good enough to win all three nights,” said Schatz, driver of the Parker Store J&J. “Tonight we never really hit lapped traffic. There were a lot of good cars out here and on an open race track, it’s hard to pass. We moved around and tried everything we could. We’re going to head back and do a little work, and hopefully be as good in California as we were here.”

Terry McCarl raced his way to a fourth-place finish after lining up eight. The native of Altoona, Iowa finished ninth on Saturday night and backed that up with a very solid run on Sunday night, as he prepares to head to Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., where he won in 2004.

“We started the week off doing well with the All Stars, and then kind of hiccupped a little the first two nights (of the World of Outlaws season),” said McCarl, driver of the Big Game Treestands Eagle. “We need to keep getting in the Top-Five this year. It’s going to be pretty brutal this year, so every one of these Top-Five’s is important. “

Tim Shaffer picked up his first Top-Five of the season on Sunday as he came home fifth in the Casey’s General Stores Maxim.

The rest of the Top-10 was: Danny Lasoski in the Roth Motorsports Eagle in sixth, Jason Sides in the WTS Maxim in seventh, Joey Saldana charged from the 24th starting spot in the Open Joist JEI to finish eighth, with Saturday night’s winner Kerry Madsen in the Selma Shell Maxim in ninth, and Fred Rahmer in the C&S Lawn & Landscape J&J in 10th.

With Pittman’s victory, the sprint car portion of the Florida DIRTcar Nationals came to a close, with Craig Dollansky named the Champion. The native of Elk River, Minn., finished sixth or better in five of the six events, including two second-place finishes and two fourths. Brad Sweet, a native of Grass Valley, Calif, was named the Rookie of the Year for the sprint car portion of the Florida DIRTcar Nationals.

The World of Outlaws return to action on February 23-24 at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California.

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2007 World of Outlaws Preview: Daryn PIttman

Author: Tony Veneziano - World Of Outlaws PR Director