OHSWEKEN, ON - Build it and they will come. Glenn Styres did exactly that when he constructed Ohsweken Speedway right in his backyard in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada with the intent of having the best sprint car drivers in the world race at his track. Again in 2010, the World of Outlaws will converge on the always racy 3/8-mile in Ontario for two full nights of racing on Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31 with $10,000 awaiting the winner each night.
Jason Meyers and Jason Sides split wins at Ohsweken last season with Meyers taking the opener and Sides the finale. Sides is the winningest driver with the World of Outlaws at Ohsweken Speedway, having taking the checkered flag twice in the three races the series has contested at the track dating back to 2007. In fact, Sides has led in each and every one of those feature events. He was running second last season in the opener when a piece of debris cut a tire on his machine, forcing him to the work area. The veteran restarted at the tail of the field and charged all the way back to finish eighth.
Meyers, who was caught up in a first-lap wreck in his debut at Ohsweken in 2007, made up for that last season by winning the opener and finished fourth in the finale. He took the lead from Sides on the 10th lap and would lead the final 21 circuits to score the win over Donny Schatz and Craig Dollansky. Meyers is currently second in wins this season with seven and is third in points, just 18 markers out of second and 47 out of the lead as he chases his first title.
Donny Schatz, the four-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, has been the most consistent driver at Ohsweken Speedway with the series, having finished second in all three events at Ohsweken Speedway dating back to 2007. The North Dakota native has won twice this season and is currently fourth in points.
Joey Saldana leads the series into Ohsweken on the strength of 10 A-Feature wins as he chases his first series title, with 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser hot on his heels, just 29 markers out of the top spot as he seeks his record 21st championship. Kinser is the most recent winner on the tour, taking the checkered flag on Tuesday night in the series debut at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec.
A full racing program is on tap each night this weekend at Ohsweken Speedway, with time trials, heat races, a dash, the Last Chance Showdown and a 30-lap A-Feature event paying $10,000 to-win both on Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31.
The Buzz:
· Jason Sides looks to add to his strong track record at Ohsweken Speedway, where he has won twice and finished eighth. He has led more laps at the track than any other driver, pacing the field for 52 laps in his three starts.
· Jason Meyers finished first and fourth last season at Ohsweken Speedway after getting caught up in a first lap wreck at the track in his debut there in 2007. He is second this season in wins with the World of Outlaws with seven and is currently third in points.
· Donny Schatz has the best average finish of any driver at Ohsweken, finishing second all three times the World of Outlaws have raced at the track
· Steve Kinser looks to add Ohsweken Speedway to the amazing list of speedways he has won at over the years. He has finished fourth twice at the track and has been among the Top-10 in all three of his starts at the 3/8-mile.
· Joey Saldana has finished sixth in two of his three starts at Ohsweken Speedway. He has one win this season on a 3/8-mile track with that coming at Dodge City Raceway Park
· Danny Lasoski has three Top-10 finishes in three starts at Ohsweken, with one of those being a Top-Five in his debut at the track in 2007.
· Craig Dollansky has finished third twice along with seventh at the 3/8-mile as he looks for his first win at the track.
· Paul McMahan will make his first World of Outlaws start at Ohsweken Speedway since 2007 this weekend. The veteran has finished in the Top-Five in 10 of the last 12 races for the series to lead all drivers during that span.
· Jac Haudenschild will miss the event as he continues to recover from a broken right hand suffered in a vicious wreck earlier this month.
· Kraig Kinser competed at Ohsweken Speedway for the first two times last season finishing ninth and 11th.
· Lucas Wolfe finished sixth at Ohsweken Speedway last season in his second start at the track. He has 13 Top-Five finishes this season as he closes in on his first World of Outlaws win.
· Chad Kemenah has competed all three times the World of Outlaws have raced at Ohsweken and heads to the track with some momentum after finishing sixth at Autodrome Drummond on Tuesday night.
· Sam Hafertepe Jr. will return to Ohsweken Speedway for the first time since 2007. He finished fifth on Tuesday night at Autodrome Drummond.
· Ben Gregg and Toni Lutar, who are competing for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season, will both be making their debut at Ohsweken Speedway.
One year ago: Jason Meyers and Jason Sides split wins at Ohsweken Speedway. In the opener, Sides led early, before Meyers got around him on the high side of turn two and quickly opened a four-car length advantage. Sides began to pull away on the eighth lap, as he entered lapped traffic. On the ninth lap, Meyers nearly took the lead in turn two as a lapped machine stopped in front of Sides, bringing out another caution. On the restart on the 10th, Meyers again went high in turns one and two and pulled even with Sides, with the latter again leading down the back straightaway. As they entered turn three Meyers took the lead with Sides quickly battling back. Meyers would withstand a charge from Donny Schatz late in the race to score the win, with Craig Dollansky third, Steve Kinser fourth and Jac Haudenschild fifth.
In the finale, Dollansky led early, before Sides used a strong restart on the 10th lap to get along sides the leader, nearly taking the top spot from him in turns one and two and then taking the lead as the pair powered their way through turns three and four. Sides quickly pulled away once in front. He was in lapped traffic on the eighth go-around, though the second caution of the night came on the 10th lap giving him clear track to work with. Sides began to pull away with 10 laps remaining as Dollansky and Schatz battled for the second spot. The leader found himself in lapped traffic the last couple of laps, but weaved his way through the slower machines en route to the victory, with Schatz second, Dollansky third, Meyers fourth and Jac Haudenschild fifth.
By the Numbers: Ohsweken Speedway
0.375- Miles around Ohsweken Speedway
1- Driver competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that hails from Canada- Toni Lutar
2- Drivers that have won with the World of Outlaws at Ohsweken Speedway; Wins for Jason Sides at Ohsweken Speedway; Average finish for Donny Schatz at Ohsweken Speedway to lead all drivers
4- Drivers that led laps in A-Feature events at the track last season with the World of Outlaws
6- Track records that have been established in time trials this season with the World of Outlaws
7- Drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that have competed in all three races the series has contested at Ohsweken Speedway
10- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that raced at Ohsweken Speedway in 2009; A-Feature wins for Joey Saldana this season to lead the series
12.420- Track record established by Joey Saldana in time trials at Ohsweken Speedway in 2009
15- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws; Drivers that have been quickest in time trials this season with the World of Outlaws
16- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the series in 2010
17- Drivers that have won a dash this season to earn a pole position for a main event
21- Laps led by Jason Meyers en route to winning the opener at Ohsweken Speedway last year
26- Drivers that have led laps in A-Feature events in 2010 with the World of Outlaws
27- Top-Five finishes for Steve Kinser through July 27 to lead the series
29- Points that separate Joey Saldana and Steve Kinser atop the World of Outlaws standings entering this weekend
35- Laps led by Jason Sides last season at Ohsweken en route to a win and eighth-place finish
39- Top-10 finishes for Steve Kinser through July 27 to lead the series
40- Drivers that competed with the World of Outlaws at Ohsweken Speedway last season
52- Laps led by Jason Sides in the three events for the series at Ohsweken dating back to 2007 to lead all drivers
60- Laps of feature racing completion last season for the World of Outlaws at Ohsweken
108.696- Track record at Ohsweken Speedway in miles per hour set by Joey Saldana in time trials last season
269- Laps led by Joey Saldana in feature events this season to lead the series
2007- Year the World of Outlaws first competed at Ohsweken Speedway
10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Friday, July 30; Dollars the winner will receive on Saturday, July 31
203,100- Dollars earned by Steve Kinser through July 27 to lead the series
Tickets: On Friday, July 30 at Ohsweken Speedway, adult tickets will be $35, with tickets for kids 12 under $20. On Saturday, July 31 at Ohsweken Speedway, adult tickets will be $35, with tickets for kids 12 under $20.
From Tony Veneziano // World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series PR Director
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