2009 Season Review: Jac Haudenschild
Concord, NC—November 20, 2009—2009 was a special year for Jac Haudenschild as he was honored for all of his accomplishments in sprint car racing over the last 30-plus years by being inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, joining an elite group of individuals.
Among those already inducted that he now joins are longtime friends Brad Doty and Kenny Jacobs, who Haudenschild grew up with and cut his racing teeth against on the Ohio bullrings. He also had the chance to race against some fellow Hall of Famers that are still active this past season, including 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, three-time series titlist Sammy Swindell and West Coast legend Brent Kaeding.
“It means a lot to get in the Hall of Fame,” said a proud Haudenschild. “I'm glad to be in there. I'm sorry we couldn't get out there for the induction. It's a great honor, that's for sure. It is pretty special to still be racing and be inducted at the same time. We're glad to still be out here racing. We have a good ride here in the R19 car and hopefully we'll be out here racing for a while.”
On the track, Haudenschild finished the season ninth in World of Outlaws point standings on the strength of 31 Top-10 finishes with 14 of those being Top-Fives, with the Carnahan Motorsports team for whom drove finishing eighth in car owner points. It was the third time in the last four years that he has finished in the Top-10 in the World of Outlaws championship standings. After winning five times in 2008, Haudenschild came close a couple of times to reaching Victory Lane this past season, starting on the pole three times and earning seven podium finishes in 2009. He finished second in the finale of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup Twin 30's at Lernerville Speedway to pick up his best finish of the year.
“It wasn't what we planned on,” stated Haudenschild of the 2009 season. “We were hoping to win some races this year and run a lot better. The crew did their job and we just didn't get to victory lane. The main thing is to win races and I'm in the car again next year and that's what we plan on doing. I still really enjoy racing.”
Haudenschild had another unique opportunity this season, as he had the chance to race on the same night in the same event, as his son Sheldon competed for the first time in a 410-winged sprint car at the famed Eldora Speedway in their home state of Ohio at the end of September. The father and son pitted next to each other, with Jac offering Sheldon plenty of advice throughout the course of the night to the now third generation driver, who was making his debut at the legendary half-mile, where his father has won over 20-times in his career. They wound up running in different heat race and different feature events.
“It was a little bit different,” shared the native of Wooster, Ohio when asked about racing against his son. “You really don't think about it that much. You know he is out, but until he gets beside you, you don't really think about it.”
Haudenschild is one of just four drivers that has competed in at least one event in each of the 32 World of Outlaws season's dating back to inaugural 1978 campaign. With his ninth-place finish in points, he has now finished among the Top-10 in the series championship standings 15 times in his career. While he did not reach Victory Lane this season, he remains 10th on the all-time win list with 51 A-Feature triumphs.
“The competition has been tough every year I have ever raced with the Outlaws,” he explained. “You always about four or five guys that you have to beat. There are at least 10 guys that can win the race and it really does take a perfect night to win. You know that there will be at least four of them right on the money, so you just have to beat them.”
Following the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway, Haudenschild headed back home to Ohio where he is helping his son gear up for the 2010 season. He will also return for his third season in the No. R19 Owens-Corning Fiberglass Maxim for the Carnahan Motorsports team, with veteran crew chief Leonard Lee turning the wrenches on the World of Outlaws circuit.
“I enjoy my two months off in the wintertime, but I am usually building cars so it goes by fast,” Haudenschild said. “I'm looking forward to being back in the R19 again next year.”
The 2010 World of Outlaws season kicks off on February 5-7 with the 39th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UHON at Volusia Speedway Park, where Haudenschild has five career Top-10 finishes including a third-place performance on the second night of the three-day event last season.
By the Numbers Jac Haudenschild 2009:
1-Fast time honor for Haudenschild in time trials this past season
2- SuperClean Start Awards in 2009 for Haudenschild
3- Wins in the Crane Cams Dash to earn pole positions
5- KSE Hard Charger Awards, given to the driver that passes the most cars in the feature event each night
6- Penske Power Awards, which goes to the third-place finisher in the feature each night
7- Races in his home state of Ohio that Haudenschild competed in this past season
9th- Finish in the World of Outlaws standings for Haudenschild in 2009
11.3- Average finishing position for the Ohio native this past season
14- Top-Five finishes for the Hall of Famer
15- Times in his career including this season that he has finished in the Top-10 of the World of Outlaws standings
29- Times that Haudenschild raced his way into the Crane Cams Dash this past season
31- Top-10 finishes for the veteran driver in 2009
32- Consecutive seasons that Haudenschild has competed in at least one World of Outlaws event
7889- Points earned by Haudenschild in 2009 to finish ninth in the standings
110,225- Dollars earned by Haudenschild this past season
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2009 Season Review: Brian Ellenberger
Concord, NC—November 18, 2009— For years and years, Brian Ellenberger had read about, seen pictures of and heard stories about tracks like Silver Dollar Speedway in California and I-55 Raceway in Missouri as well as many others from coast-to-coast, and this past season he finally had the opportunity to race at these storied facilities, along with a whole lot more as he took to the road full-time with the World of Outlaws for the first time in his career.
The native of Butler, Pennsylvania visited countless tracks for the first time and gained priceless experience each and every time he and his team rolled through the pit gate. After the nearly 10-month and 70-race season he was awarded the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, named after the late driver who also hailed from the state of Pennsylvania. Ellenberger wrapped up the season a solid 11th in the championship standings.
“It's a real honor for me and my sponsor Ti-22 Performance,” shared Ellenberger of receiving the coveted rookie title. “It is a great honor. Knowing Kevin Gobrecht and what a great young man he was and having the opportunity to have raced against him, I have great respect for him and this honor.”
Of the 42 tracks that Ellenberger competed at this past season with the World of Outlaws, 32 were new to him and he had to quickly get up to speed with just a handful of hot laps at most, prior to time trials on most nights. He had visited a few of the tracks on the schedule in the past with the All Star Circuit of Champions as well as when he was competing weekly at his home track of Lernerville Speedway in Western Pennsylvania.
“We knew it would be a learning experience coming into it,” he noted. “Coming in and running against these guys is not an easy deal for anybody who has never done it before. Hitting all of the new tracks was extremely exciting. We certainly learned a lot that will help us prepare for next year as well.”
Each time he visited a track for the first time, Ellenberger would use his experience that he gained over the last 12 years racing sprint cars to find characteristics of tracks that he had competed at in the past that were similar to the one that he was visiting for the first time.
“What we tried to do was size the track up to some of the tracks that we had already raced at, things like the look, the sizes, and the banking,” he explained. “As we got to know the guys, the first thing we would do would be to go down and talk to some of the other drivers and crew chiefs. Gaining those relationships certainly helped and these guys look after each other. It was never a problem walking down to a trailer and asking a question or getting some advice, so that was always a very big help.”
While most of the drivers that Ellenberger competed with on a nightly basis had been to most of the track on the circuit countless times, while he was making his debut at a majority of the tracks, he never looked at this as a disadvantage. He was able to learn from the veteran drivers by observing them both on the track and in the pit area as he continued to learn the ropes of life on the road with the most grueling series in motorsports.
“I don't know if it was intimidating, I suppose it was a little bit, but it was always exciting getting to a new place and a new track and getting the opportunity to run on it and we knew we had a pretty tall order to get in there and get in front of these guys,” he stated.
Ellenberger scored a career-best third-place finish at Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas in June in his first visit to the pristine 3/8-mile aboard the Ti-22 Performance J&J. He won the third heat race that night to earn a spot in the Crane Cams Dash where he finished third to earn a second row starting spot in the 30-lap main event. He moved into second early in the race, getting around front row start Lucas Wolfe and ran there for a few laps before eventual winner Joey Saldana took that spot in his march to the front.
“It's nights like that, that make you feel good about your program and make a driver feel good and know that you can run up there with them,” said Ellenberger with a smile. “It was one of those nights where felt like we possibly had a shot at winning. That was a good run and definitely provides you with some confidence going into the races after that.”
Ellenberger was awaiting a trip all season to his home track of Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania which is just a few miles from his shop. He was able to race twice in one night at the facility in July, as the annual Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup was “Twin Features” for the first time ever. The series was slated to return to the four-tenths-mile in September for the Commonwealth Clash, but Mother Nature was the winner that day.
“It was no doubt one of the races I was looking forward to most and it was a shame we only got there one time,” he said. “We were running good and had a few problems that night, and we were anxious to get back there that second time, but Mother Nature didn't cooperate with us. We know that's part of the deal with the weather and we look forward to getting back there next year.”
With his shop in the Western Pennsylvania area, Ellenberger only made it home a few times over the course of the nearly 10-month season. Following the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway he was excited to head back north and spend some time with his family while beginning to prepare for the 2010 racing season, which is less than three months away.
“You get back home and hang out at the shop for a couple of weeks getting things ready and you always look forward to that break, but it's not long before you anxious to get back out there doing it again,” he noted. “It sure does come around soon.”
The 2010 World of Outlaws season kicks off on February 5-7 with the 39th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UHON at Volusia Speedway Park.
By the Numbers Brian Ellenberger 2009:
1- Penske Power Positions earned by Ellenberger this season, which goes to the third-place finisher in the feature event each night
2 Countries that the rookie driver competed in this past season- United States & Canada
3rd- Place finish at Dodge City Raceway Park to earn Ellenberger his career-best finish with the World of Outlaws
4- Top-10 finishes for the native of Butler, Pennsylvania this season; Drivers from the state of Pennsylvania that have earned the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award including Ellenberger
6- Times that Ellenberger raced in his home state of Pennsylvania this past season
10- Tracks on the 2009 schedule that he had visited prior to 2009
16.5- Average finishing position for Ellenberger in 2009
22- Car number for Ellenberger this season after switching from his traditional No. 20 in the past
24- States that he raced in this past season
29- Drivers that have earned the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award including Ellenberger
32- Tracks that Ellenberger visited for the first time in his career this season
6699- Points earned by Ellenberger this season to finish 11th in the standings
46,990- Dollars earned by Ellenberger this season
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2009 Season Review: Craig Dollansky
Concord, NC—November 16, 2009— Craig Dollansky was anxious for the 2009 season to get underway, after missing the final two months of the 2008 campaign after suffering a broken arm that required surgery. After a slow start, the veteran driver hit his stride in the middle of the summer and wound up winning three times on the World of Outlaws trail, finishing the season seventh in points on the strength of 41 Top-10 finishes with 21 of those being Top-Five performances.
Dollansky was victorious for the first time in 2009 at Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York in late July and followed that up with a victory in the opener of the inaugural Ironman 55 at I-55 Raceway in Missouri and also triumphed at River Cities Speedway in North Dakota.
After a parting of ways with the Kasey Kahne Racing team in September, Dollansky began to finalize plans to compete in 2010 for the Big Game Motorsports team and car owner Tod Quiring. The native of Elk River, Minnesota made his first start for the new team during the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway, with the car carrying Dollansky's traditional No. 7 on it. He charged all the way from the 11th starting spot to finish fourth in his debut for the team in the first A-Feature of the season ending event.
“It had some bright spots in it, but overall, I think I'm happy to see it come to an end,” shared Dollansky when asked about the 2009 season. “I'm definitely looking forward to 2010 with this new team that we are starting up here with Tod Quiring and Big Game Treestands. I'm very encouraged with what I saw during the World Finals. Everything came together pretty good and there is a lot of work to be done for 2010 still, but to get things together as quick as we did to try to make the World Finals, I am pretty proud of everyone involved.”
One of Dollansky's three wins this past season came in the opener of the inaugural Ironman 55 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri in thrilling fashion. He led the race early before reigning series champion Donny Schatz got around him on the 16th lap to take the point in lapped traffic. On the 25th lap, Dollansky went high off of turn four and nearly took the lead as the front pair charged down the front straightaway. He then took the top spot in turns one and two on the very next lap, with Jason Sides closing in as well and the trio running side-by-side. Dollansky would hold on for the final five laps to score his second career win at I-55 Raceway and his second win of 2009, which was the 30th win of his World of Outlaws career.
“That's a great event that they created there and I think it's going to be a successful event,” he said of the Ironman 55. “Anytime you get some crown jewel type races that are set up that way like the Kings Royal, Knoxville and they call that one the Ironman now, those are types of races you want to go and win.”
For the third consecutive season, Dollansky and his wife Julie promoted the Arnold Motor Supply Shootout at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa. The couple added a “Pit Crew Challenge” to the event in 2009 which faced the teams off against each other and the clock as they changed a front axle on their race cars. Another huge crowd was on hand for the race which came down to the last lap with Jason Meyers taking the lead from Joey Saldana in turn two to pick up his first career victory at the historic fairgrounds track.
“We're happy to be down to one show,” stated the native of Elk River, Minnesota when asked about his promoting duties. “Before we were trying to do two shows and it was pretty tough with the schedule that we have. It's a pretty big undertaking there, but we have great support from the fair board. It's turned out be a pretty good event, so we don't mind being involved in that.”
The 2009 season marked the ninth consecutive year that Dollansky took to the road full-time with the World of Outlaws and his seventh-place showing in points was his sixth consecutive finish of seventh or higher and the eighth time overall in his career he has been in the Top-10 with the series at season's end. Dollansky finished the year as one of just six drivers that won at least three A-Feature events. He led the fourth most laps of any driver this season and also won the Crane Cams Dash three times to earn pole positions in feature events.
“The competition is always as good as it gets out here,” explained Dollansky. “These teams work very hard and to win races out here is not something that is not easy to do. You have to have a good strong team all the way through and that is what we are focused on getting ready now.”
As he has for the last three off-seasons, Dollansky will head to New Zealand to do some racing during the off-season, as he looks to stay sharp for the open of the 2010 campaign, which is less than three months away. Dollansky has picked up four wins at a couple of different tracks in New Zealand over the past three off-seasons along with eight Top-Five finishes in a limited number of starts. He will also pay a visit to Australia to get a few more races in prior to the 2010 season.
“I've got some off-season race plans in New Zealand as well as Australia,” he said. “I'll be home a little bit in the wintertime, do some snowmobiling and hang out with the family and friends and then get ready for February.”
The 2010 World of Outlaws season kicks off on February 5-7 with the 39th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UHON at Volusia Speedway Park, where Dollansky had two career wins, including in the 2008 World of Outlaws season opener. He also won the overall Florida DIRTcar Nationals title that same season as well as in 2007.
By the Numbers Craig Dollansky 2009:
1-Race for Dollansky in his home state of Minnesota this season, Deer Creek Speedway; Event that he and his wife Julie promoted, with that coming at Clay County Fair Speedway in Iowa
2-Canadian Provinces that Dollansky competed in during 2009
3-A-Feature wins this season; Wins in the Crane Cams Dash to earn pole positions; Countries that Dollansky competed in this season- Canada, New Zealand & United States
4- Wins in the Last Chance Showdown to lead all drivers to race his way into the A-Feature
5- Penske Power Positions earned by finishing in the third position in feature events
6- KSE Hard Charger Awards earned, which was second best in the series; SuperClean Start of the Night Awards for having the best start in a racing event over the course of a race night
7- Spot in the final standings to earn the eighth Top-10 finish of his World of Outlaws career
8- Feature races in which Dollansky led laps in 2009
8.8- Average finishing spot for Dollansky in 2009
9- Consecutive years that Dollansky has competed full-time with the World of Outlaws
14- Spot on the all-time World of Outlaws win list for Dollansky
21- Top-Five finishes in 2009 for the native of Elk River, Minnesota
24- States that Dollansky competed in this past season
30- Times that Dollansky raced his way into the Crane Cams Dash in 2009
31- Career A-Feature wins which is 14th on the all-time list
41- Top-10 finishes this past season for Dollansky
44- Tracks that Dollansky competed at this season
151- Laps led in feature events
8172- Points earned to finish seventh in the championship standings
147,800- Dollars earned by the veteran driver in 2009
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By the Numbers: 2009 World of Outlaws Season
Concord, NC—November 11, 2009— 2009 was one of the most competitive season's in World of Outlaws history, with the closest ever three-way battle for the title between Donny Schatz, Jason Meyers and Joey Saldana. In the end, Schatz picked up his fourth consecutive title by just 19 points over Meyers, making it the closest finish in World of Outlaws history.
Schatz became just the second driver to ever win four consecutive titles, joining 20-time champion Steve Kinser and also became the only driver other than Kinser to win at least four titles with the series. The North Dakota native also made history by becoming just the fifth driver in series history to win at least 100 A-Feature events, accomplishing that feat in his home state at Dacotah Speedway.
Saldana made history of his own, becoming just the fifth driver-ever to win at least 20 A-Feature events in one season and wrapped up the best season of his career with 21 total victories in World of Outlaws competition.
Over the course of the 10-plus month season that started at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida in February and wrapped up with the World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in November, the series competed at 42 different tracks in 23 states and two Canadian Provinces, with 16 drivers picking up feature wins, including nine who did not compete full-time with the series. In the 67 total events run, there were 92 lead changes, which were 28 more than in 2008.
The 2010 World of Outlaws season is less than three months, away beginning on February, 5 with the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park.
By the Numbers: 2009 Season:
1- Driver that earned their first career World of Outlaws A-Feature win this season- Cody Darrah
2- Preliminary features contested this season by the World of Outlaws; Canadian Provinces that the series visited in 2009
3- Drivers that led more than 300 laps of feature racing competition this season- Joey Saldana, Donny Schatz & Jason Meyers
5- Drivers in the 30-plus year history of the World of Outlaws that have won 20 or more A-Feature events in a single season, with Joey Saldana becoming the fifth this year
7-Races in the state of California this season, the most of any state
9- Drivers not competing full-time with the World of Outlaws full-time that won feature events in 2009
9.269- Track record set on August 21 at River Cities Speedway by Jason Meyers, which is the fastest lap in World of Outlaws history
10- Track records established in time trials this season; Wins in the Crane Cams Dash this season for Jason Meyers to lead all drivers; States represented by drivers that won feature races in 2009
11- Drivers that completed the entire World of Outlaws schedule
13- Fast time honors for Donny Schatz this season to lead all drivers
16- Drivers that won A-Feature events with the series in 2009
19- Points that separated Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers at the end of the season
20- A-Feature wins for Joey Saldana to lead the series; Drivers that set fast time in qualifying at least once this year
21- Races on half-mile tracks this season for the World of Outlaws, the most of any sized track
23- Drivers that won at least one Crane Cams Dash to earn a pole position; States that the World of Outlaws raced in this year
24- Drivers that earned the Penske Power Position at least once this season for finishing third in the A-Feature
25- Drivers that led laps in feature racing competition this season
27- Drivers that earned the SuperClean Start Award at least once in 2009
32- Consecutive years the World of Outlaws have crowned a champion
33- Drivers that earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award at least once this season
34- Average car count in 2009 for the World of Outlaws
36- Drivers that won the B-Main at least once this season to race their way into the A-Feature
38- Drivers that earned at least one Top-Five finish with the series this year
39- Top-Five finishes for Donny Schatz to lead the series
42- Tracks that the World of Outlaws competed at this season
55- Top-10 finishes for Jason Meyers to lead the series
65- A-Feature events contested in 2009
67- Total feature events run this season including preliminary features
68- Drivers that earned at least one Top-10 finish with the series in 2009
86- Days until the 2010 season kicks off on February 5 at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida
92- Lead changes in feature events this season
100- A-Feature wins for Donny Schatz in his World of Outlaws career, a feat he accomplished on August 22 at Dacotah Speedway
114- Qualifying points earned by Jason Meyers to lead the three championship contenders
463-Drivers that attempted to race at least once this season with the series
477- Laps led by Joey Saldana to lead the series in 2009
2221- Laps of feature racing competition this season
8908- Points earned by Donny Schatz to lead all drivers this season
35,000- Miles approximately traveled between tracks on the World of Outlaws circuit this year
150,000-Dollars earned by Donny Schatz and his Tony Stewart Racing team for capturing the 2009 championship
371,535- Dollars earned by Joey Saldana to lead the series
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