9/7/2009
Sprint Source
Haudenschild eyes fourth Gold Cup title
[b Haudenschild eyes second career back to back Gold Cup crown
Wild Child claimed $50,000 in 2009, looks to repeat feat he accomplished in 1999
[i By Bill Sullivan, Handy Racing Promotions, Inc.]
CHICO, CA – The 56th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions will mark a number of anniversaries for various teams competing in the $50,000 fall classic featuring the World of Outlaws’ Sprint Car Series. Last year’s champion Jac Haudenschild of Wooster, Ohio is one of such driver that will be looking to ad another accolade to his impressive racing resume.
Last year, Haudenschild drove to his third career Gold Cup victory aboard the Carnahan Motorsports R19 Maxim Sprint Car. After assuming the lead from early leader Jason Myers of Clovis, Haudenschild led the final 15 laps of the event and went on to win the $50,000 payday ahead of the crowd pleaser Craig Dollansky of Elk River, Minnesota.
The 2008 victory was the richest Gold Cup win of Haudenschild’s colorful career. Next week, the 51-year-old driver that is best known as, “The Wild Child” for his on the edge aggressive driving style, will return to not only seek another $50K payday. He will look to become a back to back winner of the race on the 20th anniversary of when he did so back in 1999.
“Last year was a good year for us, we managed to win some races,” said Haudenschild, who scored five feature wins in 2008. “One of them was the Gold Cup and that is always a good one to get.”
Haudenschild is one of just three drivers that have posted back to back victories in the Gold Cup Race of Champions since it began in 1951 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento. The only other drivers have accomplished this feat include the King of the Outlaws Steve Kinser who was the first back to back winner in 1978-79.
Kinser repeated later in his career with consecutive Gold Cup Championships in 1986-87 and once again in 2002-03. Andy Hillenburg of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma won back to back Gold Cups in 1994-95 prior to Haudenschild’s first feat in 1998-99.
As he heads to California to seek another 50,000 gold coins, Haudenschild is seeking his first World of Outlaws victory of the 2009 tour. He is currently ninth in the series point standings with 12 top five finishes and 26 top tens in the season thus far.
Currently, Donny Schatz of Fargo, ND leads the World of Outlaws’s Series standings. Shatz is amidst a stellar year aboard the Tony Stewart Motorsports #15 with 12 feature victories to his name. Schatz won the Gold Cup Race of Champions in 2004.
The pride of California, Jason Meyers of Clovis, is currently second in the series point standings. Meyers will continue his career-long dream of winning the Gold Cup Race of Champions before his hometown crowd. He has claimed victories in the annual Mini-Gold Cup at Silver Dollar.
In 2008 Meyers won a Gold Cup preliminary feature event but suffered a heart breaking collision with a lapped car while leading the championship feature event. Meyers as won six World of Outlaw’s feature events so far this year. If Meyers can accomplish the feat next Saturday, he will be the first California driver to win a Gold Cup since 1989 when Darrell Hanested of Clayton claimed victory.
Indiana’s Joey Saldana is third in the national standings. Saldana has 16 feature wins to his name this year aboard the Kasey Kahne Motorsports #9. Saldana won the Gold Cup Race of Champions in 2007 and won the World of Outlaw’s Mini Gold Cup at Chico in spring of this year.
The King of the Outlaws, Steve Kinser, of Bloomington, Indiana is fifth in the outlaw point standings. Kinser has two feature wins to his name and is a 12-time Gold Cup Champion. Kinser’s last Gold Cup victory came in 2005.
The 56th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions opens this Wednesday night with the Civil War Sprint Car Series taking to the Silver Dollar clay for the annual “Pacific Sprint Cup Invitational” along with the wingless sprint cars. The World of Outlaws will assault the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds beginning on Thursday night for the first of two preliminary nights of competition followed by the Gold Cup finale on Saturday night.
Single day tickets are still available for this upcoming fall classic. For complete ticket information and further details of the 56th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions visit www.handyracingpromotions.com.
Submitted By: Bill Sullivan