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Dollansky Claims First Victory of the Season at Thunderbowl Raceway

He has at least one win each of the past 10 WoO STP Sprint Car Series seasons

TULARE, Calif. - March 16, 2013 - There were some fist pumps and a couple of shouts; high fives and loud smiles. But the significant moment was a likely long, long exhale.

Ok, it's not like Craig Dollansky was a team on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. But his World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series feature victory on Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway was much needed in the tireless effort toward momentum.

Coming off arguably his most successful racing season, Dollansky struggled in the first seven races of this season. He entered Saturday ninth in the championship points standings, hadn't led a feature lap and had only three top 10s and no top fives this season.

"It's definitely not the start to the year we'd like to have," he said. "It's still fairly early in the year. It sure wasn't like we were completely hanging our heads by any means. We know what we're capable of."

That all changed with 35 continuous laps led by Dollansky, who jumped to the lead from outside the front row on the start. With tricky track conditions favoring the bottom groove, Dollansky maintained the lead as polesitter Jonathan Allard tried a variety of racing lines in an effort to get the top position.

"I just wasn't aggressive enough on the start and then I was too aggressive when we got to racing and hurt my tire pretty bad," Allard said. "Once we got in there I felt better. I was sliding the car around a bit, which I got nervous about. We gained some speed on them and then the yellow came out."

Seven cautions played into Dollansky's hand as he never had to pass a car in traffic. While Allard tried high and low to get a shot at the lead, Dollansky hit his marks lap after lap in the clear track.

"Once we got the lead I was just trying to manage tires and manage fuel," he said. "It was something I had to be aware of."

Dollansky executed to earn his first career win with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series at Thunderbowl Raceway and it marked the 10th consecutive season that Dollansky has recorded at least one feature victory. He also moved up to fourth in the points standings.

Allard held off championship points leader Daryn Pittman for the runner-up position.

"I just ran a really slow pace," Pittman said. "It was really hard to run that slow. It didn't matter how hard we ran, if we didn't make it to the 35 th lap it was all going to be a waste. I really figured the top two, as hard as they were running, might have tire issues. That's the gamble we took and either way we came home third."

Lucas Wolfe secured his first top five of the season with a four-place result and Paul McMahan ended fifth.

Last Chance Showdown winner Tim Kaeding, who claimed Friday's feature at Thunderbowl Raceway, earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after driving from 16 th to sixth. Sammy Swindell placed seventh, Joey Saldana eighth, Kraig Kinser ninth and Jason Meyers rounded out the top 10.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series returns to action on Friday in the grand opening of Stockton 99 Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif.

Thunderbowl Raceway Notebook

NOTES - Chad Kemenah did not attend the race because of a medical issue. He will be credited with 75 driver and owner points. … Cody Darrah established quick time in qualifying for the first time this season. … Joey Saldana claimed his first heat race win, Kyle Hirst his first and Jac Haudenschild his second straight of the season. … It was the first heat race that Tim Kaeding was in that he didn't record the win this season. … The dash draw was a six. … Jonathan Allard became the eighth different driver in as many events this season to win the dash. … Kaeding earned the victory in the Last Chance Showdown.

CONTINGENCY WINNERS - Penske Shocks ($100 certificate): Jonathan Allard; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Craig Dollansky; Comp Cams ($50 certificate): Jonathan Allard; STP ($50 cash): Jonathan Allard; Bruce High Performance Transporters ($50 cash and $200 certificate): Daryn Pittman; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Sammy Swindell; UNOH ($50 cash): Sammy Swindell; American Racing Custom Wheels ($50 cash): Sammy Swindell; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Joey Saldana; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Wayne Johnson; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Wayne Johnson; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Bruce High Performance Transporters ($200 certificate): Donny Schatz; Superflow ($50 cash): Cody Darrah; JE Pistons (set of rings): David Gravel; Klotz Synthetic Lubricants ($50 cash): Steve Kinser; JE Pistons (set of rings): Kerry Madsen; Bruce High Performance Transporters ($200 certificate): D.J. Netto; MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): D.J. Netto; Armor All (case of product): Jonathan Allard; KSE Racing Products ($100 certificate): Tim Kaeding.

WINNERS - Tim Kaeding - 2 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 15 and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 7); Daryn Pittman - 2 (Tucson International Raceway on March 9 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15); Craig Dollansky - 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 16); Danny Lasoski - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17); Terry McCarl - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 16) and Donny Schatz - 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 6).

TIME TRIALS - Cody Darrah was the fastest qualifier around the third-mile oval with a time of 13.162 seconds to earn five championship points. Also earning points were Paul McMahan (4 points), Sammy Swindell (3), Daryn Pittman (2) and Brian Brown (1).

WE'RE ONLINE - Make sure to check out WoOsprint.com for the latest news and results, plus exclusive driver interviews, video and pictures. Also listen to every event live at DIRTVision.com .

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