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Saldana, Pittman and Gravel Have Unique Perspectives on Week Ahead in Midwest for World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series

Three races in four nights will test ‘The Greatest Show on Dirt’ in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - May 6, 2014 - The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series is looking ahead this week to three races in four days at very unique venues across Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Three drivers have distinct experiences at the upcoming tracks. The series will be making its debut on Wednesday at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway, a quarter-mile banked dirt oval where current series points leader Joey Saldana did some racing in the '90s; then on Friday for the third time in series history the Outlaws invade 1/3-mile Wilmot (Wis.) Raceway, where defending series champion Daryn Pittman has finished first and third and has led 55 of 75 laps there; and finally on Saturday for the 32nd time "The Greatest Show on Dirt" returns to quarter-mile Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., where last year David Gravel was the runner-up to the car he's currently racing.

"Jacksonville is right outside of Springfield, where the Outlaws ran the mile years ago," said Saldana, of Brownsburg, Ind., who last raced at Jacksonville in 1998. "I think the track was always in the background and never really got the exposure it deserved, so it's pretty cool they're finally getting an Outlaw race."

Saldana owns a 1-point advantage over Paul McMahan in the championship standings through 21 races, a long way from the World Finals in November. Still, being on top is no doubt a confidence builder for the Motter Motorsports team that came together just before the start of the 2013 season.

"I'm not worried about points right now," Saldana said. "For us, we need to win races. We need to go into Jacksonville and qualify well, go in there and race well. It's definitely going to be a tight racetrack and the racing is going to be tight."

At a venue like Jacksonville where the series is racing for the first time, or even Wilmot where the series is competing for only the third time, drivers who can adapt quickly will obviously find themselves up front. That's what makes World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series racers who compete February to November throughout North America stand out.

"I think it's just the amount that we race, how much variety of different tracks we see across the country gives us an advantage to pick up on something faster," said Pittman, a native of Owasso, Okla., who led the championship wire-to-wire last year for his first series title in his Kasey Kahne Racing car. "We don't have a choice, we have to pick it up quick because we're limited on how much practice we get, how many times we're on the track. You better pick it up fast or somebody else is going to beat you."

Pittman, who also has a few laps at Jacksonville under his belt, is confident in his abilities at tracks where the series rarely competes.

"I've always felt like new tracks, or tracks where nobody has a lot of experience, I thought I excelled at pretty well," said Pittman, who held off Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers to win the Outlaws' last race at Wilmot in 2008. "I always love going to new places, I have a pretty good history of going to a track for the first time and picking it up fairly quickly and being in contention for the win. ... I think on really flat, tricky places like Wilmot I have always had a pretty decent feel for what I need the car to do on those types of tracks."

Many of the drivers have years of experience at Saturday's venue, Tri-State Speedway. So perhaps it was a bit surprising one of the youngest racers in the sport, 21-year-old David Gravel, nearly pulled off a win last season at Tom Helfrich's meticulous quarter-mile oval in southeastern Indiana. Gravel was filling in for Bill Rose in 2013 at Tri-State when he was runner-up to Tim Kaeding and the Roth Motorsports #83. Last week, Gravel hopped in that Roth Motorsports #83 car and on Saturday night at Eldora Speedway he picked up his second win of the season and fourth of his career.

"Last year at Haubstadt we ran real well, and obviously we were fast this past weekend," said Gravel, of Watertown, Conn. "I'm definitely looking forward to Tri-State. It's a really fun track. It should be a good weekend."

All four of Gravel's World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series victories have come in different cars. He's quick to adjust and confident with his new team after only one weekend of competition.

"Ever since the first flight of hot laps in that car I was pretty comfortable," Gravel said. "There wasn't too much of a learning curve. The crew guys really work well together and care about my opinion and what I'm comfortable with. The past year I've driven quite a few different cars, and I seemed to be fast in almost every one I drove. Just driving different cars, driving different tracks is definitely a positive. When you're strapped in, you can't really see what the car looks like on the outside so you just drive it the same."

No doubt the action will be intense on three consecutive short tracks in four days before the series sets sail next week for its first trip of the year to Pennsylvania. For Saldana, Pittman and Gravel, the anticipation is certainly building for tracks where history might just be on their side.

ABOUT THE TRACKS

Jacksonville Speedway is a high-banked, quarter-mile oval. The series will be competing at Jacksonville for the first time in history .

Wilmot Raceway is a 1/3-mile oval. The track record of 12.609 seconds was established by Bill Balog on May 26, 2012.

Previous winners at Wilmot Raceway include:

2008 - Daryn Pittman on Aug. 1

2006 - Mark Dobmeier on Oct. 14

Tri-State Speedway is a high-banked, quarter-mile oval. The track record of 11.110 seconds was established by Sammy Swindell on Oct. 8, 2004.

Previous winners at Tri-State Speedway:

2013 - Tim Kaeding on April 20

2012 - Craig Dollansky on April 21

2011 - Sammy Swindell on May 30

2010 - Craig Dollansky on Oct. 16

2009 - Steve Kinser on June 25

2008 - Craig Dollansky on July 6

2007 - Steve Kinser on April 21

2006 - Craig Dollansky on April 15

2005 - Steve Kinser on April 16

2004 - Tim Kaeding on Oct. 8

1999 - Mark Kinser on May 16

1998 - Mark Kinser on May 10, Sammy Swindell on June 21

1997 - Steve Kinser on May 11, Sammy Swindell on June 22

1996 - Mark Kinser on May 12

1995 - Stevie Smith on May 14, Steve Kinser on July 16

1994 - Andy Hillenburg on May 15, Dave Blaney on July 17

1993 - Dave Blaney on May 16, Andy Hillenburg on July 18

1992 - Gary Wright on May 10, Sammy Swindell on July 26

1991 - Doug Wolfgang on May 12, Steve Kinser on July 14

1990 - Doug Wolfgang on May 13

1989 - Steve Kinser on May 14

1988 - Bobby Davis, Jr. and Sammy Swindell on May 15 (co-winners)

1980 - Steve Kinser on May 11

1979 - Lee James on May 13, Larry Gates on Aug. 19

DRIVER INFO

The following World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series drivers maintain websites:

Cody Darrah - CodyDarrah.com

David Gravel - DavidGravel89g.com

Kraig Kinser - KraigKinser.com

Steve Kinser - SteveKinser.com

Kerry Madsen - KenericRacing.com

Paul McMahan - PaulMcMahanRacing.com

Daryn Pittman - DarynPittman.com

Joey Saldana - JoeySaldanaRacing.com

Logan Schuchart - Shark1s.com

Donny Schatz - DonnySchatz.com

Jason Sides - SidesMotorsports.com

Brad Sweet - Bradsweetracing.com

Sammy Swindell - SwindellMotorsports.citymaker.com

For more driver information, visit: WoOsprint.com

WINNERS: Brad Sweet - 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Tucson International Raceway on March 8 and Calistoga Speedway on April 5); Daryn Pittman - 3 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14, Calistoga Speedway on April 6 and Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 19);Donny Schatz - 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 6 and Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 19); David Gravel - 2 (Merced Speedway on March 28, Eldora Speedway on May 3); Kerry Madsen - 2 (Stockton Dirt track on March 22 and El Paso Speedway Park on April 15); Joey Saldana - 2 (Perris Auto Speedway on April 12 and Salina Highbanks on April 25);Rico Abreu - 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 15); Cody Darrah - 1 (Kings Speedway on April 11);Steve Kinser - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 16); Paul McMahan - 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 5); Shane Stewart - 1 (Eldora Speedway on May 2); Sammy Swindell - 1 (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on April 26).

LISTEN LIVE: Listen live as the Voice of the Outlaws, Johnny Gibson, calls the action at all World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series events on the DIRT Radio Network, with a number of events throughout the season being featured as a DIRTVision Cybercast. Visit DIRTVision.com for more information on all the features.

LIVE ONLINE UPDATES: Check out the Official World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series website at WoOsprint.com for live, interactive text updates of each race. It also includes driver biographies with statistics and pictures, race-by-race stats, detailed track information and race coverage, series news and team press releases.

GET SOCIAL: Follow the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series invades Pennsylvania for the first time this season, beginning Wednesday, May 14, with the Gettysburg Clash at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa.

2014 STAT ATTACK

There have been 21 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series A-mains this season.

Winners (12 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown - Wins

1. • DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. - 3

• DONNY SCHATZ, Minot, N.D. - 3

• BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. - 3

4. • KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - 2

• DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. - 2

• JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. - 2

7. • RICO ABREU, St. Helena, Cal. - 1

• CODY DARRAH, Red Lion, Pa. - 1

• STEVE KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - 1

• PAUL McMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. - 1

• SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. - 1

• SAMMY SWINDELL, Germantown, Tenn. - 1

Total Laps Led (19 Different Drivers)

Rank - Driver, Hometown - Laps

1. • JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. - 96
2. • DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. - 71
3. • KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - 57

• DONNY SCHATZ, Minot, N.D. - 57

5. • CODY DARRAH, Red Lion, Pa. - 47

6 - BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. - 41

7. • STEVE KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - 35
8. • SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. - 30
9. • RICO ABREU, St. Helena, Cal. - 28

• DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. - 28

11. • TIM SHAFFER, Aliquippa, Pa. - 26
12. • LOGAN SCHUCHART, Hanover, Pa. - 22
13. • SAMMY SWINDELL, Germantown, Tenn. - 19
14. • KYLE HIRST, Elk Grove, Calif. - 18
15. • BRIAN BROWN, Grain Valley, Mo. - 14

• PAUL McMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. - 14

17. • WAYNE JOHNSON, Oklahoma City, Okla. - 10
18. • TERRY McCARL, Altoona, Iowa - 7
19. • KRAIG KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - 3

Pole Positions (16 Different Drivers)

Rank - Driver, Hometown - Poles

1. • DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. - 3
2. • KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - 2

• DONNY SCHATZ, Fargo, N.D. - 2

• BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. - 2

5. • CODY DARRAH, Red Lion, Pa. - 1

• DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. - 1

• KYLE HIRST, Elk Grove, Calif. - 1

• WAYNE JOHNSON, Oklahoma City, Okla. - 1

• BUD KAEDING, Campbell, Calif. - 1

• STEVE KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - 1

• TERRY McCARL, Altoona, Iowa - 1

• PAUL McMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. - 1

• JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. - 1

• LOGAN SCHUCHART, Hanover, Pa. - 1

• TIM SHAFFER, Aliquippa, Pa. - 1

• SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. - 1

Hard Charger Award (12 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown - H.C. Awards

1. • TIM KAEDING, San Jose, Calif. - 6
2. • DONNY SCHATZ, Minot, N.D. - 4
3. • DARRYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. - 2
4. • RICO ABREU, St. Helena, Cal. - 1

• JACOB ALLEN, Hanover, Pa. - 1

• JAC HAUDENSCHILD, Wooster, Ohio - 1

• JOHNNY HERRERA, Albuquerque, N.M. - 1

• DANNY LASOSKI, Dover, Mo. - 1

• BRAD LOYET, Sunset Hills, Mo. - 1

• KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - 1

• JASON STATLER, Grass Valley, Calif. - 1

• BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. - 1

Time Trial leaders (8 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown - Quick Times

1. • JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. - 10
2. • PAUL McMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. - 3
3. • DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. - 2
4. • KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - 2
5. • TERRY McCARL, Altoona, Iowa - 1

• DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. - 1

• BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. - 1

• SAMMY SWINDELL, Germantown, Tenn. - 1

Qualifying Points Earned (22 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown - Points

1. • JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. - 73
2. • PAUL McMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. - 47
3. • DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. - 32
4. • KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - 27
5. • BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. - 22
6. • DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. - 18
7. • DONNY SCHATZ, Minot, N.D. - 16
8. • SAMMY SWINDELL, Germantown, Tenn. - 14
9. • BRIAN BROWN, Grain Valley, Mo. - 9

• CODY DARRAH, Red Lion, Pa. - 9

11. • KRAIG KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - 7
12. • RICO ABREU, St. Helena, Cal. - 6
13. • TERRY McCARL, Altoona, Iowa - 5

• DANNY LASOSKI, Dover, Mo. - 5

15. • LUCAS WOLFE, Mechanicsburg, Pa. - 4
16. • DALE BLANEY, Hartford, Ohio - 3

• SAM HAFERTEPE JR. - Sunnyvale, Texas - 3

• JASON MEYERS, Clovis, Calif. - 3

• LOGAN SCHUCHART, Hanover, Pa. - 3

• TREY STARKS, Puyallup, Wash. - 3

21. • TIM KAEDING, San Jose, Calif. - 2
22. • RANDY HANNAGAN, Pittsboro, Ind. - 1

Heat Race Winners (31 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown - Wins

1. • KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - 7
2. • STEVE KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - 6

• DONNY SCHATZ, Minot, N.D. - 6

4. • CODY DARRAH, Red Lion, Pa. - 5

• BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. - 5

• KRAIG KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - 5

7. • RICO ABREU, St. Helena, Cal. - 3

• SAMMY SWINDELL, Germantown, Tenn. - 3

9. • SAM HAFERTEPE JR. - Sunnyvale, Texas - 2

• KYLE HIRST, Elk Grove, Calif. - 2

• WAYNE JOHNSON, Oklahoma City, Okla. - 2

• DANNY LASOSKI, Dover, Mo. - 2

• TERRY McCARL, Altoona, Iowa - 2

• DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. - 2

• JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. - 2

• LOGAN SCHUCHART, Hanover, Pa. - 2

• JASON SIDES, Bartlett, Tenn. - 2

18. • DALE BLANEY, Hartford, Ohio - 1

• DAVE BLANEY, Cortland, Ohio - 1

• BRYAN CLAUSON, Noblesville, Ind. - 1

• RANDY HANNAGAN, Pittsboro, Ind. - 1

• DANNY HOLTGRAVER, Pittsburgh, Pa. - 1

• BUD KAEDING, Campbell, Calif. - 1

• TIM KAEDING, San Jose, Calif. - 1

• CHAD KEMENAH, Alvada, Ohio - 1

• BRONSON MAESCHEN, Pleasantville, Iowa - 1

• PAUL McMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. - 1

• JASON MEYERS, Clovis, Calif. - 1

• DJ NETTO, Hanford, Calif. - 1

• SHANE STEWART, Bixby, Okla. - 1

• TOMMY TARLTON, Fresno, Calif. - 1

Last Chance Showdown Winners (12 Different Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown - Wins

1. • LOGAN SCHUCHART, Hanover, Pa. - 3

• SAMMY SWINDELL, Germantown, Tenn. - 4

• CODY DARRAH, Red Lion, Pa. - 2

3. • BRIAN BROWN, Grain Valley, Mo. - 1

• TONY BRUCE JR., Liberal, Kan. - 1

• MIKE FARIA, Tipton, Calif. - 1

• DAVID GRAVEL, Watertown, Conn. - 1

• KYLE HIRST, Elk Grove, Calif. - 1

• KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - 1

• MASON MOORE, Princeton, Calif. - 1

• JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. - 1

• LUCAS WOLFE, Mechanicsburg, Pa. - 1

Dash Draw Selection (21 Dashes)

Number - Times Picked

0 - 4

4 - 6

6 - 8

8 - 3

Feature Winnings (Platinum Drivers)

Rank Driver, Hometown - Winnings

1. • DARYN PITTMAN, Owasso, Okla. - $85,000
2. • JOEY SALDANA, Brownsburg, Ind. - $71,450
3. • DONNY SCHATZ, Minot, N.D. - $68,450
4. • BRAD SWEET, Grass Valley, Calif. - $66,800
5. • KERRY MADSEN, St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia - $61,950
6. • PAUL McMAHAN, Hendersonville, Tenn. - $61,200
7. • STEVE KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - $52,000
8. • SAMMY SWINDELL, Germantown, Tenn. - $38,100
9. • CODY DARRAH, Red Lion, Pa. - $33,150
10. • KRAIG KINSER, Bloomington, Ind. - $27,900
11. • JASON SIDES, Bartlett, Tenn. - $21,400
12. • LOGAN SCHUCHART, Hanover, Pa. - $18,800
13. • JACOB ALLEN, Hanover, Pa. - $8,820

2014 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Schedule & Winners

No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Number of Wins in 2014)

1. Friday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, Fla. / Brad Sweet (1)

2. Saturday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, Fla. / Donny Schatz (1)

3. Sunday, Feb. 16 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, Fla. / Steve Kinser (1)

4. Wednesday, March 5 / The Dirt Track at Las Vegas / Las Vegas, Nev. / Paul McMahan (1)

5. Thursday, March 6 / The Dirt Track at Las Vegas / Las Vegas, Nev. / Donny Schatz (2)

6. Saturday, March 8 / Tucson International Raceway / Tucson, Ariz. / Brad Sweet (2)

7. Friday, March 14 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, Calif. / Daryn Pittman (1)

8. Saturday, March 15 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, Calif. / Rico Abreu (1)

9. Saturday, March 22 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, Calif. / Kerry Madsen (1)

10. Friday, March 28 / Merced Speedway / Merced, Calif. / David Gravel (1)

11. Saturday, April 5 / Calistoga Speedway / Calistoga, Calif. / Brad Sweet (3)

12. Sunday, April 6 / Calistoga Speedway / Calistoga, Calif. / Daryn Pittman (2)

13. Friday, April 11 / Kings Speedway / Hanford, Calif. / Cody Darrah (1)

14. Saturday, April 12 / Perris Auto Speedway / Perris, Calif. / Joey Saldana (1)

15. Tuesday, April 15 / El Paso Speedway Park / El Paso, Texas / Kerry Madsen (1)

16. Friday, April 18 / Devil's Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, Texas / Donny Schatz (3)

17. Saturday, April 19 / Devil's Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, Texas / Daryn Pittman (3)

18. Friday, April 25 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, Okla. / Joey Saldana (2)

19. Saturday, April 26 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, Mo. / Sammy Swindell (1)

20. Friday, May 2 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, Ohio / Shane Stewart (1)

21. Saturday, May 3 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, Ohio / David Gravel (2)

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