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Saldana Takes Home Showdown Win for Kasey Kahne Racing.
Austin Dillon Puts the No. 3 Back in Victory Lane at The Dirt Track
CONCORD, N.C. (May 22, 2009) - Kasey Kahne Racing's Joey Saldana
scored his first win at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Friday's
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Showdown. In FASTRAK Late Model Series action,
Austin Dillon took home the win in a black No. 3 as his grandfather Richard
Childress looked on.
Saldana started second on the outside of the front row in the 24-car
field. He and Donny Schatz traded the lead back and forth on Lap 13, and he
regained the lead on Lap 20. Saldana led the final 10 laps en route to his
victory at the four-tenths-mile clay oval and took home the $12,000 top
prize.
"This is unbelievable," said Saldana. "This whole month of May I
wanted to erase, but to come here, it's the biggest crowd and the best place
to race. I am speechless; I don't know what to say. Last week we took a
provisional and then came here and won. This is huge."
The win was Kasey Kahne Racing's sixth of the season with Saldana,
who started racing for Kahne full-time in 2006.
The month of May at Lowe's Motor Speedway has traditionally been good to
Kahne as he took home wins in both the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and
Coca-Cola 600 last year. Kahne hopes to take home another victory this
Sunday in the historic 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 where he is slated
to start in the sixth position.
"It was exciting to watch with all the great fans here in
Charlotte," said Kahne. "This is a great place to race and I am looking
forward to Sunday."
Jason Sides took second place from Schatz on Lap 29, and Daryn
Pittman and Steve Kinser rounded out the top five.
The race was slowed by two cautions as Robbie Stillwagge got into
the wall on Lap 3 and Brooke Tatnell slowed between Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 21.
The eight-lap sprint car heat races were won by Sides, Schatz and
Steve Kinser.
Randy Hannagan took the checkered flag in the B Main and Schatz won
the Crane Cams Dash to earn the pole position for the feature.
Dillon led the 25-lap FASTRAK Late Model Series Race flag to flag,
marking the third-consecutive win for the Dillon brothers in FASTRAK Late
Model Series competition at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway. Austin
won in 2007 and his younger brother Ty Dillon won last year.
"I have to thank all of my guys," said Dillon. "My car was awesome.
It was fun to drive.
"I want to thank the fans. We put that No. 3 up front."
Dillon's win in the black No. 3 drew a large response from the crowd on hand
as many fans raised three fingers in the air in memory of Dale Earnhardt,
who made the number famous driving for Richard Childress Racing.
The late model feature was slowed by two cautions for minor
incidents with RJ Otto on Lap 1 and Bradon Haley on Lap 17.
Tickets for Sunday's 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 are available
by online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling the Lowe's Motor
Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.
The results:
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars
First Heat (8 laps): 1. Jason Sides; 2. Daryn Pittman; 3. Brooke
Tatnell; 4. Sam Hafertepe Jr.; 5. Joey Saldana; 6. David Gravel; 7. Robbie
Stillwagge; 8. Craig Dollansky; 9. Brandon McLain.
Second Heat (8 laps): 1. Donny Schatz; 2. Chad Kemenah; 3. Jason
Meyers; 4. Jac Haudenschild; 5. Kraig Kinser; 6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.; 7.
Nicholas Bashford; 8. Randy Hannagan.
Third Heat (8 laps): 1. Steve Kinser; 2. Ed Lynch Jr.; 3. Danny
Lasoski; 4. Cale Conley; 5. Lucas Wolfe; 6. Matt Linder; 7. Brian
Ellenberger; 8. Daron Clayton.
Crane Cams Dash (6 laps): 1. Donny Schatz; 2. Joey Saldana; 3. Jason
Sides; 4. Daryn Pittman; 5. Brooke Tatnell; 6. Steve Kinser; 7. Chad
Kemenah; 8. Jason Meyers; 9. Ed Lynch Jr.; Cale Conley.
B Main (12 laps): 1. Randy Hannagan; 2. Craig Dollansky; 3. Brian
Ellenberger; 4. Nicholas Bashford; 5. Daron Clayton; 6. Robbie Stillwagge;
7. Brandon McLain.
Feature (30 laps): 1. Joey Saldana; 2. Jason Sides; 3. Donny Schatz;
4. Daryn Pittman; 5. Steve Kinser; 6. Jason Meyers; 7. Chad Kemenah; 8. Ed
Lynch Jr.; 9. Danny Lasoski; 10. Cale Conley; 11. Randy Hannagan; 12. Kraig
Kinser; 13. Jac Haudenschild; 14. Lucas Wolfe; 15. Craig Dollansky; 16.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.; 17. Matt Linder; 18. Brian Ellenberger; 19. David
Gravel; 20. Robbie Stillwagge; 21. Daron Clayton; 22. Nicholas Bashford; 23.
Brooke Tatnell; 24. Sam Hafertepe Jr.
FASTRAK Late Models
First Heat (8 laps): 1. Johnny Pursley; 2. Danny Breuer; 3. Andrew
Durham; 4. Hunter Peacock; 5. Ron Parker; 6. Donald Bradsher; 7. Chris
McLanigan; 8. Ronnie Mosely Jr.
Second Heat (8 laps): 1. Austin Dillon; 2. Jonathan Davenport; 3.
Ryan Gifford; 4. Teddy Musgrave Jr.; 5. John Pursley; 6. Albert Cosnahan.
Did not start: Ray Dockery.
Third Heat (8 laps): 1. Timbo Mangum; 2. Brian Ligon; 3. Bradon
Haley; 4. Andrew Wylie; 5. Gene Nasworthy; 6. Tate Hughes; 7. David Green;
8. Chad Justice.
Fourth Heat (8 laps): 1. Kenneth Peeples Jr.; 2. RJ Otto; 3. Butch
Lambert; 4. David Walts; 5. Walker Arthur; 6. Robbie Stevens; 7. Brandy
Baker; 8. Mitchell Coble.
Fifth Heat (8 laps): 1. Bob Robertson; 2. Joseph Joiner; 3. L.
Cameron Norris IV; 4. Steven Banal; 5. Anthony Sanders; 6. Travis Blackwell;
7. Eddie Hambrick.
Did not start: Royce Bray.
Sixth Heat (8 laps): 1. Chris Steele; 2. Jimmy Schiltz; 3. Ross
Bailes; 4. Brian Connor; 5. Steve Cooke; 6. Ty Dillon; 7. Josh Harwell; 8.
Chris Cheek.
B Main 1 (12 laps): 1. Donald Bradsher; 2. Ron Parker; 3. Hunter
Peacock; 4. Albert Cosnahan; 5. John Pursley; 6. Teddy Musgrave Jr.; 7.
Brian Connor; 8. Andrew Wylie; 9. Tate Hughes; 10. Chris McLanigan; 11. Chad
Justice; 12. David Green; 11. Ray Dockery.
Did not start: Ronnie Mossely Jr.
B Main 2 (12 laps): 1. David Walts; 2. Walker Arthur; 3. Brian
Connor; 4. Ty Dillon; 5. Robbie Stevens; 6. Travis Blackwell; 7. Steven
Banal; 8. Brandy Baker; 9. Steve Cooke; 10. Chris Cheek; 11. Anthony
Sanders.
Did not start: Eddie Hambrick; Josh Harwell; Mitchell Coble; Royce
Bray.
Feature (25 laps): 1. Austin Dillon; 2. John Pursley; 3. Kenneth G.
Peeples Jr.; 4. Chris Steele; 5. Danny Brewer; 6. Bob Robertson; 7. L.
Cameron Norris IV; 8. Donald Bradsher; 9. Jimmy Schiltz; 10. Ryan Gifford;
11. Butch Lambert; 12. Jonathan Davenport; 13. Timbo Mangum. 14. Ron Parker;
15. Brian Ligon; 16. RJ Otto; 17. Ross Bailes; 18. Walker Arthur; 19. Hunter
Peacock; 20. Joseph Joiner; 21. Bradon Haley; 22. Andrew Durham; 23. Brandy
Baker; 24. Brian Connor.
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