Richard Day
WoO Director of Public Relations
“The Dude” won his third straight World of Outlaws Sprint Series “A” Feature
Wednesday at LaSalle Speedway, passing pole-sitter Brooke Tatnell late in the
13th lap and taking the checkered flag with 15 car-lengths to spare. The
$10,000 victory pushed Lasoski to within 91 points of Steve Kinser in their
battle for first place in the World of Outlaws Sprint Series standings.
Lasoski also won three successive main events early in 2000 and swept the
feature races in the 2003 Harvest Classic at Calistoga Speedway. Stevie Smith
was the last driver to win three straight single-program events, winning at
Hagerstown Speedway, Orange County Speedway and Eldora Speedway during the
summer of 1999. The last driver to win four consecutive “A” Features was Sammy
Swindell in August of 1997.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series’ 24th event of the season, run amid
threatening weather, was the series’ first at LaSalle Speedway since July of
1999.
Lasoski, who leads the World of Outlaws Sprint Series with seven fast-times,
was the 11th-fastest qualifier, was .275 seconds off Brandon Wimmer’s record
pace of 10.368 seconds around the high-banked, ¼-mile oval. “The Dude” earned
the right to start the 35-lap main event outside the second row by following
Craig Dollansky across the finish line in the Second Dash Race.
Tatnell, who won the First Dash Race, drove Guy Forbrook’s #5 Wirtgen Maxim
into the lead as the green flag fell in the “A” Feature. Lasoski passed
Dollansky for second place with an inside move in turn four late in the opening
lap. First Heat Race winner Jason Johnson brought out the first caution flag in
the main event when he spun into the infield in the fourth corner early in lap
two.
Kinser, a two-time winner at LaSalle Speedway, exchanged fourth place with
Lasoski was just inches from Tatnell’s rear bumper when they entered lapped
traffic six laps into the race. “The Dude” raced wheel-to-wheel with Tatnell
through the fourth corner late in lap six, but was unable to surge ahead.
Lasoski drove 2002 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart’s #20 J.D. Byrider
Eagle to the lowest point in turn four to pass Tatnell for the lead the next
time around.
Dollansky lost third place several seconds later when he collided with a lapped
car and spun in turn two. Mike Reinke collided with Kerry Madsen and flipped on
the back straightaway half a lap after the race resumed, bringing out the red
flag. Third Heat Race winner Jesse Gianetto’s second-corner spin forced another
restart midway through the race.
Kinser steered his #11 Quaker State Maxim into the high groove in turn two to
pass Tatnell for the runner-up spot two laps after the green flag replaced the
yellow.
Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year leader Kraig Kinser used an identical move to
pass Paul McMahan for seventh place early in the 22nd lap, but lost one lap
later when the #11K Delco Remy International Maxim hit the retaining wall and
flipped in the first corner.
Lasoski controlled the ensuing restart, and was eight car-lengths ahead of “The
King of the Outlaws” when he entered lapped traffic during lap 26.
Meyers and Donny Schatz exchanged fourth place during lap 29. Meyers drove the
#14 Elite Landscaping Maxim past Schatz deep in turn two, but the 1997 Rookie
of the Year steered his family’s #15 Parker Store J&J into the low groove
between the third and fourth corners to regain the position.
“The Dude” entered dense lapped traffic with a straightaway advantage with four
laps remaining and coasted to the 64th “A” Feature victory of his World of
Outlaws Sprint Series career.
Tatnell finished in third place, ahead of Schatz, Meyers, Daryn Pittman,
12th-starting Randy Hannagan, McMahan, Jonathan Allard and Tim Shaffer. Meyers
passed Dollansky for fifth place in the point standings with his 11th top-five
finish of the season. The seventh-place finish was Hannagan’s best in a World
of Outlaws Sprint Series main event since the Texas Shootout at
Shaffer, making his debut in the #6 Casey’s General Stores Maxim, won the
Second Heat Race and passed 12 cars to finish 10th in the main event. Joey
Saldana drove the #2 Volcano Joe’s Coffee Maxim to victory in the “B” Feature and
into 11th place from outside the ninth row in the main event.
Wimmer persevered through a roller-coaster evening at LaSalle Speedway. After
setting the qualifying standard, a fuel nozzle problem put
2004 World of Outlaws Sprint Series
LaSalle Speedway, LaSalle, IL
Wednesday, June 9, Feature Program #24
Qualifying: 1. Brandon Wimmer, Two Winners Racing 7TW, 10.368 (new single-lap
record); 2. Jason Sides, Sides Motorsports 7S, 10.384; 3. Joey Saldana,
Woodward 2, 10.427; 4. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 10.435; 5. Donny Schatz, Schatz
15, 10.453; 6. Daryn Pittman, Woodburn 21, 10.537; 7. Brooke Tatnell, Forbrook
5, 10.566; 8. Craig Dollansky, Karavan 7, 10.610 9;
First Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Jason Johnson, 2. Mike Deavers, 3. Erin Crocker,
4.
Second Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Tim Shaffer, 2. Kraig Kinser, 3. Jonathan
Allard, 4. Brooke Tatnell, 5. Jason Sides, 6. Tom Busch, 7. Bob Bennett, 8.
Tommy Rockwell, 9. Rusty Egan, 10. Larry Vandevere. (first five qualified for
the “A” Feature)
Third Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Jesse Gianetto, 2. Paul McMahan, 3. Danny Lasoski,
4. Daryn Pittman, 5. Bill Rose, 6. Joey Saldana, 7. Donny Goeden, 8. Tim
Vandevere, 9. Scott Lenz. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Fourth Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Brian Paulus, 2. Mike Reinke, 3. Randy Hannagan,
4. Steve Kinser, 5. Donny Schatz, 6. Wayne Johnson, 7. Bill Waite, Jr., 8.
Brian Kristan, 9. Tony Bures. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
First Dash Race (seven laps): 1. Brooke Tatnell, 2.
Second Dash Race (seven laps): 1. Craig Dollansky, 2. Danny Lasoski, 3. Steve
Kinser, 4. Daryn Pittman, 5. Jonathan Allard, 6. Randy Hannagan, 7. Bill Rose,
8. Mike Deavers. (finish determined the outside starting positions in the first
eight rows in the “A” Feature lineup)
B Feature (12 laps): 1. Joey Saldana, 2. Brandon Wimmer, 3. Kerry Madsen, 4.
Tom Busch, 5. Bill Waite, Jr. ($200); 6. Tim Vandevere ($180); 7. Jim Hurley
($150); 8. Brian Kristan ($120); 9. Larry Vandevere ($100); 10. Tony Bures
($90); 11. Jeremy Schroeder ($70); 12. Rusty Egan ($60); 13. Wayne Johnson
($60); 14. Kaley Gharst ($50); 15. Scott Lenz ($50); 16. Tommy Rockwell ($500;
17. Bob Bennett ($50); 18. Donny Goeden ($50). (first four qualified for the
“A” Feature)
A Feature (35 laps): 1. Danny Lasoski [4] ($10,000); 2. Steve Kinser [6]
($5,500); 3. Brooke Tatnell [1] ($3,200); 4. Donny Schatz [5] ($2,800); 5.
Lap leaders: Brooke Tatnell 1-12, Danny Lasoski 13-35