‘The Dude’ Completes Eagle Nationals Sweep
by Richard Day
EAGLE, NE (June 20) – Danny Lasoski
accomplished another goal Sunday at Eagle Raceway.
The 2001 World of Outlaws Sprint Series
champion won his first main event at Eagle’s high-banked, 1/3-mile oval,
completing his sweep of the 21st Annual Eagle Nationals. "The
Dude" won his first "A" Feature at Eldora Speedway June 5th.
"I’ve always wanted one of these (Eagle
Nationals trophy)," Lasoski said. "We’ve come here for a long time,
and we were never able to put a win together. It’s a shame the track took
rubber like that, but I’m sure last night’s race made up for it. I just have to
thank my guys – Jimmy Carr and Todd Splain – for all the hard work they do on
this J.D. Byrider Eagle. I called Tony (Stewart, his car owner) last night and
told him we won. He told me I could keep my job for at least another day, so
I’d better call him again here as soon as I get back to the trailer."
"The Dude" cut Steve Kinser’s
advantage in the World of Outlaws Sprint Series point standings to 116 points
with the flag-to-flag victory. With four "A" Feature victories this
season, "The Dude" has 65 in his career, tying him with Stevie Smith
for sixth place on the series’ all-time list. The $12,000 victory was the 15th
of Lasoski’s World of Outlaws Sprint Series career at a racetrack one-third of
a mile or shorter.
Lasoski, who swept four multi-program events
last season, won his seventh Dash Race of the year for the privilege of
starting the 40-lap main event on the pole. Sammy Swindell, who set fast time
in both Eagle Nationals racing programs, burst into the lead from the outside
pole as the green flag fell in the "A" Feature. A first-corner
collision involving Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year candidate Jonathan Allard
and Bill Rose sent Rose spinning and brought out the caution flag, however,
nullifying the start.
"The Dude" beat Swindell into turn
one as the green flag replaced the yellow, only to have "B" Feature
winner Brandon Wimmer spin in the fourth corner several seconds later. Lasoski
took the lead again when the race resumed, but Craig Dollansky collided with
Rose, Tim Shaffer, Erin Crocker and Collin Northway and flipped between turns
three and four, bringing out the red flag. Lasoski raced into the lead on the
ensuing restart by winning a front-straightaway drag race with Swindell.
Terry McCarl drove his #24 Big Game Tree
Stands Eagle into seventh place from outside the fifth row during the opening
lap. The defending and five-time Knoxville Raceway champion passed Allard high
in turn four the next time around.
Mark Kinser and Rose hit the restart cone
following early spins by Erin Crocker, and were sent to the rear of the field.
Lasoski controlled the fourth-lap restart,
and was 1.2 seconds ahead of Swindell when he entered lapped traffic 10 laps
into the race. The track opened ahead of the leaders four laps later when the
#6 Casey’s General Stores Maxim suffered a flat right rear tire, forcing
Shaffer to stop in the fourth corner.
Steve Kinser passed Swindell for second
place as Sammy’s right rear tire started losing air pressure soon after the
green flag replaced the yellow. "Slammin’ Sammy" stopped the #12X
Beaver Drill & Tool Maxim in turn one with a flat tire early in the 18th
lap, but raced back through the field to claim his third top-10 finish in a
World of Outlaws Sprint Series main event this season.
"The Dude" raced away from the
field as the race resumed, and opened a 2.01-second advantage over Kinser
within four laps. Donny Schatz, the defending 1/3-Mile Short Track Nationals
champion, lost seventh place when his family’s #15 Parker Store J&J
suffered a flat right rear tire early in lap 26.
Shaffer, who raced through the field twice,
passed Joey Saldana for 12th place with an inside move in turn two
as the green flag replaced the yellow. Kerry Madsen, Kraig Kinser and Wimmer
passed Jason Sides for positions eight through 10 when the 2003 Rookie of the
Year slid out of the inside groove in the second corner early in the 31st
lap.
Lasoski was 2.5 seconds ahead of "The
King of the Outlaws" when he caught the back-markers two laps later. Kraig
Kinser and Mark Kinser surrendered the 10th and 15th
positions and took the leaders out of lapped traffic when they stopped with
flat tires during lap 35.
"The Dude" raced away from Kinser
as the race resumed, and took the checkered flag with 2.35 seconds to spare.
Brooke Tatnell, the only Australian driver to win a World of Outlaws Sprint
Series main event, finished third in both Eagle Nationals feature races. McCarl
finished fourth, ahead of Allard, Daryn Pittman, Madsen, Wimmer, Shaffer and
Swindell. Allard and Wimmer recorded career-best finishes by racing into the
fifth and eighth positions, respectively.
Engine problems caused Saldana to qualify
poorly – only 22nd-quick among the 28 cars taking time trials. With
a new power plant in the #2 Volcano Joe’s Coffee Maxim, the 1996 Rookie of the
Year raced past 13 cars to finish 11th in the main event.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Series will run
a $51,600 event at
2004 World of Outlaws Sprint Series
21st Annual Eagle Nationals
Eagle Raceway, Eagle, NE
Sunday, June 20, Feature Program #26
Qualifying: 1. Sammy Swindell, Vielhauer
12X, 11.858; 2. Craig Dollansky, Karavan 7, 11.978; 3. Paul McMahan, Helm 11H,
12.002; 4. Bill Rose, Rose 6R, 12.005; 5. Jonathan Allard, Wright 35, 12.012;
6. Daryn Pittman, Woodburn 21, 12.024; 7. Brian Paulus, Pender 28, 12.055; 8.
Finishing 1-4 in Saturday’s Preliminary
Feature qualified Danny Lasoski, Stewart 20; Steve Kinser, Kinser 11; Brooke
Tatnell, Grandstaff 66; Mark Kinser, Roth 83; for the first four starting
positions in the Dash Race.
First Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Donny Schatz,
2. Sammy Swindell, 3. Brian Paulus, 4. Daryn Pittman, 5. Kerry Madsen, 6.
Brandon Wimmer, 7. Joey Saldana, 8. Mike Boston, 9. Seth Brahmer, 10. Lonnie
Jensen. (first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
Second Heat Race (10 laps): 1.
Third Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Paul McMahan,
2. Terry McCarl, 3. Tim Shaffer, 4. Bill Rose, 5. Jason Johnson, 6. Billy
Alley, 7. Collin Northway, 8. Randy Anderson, 9. Rick Ideus. (first five
qualified for the "A" Feature)
Dash Race (seven laps): 1. Danny Lasoski, 2.
Sammy Swindell, 3. Steve Kinser, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Paul McMahan, 6. Brooke
Tatnell, 7. Craig Dollansky, 8. Bill Rose. (finish determined the first eight
starting positions in the "A" Feature)
B Feature (12 laps): 1. Brandon Wimmer, 2.
Collin Northway, 3. Erin Crocker, 4. Ryan Anderson, 5. Joey Saldana, 6. Mike
Boston ($300); 7. Randy Anderson ($300); 8. Troy Little ($300); 9. Rick Ideus
($300); 10. Ricky Logan ($300); 11. Seth Brahmer ($300); 12. Bob Bennett
($250); 13. Billy Alley ($250); 14. Lonnie Jensen ($250). (first five qualified
for the "A" Feature)
A Feature (40 laps): 1. Danny Lasoski [1]
($12,000); 2. Steve Kinser [3] $6,000); 3. Brooke Tatnell [6] ($4,000); 4.
Terry McCarl [14] ($3,750); 5. Jonathan Allard [9] ($3,500); 6. Daryn Pittman
[10] ($3,250); 7. Kerry Madsen [20] ($3,000); 8. Brandon Wimmer [17] ($2,770);
9. Tim Shaffer [13] ($2,500); 10. Sammy Swindell [2] ($2,250); 11. Joey Saldana
[24] ($2,020); 12. Brian Paulus [11] ($1,700); 13. Jason Johnson [22] ($1,500);
14. Mark Kinser [4] ($1,200); 15. Kraig Kinser [18] ($1,100); 16. Jason Sides
[15] ($1,000); 17.
Lap leader: Danny Lasoski 1-40
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