Richard Day
WoO Director of Public Relations
Meyers set fast time, won the First Dash Race and led all 30 laps from the pole
in the “A” Feature as sprint car racing’s premier series completed the race
originally scheduled for June 11th. Finishing second behind
“This is a great win for the Elite Landscaping team,” Meyers said. “Bob
(Curtis) and Steve (Swenson) have been working hard to give me a great car.
Mother Nature has played havoc with us all year long, and I’m glad everyone was
able to make it back out here tonight. I know it threw a wrench into your plans
like it did ours, but we hope you got to see some good racing out of it. This
Kistler engine was running really strong tonight, and we have a lot of great
sponsors that have come on board like Craviotto Drums, Peninsula Floors and
Pacific Union Homes. Without them we could never do this. Anyone who was here
last year knows that I should have won that one. I gave it away in the last 10
laps, so it’s nice to come and get this one from the start.”
Meyers led the first 21 laps from the pole last August 6th at Hartford Speedway
Park, but Brian Paulus raced past Meyers and Donny Schatz during the final 1
2/3 laps on his way to claiming the first victory of his
The drivers ranking 1-11 in the point standings finished in the top 11 in the
“A” Feature for the first time in the
Meyers burst into the lead as the green flag fell in the main event, but a
mid-pack collision sent Paulus and the #28 Arnold Transport Maxim spinning in
the third corner, nullifying the original start.
Meyers won a front-stretch drag race with Second Dash Race winner Donny Schatz
when the green flag replaced the yellow, and entered lapped traffic with a full
straightaway advantage five laps later.
Kinser steered his #11 Quaker State Maxim into the high groove in turn four to
pass Tim Shaffer for fourth place late in lap eight. Brian Carlson’s
second-corner spin took the leaders out of lapped traffic several seconds
later. Joey Saldana drove the #2 Volcano Joe’s Coffee Maxim past Shaffer on the
back straightaway half a lap after the race resumed.
Meyers was half a straightaway ahead of Schatz when he caught the back-markers
midway through the race. Kinser passed Third Heat Race winner Danny Lasoski for
third place with an inside move turn three late in the 18th lap.
Paulus, who raced back through the field into 12th place from the rear of the
field in 17 laps, lost the position several seconds later when a mechanical
malfunction forced him to stop in the fourth corner.
Meyers controlled the final restart, and opened a half-straightaway advantage
within seven laps. Schatz narrowed the gap in dense lapped traffic, but was six
car-lengths behind when Meyers took the checkered flag.
“We got into a lot of lapped traffic there, and I had to move around and go to
the bottom,” Meyers said. “I wasn’t very fast down there, and I could feel the
tires spinning. Under that last caution (crewman) Steve (Swenson) went up to
the fence to tell me to get back on the top, and the car was just perfect after
that. You’re supposed to win races from the pole, but it doesn’t always work
out that way.”
“The King of the Outlaws” increased his lead in the standings to 66 points by
finishing in third place. Lasoski finished fourth, ahead of Saldana,
11th-starting Daryn Pittman, Paul McMahan, Shaffer, Kraig Kinser and Dollansky.
Kraig Kinser, the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year leader, drove father
Steve’s #11K Delco-Remy Maxim past five cars to finish in ninth place.
Meyers paced the qualifying session for the first time this season, circling
the high-banked, ½-mile oval in 16.148 seconds, an average speed of 111.469 M.P.H.
Brett Mann lost third place in the First Dash Race when the engine in his #19
Mann Enterprises Wolfweld lost power. Unable to race in the “A” Feature, Mann
was replaced by Mike Schumacher.
2004
Hartford Speedway Park, Hartford, MI
Wednesday, July 14, Feature Program #33
Qualifying: 1.
First Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Steve Kinser, 2.
Second Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Craig Dollansky, 2. Daryn Pittman, 3. Joey
Saldana, 4. Brian Paulus, 5. Tim Shaffer, 6. Eddie Smith, 7. Mike Schumacher,
8. Mike Jonas, 9. Tom Davies. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Third Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Danny Lasoski, 2. Ken Mackey, 3. Gary Fast, 4.
Brett Mann, 5. Mike Kertscher, 6. Brian Carlson, 7. Damon Bassett, 8. Cory
Bevard. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Fourth Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Brandon Wimmer, 2. Paul McMahan, 3. Kraig
Kinser, 4. Bob Bennett, 5. Dustin Daggett, 6. Ben Rutan, 7. Robert Huisken, 8.
Rusty Egan. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
First Dash Race (five laps): 1.
Second Dash Race (five laps): 1. Donny Schatz, 2. Tim Shaffer, 3. Joey Saldana,
4. Paul McMahan, 5. Jason Sides, 6. Craig Dollansky, 7. Kraig Kinser, 8. Gary
Fast. (finish determined the outside starting positions in the first eight rows
in the “A” Feature lineup)
B Feature (12 laps): 1. Ben Rutan, 2. Brian Carlson, 3. Steve Meyer, 4. Norm
Carpenter, 5. Mike Schumacher 6. Eddie Smith ($180); 7. Mike Jonas ($150); 8.
Damon Bassett ($120); 9. Tony Burres ($100); 10. Rusty Egan ($90); 11. Robert
Huisken ($70); 12. Tom Davies ($60); 13. Cory Bevard ($60); 14. Carl Fry, Jr.
($60). (first four qualified for the “A” Feature)
A Feature (30 laps): 1.
Lap leader: