Ever since he began racing sprint cars, there have been three tracks that Paul McMahan has yearned to win at: Eldora Speedway, Knoxville Raceway and Williams Grove Speedway. He won at Williams Grove in 2000, and on Saturday night he checked Eldora off that list, as he won a thrilling battle with Jason Solwold and Dean Jacobs.
After lining up second for the 30-lap World of Outlaws event, he quickly moved into the third spot, passing Danny Lasoksi on the fourth lap. He slipped back to fourth on the 13th lap, and after getting around Joey Saldana on lap 17, he was in position for an epic duel with Jason Solwold and Dean Jacobs.
McMahan took the lead for the first time on the night on the 22nd lap, as he went to the low side of turn four. The next lap, Solwold went up the track and took the lead back again in turns three and four. They battled wheel-to-wheel the next couple of laps, with Solwold leading at the line each time, before the caution flag flew leading to a single file restart.
Solwold led on the final restart, with Jacobs briefly slipping past McMahan for the runner-up spot, only to have McMahan power back around him. On the 25th circuit, McMahan charged around Solwold on the high side of the track to make the pass for the lead and ultimately the win..
McMahan driving for NASCAR star Tony Stewart, who also owns Eldora Speedway, withstood a late flurry of challenges from Solwold as the laps wound down. Lap after lap Solwold tried everything he could to get around McMahan but each time McMahan fought off the challenges. All the while, Jacobs watched from third ready to pounce if the opening presented itself.
“I have been waiting a long time to win a race here at Eldora, ” said McMahan, driver of the Bass Pro Shops Eagle. “I’ve run second a number of times. To win a race in Tony’s (Stewart) cars at his race track, I can’t say enough. It was a great night. ”
McMahan also had a little luck on his side on Saturday night, as he drove most of the race with a heavily damaged radiator. The win was the sixth of his World of Outlaws career and first of 2007.
“The temperature gauge was wrapped around zero and there was no more water left in the thing, ” he said. “I popped a hole in the radiator. That Chevy power just kept on coming though. ”
Late in the race, the leaders were close to encountering heavy lapped traffic when the caution flag flew on two separate occasions. This gave McMahan a clear race track ahead of him and put him right behind Solwold. Though Solwold led on each restart, McMahan kept pace with him through each turn.
“I wasn’t sure what Jason would do, ” said McMahan when looking back at the two late restarts. “He was running through the middle on the restarts and I was committed to the top. I ran to the top of him and he took the bottom away so I could not slide him. It pulled me up in the cushion and let Dean (Jacobs) get back in there for a battle among the three of us for the lead. I knew if he went to the bottom then I was going to the top or wherever he wasn’t. ”
While Tony Stewart was not able to be at the track due to other commitments, McMahan was ready to call him after he and his team finished their post-race celebration. He also had the utmost praise for the countless hours the track crew had put in since the last time the World of Outlaws raced at the track in April, as he and many other drivers were able to run on both the top and bottom of the racing surface..
“I think he might answer this one when I call, ” smiled the winner. “Usually I just text message him, but I guarantee tonight I’ll give him a phone call. ”
Solwold led 22 laps on Saturday night and finished in the second spot as he continues to close in on his first World of Outlaws A-Feature victory. While he was disappointed that he was not in the winner’s circle, he knows that he and his team are on the cusp of winning races with the World of Outlaws and are consistently one of the fastest cars night in and night out.
“The team is doing a great job, ” said Solwold, driver of the City Wide Insulation Maxim. “I feel like I let them down a little tonight. We had a great race car last night and were running second and cut a tire down. We’re definitely capable of winning races. There is no question in my mind. We’ll get some breaks sooner or later. ”
Early in the race Solwold charged to some sizeable leads, only to see those disappear when the caution flag flew. Each time on restarts in the first half of the race, he would power his way down the front straightaway and pull back away.
“We were really good at the beginning, ” said the native of Mt. Vernon, Washington. “It was a little difficult when we got into lapped cars because everyone was running the bottom. We were good around the bottom. Like my crew chief Leonard (Lee) told me, he (McMahan) was a little faster than us. I was doing the best I could to protect my spot and slow him down. It just didn’t work out tonight. ”
Dean Jacobs, who earned his first career World of Outlaws A-Feature win last May at Lernerville Speedway filling in for Terry McCarl, turned in a strong effort on Saturday night, finishing in the third spot, with some broken pieces on the race car.
“I thought on that last restart I had a shot, but honestly I was lucky to finish the race, ” said Jacobs, driver of the AAG Inc. Eagle. “About halfway through I felt a vibration. There really wasn’t anything holding the torque tube on. We were fortunate to sees the checkers and finish third. We are happy with that. If that thing wouldn’t have come loose, I really think I would have had a shot at them. ”
After most of the cars ran on the low side of the track when the World of Outlaws first visited the half-mile in April, two distinct grooves were present on Saturday night, with a number of cars riding the rim as is customarily the fast way around Eldora.
“I knew with the rain it would keep the bottom good, ” he explained. “That is what made the bottom good, not the shape of the race track. The top got such a big ledge from the weather. The track is back. I ran an All Star race a couple weeks ago and Tony (Stewart) is doing everything he can to make this the awesome race track that it is. ”
Daryn Pittman ran near the front of the field all night, finishing fourth. Late in the race he closed in on the leaders and was turning some of the fastest laps of the night when the checkered flag flew.
“Any time we can pick up a Top-Five at Eldora is a decent night for us, ” said Pittman, driver of the Titan Garages Maxim. “We haven’t been good here for a long time and we were better tonight than we were in April. ”
With two wins under his belt this season, and 21 Top-10 finishes, Pittman continues to be one of the most consistent drivers with the series.
“We just keep making headway, ” said the native of Owasso, Oklahoma. “We are qualifying better and giving ourselves a better shot. We qualified 15th and finished fourth last night. We just have to work on starting at the front and getting some more wins. ”
Jason Meyers started 10th in the A-Feature and wound up fifth in the Primerica Financial Maxim to earn his 11th Top-Five of the season. The native of Clovis, California fell back to 11th on the second lap of the race before making a steady run to the front and quietly working his way into contention.
Donny Schatz, the current World of Outlaws Championship point leader had a steady night finishing sixth in the ParkerStore J&J. After troubles in time trials forced his crew to work on the car, he timed in 17th by way of series rules, since he received one lap of qualifying at the end of the session. He started the A-Feature in 17th spot and charged to the front to earn his 25th Top-10 finish of the season in 28 events.
Randy Hannagan started 13th in the Penthouse Magazine Maxim and finished seventh, with pole sitter Danny Lasoski in the Roth Motorsports Eagle in eighth. Tim Shaffer started 23rd and finished ninth to earn the KSE Race Products Hard Charger Award. Steve Kinser who celebrated his 53rd birthday on Saturday finished 10th in the Q Oil Maxim. Rain delayed the start of the event, but after several hours of track preparation the racing surface was ready, and provided for close racing all night long.
The World of Outlaws return to action on Tuesday, June 5 in the Hoosier Sprint Nationals at Kokomo (Ind. ) Speedway.
| 
|