The fans at Volunteer Speedway had been waiting a long time for a World of Outlaws event. They received one on Saturday night, and it was one of the best races in the history of the track, as Joey Saldana picked up his second straight win and third of the season, in a thrilling battle with Tim Shaffer and Donny Schatz.
Saldana, inched out Tim Shaffer at the finish line, as the pair exchanged slide jobs over the last several circuits of the 35-lap A-Feature. With the pair battling back and forth, the capacity crowd was on their feet as the veteran drivers each sought the top spot, with Schatz just inches behind.
Saldana took the white flag in the lead with Shaffer closely shadowing him. Saldana was committed to the top side of the track, while Shaffer made up plenty of ground on the bottom. Coming off the third and fourth turns, Shaffer inched ahead of Saldana, but with the momentum he had coming off the 32 degree banking in turn four, Saldana was able to win by 0.199 seconds and take home the $10,000 payday.
“That was a great race, ” said Saldana, driver of the Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI. “I started running the top and stayed with it and it paid off. I may not have been the fastest car at the end, but I think I was the fastest car throughout the race. It was a good run for the team. ”
