I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri always makes for some of the most exciting and closest racing of the season on the World of Outlaws circuit and the high-banked 1/3-mile bullring will help make history this weekend as the facility plays host to the inaugural Ironman 55 with $20,000 awaiting the winner of the finale on Saturday, August 8. The event kicks off on Friday, August 7 with a full night of racing.
Last season Jason Meyers and Craig Dollansky waged a thrilling battle at I-55 with Meyers coming out on top, while Dollansky staged a last lap charge off the fourth turn to come up just a few inches short of picking up the win. In each of the last 14 events for the World of Outlaws at I-55 Raceway there has been a different winner.
Joey Saldana was victorious at the track in 2007, with three-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz picking up a win the year before. Kraig Kinser won at the track in 2005, while 2001 World of Outlaws champion and Missouri native Danny Lasoski was victorious at the high-banked bullring in 2004, the same year that Craig Dollansky won at the track.
Steve Kinser and Jac Haudenschild have each won three A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws at I-55 Raceway to lead all active drivers.
Each night of the Ironman 55 will consist of time trials, heat races, a Crane Cams Dash and Last Chance Showdown to set the 24-car starting grid each night on the high banks. The finale on Saturday night will be 55 laps of green flag racing, making it the longest A-Feature event in the modern era of the World of Outlaws.
Slide jobs: Ironman 55 at I-55 Raceway:
Always near the front: Steve Kinser has five total wins in his career at I-55 Raceway to go along with 25 Top-10 finishes. He was victorious for the first time at the track in 1987, the first year the World of Outlaws competed at the high-banked bullring and has three A-Feature triumphs with the series at the track along with a couple of wins in preliminary features. His most recent win at the track came in 2003. The 20-time series champion has won twice this season on bullrings and is currently fourth in the series championship standings, just two markers behind Joey Saldana.
In contention: Jac Haudenschild has won three times at I-55 Raceway over the years and has finished in the Top-10 22 times. He scored his first win at the track in 1999 and followed that up win another victory in 2000 and also claimed the top spot in 2002. He ran fifth at the track last season and has racked up 22 Top-10 finishes this season as he closes in on his first win of the year. He ran in the Top-Five on both nights at Ohsweken Speedway in Canada last week and is solidly in the eighth position in the series championship standings.
Plenty of laps: Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, made his debut at I-55 Raceway in 1997 and has competed at the track 22 times over the last 12 years. He scored his first win at the high-banked 1/3-mile in 2006. He has finished eighth or better in each of his last eight starts at the track, with five of those being Top-Five performances. He won for the 11th time in 2009 last Saturday night at K-C Raceway in Ohio and currently has a 50-point lead in the championship standings over Jason Meyers as he chases his fourth consecutive title. He enters the Ironman 55 weekend with 99 career A-Feature wins with the World of Outlaws and looks to become just the fifth driver in the 31-year history of the series to cross the century mark.
Looking to repeat: Jason Meyers picked up his first career win at I-55 Raceway last season, in a thrilling battle with Craig Dollansky. The native of Clovis, California has won five times this season and is currently second in points as he chases his first career World of Outlaws title. He leads the series with 37 Top-10 finishes. He is one of just three drivers that has led more than 200 laps of feature racing competition this season.
A track he knows: Craig Dollansky won for the first time in his career at I-55 in 2004. He led most of the race there last season before finishing second to earn the eighth Top-Five finish of his career at the bullring. The native of Elk River, Minnesota recently picked up his first win of the season and first since joining Kasey Kahne Racing, as he was victorious at Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York on July 26. He has finished seventh or better in four consecutive races with three of those being podium finishes and he is currently seventh in points.
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