Lebanon Valley Speedway played host to the closest finish of the World of Outlaws season last year, as Jac Haudenschild inched out Jason Meyers by just 0.014 seconds at the line to score his first career win at blazing fast half-mile. The win for Haudenschild was the 50th of his career with the World of Outlaws, putting him in an elite group of nine drivers that at the time had accomplished the feat.
The series will return to Lebanon Valley Speedway located in West Lebanon, New York this weekend on Sunday, July 26 for their 29th consecutive appearance at the track. Dating back to 1981, 12 different drivers have visited the winner’s circle at the track with the series, with Steve Kinser topping that list with nine triumphs.
Last season’s event came down to a two-lap shootout, as the caution flag flew on the white flag lap with Jason Meyers leading. On the final restart, Haudenschild looked to the high side of turns one and two, with Meyers holding his lead down the back straightaway. Haudenschild again looked high in turns three and four as the pair motored toward the white flag. On the last lap, he again charged to the high side of turns one and two and was right on Meyers down the back straightaway. Just inches off the wall in turn four, Haudenschild was able squeeze by Meyers as the pair worked their way to the checkered flag in the closest finish of the season.
Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending series champion has won twice in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway, while Jason Meyers and Joey Saldana have been victorious once each at the half-mile. The race on Sunday, July 26 will be the second of three separate visits this season for the series to the Empire State.
Slide jobs: Lebanon Valley Speedway:
Always up front: Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, has won nine times in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway to lead all drivers with the series. He has 23 Top-10 finishes in his career at the track. He has finished fourth or better in seven consecutive starts at the half-mile. The Hall of Famer was victorious in the World of Outlaws debut at the track in 1981 and his most recent win there came in 2005. He has won twice this year and is currently fourth in points, less than 100 markers out of the lead as he chases his record 21st title.
Looking for number three: Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, has won twice in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway, with those victories coming in 2001 and 2006. He has eight career Top-10 finishes at the high-banked track. He recently opened the “Month of Money” by winning the famed Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway and has 10 victories on the season, including a series-best six on half-mile tracks. He leads the series in Top-Five finishes as he chases his fourth consecutive title.
Oh so close: Jason Meyers came within a few inches of scoring his second career win at Lebanon Valley Speedway last season when Jac Haudenschild edged him at the line on the last lap. The native of Clovis, California was victorious in 2007 at the half-mile to score the first win of his career in New York. He has four career Top-10 finishes at the track in just a handful of starts with three of those being Top-Five performances. He currently leads the series in Top-10 finishes and is just five points out of the second spot in the championship standings.
Always a contender: Joey Saldana won at Lebanon Valley Speedway for the first time in his career in 2003. He has finished in the Top-10 in eight of his nine career starts at the track and all eight of those have been in consecutive races. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana leads the series with 12 A-Feature wins this season and is currently second in points as he chases his first series title.
Looking to add another track to the list: Danny Lasoski, the 2001 World of Outlaws champion, has come close to winning at Lebanon Valley Speedway a couple of times in the past as he looks to add the track to the impressive list of speedways he has won at over the years. He has seven career Top-10 finishes at the track. He recently won the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania and has five victories this season and is currently fifth in points. Lasoski set the track record in time trials in 2003 and that mark still stands today.
Learning the track: Jason Sides has made just four starts in his career at Lebanon Valley Speedway, and picked up a career-best ninth-place finish at the track last season. He has finished 13th or better in each of the A-Feature events he has competed in at the track. The native of Bartlett, Tennessee recently finished second in the opener of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway recently and has 13 Top-Five finishes this season. He is just four points behind Danny Lasoski for the fifth spot in the series standings.
| 
|