After making the first visit in the 30-plus year history of the World of Outlaws to the state of Virginia last season, the series will return to the Old Dominion State this weekend for the Paul Sawyer Memorial at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica. The half-mile will serve as the second of a busy three-race Memorial Day weekend, with $10,000 awaiting the winner on Saturday, May 23.
Last season in the series debut at Virginia Motor Speedway, Jason Meyers was victorious over Daryn Pittman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. For Meyers it was his fifth win of the early part of the 2008 season and it helped him extend his lead in the championship standings. He would eventually finish second in points at year’s end.
Joey Saldana set a new track record at Virginia Motor Speedway last season in time trials, leading a parade of 20 drives that shattered the existing mark. Saldana bested the existing track record by well over a full second. Meyers, along with Lucas Wolfe and Chad Kemenah picked up heat wins, while Pittman won the Crane Cams Dash to earn the pole position. It was Meyers getting the jump on Pittman at the start to lead the field into turns one and two. Pittman took the lead on the 17th laps, with Meyers getting back by on the next circuit and leading the remainder of the 30 laps.
A total of 10 of the drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2009 competed at Virginia Motor Speedway last season, with 2001 series champion Danny Lasoski and current Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender Brian Ellenberger making their first visit to the half-mile this weekend.
Slidejobs- Virginia Motor Speedway:
1 for 1:
Jason Meyers made his debut in Virginia last season and picked up the win in that event. He looks to stay undefeated at the track this season after leading 29 of the 30 laps last year, with Daryn Pittman getting by him for a single lap before he got back to the point. Meyers has won twice this season and is currently fourth in points.
Home on the half-miles:
Donny Schatz has won five times this season, with all of those victories coming on half-mile tracks. The three-time and defending series champion is the current series point leader over 20-time champ Steve Kinser. Schatz finished seventh in his debut at Virginia Motor Speedway last season.
“You have a race at one of the biggest tracks, that is live on TV right in the heart of NASCAR country, and everyone wants to show the world how good they are,” noted Schatz. “Then, 24 hours later, you are in another state racing, and then, 48 hours after that, you are on a track 700 miles from where you started the weekend. A lot can happen during those four days, so having a crew that’s prepared for anything can separate you from winning and losing.”
Looksing to add to the list:
Steve Kinser has won in nearly every state he has ever competed in and looks to extend that list to the state of Virginia this weekend. The 20-time series champion leads the series this season with 15 Top-10 finishes in 18 races and has one win, with that coming in his home state of Indiana. He is currently second in the series championship standings.
A new track record:
Joey Saldana set a new track record in time trials last season at Virginia Motor Speedway circling the half-mile in 14.537 seconds at 123.822 miles per hour. He wound up finishing fifth in the A-Feature event. He is tied with Schatz for the series lead with five wins this season, with two of those coming on half-miles. He is third in points as he chases his first series title.
| 
|