History and tradition play a large part in visiting Knoxville Raceway. The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum located off of the second turn at the legendary half-mile contains a large portion of this history. Also, the drivers and crews in the pit area contribute a significant part to the story that continues to be written each week, as they have waged epic battles on the track for numerous years. Off the track, the fans play a vital role in chronicling the history of the facility, as many individuals and families have been religiously attending the half-mile decade after decade.
The World of Outlaws will look to add to this history in their first of two visits to the storied half-mile this weekend on Saturday, April 28, as they will contest a full night of racing, with $10,000 earmarked for the A-Feature winner. Since 1979, the series has been competing at the track, which is widely known from coast-to-coast and revered all across the world.
Donny Schatz and Joey Saldana swept both races last season at Knoxville, and currently sit first and second in the World of Outlaws championship standings. The pair also finished in the Top-two spots in the Knoxville Nationals last season, with Schatz claiming his first triumph in sprint car racing’s biggest race after four runner-up finishes. After a solid pair of races last weekend, Schatz reclaimed the point lead by five markers over Saldana. The native of Fargo, North Dakota leads the series with 14 Top-10 finishes in 15 races, with 11 of those finishes being in the Top-Five. The 1997 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has won three races, including two on half-miles tracks.
Saldana, leads the series with five A-Feature wins, and has led a series-best 147 laps on the season. He has 13 Top-10 finishes driving for NASCAR star Kasey Kahne, with 10 of those being in the Top-Five. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana won on a half-mile earlier this season in Florida.
Steve Kinser heads to Knoxville with an unparalleled record at the hallowed track. In World of Outlaws competition, he has won 21 A-Feature events, along with winning the Knoxville Nationals a record 12 times. In his career, he has 58 total feature wins at the half-mile. The native of Bloomington, Indiana enters the event with plenty of momentum, after claiming his second victory of the season last Saturday night at Tri-State (Ind. ) Speedway, after finishing second to begin the weekend at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio. Daryn Pittman set fast time last October in the series most recent visit to Knoxville, and came home fifth in that event. The native of Owasso, Oklahoma is currently third in the championship points, just 128 markers out of the lead. He has 11 Top-10 finishes in the first 15 events of the season. He is a former World of Outlaws Gumout Series champion, and was the 1998 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year.
Danny Lasoski, who is a seven time Knoxville Raceway champion, heads back to the historic track fourth in World of Outlaws points. The 2001 series champion won his first race of the season on April 6 in Kentucky, and has racked up 10 Top-10 finishes. He won his first World of Outlaws A-Feature at Knoxville in 1993. The native of Dover, Missouri has seven career World of Outlaws A-Feature triumphs at Knoxville. He also is a fourtime winner of the Knoxville Nationals, in addition to being the all-time feature winner at Knoxville with 88 career triumphs.
Craig Dollansky won his first World of Outlaws A-Feature event at Knoxville in 2004. The native of Elk River, Minnesota is currently fifth in World of Outlaws points, with 10 Top-10 finishes. He is one of only two drivers that have transferred to every single AFeature from his heat race.
Terry McCarl is a six-time Knoxville Raceway track champion, claiming all six titles in a row, from 1999-2004. McCarl has 42 career wins at the track just down the road from his home in Altoona, Iowa. He finished fourth last October, as he seeks his first World of Outlaws win at his home track.
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