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Patient
Saldana Takes O’Reilly Spring Nationals
By Richard Day
MESQUITE,
TX (March 16) – Joey Saldana managed to steer clear of the mayhem
unfolding around him Saturday, then raced away from the field to win his
second consecutive “A” Feature at the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
birthplace, Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Saldana, who won the Winter Nationals last October, was gaining on the
leaders when Steve Kinser’s engine locked and Tyler Walker crashed into
a flipping Terry McCarl late in the 21st lap.
He
beat Craig Dollansky under the checkered flag by 3.286 seconds to claim
the $12,000 first prize and the 29th Annual O’Reilly Spring
Nationals title.
“I was pretty scared out there,” Saldana said in victory lane.
“Tyler was working the top in turn four – that’s how he got Steve
– but I was running down on the bottom. When I got to a couple of lapped
cars at the end I wanted to go to the top, but I knew my mechanic Davey
(Whitworth) would probably fire me if I got passed. So I just kept running
the same line and it paid off.”
Saldana was .288 seconds off fast-qualifier Danny Lasoski’s
125.962-m.p.h. pace in time trials, but he was the fastest through lapped
traffic midway through the 35-lap main event. He finished third in the
Third Heat Race and fifth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Dash for the
privilege of starting the “A” Feature inside the third row.
Kinser,
who has won 10 “A” Features at Devil’s Bowl Speedway since the
series ran its first race at the semi-banked, ½-mile oval 25 years ago,
started the main event on the pole after winning his fourth O’Reilly
Auto Parts Dash of the year. Walked raced wheel-to-wheel with him down the
front straightaway as the green flag fell in the “A” Feature and
passed him high in the second corner, only to have “B” Feature winner
Zach Chappell spin and collide with Donny Schatz and Michael Dupuy in turn
four late in the opening lap.
“The
King of the Outlaws” controlled the second start and led Walker into
lapped traffic five laps into the race. Kinser raced through the
back-markers with ease and opened a comfortable advantage with a 118.757
lap six laps later. Walker was more than .3 seconds faster than Kinser in
five of the next six laps and caught him during lap 17.
After
several unsuccessful runs at the lead, Walker drove the #35 C&W
Motorsports Eagle past Kinser on the front straightaway late in the 20th
lap.
Disaster
struck two laps later, however, as Kinser slid over the bank in turn four
with a blown engine and McCarl collided with Brooke Tatnell and flipped
down the front straightaway. Walker tried to take the high line past
McCarl, but hit the retaining wall and McCarl’s #24 simultaneously.
Saldana
took control of the race after the green flag replaced the red, and had
the #17 Eagle Raceway Eagle a half-straightaway advantage within two laps.
The 1996 Rookie of the Year entered lapped traffic with 8 ½ laps
remaining and coasted to the fifth “A” Feature victory of his career.
“In
racing, there’s no security,” Saldana said. “If it wasn’t for
Craig Cormack (owner of Eagle Raceway) and Doug Harris of HEM Saw, I
couldn’t be out here racing. We’re planning to run the whole year, but
if we start blowing motors or having bad luck I don’t know what we’ll
do. If wasn’t for Craig and Doug, we wouldn’t be here, so I definitely
have to thank them.
"It’s
too early for me to start thinking about championships. I’m just out
here trying to get experience and get better. These guys are the best in
the world. Tonight, we got lucky and won one.”
Mark
Kinser moved
into second place in the point standings by finishing in third place.
Danny Lasoski finished fourth, ahead of Johnny Herrera, preliminary
feature winner Brad Furr, Jason Johnson, 17th-starting Tim
Shaffer, P.J. Chesson and Third Heat Race winner Jac Haudenschild.
Like
father like son, Kraig Kinser’s blown engine cost him second place in
the Second Heat Race. He came back to finish second in the “B” Feature
and raced into 13th place in the evening’s main event,
however.
Schatz’
Devil’s Bowl woes continued as he qualified 26th quick,
finished seventh in the Second Heat Race and ninth in the “B” Feature.
He used his last provisional of the season to start the “A” Feature
and was unable to steer the #15 Parker Stores J&J clear of a crash
less than a lap into the race.
2002 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
29th Annual Spring Nationals
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX
Saturday, March 16, Feature Program #5
Qualifications
1. Danny Lasoski,
Stewart 20, 14.290
2. Craig Dollansky, Karavan Racing 7, 14.527
3. Joey Saldana,
Saldana 17, 14.578
4. Jason Johnson,
Row 41, 14.600
5. Johnny Herrera,
Wilburn 2W, 14.650
6. P.J. Chesson,
Chesson 76, 14.688
7. Randy Hannagan,
TH Racing 1X, 14.702
8. Kraig Kinser,
Kinser 11K, 14.780
9. Jac
Haudenschild, Forbrook 5, 14.790
10. Stevie Smith, Helm 11H, 14.842
11. Gary Wright, Panell 9, 14.948
12. Matt Clevenger, Clevenger 31, 14.953
13. Tim Shaffer, Roth 83, 14.976
14. Terry McCarl, McCarl 24, 15.113
15. Brooke Tatnell, Grandstaff 66, 15.202
16. Zach Chappell, Chappell 50Z, 15.260
17. Ricky Logan, CRS Racing 3S, 15.277
18. Wayne Johnson, Threatt 29, 15.280
19. Mike Reinke, Gifford 17R, 15.384
20. Blake Mallory, Mallory 6M, 15.409
21. Marvin Lough, Willis 39, 15.429
22. Leonard Lee, Lee 16L, 15.496
23. Michael Dupuy, MIN Motorsports 4M, 15.562
24. Danny Wood, Parsons 6, 15.604
25. Darren Stewart, Stewart 9S, 15.715
26 Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 15.733
27 Bob Ewell, Ewell 85, 15.946
28 Justin Henderson, Carnahan R19, 16.125
29. Derrek Beckman, Cox 50D, 16.136
30.. Dan Oswalt, Oswalt D1, 16.470
31. Jan Howard, Benton/Cam 11J, 16.602
32. Keith Walker, Walker 52, 17.614
First O'Reilly Heat Race (eight laps)
1. Stevie Smith
2. Randy Hannagan
3. Danny Lasoski
4. Tim Shaffer
5. Jason Johnson
6. Zach Chappell
7. Leonard Lee
8. Mike Reinke
9. Justin Henderson
10. Darren Stewart
11. Keith Walker
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
Second O'Reilly Heat Race
(eight laps)
1. Gary Wright
2. Johnny Herrera
3. Craig Dollansky
4. Ricky Logan
5. Terry McCarl
6. Michael Dupuy
7. Donny Schatz
8. Blake Mallory
9. Dan Oswalt
10. Kraig Kinser
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
Third O'Reilly Heat Race
(eight laps)
1. Jac Haudenschild
2. Matt Clevenger
3. Joey Saldana
4. P.J. Chesson
5. Brooke Tatnell
6. Wayne Johnson
7. Danny Wood
8. Jan Howard
9. Marvin Lough
10. Bob Ewell
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
Finishing 1-4 in Friday’s
Preliminary Feature qualified Brad Furr, Steve Kinser, Mark Kinser and
Tyler Walker for the first four starting positions in the O’Reilly Auto
Parts Dash
O’Reilly Auto Parts (five
laps)
1. Steve Kinser
2. Tyler Walker
3. Craig Dollansky
4. Danny Lasoski
5. Joey Saldana
6. Jason Johnson
7. Mark Kinser
8. Brad Furr
(finish determined the first eight starting positions in the "A"
Feature)
B Feature (12 laps)
1. Zach Chappell
2. Kraig Kinser
3. Wayne Johnson
4. Blake Mallory
5. Michael Dupuy
6. Leonard Lee ($200)
7. Danny Wood
8. Darren Stewart ($150)
9. Donny Schatz
10. Justin Henderson ($100)
11. Jan Howard ($90)
12. Dan Oswalt ($60)
13. Marvin Lough ($50)
14. Keith Walker ($50)
15. Mike Reinke ($50)
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
A Feature (35 laps)
1. Joey Saldana ($12,000)
2. Craig Dollansky ($6,000)
3. Mark Kinser ($4,000)
4. Danny Lasoski ($3,500)
5. Johnny Herrera ($3,200)
6. Brad Furr ($2,100)
7. Jason Johnson ($3,000)
8. Tim Shaffer ($2,500)
9. P.J. Chesson ($2,100)
10. Jac Haudenschild ($2,050)
11. Randy Hannagan ($2,000)
12. Stevie Smith ($1,600)
13. Kraig Kinser ($1,520)
14. Gary Wright ($1,200)
15. Brooke Tatnell ($1,100)
16. Danny Wood ($1,020)
17. Matt Clevenger ($900)
18. Ricky Logan ($820)
19. Blake Mallory ($820)
20. Tyler Walker ($800)
21. Steve Kinser ($800)
22. Terry McCarl ($800)
23. Wayne Johnson ($820)
24. Zach Chappell ($820)
25. Michael Dupuy ($820)
26. Donny Schatz ($820)
Provisional starters – Danny Wood, Donny Schatz
Lap leaders: Steve Kinser
1-19, Tyler Walker 20-21, Joey Saldana 22-35
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