by Tony Veneziano

CONCORD, N.C. — Double-file restarts and a new race format that guarantees youll see your favorite driver in at least one heat and main every night are among the fan-friendly changes World of Outlaws officials will unveil Feb. 5 at the Florida DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.

Following meetings with team owners last November during the World Finals, and comments from fans over the past several years, a new race format and procedures have been adopted to pump even more excitement into The Greatest Show on Dirt. These changes will be under close watch by series officials, who will determine if any adjustments are needed.

The rivalry developing between Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers, the threat that Joey Saldana poses on the heels of his 20-win season and the news that Steve Kinser will be driving for Tony Stewart has anticipation at an all-time high for the 2010 season. And now, the World of Outlaws will become the only major venue in all of open-wheel racing where fans can see double-file restarts from the beginning of the night until the final checkered flag, with the leader being given lane choice. The familiar front-stretch cone will be left in the trailer as the leader will dictate each restart coming out of Turn 4.

In addition to double-file restarts which the series pioneered in the 70s and the elimination of the non-qualifiers race in favor of expanding the number of heat races should the car count dictate, the Dash will also get a facelift. The top two finishers from each heat race, in addition to the two fastest qualifiers who transfer through their heat, will advance to the Dash, which could see as many as 12 starters in a 5-heat format. A qualifying time based inversion of 4, 6 or 8 will determine the Dash lineup, and all drivers in the inversion will be interviewed in front of the crowd. The Dash finish will then set the lineup for the A-main.

Every year we listen to the fans and consider ways to make World of Outlaws events even more exciting, said World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter. Theres nothing more breathtaking than the start of a World of Outlaws race. Now, in adopting double-file restarts, every wave of the green flag throughout every race will be an incredible sight as a full field thunders out of Turn 4 and into the first corners side-by-side. World of Outlaws drivers are some of the most skilled racers in motorsports, and this will no doubt showcase their talent.

In an effort to further enhance fans experience, the allotted time in the work area has been reduced to one minute after a damaged car arrives, and under an open red flag only two crew members will be permitted to attend to the car. In time trials, all cars will take two laps no matter how many cars have signed in to race, unless weather is a factor.

One thing that has not changed from the first World of Outlaws race in 1978 is the post-race open pits. Even though at every fan at Volusia can sign in for a complimentary pit pass after purchasing a reserved or general admission ticket, the pits are remain open to everyone at the end of every World of Outlaws race to meet drivers for pictures and autographs.

A full week of Sprint Car action at the DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH kicks off on Feb. 2 with a test session, followed by two nights of racing under the All Star Circuit Champions banner (Feb. 3-4) before the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series takes center stage Friday through Sunday (Feb. 5-7).

Fans can now purchase tickets online by going to http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com, or by calling Volusia Speedway Park at 386-985-4402.

Race fans unable to make the annual trek south to Volusia need not worry. All 12 nights (Feb. 2nd-13th) will air LIVE on www.dirtvision.com beginning approximately at 7 p.m. each night.

by BJ Cavin

The final practice session for the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions and the Florida Mini Sprints at Ocala Speedway went very smoothly on Thursday night, and drew a solid crowd of onlookers.  In addition, the number of teams in the pit area more than doubled as more racers arrived to challenge the historic old speedway north of the city.

The most notable new arrival was 4 time World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz and the Tony Stewart Racing Team.  Schatz came through the pit gate with his game face on, and wasted zero time in putting down some quick lap times as practice began.  Other new arrivals in the pits for the second night of practice included Doug Esh, Jac Haudenschild, Bob Femlee, David Gravel, and Jared Ridge.

Reports at the track during practice indicate that at least a couple of teams may be battling weather problems and bad road conditions in the country’s midsection, and are delayed in arriving in Ocala.  As of Friday morning there are still a few expected teams that have not arrived, and they will have to scramble to prepare once they get here.

Racing gets underway tonight with the pit gate open at noon, grandstand gates open at 5PM, and racing beginning at 8PM.  Qualifying will take place at 6PM.  A full list of prices and a complete schedule of Winternational events can be found at www.OcalaSpeedway.com by clicking the 2010 schedule link.

by Scott Cooper

CONCORD, N.C. — One week after U.S. Legend Cars International and Charlotte Motor Speedway announced the biggest Legend Cars race ever, competitor registration is now available online for the Legends Million at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Scheduled for July 15 – 17 at the Mecca of Motorsports, Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Legends Million will feature a total purse of $1 million. The A-Main winner will take home a whopping $250,000 and the final spot in the feature event is assured $10,000. (more…)

by Tony Veneziano

BARBERVILLE, Fla. — Kasey Kahne Racing will field a two car team on the World of Outlaws trail again in 2010, pitting veteran Joey Saldana, who led the World of Outlaws with 20 A-Feature wins last year, with rookie Cody Darrah, who scored his first win with the series last fall at his home track of Williams Grove Speedway.

The pair will kick off the 2010 campaign February 5-7 with the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by the University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park, just down the road from Daytona, where their boss will be in action.

Saldana, who is returning for his fifth season with the team owned by the NASCAR star, won on the second night of the DIRTcar Nationals last season, edging Jason Sides in a last lap thriller. It was the second time in his career that Saldana has won a last lap battle during the World of Outlaws portion of the DIRTcar Nationals, as he also came out on top in a drag race with Jac Haudenschild down the front straightaway at the half-mile in 2006.

“I’m definitely ready,” said Saldana of starting the season. “This is the first time in eight years that I have not raced through Christmas. Usually I’ll race in Australia and New Zealand and then have a couple of weeks off before the season. My last race this year was around Thanksgiving. I’ve had a lot of time off and am ready now to get back racing.”

Darrah made his debut for Kasey Kahne Racing last year at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York, finishing sixth in that event. The native of Red Lion, Penn., has opened each of the last three seasons in the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway. He set fast time in his debut at the half-mile in 2007 and followed that by being quickest again in time trials the following year. He has qualified fourth or better in six of his nine career starts at Volusia with the World of Outlaws.

“I’m very excited for the season,” said Darrah. “It’s going to be a very big year for me as a driver and a very big year for our team Kasey Kahne Racing. “

Saldana is excited to see Kahne tap into a young driver and provide the chance of a lifetime for someone who is just as passionate about sprint car racing as he is. Saldana was 33 years old when he joined Kasey Kahne Racing, after spending a number of years bouncing from ride to ride on the World of Outlaws tour.

“I think it’s pretty neat that Kasey is going out on a limb and giving an opportunity to someone that otherwise may have never gotten the opportunity to race at this level,” shared Saldana of Darrah. “I know when I was his age I would have died to have had the opportunity that he has.”

While Darrah admits there is a certain amount of pressure involved in driving for a high profile team such as Kasey Kahne Racing and having a championship caliber teammate in Saldana, he looks to start the season on a consistent note and learn each and every time he takes to the track. The 2010 season will be a learning experience for Darrah on many levels and he is looking forward to learning from some of the best in the sport.

“When you drive for Kasey Kahne, the expectations are to do nothing but win,” Darrah stated. “It’s a wonderful deal for a driver here at Kasey Kahne Racing and you couldn’t ask for anything better. The guys at the shop have been working very hard. He (Kasey) is as excited as I am for this year. We have a great group of guys working on this thing and everyone is working together to use their resources as best as they can.”

Saldana, who finished 11th in points and claimed the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award in his first full year on the road in 1996, points out that there are many factors involved in being successful with the World of Outlaws. With the demands of the schedule, it leaves a driver little time away from the track.

“Hopefully he takes it and runs with it and works hard at and puts a lot of effort into it,” stated Saldana. “It’s not easy. Just because you have a great team, a great owner and great people behind you, doesn’t mean you’re going to run well. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I think he wants this and wants to be an Outlaws driver. You have to want to be an Outlaws driver, not just a driver to succeed our here. It’s very tough and very demanding. I just hope he takes the opportunity and runs with it.’

Along with being teamed with Saldana, Darrah will have veteran crew chief Bonzai Bruns turning the wrenches for him along with experienced crew members on both his car and his teammate’s machine, which he looks to help lessen the learning curve that he’ll face heading to tracks that he will be making his debut at.

“Having Joey (Saldana) as a teammate will be a great resource,” noted the rookie. “We’ll going to a lot of tracks that I have never seen and I’ll be able to able to talk to him and get information. He’s a great coach and so many of the tracks that I have never seen, he has won it. We have so many great resources within out team do nothing but good.”

Saldana has competed with the World of Outlaws full-time for the better part of the last 10 years, and has learned many priceless things over the years and is quick to point out that any young driver needs to stayed focused and be patient when competing against the best sprint car drivers in the world night in and night out. Saldana has become more patient the older he has gotten and is able to adapt to the countless situations that present themselves on a typical race night as well as over the course of the always demanding World of Outlaws season.

“He doesn’t have to go out and win 20 races like I did last year,” explained Saldana of Darrah. “It took me a long time to get to that level. He’s got to be patient with himself and the team will be patient with him, then he’ll be fine.”

A full week of Sprint Car racing during the DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH kicks off on Feb. 2 with a test session, followed by two nights under the All Star Circuit Champions banner (Feb. 3-4) before the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series takes center stage Friday through Sunday (Feb. 5-7).

The 2010 World of Outlaws season kicks off with the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park February 5-7. For tickets visit: http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 386-985-4402. Each ticket purchased is also a free fan pit pass.

Live video of each night of the DIRTcar Nationals will be available via the DIRTVision.com Cybercast. For more information and to purchase visit: http://www.DIRTVision.com.

by BJ Cavin

About a dozen top sprint car teams joined the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions and the Florida Mini Sprints for an exciting practice session on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for this weekend’s racing action at Ocala Speedway.  The likes of Tim Shaffer, Fred Rahmer, Greg Hodnett, and Danny Lasoski, all took advantage of the early practice time to get a feel for Ocala Speedway’s challenging layout.  Many more teams are reported to be in route to Ocala and are expected to arrive in time for the 4PM practice on Thursday.

Practice did not go so well for the Lance DeWease team as their car suffered from mechanical issues throughout the session.  DeWease’s crew finally seemed to figure out the problem late in the session and the 30C machine finally completed some laps before the night ended. 

Greg Hodnett looked to be the racer to watch as he fearlessly attacked Ocala Speedway’s clay with seemingly reckless abandon.  Hodnett’s practice laps were quite quick, and at times he appeared to be on the very edge of control, eliciting ooohs and ahhs from the fans that were there to watch.

According to various websites and message boards, the car count will more than triple for the Thursday practice session.  Notables expected for Thursday’s practice include Tony Stewart Racing and 4 time World of Outlaws Champion, Donny Schatz, and possibly Steve Kinser.  Kasey Kahne Racing is also expected to be on hand with driver Joey Saldana hitting Ocala’s clay for the first time.  There is also word that both team owners will likely be on hand to oversee and observe their teams in action during the practice session