Pittman Wins Closest Championship Battle in Series History as Battle Goes to Final Lap
CONCORD, N.C. – Nov. 15, 2013 – Daryn Pittman is the ninth different driver in World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series history to win the championship, leading wire-to-wire with an incredible level of consistency.
Only once in 73 events was Pittman unable to complete the A-main in his Kasey Kahne Racing Great Clips car. Never did he have an engine failure. In fact, he finished the season with 59 top-10 runs to join Steve Kinser (20), Donny Schatz (5), Sammy Swindell (3), Mark Kinser (2), Jason Meyers (2), Dave Blaney, Bobby Davis Jr., and Danny Lasoski as the only drivers to win a championship in the 36-year history of the series.
Schatz was almost unbeatable the second half of the season in the Tony Stewart Racing STP/Armor All machine. He amassed 61 top-10 finishes en route to winning a career-best 23 A-mains. Not since Steve Kinser won 25 races in 2003 had any driver been to victory lane as many times as Schatz was this year.
By the time the final checkered flag of the season waved at the World Finals, it was Pittman in front by 14 points in the closest finish in World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series history.
“It was pretty emotional when we first got it, and then it became fun,” said the 35 year-old Pittman, who also became the first driver from Oklahoma to win the championship. “This is a goal that I’ve been working towards for the last 15 years. I really wanted to enjoy this one, but already before I went to bed last night, I was thinking about next year.”
One of the most unique parts to the 2013 championship race was new faces in new places. While Pittman returned to the series after four years of racing primarily in Central Pennsylvania, Paul McMahan returned in the CJB Motorsports car with Pennsylvania roots and Joey Saldana helped to return the Motter Motorsports car to the tour for the first time in more than a decade.
McMahan, who won the season finale, finished third in championship and recorded a remarkable 17 quick time awards. Saldana and his team started with almost nothing last offseason and wound up fourth in the championship, a feat that should have them excited for 2014.
Big Game Motorsports teammates Craig Dollansky and Sammy Swindell finished fifth and sixth in the championship and combined for nine victories. Pittman’s KKR teammate, Cody Darrah, earned a pair of victories on his way to a seventh-place championship finish. Steve Kinser was eighth in points also with two victories while Jason Sides finished ninth. Kerry Madsen rounded out the top 10 after a season where he earned two victories at Eldora Speedway and another Castrol Raceway.
David Gravel’s rollercoaster season ended on a high note. After earning the final KSE Hard Charger award at night two of the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte with an incredible charge from 24th to sixth, Gravel was presented the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.
With the 2013 season in the books all eyes already are looking toward 2014. Can Pittman repeat? Will Schatz be more determined than ever in his quest for a sixth crown? Can Kinser and Swindell make another run at the title? All those questions will be answered soon enough, in the meantime here’s how the season looked by the numbers:
WORLD OF OUTLAWS STP SPRINT CAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
| Pos. | Driver |
Total |
Diff |
Wins |
T-5 |
T-10 |
QT |
| 1 | Daryn Pittman |
10,116 |
0 |
8 |
45 |
59 |
13 |
| 2 | Donny Schatz |
10,102 |
-14 |
23 |
46 |
61 |
3 |
| 3 | Paul McMahan |
9,780 |
-336 |
4 |
32 |
54 |
17 |
| 4 | Joey Saldana |
9,485 |
-631 |
1 |
21 |
43 |
7 |
| 5 | Craig Dollansky |
9,405 |
-711 |
6 |
19 |
39 |
1 |
| 6 | Sammy Swindell |
9,296 |
-820 |
3 |
16 |
41 |
4 |
| 7 | Cody Darrah |
9,104 |
-1,012 |
2 |
12 |
28 |
2 |
| 8 | Steve Kinser |
9,039 |
-1,077 |
2 |
10 |
32 |
0 |
| 9 | Jason Sides |
8,924 |
-1,192 |
0 |
14 |
33 |
1 |
| 10 | Kerry Madsen |
8,879 |
-1,237 |
3 |
14 |
36 |
1 |
| 11 | Kraig Kinser |
8,805 |
-1,311 |
1 |
10 |
34 |
1 |
| 12 | Chad Kemenah |
8,737 |
-1,379 |
0 |
13 |
24 |
2 |
| 13 | David Gravel |
7,656 |
-2,460 |
1 |
7 |
26 |
2 |
| 14 | Tim Kaeding |
6,796 |
-3,320 |
9 |
26 |
34 |
1 |
| 15 | Bill Rose |
5,112 |
-5,004 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| 16 | Sam Hafertepe Jr. |
3,984 |
-6,132 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
| 17 | Brian Brown |
3,890 |
-6,226 |
0 |
6 |
15 |
0 |
| 18 | Brad Sweet |
3,816 |
-6,300 |
1 |
10 |
13 |
2 |
| 19 | Greg Wilson |
3,210 |
-6,906 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
| 20 | Jac Haudenschild |
3,152 |
-6,964 |
0 |
8 |
11 |
0 |