Volusia Speedway Park is the fastest half mile on the WoO STP Sprint Car Series

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Jan. 16, 2013 – Qualifying is an art, a craft, a skill.

That is never more evident than at the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series season-opening event – the 42^nd annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment, beginning with a practice night on Feb. 12 at Volusia Speedway Park.

Succeeding the practice are two days of UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions events followed by three straight World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series races, each showcasing the top sprint car drivers in the country.

It all starts with qualifying on the ultra-fast track, which is known as the fastest half mile in the world after Paul McMahan averaged an astounding 143 miles per hour during his qualifying session of a 2011 race when he clocked a track-record lap of 12.569 seconds.

“Volusia is really crucial where you qualify,” Chad Kemenah said. “That might be one of the more qualifying dominant race tracks. It’s just so fast. You need to start up front.”

The top 10 qualifiers were separated by less than one tenth of a second during last season’s opening World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series race.

“It’s the difference between using provisional and not using a provisional,” Daryn Pittman said. “You don’t typically find a tighter group of cars qualifying than you do there. If you’re off a tenth or two tenths you’re in danger of missing the inversion.”

Every night is a doubleheader and there are FREE Fan Pit Passes with every ticket. Tickets can be ordered online by clicking WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets or by calling 877-395-8606.

World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars start at UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Jan. 11, 2013 – It’s been a long, eventful offseason for Daryn Pittman.

There’s the annual Chili Bowl, where Pittman races his own midget each January to start the year, and a flight to Australia for some competition against the Aussies.

Oh, and then there’s that ride change that happened.

Pittman now drives for Kasey Kahne Racing, which he will debut in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series season-opening event – the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Volusia Speedway Park Feb. 12-23.

Pittman and the rest of the sprint car drivers have a practice night on Tuesday, Feb. 12, before five straight nights of racing on the fast half mile.

“It’s a long year, a lot of races,” he said. “You want to start off strong and try to keep that momentum going, but at the end of the day it’s a long year.”

Volusia Speedway Park hosts the All Star Circuit of Champions on Feb. 13-14 before the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars hit the track for their first official dates of the 2013 season Feb. 15-17.

While Pittman and a variety of other drivers have spent part of the offseason racing at the Chili Bowl, in Australia or New Zealand, or on an X-box, the start of the season will be fresh for the more than 30 top-notch drivers who are headed to the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit.

“Everybody is going in with a clean slate,” Pittman said. “I like a new track or a place we haven’t raced in a while.”

Every night is a doubleheader and there are FREE Fan Pit Passes with every ticket. Tickets can be ordered online by clicking WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets or by calling 877-395-8606.

A slate of more than 90 events across the country marks the 36th season for Outlaws

INDIANAPOLIS – Dec. 6, 2012 – The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series released its ambitious schedule for 2013 on Thursday at the International Motorsports Industry Show, with the premier sprint car series competing in more than 90 races at more than 50 tracks across 23 states.

The schedule, which will continue to grow in the coming weeks as several additional dates are finalized, kicks off with the 42^nd annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment Feb. 15-17 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., near Daytona Beach.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars then head west for March and the first two weeks of April with events at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas (March 6-7) and at Tucson (Ariz.) International Raceway (March 9) before California races at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare (March 15-16), Stockton 99 Dirt Track at San Joaquin Fairgrounds in Stockton (March 22), Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico (March 23), Antioch Speedway in Antioch (April 5), Calistoga Speedway in Calistoga (April 6), Kings Speedway in Hanford (April 12) and Perris Auto Speedway in Perris (April 13).

Texas, Kentucky and Oklahoma host their lone events with a race at El Paso Speedway Park in El Paso (April 16), at Paducah International Raceway in Paducah (April 19) and at Salina Highbanks in Salina (April 26) as the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series makes its season debut in the Midwest.

The schedule heats up throughout the spring and summer with at least 10 races per month from May through August, including a variety of big-paying events and two unique races. (more…)

His fifth championship nets a prize of $150,000 as top four earn more than $325,000

CONCORD, N.C. – Nov. 4, 2012 – Donny Schatz was crowned the 2012 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion at the season-ending banquet Sunday evening at the Great Wolf Lodge Convention Center.

He received a check for the $150,000-to-win championship – his fifth since 2006 – at the event, which honored the 11 full-time Outlaws as well as the marketing partners for the World of Outlaws.

“The fact that we ran second a lot and third a lot, and that’s what wins championships – is what you do on the nights when you can’t win,” Schatz said. “This ranks up there as one of the hardest fought ones. We had some of the lowest lows and the highest highs.”

Craig Dollansky finished second in the standings, which was his best result since 2006. Sammy Swindell, who led the series with 13 feature victories, placed third and Joey Saldana ended fourth – his eighth top-five finish since 2002. Steve Kinser, who is a 20-time champion and the winningest driver in the series, garnered his unprecedented 31^st top-five result. (more…)

Schatz crowned with his fifth World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship

CONCORD, N.C. – Nov. 3, 2012 – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series finished the season with a bang. And a smash. And a clank.

In front of packed grandstands and a television audience on SPEED, Donny Schatz claimed his fifth championship on Saturday evening at the Sixth annual PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA Auto Parts. However, Schatz’s season ended in a wreck as he was one of seven drivers who either crashed or sustained an issue while racing in the top 10 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

A night after a flat tire ended his night while competing for the win, Dale Blaney survived the attrition to record his second Outlaws victory of the season.

“The last race of the year, to win down here in front of this crowd and everything, it’s pretty cool,” he said. “We had a little bit of luck … but our car was really good. I’ve got a little bit of talent, but a lot of luck is a lot better.” (more…)

Heat races are set for this weekend’s PEAK Motor Oil World Finals Presented by NAPA

CONCORD, N.C. – Nov. 1, 2012 – Daryn Pittman and David Gravel each established quick time, but in very different fashions on a chilly Thursday during Kellogg’s Qualifying Night at the Sixth annual PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA Auto Parts.

On a night when the temperature dropped into the low 40s at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, the bundled spectators were treated to 50 drivers qualifying for this weekend’s World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season finale.

Pittman, who went out ninth to set up Friday’s heat race lineups, clocked the top time at 13.047 seconds before Gravel ended the night by laying down the quickest lap at 13.026 as the final qualifier for Saturday’s event.

Pittman rode the cushion around the 4/10-mile oval to post the fastest time and he watched as five other drivers came within six-hundredths of a second from knocking him off the top of the chart.

“Obviously with 50 cars the first goal is to go out there and get in the invert,” Pittman said after his third quick time of the season. “There’s 50 really good sprint cars and probably 30 of the best in the country, so you just start with a small goal of making sure you’re in the invert so you’ve got a chance to win and you try to improve from there.” (more…)

The World of Outlaws return to Las Vegas on Wednesday and Thursday, March 6-7

LAS VEGAS – Oct. 30, 2012 – Whether slots, blackjack or sprint cars is an interest, the trio will be combined next March when the World of Outlaws STP Series returns to Las Vegas for the Outlaws in Vegas, Baby!

The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host a doubleheader on Wednesday and Thursday, March 6-7, marking the fifth consecutive season and 16 ^th year since 1996 that a World of Outlaws event will be contested on the half mile.

The event will lead into the NASCAR weekend at the famed facility, which has featured a different winner in the last five races. Donny Schatz, who is on pace to record his fifth World of Outlaws championship this season, has recorded a series-leading six victories at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Tim Kaeding claimed a thriller in the only race this season with Jason Sides charging from 10^th to second and Steve Kinser from 14^th to third. Chad Kemenah placed fourth and Brian Brown rallied from 21^st to round out the top five.

Special pricing is available for tickets and a free fan pit pass will be awarded for two-day tickets purchased in advance. Tickets can be ordered online by clicking WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets or by calling 877-395-8606.