Young Chargers Haunt WoO Veterans at Eldora
ROSSBURG, OH – It may be ironic, but as the World of Outlaws (WoO) wrapped up 30 years of Sprint Car racing at Eldora Speedway in 2007, 30 different drivers had captured feature wins on the famed one-half mile clay oval. But, unlike the initial campaign in 1978 where there was domination by Rick Ferkel with 4 of the 9 wins, 2007 was a season of parity, with 5 winners in 5 races, including a pair of first-timers.When the 31st straight season of WoO Sprint Car racing begins at Eldora with a weekend doubleheader (April 11 & 12), that parity is giving hope to many of the young up-and-comers, while raising some eyebrows amongst the veterans.
Steve Kinser ranks high on the list of veterans with his impressive total of 34 victories in the 119 WoO Sprint races to date, including wins in 20 different seasons. Following a dry spell in 2006, Kinser came back to record a triumph in the 2007 Knight Before the Kings Royal.
The newest hot shoe amid the veteran list is Joey Saldana. With his victory in last season’s Chevrolet Four Crown weekend, Saldana upped his total to 4 wins and into a tie for 6th on the all-time win list.
Earning their initial WoO Eldora wins in 2007 were Paul McMahan in June and Donny Schatz, who parlayed his Kings Royal by Crown Royal victory into a string of high-dollar wins around the Nation that led him to the 2007 WoO title.
With a soggy and wet Spring season to date, many racers have little seat time to their credit going into Eldora, which should allow an even playing field. Undoubtedly the veterans will have ‘earned’ knowledge of Eldora going into the Friday/Saturday contests, while the younger generation, including the likes of Kraig Kinser, Lucas Wolfe, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. and Justin Henderson, will be relying upon their ‘refusal of fear’ to move to the front.
Each night will feature a full program of WoO Sprint Car racing, while Friday night’s doubleheader will include the Moser UMP Modifieds and Saturday’s card will include the Advance Auto Parts Stock Cars. Both nights will see a race time of 7:30 PM. Complete time schedules and further information may be found online at www.eldoraspeedway.com or by calling the speedway office at 937.338.3815 during normal business hours.
-Eldora Speedway-
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