MOTORSPORTS TEAM REPORTS
 © 2006 Dwight Drum      Photos by Dwight Drum

Steve Kinser and Donnie Moran claimed the battles while Donny Schatz and Steve Francis won the wars Saturday during the final night of the inaugural World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Kinser claimed $10,000 for his 10th World of Outlaws Sprint Series victory of the year while Moran also banked $10,000 for winning the 50-lap finale for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. In the championship chases, Schatz earned his second consecutive sprint car title while Francis earned his first championship trophy in the late models.

Nearly 14,000 fans from 48 states and three foreign countries filled the grandstands for the final night of the three-day event as the two nomadic World of Outlaws series came together for the first time to conclude their seasons.

Kinser started from the pole in his familiar No. 11 and led the entire 30-lap distance. But it definitely was no Saturday night cruise as the 20-time series champion battled side-by-side with long-time rival Danny Lasoski during the final 10 laps around the four-tenths-mile oval.

"We brought a new car down here and tried some things," Kinser said in victory lane. "I'll tell you what; it was a heck of a race. I saw the 83 (Lasoski) and the 21 (Daryn Pittman) way too much. All I could do was run the best pace that I could and not bobble, and if he got by me there wasn't a darn thing I could do about it.

"This was a good way to close out 2007," Kinser continued. "It was a great show here all weekend and I got to enjoy the late models too."

Lasoski settled for second while Daryn Pittman was third under the checkered flag. Schatz and Jason Meyers rounded out the top five in the 25-car field.

In the eight-lap heat races for the sprint cars, Joey Saldana, Dean Jacobs, Pittman and Lasoski claimed the victories.

Danny Smith passed Jac Haudenschild in the final turn to win the six-lap C main while Terry McCarl was the class of the field in the 12-lap B main. Kinser dominated the six-lap Crane Cams Dash to earn the pole for the main event.

In the 50-lap late model feature, Moran held off a last-lap charge by Francis to claim the first World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory of his illustrious career.

The Dresden, Ohio, driver started from the pole and first took the lead on lap 18 when he drove around Earl Pearson Jr. Moran then lost the point to Shane Clanton for eight laps before reassuming command on lap 37.

"I figured he (Francis) was there," Moran said about Francis' last-lap charge. "You could kind of hear him out there, but I was just trying to keep my composure and run my line. It's pretty important to race here in front of a huge crowd. Thank you to God for letting me win the million (2001 at Eldora Speedway) and now I won the first late model race on live TV."

Francis had to settle for the runner-up pay, but the Ashland, Ky., racer celebrated his first series championship.

"We threw everything we had at Donnie there at the end," said Francis. "A lot of people don't realize Donnie and I have raced together for 20 years and it was neat to end our championship season battling with him."

Tim Fuller had to earn his way into the feature through the B main and the Edwards, N.Y., driver sliced through the field from the 22nd starting spot to finish third. Steve Shaver moved up from the 19th starting spot to take fourth while Darrell Lanigan completed the top five.

The 10-lap late model heat races were won by Clanton, Earl Pearson Jr., Brian Shirley, Moran and Michael England while Steve Shaver and Rick Eckert topped the 12-lap B mains.

The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway will open its 2008 season April 18-19 with the Circle K Colossal 100, highlighted by a $50,000-to-win feature for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. has ended the suspense and announced his new racing home for 2008 – Hendrick Motorsports.

Now, the only question is how long will tickets remain for the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 17 to see him with his new race team.

Earnhardt Jr., the 2004 Daytona 500 champion, made the announcement Wednesday at JR Motorsports in Mooresville, N.C., that he signed a five-year deal with Hendrick Motorsports, a team that has won six Daytona 500s.

“The 50th running of the Daytona 500 is going to be a historic moment in racing history,” Speedway President Robin Braig said. “In addition to celebrating NASCAR’s most prestigious race, we will also witness Dale Earnhardt Jr. begin a new era in his racing career with Hendrick Motorsports.”

In addition to the 50th running of the Daytona 500, race fans will also get a chance to witness Earnhardt Jr. in other DirecTV Speedweeks events including:
The Gatorade Duel At Daytona 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday, Feb. 14
Budweiser Pole Qualifying for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 10

The 30th annual Budweiser Shootout on Saturday Feb. 9, a non-points All-Star race that features the previous season’s Bud Pole winners as well as past Budweiser Shootout champions.

Already tabbed one of the hottest tickets in sports, tickets for the 50th running of the Daytona 500 and other DirecTV Speedweeks events can be purchased by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or logging onto www.racetickets.com