Saldana Leads Tight WoO Points Race Coming To Eldora

Joey Saldana at Eldora (Rex Staton Photo)

ROSSBURG, OH (May 1) – One of the most competitive early-season point chases in the World of Outlaws (WoO) STP Sprint Car Series comes into Eldora Speedway this weekend (May 2 & 3). With two full nights of racing on tap, positions among that ranking could change dramatically.

Only 19 points separate the top four drivers in the cumulative point chase, led by Joey Saldana (Brownsburg, IN). Defending champion Daryn Pittman (Pittsboro, IN) sits 14 points behind, but with only a four point margin over Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN). One point behind McMahan sits five-time WoO champion Donny Schatz (Fargo, ND).

Each of them enter Eldora’s Friday and Saturday competition with a comfort level; having combined for 20 wins on the venerable .500-mile high-banked clay oval. They are among the 35 different drivers that have captured victories over the course of 145 WoO A-Features since the inaugural event April 16, 1978.

Of the quartet, Saldana has the most Eldora wins at 11 and sits on the all-time WoO/Eldora win list in third. Schatz has four Eldora wins, followed by Pittman’s three and McMahan’s two.

While they enter the Eldora fray with confidence of previous wins, a total of eight of the top ten point drivers do as well; having also accumulated coveted Big E wins.

Included within that list is Eldora’s all-time feature winner Steve Kinser (Bloomington, IN). In his final year of chasing the prestigious WoO crown that he has worn twenty times, seventh place Kinser has reigned supreme at Eldora 35 times, while three-time WoO champion Sammy Swindell (Bartlett, TN) comes into Eldora in ninth place and with 20 previous wins.

Sitting fifth in the WoO points and with a pair of Eldora wins last season is Kerry Madsen (New South Wales, Australia), while defending Kings Royal champion Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA) holds down sixth.

Eighth place Cody Darrah (Red Lion, PA) and tenth place Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, IN) approach Eldora winless in WoO action on the high-banks, but enter the doubleheader weekend with anticipation.

A driver capturing quick-time on the evening, coupled with a feature win, could earn 157 points each night.

Joining the WoO travelling series on Friday evening will be the Eldora Stock Cars, while the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds will complete the two-division program on Saturday.

Event details and ticket information for the WoO weekend, or any of Eldora’s other events, can be found on the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com or can be obtained by calling the speedway office (937) 338-3815 during normal business hours. Additionally, race fans and race teams can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc. Mobile device users can access the Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android which is available for download via iTunes and Google Play.