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WoO: Meyers Wins World Finals Opening Feature
Written by: Tony Veneziano
World of Outlaws   http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
11/07/2009
Concord, NC
 
Jason Meyers did exactly what he needed to do on Friday night in the opening main event of the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway, as he was victorious to keep pace with Donny Schatz in the closest points race in World of Outlaws history.
Heading into the finale of the World Finals on Saturday night which will air live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern, Meyers leads the World of Outlaws with 54 Top-10 finishes as he chases his first series title. (WoO) ยป More Photos

With the triumph at the state-of-the-art four-tenths-mile, Meyers earned four more points than Schatz who finished second to move to within 25 markers of the three-time and defending series champion with just the finale of the World Finals remaining on Saturday night to determine the 2009 champion.

For Meyers it was his second career win at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway and his second during the World Finals, as he was victorious in the inaugural event back in 2007. It was his ninth A-Feature win of the season with the World of Outlaws and 10th overall triumph aboard the GLR Investments KPC.

“These guys did a great job tonight,” said Meyers. “We didn't have the best of qualifying nights last night and that shows the kind of team we have right here. Nobody hung their heads and they were upset when they went to bed last night and they got up today and worked hard on this race car and gave me a great race car tonight. This entire team is doing a great job.”

Meyers started on the pole for the 30-lap contest, after winning the Crane Cams Dash. He led on the initial start, though the first caution of the night flew before that lap was in the books, leading to a complete restart. On the second start, Meyers again paced the field in turn one, only to have a red flag fly leading to a second complete restart. When the green flag flew for the third time on the opening lap, Meyers again shot to the lead over Dale Blaney.

Blaney took the lead on the second lap from Meyers and was out front for the next three laps, with Meyers retaking the top spot on the fifth circuit with Donny Schatz moving into second at the same time. Meyers would lead the rest of the way, enduring four more red flags and a yellow. He used strong restarts each time with Schatz lining up second to stay in front and best a very strong field of cars.

“It's tough when you are leading on a restart,” explained the native of Clovis, California. “Leading on a restart is the toughest place to be in this business, especially with a guy like Donny Schatz behind you. I knew I just had to get off (turn) four clean and somewhat protect my line going into (turn) one and get a good run off of two, so he couldn't pass me coming off three. One time during the race I saw Donny poke under me and it was a matter of getting off turn four as good as you could on each and every restart.”

Heading into the finale of the World Finals on Saturday night which will air live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern, Meyers leads the World of Outlaws with 54 Top-10 finishes as he chases his first series title. He won his series-best tenth Crane Cams Dash of the season as well on Friday night to
earn the pole position for the 30-lap A-Feature.

“One more night to go,” noted Meyers. “I am proud of this entire team and everyone that works so hard on it. To get a win here at Lowe's was great and come tomorrow night whether we win the championship or not, to get another win for this team is great. This team had a great year and we are really looking forward to 2010.”

Schatz, who began the third annual World Finals on Thursday night by setting fast time in both rounds of time trials, came home second on Friday night aboard the special edition STP J&J. It was his series-best 39th Top-Five finish of the season as he looks to make history on Saturday night if he wins the 2009 title, which would make him just the second driver ever to win more than three World of Outlaws titles.

“I was here to win the race and we had a way better car,” deadpanned Schatz. “We just ran second.”

Schatz lined up fourth in the first heat race on Friday night and quickly shot around Craig Dollansky, Bob Felmlee and Ed Lynch Jr. on the first lap of that eight-lap contest to take the lead and ultimately earn a convincing win and a spot in the Crane Cams Dash, where he finished third. A couple of times during the 30-lap main event Schatz looked under Meyers in both turns one and two and again in three and four, but was not able to make a pass.

“I've felt like we have had the best car here this weekend,” shard the North Dakota native. “I was fighting a little issue and was afraid I wasn't going to finish. The throttle would stick when I shut the engine off, but didn't have that problem when we were racing so that was a good thing. We're definitely have good performance and it will just take a little bit better finish tomorrow.”

Danny Lasoski finished third on Friday night aboard the Casey's General Store JEI to earn his 41st Top-10 finish of the season. Craig Dollansky came from the 11th starting spot to finish fourth in his first start in the Big Game Treestands Maxim. Fred Rahmer was fifth in the Miller Brothers machine, with Jason Sides sixth aboard the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim. Brad Sweet came all the way from 22nd to finish seventh in the Budweiser Maxim, with Lucas Wolfe coming home eighth in the Allebach Racing Maxim. Kraig Kinser was ninth in the Bass Pro Shops Maxim, with Brian Montieth rounding out the Top-10 in the Premiere Auto Works Maxim.

Joey Saldana who is third in points on the strength of a series-best 19 A-Feature wins and 20 overall victories this season, wound up 15th on Friday night after falling out of the race on the 14th lap and is now 82 points out of the lead, which mathematically eliminate him from the battle for the title.

The 2009 World of Outlaws season wraps up on Saturday night with the finale of the third annual World Finals from The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway, which will air live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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