Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers will continue their season-long battle at Lone Star. (WoO)
After nine months and 62 A Mains, Donny Schatz, Jason Meyers and Joey Saldana are only separated by 57 points for the 2009 World of Outlaws title.
And, while the champion won’t be crowned until the final weekend at Charlotte on, Nov. 6-7, this Saturday night’s WoO Fest at Lone Star Speedway figures to play a pivotal role in determining who winds up wearing No. 1.
Schatz, the three-time WOO king who drives for Tony Stewart, has parlayed performance and consistency to claw out an 18-point advantage over Meyers.
With 38 Top 5 finishes, Schatz usually has his Armor All Chevy in the lead pack and understands at least one victory in the final three races could be enough to seal the deal.
“We’ve had a lot of second place finishes this year but we definitely want to win,” said the 32-year-old native of Fargo, North Dakota who owns 12 wins in ’09 and 100 for his career.
“Wins are what make all this work and we were close to winning at Lone Star earlier this year. That’s going to be our goal this Saturday.”
Meyers, who has finished in the Top 10 in 52 of 62 starts, is seeking his initial WOO crown after finishing second in 2005 and 2008. The native of Clovis, Calif. has eight victories in ’09 for Elite Racing.
Saldana, in Kasey Kahne’s Budweiser Dodge, has been the man to beat all season with 18 wins and has also led 432 laps but trails Schatz by 57 markers in search of his first WOO championship.
The second generation veteran from Pittsboro, Ind. led wire-to-wire last April in capturing WOO’s first visit to the half-mile Lone Star track in ‘09.
“We’ve done well at places that are high banked and tend to slick off,” said Schatz, who set quick time at Lone Star in April. “I like racing on slick tracks where traffic becomes a factor because we have a really good package for that type of racing.”
Danny Lasoski, five times a winner in 2009, should be a contender along with Jason Sides, Craig Dollansky and 20-time WOO king Steve Kinser.
