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Outlaws Are Outstanding

In a season destined to be remembered for anger and anguish, crashes and controversies, fines and feuds, driving and officiating ranging from the good, the bad, and the ugly, let’s not look past a flat-out winner. 

The World of Outlaws.

As the winged sprint car tour steered into August, the on-track action was perfect for summer – HOT!

Four drivers – headed by a determined Joey Saldana and a rejuvenated Steve Kinser  -- were within 167 points of the championship lead. Contrast that with NASCAR, where leader Kevin Harvick was 189 Sprint Cup points ahead of next-best Jeff Gordon.

Let’s admit The Willie Nelson Series (“On The Road Again . . .”) has benefitted some from NASCAR’s Big Foots. Kasey Kahne owns Saldana’s car and Tony Stewart is funding Kinser’s unusually-structured operation. 

“What they (Kahne and Stewart) bring to the table is exposure and sponsors,” said Saldana, with 10 A-Feature wins at mid-season. Last year, he became just the fifth driver to win at least 20 A-Features in a season and was third in the standings.

The Outlaws also have jacked-up the level of excitement by parking the old strung-out single-file restart rule in favor of a NASCAResque double-wide format.

“I was all against the double-file restarts,” admits 20-time champion Kinser. “I have to say, I’ve enjoyed them. It sort of reminds me of racing in the ‘80s – I always liked when the flagman was in control of starting the race, and if a guy could get away with a little bit, he got away with it and it gave people something to talk about.

“But once they started it (two-wide), you could see how much more excitement it puts into it for the driver, race teams and the fans.”

Saldana, around since 1995 but still trying for his first title, agrees with the move.

“It’s what we needed as a sport. It’s sparked interest with our fans. It’s a lot more interesting and exciting. It’s one of those deals, where, throughout the course of the season, it’s going to help and hurt you. It’s just so crazy, sometimes, it’s amazing we get through them.

“It’s what the fans want and it’s what we have to do to make them happy.”

Another factor in the Outlaws’ amped-up thrill factor has been  mandatory, harder, rear Goodyear tires. Saldana thinks “it’s made our racing better” and likely has helped Kinser, Jason Meyers and Jason Sides while maybe hurting four-time Outlaws ace Donny Schatz.

With full appreciation for Saldana – so committed to the Outlaws’ grueling way of life he drives the team’s T-shirt trailer to events – The Story of the Year is Kinser’s legit shot at his first crown since 2005. His saga, at age 56, is what Mark Martin’s was last season and mirrors John Force’s comeback campaign this year at 61.

With “only” two wins in ’09, Kinser began August with his eighth victory, at New York’s Fulton Speedway. It put him only 15 points behind Saldana.

With his own team not fully funded for ’10, and facing surgery to fix a bulging disc in his neck, Kinser received an unexpected telephone call from Stewart late last year .

“Tony called me and said, ‘I’ve got a proposal to put together for you. I wanted to run it by you to see if you’re interested,’” remembered Kinser. “Basically, it was to put (son) Kraig (who had driven for Stewart) in my car, and for me to start driving for him (Tony). He said it could be a win-win situation. I said, ‘There’s no way that’s going to happen.’ I thought it was a waste of time.

“But, as we sort of negotiated a little more, I think it turned into a good thing for all of us. I always said I wanted to be my own boss, but to have someone who knows what I go through every night, it works out well. Tony has let me keep my own crew (and) with motors coming out of my shop. He’s pretty well given me leeway to try to make it work with my stuff. It’s put a little pressure on us, but the financial burden is on Tony.”

Kinser admits the recovery from his operation is nothing compared to that of wife, Dana, who underwent major heart surgery in June. He said she is doing well.

“It took away a lot of pain, a lot of numbness on (my) left side. It feels awful good to get rid of that pain. All last year, the pain I was going through off the track, I thought when I put the helmet on, it wasn’t hurting me. But it did.

“As soon as I got to Florida (start of season) and (saw) how much straighter-up I could sit, I could just tell how much better everything was. It definitely was hurting (his performance) but I just didn’t realize it.”

To finally claim that first championship, Saldana, 38, says he has to do more than beat Kinser. 

“You’ve got to finish every lap and be consistent in every race.”

In a great season for the Greatest Show on Dirt, there’s no reason to think anything will be decided before the last lap of the last race, Nov. 6, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway short track.

[ Next column:  August 23 ]

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(I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.)