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 LAKE
PERRIS, CA (February 28) -- Twenty-five-year-old Jason Meyers battled
it out with 18-time World of Outlaws Series champion Steve Kinser for
30 laps before winning his first race of the season at Perris Speedway
on Saturday night. The two drivers battled it out swapping the lead
back-and-forth four times before it was all over. Meyers led
Team-Hoosier's strongest performance of the young season with Craig
Dollansky and Danny Lasoski finishing in second and third using the
Hoosier brand. Last season, Meyers won five World of Outlaws races
including four features races. But last year, his first win of the
season didn't come until June, so this could be signs of a break-out
year for the young hotshoe and his new team. The season could be even
brighter for #14 Elite Landscaping team with the next race tomorrow
night at King's Speedway which is the closest the circuit travels to
Meyers hometown of Clovis, CA. In three races contested in the World
of Outlaws series Team-Hoosier has two wins, two runner-up finishes
and all three third place finishes.
Twenty-seven cars were on hand at Perris Speedway's
1/2-mile clay oval with 23 of them competing on Hoosier tires. Danny
Lasoski was the fastest qualifier at 14.112 seconds followed by Steve
Kinser and Kraig Kinser as Hoosier-shod drivers topped the qualifying
leaderboard.
There were three preliminary heat races contested with
all three heat winners riding on the Hoosier brand. Sammy Swindell won
the first 8-lap heat with Joey Saldana and Jason Sides winning heats
two and three, respectively.
Both Dash races were also won by Team-Hoosier members
when Jason Meyers won the first 5-lap Dash and Craig Dollansky the
final Dash.
With the 24-car field set for the night's main event,
Jason Meyers started on the pole by virtue of his Dash win. Meyers
elected to run the 30-lap feature using a pair (LR/RR) of Hoosier RD12
tires. He was joined in the front row by fellow Dash winner Craig
Dollansky who was using a Hoosier RD12/D12 combination.
The race began with Meyers jumping out to an early
race lead. But on the fifth lap, fourth starting Steve Kinser moved
into the lead which he held until lap 16. That's when Meyers moved
back into the lead, but just briefly, when Kinser repassed Meyers for
the second time to lead lap 17. It looked like it was Kinser's race
until contact with a lapped car on lap 28, sent Kinser's #11 Quaker
State ride into the outside wall apparently damaging the King's right
rear tire and causing it to begin to lose air. The incident opened the
door for Meyers to regain the lead on the final lap to post his first
win of the season. Meyers pocketed $10,000 for the exciting win--his
first-ever in his home state in the series.
Craig Dollansky finished a strong second and earning
$5,500 after a disappointing two nights in the season-opening event at
Manzanita last weekend. Danny Lasoski finished in third place after
starting fifth. Lasoski opted to run the 30-lap distance using a pair
of Hoosier's softest tires--a pair of D10's. Shane Stewart, also using
Hoosiers, finished in fourth place.
Other top-ten finishers on the Hoosier brand were
Donny Schatz (7th), Kraig Kinser (8th), Tim Shaffer (9th), and Daryn
Pittman (10th). Impressively, Donny Schatz charged from his 22nd
starting position to finish in 7th place.
Jason Meyers also has a cool new website at www.jasonmeyers.com
for more details about his new Elite Landscaping race team.
The World of Outlaws Series is back in action this
Tuesday for a one night show at King's Speedway in Hanford, CA.
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