10/10/2016
Salina Highbanks Speedway
O’Reilly Auto Parts Twister Showdown hits the track for World of Outlaws at Salina Highbanks Speedway on Oct. 22
SALINA, OKLA. — October 5, 2016 — The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series returns to Salina Highbanks Speedway in Oklahoma on Saturday, October 22 for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Twister Showdown, which was postponed by rain back in April. A full night of racing is on tap, with $10,000 awaiting the winner of the A-Feature and is the final event before the series heads to Charlotte for the Bad Boy Off Road World Finals, which wrap up the 2016 season.
Shane Stewart, who hails from Bixby, Okla., which is about an hour from Salina Highbanks Speedway, earned a very emotional victory at the track last year. The win was his first at Salina and came in front of a large contingent of family and friends. Stewart took the lead from Brad Sweet on the 11th lap and paced the remainder of the 25-lap contest. Three drivers led laps during the main event, with Stewart being the final of those three. The veteran driver has won nine overall races this season and is currently tied fifth in points, driving for the Larson Marks Racing team, which is co-owned by NASCAR driver Kyle Larson.
Fellow Oklahoman Daryn Pittman from Owasso, has run up front in all four previous World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series races at Salina Highbanks Speedway. Pittman finished third last year and was also on the podium in 2013. He ran fourth in the inaugural series event at the track in 2011 and was seventh in 2014, as he chases his first win at Salina. Pittman, the 2013 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champion, has seven victories this season and is locked in a tight battle for second in points, with his Kasey Kahne Racing teammate, Brad Sweet, and David Gravel. Pittman currently holds a one-point edge over Gravel, with Sweet in fourth, 11 markers behind the latter.
Joey Saldana was victorious at Salina Highbanks Speedway in 2014. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana, has five wins this season, as he chases his 100th career A-Feature win with the series. Saldana currently has 99 A-Feature triumphs.
The first two World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series races at Salina Highbanks Speedway in 2011 and 2013 were both won by Craig Dollansky.
Leading the way into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Twister Showdown is seven-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz, who has 23 wins in 2016. The North Dakota native leads the series in top-10 and top-five finishes as he chases his eighth title. Salina Highbanks Speedway is one of the few tracks on the schedule that Schatz has not won at in his career.
Jason Johnson, who has three wins this season, is seventh in points heading into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Twister Showdown. Johnson earned the biggest win of his career in August, claiming the $150,000 Knoxville Nationals at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
Logan Schuchart, who earned his first-career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win earlier this season is eighth in the current standings. Jason Sides, who also has one win in 2016, sits ninth in the current standings. Paul McMahan rounds out the top-10 aboard the No. 7 for the Destiny Motorsports team. Jacob Allen, who is 12th in points, is also back on the road this season with the Outlaws and has 10 top-10 finishes.
Greg Wilson and Clyde Knipp are contending for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award in 2016. Both will be making their debut at Salina Highbanks Speedway. Wilson, a two-time champion with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions has one win this year. Knipp, a teenager from Missouri, just graduated from high school back in May.
Tickets for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Twister Showdown for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series event at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, Okla., on Saturday, October 22 can be purchased online at slspromotions.ticketforce.com or by calling SLS Promotions at 815-344-2023.
Discount General Admission tickets can also be purchased at participating O’Reilly Auto Parts stores. Each General Admission ticket purchased at an O’Reilly Auto Parts location will feature a special $5 discount. Tickets buyers will exchange their O’Reilly receipt for tickets at the Main Grandstand ticket booth on race day.
For more information on tickets, visit slspromotions.ticketforce.com.
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Article Credit: SLS Promotions