Stewart Returns to Victory Lane at Ohsweken – Again

Stewart Returns to Victory Lane at Ohsweken – Again
The NASCAR star earns his second World of Outlaws win this month and third overall
 
OHSWEKEN, Ontario – July 31, 2012 – Tony Stewart, Ohsweken Speedway and Victory Lane are beginning to become synonymous.
The NASCAR driver led all 30 laps on Tuesday to claim his third career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory and his second in a row at the 3/8-mile oval. Counting Monday’s win in Corr/Pak Sprints action, he has ended his last three events at Ohsweken Speedway a top the podium.

“Last year we won the thing running through the middle and tonight we were really good right on the top edge of the race track,” Stewart said. “It wasn’t really anything consistent between the nights. It’s just a neat, little race track. It’s a lot of fun. You can race all over the place.

“And what an honor it is to stand here with this group of guys. To win with the World of Outlaws is awesome.”

A year after picking up his first-ever Outlaws win, Stewart dominated in the return to Ohsweken Speedway in front of the largest crowd in the track’s history. He maneuvered from third to first in the opening turn of the dash and held off World of Outlaws championship standings leader Craig Dollansky for his first dash victory of the season.

That earned Stewart the pole for the feature on a track that had started to slick off early in the heat races. The main event was caution free and featured a variety of close calls throughout traffic for Stewart and Dollansky, who stayed within several car lengths the entire race.

“He’s rolling around here good,” said Dollansky, who has recorded a top three in four of his last five events. “He did last year and he did again this year. We were with him and working through lapped traffic. A couple things go a little bit different in lapped traffic, I think we had a shot at the win.”

The duo entered traffic on lap nine, which forced both to move around the track and leave the preferred top groove. Midway through the feature Stewart had to check up as a car slid in front of him exiting turn four, which allowed Dollansky to close to the rear bumper. However, Stewart maintained the position and later held off a late rally from Dollansky, who closed to within two car lengths on the final lap.

“You just had to play when you caught those guys a little bit and make sure you didn’t get to a part of the corner where you just got stuck,” Stewart said. “Just keeping the momentum up was the big thing just to get by those guys.”

Had there been a late caution, Tony Stewart Racing driver Steve Kinser could have played a spoiler role. Kinser charged from 12th to sixth in the first 12 laps and cracked the top five at the midpoint of the feature.

As Kraig Kinser worked past Donny Schatz for third place with five laps remaining, Steve Kinser split the duo and eventually gained third place on the ensuing lap. He finished third to earn a podium for the second consecutive race after starting in the middle of the field.

“We’re making recoveries, but that’s not the way to be doing it,” Kinser said.

Kraig Kinser, who set quick time in qualifying, placed fourth and Schatz was fifth. Cody Darrah ended sixth, Chad Kemenah seventh, Sammy Swindell eighth, Kerry Madsen ninth and Michael Parent charged from last – 24th – to round out the top 10 and earn the KSE Hard Charger Award.

Darrah, Schatz and Swindell each won a heat race, and Jamie Collard claimed the Last Chance Showdown.