Daryn Pittman and Joey Saldana Score Bad Boy Buggies World Finals Quick-Time Awards
Donny Schatz clinches the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Championship Thursday at The Dirt Track at Charlotte
CONCORD, N.C. – Nov. 6, 2014 – Daryn Pittman and Joey Saldana kicked off the opening night of the Bad Boy Buggies World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte by scoring qualifying quick-time awards.

Pittman out-qualified the 56-car World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series field by turning a lap of 12.579 in his No. 9 Great Clips car during the first qualifying session which set the field for Friday’s event. It was the sixth quick-time award of the season for the Kasey Kahne Racing with Mike Curb driver.

Pittman credited his team as they work to end the season on a high note.

“It just shows how hard the guys kept working – it doesn’t matter if it’s the last race, they put in the same effort for it as they do for the first,” Pittman said. “Good to get quick time and we qualified really solid for the second night too. Hopefully that’s a good sign for how our weekend will roll, and we’ll just try to stay on top of the race track and get this team a victory.”

As it happened, Pittman and Stevie Smith turned the same quick lap of 12.579 during the session, but Pittman had the tie-breaker with the faster second qualifying lap.

Saldana, who went out 12th in the second qualifying session which set the field for Saturday’s event, scored his 24th quick-time award of the season. The driver of the Motter Equipment No. 71M turned a lap of 13.118. Brian Brown, who went out late in the session, made a challenge to Saldana but came up short with a second-best lap of 13.256.

“[Our quick time success this season is] a testament to our engine program,” Saldana said. “Rick Long does a great job – I’ve been a part of Rick’s program for a long time so I know horsepower-wise we’ve got it. We’ve just got to get a better race package. When we do get it we’re good but we’re not consistently doing it. Hopefully we can do it this weekend.”

Saldana, who won the Circle K/NOS Energy Drink Outlaw Showdown at the Dirt Track at Charlotte in May, enters the weekend fifth in points with seven wins on the season.

After cinching up his points lead two weeks ago at Port Royal Speedway, Donny Schatz officially became the 2014 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series champion Thursday afternoon after he and his team signed in for the World Finals. It is the sixth championship for the Tony Stewart Racing driver.