Dusty Zomer Wins Wild World Finals Night Two
Picks up his first ever World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory
CONCORD, N.C. – Nov. 6, 2015 – A wild night two of the Bad Boy Buggies World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte turned into a big night for Dusty Zomer who picked up his first ever World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory.
Zomer started Friday night’s feature in sixth and battled early into the top three. After leader Trey Starks pulled in with a bent tie-rod and Joey Saldana, who took over the lead, lost it to a broken top-wing sideboard, Zomer was in position.
Through the closing laps, he held off a hard -charging Greg Hodnett and Stevie Smith to claim the victory for his No. 82 Buffalo Wild Wings team.
“Super happy,” Zomer said of the win. “Obviously didn’t expect to come down here for the first time and pull off a win. We were able to get it done. We were at the right place at the right time. A few other guys had a little misfortune and I guess you need things to go your way sometimes. That’s what happened and we’re standing up here in victory lane.”
Zomer joins Greg Wilson and Stewart Friesen as a first time winner this season. He was also the 22nd different driver to stand in victory lane this season and seventh different driver to win during World Finals weekend in the last four years.
After a delay for rain, crashes plagued the series heat races early in the night and caused two separate repairs to the catch fence. In all, it took more than three hours.
The 25-lap series feature got underway with 19-year-old Starks leading the field. He was on top of the charts through the first 12 laps, holding off Saldana on two restarts. As the caution flag again waved near the halfway point of the race, Starks was forced into the work area with a bent tie-rod. That put Saldana into the lead. He led the restart and the next four laps until damage to his top-wing sideboard sidelined him.
Zomer battled forward on an early restart into third.
“I started sixth and shot up around some guys on the outside and got to third,” Zomer said. “That was what put me in position to be in position when those other guys had things break.”
He took over the top spot on lap 17 and held off Hodnett through traffic in the final eight laps.
Hodnett, who has one Outlaws win this season, said throughout the night the biggest challenge for he and his No. 27 Lelands.com team was surviving the conditions.
“I figure the only reason we finished second is because everyone else fell out,” Hodnett said. “We just need to get better and hopefully put ourselves in a position to start towards the front again.”
Stevie Smith finished the night on the podium in third in his No. 51s Miller Bros. Chevrolet car. Smith has two Outlaws wins this season, both at Williams Grove Speedway.