Saldana led all 30 laps by riding the cushion around the top of Perris Auto Speedway to claim the NAPA Know How SoCal Showdown, which was the first World of Outlaws race at the fast half-mile oval since 2007.

“You don’t get these opportunities very often and getting your first one out of the way early in the season is a big asset to the whole season,” said Saldana, who became the fifth different winner in five World of Outlaws main events this season.

“I think the key to victory was the dash. Getting around Jason (Meyers) and getting clean air made a huge difference. And just making sure I chose the right spot on those restarts.”

Meyers, who started on the pole of the six-lap dash, chose the bottom on a double-file restart midway through the race that determined the first five rows of the feature lineup. Saldana took advantage on the restart and zipped by Meyers on the top as the duo exited turn two. Saldana picked up the win and the pole position for the main event.

“Unfortunately I gave it away in the dash tonight,” said Meyers, the two-time defending World of Outlaws champion. “I gave it away on a restart and gave Joey the lead, which gave him the pole for the start of the feature. I just made a mistake tonight. I chose the wrong line on the restart and gave Joey the opportunity to get past me.”

Saldana then set a blistering pace during the feature. He was only slowed four times for a caution and chose the outside lane on every double-file restart. Despite being side-by-side with Saldana on each restart, Meyers had his best opportunity on lap 21 when the leaders entered lapped traffic.

Saldana had a couple-second lead quickly erased as he was slowed while trying to lap Austen Wheatley. Meyers closed to the back of Saldana before the final caution of the race for a collision between Jonathan Allard and Bobby McMahan in turn two on lap 23.

Saldana cruised from that restart to record his first victory of the season and his 79th career World of Outlaws main event win.

Meyers held off Steve Kinser for the runner-up position.

“We just had to start back too far,” Kinser said. “We were just as fast as anybody out there, maybe even a little quicker at times. I almost could catch them down on the bottom. There just wasn’t enough to get off the corner down there.

“Starting back there in the fourth row with the cars that were up front, we just couldn’t do it unless we would have stayed in that lapped traffic.”

Kraig Kinser finished fourth and Kerry Madsen was fifth. Tim Kaeding placed sixth, Lucas Wolfe seventh and Sammy Swindell, who picked up the KSE Hard Charger Award after starting 19th, was eighth. Chad Kemenah ended ninth and Sam Hafertepe Jr. drove from 18th to 10th.

Meyers, Brian Brown and Kaeding each won a heat race, and McMahan claimed the Last Chance Showdown.

It was his seventh career World of Outlaws feature win and his first since April 24, 2009, at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. And Kaeding celebrated in style.

With fists pumping and several shouts, Kaeding drew a loud cheer from the packed crowd when he hopped out of his car on the fronstretch, hugged almost anyone in sight and climbed on the back of the high-powered race car with his arms held high.

“We weren’t even expecting to come here,” the reigning King of California said. “About a week and a half ago we made the decision to come.

“It’s a hard-fought battle when you can start up front and stay up front with the Outlaws. They’re definitely fast on the half miles. Tonight we just got lucky. We just went out, had a lot of fun and enjoyed ourselves.”

Kaeding qualified sixth quickest and finished second in his heat race to earn a spot in the dash. The invert for the dash was “six”, giving Kaeding the pole. He led all six laps to earn the pole for the feature, which he then commanded for all but two of the 30 laps.

However, it was anything but easy. Kaeding survived nine cautions, including one on the opening lap when Brian Brown jumped the start from his 21     st starting position. He was penalized a row on the restart.

Kaeding and the rest of the field were slowed on the third lap for a caution by Sammy Swindell, who sustained a flat left front tire. Swindell restarted last – 24th.

Chad Kemenah, who opened the night as the fastest qualifier with a lap of 15.093 seconds, took the lead for the seventh and eighth laps before Kaeding regained the top position in lapped traffic entering turn three on the ninth circuit.

Jason Meyers brought out a caution on lap 10 as he came to a spinning stop because of front end damage. He then stopped on lap 23 with a similar issue and NASCAR star Tony Stewart was forced pitside because of a flat right rear tire.

Kerry Madsen’s flip in turn one on the restart prompted a red flag. Two laps later, Terry McCarl spun in turn two for the fifth stoppage and Lucas Wolfe ran out of fuel on lap 26 while running fourth. Second-running Kraig Kinser had a flat right rear tire, but elected not to pit and therefore be forced to the back. However, he brought out a caution with two laps remaining because of the flat tire.

Sides, who maintained a close second for most of the second half of the race, dove under Kaeding for the lead entering turn one on the restart. However, Sides slide up the track and Kaeding drove underneath as the duo exited turn two.

“We had a right front tire going low there,” Sides said. “The last couple of laps I’d get in there and get on the right front. The one time I got by Tim, I got in there and he got back underneath me. It took a little push and I think that allowed him to get back underneath us.

“Our car was good. I don’t know that we could have done much better setup-wise or anything like that. We needed longer green-flag runs. It seemed like we were better on longer runs rather than those little short runs.”

Kaeding regained the lead and the final caution came as he received the white flag when Cody Darrah spun out in turn four.

Kaeding again pulled to a good advantage on the restart and held on for the victory with Sides a close runner-up. Steve Kinser, who started 14     th, charged to third.

“We passed a lot of cars, got by a few on a restart,” he said. “To get a third after starting 14th, I can’t complain.

“There at the end, once we got strung out the first couple of laps, the only guys probably making up time were guys that had come in and already had new tires on their right rear.”

Kemenah was fourth and Brown worked his way back to fifth, which earned him the Hard Charger Award.

Swindell, Meyers and Stewart overcame their issues to finish sixth through eighth, respectively. Donny Schatz, who started 16th, was ninth and Kraig Kinser drove from 20th to 10th in the final two laps after his caution for a flat tire.

Swindell, Madsen and Craig Dollansky each claimed a heat race victory and McCarl won the Last Chance Showdown.

“This was a long day,” he said. “It was two nights of racing in one day.”

Dollansky capped a World of Outlaws doubleheader on Sunday at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., by outlasting Donny Schatz, who started on the pole and had won every race he had been in all day. Schatz claimed the afternoon feature, which had been delayed since Friday because of rain.

It was also the final event for the sprint car portion of the 41st annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment, which was claimed by Sammy Swindell.

In the nightcap on Sunday, Dollansky entered the 25-lap feature on the outside front row – next to Schatz, who swept the afternoon event and claimed his heat race and the dash prior to feature.

The duo raced side by side – Schatz on the bottom and Dollansky in the high groove against the wall – for nearly a full lap before Dollansky got the edge coming to the flagstand on the opening lap. He maintained the lead while Schatz remained within striking distance for the first dozen laps.

On lap 13, the leaders entered lapped traffic. Three laps later, Schatz rocketed off the bottom in turn two to take the lead only to see Dollansky capitalize on his momentum and regain the top spot entering turn three.

“I had opportunities; I did pass him I think once coming out of (turn) two, got underneath him once going into (turn) three,” Schatz said. “We were there. Every time we got to him he was able to get a little better.”

David Gravel, who picked up his first career World of Outlaws feature victory last season, joined the mix in the final 10 laps. The top three were separated by a total of a half-dozen car lengths for several laps, and Gravel and Schatz exchanged the runner-up position with two laps remaining.

“We really started catching them there at the end,” Gravel said after finishing third. “I thought we really had something and then it started taking rubber on the bottom. Those last few laps it was pretty much just one lane.”

One bobble would have cost any of the drivers in the closing laps, but Dollansky was smooth and protected the bottom of the track to pick up his first World of Outlaws victory of the season and second sprint car win of the week.

“Once I settled in and just tried to watch our line and watch the bottom, I felt pretty comfortable at that point,” he said.

Schatz finished a close second – less than seven-tenths behind Dollansky.

“I think my best chance was actually on the last lap there on the bottom,” Schatz said. “I needed him to make a mistake. I thought he was going to. He did the lap before and I got a good run on him. I really thought I was going to get that opportunity on the last lap, which would have been a pretty exciting finish for us.”

Kraig Kinser finished fourth and Swindell was fifth.

He received a unique four-foot trophy shaped like an alligator for being the overall sprint car champion. He finished the week with three top fives, four top 10s and an average feature finish of 6.6.

“You just have to be consistent every day,” he said. “I’d like to have some wins, but we were competitive every night.”

Dale Blaney, Danny Lasoski, Jason Sides, Joey Saldana and Danny Smith rounded out the top 10, respectively.

Brad Sweet, Gravel, Schatz and Swindell each won a heat race and Daryn Pittman was the fastest in qualifying with a lap of 14.294 seconds. He also won the Last Chance Showdown.

The next World of Outlaws race is scheduled for March 8 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas in Las Vegas.

Tickets for the rest of the 41st annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit can be ordered online by clicking     WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets, by calling 877-395-8606 or purchased at the track.

The Outlaws and an assembly of additional elite talent are preparing to kick off the 2012 campaign – a growing slate of 83 events at 51 tracks in 23 states plus Canada – at the 41st annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. The event runs from Feb. 14-25, with the Outlaws racing Feb. 17-18-19.

Among the stacked group of drivers is Joey Saldana, who claimed the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit title last season. The Brownsburg, Ind., native earned quick time two of the three nights and he ended with two third-place results and an eight-place finish.

“We didn’t win a race; we were just consistent,” he said. “Volusia is one of those tracks with hard competition, and the track is hard. You just have to be consistent every night.”

While Saldana has won twice since 2006 at the half-mile track, he has thrived on consistency. Since 2008, Saldana has six top-five finishes and nine top 10s in 11 races.

“Volusia has always been pretty good for us,” he said. “I’m definitely looking forward to going there and getting the season started.

“It’s a fast track kind of like Eldora (Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio). It’s probably one of the fastest tracks we race on. I like fast tracks, so it kind of fits my style.”