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Kasey Kahne, who makes his living as a driver on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, paid a visit to Hagerstown Speedway on Sunday night to compete in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event. (By Joe Crocetta/Staff Photographer / May 20, 2012) |
HAGERSTOWN —
Race fans flocked to Hagerstown Speedway on Sunday to catch a glimpse of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series superstar Kasey Kahne. Kahne, along with SLS Promotions, held the Kasey Kahne Challenge at the local track as part of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.
It was the first World of Outlaws event held in Hagerstown since 2005.
“It’s nice to have this event in Hagerstown,” Kahne said. “We had a great turnout tonight, with a whole bunch of kids here. It’s fun to put on shows like this.”
Though Kahne may have been the main attraction, Craig Dollansky, of Elk River, Minn., stole the spotlight and the victory.
“I think this is the first race I’ve won here,” said Dollansky, who raced the No. 7 Big Game Treestands car. “Hat’s off to the track crew tonight. Sometimes it takes a while to get the dirt track set up. It is summertime, so they may have had to add water to it, but they made a great track for us to race on.”
Dollansky started the main event race in second place, qualifying with a dash time of 1:37.881. After passing polesitter Paul McMahan on the first lap, he never trailed, leading all 26 laps of the race.
“That’s the great thing about these kind of races — you can pass, unlike the heat races where it’s first to fourth all the way through,” Dollansky said. “With tough competition like what we faced tonight, it’s great to get the Big Game Treestands team a win.”
With the win, Dollansky now has four World of Outlaws Sprint Cup Series wins on the year.
McMahan, despite the best dash time of 1:37.844, finished third in the main event behind Daryn Pittman, who started fourth. Rounding out the top five were Stevie Smith of Broken Arrow, Okla., and Kraig Kinser of Bloomington, Ind.
Kahne, meanwhile, had a somewhat forgettable night on the track, qualifying and finishing in 15th place out of 26 qualifiers. Kahne placed third in his heat race, which was also won by Dollansky.
“It feels good to be back on a dirt track,” said Kahne. “I wish I could (race on dirt) more so I could actually pass cars.”
Lance DeWease won the second heat, Kahne’s teammate Cody Darrah won the third and Sammy Swindell won the fourth.
