By TONY VENEZIANO

World of Outlaws

Minot, ND--June 18, 2009-- A busy swing through the state of North Dakota wraps up on Sunday, June 21 at Nodak Speedway in Minot, as the World of Outlaws make their fourth consecutive visit to the high-banked 3/8-mile located at the State Fairgrounds.

Leading the way to Nodak Speedway will be three-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz, who was born and raised in Minot and has two career wins at the track, He has come close to winning a couple of times with the World of Outlaws at his home track and led laps, but has yet to visit the winner's circle with the series. He begins the weekend with seven wins on the season and is the current series point leader by 50 markers over Joey Saldana.

In the three previous events at Nodak Speedway, three different drivers have visited Victory Lane, with Jason Meyers taking the win last season. Daryn Pittman was victorious in 2007, while Terry McCarl won in the series debut at the track in 2006.

In what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons in the history of the World of Outlaws, the Top-Four drivers in the series championship standings are separated by just 86 points entering this weekend's trio of races. Steve Kinser, the 20-time series champion is just 23 markers behind Joey Saldana who is second, with Jason Meyers fourth, just 13 points behind Kinser as they all chase Donny Schatz.

Slidejobs- Nodak Speedway:

Home sweet home: Donny Schatz was born and raised in Minot, North Dakota, the home of Nodak Speedway. He has come close to winning in each of the World of Outlaws three visits to the track. He has two career wins at the track entering the event on Sunday, June 21. He has a total of 15 career wins in his home state. He has one win this season on a 3/8-mile track with that coming at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana and seven overall wins which is second-best to Joey Saldana.

"That's where everything started for me," noted Schatz of the Minot area. "My family is from there and I grew up there. I've won races there, but to get a World of Outlaws wins would really be a highlight, to get the big trophy."

Always a contender: Joey Saldana finished third in his debut at Nodak Speedway in 2006. He was sixth the following year and was leading last season when contact with a lapped car sent him to the work area with a flat tire. The second generation driver leads the World of Outlaws with 10 A-Feature wins this season as he chases his first career series title.

Looking to add one to the list: Steve Kinser, the 20-time series champion, enters this weekend third in the World of Outlaws championship standings. Nodak Speedway is one of just a few tracks on the 2009 schedule that the Hall of Famer has not won at in his legendary career. He finished third in his debut at the track in 2007 and was seventh last season.

Looking for a repeat: Jason Meyers was victorious at Nodak Speedway last season to earn his first win at the track in just his second start there. He has won three times this season including on a 3/8-mile at Paducah International Speedway in Kentucky. He looks to rebound after a hard crash last Saturday night caused by a mechanical problem.

Knows North Dakota: Jason Sides has made nearly 30 starts in his career in the state of North Dakota. The 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has finished in the Top-10 in about 1/3 of the races he has competed in in the state over the years. He recently moved into the fifth spot in the series standings on the strength of 18 Top-10 finishes as he looks for his first win of the year.

Almost there: Craig Dollansky finished second last season at Nodak Speedway as he looks for his first win at the high-banked 3/8-mile located at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. The veteran driver is currently sixth in the series standings as he continues his first season driving for Kasey Kahne Racing.

Second time around: Danny Lasoski will make his second career start at Nodak Speedway this weekend. He competed at the track for the first time in 2007. He has five career wins in the state of North Dakota in his career and over 30 Top-10 finishes. He is currently seventh in points, less than 30 points out of the Top-Five. He won earlier this season at Delaware International Speedway.

Looking to rebound: Jac Haudenschild looks to rebound after crossing the line second, but coming up light at the scales last season at Nodak Speedway relegating to a 24th-place finish. He finished ninth at the track in 2007 as he looks to add to his two career wins in the state of North Dakota.

A strong run: Kraig Kinser made his debut at Nodak Speedway last season finishing a very solid third. He looks to build on that as he chases his first win of the season as he continues his second season driving for Tony Stewart Racing. He has 11 career Top-10 finishes in North Dakota.

A return visit: Lucas Wolfe made his first trip to Nodak Speedway last season, finishing just outside of the Top-10. The sophomore driver is currently 10th in the series standings and has four Top-10 finishes.

Running strong up North: Sam Hafertepe Jr. will make his third career start at Nodak Speedway this weekend. He finished just outside of the Top-10 at the track last season. In his career in the state of North Dakota, he has two Top-10 finishes. He finished third last Saturday night to pick up his third Top-Five of the 2009 campaign.

Debut in North Dakota: Brian Ellenberger, who is contending for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season, will make his first trip to Nodak Speedway this weekend, as well as his first trip to North Dakota to race. He picked up a career-best third-place finish last weekend at Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas.

By the Numbers: Nodak Speedway:

0.375- Miles around Nodak Speedway

1- Driver competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that hails from North Dakota, Donny Schatz

2- Drivers that led laps in the A-Feature at the track last season

3- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the series at the track

5- Total races in the state of North Dakota this season for the World of Outlaws

7- Drivers that have led laps in the three feature events contested by the World of Outlaws at Nodak Speedway; Laps led by Donny Schatz at the track in World of Outlaws events

8- Career starts at Nodak Speedway for Donny Schatz to lead all drivers

9- Drivers that have won heat races in the World of Outlaws three races at Nodak Speedway

10- Drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws this season that competed at Nodak Speedway last season

12- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws

13.331- Track record set by Donny Schatz in time trials in 2007

15- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws in the state of North Dakota dating back to 1981

25- Laps led by Jason Meyers en route to winning at Nodak Speedway last season

27- Events contested by the World of Outlaws through June 13

29- Drivers that competed with the World of Outlaws at the track last season

101.268- Track record in miles per hour established by Donny Schatz in 2007

261- Miles from Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, North Dakota where the World of Outlaws compete on June 20 to Nodak Speedway in Minot, North Dakota

1994- Year that Donny Schatz first competed at Nodak Speedway

10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Sunday, June 21

51,690- Dollars in the total purse on Sunday, June 21