Inside Line Promotions - KNOXVILLE, Iowa (May 14, 2013) - Craig Dollansky nearly gave Big Game Motorsports two more feature victories by parking his Eyecon Trail Cameras car in Victory Lane over the weekend.
Dollansky led feature laps and earned a podium in each of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series events at Elko Speedway in Elko, Minn., on Friday and at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday. Meanwhile, Big Game Treestands teammate Sammy Swindell faced misfortune while competing in the top 10 in each of the main events.
The Eyecon Trail Cameras Maxim opened the weekend at the FVP Outlaws at Elko by qualifying 12th quickest, putting him on the front row of a heat race after the inversion. Dollansky finished second to garner a spot in the dash. When the six was pulled in the dash inversion, Dollansky earned the pole.
Racing approximately an hour south of his home in Elk River, Minn., Dollansky led the first 14 laps before a mechanical issue hampered him for the remainder of the rain-shortened 34-lap main event.
Kerry Madsen got around the Eyecon Trail Cameras for the lead on Lap 15 and Tim Kaeding - the eventual winner - passed Dollansky for second place on Lap 32. After Kaeding had just completed a pass on Madsen for the lead, a red flag was waved for a car flipping over and rain washed out the remaining six laps.
"With the mechanical issue we developed I was thinking we needed to get out of there with a decent finish," Dollansky said. "As much as we would have liked to get the win, at that point it was just get a decent finish."
For Swindell, he qualified third quickest in the Big Game Treestands car. He then finished fourth in his heat race to advance to the feature, but narrowly missed a spot in the dash. Swindell started the main event 11th, but a flat right rear tire dropped him to a 14th-place finish.
On Saturday, the famed Knoxville Raceway presented its first of two World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series tests before the FVP Knoxville Nationals in August.
Of the 51 entries at the Mediacom Shootout, Swindell qualified quickest for the first time this season and Dollansky timed in fifth quickest. The Big Game Treestands teammates started in the second row of their heat race and advanced to the dash, which was inverted by six.
That started the Eyecon Trail Cameras car third and Swindell sixth in the short race that lined up the first six rows of the feature. They placed fourth and sixth, respectively.
Dollansky powered into the lead on Lap 9 to lead feature laps for the fourth time in the last five World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series events. However, heavy traffic came into play in the second half of the 25-lap feature and the Eyecon Trail Cameras car got trapped behind a couple of slower cars, giving the advantage eventual winner Donny Schatz needed to find the lead on Lap 18.
"I felt like we were getting through lapped traffic pretty good," Dollansky said. "We came up on a couple of cars and I got myself blocked in and that allowed Schatz to get around us. The caution flew right after that and at that point he was in the lead."
Swindell was also in contention in the top 10 until a wild restart with seven laps remaining, when a handful of cars collided on the frontstretch. Swindell's nose wing, top wing, left rear tire and various other parts were damaged in the collision, forcing him to the back on the restart.
"We kind of went the wrong direction with the car," Swindell said of the initial setup. "I thought the track was going to get slicker than it did and it actually went the other way, which it usually doesn't happen at Knoxville.
"The next thing I knew Lucas Wolfe had run over my left rear (tire). It was kinda unfortunate, but there was a lot of positives that we got out of that. The new motor that we got was really strong and some of the changes that we made with the car and setup were quite a bit better. It's just that we went a little too far in the wrong direction."
Swindell, who is now sixth in the championship standings, finished 18th to record his 21st top 20 of the season. Dollansky finished second in the feature to earn his fourth podium in the last five races. He ranks fifth in the points.
The Big Game Treestands teammates will compete with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series as it invades Pennsylvania this week. On Wednesday, Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown hosts the Gettysburg Clash before Williams Grove Speedway has a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday for the Morgan Cup.
QUICK RESULTS -
DOLLANSKY:
May 10 - Elko Speedway in Elko, Minn. - Qualifying: 12; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 3 (1).
May 11 - Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa - Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 2 (4); Dash: 4 (3); Feature: 2 (4).
SWINDELL:
May 10 - Elko Speedway in Elko, Minn. - Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 4 (4); Feature: 14 (11).
May 11 - Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa - Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 3 (4); Dash: 6 (6); Feature: 18 (6).
SEASON STATS -
DOLLANSKY : 21 races, 2 wins, 6 top fives, 12 top 10s, 16 top 15s, 20 top 20s
SWINDELL : 21 races, 1 win, 4 top fives, 11 top 10s, 18 top 15s, 21 top 20s
UP NEXT -
Wednesday at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa., for the Gettysburg Clash and Friday and Saturday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., for the Morgan Cup with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
MEDIA LINKS -
Big Game Treestands: www.BigGameTreestands.com
Aggressive Hydraulics: www.AggressiveHydraulics.com
MobileStar: www.MobileStar.us/mobilestarwebsite
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Big_Game_TS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Game-Treestands/251832101535076?fref=ts
BIG GAME TREESTANDS -
Established in 1977 in Windom, Minn., Big Game Treestands has grown to be a leading company in the outdoor industry. Big Game Treestands offers a Rock Solid™ line of field tested, safety certified above TMA requirements, welded steel stands & free standing elevated platforms that gives you not only a safe and extremely sturdy vantage point, but also reliable all-day comfort at a great value. Large, non-slip standing platforms, top-notch fastening systems, and our innovative pinned, sleeved ladder sections provide the Rock Solid™ stance, twist free climbing, and all around silence that Big Game Treestands® is known for. Non-glare, powder coat finish keeps our products hidden from nature's wary eye.
For over 30 years, it has been our goal and our philosophy to provide the most innovative and practical treestands and hunting accessories in the field. As tradition continues, we are Exceeding Limitations and once again providing new models that challenge Mother Nature. In 2012 Big Game extended the line into Trail Cameras known for the easy to set, great picture quality, and over all great camera Eyecon Trail Cameras exceeds the expectations of consumers. Big Game Treestands® and Eyecon Trail Cameras® offers undeniable quality on time-tested favorites as well as new innovations for 2013.
For more information on Big Game Treestands, visit www.BigGameTreestands.com.
EYECON TRAIL CAMERAS ® -
Eyecon Trail Cameras® are premier trail cameras for hunters and outdoorsmen. The Black Widow Trail Camera, Storm Trail Camera and Quikshot Trail Camera provide a variety of options that are user-friendly with exceptional imaging. To learn more about or purchase Eyecon Trail Cameras®, visit www.EyeconTrailCameras.com.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS -
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors' return on investment.
To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com.
Article Credit: Shawn Miller