11/19/2017
Salina Highbanks Speedway
World of Outlaws visit Salina Highbanks Speedway in 2018 on May 5
SALINA, Okla. — November 18, 2017 — The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will visit Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, Oklahoma again in 2018 on Saturday, May 5 for the Twister Showdown. The event will mark the sixth straight year and sixth time overall that the series has competed at the high-banked three-eighths-mile just outside of Tulsa.
Kerry Madsen won a thriller this past season over Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet. Madsen took the lead from Sweet on lap-23 and held off furious charges from Sweet, Schatz and Shane Stewart in the late going to pick up the win. For Madsen, it was his fifth World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win of the season and first at Salina.
Daryn Pittman scored a very popular win in 2016 at Salina Highbanks Speedway. The win was the second straight for an Oklahoma native at the track, as Stewart was victorious in the 2015 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series event at Salina.
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series raced for the first time at Salina Highbanks Speedway in 2011, with Craig Dollansky picking up the win. The veteran driver would win again in 2013 at the high-banked oval. Joey Saldana was victorious at Salina Highbanks Speedway in 2014.
The 2017 campaign was another historic one for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series as 20 drivers picked up wins. Leading the way was Schatz, who scored his ninth series championship and became the first driver in series history to win 20 or more A-Feature events in five consecutive seasons. David Gravel had a career-year, earning 18 A-Feature wins, which was second only to Schatz. The 25-year-old finished third in points for the second consecutive year.
Brad Sweet was nearly as consistent as Schatz, picking up 72 top-10 finishes just two less than the champion, with 56 of those being top-fives. Sweet visited victory lane five times in 2017 en route to finishing second in points. Pittman ended up fourth in the standings, while picking up three wins, with Stewart, who reached victory lane eight times, rounding out the top-five in points.
Jason Johnson, who won four races finished sixth in points, followed by Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner Sheldon Haudenschild in seventh. Kraig Kinser, who had a win was eighth, with Logan Schuchart, who earned a career-high four victories, in ninth and rookie Brent Marks rounded out the top-10.
Information on tickets for the Twister Showdown, featuring the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Oklahoma on Saturday, May 5, 2018 will be available soon at www.slspromotions.com.
Submitted By: Elizabeth Davis
