Saldana Shines at Silver Dollar Speedway with Mopar Power
Mopar-powered driver Joey Saldana drove to victory on Friday, March 13, in the opener of the 23rd Annual Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif.
Saldana began the night by setting a new track record in time trials, charging around the high-banked quarter-mile in 10.918 seconds in his Budweiser Maxim powered by a Mopar powerplant. Saldana became the first driver ever to eclipse the 11-second barrier in the 50-plus year history of the track. He then got around teammate Craig Dollansky in lapped traffic on the 26th lap of the 40-lap event and would lead the remainder of the way, enduring a number of late cautions.
Saldana started fifth and got around Jonathan Allard on the opening lap, before charging past Donny Schatz on the second circuit. He then shadowed Terry McCarl for a number of laps as the pair tried to track down Craig Dollansky. Saldana was able to get by McCarl on the seventh lap and then set his sights on his Kasey Kahne Racing teammate. He would catch Dollansky in traffic on the 26th lap and quickly opened up a sizeable advantage.
"It feels great," said Saldana. "This is a great effort for Kasey Kahne Racing. We had a very good car."
Saldana is currently sixth in the World of Outlaws Sprint standings. For more info on the World of Outlaws Sprint Series, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com.