Mopar®-Powered Kasey Kahne Racing Squad Heads to DIRTcar Nationals with Veteran-Rookie Mix
Kasey Kahne Racing will field a two-car Mopar® -powered team on the 2010 World of Outlaws Sprint Series featuring a mix of experience and youth. Veteran driver Joey Saldana, who led the World of Outlaws with 20 A-Feature wins last season, will join forces with up-and-coming rookie Cody Darrah. The pair will kickoff the 2010 campaign this weekend, Feb. 5–7, at the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) at Volusia (Fla.) Speedway Park.
Saldana returns for his fifth season with the team owned by NASCAR star Kahne. Saldana won on the second night of the 2009 DIRTcar Nationals, edging Jason Sides in a last lap thriller. Saldana finished the season third in the point standings, just 70 markers out of first.
"I'm definitely ready," said Saldana. "This is the first time in eight years that I have not raced through Christmas. Usually I'll race in Australia and New Zealand and then have a couple of weeks off before the season. My last race this year was around Thanksgiving. I've had a lot of time off and am ready now to get back racing."
Darrah made his debut for Kasey Kahne Racing last year at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York, finishing sixth in that event. The native of Red Lion, Pa., scored his first win with the WoO Sprint series last fall at his home track of Williams Grove Speedway. Darrah has qualified fourth or better in six of his nine career starts at Volusia with the World of Outlaws.
"I'm very excited for the season," said Darrah. "It's going to be a very big year for me as a driver and a very big year for our team, Kasey Kahne Racing. When you drive for Kasey Kahne, the expectations are to do nothing but win. The guys at the shop have been working very hard. He (Kasey) is as excited as I am for this year."
A full week of Sprint Car racing during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH begins on Feb. 2 with a test session, followed by two nights under the All Star Circuit Champions banner (Feb. 3–4) before the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series takes center stage on Feb. 5–7. For more information on the World of Outlaws Sprint Series, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com.