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DOLLANSKY HITS SPRINT WINTERNATIONALS $10K JACKPOT AT EAST BAY
Tampa, FL….2/03/07…..”We had to make wholesale changes while we waited for
the push trucks to run the track in tonight after that rain. Fortunately, after we
moved the tires and wheels around, our car ended up the best its been all week,”
said Craig Dollansky holding the five foot trophy and the big sign declaring him
the $10,000 winner of the 31st Annual Sprint Winternationals at East Bay
Raceway Park, Saturday night.
Dollansky had won a preliminary race here four years ago, but joining in the
victory lane celebration this time were Scott Boyd and his father Jim, Craig’s car
owners for the past nine years and his crew members since the end of last
summer, Rob Hart and Craig Stevens.
Missing from the winner’s circle photo were Craig’s wife Julie, sons Luke and
Garrett and his daughter Peyton. “Hopefully, they are listening at home and they
enjoyed it,” explained the happy winner.
The familiar red No. 7 carried sponsorship from GATR Truck Center, Karavan
and Team Race Chick while utilizing a Charlie Fisher engine, Afco shocks and
Hoosier 10’s which showed evidence of blistering a bit at the end.
Rain started to fall just as all the Sprints pushed off to start their 40-lap finale at
10:15PM and at 10:26 the cars were directed to the pits to top off their fuel tanks
while the push trucks and wrecker continued to roll around the 1/3 clay oval. The
effort saved the track and the cars were called back to finally take the green flag
at 10:50PM.
With the top six in accumulated points inverted, Dollansky started the event on
the pole and there was no doubt about how well his crew had his new Maxim
hooked up. He jumped to a full two-second lead over outside pole starter, Lucas
Wolfe on the second time past the flagstand.
Danny Lasoski andJason Sides made up the second row and Tim Shaffer and
top point man Greg Hodnett comprised row three. It was Lasoski who passed
Wolfe early for second and tried his best to keep Dollansky in sight. But,
Dollansky never missed a beat as he started to catch the back of the field by lap
five and managed to keep a lapped car between himself and Lasoski the whole
race.
“That rain made the track a lane and a half narrower, and that made the lapped
traffic a definite factor,” explained Lasoski who was proud of his entire Dennis
Roth team that brought a new Kistler-powered Eagle for competition. Sponsored
by American Compressed Steel and Artic Cat, the No. 83 almost had a second
place finish on opening night, but Danny took the blame for a spin on lap 19 that
cost him the position.
In his first time ever racing at East Bay, young Lucas Wolfe, who competed in
both non-wing and winged cars, was fast all week long. He piloted a Don Ott
powered Maxim owned by his father Randy that carried sponsorship by Allebach
Racing and the Beer Hill Gang.
The fast pace of the entire field was only slowed once on lap18 when Alan
Krimes spun in between turns three and four and then had his front end clipped
by fourth running Tim Shaffer who had no where to go. Both cars were done for
the night.
The restart line-up showed Dollansky, the lapped car of Mark Smith, then
Lasoski, Wolfe, Chad Kemenah, Lance Dewease and Hodnett. But when the
green waved, the leader Dollansky had clear sailing around the track and
caught the back of the field again by lap 23.
In the closing laps, Lasoski appeared to close a gap slightly, but Dollansky still
won by 10 car-lengths. Wolfe held third over Kemenah and Dewease. Rounding
out the top ten, it was Sides, Terry McCarl, Hodnett, Randy Hannagan and Jesse
Hockett.
The heats went to Dewease, Kemenah, McCarl and Brandon Martin. Michael L.
Dehner, Kaley Gharst, Cody Darrah and Lee Stark advanced from the C-Main to
the back of the B-Main. Six cars moved from the B-Main to the back of the A-
Main and they were Tom Busch, Greg Wilson, Paul McMahan, Mark Smith, Brian
Paulus and Krimes.
Thanks, Jean Lynch for East Bay Raceway Park
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