Outlaw Car Count in 2009

Since the re-unification of major 410 sprint car racing, the World of Outlaws has enjoyed car counts in the low 20's for most of their shows.

Will this be the case in 2009? Not likely. The new ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series and the rough economy will keep many teams from joining in on the Outlaw fray.

Who will stay with the Outlaws and who will look to greener pastures? It's tough to say, although it's a safe bet that a majority of the top ten in 2008 Outlaw points will probably stay with the series.

2008 Top Ten in WoO Points
1. Donny Schatz
2. Jason Meyers
3. Steve Kinser
4. Joey Saldana
5 .Jac Haudenschild
6. Kerry Madsen
7. Craig Dollansky
8. Terry McCarl
9. Chad Kemenah
10. Daryn Pittman

My guess is all of those drivers but McCarl and Madsen will run full time with the WoO in 2009. I would not be surprised to see both of those drivers run Knoxville and shows throughout the Midwest in the 410 and 360 divisions.

Spots 11-20
11. Sam Hafertepe Jr.
12. Kraig Kinser
13. Jason Sides
14. Tony Bruce Jr.
15. Chad Hillier
16. Shane Stewart
17. Lucas Wolfe
18. Paul McMahan
19. Tim Shaffer
20. Danny Lasoski

Of these drivers, Lasoski is officially running the WoO in the Casey's General Stores car. It's safe to assume that Kraig Kinser will run, but the rest is a bit of a toss up.

Stewart has plans to run with the ASCS, and I would bet that Bruce, Sides and perhaps Hafertepe will join him therel. Lucas Wolfe showed a lot of promise but was plagued with injuries in '08. He may tackle the Outlaw trail again, or perhaps run in Pennsylvania. Tim Shaffer ran with the All Stars in the later stages of 2008 and looked fast.

I'm not sure where I'd look for McMahan and Hillier to land.

So, where does all this speculation leave us? Here is my predicted list of teams running Outlaws full time in '09.

Donny Schatz - Tony Stewart Racing
Jason Meyers - Elite Racing Team
Steve Kinser - Steve Kinser Racing
Joey Saldana - Kasey Kahne & Mike Curb
Jac Haudenschild - Carnahan Motorsports
Craig Dollansky - Kasey Kahne & Mike Curb
Chad Kemenah - Jon Kantor
Daryn Pittman - Titan Racing U.S.A.
Kraig Kinser - Tony Stewart Racing
Danny Lasoski - Parsons Motorsports
Brian Ellenberger - Ti22 Performance Team
Tyler Walker - SC Racing

With perhaps 12 full time cars, the Outlaws may have some pretty thin fields in areas without a local 410 presence.

The best way to stay on top of all the Silly Season drama is at Brad Brown's site IBRACN. Brad does an excellent job of posting all the latest sprint car rumors and gossip. He'll most likely dig up information that will put my proposed Outlaw list to shame.