Al Graf Photo - Joey Saldana wins on Kasey Kahne Night at Charter Raceway Parkby John Wiedemann
Beaver Dam, WI - Joey Saldana took to the outside rim of Charter Raceway Park and flew to the checkers on Kasey Kahne Night. Saldana and his teammates, Kasey Kahne and Craig Dollansky, took home the top three of the top five finishing positions in the feature race after battling the local Interstate Racing Association Outlaw Sprint stars on Tuesday night. Jeff Steenbergen held off a late race charge by Eric Barth to take home the Legends victory.

Al Graf Photo - Brooke Tatnell RollSaldana quickly found the outside groove to his liking at Charter Raceway Park, using it to easily win his heat race and to get to second place, behind team owner Kahne, in the dash. Starting on the outside of the second row in the feature race was just the ticket for Saldana. Saldana was in second place behind early race leader Mike Reinke by the third lap of the race and was in the lead when the caution flag flew on lap six for Kirk Fehrman's spin. Caution would again halt the field two laps later when Darrell Dodd and Todd Hepfner tangled in turn one. Also caught in the incident were Scott Biertzer and Andy Hunt. Saldana continued to run the high line after the restart and caught the tail end of the field within five laps. Another caution flag flew on lap thirteen when TJ Luedke and Steve Meyer got together. Just after the restart, Donny Goeden started falling back from his second place position. Both Reinke and Dollansky drove by to take over the second and third positions as Goeden faded. A few laps later, Brooke Tatnell and Kahne would also get past Goeden.

Al Graf Photo - Brooke Tatnell RollThe caution lights lit up the track a final time with six laps remaining in the race when Mike Kertscher spun harmlessly in turn one. With five lapped cars between himself and second place Reinke, Saldana again charged up to the top of the track when the green came back out. Lapped cars dropped to the bottom while the leaders cut a groove in the top of the track for the final six trips around the banked clay oval. Saldana showed the power of his sprinter, pulling away to the victory a full straightaway ahead of Reinke and Dollansky. A fourth place finish by Tatnell could be considered a victory after a rough flip down the backstraight in the first lap of his heat race forced him to bump up through the B main to get to race in the feature. Kahne rounded out the top five in the thirty lap event with current IRA point leader Bill Balog finishing in sixth.

Al Graf Photo - Brooke Tatnell RollEarlier in the evening, heat winners included Biertzer, Goeden, Saldana and Dollansky. Tatnell and Joe Symoens captured B-Main victories. Kahne won the fast dash leading wire to wire over teammates Saldana and Dollansky.

After a rough evening during last Saturday?s races at Charter Raceway Park, Steenbergen returned to the track with a vengeance. Steenbergen charged to the front of his heat race and won it running away from the field. Starting on the outside of the front row, Steenbergen looked to repeat the performance in the twenty lap feature race. As the field came around to complete the first lap, Steenbergen was leading the twenty car field. By the halfway point of the race, Steenbergen had built up a half straightaway lead over the second place driver. That driver was Barth, who had started in eighth but drove up to the
second spot by lap three. Slowly Barth started reeling in the leader, running a lane about a car width higher. With four laps remaining, the top two had distanced themselves from third and were starting to work their way through lap traffic, and Barth was right on Steenbergens bumper. Barth made his move on the final lap, diving down to the inside of Steenbergen in turn three. Side by side the front runners battled through the final turns. It was Steenbergen, on the outside, who was able to maintain momentum and power his way to the checkers. Barth settled for second followed by Brad Weber, Kevin Brill and Mike Mueller.

Next Saturday night, June 6th is another Charter 6-division event on Scout Night /School's Out Party/Rechek's Food Pride Night. Pits open at 3:30 and the main gates open at 4:30. Racing is scheduled to start promptly at 6:30. Contact the track office for more information at 920-382-7858 or visit the Charter Raceway Park website at www.wismotorsports.com

Charter Raceway Park
Kasey Kahne Night
June 2, 2009
RESULTS
IRA Outlaw Sprints
HEAT WINNERS Scott Biertzer, Donny Goeden, Joey Saldana, Craig Dollansky
B MAIN WINNERS Brooke Tatnell, Joe Symoens
A MAIN Joey Saldana, Mike Reinke, Craig Dollansky, Brooke Tatnell, Kasey Kahne, Bill Balog, Bill Warren, Donny Goeden, Billy Hafemann, Jereme Schroder, Joe Symoens, Adam Miller, Scott Uttech, Mike Kertscher, Darrell Dodd, Scott Biertzer, Kirk Fehrman, Steve Meyer, Kris Spitz, TJ Luedke, Scotty Neitzel, Todd Hepfner, Andy Hunt, John Haeni

LEGENDS
HEAT WINNERS Jeff Steenbergen, Joe Johnson, Eric Barth
B MAIN WINNER Greg Hartlaub
A MAIN Jeff Steenbergen, Eric Barth, Brad Weber, Kevin Brill, Mike Mueller, Joe Johnson, Warren Ropp, Joel Wittenbach, Brian Peterson, Grant Greenfield, Bethany Wittenbach, Aaron Muhle, Jim Bucher, Greg Hartlaub, Mark Ritger, Luke Polzin, Ezekiel Bishofberger, Brandon Schmitt, George Giessen, Kurt Vanvuren