Dakotas Play Key Role in Storied World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series History

The Dakotas have played a key part of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series schedule for nearly 30 years. Legendary drivers like Wolfgang and Kinser, Swindell and Blaney added to their storied careers with victories across North and South Dakota.

Today, a new generation of racers is picking up the tradition. While Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell continue to be a fixture in victory lane at World of Outlaws events, North Dakota native Donny Schatz, Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana, Minnesotan Craig Dollansky, 2010 champion Jason Meyers and rising star Jason Sides have all brought fans to their feet from River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., to Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.

The generations of racers from yesterday to today were always a key to World of Outlaws racing, and it’s no different in the upper Midwest:

• North Dakota’s Danny Schatz was a racer long before his son Donny became a champion.

• Don Mack of the Grand Forks area was one of the original World of Outlaws racers — finishing third in the inaugural World of Outlaws event in 1978 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway — now his grandsons Casey, Cory and Mitch are carrying on the family’s racing legacy.

• Minnesota native Craig Dollansky grew up watching his father, Bill, compete all around the Midwest, now Craig’s an annual championship contender with the World of Outlaws.

• Doug Wolfgang is one of the most successful Sprint Car racers in history, now his son, Robby, is competing regularly, too.

• North Dakota’s Mark Dobmeier already has a World of Outlaws win to his credit and is a superstar in the making after growing up watching his father Mike compete throughout the upper Midwest.

Then, of course, there’s the Kinser family. Steve continues to dominate year after year. His son, Kraig, won the 2005 Knoxville Nationals and is always in the mix when the Outlaws invade the Dakotas. Cousin Mark Kinser retired in 2005 after being a regular visitor to victory lane at race tracks all across the Dakotas.

The driver with the most recent success in the Dakotas is Dollansky, who won twice at Huset’s in 2008 and swept this season’s Duel in the Dakotas at River Cities Speedway. Not surprisingly for a driver who cut his teeth on tracks in the upper Midwest, Dollansky is a big fan of events throughout the Dakotas, having spent nearly his entire life racing everywhere from Minnesota through the Dakotas to Iowa.

“They are the types of racetracks where you’ll get some of the best racing you’ll ever see,” said Dollansky, of Elk River, Minn. “They are definitely tracks I enjoy going racing at. There are a lot of fans out there who really enjoy the racing there.”

The fans are what make the events in the Dakotas so exciting for the competitors. Knowledgeable, passionate fans always increase the intensity of World of Outlaws events, and there are no more intense races than those at high-banked speedways like River Cities and Huset’s.

Tradition is another key part of a World of Outlaws event. Don Mack cut short his racing career to take care of his family, always putting his farming ahead of his racing. He couldn’t keep away from the sport, though, and remains involved to this day with the promotion of events. Mack was a racing legend in the upper Midwest, and by remaining involved he’s a link for new fans to learn about the origins of dirt track racing in the region.

The foundation built by drivers like Kinser and Mack and Wolfgang made the sport strong for today’s heroes. For fans in the Dakotas, it’s important to have a current star, like Schatz, with whom they can associate. Schatz was raised in Minot and resides in Fargo. After winning two championships, Schatz signed to drive a high-profile car owned by NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart, making the link between small-town America and the major racing world much more accessible.

“When I was a kid growing up, the highlight of my summer was going to see the World of Outlaws race in Fargo,” Schatz said. “Early in my career, it was probably a little tougher on me, but now I enjoy getting to race close to home. There are so many people from this area who have followed my career and been supportive along the way. Winning those championships wasn’t just for me. It was for all the fans who watched me climb the ladder.

“The fun part about racing with the World of Outlaws is that you get to race all over the country, and I’ve actually been fortunate enough to race in Australia the past seven or eight years. We’ve made friends all around the world, but there is still something special when you race close to home. Huset’s Speedway in Sioux Falls will always feel like a second home for me, racing-wise. I spent a lot of Sunday nights down there when I was just getting started. There are fans there who watched me try to knock down the wall many times and later saw me win World of Outlaws races there.”

It will be drivers like Schatz who continue building the sport years after they climb out of the car, making way for another generation of stars to remind fans in the Dakotas of the heroes they saw as kids. Some of those drivers already are competing today. Whether it’s the third generation Mack family of racers or a superstar in the making like Dobmeier, the future of Sprint Car racing in the Dakotas is strong. See for yourself this August when the World of Outlaws — The Greatest Show on Dirt — is at a track near you.

World of Outlaws Sprint Cars in the Dakotas

Aug. 19 (Friday) — River Cities Speedway, Grand Forks, N.D.

Aug. 20 (Saturday) — Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, S.D. (near Sioux Falls)

Aug. 23 (Tuesday) — Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, S.D.