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Cody Darrah Begins Rookie Season with DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia

Concord, NC—January 13, 2010—Racing against tough competition night in and night out will be nothing new for Cody Darrah this coming season as he contends for the World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, beginning at the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park, February 5-7. For each of the last four seasons he has raced in Central Pennsylvania against stout competition wherever he went and won his fair share of races, while continuing to hone his skills behind the wheel.

Darrah, who will pilot the No. 91 Great Clips Maxim for Kasey Kahne Racing this coming season, scored his first career World of Outlaws A-Feature win last year in the finale of the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway, earning $20,000 for that triumph.

“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. “

Darrah has always been fast at Volusia Speedway Park and looks to use his experience at the half-mile to open the 2010 campaign on a strong note. The native of Red Lion, Pennsylvania finished seventh in the opener of the three-day event last season and has taken part in the DIRTcar Nationals in each of the last three years, setting fast time in his debut at the track in 2007 as well as again in 2008. He has qualified fourth or better in six of his nine career starts at Volusia.

“It’s a big race track and a place I really like to race at,” noted the 20-year old. “I’m really excited to start the year off at Volusia. For one, it’s a track that I am familiar with. It is super fast and a place where you have to keep your arms straight and make a good lap. Volusia is a track that I am very excited for, because that will set the tone for the whole year.”

With one of the strongest fields in the 30-plus year history of the World of Outlaws currently being assembled, along with the drivers from the All Star Circuit of Champions, as well as Pennsylvania, Ohio and across the country, the DIRTcar Nationals are shaping up to feature some of the most fierce competition of the season. Darrah is looking forward to this challenge as he begins his first full season on the road with the World of Outlaws.

“You’re going against the best of the best there,” shared Darrah when asked about Volusia. “You don’t race in an event like that again until probably August. It is super competitive with all of those good guys there all at once. There are a lot of cars there and it only takes a little mistake to miss the show. It’s tough to make all the races there, but that’s our goal going in this year.”

While he will be taking on the best winged sprint car drivers in the world, Darrah will also have to contend with the blazing fast half-mile at Volusia Speedway Park, which received some new clay in the off-season. Having cut his teeth on the bigger tracks in his home state of Pennsylvania, Darrah always looks forward to the season opening trip to the Sunshine State.

“It’s a fast race track as well and when you have been off and not racing for the last two months and take your first lap there, it puts you back in the seat,” he explained. “It’s good though, because it gets your speed set for the year and gets you back in the car and you get that feel.”

Darrah competed with the World of Outlaws at eight different tracks last season of which seven will be among the facilities he visits again in 2010. Among those tracks he raced at in 2009, was his first trek to the famed Eldora Speedway where he finished seventh in the his debut at the half-mile in the spring and he followed that up by setting fast time at the Kings Royal in July, with 47 cars in attendance. He picked up seven Top-10 finishes in World of Outlaws competition in 2009, with three of those being Top-Fives in a limited number of starts mainly in the East Coast events.

“There is a lot of pressure,” deadpanned Darrah when asked about driving for a NASCAR star. “When you drive for Kasey Kahne, the expectations are to do nothing but win. It’s a wonderful deal for a driver here at Kasey Kahne Racing and you couldn’t ask for anything better. The guys at the shop have been working very hard. He (Kasey) is as excited as I am for this year. We have a great group of guys working on this thing and everyone is working together to use their resources as best as they can.”

Darrah will be teamed with Joey Saldana, who led the World of Outlaws with 20 A-Feature wins and 21 overall victories last year. He’ll also have veteran crew chief Bonzai Bruns turning the wrenches for him. Darrah made a couple of starts at the end of 2009 for the team scoring a sixth-place finish in his debut with the squad at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York during Super DIRT Week.

“Looking at everything and where I am at, I could not have been able to have picked a better team than what I am a part of,” he shared. “Having Joey (Saldana) as a teammate will be a great resource. We’ll going to a lot of tracks that I have never seen and I’ll be able to able to talk to him and get information. He’s a great coach and so many of the tracks that I have never seen, he has won it. We have so many great resources within out team do nothing but good.”

Darrah, who turned 20 in August of last year, will be the youngest driver competing full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2010, and will be racing against many drivers that have been racing and winning, longer than he has been alive, though he does not look at that as intimidating, but rather as a variable that will help ease his learning curve on the road.

“I look up to every one of the guys on the Outlaws circuit,” said the rookie. “I expect a lot from myself and it will be tough racing against these guys and I’ll have to tell myself every once in a while that these guys have been doing it for a long time. I’m ready for it though and excited for the challenge.”

The rookie contender will have three separate chances to race at his home track of Williams Grove Speedway in 2010 with the World of Outlaws, as the series first heads to the legendary half-mile on May 13-14, followed by the Summer Nationals on July 23-24 and the National Open on October 1-2.

“I’m really looking forward to going back to Williams Grove,” Darrah said. “That’s a track that I have a lot of laps at and have had a lot of success there. Going back home and having that atmosphere will be huge for me. It’s going to be a comfort zone for me and I’m excited to get to race there with the Outlaws.”

Darrah, who has done a good amount of testing during the off-season with the Kasey Kahne Racing team, begins his 2010 season at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals this week, making one final start for his father Joe’s team. Following that event, the focus will shift back to the DIRTcar Nationals which are just three weeks away.

“It keeps you competitive and keeps you racing,” he noted, when asked about racing in the winter. “It’s a little bit different being in a non-wing car and a midget at that, but it keeps your sharp. It’s exciting to go there. I am really itching to race and glad to be able to do it.”

Darrah will race nearly 80 times in 2010 at over 40 tracks from coast-to-coast and in Canada with the World of Outlaws. The majority of those tracks will be ones that he is seeing for the first time. Having added his name to the record books last season by earning his first World of Outlaws win, he looks to continue to add to that success in 2010 as he contends for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, which has been claimed in each of the last two seasons by drivers from his home state of Pennsylvania.

“Making a full season and finishing races is very important,” he said, when asked his goals for the new season. “It’s going to be a big year racing race tracks, let alone the World of Outlaws drivers. I want to gain consistency that is what we are looking for and just learning. As long as we are learning, it’s going to be a good year.”

The 2010 World of Outlaws season kicks off with the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park February 5-7. For tickets to the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park visit: http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 386-985-4402. Each ticket purchased is also a free fan pit pass.

-----BREAKING NEWS-----

L to R: Cody Darrah, Brad Sweet, Joey Saldana

KASEY KAHNE RACING SIGNS CODY DARRAH TO RACE 2010 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SERIES

Mooresville, NC (November 12, 2009) –
Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) announced today the permanent addition of young sprint car racer Cody Darrah as the driver of the No. 91 Great Clips / Sage Fruit / ASE / Mopar sprint car in the 2010 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Darrah, 20, of Red Lion, Pa., served as a fill-in driver for KKR’s No. 19 entry for the last three World of Outlaws races of the 2009 season.

Click here to read the full story

Expanding his horizons: Cody Darrah has added a number of tracks to the list of speedways that he has competed at in his young career this year. The native of Red Lion, Pennsylvania has raced at six different tracks with the World of Outlaws in 2009. Along with his win on Saturday night at his home track of Williams Grove Speedway, Darrah has six Top-10 finishes in World of Outlaws events this season including at the famed Eldora Speedway, Ohsweken Speedway where he set fast time back in July and Volusia Speedway Park in Florida. The 20-year old will add another track to that list this coming weekend as he'll compete at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York behind the wheel of the No. 19 machine for Kasey Kahne Racing, as he fills in for Brad Sweet who has previous commitments that weekend.

Building Darrah's Dream
In New Digs
A new garage and crew chief has sprint-car racer Cody Darrah racing toward a bright future.
By STEVE NAVAROLI
Read the story HERE!

Cody and Darrah Motorsports recently returned from the PRI show in Florida. Cody will be featuring a Bell Helmet this year after picking up their support at the show this year. Since 1954, Bell has protected champions in all forms of racing. Bell continues the tradition today with drivers in the top series in NASCAR, Indy Car, NHRA, Sprint Car and Karting. Many of these drivers have worn Bell since the beginning of their racing careers. Bell Racing provides support for up and coming racers, future stars and teams who are enthusiastic supporters of the sport of racing and will represent Bell in a positive and professional manner. For more info about bell helmets, please visit Bellracing.com

Donny Schatz Named North American 410 Sprint Car Poll 'Driver of The Year' for 2008… Unanimously… Again

KNOXVILLE, Iowa -- For the third consecutive year, Donny Schatz of Fargo, North Dakota, was voted the “Driver of the Year” by the North American 410 Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers. Like he did last year, the 2008 World of Outlaws (WoO) point champion and the ’08 Knoxville Nationals winner earned all twenty-four (24) first place ballots cast in the year-end poll. His first-year car owner, Tony Stewart, will receive the 2008 “Team of the Year” award for his second time, as he also won it back in 2001. In the history of the ‘410’ poll from 1985 to present, Donny Schatz (2007, ’08) and Steve Kinser (1988, 1994, 2002) are the only two drivers to have been unanimously voted ‘number one’ in North America by the entire voting panel.

Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are WoO regulars Jason Meyers of California, 14-time “Driver of the Year” and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kinser of Indiana, Craig Dollansky of Minnesota, and Joey Saldana of Indiana. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ for the season are Jac Haudenschild, Williams Grove Speedway and Speed Dawg Central Pennsylvania Sprint Car Point Series champion Fred Rahmer, All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) titlist Dale Blaney, Daryn Pittman and 2001 “Driver of the Year” and ’08 Knoxville Raceway champion Danny Lasoski, respectively.

Pat Cannon of Pennsylvania has earned the “Rookie of the Year” award in the ‘410’ division. Following a tie in the voting, Ralph Capitani of Knoxville Raceway in Iowa and Justin Loh of the Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania will share the “Promoter of the Year” honors. National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Capitani is a 9-time winner of this award, while Loh will be a first-time recipient. Jack Elam of J&J Chassis, who claimed the 2008 “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” award in the ‘360’ poll, will also garner the same plaque for the ‘410’ poll.

Sharing the “Wild Card Award” for exciting ‘410’ sprint car performances, due to another tie in the voting process, are youngster Cody Darrah of Pennsylvania and veteran Jac Haudenschild of Ohio. “Media Member of the Year” was earned by National Speed Sports News editor and publisher emeritus Chris Economaki. According to poll founder Tom Schmeh, “Not many people know it, but the Wild Card Award was basically named for Jac Haudenschild back in 1985. I wanted an award to recognize drivers who were as exciting to watch as the ‘Wild Child’, so I named it the ‘Wild Card Award’ and the 'Ohio Traveler' Rick Ferkel won it the first year. ‘Haud’ won the Wild Card Award in the non-winged poll in 2003, but this is the first time that he’s earned it in the winged ‘410’ poll. And, while it’s incredibly hard to believe, this is the first time that the North American Sprint Car Poll has ever honored Chris Economaki with an award. Sprint car racing fans everywhere owe a huge debt of gratitude to Hall of Famer Chris Economaki for all he’s done during his long career in motorsports journalism to expose the general public to the sport that we love so much. And the fact that the scrivener known worldwide continues it today through his weekly 'Editor's Notebook' column in National Speed Sports News is nothing short of remarkable. Take a bow, Chris!”

The North American 410 Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2009 at tracks throughout North America. The awards were announced late on the third and final day of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Orlando, Florida.

Final 2008 North American 410 Sprint Car Poll

rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state, points

1., Donny Schatz (24), Fargo, ND, 2300
2., Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA, 1135
3., Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN, 628
4., Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN, 626
5., Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN, 469

6., Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH, 419
7., Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, PA, 406
8., Dale Blaney, Fowler, OH, 304
9., Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK, 202
10., Danny Lasoski, Higginsville, MO, 197

11., Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, PA, 141
12., Terry McCarl, Pleasant Hill, PA, 125
13., Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks, ND, 105
14., Kerry Madsen, St. Marys, NSW, AUS, 76
15., Danny Smith, Danville, IN, 53

16., Todd Shaffer, Millerstown, PA, 51
17., Chad Kemenah, Findlay, OH, 50
tie, Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA, 50
19., Tim Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 43
20., Jonathan Allard, Chico, CA, 41

21., Tyler Walker, Los Angeles, CA, 27
22., Jason Johnson, Eunice, LA, 18
23., Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, AUS, 17
24., Doug Esh, Lancaster, PA, 16
25., Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, IN, 14

Also receiving multiple votes: Billy Alley, Billy Balog, Cody Darrah, Greg Hodnett, Brent Kaeding, Paul McMahan, Byron Reed, Lucas Wolfe.

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MONTIETH CLAIMS FIRST CAREER TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP;
Jeff Rohrbaugh 358 Sprint Champ; Gallagher Thundercar Titleist

YORK, PA, 11/22/08 - Lincoln Speedway track champions and special
year-end awards were handed out at the Holiday Inn in York Saturday night,
November 22nd. Close to 400 people were in attendance to watch the crowning
of the 410 sprint, 358 sprint, thundercar, and 358 late model champions for
2008. The top ten finishers in the season -long point series for all four
divisions were honored as well as special awards.

Sheer determination and year-long consistency was the formula which
helped Phoenixville's Brian Montieth dethrone all-time winner Fred Rahmer en
route to his first-ever Cindy Rowe Auto Glass 410 sprint car championship at
Lincoln Speedway in 2008.

Despite racing an entire season without winning a race, the driver
known as "the Edge" thrilled the fans by passing hundreds of cars on his way
to 10 top-five and 22 top-ten finishes in 22 races during the season.

It was also the first-ever track title for car owner Jerry Parrish
and sponsors Premiere Auto Works and Auto Locator. Montieth's title also
secured the mechanic of-the-year award for chief wrench Scott Zellers.
Sportsmanship award winner Cris Eash of Hanover completed a comeback
from retirement to pick up four wins, nine top-five, and 19 top-ten
finishes. In the process, Eash climbed to sixth on the all-time Lincoln win
list with 42 career wins.

Salfordville's Fred Rahmer, driving the Chad and Jenn Clemens-owned
C&S Lawn & Landscaping/Miller Brothers Automotive/Bair's Tree
Service/Materials Handling Systems/Media Camping Center No.51 sprinter,
finished third in season points. Though finishing with a season-leading
seven wins, 19 top five, and 22 top-ten finishes, the ten-time track champ
could not repeat after missing several shows during the course of the
season. He continued to rewrite the Lincoln Speedway record-books by upping
his all-time Lincoln win total to 161.

Spring Grove's Niki Young completed his final season with the
Neiderer Sanitation team by picking up the season opener (his only win of
the season) and scoring four top-five and 17 top-ten finishes.
Alan Krimes of Denver scored two wins en route to a fifth-place
finish in season points. He also had 11 top-five and 19 top-ten finishes
during the season.

Completing the top ten in season points were Chad Layton, four-time
winner and 2006 track champ Doug Esh, Nick Schlauch, Jr., one-time winner
Jim Siegel, and Aaron Ott.

Other Lincoln winners included 2008 Most Improved Driver Cody Darrah
(who picked up his first career win on a two-win night and added a third win
later in the season), Stevie Smith (two wins), Lance Dewease, Greg Hodnett,
Jeff Shepard, Jim Siegel, and first-time winner Mike Bittinger.
The rookie of-the-year was teenager Adam Lawrence, who moved up from
the 358 sprint division to compete regularly in 2008. He recorded one top
five and three top-ten finishes at one of the most competitive Saturday
night tracks in the nation.

SPECIAL AWARDS WINNERS (410 Sprints)
Super Sprint Champion - Brian Montieth
Mechanic of the Year - Scott Zellers
Rookie of the Year - Adam Lawrence
Sportsmanship Award - Cris Eash
Most Improved Driver - Cody Darrah

Williams Grove Awards Banquet article

National Open Win Press Release

Cody Darrah has skills to pay the bills...
By Shawn Brouse
For The Daily Item If young sprint driver Cody Darrah is any indication of what sprint car racing in Central Pennsylvania will have to offer in the coming years, then the sport’s future is in good hands indeed. Darrah is the newest in a line of new-age sprint car pilots hitting the scene today in this racing-rich region.Read the full story here!

Cody Darrah's dreams are already in high gear on the regional dirt tracks.
By STEVE NAVAROLI
Daily Record/Sunday News Eighteen-year-old Cody Darrah recently drove his No. 89 car -- named for the year he was born -- to victory lane twice in one night at Lincoln Speedway. He credits veteran crew chief Lee Stauffer with a big part of his success. 'Everything he does is magic,' Darrah said. 'He is so overall amazing. He can tell me how to drive. He can watch the car and see different things that are happening.' (Daily Record/Sunday News - Kate Penn)
Joe Darrah's tears said it all.It was May 10, and the proud father watched as 18-year-old son Cody Darrah won a 410 sprint-car feature race for the first time in his career at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown.This was the big time. This was mastering the premier, 850-plus-horsepower winged cars of the dirt track against the best drivers the area has to offer."The big, sensitive guy," Cody Darrah said of his dad. "If you look at him, you wouldn't think he was too sensitive, but he was in tears."More than a month later, Joe Darrah has no problem admitting it."It's tough to explain. I get choked-up thinking about it now," Joe Darrah said. "Just to see his desire to want to win that night was unbelievable."Read the full story here!