Pittman Wins 2013 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Championship at World Finals in Charlotte

Paul McMahon may have been first across the finish line (his fourth first place finish of the season), but it was Daryn Pittman who took home the victory.  Finishing 12th was enough to give Pittman the 2013 World of Outlaws STP Spring Car Series championship at the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, edging out Donny Schatz.

Pittman held onto a 14-point advantage over Schatz when the final checkered flag of the season waved, making it the closest finish in series history. It is the first World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series title for Pittman as well as for Kasey Kahne Racing.

“Congrats to the whole team, because that’s what it is a team effort,” said Pittman, a native of Owasso, Okla., who earned eight victories, 45 top-five finishes, 59 top-10s and 13 quick times in the #9 Great Clips car this season. “That last race was not pretty. It was everything but what we were hoping it wouldn’t be, but it worked out ok. I’ve been a mess the last few weeks, just having way too much time to think about it. At the end of the day I just had to settle down and trust the car that Kale [Kahne] gave me.

For the second time this season at Charlotte and the fourth time overall, McMahan found himself and the CJB Motorsports team in victory lane. McMahan worked the high-side running second most of the event while leader Jason Sides worked the bottom. On lap 25, Sides caught a lapped car and got pinched to the bottom, McMahan seized the opportunity to take the lead and win.

Sides held onto the second place to capture a strong podium finish to finish the season.

Schatz gave it his all to earn the championship with a third-place run on Saturday night. He qualified second for the event on Thursday night and started the feature in the sixth position. Schatz pushed forward, but with Pittman’s 12th-place event finish Schatz had no mathematical chance of coming out with the championship.

The father-son duo of Steve and Kraig Kinser were flying the Bad Boy Buggies banner and finished fourth and fifth, with Kraig finishing fourth and Steve in fifth.

McMahan was thrilled to cap off his first full season with CJB Motorsports with a victory that he could celebrate with his family.

“I feel great, just having my wife with me when I win a race is very special to me,” said McMahan, who lives near Nashville. “To win the World Finals is just amazing. Last year we ran from 22nd-to-second and came up a little short. I really enjoy coming here and this is going to make the winter much easier. This year has been really neat. When we started this season we weren’t planning on running a full season with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars, but to come out and win four races and run third in points is real special. Congrats to Kasey Kahne Racing and Daryn Pittman, they had a phenomenal year, but we’re really looking forward to next year.”

Sides tied his best effort of the season at the World Finals with his second-place finish in the Wetherington Tractor Services Maxim.

“It was one of those things when we got to some lap cars you had to choose a line,” said Sides, of Bartlett, Tenn. “I kept trying the bottom, and I knew he or someone was coming on the top and the once or twice I tried it, it wasn’t very good. Running behind a couple of lapped cars I got squeezed off and he got by on the top and there really wasn’t any recovering after that.”

Schatz earned another podium finish after collecting the win in Thursday’s opening night of the World Finals.

“We just needed to be a little bit closer when we caught lapped traffic,” said Schatz, of Fargo, N.D. “We weren’t operating real well, and I was driving as hard as I could. I thought we were about the same speed as them, but I just couldn’t catch them when I needed to, that’s how it goes some times.”

Rounding out the top five in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship after Pittman and Schatz were event winner McMahan, Joey Saldana, Craig Dollansky.

Fans can watch this race on the CBS Sports Network at 5 p.m on Dec. 22.
With the conclusion of the World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte, the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series has officially moved into the off-season. As teams prepare for the 2013 season, fans can shift their focus to the season ahead. Event ticket renewals to several events are available at WoOSprint.com.

World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Championship Standings