Past Champions Hannagan & Pittman Enter Clean-O World Challenge
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Two past champions of the Kele World Challenge, now known as the Clean-O World Challenge presented by www.fleetbuyinggroup.com, have entered this year’s $10,000-to-win international invitational set for Friday, August 12, at the legendary Knoxville Raceway. 1999 winner Randy Hannagan of San Jose, California, and defending titlist Daryn Pittman of Owasso, Oklahoma, have officially entered the 20-lap event. Both drivers, who are now based in the greater Indianapolis area for the 2005 sprint car racing season, qualified for the Clean-O World Challenge by competing in January’s Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at the Premier Speedway’s Sungold Stadium in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
Hannagan will wheel the Terry Hannagan-owned Gaerte-powered Hurricane chassis sprinter number 1X. Pittman pilots the Reeve Kruck-owned Maxim sprint number 21, which is sponsored by Titan Garages & Car Ports and Hop-n-Sack Convenience Stores. Interestingly, Kruck was yesterday named the 2004-2005 “Team Owner of the Year” by the voting panel of the Australian Sprintcar Poll for his two-car team Down Under (Robbie Farr, Daryn Pittman). Said Pittman of the World Challenge, “We won it last year and it is a fun race right in the middle of the most important event of our season, the Knoxville Nationals. It is the one race we don’t worry about points and we can drive flat-out!”
This weekend’s World of Outlaws-sanctioned races at the Knoxville Raceway will also be an international qualifier for Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders. The final Clean-O World Challenge international qualifier is set for Wednesday, June 8, at the Budweiser Motorsports Park in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Bud Park event is part of the all-new Fountain Tire Alberta Sprint Tour (AST).
The official entry forms for the Clean-O World Challenge are now available on the newly redesigned Knoxville Raceway web site at www.knoxvilleraceway.com. The history of the international invitational event, formerly known as the Kele World Challenge and the Australian/American Challenge Cup, is as follows:
Kele World Challenge Dash:
2004 Daryn Pittman $10,000
2003 Travis Rilat $10,000
2002 Donny Schatz $10,000
2001 Donny Schatz $10,000
2000 Danny Lasoski $10,000
1999 Randy Hannagan $ 5,000
1998 A.J. “Skip” Jackson $ 5,000
1997 A.J. “Skip” Jackson $ 5,000
Australian/American Challenge Cup Points:
1996 Danny Smith $ 4,000
1995 A.J. “Skip” Jackson $ 2,000
1994 Max Dumesny $ 1,000
Summary:
USA 24 drivers - $141,250
AUS 12 drivers - $ 67,175
CAN 3 drivers - $ 3,200
NZ 2 drivers - $ 2,625
41 drivers - $214,250
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