The 1989 racing season marked the first time that a breakaway series organized by disgruntled World of Outlaws drivers and car owners resulted in a pair of winged sprint car series crisscrossing the country.
The following facts and figures were assembled from the SPEED SPORT archives and help tell the story of that unique year of sprint car racing:
Final United Sprint Ass’n standings: 1. Steve Kinser, 2,983; 2. Sammy Swindell, 2,777; 3. Mark Kinser: 2,622; 4. Dave Blaney, 2,245; 5. Doug Wolfgang, 1,683; 6. Bobby Allen, 1,307; 7. Frankie Kerr, 1,285; 8. Stevie Smith, 973; 9. Kenny Jacobs, 714; 10. Terry Gray, 695; 11. Craig Keel, 631; 12. Don Kreitz Jr., 624; 13. Rich Bubak, 608; 14. Danny Lasoski, 592; 15. Jac Haudenschild, 532; 16. Keith Kauffman, 501; 17. Chris McDermott, 419; 18. Rick Hood, 416; 19. Terry McCarl, 409; 20. Randy Smith, 373.
Final World of Outlaws standings: 1. Bobby Davis Jr., 10,153; 2. Jeff Swindell, 9,877; 3. Cris Eash, 9,154; 4. Tim Green, 9,126; 5. Joe Gaerte, 9,092; 6 Jac Haudenschild, 8,050; 7. Andy Hillenburg, 8,013; 8. Keith Kauffman, 6,999; 9. Doug Wolfgang, 5,508; 10. Steve Siegel, 5,101; 11. Craig Keel, 4,510; 12. Don Kreitz Jr., 4,353; 13. Steve Beitler, 3,960; 14. Jack Hewitt, 3,675; 15. Bobby Allen, 3,575; 16. Johnny Herrera, 3,425; 17. Dave Blaney, 3,415; 18. Greg Wooley, 3,116; 19. Kenny Jacobs, 3,050; 20. Danny Smith, 2,768.
USA ran 50 features and had nine winners: 1. Doug Wolfgang, 15; 2. Steve Kinser, 14; 3. Sammy Swindell, 12; 4. Dave Blaney, 3; 5. Mark Kinser, 2; 6. Bob Ewell, 1; 7. Jack Hewitt, 1; 8. Stevie Smith, 1; 9. Terry Gray, 1.
Steve Kinser (Karl Kinser No. 11), Sammy Swindell (Harrold Annett No. 1) and Mark Kinser (Karl Kinser No. 51) were the only drivers to start all 50 USA features.
WoO ran 91 features and had 21 winners: 1. Doug Wolfgang, 26; 2. Bobby Davis Jr. 21; 3. Jac Haudenschild, 7; 4. Jeff Swindell, 6; 5. Dave Blaney, 5; 6. Brent Kaeding, 4; 7. Sammy Swindell, 4; 8. Tim Green, 2; 9. Andy Hillenburg, 2; 10. Bobby Allen, 2; 11. Stevie Smith, 2; 12. Cris Eash, 1; 13. Joe Gaerte, 1; 14. Keith Kauffman, 1; 15. Don Kreitz Jr., 1; 16. Lee Brewer Jr. 1; 17. Chuck Miller, 1; 18. Danny Lasoski, 1; 19. Steve Kinser, 1; 20. Darrell Hanestad, 1; 21. Jimmy Sills, 1.
Bobby Davis Jr. (Casey Luna No. 10) was the only driver to start all 91 World of Outlaws features.
Driving for car owner Danny Peace with Gary “Deuce” Turrill turning the wrenches, Doug Wolfgang led both series in feature victories: 26 with the World of Outlaws and 15 with USA.
Post-season reports showed USA champion Steve Kinser earned $198,000 while World of Outlaws champion Bobby Davis Jr. banked $250,895. Doug Wolfgang’s combined earnings for both series were reported as $427,540.
Six of the top-eight finishers in USA points recorded World of Outlaws victories: 1. Steve Kinser, 1; 2. Sammy Swindell, 4; 3. Mark Kinser, 0; 4. Dave Blaney, 5; 5. Doug Wolfgang, 26; 6. Bobby Allen, 2; 7. Frankie Kerr, 0; 8. Stevie Smith, 2.
Doug Wolfgang was the only driver among the top-10 in WoO points to win a USA feature.
In an effort to bolster car counts early in the season, the spring USA events in Mesquite, Texas; Highlands, Texas; and Lawton, Okla., were co-sanctioned by the National Championship Racing Ass’n.
The USA schedule started Feb. 26 at Georgia’s Oglethorpe Speedway and concluded Nov. 11 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas. It visited 27 race tracks in 17 states, stretching from Maryland to Arizona.
The WoO schedule started Feb. 17 at Arizona’s Firebird Int’l Raceway and concluded Oct. 21 at Memphis Motorsports Park. It visited 38 race tracks in 19 states, stretching from New Jersey to California.