Craig Dollansky has always been called the Crowd Pleaser, and for good reason as he was always a fan favorite anywhere he raced. Dollansky announced Tuesday on his Facebook page that he was hanging up the helmet after 22 seasons of racing, many of which on the World of Outlaws Series and at the Knoxville Raceway due to injuries suffered during his career. Dollansky cut his teeth at Knoxville racing as a regular for several years in the early 90s, and then went out to run with the World of Outlaws. After a few years of growing pains, Dollansky would be very competitive, racking up 66 career wins good enough for 12th on the all-time list and finishing second in points in 2006 and 2012. At Knoxville, Dollansky was also tough to beat taking the checkered flag 16 times which is 21st on the all-time winner’s list tied with Kenny Crook and Tim Green. His most recent win was on July 16th, 2016 when his took the TKS Motorsports entry to victory lane. Dollansky was also good when it counted the most, in August, as he qualified for the Knoxville Nationals A-Main 19 times with his best finish, third, twice in 2008 and 2012. His last Nationals A was also in 2016, also piloting the TKS entry to a 24th place finish after starting 15th. Dollansky could have been an Indy Car driver, however a testing crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2003 sidelined him for several weeks. He came back, but more injuries in 2008 and in 2016 finally told him it was time to step aside. Dollansky is not giving up on racing all together…he says he wants to start a dirt racing school.

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