3/14/2011
Sprint Source
World of Outlaws hit Tulare Thunderbowl this Saturday
Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway looks to feature more excitement with World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series coming to town next Saturday March 19
Tulare, CA – March 10, 2011…The extended early-season swing on the West Coast for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will bring the tour to the always exciting Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare on Saturday night March 19.
An extremely talent-filled field is set to take on the action-packed 1/3 mile clay oval, with the event also being the lone appearance for the “Greatest Show on Dirt” in Tulare this season. Central Valley based teams are also expected to have a strong presence on hand next Saturday evening when the country’s best 410 c.i. Winged Sprint Car drivers invade the facility.
The Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway opened the year on February 9 and it saw San Jose’s Tim Kaeding race to victory with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Sprint Cars. A winner with the World of Outlaws in 2007 at the Tulare County Fairgrounds track, “TK” will look to give car owner’s Dennis & Teresa Roth another triumph on March 19.
Not only will Roth Motorsports have T. Kaeding in action aboard the HR Cattle sponsored sprinter, but they will also field cars next week for Wooster, Ohio’s Jac Haudenschild and Nashville, Tennessee’s Paul McMahan.
“The Wild Child” is always guaranteed to put on a show wherever he ventures and that is certainly case at Thunderbowl Raceway, a track he claimed victory at in October of ’08 with the World of Outlaws. McMahan is coming off one of his career best seasons, which saw him finish sixth in the overall WOO standings and in 2011 has hooked back up with Roth, who he previously drove for in the mid-1990’s.
Clovis, CA’s Jason Meyers will return to the Central Valley next weekend for the first time since becoming the initial California driver to claim the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series title this past season. Not only did Meyers accomplish that goal last year, he also scored his first career WOO victory at the Thunderbowl Raceway in March and also became the first Californian since 1989 to win the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway. “Hotfoot” currently rounds out the top-five in WOO points and will also be available to sign autographs and meet fans on Saturday from 3pm to 4 at the track.
Headlining the field on Saturday March 19 will be current World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series point leader and 20-time champion Steve Kinser of Bloomington, Indiana. “The King of the Outlaws” has come out on fire in 2011 and currently holds a 35-point advantage at the top of the standings entering this weekend’s event in Chico aboard his Tony Stewart Racing No. 20 machine. Kinser was also winner of the very first WOO event held at the Thunderbowl in 2003.
Always a strong threat at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway Brownsburg, Indiana’s Joey Saldana will look to continue his recent success at the track aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing, Red Bull No. 9 sprint car. Saldana has captured World of Outlaws wins at the 1/3 mile clay oval during each of the past two seasons and currently sits second to Kinser in the series standings.
Saldana’s Kasey Kahne Racing teammate Cody Darrah has had an impressive start to the 2011 season, as he maintains the third spot in the points during his rookie year driving the Great Clips No. 91 mount. After an injury sidelined him for the much of last season the Red Lion, Pennsylvania youngster has come back in strong fashion scoring four top-five finishes in the first seven events.
Putting together one of the hottest starts of his World of Outlaws career has been Bartlett, Tennessee’s Jason Sides, who sits fourth in the standings behind the wheel of the Wetherington Tractor Service No. 7s. “Double Down” has been one of the most improved drivers with the series over the last couple seasons and looks to contend for another top-five point finish in 2011.
Other stars set to take on the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway will include four-time WOO champion Donny Schatz of Fargo, ND; three-time champ Sammy Swindell of Germantown, TN; 2001 series titlist Danny Lasoski of Dover, MO; Elk River, MN’s Craig Dollansky; Mechanicsburg, PA’s Lucas Wolfe; Findlay, Ohio’s Chad Kemenah; Chico’s Jonathan Allard; Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson; Easton’s Tommy Tarlton and more.
Also in competition Saturday night will be the Wingless 360’s of the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series.
The front gate of the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway will open at 5pm on Saturday night March 19 with grandstand tickets costing $38 and bleacher seats being $33. All seating is reserved for the event. For advance tickets contact (559) 688-0909 and for a seating chart, directions and more log onto http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com
The Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway is located on the
Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K
Streets in Tulare, California.
In addition to competing at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will also be in action at the Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford on Friday night March 18. It will be the first World of Outlaws appearance at the 3/8 mile clay oval since 2003 and to purchase advance tickets contact (559) 584-7223.
Pricing for the event at Giant Chevolet Kings Speedway next Friday will be identical to Tulare with grandstand tickets $38 and bleacher tickets $33. The front gate will open at 5pm and racing will start at 6:30. The Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway is a lightning fast 3/8 mile clay oval and is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, California.
For more info on the track log onto http://www.kingsspeedway.net
Coming up- Following the World of Outlaws event, the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway will be back in action on Saturday April 16 with the annual running of the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial, which will be highlighted by the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series. More info on the tour can be found at http://www.kwssprints.com
Submitted By: Gary Thomas
