WoO reschedules Beckley; adds two dates
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model SeriesThree events have been added to the 2011 World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule, the series announced Thursday.
The announcement by series officials includes a rescheduled program at Beckley (W.Va.) Motor Speedway on July 27 as well as new dates at Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown, Pa., on July 26 and Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., on Sept. 16.
“We’re very excited to add more events to the 2011 World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule,” said tour director Tim Christman. “Each of the new races will fit nicely alongside previously scheduled shows, creating regional swings that are more attractive to both the race teams and fans that follow the series.”
The series will make its first-ever stop at the 3/8-mile Beckley oval July 27, invading for a mid-week special after the tour’s originally-scheduled May 27 visit was postponed. Beckley promoter Jim Williams agreed to find a new date for his track’s World of Outlaws action after the two-day RaceFest at West Virginia Motor Speedway in Parkersburg, which was slated to share the Memorial Day weekend WoO spotlight with Beckley, was pushed because of weather-related delays in its massive reconfiguration project.
“We’re disappointed that we didn’t get to be part of a big three-day Memorial Day weekend of World of Outlaws racing in West Virginia,” Williams said, “but postponing our event was the right thing to do for the race teams and fans after West Virginia Motor Speedway announced that their track work wouldn’t be done in time. There was no sense in making everyone tow all the way here for one race.
“Fortunately we were able to work with the World of Outlaws to reschedule the race, and now we’re all excited about July 27.”
Beckley’s program, which will be topped by a 40-lap feature paying $8,000 to the winner, will lead into the now one-night RaceFest on July 30 at WVMS. The tour’s annual stop at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., will complete the stretch of racing on July 31.
The Beckley card will be preceded on July 26 by the inaugural WoO at Dog Hollow, a 3/8-mile oval located about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh. The track’s founder and promoter, Jim Michny, asked the series about the track replacing the canceled July 27 event at Central Pennsylvania Speedway, and an agreement was quickly reached.
“I’ve been thinking about bringing the Outlaws in here for a few years, so when I saw that the Central Pennsylvania race was called off, I thought that maybe it was time to go for it,” said Michny, whose mid-week show will run over the 40-lap distance and pay $8,000 to the winner. “I’m excited about it. I think we’ve got a track that these big guys will really fly around and put on a great show for the fans.”
Tri-City Speedway, meanwhile, joins the series to form an attractive Midwestern doubleheader that ushers in the fall season. The tour will compete in a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event at promoter Kevin Gundaker’s track on Sept. 16 before crossing the Mississippi River to contest the Pepsi Nationals on Sept. 17 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.
“We’re really looking to our September World of Outlaws event,” said Gundaker, a former standout dirt Late Model driver who is in his seventh year at the helm at Tri-City. “It’s going to be a great weekend for World of Outlaws drivers and fans with races on consecutive nights at tracks less than 60 miles apart.”
In related news, the WoO Wild West Tour event scheduled for July 14 at Amsoil Speedway in Superior, Wis., has been canceled. The announcement resulted from unavoidable logistical issues associated with the Head of the Lakes Fair, which runs from July 12-17 on the same property as the racetrack.
