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Thunderbowl Raceway plays host to Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series this Saturday

By Gary Thomas

Tulare, CA – October 13, 2008…For the first time in over three months the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway will light back up with racing action when the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series converge at the 1/3 mile clay oval this Saturday night October 18.

The upcoming event was supposed to be the second stop of the season at the Tulare Thunderbowl for the top sprint car drivers in the world, but the two-night double-header scheduled for earlier this year on February 22 and 23 fell victim to rain. The October 18 show will also be the final time that California fans will have a chance to witness the stars of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series on their 30^th anniversary season.

Leading the traveling contingent into the Thunderbowl Raceway will be current Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws point leader and two-time defending series champion Donny Schatz of Fargo, ND. The 31 year-old has put together another strong campaign in his first season driving the Tony Stewart Motorsports, Armor All sponsored No. 15 sprinter and is on way to becoming just the second driver in World of Outlaw history to win three consecutive championships. Schatz has captured 16 WOO victories this season, in addition to picking up his third straight win at the Knoxville Nationals in August. He's also coming off a clean sweep of the most recent WOO event, held in New Mexico this past Sunday.

The night of racing on Saturday will mark the first '08 World of Outlaw Series start for Jason Meyers at his home track, in what has been a career year for the Clovis native having won eight main events and currently sitting second in points aboard the GLR Investments, Elite Racing No. 14. The driver known as “Hotfoot” also brought home a ninth place finish at the Thunderbowl Raceway in March, where he suffered a flat tire while running second in the feature during a Golden State Challenge Series event.

The last time Meyers competed in California he was leading the $50,000 to win, 55^th annual Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway, until being taken out of the running by a spun lap car. In his career Meyers has had much success at the Thunderbowl, however, he has never been able to capture a WOO victory at his home track and although it wouldn’t make up for the Gold Cup disappointment, it would certainly accomplish a long time goal that the veteran driver has had throughout his career.

Brownsburg, IN’s Joey Saldana will look to keep up his recent trend of success at the Thunderbowl Raceway as he competes in the Kasey Kahne Racing, Budweiser No. 9 sprinter. The 2007 Gold Cup Race of Champions winner finished second in World of Outlaw points last season and also picked up his first Thunderbowl WOO win in February of last year. After the WOO season ended Saldana made a stop at the annual Trophy Cup in Tulare where he won the prelim main event on opening night and finished second in the overall weekend points. Going into the weekend he ranks third in the Outlaw standings with five feature victories.

When the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series made their first visit to the Thunderbowl Raceway in September of 2003, it was none other than 20-time Outlaw champ Steve Kinser of Bloomington, IN who picked up the win. “The King” has put together a fairly solid season by racing his Q Oils No. 11 to six main event wins and currently sits fourth in points going into the weekend. In addition to his victory in ’03, Kinser also swept the two-night National Sprint Tour event in Feb of ’06 and was also leading a pair of other main events on two separate occasions at the Thunderbowl when a blown tire and a blown engine took him out of contention.

The last time the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Series stars were in California it was Wooster, Ohio’s Jac Haudenschild who left the Golden State $50,000 richer after winning his third career Gold Cup Race of Champions main event at Silver Dollar Speedway. In 2008 “The Wild Child” has put together possibly his finest season this decade as he’s driven the Carnahan Motorsports, Owens Corning Fiberglass No. R19 to four wins and sits fifth in the WOO standings. Many Thunderbowl fans will remember Haud’s stunning drive from deep in the pack using the high scary side to win the Saturday night Trophy Cup main event in ’06, en route to a third place finish in the overall weekend points.

Other World of Outlaw drivers expected this Saturday night will include Nashville, TN’s Paul McMahan; Findlay, Ohio’s Chad Kemenah; St. Mary’s NSW, Aust’s Kerry Madsen; Terry McCarl of Altoona, Iowa; Owasso, OK’s Daryn Pittman; Sunnyvale, TX’s Sam Hafertepe Jr; Bloomington, IN’s Kraig Kinser, San Souci NSW Aust's Brooke Tatnell, Bartlett, TN’s Jason Sides; Liberal, KS’s Tony Bruce Jr; Burlington, WA’s Chad Hillier and Mechanicsburg, PA’s Lucas Wolfe.

The traveling stars will be challenged by a number of local hopefuls including Los Angeles wheel-man Tyler Walker who has been extremely entertaining and consistent at the Thunderbowl this season. The driver of the NMI Industrial Contractors, SC Motorsports No. 24 has picked up a pair of runner-up finishes, as well as a victory at the 1/3 mile clay oval in 2008 and has shown no fear in attacking the cushion of Thunderbowl Raceway whenever he is on hand. Walker this season finished second in the Golden State Challenge Series point standings with five wins and should be a strong possibility to knock off the Outlaw travelers.

Another local driver that always has success at Thunderbowl Raceway and is sure to be a contender on the 18^th is San Jose’s Tim Kaeding who will be making his first start at the track since re-joining the Roth Motorsports, DTR Transport No. 83 team. The former King of California scored a victory at the track on April 26 after a spirited final lap battle with Walker and Jonathan Allard that saw him fall back to third with just a couple laps left, before charging back around both drivers to claim the win. Kaeding also was runner-up during Walker’s win on May 10 following an exciting duel between the pair and finished third during the World of Outlaw October stop at the Thunderbowl last year.

During the previous World of Outlaws Series visit in California, ’08 Golden State Challenge Series King of California Jonathan Allard brought home a strong third place finish on the final night of the 55^th Gold Cup Race of Champions. The Chico driver has been fast at the Thunderbowl this season, despite not tallying a win at the track, but he has scored a pair of podium finishes in the four starts aboard his Williams Motorsports, K & N Filters No. 0. In July Allard wrapped up his second career King of California title, making him just the third driver to win multiple championships in Golden State Challenge Series history, joining Brent Kaeding & Steve Kent.

Other California locals expected include father & son duo Brent Kaeding and Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Easton’s Tommy Tarlton, Fresno’s Craig Stidham & Mark Workentine, Fremont’s Brent Bjork and more.

All seating will be reserved for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series event on Saturday October 18 with grandstand seats costing $45 and bleachers $40. The front gate of the Thunderbowl Raceway will open at 5pm with racing expected to get underway sometime around 7.

Trophy Cup: Don’t forget tickets are still on sale for next weekend’s 15^th annual Trophy Cup at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway on Oct 23, 24 and 25. Three-night reserved ticket packages are available for just $75 and it also includes free admission to Friday’s Teriyaki BBQ and Saturday’s Spaghetti Feed, both to be held in the afternoon at the fairgrounds.

The Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway is located on the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. For a seating chart, directions and more log onto http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com or call (559) 688-0909

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Fargo, ND's Donny Schatz and Clovis, CA's Jason Meyers will lead the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series into the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway this Saturday night. Photos by www.JohnsRacingPhotos.com

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Can't wait

Brian 

"TURN AROUND; MATE !"

Courtesy Tony V:

Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Preview: Thunderbowl Raceway

Tulare, CA— October 15, 2008—After Mother won the two nights of racing in February when the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series were scheduled to compete at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California, the series is ready to head back to the always racy high-banked 1/3-mile for their final stop of the season in the Golden State on Saturday, October 18.

The race will be the fifth event of the season in California for the series, with all the races being contested on tracks 1/3-mile and smaller. In three races so far this season in the state, three drivers have picked up wins.

DonnySchatz, the two-time defending Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion leads the way. He won the Dave Helm Memorial at Thunderbowl Raceway last fall. He had two podium finishes at the track last season and in his career has nine Top-10 finishes at Thunderbowl Raceway. He leads the World of Outlaws with 16 A-Feature wins this season as he closes in on his third consecutive title. He looks to extend his win streak to three after claiming a victory last weekend at Hollywood Hills Speedway in New Mexico.

Jason Meyers, who hails from nearby Clovis, California has won three times at his home track, including last fall in the prestigious Trophy Cup for the first time. He competed earlier this year at the track picking up a Top-10 finish and has 13 consecutive Top-10 finishes at Thunderbowl Raceway. He has won nine times this season and is second in points as he chases his first series title. He leads the World of Outlaws with 45 Top-Five finishes and also is on top in laps led and fast time honors in qualifying.

Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, won the series inaugural race at Tulare in 2003. He has two career wins at the track to go along with 10 Top-10 finishes in 11 starts. This season he has won six times and used a fourth-place finish last weekend to move into the third spot in the series championship standings.

Joey Saldana picked up two wins at the high-banked 1/3-mile last season, including one with the World of Outlaws. He has Top-10 finishes in five of his last six starts at the track. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana has won five times this season and is currently fourth in points driving for Kasey Kahne Racing.

Jac Haudenschild finished second and sixth last season at Thunderbowl Raceway. He has one career win at the track, with that coming in the 2006 Trophy Cup. The veteran driver has won four times this season and has been one of the most consistent drivers over the second half of the season. He recently moved into the Top-Five in the series championship standings.

Craig Dollansky who is sixth in points and has won seven times this season will miss the event as he continues to recover from an arm injury sustained at Eldora Speedway on September 19.

Kerry Madsen finished fifth last season in the Dave Helm Memorial which honored the late car owner for whom he drove last season. The reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has racked up 36 Top-10 finishes this season as he closes in on his first win of the year.

Chad Kemenah competed at Thunderbowl Raceway for the first time in his career last season. The 2006 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has 36 Top-10 finishes this season and is just three points behind Madsen in the standings as they battle for the seventh spot.

Terry McCarl won with the World of Outlaws at Tulare in 2004. He has five career Top-10 finishes at the track in just a handful of starts. He won his first race of 2008 at Orange County Fair Speedway in New York on September 24 and currently has a streak of eight consecutive Top-10 finishes, with straight Top-Five performances.

Daryn Pittman has four career Top-10 finishes at Thunderbowl Raceway, with a career-best runner-up finish at the track in 2004. He has won four times this season and is solidly in the Top-10 in points.

Kraig Kinser, who recently won his second race of the season, finished fourth in his last visit to Tulare in 2005. The 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has picked up 17 Top-10 finishes this season as he continues his first year behind the wheel for Tony Stewart Racing.

Sam Hafertepe Jr., who is in his sophomore season with the World of Outlaws, competed for the first time last season at Thunderbowl Raceway. The native of Sunnyvale, Texas has had a very consistent season, picking up 16 Top-10 finishes.

Jason Sides, who wore the rookie crown in 2003, finished second last year in the Dave Helm Memorial, and has been the runner-up in two of the last four races he has competed in at the track. The native of Bartlett, Tennessee has 16 Top-10 finishes this season as he chases his first win of the year.

Tony Bruce Jr. has made a couple of starts in his career at Thunderbowl Raceway, including the finale of the 2006 Trophy Cup where he finished seventh. He won earlier this season for the first time with the World of Outlaws at 34 Raceway in Iowa.

Chad Hillier, who also continues his second full season with the World of Outlaws has competed at Thunderbowl Raceway a few times over the last couple of seasons and was fifth in his debut at the track in 2005 on the opening night of the Trophy Cup. The Washington native has five Top-10 finishes this season with the World of Outlaws.

Paul McMahan, who grew up racing on the short tracks of his home state of California, has five career Top-10 finishes at Thunderbowl Raceway. He has 17 Top-10 finishes this season as he looks to pick up his first win of the year.

Brooke Tatnell, who continues to fill in for the injured Craig Dollansky, picked up two Top-10 finishes last season at Tulare and in his career has five runs of 10^th or better at the track. He has a couple of Top-10 finishes since he began filling in for Dollansky.

2007 Event Recaps February- 23:

In the first of three races for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at the high-banked 1/3-mile last season, Joey Saldana chased down pole sitter Jac Haudenschild in the second half of the race to pick up the $10,000 win on February 23.

Saldana charged around Haudenschild on the bottom of the front straight-a-way on the 24th lap to earn the 23^rd A-Feature win of his career.

Saldana lined up on the outside of the front row for the 35-lap contest and lost a spot early, before powering his way around Tim Shaffer on the 11th lap, before setting his sights on Haudenschild for the next 13 circuits.

Late in the race, Saldana endured some very heavy lapped traffic and had a couple of close calls, as the slower machines forced him to change lines and take evasive measures. After a late restart, he pulled away and had nearly a quarter of a lap lead on Haudenschild when the checkered flag flew. Shaffer wound up third, hometown favorite Jason Meyers was fourth and former Thunderbowl winner Terry McCarl was fifth.

February 24: The following night, Tim Kaeding scored one of the most emotional wins of his career, as he dominated the event from start to finish, driving a team car for Steve Kinser Racing.

Kaeding dedicated the win to his grandmother who passed away earlier in the week. He began the night along with his brother Bud by turning a tribute lap for their grandmother. He capped the night off by pulling a wheelie down the front straight-a-way after the checkered flag and then turning donuts for the enthusiastic crowd that was on hand.

Kaeding took the lead on the opening lap when pole sitter Jason Meyers jumped the cushion exiting the first turn. From there, the native of San Jose opened up some very sizeable advantages, while enduring a couple of cautions and a red flag period with nine laps remaining.

With the laps winding down, Terry McCarl made a valiant charge at Kaeding. He closed to within a couple car lengths in heavy traffic with less than 10 laps remaining. After starting in the 11th spot, the native of Altoona, Iowa burst into the Top-Five within the first 12 laps of the event. Donny Schatz finished third, with Justin Henderson fourth and Jason Meyers fifth.

October 13: The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series wrapped up their trio of visits to Thunderbowl Raceway last season with the inaugural Dave Helm Memorial on October 13. The event honored the long time car owner who passed away in February of 2007, and called Selma, California home, which is a half-hour from Tulare.

Donny Schatz continued a late season tear as he picked up his third consecutive victory, which helped him cement his second consecutive series title.

The North Dakota native started on the pole and jumped to an early lead, battling a rough race track and an early charge from California native Ronnie Day and a late charge from Jason Sides and Tim Kaeding. Schatz used a strong restart after a caution with two laps to go, to claim the $10,000 top prize for his series leading 19th A-Feature win of the season and the 70th of his World of Outlaws career, which put him in a tie with Dave Blaney for sixth on the all-time win list.

Early in the race, Schatz maintained a slight lead over Day, who closed the gap on the seventh lap as the pair entered heavy lapped traffic. While Schatz was running the high side of the track in traffic, Day looked low a couple of times exiting the third and fourth turns, but did not have enough momentum to make the pass. The caution flew on the eighth lap, giving the leaders a clear race track ahead of them.

On the ensuring restart, Schatz jumped to a four car length lead as the pair entered the first and second turns. At this time, Jason Sides began to close on Day and worked on the veteran driver, slipping around him on the 19th lap to move into the runner-up spot.

Sides quickly began to close in on Schatz in lapped traffic, with Day and Tim Kaeding right behind him. With less than 10 laps to go, the Top-Five were all under a blanket. Kaeding got around Day on the 24th lap to move into third, before the caution flew two laps later.

Schatz used a strong restart to pull away from Sides and Kaeding, when the caution flew with two laps to go. Again Schatz used a strong restart to jump to a comfortable lead, while Kaeding tried one last time to get around Sides, with the latter holding on for the second position. Day came home fourth with Kerry Madsen in fifth.

What to look for this year at Thunderbowl Raceway:

*All three drivers that were victorious at Thunderbowl Raceway last season with the series will be in action this weekend and all are multiple-time winners at the 1/3-mile: Donny Schatz, Joey Saldana and Tim Kaeding.

* Jason Meyers, who is second in Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship points has won five times in his career at Thunderbowl Raceway which is his home track, including claiming the overall title in the Trophy Cup last November.

*Steve Kinser has seven Top-10 finishes with the series in nine starts at the 1/3-mile to lead all drivers, including four Top-Five finishes, he was victorious in 2003.

* Five of the seven drivers that have won an A-Feature event at the track with the series dating back to 2003 will be in action this weekend, including all three drivers who were victorious in 2007.

* Terry McCarl came from the 17^th starting spot to win at Tulare in 2004, and led just one lap to earn the $12,000 victory.

*Kraig Kinser last competed at the high-banked 1/3-mile in 2005, when he earned a fourth-place finish. He drives for Tony Stewart Racing as a teammate to Donny Schatz.

By the Numbers- Thunderbowl Raceway:

0.333- Miles around Thunderbowl Raceway
1-Lap led by Terry McCarl when he won at the track on October 30, 2004 en route to winning

2- Driver competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that were born and raised in California- Jason Meyers and Paul McMahan

3- Drivers that won with the series at the track in 2007; Races on 1/3-mile tracks for the World of Outlaws this season; Drivers that have won on 1/3-mile tracks this season with the series

4- Drivers that led laps with the series last season in A-Feature events
5- Wins for Jason Meyers during his career at the high-banked 1/3-mile, which is his home track

6- Drivers that have set fast time with the World of Outlaws at Thunderbowl Raceway dating back to 2003
7- Drivers that have won in the seven A-Feature events contested at the track dating back to 2003
9- Events contested by the World of Outlaws at the track including preliminary features since 2003
12- Laps led by Joey Saldana to win at the track on February 23, 2007
12.740-Track record established by Kevin Swindell in time trials on October 29, 2004
15- Drivers competing with the series this season that competed at Thunderbowl Raceway last season
17- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws this season

31- Laps led by 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser in his career with the series at the high-banked 1/3-mile

35- Laps led by two-time defending series champion Donny Schatz to win the Dave Helm Memorial last year at Thunderbowl Raceway
43- Laps led by Jac Haudenschild during his career in World of Outlaws events at Thunderbowl Raceway
58- A-Feature events contested by the series through October 12

186- Miles Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, California where the World of Outlaws compete on October 17 to Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California

2003- First year the World of Outlaws competed at Thunderbowl Raceway
10,000-Dollars the winner will receive on Saturday, October 18

Tickets: On Saturday, October 18, at Thunderbowl Raceway tickets for seats in the bleachers will be $40, while tickets for seats in the grandstand will be $45. For ticket information call (559) 688-0909 or visit http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com.

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