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Photo by Steve Lafond of TOHF
World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars & USAC West Coast Wingless Sprints double header opens up 2013 season at Thunderbowl Raceway on March 15 & 16
By Gary Thomas
Tulare, CA – February 15, 2013…The busiest season in recent memory at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway will blast off on March 15 & 16, with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series & USAC West Coast Sprinters taking to the always action packed one-third mile clay oval for a can’t miss double header.
The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars headlined event will also showcase the IMCA Modifieds on Friday night and is sure to feature a packed house of fans, in what will be the first 410 Winged Sprint Car show of the year in California. To order tickets simply contact the Thunderbowl Raceway ticket office at (559) 688-0909. All seating will be reserved with bleacher seats costing $40 and grandstands being $45 each night. Gates open at 4pm both nights.
California fan favorite and driver of the locally based Roth Motorsports No. 83 entry, Tim Kaeding of San Jose, will be searching to make it back to back WOO victories at the track. The two-time King of the West Series champion put on an impressive display of driving last March in Tulare to score one of his four wins during the season with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series.
“Tulare is just one of those tracks I always seem to do well at and we’re looking forward to the Outlaw weekend in March,” said Kaeding, who also captured WOO victories last year in Las Vegas, Antioch & Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin. “For fans and drivers it doesn’t get much better than the Thunderbowl, because there’s always a number of lines to use, but to win races there you typically have to go to the high-side.”
One of the more accomplished STP World of Outlaw drivers at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway happens to be Brownsburg, Indiana’s Joey Saldana, who will return to the track aboard his new Dan Motter Motorsports No. 71m sprint car. The “Brownsburg Bullet” finished fifth at Thunderbowl Raceway last season and has won four main events in his WOO career at the track, including three of the last five.
Other STP World of Outlaws stars set to invade the Thunderbowl will include 5-time & defending series champion Donny Schatz, 20-time champ Steve Kinser, three-time titlist Sammy Swindell, last year’s runner up Craig Dollansky, Kasey Kahne Racing’s Daryn Pittman & Cody Darrah, Jason Sides, Kraig Kinser, Kerry Madsen and Chad Kemenah.
Now “part-time racer” Jason Meyers of Clovis will be gunning to get back into victory lane at the Thunderbowl Raceway in front of his home town crowd. The man known as “Hotfoot” captured the prestigious Trophy Cup last Fall in Tulare for the second time and also won a prelim feature at the Knoxville Nationals in August. During his career Meyers has claimed one World of Outlaws victory at the Thunderbowl.
More entrants expected to take on the always thrilling, tricky and bad-fast one-third mile clay oval on March 15 & 16 will be California native and current Nashville, Tennessee resident Paul McMahan, past Thunderbowl WOO winner Terry McCarl, three-time & defending King of the West Series champion Jonathan Allard, Roth Motorsports 83jr wheel-man Kyle Hirst, three-time Silver Crown titlist Bud Kaeding, fan favorite Peter Murphy, new Tri-C Machine pilot Willie Croft, young chargers Dominic Scelzi & Carson Macedo, Cory Eliason and others.
The USAC West Coast Series last season saw Campbell’s Bud Kaeding and Hollister’s Ryan Bernal make the most noise, with Kaeding dominating the point chase to bring home his first career series title driving for Buster & Ziggy Enterprise. The immensely talented veteran also swept both main events during the “Non Wing Trophy Cup” in October, including a charge from 18th to first in the 50-lap finale.
Bernal has been Kaeding’s biggest threat in the USAC West Coast Series and actually claimed the overall “Non Wing Trophy Cup” championship last year, even despite Kaeding winning both features. Bernal is one of the brightest young prospects on the West Coast and matched Kaeding in wins last season during series competition, but fell just short of the title coming home second in points.
Other’s poised for the two-night show will include Visalia's Richard VanderWeerd, Tipton's Danny Faria, Finland's Markus Niemela, Clovis’ Peter Murphy, Santa Maria’s Danny Sheridan, Bakersfield’s Ricky Kirkbride and more. For extra information on the USAC West Coast Wingless 360 Sprint Car Series visit Lance Jennings’ http://www.westcoastsprintcars.com
The 2013 season will see 13 nights of racing take place at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, which will be spread out over nine weekends from mid-March to late-October. Highlights on the schedule include the season ending 20th annual Trophy Cup on October 17, 18 & 19; the Memorial Day weekend two-night “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” featuring the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series on Saturday & Sunday May 25 & 26 and a return of the USAC/CRA Non Wing 410’s on Saturday May 18.
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 and more please visit http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com and also “like” Thunderbowl Raceway on Facebook. The fairgrounds offers a terrific campground located on the outside of turns three and four, so if you have a RV please come down and camp out with some of your closest race fans.
More information on the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series can be found by logging onto http://www.woosprint.com
Upcoming events at Thunderbowl Raceway following the World of Outlaws weekend:
Saturday April 13:
Rebel Cup Winged 360's, USAC West Coast 360's
& IMCA Modifieds
Saturday April 20:
Rebel Cup Winged 360's, USAC West Coast 360's,
IMCA Stock, IMCA Modifieds
Saturday May 4:
Rebel Cup Winged 360's, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock
Saturday May 18:
USAC/CRA Wingless 410 Sprints, Imca Modifieds & IMCA Stock
Saturday May 25 & Sunday May 26:
Memorial Day weekend
King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series & Vintage Hard Tops
(Chris & Brian Faria Memorial)
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Defending USAC West Coast Series champion Bud Kaeding will look to put the Buster & Ziggy No. 29 sprint car up front during Thunderbowl Raceway's season opening weekend on March 15 & 16. Photo by Paul Trevino.
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway 2013 Schedule
Friday March 15: World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, USAC West Coast 360’s & IMCA Modifieds
Saturday March 16: World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series & USAC West Coast 360’s
Saturday April 13: Rebel Cup Winged 360’s, USAC West Coast 360’s & IMCA Modifieds
Saturday April 20: Rebel Cup Winged 360’s, USAC West Coast 360’s, IMCA Stock, IMCA Modifieds
Saturday May 4: Rebel Cup Winged 360’s, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock
Saturday May 18: USAC/CRA Wingless 410’s, Imca Modifieds & IMCA Stock
Saturday May 25: King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series & Vintage Hard Tops
Sunday May 26: King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series & Vintage Hard Tops (Chris & Brian Faria Memorial)
Saturday June 22: Rebel Cup Winged 360’s, USAC Western Midgets, IMCA Modifieds & IMCA Super Stocks
Saturday September 21: King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series, USAC West Coast 360’s & Vintage Hard Tops (John Anthony Sharp Memorial)
Thursday October 17: Second annual “Non Wing Trophy Cup”
Friday October 18: 20th annual “Trophy Cup”
Saturday October 19: 20th annual “Trophy Cup”
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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