2011 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule Released At Performance Racing Industry Trade Show
By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director (Photo by JMS ProPhoto)
CONCORD, NC – Dec. 10, 2010 (updated on Jan. 26, 2011) – An exciting mix of stalwart tracks, new venues and lucrative, high-profile events will comprise the 2011 World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule, which was released on Friday during the Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando, Fla.
Forty-one events at 34 tracks in 20 states are currently confirmed as part of the national tour’s 2011 slate, including a half-dozen extra-distance blockbusters highlighted by the $50,000-to-win USA Nationals on Aug. 5-6 at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., the fifth annual Firecracker 100 on June 23-25 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., and the second annual Commonwealth 100 on April 15-16 at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va.
The eighth consecutive WoO LMS season under the World Racing Group banner kicks off on Feb. 17 and 19 with a pair of 50-lap A-Mains during the 40th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. It will conclude for the fifth straight year with the World of Outlaws World Finals on Nov. 3-5 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C.
“Another spectacular year of World of Outlaws Late Model Series action is in store for fans across the country,” said series director Tim Christman. “We’re proud to be working with some of dirt Late Model racing’s top racetrack operators to provide teams and spectators a schedule that’s filled with thrilling, can’t-miss events from February through November.
“As the dramatic 2010 battle for the World of Outlaws championship proved, every lap of every race counts. There’s no doubt fans are going to once again see the sport’s best drivers racing all-out every night in search of that big $100,000 prize that’s waiting for the champion.”
Christman said he expects to add at least five more events to the schedule released on Friday, potentially pushing the total number of races and host tracks in 2011 to historic high-water marks. The WoO LMS currently boasts alltime single-season highs of 44 A-Mains (2007 and 2010) and 38 different tracks (2010).
The centerpiece of the WoO LMS’s attractive special-event schedule remains Cedar Lake Speedway‘s 100-lap USA Nationals on Aug. 5-6. The crown-jewel program, which returned to the WoO LMS schedule last year for the fifth time overall in its 24-year history, holds the status as the richest race on the ’11 sked with a purse of nearly a quarter-million dollars.
Lernerville’s fast-growing Firecracker 100, meanwhile, will again boast three full nights of competition after its popular expansion in 2010. The early-summer festival of speed at the sparkling four-tenths-mile oval kicks off with 30-lap, $6,000-to-win preliminary features on Thurs., June 23, and Fri., June 24, before ending with the traditional 100-lap headliner offering $30,000 for first place on Sat., June 25.
Returning to the WoO LMS slate after a successful debut in 2010 is the Commonwealth 100 at Virginia Motor Speedway, a $25,000-to-win springtime biggie set for April 15-16. The event at Bill Sawyer’s pristine half-mile oval carries the third-largest winner’s share on the 2011 schedule.
The list of century-grind events also includes the fourth annual Illini 100, which moves to La Salle (Ill.) Speedway on April 1-2 after three seasons at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway; an inaugural early-season 100-lapper on March 18-19 at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway, which hosts the WoO LMS for the first time since 2007; and the brand-new ‘Outlaw Sizzler 101’ on July 2-3 at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway, which will dominate the Independence Day weekend landscape by presenting its biggest dirt Late Model race ever. All three races will pay $20,000 to win.
Other multi-day programs featured in 2011 include February’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH; the RaceFest World Championships on May 28-29 at West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, which will reprise its successful ’10 Memorial Day weekend program with a 30-lap A-Main for $8,000 to win on Saturday night and a 40-lap headliner offering a $10,000 top prize on Sunday evening; the Oil Region Labor Day Classic on Sept. 3-4 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. (two 50-lap, $10,000-to-win cards for the sixth consecutive year); and the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, which will pack the house for a season-ending tripleheader weekend on Nov. 3-5 that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds.
The season’s longest – and perhaps most critical – swing will be mid-July’s ‘Wild West Tour,’ which expands to an ambitious stretch of at least seven races over a 12-day period after being condensed to a more modest four events over consecutive nights in 2010. After the western trek kicks off with a Sooner State doubleheader at Outlaw Motor Speedway in Muskogee, Okla. (July 8) and Tri-State Speedway in Picola, Okla. (July 9) – the tour’s first visit to Outlaw since 2004 and Tri-State since 2005 – successive races will be contested on July 12 at Independence (Iowa) Motor Speedway (first-ever WoO LMS event); July 13 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. (the ‘Gopher 50’ makes it seventh straight appearance on the series); July 14 at Superior (Wis.) Speedway, which hosted the tour for the first time in 2010; July 15 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. (sixth straight year on the schedule); and July 19 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway, which returns to the tour after a one-year hiatus.
The WoO LMS will close out the busy month of July with another regional swing that begins on July 27 at Central PA Speedway in Clearfield, Pa., and ends on July 31 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. The Keystone State tracks will sandwich two additional dates that are still to be announced.
Other highlights of the 2011 schedule include:
* An early-season tripleheader weekend in the Southeast, with events on March 25 at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, March 26 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., and March 27 at Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga. Ocala (2010) and Screven (2010 and 2009) have previously hosted the tour, while Needmore is new to the schedule.
* A Midwestern weekend to close out the month of April. The tour will visit Hartford (Mich.) Motor Speedway for the first time on April 29 — the first Outlaw in the Wolverine State since 2007 — and then make a return engagement to Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky., on April 30.
* Spring dates on May 6 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and May 7 at Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway. The two tracks paired up on the WoO LMS schedule for the first time in 2010.
* The traditional spring midweek event at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, which hosts the WoO LMS for the seventh time in eight years on Thurs., May 12. The trip to the First State will be followed by a first-ever visit to Winchester (Va.) Speedway on Sat., May 14.
* Beckley (W.Va.) Motor Speedway hosts the tour for the first time on Fri., May 27, as a lead-in to the Memorial Day weekend doubleheader at West Virginia Motor Speedway.
* A pre-Firecracker 100 event on Tues., June 21, at Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway – the only WoO LMS event currently scheduled in the Empire State during the 2011 season.
* A midweek date on Wed., Aug. 3, at Shawano (Wis.) Speedway that precedes the USA Nationals. The WoO LMS appeared at the half-mile oval outside Green Bay last year for the first time since a 1989 event there during the first incarnation of the tour.
* A late-summer Michigan doubleheader — with both ends at tracks that will host WoO LMS events for the first time. Winston Speedway in Rothbury, Mich., is scheduled for on Aug. 19 and Merritt Speedway in Lake City, Mich., has been added for an Aug. 20 date.
* The Pepsi Nationals returns to the schedule on Sept. 17 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., which has become a popular stop on the series itinerary.
Just five tracks are scheduled to host multiple WoO LMS A-Mains in 2011. Leading the group with three races apiece are Lernerville and The Dirt Track at Charlotte, which also presents the mid-week World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown on Oct. 12 at part of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s NASCAR weekend; Volusia, West Virginia Motor and Tri-City will also hold two events each as single-visit doubleheaders.
The series is currently scheduled to visit seven tracks for the first time.
WoO LMS officials expect to announce additional dates in the near future.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
2011 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule (as of Jan. 26, 2011)
Date – Day – Track/Location – Event – To Win – Laps
Feb. 17 – Thurs. – Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL (DIRTcar Nationals) – $10,000 – 50L
Feb. 19 – Sat. – Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL (DIRTcar Nationals) – $10,000 -50L
March 18-19 – Fri-Sat – Columbus (MS) Speedway – $20,000 – 100L
March 25 – Fri. – Ocala (FL) Speedway – $10,000 – 50L
March 26 – Sat. – Screven Motor Speedway/Sylvania, GA – $10,000 – 50L
March 27 – Sun. – Needmore Speedway/Norman Park, GA – $8,000 – 40L
April 1-2 – Fri-Sat – La Salle (IL) Speedway (Illini 100) – $20,000 – 100L
April 15-16 – Fri-Sat – Virginia Motor Speedway/Jamaica, VA – (Commonwealth 100) – $25,000 – 100L
April 29 – Fri. – Hartford (MI) Motor Speedway – $10,000 – 50L
April 30 – Sat. – Bluegrass Speedway/Bardstown, KY – $10,000 – 50L
May 6 – Fri. – Fayetteville (NC) Motor Speedway – $10,000 – 50L
May 7 – Sat. – Swainsboro (GA) Raceway – $10,000 – 50L
May 12 – Thurs. – Delaware International Speedway/Delmar, DE – $10,000 – 50L
May 14 – Sat. – Winchester (VA) Speedway – $10,000 – 50L
May 27 – Fri. – Beckley (WV) Motor Speedway – $10,000 – 50L
May 28 – Sat. – West Virginia Motor Speedway/Mineral Wells, WV (RaceFest) – $8,000 -30L
May 29 – Sun. – West Virginia Motor Speedway/Mineral Wells, WV (RaceFest) – $10,000 – 40L
June 21 – Tues. – Brewerton (NY) Speedway – $10,000 – 50L
June 23 – Thurs. – Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA (Firecracker 100) – $6,000 – 30L
June 24 – Fri. – Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA (Firecracker 100) – $6,000 – 30L
June 25 – Sat. – Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA (Firecracker 100) – $30,000 – 100L
July 2-3 – Sat-Sun – Tazewell (TN) Speedway (Outlaw Sizzler 101) – $20,000 – 101L
July 8 – Fri. – Outlaw Motor Speedway/Muskogee, OK (Wild West Tour) – $10,000 – 50L
July 9 – Sat. – Tri-State Speedway/Picola, OK (Wild West Tour) – $10,000 – 50L
July 12 – Tues. – Independence (IA) Motor Speedway (Wild West Tour) – $10,000 – 50L
July 13 – Wed. – Deer Creek Speedway/Spring Valley, MN (Wild West Tour) – $10,000 -50L
July 14 – Thurs. – Superior (WI) Speedway (Wild West Tour) – $10,000 – 50L
July 15 – Fri. – River Cities Speedway/Grand Forks, ND (Wild West Tour) – $10,000 – 50L
July 16 – Sat. – TBA
July 19 – Tues. – Gillette (WY) Thunder Speedway (Wild West Tour) – $10,000 – 50L
July 27 – Wed. – Central PA Speedway/Clearfield, PA – $8,000 – 40L
July 29 – Fri. – TBA
July 30 – Sat. – TBA
July 31 – Sun. – Eriez Speedway/Hammett, PA – $10,000 – 50L
Aug. 3 – Wed. – Shawano (WI) Speedway – $10,000 – 50L
Aug. 5-6 – Fri-Sat – Cedar Lake Speedway/New Richmond, WI (USA Nationals) – $50,000 – 100L
Aug. 19 – Fri. – Winston Speedway/Rothbury, MI – $10,000 – 50L
Aug. 20 – Sat. – Merritt Speedway/Lake City, MI – $10,000 – 50L
Sept. 3 – Sat. – Tri-City Speedway/Franklin, PA (Oil Region Labor Day Classic) – $10,000 – 50L
Sept. 4 – Sun. – Tri-City Speedway/Franklin, PA (Oil Region Labor Day Classic) – $10,000 – 50L
Sept. 16 – Fri. – TBA
Sept. 17 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO (Pepsi Nationals) – $10,000 – 50L
Oct. 12 – Wed. – The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, NC (WoO LM Showdown) – $10,000 – 50L
Nov. 3 – Thurs. – The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, NC (World Finals) – Qualify
Nov. 4 – Fri. – The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, NC (World Finals) – $10,000 – 50L
Nov. 5 – Sat. – The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, NC (World Finals) – $10,000 – 50L
Schedule subject to change. Check www.WorldofOutlaws.com for the latest information.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and Chizmark Larson Insurance; in addition to contingency sponsors Eibach Springs, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Pink Carburetors, Pro Power Engines, Quartermaster, Rocket Chassis, R2C Performance and Wrisco Aluminum.