Feb. 26. 2006

DIRT MotorSports announces three new Executives

 

Feb. 25. 2006

Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, OK to Host National Sprint Tour

 

Feb. 24, 2006

Promoter Lanny Edwards among National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductees: Three-time World of Outlaws (WoO) and 1983 Knoxville Nationals champion Sammy Swindell leads the induction 'class of 2006' into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Thirteen individuals will be inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon, June 3, during the seventeenth annual ceremonies on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa. Those elected by the National Induction Committee are: Drivers: Johnny Hannon, Rickey Hood, Lee Kunzman, Francis Quinn, Jimmy Sills, Sammy Swindell, Granville "Buster" Warke.
 Owners-Mechanics-Builders-Manufacturers-Car Sponsors: Bob Pankratz, Jud Phillips, Taylor "Pappy" Weld. Promoters-Officials-Media Members-Event/Series Sponsors: Lanny Edwards, Newton "Buzz" Rose, Ted Wilson. According to National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation executive director Thomas J. Schmeh, "Wow. This is another stellar class of inductees, led by 'modern era' champions Rickey Hood of Arizona, Lee Kunzman of Indiana, Jimmy Sills of California, and Sammy Swindell of Tennessee. It's a neat connection with Hood and Swindell having grown up as second-generation racers at the Riverside Speedway bull-ring in West Memphis, Arkansas. And we're thrilled to be honoring 'Buster' Warke of Pennsylvania in his lifetime; it's just too bad that we couldn't do the same for fellow drivers Johnny Hannon and Francis Quinn. In addition, we couldn't be happier about having the opportunity to educate modern fans about the great mechanical work of Bob Pankratz, Jud Phillips, and 'Pappy' Weld, respectively. Finally, we look forward to honoring promoter Lanny Edwards of the Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, racer-turned-author 'Buzz' Rose of Arizona, and Thirties-era photographer Ted Wilson from the West Coast. The induction banquet on Saturday, June 3, will be a very special event for many people!" Those seeking more information on the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame are encouraged to visit the web site at www.sprintcarhof.com. (NSCHOF PR)

 

 

Feb. 22. 2006

Practice canceled at Outlaw Motor Speedway: Due to the amount of snow and rain that fell this week and with the forecast of more rain before Friday Outlaw Motor Speedway is canceling the February 25th practice date. The next scheduled practice is March 18th. Gates will open at noon and practice will last until dark. Grandstand admission is free for the practice day. "We hate to cancel practice but right now we can't even get the track to work it to get it ready for the practice Saturday," track owner Gary Clay says. "The amount of precipitation that we have received so far and the forecast of more falling later this week we just had to make the call." "We have needed since November so I guess we can consider ourselves blessed for what we have received." Also a car show reminder that the 4th annual Arrowhead Mall and Outlaw Motor Speedway Race Car show begins this weekend February 27th. Drivers are asked to have their cars at the south side of Arrowhead mall February 26th at 6:00 PM. Winners in each division will receive a pit pass good for opening night, not to mention many other prizes provided by Arrowhead Mall merchants and sponsors. Judges for the cars will be the contestants that enter their car in the show along with five guest judges. Drivers are asked to be with their car Saturday March 4th 11:00 AM -to- 2:00 PM to meet, greet and sign autographs.  (OMS PR)

 

Jan. 11-14. 2006

Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Coverage:  Chili Bowl articles, news... Lasoski wins Creek Nation Casino Qualifier; NEXTEL Cup Champion Stewart flips
 

 

Dec. 16, 2005:

Chili Bowl Track nearly ready to go: The track for the upcoming 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, set for January 11-14, 2006, is taking shape as work crews have been busily constructing the track this week.  What started out as a bare floor in the Tulsa Expo Center on Sunday morning has already undergone a metamorphosis as the quarter-mile clay track, which will host upwards on nearly 300 entries at the Chili Bowl, is nearly complete just a few days later.  Prior to the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, the track will host the 21st Annual Tulsa Shootout, which will feature approximately 1,000 entrants in Kart, Micro and Quad racing action. Currently, the 600-cc Multi class of Micros has the most entries, with World of Outlaws stars Danny Lasoski and Terry McCarl among the 118 entries.  More information regarding the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals is available at www.chilibowl.com, with additional information about the Tulsa Shootout at www.tulsashootout.com. (Chili Bowl PR) (Chili Bowl 2006 Coverage)

 

Dec. 14, 2005:

New Promoter: Elk City Speedway has announced a new track promoter via their website. Dean Jay of Elk City, Oklahoma was official named Elk City Speedway promoter. No word on any changes.

 

Dec. 13, 2005

Over 255 entries for the 2005 Chili Bowl: The current count for the 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, to be contested at Tulsa Expo Raceway on January 11-14, 2006, has climbed to a record 255 pre-entries. Among the latest entries are former USAC Silver Crown champion Paul White of Temple, TX, and NHRA Top Fuel racer Morgan Lucas of Riverside, CA. White qualified for his first Chili Bowl Nationals championship main event as a then-record field of 249 entries vied for the 24 feature starting slots in January 2005. Lucas becomes the third drag racer to join this year's Chili Bowl entry list, with Cruz and Frank Pedregon ready for the indoor, quarter-mile clay oval Midget racing classic as well. Other entries received today included California's Doug DeWitt and Illini shoe Patrick Bruns. Also USAC Western States Midget champion Jerome Rodela of El Monte, CA, has replaced Mike Jones as driver of Kenneth Love's No. 71x entry. Louisiana's Joe Zieroos has been named the driver of the previously listed "TBA" Meents Motorsports entry, while California's Matt Sargent has been named the driver of Don Hammer's previously entered No. 45h. The 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals field is shaping up as perhaps the most competitive in event history with the likes of Raceway Report Cup champion Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, four-time Chili Bowl winner Sammy Swindell and two-time Chili Bowl champion Cory Kruseman headlining the current list of entries. Other top shoes already entered include Danny Lasoski, Dave Darland, J.J. Yeley, defending Chili Bowl champion Tracy Hines, Jay Drake, Dan Boorse, All-Star champion Chad Kemenah, ARDC Midget champion Ray Bull, USAC and Sprint Bandits TNT champion Levi Jones, USAC Midget champion Josh Wise, Kraig Kinser, Kevin Swindell, Jason Leffler and Late Model aces Bart Hartman and Steve Francis. Three full cards of racing action will unfold at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Wednesday through Friday night, January 11-13, setting the January 14 Chili Bowl championship feature lineups. (Chili Bowl PR)

 

Dec. 10, 2005:

Chassis workshop: Eddie Martin of  Stillwell, OK, will be presenting a chassis workshop in Fort Smith on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 at Edmoundson Steel Erection, 6104 Hwy 271 South, Fort Smith, AR. $50 if postmarked before December 1st, 2005 or $60 after then. 12-5pm and Q/A session afterwards. Limited seats are available, limited to 50-60 participants

 

For registration information, please contact:
Brian Littleton, 535 Caperton Loop, Greenwood, AR 72936
(You may contact Brian at (479)461-7561 or dirtfan@cox.net for more information.)

 

Dec. 8, 2005:

Chili Bowl Entries: The Bowl season is nearly upon us and that can mean only one thing: it's time to take a look at the pre-entries for the upcoming 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, which will take place at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Wednesday through Saturday, January 11-14, 2006. The entry list for the 20th edition of the Chili Bowl, which includes 229 entries from 26 different states, reads like a veritable "Who's Who" of auto racing with top drivers from all disciplines of racing. Among those headlining the list of entries are Raceway Report Cup Champion Tony Stewart, NASCAR star Kasey Kahne, 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, four-time Chili Bowl winner Sammy Swindell, two-time Chili Bowl champions Cory Kruseman and Dan Boorse, and defending Chili Bowl winner Tracy Hines. With 229 entries already submitted, it is expected that last year's record count of 249 competitors will be easily eclipsed. One-third of the entrants will compete on Wednesday night, January 11, with the second-third on Thursday night and the final third on Friday night. Qualifying night results will determine the Saturday, January 14, Chili Bowl championship feature lineups. Originally a two-day event that attracted 52 entries in 1987, the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals has evolved into a four-night extravaganza of indoor, dirt track midget racing, and ranks among the world's most prestigious auto racing events. Reserved seating for all four nights of the event was depleted in mid-October. Pit passes for all four nights do remain however. Four-night pit pass vouchers are available by contacting the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals ticket office at 918-838-3777.  The complete list of entries is available here (Chili Bowl PR)

 

Dec. 7, 2005

2006 I-44 Drivers Meeting: I-44 Speedway's 2006 driver's Information meeting will be held on January 28th. It will be at the Real Fast Racing Shop, located on the property of I - 44 Speedway.  Driver Meeting Flyer

 

Dec. 4, 2005:

Oklahoma's Stewart falls short of Driver of the Year, places 4th nationally: For the third year in a row, Gary Wright of Hooks, Texas, was voted the 2005 "Driver of the Year" by the North American 360 Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers. The popular racer earned eleven (13) of the eighteen (18) first place ballots cast in the year-end poll. Gary Wright, the 2005 American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) point champion, also received the ?Team of the Year? award.  Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are United Sprint Car Series (USCS) point champion Kenny Adams of Florida, United Racing Club (URC) point champion Curt Michael of Delaware, Darren Stewart of Oklahoma, and Knoxville Raceway point champion Jake Peters of South Dakota. Rounding out the "top ten" for the season are Travis Rilat, Empire Super Sprints (ESS) champion Lance Yonge, Terry Gray, Danny Martin, Jr., and Patriot Sprint Group (PSG) champion Bryan Howland, respectively. Danny Martin, Jr., also claimed the ?Wild Card Award? for his exciting sprint car performances in 2005.  In addition to Wright, others receiving first place votes were Adams (three), Michael, and Greg DeCaires. Kevin Swindell of Tennessee earned the "Rookie of the Year" title. J.V. Brotherton of Brodix Cylinder Heads was again voted "Builder/Manufacturer of the Year", while Glenn Styres of the Ohsweken (Ontario, Canada) Speedway received the "Promoter of the Year" honors. Allan Holland of the popular www.hoseheads.com web-site again earned the "Media Member of the Year" award.  The North American 360 Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2006 at tracks throughout North America.  Final 2005 North American 360 Sprint Car Poll

rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state, points
1., Gary Wright (13), Hooks, TX, 1380

2., Kenny Adams (3), Malabar, FL, 778
3., Curt Michael (1), Ocean View, DE, 400
4., Darren Stewart, Bixby, OK, 281
5., Jake Peters, Sioux Falls, SD, 159

 

Nov. 27, 2005

Leffler and '05 NEXTEL Cup champion Stewart in Chili Bowl: As Venture Racing rolls into the 2006 Chili Bowl, midget racing's biggest event of the year, it will do so with a stacked deck. Venture has assembled five of the biggest names in auto racing today for an all out assault on the Chili Bowl's field of stellar competitors from around the globe. Leading off Venture's effort will be 2005 Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart. Although fans have become accustomed to his appearances in victory lane on the Nextel Cup circuit, he is no stranger to winner's circle in the ultra-competitive world of open wheel racing. As Stewart takes to the track in a Venture Racing, Spike chassis with Mopar power, he'll be looking to repeat his 2002 Chili Bowl victory. Stewart's Venture Racing mount will carry sponsorship from Coca-Cola, Bass Pro Shops and Arctic Cat. Joining Stewart as a member of this year's Venture Racing line-up will be his protege, Jason Leffler. A graduate of midget racing with victories in almost every premier event, Leffler has joined the ranks of NASCAR as a regular competitor in the Busch Series. Despite Leffler's status as a rising star, he still hungers for a victory in midget racing's biggest event. Leffler hopes to round out his midget racing resume with a Chili Bowl victory in his Venture Racing, Spike Chassis, Esslinger powered midget. When it comes to a winning record at the Chili Bowl, there is no better name than Swindell. Sammy Swindell has been a fixture at the race since its beginnings. He has posted impressive results at the event with four Chili Bowl titles to his name. If one Swindell is good, two are better. Joining his father at this year's Chili Bowl will be Kevin Swindell. This talented youth recently piloted one of Tony Stewart's midgets to "Rookie of the Race" honors in the Turkey Night Grand Prix. In only ten starts in a pavement sprinter, 16 year old Swindell captured five wins, eight poles and numerous track records. The Swindell's will be campaigning Venture Racing, Spike Chassis, Esslinger powered midgets carrying sponsorship from Sanders Engineering and Super Shox. Like the younger Swindell, the final driver on Venture's roster represents the future of racing. 17 year old, Josh "Kid Rocket" Richards joins Venture Racing fresh off a season which earned him rookie-of-the-year honors on the competitive World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Richards Gary Stanton Mopar powered Spike Chassis will carry sponsorship from Seubert Calf Ranches, Ace Metal Works, Complete Flooring and Mike Richards Racing. "We believe midget racing is poised for a comeback", commented Venture Racing's Bob Trafford. " When you see the passion that these drivers have for the sport, and the excitement that you get from the fans, it's hard not to believe that there are great things to come for the sport. We look forward to being a part of it." (Venture Racing PR)

 

Nov. 22, 2005:

Chili Bowl Webcast:  RacinBoys.com has been granted the rights to broadcast, via the internet, the 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, January 11-14, at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Oklahoma. The Racin Boys, Scott Traylor and Kirk Elliott, are co-hosts of a popular Saturday morning grassroots motorsports show on 50,000-watt Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City and have also broadcast numerous short track events on both radio and television.  The Racin Boys have anchored pre-and post-race programming on Sports Radio 810 WHB from Kansas Speedway since the track opened in 2001. Their weekly "Track Talk" show will originate LIVE from the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals for the fifth consecutive year on January 14. "We're very excited about the opportunity of describing the unique atmosphere of the O'Reilly Chili Bowl to internet listeners around the world," Elliott said. "Scott and I have attended and covered this great event for many years and are committed to do the best we can at providing the best coverage for those fans not fortunate enough to be there." The Racin Boys website, www.racinboys.com, provides news and results for a large number of Midwest tracks as well as the country's major racing series. (PR)

 

Nov. 21, 2005

Second Annual Xtreme Nationals Set: For the second year in a row, State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma will host the $25,000 to win Xtreme Modified Super Nationals on Wednesday through Saturday night, October 12-14, 2006. This years running saw 126 drivers representing fifteen different states descend upon the big three-eighths mile oval which saw Terry Phillips of Springfield, Missouri pass United States Modified Touring Series champion Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa with six laps remaining to win the thirty lap feature and the richest paying modified race in the states history.

 

Clinton Speedway's '06 Dates announced: On Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28, 2006, the 2nd Annual Oklahoma Modified Open will once again be held at Clinton Speedway in Clinton, Oklahoma. The $5000 to win $1500 to start feature finale will once again be known as "The Racer's Race," with the pay scale expected to be the same as this years inaugural event. In that races finale, Mike Bowers of North Little Rock, Arkansas outdueled Tim Crawely of Mablevale, Arkansas for the first place prize which saw 121 drivers from fourteen states compete during the three day weekend. An open practice will once again be held on Thursday night with qualifying on Friday and Saturday night with last chance races and feature finale to be held Sunday afternoon. Then on Thursday through Sunday, September 14-17, 2006, the high banked, three-eighths mile Clinton oval will play host to the 3rd Annual Sooner Modified Round-Up which will once again pay $20,000 to win and $1500 to start. Jeremy Payne of Cave City, Arkansas won this years event while Jack Sullivan of Greenbriar, Arkansas held off fellow Razorback Wendall Wallace to win the inaugural event back in 2004. Open practice will be held on Thursday night with qualifying on Friday and Saturday night with the last chance and big feature finale held on Sunday afternoon. Both events will see a new, revamped qualifying format and pre-entry registration rules which will be announced at a later date. (David Smith, Jr/WhoWon)

 

Nov. 20, 2005:

I-44 Speedway Banquet: I - 44 SPEEDWAY will be holding their annual Awards & Driver Banquet, Sunday, December 4.  $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door. More Information

 

Nov. 19, 2005:

Robb to go National: According to online report, Trey Robb will in fact join the ASCS national tour for 2006 beginning with the Florida opener in Tampa Bay. Also, Robb will run non-wing 600  car next month at the Tulsa Shootout, in preparation for Chili Bowl. Also, Change in Announcers at SFS? David Smith, Jr. reported on his website that possible booth change for the 2006 State Fair Speedway season.  2005 announcer Randy Ward, will pursue sports broadcasting and will have limited time best wishes Randy.  Major SFS Driver loses ride? One of the top drivers at State Fair Speedway, no name is reportedly lost his ride for 2006. 

 

Nov. 17, 2005:

2005 ASCS Sooner Review: Collinsville, Oklahoma's Sean McClelland kicked the 2005 season off on the right foot with a feature win and never looked back as he charged to the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region title. While McClelland led the points chase throughout, it didn't come without a fight as 2002 series champ Danny Jennings closed the gap at midseason and stayed within striking distance until the season's final checkered flag flew at Mid-America Speedway in South Coffeyville, OK, on October 15. Ultimately, it was McClelland outlasting Jennings by just 52 points, taking the series title aboard Kurt Temple's Myers-powered Cloud 9/K&N Filters No. 1 J&J on the strength of five feature wins, a dozen top-fives and 18 top-tens in 20 Sooner Region events. McClelland served notice in the series season opener at Tulsa Speedway on April 2, collecting his first career ASCS win after apparent victor Kenneth Walker was disqualified for use of an illegal wicker bill. McClelland backed it up a week later by scoring a convincing win at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, TX. Jennings fought off McClelland in the series next outing at Ada's Oklahoma Sports Park on April 23 to take his first Sooner Region win of the season and closed to within eight points.The next weekend, Danny Wood outlasted Kevin Ramey and McClelland for victory honors at Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway, with McClelland outdueling National Tour invader Tony Bruce, Jr., for the win the next night at Lawton Speedway. With three victories in the series opening five events of the season, McClelland had extended his point lead to 32 markers over Jennings with a handful of events run in conjunction with the O'Reilly ASCS National Tour up next. Two-time Sooner Region champion Kevin Ramey claimed an Oklahoma City win on May 20 as five of the top seven finishers, including Ramey, Danny Wood, Cody Branchcomb, McClelland and Jennings, were Sooner Region reps. Jennings then closed the gap on McClelland during the June 17-18 Dodge City Raceway Park double, where Jennings posted a runner-up finish in the prelim then held off Gary Wright to win the finale. McClelland could only muster sixth and 14th place showings, allowing Jennings to close to within 16 points. Jennings shaved another eight points off the lead the next Friday night with a fourth place run at Oklahoma City, only to have McClelland stretch the lead back out to 28 points the next night at Cowtown when McClelland finished fifth as Jennings and Ramey watched the checkered flag fly from the pit area after an early skirmish. McClelland snared his fourth Sooner Region victory of the season in dramatic fashion at Lawton Speedway on July 2, battling past Jennings in an intense wheel-to-wheel duel on the final round to take the win. Zach Chappell slipped past Foster Landon to top the series debut atop Thunder Valley Speedway in Fayetteville, AR, on July 9, with Ramey leading a Sooner Region slaughter of the Gulf South Region in the July 16 Regional Shootout at Devil's Bowl Speedway. Exiting the Devil's Bowl main with engine woes, McClelland's point lead had withered to just 16 points over Jennings entering a combined weekend of action with the National Tour on July 29 and 30 at Oklahoma City and Tulsa. While Gary Wright swept the weekend, McClelland posted strong finishes of third and fourth to reestablish a 40-point advantage over Jennings, who struggled over the weekend. With just a handful of events remaining, Nick Smith held off Sam Hafertepe, Jr., and Zach Chappell to take his first series win since 2003 in the August 27 stop at Tulsa Speedway. Then on September 3, McClelland extended his lead in the points chase to 52 markers by making a late move past Andy Shouse at Oklahoma Sports Park to score his fifth triumph of the season. While Ramey posted a convincing win at Lawton Speedway on September 17, Jennings gained some ground on McClelland when rear end woes forced the point leader to the infield on the final lap of the feature. Still 40 points ahead with two events remaining, McClelland was a ninth place finisher at Cowtown Speedway on September 24. It was good enough to extend his lead to 50 points over Jennings, who only finished 14th as Travis Rilat outlasted Kevin Ramey in an entertaining non-stop affair atop the high-banked quarter-mile oval. The season wrapped up with the series debut at Mid-America Speedway in South Coffeyville, OK, where Rilat picked up his second series win in a row to the tune of an ASCS Regional record $3,000 payday. McClelland finished third behind Rilat and Ramey to secure the crown by 52 markers over fourth-place runner Danny Jennings. While McClelland earned the series crown, Jennings bid for a second title in the Folks-powered Lucas Products/Goodyear Tires No. 61J Maxim came up just short. After three years on the National Tour, 19-year-old Cody Branchcomb flirted with victory lane several times before settling for third in final points. Brian McClelland, younger brother of the champion, claimed fourth in points in his first year of ASCS competition with a third place run at Fayetteville's Thunder Valley Speedway his best run of the year. Also in his first year of ASCS Sooner Region competition, Fletcher, Oklahoma's Derek Cottrell parlayed several top ten feature finishes in the latter portion of the season into a fifth-place ranking in points. J.P. Bailey, the ASCS Sooner Region's inaugural champion in 2001, earned a sixth place ranking in final points with a third place finish at Oklahoma Sports Park on September 3 his top finish, while Foster Landon claimed seventh in points. Sixteen-year-old Dex Eaton earned eighth in final points despite a pair of bone-jarring Cowtown crashes, with veteran Earnest Jennings and Ramey completing the top ten. A total of 152 drivers competed in at least one American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region event in 2005, with ten different drivers earning trips to victory lane as the series contested 20 events at nine different tracks throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Arkansas. Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com. (ASCS PR)

 

Nov. 6, 2005:

Outlaw Speedway Banquet Set: Dec. 10th, 7:00 PM at the Castle of Muskogee. Tickets go on sale November 4th through December 5th and may be purchased at the Outlaw Motor Speedway office M-F 9-5 (please call first to make sure someone is at the track) or at Fence Me In (downtown Muskogee) M-Sat.10-5. Advance tickets $12 per person (kids 5-under free). Tickets at the door are $20. NOTE: Tickets are Cash or Check only, there will be only 300 tickets available this year & Drivers must be present to receive championship pay. Lots of door prizes to be given away again. Banquet catered by Runts Bar-B-Q. Rules will be posted ASAP. We still working on the rules for all classes and we are having meetings with tracks and officials this week to iron out some additional details. (Outlaw Speedway PR)

 

Nov. 3, 2005:

Baltes named Chili Bowl Grand Marshal: Legendary auto racing promoter and track operator Earl Baltes has been named Grand Marshal of the 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Center on January 11-14, 2006. Baltes, 84, remains an icon in the sport, following a career as one of the most colorful and accomplished personalities in all of auto racing. He built the famous Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio in 1954, and along with wife Berneice built it into one of the most successful racing facilities in the world. Earl and Berneice retired in late 2004 with the sale of the track to Nextel Cup star Tony Stewart. Earl is a past recipient of the Auto Racing Promoter of the Year award, and is a member of both the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. In addition to his involvement at Eldora Speedway, Baltes also through the years owned or operated a host of racing venues that included Salem Speedway, Limaland, New Bremen, Dayton Speedway, Millstream, and Mansfield, Ohio. Earl is also the architect of the two largest short track events in history. The Eldora Million for dirt late models, paying $1 million to race winner Donnie Moran, was held in 2001, and the Mopar Million offered a $1 million purse for traditional sprint cars in 2003, with $200,000 going to race winner Jac Haudenschild. Many major events introduced by Baltes continue to influence the course of the sport, including the World 100, the Late Model Dream, the Kings Royal, the Mopar Thunder, and the 4-Crown Nationals. Earl will be present at the Tulsa Expo Center throughout the running of this year's O'Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals, meeting and greeting the multitudes of loyal short track fans who make the January event one of the most important racing events of the year. It is also expected that Baltes will participate in a public book signing of his autobiography EARL!, published in early 2005. For Chili Bowl ticket information, call (918) 838-3777 or visit www.chilibowl.com.

Nov. 1, 2005:

Another 2006 Xtreme Nationals? Looks like promoter Greg Moore will hold the second annual Xtreme Nationals in 2006. No word on dates, and payouts.

Oct. 28, 2005:

Chili Bowl Sold-out: There are no more tickets available for the four-night O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, set to take place at the Tulsa Expo Raceway on January 11-14, 2006. In record setting fashion, all reserved seating for the prestigious event was sold in four day ticket packages. Fans that missed out on tickets may now order pit vouchers, which can be exchanged on race day for pit passes. Pit vouchers for all four nights of racing action are available for just $140. Pit vouchers may be ordered by calling 918-838-3777. For more information regarding the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, call 918-838-3777 or log on to www.chilibowl.com. (Chili Bowl PR)

 

Oct. 13, 2005:

Thriller Nationals set this weekend: The 2nd Annual Thriller is back at Outlaw Motor Speedway for a two day show featuring 2-Barrell and 360 Sprints this weekend October 13th, 14th & 15th. (Thursday the 13th is a practice night with free grandstand admission) Coming to the 3/8 mile oval for the first time since May of 2004 the sprints bring an excitement that only they possess. Making Outlaw Motor Speedway's Thriller the place for fun this weekend. Along with a Front Wheel Drive $300 and a Economy Modified $600 to win specials on Saturday the second season of the Thriller should be one to remember. Friday night the 2-Barrell Sprints compete for $500 and the 360 Sprints battle for $1,000 to the winner. Saturday night the 2-Barrell Sprints fight for a $1,000 prize with the 360 Sprints going after a $3,000 bounty. With a over $22,000 up for grabs for the sprint drivers, many of the regions top sprint drivers are expected to show. Among them are Hooks, Texas #9 Gary Wright, Bixby's #91 Darren Stewart, Liberal, Kansas #18 Tony Bruce Jr., Rose's #4 Jamie Passmore, Tulsa's #11 Mike Goodman, Collinsville's #1 Sean McClelland, Fayetteville Arkansas' #26 Rafe Essary , Tulsa's Shelly Ward and Sapulpa's #5$ Danny Smith. Outlaw Motor Speedway is eight miles south of Muskogee on US 69 and 11miles north of I-40. Gates open at 5:30PM and racing begins at 7:30PM. Saturday races will begin at 6:30 PM. Ticket prices are Grandstand Adults $10, Kids 6-12 $5, 5-Under FREE, Senior Citizens $5, Family Pack (two adults and kids 12-under) $25 per night. Pits Entry is Adult $30, Kids $20 per night. (Outlaw Motor Speedway PR)

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