World of Outlaws Sprint cars headed to Houston Raceway Park this Saturday

March 9, 2010

For well over 30 years, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series events have been thrilling fans from coast-to-coast with wheel-to-wheel action at breathtaking speeds. Looking to add even more excitement to the ‘Fan Experience’ at the race track in 2010, the series has implemented double file restarts, which they pioneered in the early days of the series, along with a new format for the dash.

Houston Raceway Park will be the first ¼-mile track to witness the thrilling double file restarts in 2010 as the World of Outlaws return to the always racey bullring on Saturday, March 13 as part of the Second Annual Texas Two-Step Weekend.

Texan Sam Hafertepe, Jr. will be among the World of Outlaws stars racing in Texas this weekend.

The new dash format introduced at the season opening events in Florida put the faster cars a couple of rows back and will lead to more passes and battles for position. The Top-2 finishers in each heat race will make it to the dash again in 2010 along with the fastest two drivers from time trials that transferred from the heat race to the A-Feature, who were not first or second in the heat. The dash will then be lined up heads-up according to qualifying times, with a fan then drawing a 4, 6 or 8 pill for the dash inversion. The finish of the dash will then be used to set the first five rows of the A-Feature line-up.

“The tires, the format, the double file restarts, that’s all good for our sport,” said Joey Saldana of the changes implemented in 2010. “The fans will see a great show when they come to Houston Raceway Park for the Outlaws.”

New as well in 2010, is the switch to Goodyear Tires for the World of Outlaws. A number of the veteran drivers competed on rubber from Goodyear in the past, and the event race at Houston Raceway Park will be one of the first short track races for the series on the new tires, which have carried drivers to 19 championships over the years with the series.

Another of the most notable changes in 2010 is that 20-time series champion Steve Kinser, is driving for Tony Stewart Racing. The Hall of Famer is paired with four-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz. The duo has combined to win the last eight World of Outlaws titles and nine of the last 10 and well over 200 races over the last decade.

As has been a tradition at World of Outlaws events since the series inaugural 1978 season, the fans are welcome to visit the pit area after the final checkered flag of the night falls at every event in 2010, to see the cars and stars of the series up close and personal.

On Saturday, March 13 at Houston Raceway Park, Tickets for adults will be $30, with tickets for juniors (ages 6-12) $15. Pit combos will also be available for $38, which includes a grandstand ticket and a pit pass. To purchase tickets online visit http://www.houstonraceway.com or call the track at 281-383-2666.

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Posted by NickHolt · Filed Under Dirt Tracks, Top Main
Tagged: Donny Schatz, Joey Saldana, Sam Hafertepe, Steve Kinser, WoO, World of Outlaws