THR Press Release

[NickHolt]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Aug. 26, 2004

 

Contact: Thunder Hill Raceway, 512.262.1352

 

Hays County to be highlighted at THR the next few weeks

 

Two prominent residents of nearby Hays County will take turns being Grand Marshall at Thunder Hill Raceway (THR) in Kyle over the next couple of weeks as THR gets ready to finish out the 2004 regular season of racing.

 

WWE Hall of Famer Ivan Putski, a former champion who dazzled wrestling crowds with his display of “Polish Power,” will be THR’s Grand Marshall this Saturday (Aug. 28). Putski, a fan favorite during his heyday, will visit with THR fans and sign autographs during the night of racing, which will include the A-Line Auto Parts Street Stocks, the Capital City Trade & Technical School Hobby Stocks, the THR Late Models and Grand Stocks, the Lone Star Legends and the Allison Legacys.

 

Putski was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995. From the WWE web site: “There have been many powerhouses who competed in the ring, but few were any stronger than the native of Krakow, Poland who was known as “The Polish Power.” Although he was relatively short by sports entertainment standards, Ivan Putski’s tremendous strength, power and quickness allowed him to go toe-to-toe with the sport’s best and usually come out on top. His longtime rivalries with some of the dirtiest grapplers in the game, including Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen and Ivan Koloff, established him as one of the most popular grapplers of the 1970’s.

 

Putski fed off his fans, and whenever he was in trouble, their strength and spirit got him through hard times. Summoning “Polish Power” and finishing his opponents off with the Polish Hammer, a devastating two-handed punch to the chest, Putski had the uncanny ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. While his opponents often made fun of his Polish accent before a match started, they never made fun of him once the match concluded. Simply being in a headlock and having their craniums squeezed between his massive arms was enough to make even the worst loud-mouths shut their traps.

 

While primarily a singles star, Putski won his only WWE championship in the tag-team division, teaming up with Tito Santana to defeat the conniving Jerry & Johnny Valiant in October 1979. Putski and Santana held the titles for nearly six months before losing to the unpredictable Wild Samoans.”

 

The other Hays County celebrity to grace THR with his presence will be high school football coaching legend Bob Shelton of Hays High School. Shelton will be the THR Grand Marshall on Sept. 18, which is the last night of THR’s regular season.

 

Thunder Hill Raceway will run two post-season races this year – the 8th Annual Texas Stock Car Spectacular on Sept. 25 and A-Line Auto Parts Night at the Races on Oct. 2.

 

“Coach Shelton is a legend at both Hays and throughout the state of Texas as both a high school football coach and a person,” said THR Marketing/Media Director Chuck Licata, who also does high school football broadcasts for KVET-AM 1300 and is a freelance high school sports writer for the Austin American-Statesman. “Coach Shelton is one of the very few coaches to have a stadium named after him (Hays plays its home games on the field of Bob Shelton Stadium) while he’s still coaching! Anyone in the high school community in the state of Texas knows the name of Bob Shelton.”

 

Thunder Hill Raceway is a 3/8-mile asphalt oval track located at exit 210 (Yarrington Road) off IH-35 in Kyle. The racing season at THR is March through October. The track is just 10 minutes north of San Marcos and 15 minutes south of Austin. Interested parties can check out the track’s new web site (www.thunderhillraceway.com) or can call the track at (512) 262.1352

[SVCMNGR1]

OH MAN! I wish I could make it there to see Ivan. He was always one of my favorites. He made being Polish Kool! And with a last name like mine it was great to see Polish Power become so popular. Chuck, get me an autograph! Please?