Tony Stewart Racing Ready to Begin WoO Midwestern Season; McMahan Looking Forward to Kentucky, Missouri Runs
April 3, 2007
by Misha Geisert
INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul McMahan and the No. 20 Tony Stewart Racing/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle team have covered almost every part of the country in the past three months, but this weekend they’ll make their return to the Midwest as the traditional racing season begins. McMahan and the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) team will resume World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series action at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway (PIR) and I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. over the Easter weekend.
This Friday’s Sprint Series event at PIR will mark the WoO’s return to the 3/8-mile facility after a five-year absence. McMahan has only competed at the facility one time with the WoO Gumout Racing Series. This year’s event has special incentive for the TSR team, as team owner Tony Stewart is also a co-owner of the facility. McMahan is looking for his first victory of the season and the high banks of PIR may provide his best opportunity to date as he traditionally runs well at 3/8-mile tracks.
Saturday night’s event at I-55 Raceway also presents a unique opportunity as the team’s primary sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, is headquartered in Springfield, Mo. McMahan and the team would like nothing more than to post their first victory of the season in their sponsor’s home state. McMahan competed at I-55 Raceway in 2006, earning a 12th-place finish in WoO Sprint Series competition. He also has one victory at the facility, as he won the World of Outlaws Gumout A-main event on Sept. 1, 2000.
McMahan and the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle team enter this weekend’s racing action ranked 11th in the WoO Sprint Series Championship standings. The team has earned one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes in three events thus far in 2007, putting McMahan only 218 points behind series leader Donny Schatz in the championship standings. McMahan has also earned one dash event win and one B-main event victory, leaving the team only one point out of the top 10 in the WoO Sprint Series Championship standings.
Tickets for Friday’s WoO Sprint Series event at Paducah International Raceway can be purchased by calling 270-448-4747. Pit gates are scheduled to open at 2 p.m. CDT, with grandstand gates opening at 5 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Andy Hillenburg won the last WoO Sprint Series event at the facility on June 12, 2001.
Pit gates are scheduled to open at 12 p.m. CDT at I-55 Raceway on Sat., April 7. Grandstands will open to the public at 3 p.m.; with hot laps beginning at 6:15 p.m. Race fans can purchase tickets in advance by calling 636-479-3219. Series leader Donny Schatz won at the facility on April 1, 2006 and Brooke Tatnell was victorious in the series’ last appearance at the track on July 8, 2006.
Fans can also listen to all of the weekend’s action on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Visit www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all features, including updated results from each night of racing, as well as a chat room to interact with other fans listening to the action.
For complete results from PIR or I-55 Raceway, log on to www.paducahinternationalraceway, www.i55raceway.com or www.worldofoutlaws.com. For information regarding Stewart, McMahan, Bass Pro Shops or Chevrolet, log on to www.tonystewart.com, www.paulmcmahanracing.com, www.basspro.com or www.chevrolet.com.
Quotes from Paul McMahan, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle:
Paul McMahan on the WoO Sprint Series’ return to Paducah International Raceway this weekend:
“I’ve only raced at PIR one time in my career, but I remember that it’s a really fun, racy track. I really like 3/8-mile tracks and we seem to run really well on that size of race track. In 2001 when we competed there, I led the A-main for some of the race and really learned a lot about the track. When you run well somewhere, you don’t really forget the characteristics of that particular track. It would also be great to get our first win for Bass Pro Shops and Chevrolet at a track that the boss is part owner of. The fact that Tony, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Kenny Schrader are part owners of that facility would make a victory there even more special.”
On what it would mean to win his first race of the season in Bass Pro Shop’s home state of Missouri:
“We’re out every weekend trying to run well and represent Bass Pro Shops and Chevrolet in the best way possible. Even though Bass Pro Shops has 41 stores across the country, to get a victory at I-55 Raceway on Saturday night would be pretty cool because that’s where the company’s roots are. We’re hoping to have a lot of Bass Pro Shops fans in the stands this Saturday night. Putting the big green fish in the winner’s circle would be a great way to end the weekend.”
On the new tire rule that will begin with this weekend’s racing events at PIR and I-55 Raceway:
“It’s going to be interesting to see how the new tire rule plays into the grand scheme of things this weekend. This will be our first weekend under this rule, and I-55 is a track that will take a bit of rubber as the evening progresses. Hopefully, it will be a benefit to both us and the fans by helping to make the racing even more exciting.”
On what he most enjoys about racing at I-55 Raceway:
“I-55 has always been one of the most fun tracks we compete at during the season. It’s a short, little bullring that really gives us a chance to use the banking to put on a great show. The grandstands are always filled to the rim, and they do a great job in promoting the events. The fans are incredible at I-55. They’re true sprint car fans and really make competing at the facility a lot of fun."
