Thunderbowl Raceway opens season with World of Outlaws two-step on March 16 and 17
By Gary Thomas
Tulare, CA – February 12, 2012…When it comes to keeping fans on the edge of their seats there aren’t many tracks that do it better than the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway and the always action packed one-third mile oval will come to life in just over a month, with the “Greatest Show on Dirt” invading the Central Valley for two nights of racing.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event on Friday and Saturday March 16 and 17 is sure to feature a packed house of fans ready to kick off the 2012 season in style. To order tickets simply contact the Thunderbowl ticket office at (559) 688-0909. All seating will be reserved with bleacher seats costing $35 and grandstands being $40 each night. Gates open at 5pm both nights.
The man that has been most dominant in World of Outlaws competition at the Thunderbowl as of late happens to be title contender Joey Saldana of Brownsburg, Indiana. The driver of the KKR, Great Clips No. 9 Maxim has claimed four WOO wins at the track and has won three of the last four features held at the Tulare speed-plant.
Locally based Jason Meyers from nearby Clovis, the two-time and reigning World of Outlaws champion, has been right on Saldana’s heels however, as he’s finished either first or second in the three most recent WOO shows at the Thunderbowl. The event this season in Tulare will hold extra special meaning, with it also being part of Meyers’ Allstar Appreciation Tour, which will see him retire from the road following the March 31st date at Calistoga Speedway.
Whereas Meyers will be looking for victory in front of the hometown crowd, Fresno car owners Dennis and Teresa Roth will be searching for the same, with a pair of entries featuring two of the most entertaining drivers in sprint car racing.
National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Jac Haudenschild will return to the Thunderbowl with Roth Motorsports after winning the prestigious Trophy Cup last October. “The Wild Child” is sure to give the outside wall of the one-third mile oval a good ride as he often does and will be looking for his second career WOO win at the track.
Also never shy to run the tip top of the Tulare Thunderbowl, defending King of the West Sprint Car Series champion Tim Kaeding will also be gunning for his second career World of Outlaws win at the track on March 16 and 17. “TK” is routinely the “show” at the Tulare County Fairgrounds facility and will be a certain front runner with the Outlaws next month aboard the Roth Motorsports Maxim.
“Tulare is just one of those tracks I always seem to do well at and we’re looking forward to the Outlaw weekend,” said Kaeding, who claimed a trio of podium finishes in WOO action last season. “For fans and drivers it doesn’t get much better than the Thunderbowl, because there’s always a number of lines to use, but to win races there you typically have to go to the high-side.”
Tony Stewart Racing teammates Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser are both looking to get back atop the World of Outlaws standings this season with Jason Meyers’ absence at the end of his “Allstar Appreciation Tour.” Kinser was the winner of the very first World of Outlaws event at the Thunderbowl in 2003 and Schatz has captured two victories at the track in his career.
Other top flight drivers expected on hand will include Germantown, Tennessee’s Sammy Swindell, Elk River, Minnesota’s Craig Dollansky, Chico’s Jonathan Allard, Easton’s Tommy Tarlton, Findlay, Ohio’s Chad Kemenah, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania’s Lucas Wolfe, Red Lion, Pennsylvania’s Cody Darrah, Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs, St. Helena’s Rico Abreu, Clovis’ Peter Murphy and more.
Running alongside the World of Outlaws will be the IMCA Modifieds on Friday night and the always exciting USAC West Coast 360’s on Saturday evening. For a seating chart, directions and more info on Thunderbowl Raceway log onto http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com
The Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway is located on the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California.
Coming up at the Thunderbowl:
For fans of Winged 410 Sprint Car racing there will be no shortage of that in the coming months at the Tulare County Fairgrounds track.
The traveling King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will headline a trio of events beginning with the “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” on Saturday April 14. KWS will return to the facility on Saturday May 12 for the prestigious “Pombo/Sargent Classic” and then once again on Saturday June 2 for the “John Anthony Sharp Memorial.”
During all of those events the USAC West Coast Non-Wing 360 Sprints will also be in action, which makes for a sprint car lover’s dream, having the best of both worlds on hand. Be sure to mark your calendars for these three action-packed nights of racing. Intermixed in those events will be a night of racing on Saturday April 28 featuring the Rebel 360 Winged Sprints, which brings back some local tradition to the Central Valley.
Joey Saldana has been dominant at the Thunderbowl lately and will look to keep that up on March 16 and 17 behind the wheel of Kasey Kahne's Great Clips No. 9 Maxim.
- Gary Thomas on Feb 13, 2012
- Article Date: 2/13/2012 by Gary Thomas