World of Outlaws and WoO Dirt Late Models

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JohnBM01

JohnBM01

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This is all about Saturday night at the dirt track while piloting a V8-powered beast around the track with a big rear wing above you. It's about riding the cushion to make daring passes. It's also about making sure you don't get owned in the outside wall tumbling over like crazy. In addition, this thread is also about getting dirt in your eyes while piloting a late model dirt car. This is a thread I've created to inject a little Americana to the "Drifting and Other Motorsports" forum. I figured a certain thread has to come along because I know there are some dirt racing fans out there. Whether your home track is Manzanita, Eldora, Knoxville, Terra Haute, Williams Grove, or wherever, this is your thread to chat about World of Outlaws sprint cars and late model dirt cars.

What impresses me about those WoO cars (and sprint cars in general) is how they are able to go so fast around a short track or dirt track. I actually love listening to those engines when they go to onboard shots. Though for engine sounds, Trans-Am cars and Australian V8 Supercars are the engine sound standards. What also impresses me is how often they race as well as how they are all able to keep up great endurance and fitness piloting one of these super-light (even with the huge wing) racing machines. I won't admit to normally be excited about dirt track racing, but at least you know what you're getting when you see the World of Outlaws kick up dirt.



I'll launch a similar thread in the future about USAC sprint car racing in the future. But for now, expanding the horizon of racing coverage on GTPlanet has continued. First Formula Nippon, now this. Let this be your thread for all things World of Outlaws as well as World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Saturday night at the dirt track is here courtesy of me!
 
My personal favorite track is Knoxville, I went the Knoxville nationals in '04 and it was a blast. Ive been around dirt tracks all my life, and even raced a few years in dirt carts.

Do you have a favorite open wheel driver?
 
JohnBM01
But for now, expanding the horizon of racing coverage on GTPlanet has continued. First Formula Nippon, now this.
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Have you already forgotten about your NHRA thread John?? :p

For me, WoO represents the best from the USA & Australia. Brooke Tatnell is the first in my head, top driver on the track and top moron off the track, his dad George was better than he is as a driver and an allround person.

Steve Kinser will always be the God of WoO. Danny Lasoski (spelling?) is another that's always a pleasure to watch driving to me. It's always good seeing them out here on tour in the Aussie Summer. 👍👍
 
No. I haven't forgotten. I don't do threads for me. I do this because I love GTPlanet and all of the GTPlaneteers (if you will). I'm not retiring or anything. Just giving back to racing fans.

I've always regarded Steve Kinser to WoO as Frank Kimmel to ARCA. I don't have a true favorite driver except that I highly respect Steve Kinser. My "local" track, if you will, is Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, TX. We have another short track within Houston called Houston Motorsports Park in northeastern Houston. I've never been to a race track in my life. So I can't say I've ever been to any racing venue, let alone the two I've visited.



I'm not saying that I know everything about this series, because I don't. Maybe you all will help chat about the World of Outlaws series and all the crazy dirt track madness this series provides.
 
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I wasn't saying it was YOUR thread as such John. ;):)

Yeah, I live about 10 minutes (5km, 3 miles) from my local, Parramatta City Raceway, it's the Mecca for speedway action in Australia and where a lot of the big final's are held. It's wonderful on a Saturday night at home when I hear this roar of 16 V8's from the distance unlike any other sound in the air, really spine chilling. :D
 
Steve Kinser picked up win #550 from a race out in California. He's the king of WoO with another stellar drive.
 
JohnBM01
Steve Kinser picked up win #550 from a race out in California. He's the king of WoO with another stellar drive.
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Just out of curiosity, which race was that?

Also, I might be going to the trophy cup in Tulare at the end of the month
 
I think the track is called Ocean City. I know "Ocean" isin its title.

What compells me about this kind of racing is that it's popular in America... but just as popular in Australia. Of course, we have NASCAR while Australia has the Australian V8 Supercar Series as far as premier racing series go. Never realized just the kind of link Australia has with sprint car racing. Always thought this kind of racing was almost exclusively and uniquely American.
 
mafia_boy
Yeah, I live about 10 minutes (5km, 3 miles) from my local, Parramatta City Raceway, it's the Mecca for speedway action in Australia and where a lot of the big final's are held. It's wonderful on a Saturday night at home when I hear this roar of 16 V8's from the distance unlike any other sound in the air, really spine chilling. :D
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Me too (Harris Park). Unfortunately on Saturday night a driver was killed when he went in to a wall. He was a friend of a friend + my supervisor at work taught him to race + I make deliveries to his fathers shop every week. Not a happy scene today.
 
Yeah I know bro, that bit was pretty screwed up. The 1st death in Australian Speedway in 37 years and the worst thing is, even though it was very horrific, there's been 1000's of crashes like that there and the drivers walked away without a scratch and on this unfortunate incident the worst possible scenario occured. :(

News Link To The Story.
 
JohnBM01
I think the track is called Ocean City. I know "Ocean" isin its title.

What compells me about this kind of racing is that it's popular in America... but just as popular in Australia. Of course, we have NASCAR while Australia has the Australian V8 Supercar Series as far as premier racing series go. Never realized just the kind of link Australia has with sprint car racing. Always thought this kind of racing was almost exclusively and uniquely American.
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I think its somewhere down in Socal.

More an more dirt tracks are closing down due to a number of things. My local track for instance has violated almost all noise restrictions and the city council wanted it gone 5 years ago. But What I dont understand is that these places are great for families. I went to this track when I was only 2 years old, and have been going there since about last month. Thats 17 years ive spent there, and loads of fun with friends and family, and of course winning races.

Im not sure how many people feel the same way I do about their local dirt track, I dont like the people, but I like the track.

If anyone watched the "Prelude to the dream" race at Eldora last year, it was a hell of a race. Even though the track owner won (Tony Stewart) there was a lot of good racing going on behind him. But when DW climbed into one of the cars, without a helmet, you could see he had a grin from ear to ear.



tl:dr: We need to support our local dirt tracks
 
I did a little reading on Wikipedia about Australian dirt track racing. Have a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirt_track_racing_in_Australia

I learned that almost every Australian state has at least one dirt track. This even includes Tasmania. The Australian state of Victoria (which I best know for the beautiful city of Melbourne) has many dirt ovals. The also-beautiful Sydney has the Sydney Showground.



Here are a few stats on WoO cars (courtesy of Wikipedia). This is all a bunch of basic specifications on these big-winged, really light racing machines:

(all taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Outlaws )
Displacement: 410 cu. in. (about 6718.696 cc)
Transmission: Direct Drive
Weight: 1200 lbs. (545.5 kg)
Horsepower: 800hp
Fuel: Methanol
Fuel Capacity: 30 gal (118.5 liters)
Fuel Delivery: Fuel Injection
Compression Ratio 17.1
Aspiration: Normally-Aspirated
Wheelbase: 84 in.



Here is a brief YouTube video on some past WoO action to give you some perspective if you've never seen World of Outlaws action:


2008 Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa (3:45 in length)



The final few races of the season involves a stop at Manzanita this Saturday, and then a three-race series to finish the 2008 season at Lowe's Motor Speedway's dirt track next weekend (starting Thursday into Saturday). Even though I've regarded Steve Kinser as the best in the series, Donny Schatz is ahead in the points with 8,576 points while Kinser is in third with 8,183 points. In the Late Model series of WoO competition, Darrell Lanigan leads with 5,527 points ahead of 2nd place Steve Francis (which I always confuse for former Houston Rocket, Steve Francis) 5,537 points.

And one last point to make... Ocean Speedway was where Kinser won over the weekend.
 
Good read but Wiki are incorrect as Sydney Showground doesn't exist anymore, hasn't for a few years. It got torn down and turned into Fox Studios Australia. PCR (Parra City Raceway) is where it's at here in Sydney.

TyrePower Parramatta City Raceway Granville 460 m. clay banked oval WWSS 410 Sprints, AMCA, Demo Derby, Fender Benders, Junior Sedans, Late Models, Litrecars, Speedcars, Street Stockers, Nos Sprints and home of WORLD OF OUTLAWS DOWN UNDER the best show on dirt
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That last line says it all. ;)
 
There was a WoO round in NZ a couple of seasons ago at Baypark, we also have a large-ish Sprint Car scene with only three tracks that really run them, being Western Springs, Baypark and in the south island Ruapuna with the rest being mainly Stock and Saloon Car tracks. The only thing that keeps us from mixing it with the big boys of sprintcars is money though we do tend to dominate the Midget Tri-series agains the US and Aussie
 

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