The ‘challenging’ track has the attention of the World of Outlaws competitors
TULARE, Calif. – As the World of Outlaws West Coast swing nears its midpoint, the dozen full-time competitors are faced with a stiff challenge this weekend at Thunderbowl Raceway.
The high-banked, one-third mile dirt oval presents a unique test and the strong contingent of Californians are more than capable of claiming the top prize on Friday and Saturday.
Here are some quotes from most of the full-time drivers on the World of Outlaws circuit:
Cody Darrah (Red Lion, Penn.) – “Kasey Kahne Racing has a pretty high average there. We’ve got a lot of notes. With Joey Saldana as a teammate it’ll be pretty exciting to go there. My track record at Tulare isn’t that great, but we’re looking to turn that around.”
Chad Kemenah (Findlay, Ohio) – “Tulare has been kind of a challenge for me. Hopefully we can go back and get a little more competitive, and maybe get out of there with a good finish.”
Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, Ind.) – “I’ve ran there quite a bit. I’ve had good races there and bad races there. It’s a fast, tight-turn track. It gets pretty racy there.”
Steve Kinser (Bloomington, Ind.) – “It is one of those tracks where it’s sort of hard to be consistent. You just got to take what you can get there and hope everything comes out good.”
Kerry Madsen (St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia) – “Tulare is somewhere I always look forward to going to. I’ve always ran well there, always been quick. I haven’t won yet, but I always feel confident there.”
Jason Meyers (Clovis, Calif.) – “Tulare has always been home for me and, more importantly, one of my favorite race tracks to race at in the entire country. It’s an awesome facility run by great people. You can run right on the fence a lot of times. It’s just fun, exciting racing.”
Bill Rose (Plainfield, Ind.) – “It’s fast. We get real close together. There’s a lot of crashes it seems there. But if you can get your car going good, it’s definitely one of the raciest places in California.”
Joey Saldana (Brownsburg, Ind.) – “It’s been one of the best race tracks we’ve had in California. I really enjoy racing there and it’s a great facility. We’ve had some pretty good success there, so hopefully we can continue that next week.”
Donny Schatz (Minot, N.D.) – “It’s a very unique place. We always have a good time when we go there, see a lot of great people. It’s a fairgrounds setting, a really good atmosphere. I’ve had a fair bit of success there so anytime you have that you look forward to going to those places.”
Sammy Swindell (Germantown, Tenn.) – “It seems like it’s always different from one end to the other. (Turns) one and two is usually the heavier end or the rougher end, where (turns) three and four seem to be where it’s smooth or slick. It’s a tough place because it kind of has long straights for the way the turns are so tight. It’s a big challenge, but I’ve always run well there and I’ve always liked the ones that are more difficult.”
Lucas Wolfe (Mechanicsburg, Penn.) – “It’s pretty tight and still pretty fast. They sometimes get a little hole going into turn one, which makes it pretty exciting. For the most part the races by the time you get to the feature are awfully good and it’s a lot of fun there, so I’m looking forward to going there as always.”
