Auto Racing: Outlaws event coming to WhyNot
Published 10:47 pm Wednesday, March 22, 2017
- Billy Moyer Jr., of Batesville, Ark., is pictured racing at the Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, Ga., this past February during a World out Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series event. Meridian’s WhyNot Motorsports Park will be hosting a World out Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series event Friday.
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series is coming to Meridian Friday with 50 drivers competing for a $10,000 first prize at Whynot Mortorsprts Park.
“This will be the biggest race we have ever had here,”said track owner Rodney Wing. “We want everyone to come out. We have always wanted to have this, but this is the first year we have been able to work it out.”
The track was able to land the race by scheduling it on a Friday, rather than the usual Saturday night racing at Whynot. “It will be great for the area, for sure.” Wing said. He is hoping Meridian will become an annual stop for the series.
Dede Mongollon, Executive Director of Visit Meridian, said the race will have a positive economic impact on the area. “People will be coming from all over to stay in our hotels. It will be great for the community.”
Racing on the three-tenth of a mile dirt track will begin at 7:30 with qualifying heats to pare the field to 24 for the main event, a 50-lap race for the checkered flag at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.
The event, with a total prize package exceeding $50,000, is the second in the season’s 16-race series.
Drivers will include Meridian cousins Chad and Nick Thrash, brothers Brian and Rick Rickman of Columbus and Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., the winner of 30 races on the World of Outlaws series and the 2015 series championship. Brian Rickman was the 2016 Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series winner,
“I’m excited about it,” said Chad Thrash. “It will be an opportunity to showcase the local talent.”
This will be only the second race in the Outlaws series for Chad Thrash, the previous one about 10 years ago, but he is looking forward to competing against the regular drivers in the series. He’s familiar with the track, but doesn’t feel that will be a big advantage. “These guys (series drivers) do it for a living. They’re not going to be intimidated.”
The Outlaws series has been described as the NASCAR of dirt track racing.
Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for children 6-12 and free for children under 6. The track is located at the intersection of JW Reynolds Road and Old Highway 19 Southeast.
