by John Lemon
Tulsa,
Oklahoma (April 25, 2011) - After a
successful season opener at Lawton Speedway that
featured a 40 car field, Thunderbird Speedway in
Muskogee Oklahoma is set to host round number two of
the 2011 Oil Capital Racing Series winged sprint car
tour. Choctaw Oklahoma's Kyle Cobb will be looking
to start off his first full season with OCRS by
taking back-to-back events after his victory at
Lawton on April 16th. That event saw the beginning
of the series affiliation with the Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Co. and Cobb wasted no time in putting his
new Goodyear treads in victory circle. "This is a
great way to start the season and I'm looking
forward to the next race" exclaimed Cobb after his
triumph.
The challenges will be quite
different for the OCRS warriors as they switch form
Lawton's 1/4 mile bullring to Thunderbird's 1/2 mile
monster that features the longest front and back
stretches the drivers will see all year. The 1500
pound speed bullets will reach their maximum speed
potential (over 100 mph) before heading into
Thunderbird's wide sweeping turns. Last season, OCRS
made two tour stops at Thunderbird with three time
defending OCRS champion Jamie Passmore of Rose
Oklahoma over coming Moore's Frank Dittman and
Stillwell's Rafe Essary thus taking a pose in
victory circle in August. When OCRS returned for
another go on the historic oval in October, it was
Tulsa's Sean McClelland standing tall in the saddle
with Moore's Whit "The Gasman" Gastineau and
Passmore in tow. The Gasman had misfortunes in
Lawton which caused a rare DNF (did not finish)
while Passmore took third after starting in the 16th
spot. McClelland took 5th after starting in the 20th
(aka dead last) position. Thunderbird Speedway looks
to provide equal, if not more, passing action on
their facility. "Thunderbird is a track where you
have plenty of room to maneuver your cars" said
series promoter Barry Grabel. " If a driver has a
high draw and also lands a tough heat race in which
they dont finish well, you will see that driver have
an ample chance to work through Thunderbird's very
fast and large track surface. Race fans supported us
very well when we came to Thunderbird each time last
year and I trust they will again. This track just
has that "it factor" to the common race fan. I loved
coming here years ago as a car owner and I'm just as
excited to return as a series promoter" stated
Grabel.
Other OCRS
participants that are expected to vie for the
evenings top prize include: Danny Smith of Sapulpa.
Smith was the runner-up to Cobb on opening night.
Stillwell's Rafe Essary (2010 OCRS points runner-up)
and El Reno's Josh Toho, who scored a top ten finish
towards his run for the 2011 Brodix Cylinder Heads
rookie of the year honors. Hard chargers Fred
Mattox, Tim Kent, Terry Easum and Kyle Clark look to
get an early season score at Muskogee. A couple of
racing ladies look to do battle on Thunderbird clay
as well. "The Princess", Shayla Waddell of Oklahoma
City will be taking on the challenge that
Thunderbird presents and Tulsa's "Krazee Kacee"
Frazier is anticipated for action also. Both are
high school students that race the more experienced
drivers quite well.
They're baaaaaaaack.
Former OCRS champion Mike Goodman and his teammate,
Travis Jenkins, will return to OCRS action after the
AM/PM duo were awol from the season opener.Goodman was a three time winner in 2010 while
Jenkins also won a main event last year. In
addition, the 2010 Brodix Cylinder Heads rookie of
the year honoree, Brady Demeree, was another driver
MIA from the OCRS opener and is expected to rejoin
the tour at Thunderbird this Friday night. The event
is set to be a night of fast paced racing action
from start to finish. Fans will see the OCRS
sprinters at speeds that will amaze one and all.
Promoters Stanley and Dennis Slater have made
several improvements to Thunderbird over the
off-season including brand new restroom facilities
in the main grandstand area and they have upgraded
track lighting for the racers.
