2018 celebrates 30th anniversary of inaugural campaign

CONCORD, NC- Nov. 28, 2017- The 2018 World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its inaugural season with 47 races in 18 states stretching from February to November, adding new venues and huge races to its solid foundation of exciting events.

In 1988, the inaugural season featured 17 races in 11 states. In 2004, the series was rekindled to push the sport, drivers and passion of the fans to a level unimaginable just 30 years ago. Now, February is just around the corner with six races in nine days to wave the green flag on this milestone season. For the fourth consecutive year, the season opens Feb. 9-10 with the Winter Freeze at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, GA.

The Outlaws will then head to the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL, where for the first time it will compete at the half-mile speedplant on four consecutive nights, Feb. 14-17, with more than $150,000 up for grabs in addition to two nights of DIRTcar Late Model Feb. 12-13. In a new twist, competitors’ two best finishes over the four nights of Outlaw racing will count toward the 2018 championship.

Several marquee events will return to the 2018 schedule, placing big paydays in nearly every month of the season together with several swings of $10,000-to-win shows and new multi-day events.

One of those new events to the Outlaw schedule is the two-day Tennessee Tip-Off March 9-10 at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, TN, giving competitors a chance to win more than $20,000 over two nights before heading north March 23-24 to Farmer City (IL) Raceway for the 11th annual Illini 100. The popular two-day event at the quarter-mile bullring in central Illinois features the always thrilling 25-lap Friday race followed on Saturday with the 75-lap, $15,000-to-win main event.

The Outlaws will return in April to Whynot Speedway in Meridian, MS, and for the first time it’s a two-day showdown with two 50-lap features paying $10,000-to-win each night for $20,000 at stake in this new anchor event April 20-21 that leads into a swing through the south and southeast.

After jam-packed crowd watched the Outlaws last season at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, SC, the series returns there Friday, May 4, before heading Saturday, May 5, to Georgia for the highly anticipated Billy Clanton Classic at Senoia (GA) Raceway. The new First in Flight 100 weekend will be May 11-12 at Fayetteville (NC) Motor Speedway, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary season. A Friday night of qualifying will lead to the 100-lap finale on Saturday paying $25,000 to the winner and $2,000 to start.

May will conclude in Ohio with the new two-day Outlaw Invasion May 18-19 at high-banked Atomic Speedway. The Invasion will feature two $10,000-to-win events for $20,000 on the line to winners over the weekend.

A big Tennessee weekend kicks off June with $10,000-to-win events Friday, June 1 at 411 Speedway in Seymour followed Saturday with another $10,000-to-win feature at storied Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap. Then a three-race swing from Pennsylvania’s McKean County Raceway to New York’s Ransomville Speedway to Ohio’s Wayne County Speedway sets the stage for the 12th annual Firecracker 100, a three-day destination event June 21-22-23 with thrilling on-track action and a $30,000-to-win finale at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA.

The summer begins to really heat up when the Outlaws battle the stars of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour in back-to-back $10,000-to-win grudge fests Friday, June 29, at Terre Haute (IN) Action Track and Saturday, June 30, at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MO.

The Outlaws set their sites on the Midwest in July, beginning Friday, July 6, at Farley (IA) Speedway and Saturday, July 7, at Deer Creek Speedway before heading out to their westernmost point of the year Tuesday, July 10, under the watchful eyes of Mt. Rushmore at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, SD. The swing through the upper Midwest wraps up on Friday, July 13, at the always-thrilling River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND, and on Saturday, July 14, at Ogilvie (MN) Speedway.

A new stop on Tuesday, July 24, at Davenport (IA) Speedway leads into the hot-ticket fan-favorite Prairie Dirt Classic July 27-28 at Fairbury (IL) American Legion Speedway. This event continues to grow not just by the level of competition on the track but also by the party in the campgrounds. In 2017, the PDC nearly tripled the size of the all-American city as fans traveled from all over to watch more than 60 of the best Dirt Late Model drivers chase a huge payday. Long-time track promoter Matt Curl has recently come aboard as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series Director. In this new role, Curl extends his commitment to Late Model racing, and to every promoter hosting a World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series event moving forward.

Wisconsin becomes a focal point for one of the richest weeks of the season as more than $250,000 is up for grabs when the Outlaws head north to the Plymouth Dirt Track on Monday, July 30, and Shawano Speedway on Tuesday, July 31, before heading to western side of the Dairy State for the three-day, $50,000-to-win USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway Aug. 2-3-4 in New Richmond.

The Outlaws return east for four consecutive nights Aug. 16 through Aug. 19 beginning at Georgetown (DE) Speedway and continuing Friday to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA, where the inaugural World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series event was run in 1988. The series picks up on Saturday at Port Royal (PA) Speedway and wraps up the swing Sunday with the 2017 promoters of the year at Eriez Speedway in Erie, PA.

The series will remain in the northeast in September with $10,000-to-win events on Friday, Sept. 21 at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, NY, followed on Saturday, Sept. 22, by a return to Selinsgrove (PA) Speedway, leading into October and the $25,000-to-win Chi-Town Showdown Oct. 12-13 at The Dirt Oval @ Route 66 in Joliet, IL.

All of those events set the stage for the championship-crowning World of Outlaws World Finals Nov. 1-2-3 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, NC. #AllDirtRoads once again lead to the only event on the planet featuring the sport’s three premier series: the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series, and the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds. Qualifying on Thursday builds to Friday’s and Saturday’s 50-lap, $12,000-to-win features. In 2017 the World of Outlaws World Finals featured a standing-room-only crowd with more than 70 Super Late Models in the field and nearly 200 total cars in the pits among the three divisions.

Tickets are on sale now for the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. Stay tuned to WoOLMS.com, Facebook, and Twitter for more information and tickets for other events.