McMahan Looking For A Win at Knoxville
Indianapolis - Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Paul McMahan has a to-do list when it comes to his World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series racing career. Having posted victories at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., in 2000, and Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, in 2007, only one item remains unchecked – winning at the legendary Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.
With a stop at Knoxville on tap for Saturday night, McMahan is gunning to check that last item off his list. But before heading to Knoxville, he’ll return to Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., on Thursday, providing McMahan a tune-up for the week.
After an early season rainout, the WoO will make a second attempt to compete at Tri-City on Thursday. The facility features a newly reconfigured 3/8-mile oval, which is a track length that McMahan has found success on in the past. McMahan competed with the National Sprint Tour Series at Tri-City on July 16, 2006, earning a fourth place finish. The WoO’s last appearance at the track was on May 7, 2005. Jason Meyers was victorious in the A-main while McMahan earned an 11th-place finish.
In the WoO’s first appearance at Knoxville Raceway this year (April 28), McMahan was credited with a 22nd-place finish. He was involved in a late-race accident that saw the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle team’s night ended prematurely. Donny Schatz won that A-main on the half-mile oval.
In 29 starts this season, McMahan has earned one victory, three fast time awards, seven top-five finishes and 14 top-10s in WoO Sprint Series competition. He is ranked eighth in the WoO championship standings with 3,828 points. He trails series leader Schatz by 438 points and is only 151 points out of the top-five.
Q & A with Paul McMahan
You’ve won at two of the three tracks you’d set as milestones in your career. Are you looking forward to heading back to Knoxville this weekend for a shot at completing your to-do list?
“Absolutely. I love Knoxville Raceway. It’s one of the most exciting places you’ll ever race at as a competitor. It’s a big, wide, sweeping track that really demands all of your attention for the entire race. With the win at Eldora a couple of weeks ago, I’ve definitely set my sights on tackling my next goal, which is to stand on the winner’s podium at Knoxville. It would be great to get that done with Bass Pro Shops, Chevrolet and Tony Stewart Racing. â€
You’ve found some success at Tri-City in recent years. Do you think competing there on Thursday will help you gear up for Saturday’s event at Knoxville?
“Tri-City Speedway has always been a really cool track, even when it was a half-mile. Now that they’ve reconfigured it, it’s even racier and we’re able to give the fans a really good show. It’s also still a pretty long track. Being a 3/8-mile, you can get a feel for the speed and the power the winged cars create. Any time you have an opportunity to compete on a bigger track heading into an event on a half-mile, you’re going to come away with an idea as to what you need to adjust for the next race. Hopefully we’ll have a solid race and come away with some great momentum heading into Knoxville on Saturday. â€