WoO Sprint Series Heads to Tony’s Track

ROSSBURG, Ohio — Tony Stewart Racing’s Paul McMahan is hoping that the old adage, “what goes around comes around,” rings true as he and the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle Chevy team prepare for their first World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series competition of the season at Eldora Speedway. McMahan’s trials and tribulations last year at the half-mile, high-banked clay oval were rough by any standards, including an off-track altercation that saw a push vehicle collide with the No. 20 machine. In the WoO Sprint Series’ last appearance at the facility last August, McMahan saw his chances at victory erased by a vicious turn four accident that would not only sideline him for the night, but also retire a race car for the season.

In spite of the drama, the team also had a bit of success at Eldora, as McMahan regrouped to post three top-10 finishes there last year – and is hoping that this weekend’s two-day event will begin the upswing of the battle with Lady Luck at the legendary dirt track.

“Eldora, while it wasn’t completely unkind to us last year, definitely left a lot of room for improvement in the luck department,” McMahan said. “Getting caught up in a crash last August really was a hard blow as we were having one of our best runs of the season and would have likely won that race. It also didn’t do much for our momentum as we headed into the Knoxville Nationals the next week. There’s a reason Eldora Speedway is considered to be one of the toughest race tracks in the country. It can jump and bite you when you least expect it. We’d like nothing more than to get our first win of the season this weekend. The fact that Tony (Stewart, car owner) owns the track and that our sponsors Bass Pro Shops and Chevrolet are also big supporters would make it a great way to turn our season around.

“I absolutely love going to Eldora. It’s one of the most exciting places we race all season. It’s a momentum track. You don’t want to start from the back. It’s hard to pick your way through a lot of traffic and it makes qualifying and your heat race a huge part of the night…Eldora is the perfect place to find out where your engine program is, as it’s a place that requires a strong motor. I can’t wait to get on the track this weekend, especially with the new surface. I think race fans will see some of the best racing of this season.”

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