Outlaw Motor Speedway NASCAR sanction

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — NASCAR racing is taking a historic step into Oklahoma in 2010, as Outlaw Motor Speedway, a 3/8th-mile clay oval near Muskogee, Okla., becomes the first track in The Sooner State to gain NASCAR sanction. The track becomes part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR’s national championship program for weekly racers, and opens its season March 13.
“We’ve been in discussions with NASCAR for some time,” said Lynn Skinner, who operates the seven year old track with Danny Womack and facility manager Eric Shannon. “We’re proud to partner with NASCAR to be the first and only NASCAR-sanctioned track in the state. We are proactive in our promotion and this is another step to grow the track.”

“We are just like the Thunder (NBA) to Okalhoma City or the Drillers (AA Baseball) to Tulsa, we are now the same. To me we’re now a farm team of the New York Yankees as far as race tracks go,” Skinner said. “Every race car driver in this part of the country will want to connect here and the residual effect on our fans will be like getting to see a Heisman Trophy winner before he turns pro.”
“Short track racing is the heart and soul of NASCAR,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations who was present at the press conference yesterday for the announcement. “The history-making addition of our first sanctioned track in Oklahoma brings the excitement and passion of NASCAR racing home to the fans that make up the foundation of this sport.”

“Outlaw Motor Speedway just seemed like a great place to start,” said Silbermann.“We’re very aware of the quality of the facility, the fan-friendly atmosphere and the quality of drivers, If you look at the tracks in our program, they’re among the best in North America.”

There is tangible depth to NASCAR’s rewards and recognition program available to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series participants. NASCAR-licensed drivers in Outlaw Motor Speedway’s NASCAR Feature Division, the Modifieds, are eligible to compete for track and state championships and their point fund awards, as well as the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship. State champions also receive customized championship drivers’ helmets and racing uniforms from series sponsor Whelen Engineering. All NASCAR-licensed drivers competing in NASCAR-sanctioned divisions at sanctioned tracks also receive coverage under the NASCAR-provided excess insurance policy.

Feature Division champions, state champions and the national champion are invited to attend the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national awards banquet in Concord, N.C. There are several days of activities in the Charlotte area leading up to the awards ceremonies. Feature Division state or province champions are determined by drivers’ highest 18 finishes at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks within a state.