Sunday, June 28, 2009
OSBORN, Mo. - Tim Newman boasted few of the resources that most of the World of Outlaws drivers relied on Friday night at U.S. 36 Raceway.
The Cameron, Mo., man runs a 360-cubic-inch engine, while most of the cars in the nation's top sprint car series are 410-cubic-inch engines.
Plattsburg, Mo., race enthusiast Bill Willsey owns Newman's car. World of Outlaws series leader Donny Schatz leans on NASCAR star Tony Stewart for team ownership.
"We are just shaking the car down and trying to work some kinks out in the car," Newman said. "We have actually won some feature races against 410-cubic-inch engines with our 360-engine, even though it wasn't against the caliber of the World of Outlaws."
Newman works with just a two-man crew - including himself.
He drives and serves as his crew's mechanic while his brother, Tom Newman, helps with whatever is needed.
The average engine of a World of Outlaws sprint car can range from $20,000 to $50,000 and generally each crew carries three to four engines to each race. The Newmans don't have that luxury.
"I have been doing it for years," Willsey said. "I knew Tim's dad for years, and it was really an easy decision to pick him to drive the car."
When Newman is not driving on the dirt track, he is running a real estate business he owns as well as being a broker. After a car crash during a race back in 2001, which left Newman with two black eyes for nearly nine months, it's easy to question his motivation.
"Well, you know most brokers like to drive golf balls, but I just like to drive fast," Newman said with a small chuckle. "I was also a Golden Gloves (boxing) champion back in 1985 so not to much intimidates me out there."
While the odds were stacked considerably against Newman and his two-man crew Friday, they still went out fighting. Newman missed the qualifying to race in the main event by one spot. Out of 28 cars only 24 are allowed to race in the finals.
More than 3,500 people attended the "The Greatest Show on Dirt" in Osborn - an impressive turnout for the Northwest Missouri town with a population of 455. It's the first time the World of Outlaws sprint series raced in Osborn since 2007 because of weather issues last year.
The racing featured cars shooting around the dirt track at more than 130 mph while competing for the $10,000 top prize.