Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Paul McMahan knows that when the World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series sweeps through the Midwest, he may as well be carrying a bull’s-eye on the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle machine. The region is saturated with some of the best talent in the sprint car arena, and a chance to rob a WoO Sprint Series regular of a victory is at the forefront of the local competitors’ minds.
As McMahan & Company prepare to make appearances on two of the toughest bullrings in the region – Ohio’s Attica Raceway Park (ARP) and Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway – they know they won’t be the fan favorites this Friday and Saturday. Regardless, the No. 20 team is working to capitalize on the forward momentum it’s found in recent weeks.
This weekend’s racing action will also mark the first time that McMahan will pilot the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle entry at both ARP and Tri-State Speedway. The 2006 WoO Sprint Series event at ARP was canceled due to inclement weather. McMahan’s 2005 appearance at the facility garnered him a hard-fought 16th-place finish for his previous car owner, the late Dave Helm.
The No. 20 team did not compete at Tri-State Speedway in 2006 due to a scheduling conflict with its full-time commitment to the National Sprint Tour Series. In 2005, McMahan earned a podium finish at the facility, taking the checkered flag in third place.
McMahan and the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle team enters this weekend’s racing action ranked 11th in the WoO Sprint Series Championship standings. The team has earned one top-five finish and four top-10 finishes thus far in 2007, putting McMahan only 268 points behind series leader Joey Saldana. The team has also won one B-main and one dash event in 13 races.
