Special from Pavement Pounders – July 26, 2021 – The King of the Wing Midwest Tour is only 10 days away and Pavement Pounders has reached out to drivers to see what fans can expect. The early indication is that the lineup of drivers will be stout with several states from all over the country represented. The three events will also be co-sanctioned by the Auto Value Super Sprints.
The tour will make a swing through Kentucky and Tennessee and will bring winged pavement sprint cars to this part of the country for the first time in nearly a decade. The last time winged pavement sprint cars visited Tennessee was for the Must See Racing event at Bristol Motor Speedway on October 1, 2011.
The King of the Wing series will kick off its Midwest Tour on Thursday night August 5 at Kentucky Motor Speedway in Whitesville, Kentucky. It will be the first time the 3/8 high-banked track in northwestern Kentucky has hosted sprint cars.
The following night the series will venture to the most interesting track sprint cars may ever race at. Veterans Motorplex (formerly Highland Rim Speedway) in Greenbrier, Tennessee will host KOTW on Friday night August 5. The high-banked, very tight quarter mile should prove highly entertaining. With a concrete wall on both sides of the track, and a narrow racing surface, passing could be at a premium.
Veterans Motorplex has hosted winged pavement sprint cars previously. In 1994 the now defunct AWOL series made two stops that season. On June 25, 1994, Paul Madden picked up a 35-lap victory. The series returned on August 26 that year and Red Stauffer picked up a 35-lap win himself.
The series will conclude the weekend on Saturday night August 7 with a visit to the .596 high-banked Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee. Larry Tyler won the only previous winged pavement event at the track during an AWOL event on June 1, 1996. But the track last hosted sprint cars when USAC visited on September 12, 2004, when Bobby East and Dave Steele each picked up a 77-lap non-wing feature event on the same night.
Expected drivers who have already conformed for the Midwest Tour include Bryan Gossel, Austyn Gossel, Bobby Santos III, Tom Paterson, Mike Anderson, Johnny Gilbertson, Troy DeCaire, Jason Blonde, Tommy Nichols, Aaron Pierce, and Eric Humphries.
Additional drivers will be announced in the coming days as they are confirmed.
The early expected entries are a who’s who of winged pavement sprint car racing. A good number of former pavement sprint car series champions will be represented. Former Multi-time AVSS CHAMPION Jason Blonde and current AVSS points leader Tom Paterson will represent the Midwest along with 2020 Little 500 champion Bobby Santos III.
The west cost will be headlined by two-time and defending KOTW champion Eric Humphries and 2020 USAC Silver Crown rookie of the Year Bryan Gossel.
Florida will be represented by former Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series champions Troy DeCaire and Johnny Gilbertson. Decaire currently leads the nation with 10 total pavement sprint car victories thus far in 2021.
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