Media Contact: Steven Ovens - woodhullracewaypr@gmail.com or (315) 729-3825
For Immediate Release – September 23rd, 2016 – SJS Photography photo -
(WOODHULL) – Grab your applesauce race fans, 'Porkchop' Brian Knowles is coming back to Woodhull Raceway to compete in the Woodhull 100.
Knowles will team up this weekend to compete with the Fight Night Street Stock Series, with longtime friend Jared Hill from Dundee. Hill will be piloting the Jim Schuyler-owned No. 57J on Saturday night, while Knowles will climb aboard Hill's Creekside Entertainment, Beauty Craft, Turn 5 Live No. 93.
"I'm really looking forward to this," said Hill of putting Knowles behind the wheel for the special event Saturday. "We've been close for years and have always got along great."
Knowles and Hill teamed up four times back in 2011, the last year that Knowles has even raced a Street Stock, and won one event out of the four they traveled to. That win in 2011 came at Thunder Mountain.
But there's no doubt that if Knowles was going to pick a place to shake the full-fender rust off- Woodhull would be it. Knowles cut his teeth in racing on the High Banks of Woodhull Raceway and the four-tenths-mile clay oval at Outlaw Speedway.
"As long as Jared doesn't have any major issues at Outlaw Friday, we will give it a go on Saturday night," said Knowles when contacted earlier this week.
Bringing in a hired gun who has won in Street Stocks before might raise expectations for a good finish and maybe even a win, but Hill and Knowles both pumped the brakes on any clear cut expectations.
"We're just going to go have fun with it," said Hill. "A solid top five run would be awesome, but it's a long race and so much can happen that is out of your control."
The second annual Woodhull 100 will pay $1,000-to-win and has over $4,800 in lap sponsorships and contingency prizes on the line. 100 laps is a long distance around 'New York's Toughest Bullring' and Knowles was asked what he thinks the biggest challenge will be?
"You've got to have luck on your side, don't make any mistakes and hopefully stay out of other people's misfortune," Knowles noted. "Hopefully if you can do all of that, you'll have a shot at it in the end."
The other question that has drivers racking their brain this week is the big decision some teams will have to make on race strategy. At lap 50, the race will be stopped for re-fueling and teams will have an opportunity to make adjustments. The question will be- do you change a tire or let it ride for the second half of the event?
"Woodhull is not nearly as abrasive as Outlaw has been the last couple seasons," said Hill. "But the challenge at Woodhull is on how you prepare the tire. Did you cut too much or not enough? Or did you prepare it correctly, but you abused it too much in the first fifty? You just have to wait, look them over and make the best decision you can."
While the drivers will all have tough choices to make, it will sure be exciting to watch for all the fans in attendance on Saturday night!