2004 schedule announced

World of Outlaws announces 2004 racing schedule.

ALLEN, TX (January 5) -- The O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series will run 71 sprint car racing events over 99 dates at 49 tracks in 28 American states and one foreign country in 2004, series President Ted Johnson announced Monday.

The series will open its 27th season with the landmark World of Outlaws "Down Under" event Thursday through Saturday at Parramatta City Raceway in Granville, New South Wales, Australia. The United States portion of the schedule will begin February 20-21 at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, AZ, where the series ran 17 events between 1978 and 1999.

The O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series will also christen four racetracks with inaugural visits and return to four facilities missing from its schedule in recent years. "The greatest show on dirt" will invade Thunder Valley Speedway for the first time March 26th and return to the semi-banked, 3/8-mile oval in Union Hill, LA, October 22nd. The series has also scheduled inaugural visits to Princeton Speedway in Princeton, MN, Sheboygan County Fair Park in Plymouth, WI, and Billings Motorsports Park in Billings, MT, for the upcoming season.

Batesville Speedway in Batesville, AR, will host its first O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series event since 1993 on April 22nd. The series will return to Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, KY, for the first time since 2000 on May 8th. LaSalle Speedway, where the series raced from 1994 to 1999, will host a $51,600 event on June 9th. The series raced at Farley Speedway in Farley, IA, between 1992 and 1994, and will return to the high-banked, ½-mile oval June 16th. I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, MI, where the "greatest show on dirt" raced between 1995 and 1997, will host the July 30th event. The series will return to Jackson Speedway in Jackson, MN, for the first time since 1988 on September 24th.

The O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series is scheduled to race twice at two Speedway Motorports, Inc., facilities -- Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- in 2004. The Fort Worth, TX, 4/10-mile oval will host the series April 3rd and October 16th, while the fire-breathing, mudslinging sprint cars will race at Las Vegas' ½-mile oval March 4-5 and November 5-6.

The series' annual "Month of Money" opens at Eldora Speedway with the "Knight Before the Kings Royal" and the Kings Royal July 16-17. The series will sanction the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway July 20th and the Cleveland Brothers Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway July 22-24. After running $51,600 events at seven different racetracks, the "Month of Money" will climax with the 44th Annual Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway August 11-14. The series will return to Williams Grove Speedway for the Williams Grove National Open October 1-2.

The O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series will sanction the Seventh Annual Duel in the Dakotas at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, ND, July 8-10.

Calistoga Speedway will host the 12th Annual Harvest Classic September 3-5. The O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series will sanction the 51st Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway September 9-11.

Eagle Raceway will host the 21st Annual Eagle Nationals June 18-19 and the 15th Annual 1/3-Mile Short-Track Nationals September 17-18. WoO

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