'Winter Heat' sprint car showdown set for January
Saldana, McMahan and Lasoski already signed up.
Photo by: Covy Moore
Big names are beginning to fill the entry list for the inaugural Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown.
More than two dozen entries have been sent in for the prestigious sprint car event, which will be held at Cocopah Speedway in Arizona on Jan. 2-3, Jan. 6 and Jan. 9-10 of next year.
"We are extremely excited about the overwhelming response so far and we look forward to continue to build this event in the coming months," Cocopah Speedway Promoter Greg Burgess said. "The level of talent from drivers and teams who have already committed is outstanding."
World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series drivers Joey Saldana and Paul McMahan are two of the premier names who have announced their intention of competing for the $12,000-to-win prize during the four weekend races and the $5,000-to-win payout for the midweek show.
"It's a big deal," McMahan said. "They are putting on a purse that's better than an Outlaw paying purse. It's going to be fun. I've never been there, but I'm really looking forward to going there. Any time you can get out of the cold weather in Pennsylvania and down in Arizona it's going to be relaxing for the guys. I'll be able to hopefully make a little bit of money and not have to travel around the world."
While the money and weather will be a benefit, so is the opportunity to spend the holidays with family.
"I think it's great for me," Saldana said. "I've been lucky enough to go to Australia. I went for 12 or 13 years. Something like this is definitely awesome for me because my boys are 4 and 11 now so Christmas is very important. I can continue to race in the offseason and continue to race at a high level and race for good money so I'm definitely looking forward to it."
Lasoski on board
Former World of Outlaws champion Danny Lasoski will also compete throughout the week and a half of competition at Cocopah Speedway.
"I think it's an absolute home run for everyone," he said. "At that time of the year the racing has been over for about two months. True race fans are dying to get back in it. Now you can see the best of the best in Arizona for two weeks. I think it's a fantastic idea and I'm very proud to be a part of it."
Inside Line
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments