Osky Challenge Brings High Stakes Racing Action Back To Town

Front Row Challenge 2016 (file photo)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The dust has just settled from last year’s unofficial opening to the Knoxville Nationals–the Osky Front Row Challenge. The ‘One Night Stand for 20 Grand’ has, in more than 2 decades of racing, turned into one of those dates racers circle on their calendar to be at.

This year, that dash for 20 grand takes place on August 7th.

Terry McCarl, promoter for the evening, says the Osky Front Row Challenge is “one of the top paying sprint car races in the world.” McCarl would know, as he’s currently one of the more successful touring drivers in winged sprints.

“We try to make it as fan friendly as we can,” says McCarl. Product giveaways for the owners and drivers of the cars helps to keep them happy, but the fans are always on the radar for McCarl. “We’ve got a ton of giveaways for the fans. I work all year getting hats and shirts and different things to give out.”

For the young race fans, McCarl bought out a collection of small toy sprint cars. “We’re going to take those toys and give them to the kids this year,” says McCarl of the approximately 500 toy cars.

Those giveaways, including Kasey Kahne cardboard cutouts, will join the thousands of Mardi Gras beads that are thrown to the fans every year.

Taking care of the fans in the stands is coupled with the infield party pass, which local racing fans can pick up at the Oskaloosa True Value store for $20, which saves you $5 off the price on race day.

The racing action is always fast, and “last year’s 410 show was one of the best, if not the best we’ve ever seen there. It was crazy stuff going on,” says McCarl.

Improvements to the track McCarl has helped with include painting the fence so drivers had better visibility as they worked the track. This year, the big tires in the turns have been removed and are replaced with smaller tires buried in the corners.

Those bigger tires have caused some serious crashes in the past, including the one that lead to the broken leg of racing legend Tony Stewart back in 2013.

Kyle Larson is one of the hottest drivers in NASCAR and has recently informed McCarl his intention to drive at the Front Row Challenge. Larson came in a close 2nd to Brian Brown in the 2013 race.

The Kasey Kahne team cars are scheduled to be at the race as well. Those team members consisting of Sweet and Pittman have the last 2 victories at the track.

Another fan favorite is Rico Abreu, who is also planning on joining the party. “A lot of great teams and great cars coming,” added McCarl.

The idea for the Front Row Challenge came about after a telephone conversation because of some bored racers in town for the Knoxville Nationals. McCarl had been wanting to promote a race “for a long time. Promoting is in my genes for some reason.”

“I told my wife after I got off the phone, ‘man we need a race around here. I want to promote a race,’” said McCarl, who recognized there were lots of bored race fans already in the area.

“I said Oskaloosa would be the perfect place for it,” says McCarl. His wife Lori McCarl had her husband call the Southern Iowa Speedway the morning after the nationals. “I did. She kind of forced me into it, and they [Southern Iowa Fair Board] said yes, and I think it’s been a great partnership between me and the fair board over the years.”

With that partnership, the Front Row Challenge has grown into one of the biggest races of the year for sprint cars, and along the way, the notoriety of that race has brought the spotlight to the Southern Iowa Speedway and Oskaloosa.

McCarl, when not promoting the Front Row Challenge has turned many laps on both the Southern Iowa Speedway and the Knoxville Raceway. We asked him about the differences between the two tracks.

“From what I understand, back when they were built, I think Knoxville was built after Oskaloosa. I think it [Knoxville] was kind of built somewhat like it [Oskaloosa] on purpose. They evolved over the years. Knoxville’s a little more round than Osky.”

“I think Osky seems a little faster,” says McCarl. “Because it’s not quite so round, you get more of a sensation of speed, especially going into turn 3. It’s a lot of fun.”

The economic impact for Oskaloosa is significant. Thousands of race fans not only fill the stands, but also the local restaurants, motels, and campgrounds.

“It’s been a fun ride,” and McCarl. “I think we’ve been great for the community and it’s been great for us. We just really enjoy it. I love promoting.”

You can find out more information about the race by visiting their website at http://www.oskychallenges.com/

Posted by on Jul 30 2017. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed

         

Search Archive

Search by Date
Search by Category
Search with Google
Log in | Copyright by Oskaloosa News