The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series heads to Lincoln Park Speedway on Wednesday, June 8 and Knoxville Raceway on Friday, June 10 for the Budweiser Night with the World of Outlaws and Saturday, June 11 for the Xtreme Shootout powered by Mediacom

CONCORD, N.C. – June 7, 2016 – The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series will return to the track this week on Wednesday, June 8 at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnmaville, Ind., before heading to historical Knoxville Raceway for the Budweiser Night with the World of Outlaws on Friday, June 10 and Xtreme Shootout powered by Mediacom on Saturday, June 11.

Kicking off action this week, the Outlaws will make their triumphant return to Lincoln Park for the first time since 1988, in a mid-week shootout. The last time the Outlaws set foot in Putnamville, Ind., future NASCAR star Dave Blaney came home with the checkered flag over Danny Smith and Mark Kinser.

Nine years earlier, the series made their inaugural trek to the 5/16-mile track located less than an hour from Indianapolis. In that race, 20-time series champion Steve Kinser defeated Rick Ferkel, Allen Barr and current World of Outlaws driver Joey Saldana’s father, Joe.

Following mid-week action in Indiana, the series will migrate west to historic Knoxville Raceway for a weekend double-header on Friday and Saturday.

Kerry Madsen, who started the season competing for the World of Outlaws championship before deciding to concentrate on a broader schedule that includes racing at Knoxville occasionally, will join track regulars such as Brian Brown and Danny Lasoski, and try to keep the visiting Outlaws out of victory lane.

“Honestly, you don’t really think about this being a Pennsylvania Posse type scenario,” Madsen said. “If we win, I don’t really feel like I could be a local guy. I think we’re more in the middle which is great. That’s right where I want to be.”

Madsen, who won this event in 2012, has been one of only three drivers that have defeated the Outlaws already this season when he did so on both nights of the #LetsRaceTwo double-header at Eldora Speedway on May 6 and 7.

“To win at Knoxville you got to have a good package at the start of the night – you got to qualify well,” Madsen said. “For me, you have to be comfortable around the top. But there’s also the bottom and middle line that you have to be able to utilize as well.

“This place is so unique and different, there’s almost two different lines around the track.”

In recent years seven-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz has owned the early-season events at Knoxville, as he has won three of the last four races. He has also carried that success to later in the year and won nine of the last 10 Knoxville Nationals that takes place in August.

“Donny [Schatz] is probably the biggest threat when we come here, obviously his record speaks to that,” Madsen added. “[Danny] Lasoski, [Brian] Brown and my brother [Ian] are going to be really tough too just because they are track regulars.

“Really, any one of the Outlaws are capabale of winning this weekend. This is an Outlaw race so you can almost start anywhere and win. You have to be able to move around to pass people and that’s something Donny has done really well.”