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Skinner slates return of sprint cars to S.O. Speedway By Don Hunt Local racing fans have known it all along: Nothing can match the speed and excitement that sprint cars bring to the Southern Oregon Speedway. A crowd of 3,500 packed the White City track recently to watch the Northern Sprint Tour, and afterward promoter John Skinner announced the popular cars would return on Aug. 26 and then on a regular basis next summer. "I could see it in their faces how excited people get for these cars," Skinner said. "We�ve had our ups and downs with them, but the bottom line is they�re thunder and lightning on wheels. They�re the most exciting cars we can put on a dirt track." Skinner said he eliminated the class this season due to a shortage of cars and disagreement among the drivers over rules. But when Skinner had a recent practice session for the NST drivers, eight local drivers showed up. The winged, open-wheeled cars feature more than 600 horsepower and only weigh about 1,300 pounds. They can zip around the track at speeds of 80 to 100 mph and often crash in spectacular fashion. During a wreck last summer, one of the cars catapulted more than 300 feet into a grassy spectator area. Since then, Skinner has reinforced the retaining fence with steel cable. Skinner also said he was hoping to bring back the World of Outlaws, the national sprint car circuit that made stops in White City from 1996-99. White City lost its date to the Portland Speedway this summer. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA