History
Back in the 1960´s and long into the 1970´s, many of the top drivers would check out the racing papers for races that paid the most and traveled wherever they felt they stood the best chance to make some decent money. Those drives became known as "Outlaws". In the late 1970's, a fellow by the name of Ted Johnson, formed an organization of traveling pros. The organization was named the "World of Outlaws". This became the largest, most active, and best paying sprint car organization in the country. Their very first race was at the Devil's Bowl in Mesquite, Texas in March of 1978. That race was won by Jimmy Boyd of Calif. driving the #21 Woodland Laundry sponsored car out of Woodland, CA. This car was previously on display at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum in Knoxville, Iowa.
This #92 Sprint Car was driven by Mike Shaw from 1977 and into the 1979 racing seasons. It was sold to Ace Noffsinger in 1979 and in 1980 his son, 19 year old Brad Noffsinger, drove it to his first California Racing Association, CRA, feature victory thus becoming the youngest driver to win a CRA Main Event since Troy Ruttman in 1947.
The World of Outlaws sprint-car racing series recently returned to Southern California at the half-mile Perris Auto Speedway dirt oval in Riverside County. With their quick acceleration and large, adjustable wings on top, World of Outlaws cars are fan favorites as they make wide, sweeping turns around small tracks nationwide. The very first World of Outlaws race sanctioned was won by the #21 car (seen in picture) at "Devil's Bowl Speedway" in Mesquite, Texas. The owner was from Woodland, Calif. and the driver, Jimmy Boyd, is also a Northern Californian. The WoO became an overnight success and soon they were running 100 nights per year, from coast to coast.
Dick Woodland had cars that ran this circuit in the late 1980's, which had become all wing races by then. One year his team ran 104 race nights with the WoO organization plus a non-wing team running with the California Racing Association, CRA, in which consisted of 43 race nights. While most of the time, both cars raced the same nights, it was still 147 race nights for the 2 teams. The NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule is for 36 races amid complaints that it is too many, but just as well to remember that each of their races requires 2 or 3 days for practice, qualifying, and the actual race itself.
