Outlaws return to Valley for Friday show in Hanford. Local team is leading the series

Weather permitting, the World of Outlaws national sprint car series will get back on the track Friday night in Hanford.

Rain has cut the Outlaws’ California swing so far in half, completing three of six scheduled shows. Wet grounds forced the tour to the sideline last weekend at Watsonville and at Placerville.

The series is scheduled to stop Friday at Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds then head Saturday to Perris Speedway in Southern California.

The Outlaws started the California swing March 9 at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway.

Oklahoma driver Daryn Pittman in the Easton-based Roth Motorsports car is leading the points standings. Lemoore’s Carson Macedo, driving for NASCAR star Kyle Larson, and Kingsburg’s Cory Eliason in the Washington state-based Rudeen Racing car are in the top 10.

Hanford’s three-eighths-mile clay oval has hosted the Outlaws 12 times since 1999 with 12 different winners. Most recently, Pennsylvania’s Logan Schuchart won at Kings in 2017. Schuchart won the last Outlaws event, too, two weeks ago at Stockton.

Grandstand gates are scheduled to open at 5 p.m. Friday; racing begins at 7:30 p.m.

Madera Speedway – Tyler Herzog of Madera has won two straight stock car races at the third-mile paved oval including last week’s Smokey Hanoin Classic. The track is idle this week before its MAVTV series returns April 6.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 5:29 PM.