Sat, Nov 22 2008
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Published July 15, 2008 12:26 am - NASCAR duo rocks Outlaw By Kenton Brooks Phoenix Sports Writer OKTAHA — Don Hill of Checotah pulled the gray shirt from his chest and admired the autographs of Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader.
He had patiently waited in line with at least 200 others of a crowd estimated by Outlaw officials to be near 6,500 — a record for the speedway — Monday night to acquire the signatures of the veteran NASCAR drivers before the two men competed at Outlaw Motor Speedway against Super Modified drivers. Hill’s smile said it all about how he was feeling. “This is awesome,” he said. “I can’t say enough about it. I’m not ever going to wear this shirt again.” Hill didn’t hide the fact he’s a NASCAR fan and to get their autographs is his biggest thrill. “They didn’t mind I have other drivers on this shirt,” he said. Hill stood in line with others who had color photos, posters and even helmets signed by the two drivers. Caleb Pence, 5, of Muskogee had Wallace sign a replica car. “I was really excited,” he said. “I’ve got a collection of Dale Earnhardt (Sr.) cars and I’m going to put this with it.” If the fans were excited, then imagine the drivers actually getting to race against the NASCAR duo who have more than 200 career top-10 finishes. “It’s an adrenaline rush,” Muskogee’s Dalton Clay said. “It’s weird to watch them on TV and they’re 1,000 miles away and now they’re not even 100 yards away.” Rodney Sanders drove the 250 miles from Alvarado, Texas, just to say he raced against the NASCAR drivers. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” he said. “I see them on TV all of the time. It’s like racing against a celebrity.” Wallace and Schrader understand the excitement of the local drivers — they race numerous mid-week dirt track events like this — but that doesn’t mean they take it easy on them. “We’re driving into their backyard and playing their game. That puts us behind the 8-ball,” Schrader said. “We could’ve easily flown in here with a helmet bag and used somebody’s car if they would let us drive. “But we’re pretty intense about this. We brought our own truck trailers and crew. We’re taking it very serious and that’s what fun about it. There’s more pressure on when you come into a place like this and you can’t come in here and look like an idiot.” Wallace said racing at dirt tracks like Outlaw helps him and Schrader maintain their humility. 
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