Founded in 2003, World Racing Group (WRGI.OB) has quickly become the world leader in the dirt track racing industry, operating under the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar racing banners as the only vertically integrated public company in the motorsports arena.  Estimated by CNN to be a $1 billion industry, dirt track racing is “the biggest sport you’ve never heard of.”  WRG is working to change that.

There are approximately 1,000 race tracks in the United States, and more than 800 of them are dirt tracks.  Industry experts estimate that over 52 million tickets a year are sold at dirt track events, more than NASCAR, NFL, NBA and NHL combined.  Every weekend over 80,000 Americans compete at dirt tracks spread across all corners of the United States.

Since its inception, World Racing Group (WRG) has methodically acquired the most meaningful assets in the industry in order to raise the profile of dirt track racing by leveraging the critical mass that consolidation provides.  As the company enters the 2008 season it does so as the definitive sanctioning body for dirt track racing, what NASCAR is to paved racing and what the NHRA is to drag racing, WRG is to dirt track racing.

In 2004 WRG purchased the highest profile dirt track racing series in the world, the "World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series", from its founder, Ted Johnson.  Celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2008, the series traces its roots to a group of racers that decided they were ready to test their abilities on a larger stage, venturing farther and farther from their home tracks in search of races with larger prize purses.  Barnstorming across the United States, these drivers quickly became known as “Outlaws” and the World of Outlaws was born.

Today, WRG operates two separate and distinct national touring series under the World of Outlaws banner: the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.  Shortly after purchasing the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, WRG purchased the most prominent national touring series for the type of car commonly referred to as a “Dirt Late Model.”  WRG swiftly rebranded the series with the World of Outlaws name, immediately raising the value and profile of their investment. These two series travel coast to coast racing 140 times across 32 states and three Canadian Provinces from February to November with more than $1.2 million in point fund awards paid out to the teams that survived the grueling schedules.

In addition to the World of Outlaws, WRG owns and operates the largest sanctioning body for local and regional dirt track racing in North America.  DIRTcar Racing is the combination of two regional enterprises acquired by WRG, United Midwestern Promoters and DIRT Motorsports, founded in 1984 and 1976 respectively.  In keeping with its philosophy of consolidating a fragmented industry and raising the profile of the sport, the new brand was launched in 2007 and now encompasses over 4,900 races at 127 tracks with more than $15 million in total prize purse payout.

WRG also owns or leases some of the highest profile venues in the country, which serve as regional hubs for the advancement of WRG’s national touring series and local sanctioning activities and providing WRG with a solid real estate portfolio in addition to significant operating income.  These tracks include Volusia Speedway Park just west of Daytona Beach, Fla.; Lernerville Speedway in suburban Pittsburgh, Pa.; and the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.

WRG generates revenue from six primary sources, (1) sanctioning and event fees; (2) event ticket sales; (3) membership fees; (4) merchandise sales and licensing fees; (5) sponsorships; and (6) television and electronic media distribution rights.  

WRG controls some of the most compelling motorsports entertainment content in the world that is monetized first through sanction and event fees paid by independent track operators hosting World of Outlaws events or operating their facilities under the DIRTcar banner.  Event ticket sales contribute to WRG’s revenue if the events are held at its own venues or when a partnership model exists between WRG and a given track operator.  In order to participate in the rich pool of benefits and awards posted by WRG, competitors and fans pay membership fees on an annual basis.  

Dirt racing fans are passionate about the sport they love and one of the many ways they express themselves is through the purchase of officially licensed event, track and series merchandise available at every WRG event.  Dirt racing fans’ passion also translates to incredible brand loyalty that is attractive to corporate sponsors.  WRG’s ability to harness that loyalty and deliver a large attractive demographic to companies such as Advance Auto Parts, Alltel and Quaker State is critical to the continued growth of WRG.  

Currently partnered with SPEED (subsidiary of FOX Television), the World of Outlaws enjoy 25 hours of nationally televised programming in addition to live audio and video streaming through the company’s proprietary DIRTVision.com and other Internet assets.  As WRG raises the profile of dirt track racing, it will also raise the value of its media rights, positioning the company for future growth through television and electronic media distribution agreements.

We encourage you to join us on the Web, on television or at a track near you.