Woodhalls to Serve as Grand Marshals for Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway
Sep 27, 2024 | Track & Field
Davis-Woodhall joined the track staff in August 2024
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas Speedway announced on Thursday (Sept. 26) that Olympic gold medalist and K-State track and field assistant coach Tara Davis-Woodhall and Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhall will give the command to start engines prior to Sunday's (Sept. 29) Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET.
"The prestige of earning a gold medal on the world stage is second to none," Kansas Speedway President Pat Warren said in a statement. "We're honored to have such respected athletes in Tara and Hunter say the most famous words in motorsports before we kick off another race at the most exciting track in NASCAR."
The couple is one of the most accomplished duos in all of modern Track and Field with Tara joining the K-State track staff in August. She is a two-time Olympian who recently won gold (7.10m/23-3.50) in the women's long jump at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The 25-year-old from Agoura Hills, Calif., recorded the second-best jump of the year at 7.18m/ during the USA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. in March.
Hunter is a three-time Paralympian who took home gold in Paris this summer in the men's 400 meter dash (T62) in 46.36 seconds as well as a bronze in the mixed 4x100 universal relay (47.32 seconds). Upon graduating from high school in 2016, Woodhall became the first double-amputee track and field athlete to earn a Division I athletic scholarship, which he accepted from the University of Arkansas.
NASCAR returns to Kansas Speedway this weekend with four incredible races over three days. It begins Friday with a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series/ARCA Menards Series doubleheader and continues Saturday with the NASCAR Xfinity Series' Kansas Lottery 300. Then on Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will compete in the Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET, the first race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs' Round of 12.
Tickets for all seats are on sale and can be purchased at www.kansasspeedway.com.
About Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a premier motorsports facility in the Midwest. The track, which opened in 2001, hosts two NASCAR Cup Series weekends each year, along with approximately 200 other event days each year. This includes the annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue, the largest barbecue competition in the world which attracts teams both nationally and internationally. The Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, which opened in 2012, overlooks Turn 2 of the track. Kansas Speedway's two NASCAR weekends in 2024 will take place May 4-5 and Sept. 27-29. Fans can purchase tickets at www.kansasspeedway.com and get all of the latest information by downloading the NASCAR tracks app at www.kansasspeedway.com/nascar-tracks-app.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
"The prestige of earning a gold medal on the world stage is second to none," Kansas Speedway President Pat Warren said in a statement. "We're honored to have such respected athletes in Tara and Hunter say the most famous words in motorsports before we kick off another race at the most exciting track in NASCAR."
The couple is one of the most accomplished duos in all of modern Track and Field with Tara joining the K-State track staff in August. She is a two-time Olympian who recently won gold (7.10m/23-3.50) in the women's long jump at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The 25-year-old from Agoura Hills, Calif., recorded the second-best jump of the year at 7.18m/ during the USA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. in March.
Hunter is a three-time Paralympian who took home gold in Paris this summer in the men's 400 meter dash (T62) in 46.36 seconds as well as a bronze in the mixed 4x100 universal relay (47.32 seconds). Upon graduating from high school in 2016, Woodhall became the first double-amputee track and field athlete to earn a Division I athletic scholarship, which he accepted from the University of Arkansas.
NASCAR returns to Kansas Speedway this weekend with four incredible races over three days. It begins Friday with a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series/ARCA Menards Series doubleheader and continues Saturday with the NASCAR Xfinity Series' Kansas Lottery 300. Then on Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will compete in the Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET, the first race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs' Round of 12.
Tickets for all seats are on sale and can be purchased at www.kansasspeedway.com.
About Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a premier motorsports facility in the Midwest. The track, which opened in 2001, hosts two NASCAR Cup Series weekends each year, along with approximately 200 other event days each year. This includes the annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue, the largest barbecue competition in the world which attracts teams both nationally and internationally. The Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, which opened in 2012, overlooks Turn 2 of the track. Kansas Speedway's two NASCAR weekends in 2024 will take place May 4-5 and Sept. 27-29. Fans can purchase tickets at www.kansasspeedway.com and get all of the latest information by downloading the NASCAR tracks app at www.kansasspeedway.com/nascar-tracks-app.
-- k-statesports.com --
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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