Kelby Watt announced he will appeal his suspension and fine that he received from the World of Outlaws after he failed a tire test at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park.

On Wednesday, September 9th, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series announced that Watt was suspended for four races and fined a total of $7,200, which includes a $2,000 fine, the loss of his $5,000 purse money, and a $200 tire analysis fee. Additionally, he was disqualified from the Night Before the Ironman race at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, where he originally finished third and was docked 500 owner and driver points. 

The series stated, “World of Outlaws officials have suspended and fined Sprint Car driver Kelby Watt for failing a tire test after the Night Before the Ironman at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park on Friday, Aug. 7.”

“The test revealed the tire sample from Watt’s car did not match or conform to the benchmarks provided by Hoosier Tire Company. Additional analysis verified the primary laboratory findings,” it continued. “Due to the violation, Watt has been handed a four-race suspension from the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, this includes the team owner and crew members, fined a total of $7,200 ($2,000 fine, $5,000 loss of purse money, and $200 tire analysis fees), disqualified from the Friday, Aug. 7 event, and docked 500 owner and driver points.”

The sample was taken from Watt’s left rear.

Watt and his team responded to the suspension and fine stating, “The tire submitted for testing is a Hoosier 38155D12A left rear tire that is more than two years old. Due to the age of the tire, the lab had to contact Hoosier to obtain the appropriate benchmark data for comparison. Prior to being used by Kelby Watt Racing, the tire had previously been raced by Mark Burch approximately two to three years ago at a race in Lexington, NE. As a small-budget race team, running new tires every race isn’t realistic for us. We rely heavily on our inventory of used tires to keep costs manageable and continue racing at this level.”

“We were informed that the tire did not conform to the established benchmark,” the team added. “However, we were also specifically informed that the laboratory findings did NOT indicate that the tire had been ‘professionally altered.’ Given that finding, along with the tire being more than two years old, we believe the difference in chemical composition could have occurred naturally as the tire cured and aged over that extended period of time.”

The team then announced its intention to appeal the penalties, “Kelby Watt Racing respects the World of Outlaws and its responsibility to enforce the rules that govern competition. However, we believe the circumstances surrounding this situation, including the age of the tire, its previous use, and the laboratory findings, deserve further consideration. For that reason, we will move forward with the appeals process and hope to receive the complete laboratory test results to better understand what specific compound or chemical component within the tire different from the established benchmark.”

Finally, the team stated, “For a small-budget team like ours, a penalty of this magnitude has a substantial impact. Tee $2,000 fine alone is significant, but the consequences extended well beyond the financial penalty. Being disqualified from the August 7th race at Pevely and suspended for 4 races means losing valuable opportunities to compete at. We appreciate everyone who continues to support Kelby Watt Racing as we work through this process.”

Given the suspension from the Outlaws, the team announced in a subsequent post it was heading to Port Royal to race with High Limit Racing for the Tuscarora 50.

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