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As a longtime driver in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, Paul McMahan has had plenty of accomplishments over the years. Moments that will live forever in record books and race-day recaps with date and times alongside them to mark their place in history. Take October 10, 2015, for example.
On this date, during Super Dirt Week at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, New York, McMahan set a new track record with a lap of 15.461 seconds. More importantly, the feat made McMahan the owner of the record for the fastest lap of all time (by average MPH) at any track in WoO series history with an average speed of 145.527 MPH.
Paul was definitely feeling the need for speed that day. You love to see it!
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Driver Donny Schatz ended up winning that weekend's race, and while McMahan obviously would've liked to come away with the victory (he placed sixth), he still appreciated the historic moment.
"We just had a very fast race car," McMahan told TJSlideways.com following the weekend's race, adding, "We were about 5th in hot laps but more than a few tenths off of Brad Sweet. He was quickest. Barry (Jackson) made a few adjustments and we went out for time trials. Joey (Saldana) went out first and broke the track record and then Brad broke it again. We ended up breaking it and holding on. It was very cool to have that type of speed in our #51 car."
While Paul's record-breaking moment happened five years ago, you might be happy to know that that the Elk Grove, California native is still out there competing at a high level. Living in Nashville these days, McMahan currently drives the No. 13 Buch Motorsports car in the Ollie's Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions tour.
Back in late August 2020, McMahan announced that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19, several days after an event at Iowa's Knoxville Raceway. McMahan broke the news only a day after driver Daryn Pittman confirmed his coronavirus diagnosis. While Pittman has since decided to step away from the racing series, which he announced via Twitter, McMahan has recovered from the virus and continues to compete in the All Star tour, racing at Bedford Speedway, Attica Raceway Park, Port Royal Speedway, and Eldora Speedway.
