Powers wows crowd at track
Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 2, 2004
While Kenny Powers may have a unique choice of careers no one can say he isn’t one of the best at what he does.
Powers succeeded in crashing his car into thirty-foot flames Saturday night at the Butler County Motorsports Park and walking away.
Powers, who has performed stunts for such movies as Bullit and Smokey and the Bandit, successfully, drove a car he was furnished through two other cars causing a huge fire. As frightening a scene as it provided the fans, Powers also walked away.
For Powers the stunt was 1,667 of his career. Though he has suffered many injuries, he has always come out on top.
Powers daredevil antics did more than entertain, they packed the seats. Track owner Bo Thagard said the crowd was the largest he had seen at the track all year.
&uot;It really was a good crowd,&uot; said Thagard. &uot;There were probably about 750 people. It was the biggest crowd we had all year.&uot;
Thagard said the stunt got a lot of attention and should benefit the track heavily in the future.
&uot;We got a lot of coverage out of it,&uot; said Thagard. &uot;I think it will do us a lot of good down the road.&uot;
Thagard said he felt everyone got their moneys worth by watching Powers.
&uot;We had a lot of spectators that night,&uot; said Thagard. &uot;I think they were all pleased with what they saw.&uot;
Thagard said the show benefited the track in every way. Even in concession sales.
&uot;We sold out of most everything that night,&uot; said Thagard. &uot;I think all we had left were three bags of peanut M&M’s and some bottles of water.&uot;
As promised during halftime of the races Powers began making laps around the track. Also as promised he began to flash his lights when it was time for him to make the big move. What followed was amazing and frightening at the same time. Powers crashed into the other cars creating an inferno.
The Midway Fire Department moved in to put out the flames and the stunt was officially completed when Powers emerged to wave to the crowd.
Powers proved his commitment by risking his life one more time for his Alabama fans. He said it is a pleasure to provide something the fans would never get a chance to see.
&uot;The only chance most people would ever get a chance to see something like this is on a movie set,&uot; said Powers. &uot;Many times they are closed, so in reality, this is it.&uot;
&uot;Race car drivers think I am the craziest person in the world,&uot; said Powers. &uot;But they don’t understand that I know when it is going to happen.&uot;