What started out as a small group of local Ohio guys racing on a Friday night is now one of the fastest growing outlaw series on the east coast, and it got there in less than two years.

The Xtreme Outlaw Series, or XOS for short, began in 2011 at Edgewater Sports Park in Cleves, Ohio. The brainchild of Mike Foss, it consisted of only one class — Xtreme 8.5 — and a few less than a dozen cars gathered to participate.

“We had a great spectator count on the nights we ran. This class really caught on locally,” Foss reminiscences.

From there the idea matured and the events snowballed into what it has become today, with plenty of optimism about the future.

Foss was approached by Charlie Taylor, who, as a fan of the sport himself, saw there was potential for growth. Taylor put the buzz out about the class to another Ohio track located in Xenia. Kil-Kare Raceway liked the idea, and was willing to integrate the heads-up program into their Saturday night racing. Foss was also instantly intrigued with the idea and the ball was rolling.

To go hand in hand with a new location, the Xtreme 8.5 class received company from the addition of two new classes: Outlaw Limited Street and X275. After some eager chatter amongst the racers, a 6.50 Index class was also added. Foss states, “Xtreme 8.5 class is our biggest class. We had 21 cars at our last race and an average of 17 cars for the year. I keep hearing that there are a lot more 8.5 cars being built for the next year — big name guys that raced bigger and faster classes in the past. So I see this class growing.”

X275 racer Darren Hilterbran shared his thoughts on the XOS: “I had a great time running the series and I think with the addition of what everyone is hoping to be one of the best track surfaces in the area, there will be more X275 and OLS cars showing up next year. I think the guys running the series, making the rules, and running the track have bent over backwards. I definitely think there has been some effort put forth to see that XOS is successful and with that, hopefully it will only grow bigger and better in the future.”

It appears that for 2013 the Xtreme Outlaw Series will be even more exciting yet. Foss and Taylor both shared the addition of a 7.50 Index class and the continued forecasted growth of the existing classes. Foss gave hints of the possibility of one huge big money race and that the series will again run with the Street Life Tour, which he says was a great success in 2012. In the words of XOS participant Rob Sparks, “If you want to see or participate in some close heads-up racing with a lot of good people, the XOS series is the place you’ll want to be in 2013!”

The early successes of the Xtreme Outlaw Series is certainly unquestionable, and with the obvious chemistry of the series, the future of the XOS in 2013 and beyond only points to being an exciting series to keep an eye on.

The Xtreme Outlaw Series 2013 Schedule

May 11th
June 8th
July 13th
August 10th
September 14th
October 12th