Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (April 24, 2006) – The highly competitive O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series fires back into action this weekend with events at Missouri’s Poplar Bluff Speedway on Friday night before moving on to Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway on Saturday night.
With an average of 58.6 entries per night through the series opening eight events, two-time and defending series champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX, holds a narrow lead in the championship points race over Rookie of the Year contender Nick Smith.
Entering the weekend with 104 career ASCS National wins, Wright has topped six of the last eleven ASCS National feature contested atop I-30 Speedway’s high-banked, quarter-mile clay oval. Friday marks the series debut at the high-banked, 3/8-mile Poplar Bluff Speedway red clay oval.
Although shut out of ASCS National Tour victory lane thus far, Wright has posted consistent top finishes to earn an eleven-point lead. The 2006 O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour series champion will earn $50,000 from the $150,000 point fund.
Hailing from Broken Arrow, OK, Smith leads a stellar Rookie crop that includes five Rookies among the top ten. Other Rookie of the Year contenders ranked among the top ten currently include fourth-ranked Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO), sixth-ranked Tim Montgomery (Fredericktown, MO), eighth-ranked Jerrod Hull (Sikeston, MO) and tenth-ranked Sean McClelland (Collinsville, OK).
Also in strong championship contention are 2003 ASCS National champion Travis Rilat of Forney, TX, who is just 36 points out of the lead in third, 2001 ASCS National champion Zach Chappell of Talala, OK, and ’05 runner-up Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK) and Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA).
Other drivers that have been regular fixtures with O’Reilly ASCoT over the early portion of 2006 include Mississippi’s Jan Howard, Nebraska’s Mike Chadd, Texan Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Kansan Tony Bruce, Jr., South Dakota’s Jake Peters, Minnesota’s Dustin Lindquist, Michigan’s Dustin Daggett, Missouri’s Joey Montgomery and Doc Sloan and Oklahoma racers Aaron Berryhill, 13-year-old Trey Robb, Brad Best, Cody Branchcomb and Abe Sherwood.
Five different drivers have notched O’Reilly ASCoT feature events entering this weekend, with Terry McCarl and Jason Johnson each taking two wins. Other winners include Travis Rilat, Jesse Hockett and Sean McClelland. Rain postponed the March 17 features at Devil’s Bowl Speedway to June 24.
Both nights of racing are slated to get under way at 7:30 p.m.
Poplar Bluff Speedway is located on the east side of Poplar Bluff, MO, on Business US 60. For more information, contact the track at 573-785-8989.
I-30 Speedway is located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126. For more information, contact the track at 501-455-4567.
In its 15th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing in the United States, the American Sprint Car Series will present approximately 180 nights of racing in 2006 including the National Tour and its Regional Tours (Gulf South, Mid-South, Midwest, Northern Plains, Patriot Sprint Group, Rocky Mountain, Sooner, Southern and Sprints on Dirt).
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.
With an average of 58.6 entries per night through the series opening eight events, two-time and defending series champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX, holds a narrow lead in the championship points race over Rookie of the Year contender Nick Smith.
Entering the weekend with 104 career ASCS National wins, Wright has topped six of the last eleven ASCS National feature contested atop I-30 Speedway’s high-banked, quarter-mile clay oval. Friday marks the series debut at the high-banked, 3/8-mile Poplar Bluff Speedway red clay oval.
Although shut out of ASCS National Tour victory lane thus far, Wright has posted consistent top finishes to earn an eleven-point lead. The 2006 O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour series champion will earn $50,000 from the $150,000 point fund.
Hailing from Broken Arrow, OK, Smith leads a stellar Rookie crop that includes five Rookies among the top ten. Other Rookie of the Year contenders ranked among the top ten currently include fourth-ranked Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO), sixth-ranked Tim Montgomery (Fredericktown, MO), eighth-ranked Jerrod Hull (Sikeston, MO) and tenth-ranked Sean McClelland (Collinsville, OK).
Also in strong championship contention are 2003 ASCS National champion Travis Rilat of Forney, TX, who is just 36 points out of the lead in third, 2001 ASCS National champion Zach Chappell of Talala, OK, and ’05 runner-up Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK) and Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA).
Other drivers that have been regular fixtures with O’Reilly ASCoT over the early portion of 2006 include Mississippi’s Jan Howard, Nebraska’s Mike Chadd, Texan Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Kansan Tony Bruce, Jr., South Dakota’s Jake Peters, Minnesota’s Dustin Lindquist, Michigan’s Dustin Daggett, Missouri’s Joey Montgomery and Doc Sloan and Oklahoma racers Aaron Berryhill, 13-year-old Trey Robb, Brad Best, Cody Branchcomb and Abe Sherwood.
Five different drivers have notched O’Reilly ASCoT feature events entering this weekend, with Terry McCarl and Jason Johnson each taking two wins. Other winners include Travis Rilat, Jesse Hockett and Sean McClelland. Rain postponed the March 17 features at Devil’s Bowl Speedway to June 24.
Both nights of racing are slated to get under way at 7:30 p.m.
Poplar Bluff Speedway is located on the east side of Poplar Bluff, MO, on Business US 60. For more information, contact the track at 573-785-8989.
I-30 Speedway is located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126. For more information, contact the track at 501-455-4567.
In its 15th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing in the United States, the American Sprint Car Series will present approximately 180 nights of racing in 2006 including the National Tour and its Regional Tours (Gulf South, Mid-South, Midwest, Northern Plains, Patriot Sprint Group, Rocky Mountain, Sooner, Southern and Sprints on Dirt).
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.
