Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (May 4, 2009) – The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is seemingly caught up in something of a "Groundhog Day" type syndrome, as Saturday night at Little Rock's I-30 Speedway will mark the series fifth attempt at Round Three in the $60,000 championship points chase.
Saturday's $6,000-to-win card atop the always dicey, high-banked, ¼-mile I-30 Speedway clay oval is a makeup of the event originally scheduled for April 18, when Mother Nature intervened.
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters kicked off the 2009 season on March 20-21 with 67 competitors from 17 different states clogging the pit area.
Since that time, the series has been snowed out twice (Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals on March 27-28) and rained out twice (I-30 Speedway on April 18 and Tri-City Speedway on May 1).
Bixby, OK, native Shane Stewart topped the opening night of action at the Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals with defending series champion Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA, taking a dramatic win in the Spring Nationals finale. Stewart continues to hold a two-point lead over Johnson, with four-time ASCS National champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX, just six points off the lead pace in third.
The top three have all enjoyed past success at I-30 Speedway, although the pair of wins posted by both Stewart and Johnson pale in comparison to Wright's dozen triumphs. Wright also has four of I-30 Speedway's prestigious Short Track Nationals titles, with Jason Johnson taking STN honors in 2006. Stewart has been painfully close to an STN score, just missing out on a couple of occasions.
Nick Smith, an ASCS winner at I-30 Speedway last year, and Danny Wood, who topped the recent ASCS Sooner Region season opener, enter the event tied for fifth in points with California native Paul McMahan atop a stellar Brodix Rookie of the Year crop of contenders in seventh.
Three-time series champion Tim Crawley held off Gary Taylor to post an I-30 Speedway triumph in weekly competition on April 25, with local ace Lewis Jenkins, Jr., winning the track's season opener on April 11. Four of Crawley's approximately 80 career Sprint Car feature wins atop the I-30 clay have taken place in ASCS competition.
Rookie contenders Matt Covington, Jack Dover and Ricky Logan each posted wins in assorted action this past Saturday night throughout Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Following Saturday night's I-30 Speedway event, the series moves on to the Jetmore Motorplex in Jetmore, KS, for the $10,000 to win Steve King Memorial on May 23-24.
The Series:
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
When & Where:
Saturday night, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. – I-30 Speedway
Track Information:
I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – ¼-mile high-banked clay oval located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126 (Alexander Rd.), then south to frontage road, then east. For more information, contact the track at 501-455-4567.
Lucas Oil ASCS I-30 Speedway History:
A staple of the ASCS National Tour, I-30 Speedway hosted the first official ASCS National Tour event on May 15, 1993, with Memphis shoe Mike Ward dropping in on victory lane. Since that time, 16 different drivers have posted at least one ASCS National Tour feature win in the 41 events contested at I-30.
Gary Wright has enjoyed the most success at I-30 with a dozen triumphs, including a Speedweek and Short Track Nationals preliminary victory last year. Tim Crawley snapped a series victory drought with an STN prelim win, Tony Bruce, Jr., posted his first I-30 triumph with a $15,000 STN victory and Nick Smith topped last April's series stop at I-30 Speedway.
I-30 Speedway ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 12, Tim Crawley 4, Garry Lee Maier 4, Terry Gray 3, Mike Ward 3, Jason Johnson 2, Wayne Johnson 2, Travis Rilat 2, Shane Stewart 2, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, Pete Butler 1, Ricky Logan 1, Jason Meyers 1, Eric Sandage 1, Tim Shaffer 1, Nick Smith 1.
I-30 Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-Race Winners: Mike Ward (5/15/93), Tim Crawley (6/24/93), Terry Gray (7/17/93), Garry Lee Maier (6/18/94), Garry Lee Maier (8/13/94), Terry Gray (5/20/95), Ricky Logan (6/24/95), Gary Wright (7/15/95), Mike Ward (5/18/96), Garry Lee Maier (6/15/96), Garry Lee Maier (8/3/96), Mike Ward (5/17/97), Gary Wright (6/14/97), Wayne Johnson (9/26/97), Wayne Johnson (9/27/97), Gary Wright (5/16/98), Terry Gray (6/13/98), Eric Sandage (8/25/01), Pete Butler (6/22/02), Gary Wright (7/13/02), Gary Wright (9/21/02), Gary Wright (6/21/03), Tim Crawley (7/12/03), Shane Stewart (9/6/03), Gary Wright (6/5/04), Travis Rilat (7/10/04), Gary Wright (8/28/04), Tim Crawley (6/11/05), Gary Wright (7/9/05), Travis Rilat (10/1/05), Jason Johnson (7/29/06), Jason Johnson (4/28/07), Gary Wright (7/14/07), Shane Stewart (10/25/07), Tim Shaffer (10/26/07), Jason Meyers (10/27/07), Nick Smith (4/26/08), Gary Wright (7/12/08), Gary Wright (10/23/08), Tim Crawley (10/24/08), Tony Bruce, Jr. (10/25/08).
Current Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters Points:
Top Twenty: 1. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 296, 2. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 294, 3. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 290, 4. Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM) 282, 5. (tie) Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) and Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 260, 7. Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TX) 258, 8. (tie) Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) and Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) 248, 10. Michael Dupuy (Amite, LA) 240, 11. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 238, 12. Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 232, 13. Mike Chadd (Lincoln, NE) 226, 14. Dustin Morgan (Collinsville, OK) 222, 15. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 215, 16. Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK) 211, 17. (tie) Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) and Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 209, 19. (tie) Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) and Trevor Lewis (Upper Black Eddy, PA) 205.
Brodix Rookie of the Year Points (Top Five): 1. Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN) 258, 2. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 248, 3. Dustin Morgan (Collinsville, OK) 222, 4. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 209, 5. Trevor Lewis (Upper Black Eddy, PA) 205.
2009 Lucas Oil ASCS Feature Winners:
Jason Johnson 1, Shane Stewart 1.
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
May 23-24 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS)
June 5- 67 Texarkana Speedway (Texarkana, AR)- ASCS Speedweek points only
June 6 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 9 – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 11 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 12 – State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 13 – Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 27 – Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO)
Lucas Oil ASCS on the Web:
Those unable to catch all the action in person can listen to every Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters live at www.racinboys.com.
Also, the Lucas Oil ASCS Show airs on www.racinboys.com each Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET, recapping the previous week's events while also previewing upcoming action.
Official results, championship point updates, photos and race notes will be available at www.ascsracing.com.
Lucas Oil ASCS on TV:
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters will be featured in ten one-hour shows broadcast on a tape-delayed basis on the VERSUS Network
Events to be aired on VERSUS include the following:
Event Date – Track (Location) – Air Date & Time (All Times Eastern)
March 20 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/2/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
March 21 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/9/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
May 23 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 7/4/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
May 24 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 7/11/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
August 6 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 9/12/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
August 7 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 9/26/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
August 8 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 10/31/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
September 26 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 11/14/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for approximately 33 nights of racing action at 16 different tracks throughout the nation, with the country's top Sprint Car drivers set to battle it out for their share of the $250,000 points fund.
The American Sprint Car Series, in its 18th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing events, brings the best of Sprint Car racing to nearly 100 different tracks throughout 25 states and Canada in 2009. Anchored by the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of a dozen different Regions throughout the nation.
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.
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Saturday's $6,000-to-win card atop the always dicey, high-banked, ¼-mile I-30 Speedway clay oval is a makeup of the event originally scheduled for April 18, when Mother Nature intervened.
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters kicked off the 2009 season on March 20-21 with 67 competitors from 17 different states clogging the pit area.
Since that time, the series has been snowed out twice (Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals on March 27-28) and rained out twice (I-30 Speedway on April 18 and Tri-City Speedway on May 1).
Bixby, OK, native Shane Stewart topped the opening night of action at the Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals with defending series champion Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA, taking a dramatic win in the Spring Nationals finale. Stewart continues to hold a two-point lead over Johnson, with four-time ASCS National champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX, just six points off the lead pace in third.
The top three have all enjoyed past success at I-30 Speedway, although the pair of wins posted by both Stewart and Johnson pale in comparison to Wright's dozen triumphs. Wright also has four of I-30 Speedway's prestigious Short Track Nationals titles, with Jason Johnson taking STN honors in 2006. Stewart has been painfully close to an STN score, just missing out on a couple of occasions.
Nick Smith, an ASCS winner at I-30 Speedway last year, and Danny Wood, who topped the recent ASCS Sooner Region season opener, enter the event tied for fifth in points with California native Paul McMahan atop a stellar Brodix Rookie of the Year crop of contenders in seventh.
Three-time series champion Tim Crawley held off Gary Taylor to post an I-30 Speedway triumph in weekly competition on April 25, with local ace Lewis Jenkins, Jr., winning the track's season opener on April 11. Four of Crawley's approximately 80 career Sprint Car feature wins atop the I-30 clay have taken place in ASCS competition.
Rookie contenders Matt Covington, Jack Dover and Ricky Logan each posted wins in assorted action this past Saturday night throughout Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Following Saturday night's I-30 Speedway event, the series moves on to the Jetmore Motorplex in Jetmore, KS, for the $10,000 to win Steve King Memorial on May 23-24.
The Series:
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
When & Where:
Saturday night, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. – I-30 Speedway
Track Information:
I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – ¼-mile high-banked clay oval located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126 (Alexander Rd.), then south to frontage road, then east. For more information, contact the track at 501-455-4567.
Lucas Oil ASCS I-30 Speedway History:
A staple of the ASCS National Tour, I-30 Speedway hosted the first official ASCS National Tour event on May 15, 1993, with Memphis shoe Mike Ward dropping in on victory lane. Since that time, 16 different drivers have posted at least one ASCS National Tour feature win in the 41 events contested at I-30.
Gary Wright has enjoyed the most success at I-30 with a dozen triumphs, including a Speedweek and Short Track Nationals preliminary victory last year. Tim Crawley snapped a series victory drought with an STN prelim win, Tony Bruce, Jr., posted his first I-30 triumph with a $15,000 STN victory and Nick Smith topped last April's series stop at I-30 Speedway.
I-30 Speedway ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 12, Tim Crawley 4, Garry Lee Maier 4, Terry Gray 3, Mike Ward 3, Jason Johnson 2, Wayne Johnson 2, Travis Rilat 2, Shane Stewart 2, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, Pete Butler 1, Ricky Logan 1, Jason Meyers 1, Eric Sandage 1, Tim Shaffer 1, Nick Smith 1.
I-30 Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-Race Winners: Mike Ward (5/15/93), Tim Crawley (6/24/93), Terry Gray (7/17/93), Garry Lee Maier (6/18/94), Garry Lee Maier (8/13/94), Terry Gray (5/20/95), Ricky Logan (6/24/95), Gary Wright (7/15/95), Mike Ward (5/18/96), Garry Lee Maier (6/15/96), Garry Lee Maier (8/3/96), Mike Ward (5/17/97), Gary Wright (6/14/97), Wayne Johnson (9/26/97), Wayne Johnson (9/27/97), Gary Wright (5/16/98), Terry Gray (6/13/98), Eric Sandage (8/25/01), Pete Butler (6/22/02), Gary Wright (7/13/02), Gary Wright (9/21/02), Gary Wright (6/21/03), Tim Crawley (7/12/03), Shane Stewart (9/6/03), Gary Wright (6/5/04), Travis Rilat (7/10/04), Gary Wright (8/28/04), Tim Crawley (6/11/05), Gary Wright (7/9/05), Travis Rilat (10/1/05), Jason Johnson (7/29/06), Jason Johnson (4/28/07), Gary Wright (7/14/07), Shane Stewart (10/25/07), Tim Shaffer (10/26/07), Jason Meyers (10/27/07), Nick Smith (4/26/08), Gary Wright (7/12/08), Gary Wright (10/23/08), Tim Crawley (10/24/08), Tony Bruce, Jr. (10/25/08).
Current Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters Points:
Top Twenty: 1. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 296, 2. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 294, 3. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 290, 4. Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM) 282, 5. (tie) Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) and Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 260, 7. Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TX) 258, 8. (tie) Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) and Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) 248, 10. Michael Dupuy (Amite, LA) 240, 11. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 238, 12. Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 232, 13. Mike Chadd (Lincoln, NE) 226, 14. Dustin Morgan (Collinsville, OK) 222, 15. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 215, 16. Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK) 211, 17. (tie) Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) and Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 209, 19. (tie) Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) and Trevor Lewis (Upper Black Eddy, PA) 205.
Brodix Rookie of the Year Points (Top Five): 1. Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN) 258, 2. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 248, 3. Dustin Morgan (Collinsville, OK) 222, 4. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 209, 5. Trevor Lewis (Upper Black Eddy, PA) 205.
2009 Lucas Oil ASCS Feature Winners:
Jason Johnson 1, Shane Stewart 1.
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
May 23-24 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS)
June 5- 67 Texarkana Speedway (Texarkana, AR)- ASCS Speedweek points only
June 6 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 9 – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 11 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 12 – State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 13 – Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points only
June 27 – Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO)
Lucas Oil ASCS on the Web:
Those unable to catch all the action in person can listen to every Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters live at www.racinboys.com.
Also, the Lucas Oil ASCS Show airs on www.racinboys.com each Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET, recapping the previous week's events while also previewing upcoming action.
Official results, championship point updates, photos and race notes will be available at www.ascsracing.com.
Lucas Oil ASCS on TV:
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters will be featured in ten one-hour shows broadcast on a tape-delayed basis on the VERSUS Network
Events to be aired on VERSUS include the following:
Event Date – Track (Location) – Air Date & Time (All Times Eastern)
March 20 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/2/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
March 21 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/9/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
May 23 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 7/4/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
May 24 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 7/11/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
August 6 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 9/12/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
August 7 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 9/26/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
August 8 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 10/31/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
September 26 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 11/14/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for approximately 33 nights of racing action at 16 different tracks throughout the nation, with the country's top Sprint Car drivers set to battle it out for their share of the $250,000 points fund.
The American Sprint Car Series, in its 18th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing events, brings the best of Sprint Car racing to nearly 100 different tracks throughout 25 states and Canada in 2009. Anchored by the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of a dozen different Regions throughout the nation.
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.
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