Lucas Oil ASCS Double Dip This Weekend!
BY: Lonnie Wheatley
PONTOON BEACH, IL - (August 23, 2010) – The second half of the 2010 Lucas
Oil ASCS National presented by K&N Filters championship chase officially
kicks off this weekend with a pair of unique ovals on the docket, including
a new track to the series and a familiar one.
The weekend kicks
off with the Lucas Oil ASCS National forces invading Tri-City Speedway in
Pontoon Beach, IL, for the first time in series history. It will also mark
the first series event in the State of Illinois since 1997.
Then, on Saturday
night, the series moves on to Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway, the racy, ¼-mile
bullring that ranks second in Lucas Oil ASCS National events hosted since
the series inception in 1992.
Leading the way
into the weekend of new ground and then familiar territory are the
triumvirate of Jason Johnson, Shane Stewart and Brady Bacon, who are locked
in a torrid battle for the series $60,000 championship.
Johnson, a native
of Eunice, LA, holds the current advantage as he tries to add a second
series crown to the one earned in 2008. “The Ragin’ Cajun” is currently
just 67 points ahead of Bixby, Oklahoma’s Stewart, the series defending
champion who rides the momentum of an ASCS Knoxville Nationals triumph and
then a podium finish in the 50th Annual Knoxville Nationals into
the weekend.
Not to be forgotten
is 20-year-old Broken Arrow, OK, Brady Bacon, who is just 24 points behind
Stewart in third and has collected four wins this season to match Johnson
and Stewart in the victory column. One of Bacon’s victories came at I-30
Speedway earlier this season.
Currently ranked
fourth is Springfield, Nebraska’s Jack Dover, the 20-year-old who is home
recovering from injuries suffered in non-wing action a week ago and is
doubtful for this weekend’s double.
Talala, Oklahoma’s
Zach Chappell, the 2001 series champion that topped a non-stop 35-lap Lucas
Oil ASCS main event at I-30 in April, enters the weekend ranked fifth, just
ahead of Liberal, KS, shoe Tony Bruce, Jr., and three-time series champion
Tim Crawley of Benton, AR.
Veteran shoe Danny
Wood of Norman, OK, a Lucas Oil ASCS prelim winner at Eagle Raceway in June
enters the weekend ranked eight, with leading Brodix Rookie of the Year
contender Kyle Hirst in ninth.
Little Rock native
Ricky Logan rounds out the current top ten, with other Lucas Oil title
contenders including Ohio’s Darren Long and the balance of the strong rookie
crop that includes Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK), Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK),
19-year-old Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX), 17-year-old Austen Wheatley
(Lake Stevens, WA) and 16-year-old Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA).
The Lucas Oil
Sprint Cars will be joined a strong contingent of challengers on both
nights, including the Winged Outlaw Warriors at Tri-City Speedway on Friday
night and then the traditionally tough Little Rock and Memphis-area
competitors on Saturday night at I-30 Speedway.
The Series:
Lucas Oil ASCS
Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters
When & Where:
Friday night,
August 27 at 7:00 p.m. – Tri-City Speedway
Saturday night,
August 28 at 7:30 p.m. – I-30 Speedway
Track Information:
Tri-City Speedway
(Pontoon Beach, IL) – 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt oval located off I-270 Exit
4 then 0.5 miles south on SR 203 by Granite City. For more information,
contact the track at 800-617-9077 or check
http://www.tricityspeedway.net/.
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 or check
http://www.i-30speedway.com/.
Lucas Oil ASCS
Tri-City Speedway History:
After being rained
out at Tri-City in 2009, the first page in series history at the track will
be written on August 27 when Kevin and Tammy Gundaker bring the Lucas Oil
ASCS Sprint Car Series to Tri-City Speedway for the first time. It marks
just the fourth event within the state of Illinois in series history and the
first since a Terry Gray triumph at Peoria in August of 1997.
Lucas Oil ASCS I-30
Speedway History:
A staple of the
ASCS National Series, I-30 Speedway hosted the first official ASCS National
event on May 15, 1993, with Memphis shoe Mike Ward dropping in on victory
lane. Since that time, 18 different drivers have posted at least one ASCS
National win in the 46 events contested at I-30.
Gary Wright has
enjoyed the most success at I-30 with a dozen triumphs, with his most recent
Little Rock success including Speedweek and Short Track Nationals prelim
wins in 2008.
Tony Bruce, Jr.,
has enjoyed the most success recently at I-30 Speedway, topping the last two
editions of the track’s prestigious Short Track Nationals while also
capturing the 2009 leg of ASCS Speedweek, which didn’t count as an official
National win. Both STN triumphs were worth $15,000 to the Liberal shoe.
Saturday marks the
third and final one-night stand at I-30 Speedway leading into October’s
Short Track Nationals, with Oklahoma shoes Zach Chappell (non-stop 35-lapper
on April 10) and Brady Bacon (June 5) victorious in the previous two stops.
I-30 Speedway Lucas
Oil ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 12, Tim Crawley 4, Garry Lee
Maier 4, Terry Gray 3, Jason Johnson 3, Wayne Johnson 3, Mike Ward 3, Tony
Bruce, Jr. 2, Travis Rilat 2, Shane Stewart 2, Brady Bacon 1, Pete Butler 1,
Zach Chappell 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), Wayne
Johnson (11/5/09), Jason Johnson (11/6/09), Tony Bruce, Jr. (11/7/09), Zach
Chappell (4/10/10), Brady Bacon (6/5/10).
Current Lucas Oil
Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters Points:
Top Twenty: 1.
Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 2,033, 2. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 1,966, 3.
Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 1,942, 4. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 1,881,
5. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 1,795, 6. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 1,772,
7. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 1,769, 8. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 1,722, 9. Kyle
Hirst (Loomis, CA) 1,717, 10. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 1,643, 11. Matt
Covington (Glenpool, OK) 1,606, 12. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 1,430, 13.
Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 1,420, 14. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX)
1,417, 15. (tie) Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) and Justyn Cox
(Clarksburg, CA) 1,344, 17. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 1,152, 18. Gary Wright
(Hooks, TX) 1,099, 19. Andrew Marshala (Shawnee, OK) 823, 20. Brian Brown
(Grain Valley, MO) 658.
Brodix Rookie of
the Year Points: 1. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 1,717, 2. Matt Covington
(Glenpool, OK) 1,606, 3. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 1,420, 4. Channin
Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 1,417, 5. (tie) Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens,
WA) and Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,344.
2010 Lucas Oil
Sprint Car Feature Winners:
Brady Bacon 4,
Shane Stewart 4, Jason Johnson 4, Zach Chappell 2, Brian Brown 1, Matt
Covington 1, Sammy Swindell 1, Danny Wood 1.
Lucas Oil Sprint
Cars presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
September 25- Lucas
Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO)
October 1 – Riverside Speedway (West Memphis, AR)
October 2 –
Riverside Speedway (West Memphis, AR)
Lucas Oil Sprint
Cars on the Web:
Those unable to
catch all the action in person can listen to every Lucas Oil Sprint Car
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 Sprint
Cars on TV:
The Lucas Oil
Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters will be featured in ten one-hour
shows broadcast on a tape-delayed basis on the VERSUS Network and MavTV.
Events to be aired
on VERSUS and MavTV include the following:
Event Date – Track
(Location) – VERSUS Air Date & Time (All Times Eastern & Subject to Change):
March 19 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 6/6/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
March 20 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – Rained Out
June 11 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE) – 11/21/10 @ 4:00 p.m.
June 12 – Eagle
Raceway (Eagle, NE) – 11/21/10 @ 5:00 p.m.
September 25 –
Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 11/28/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
October 1 –
Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – TBD
October 2 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – TBD
October 28 - I-30
Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/5/10 @ 5:00 p.m.
October 29 – I-30
Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/5/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
October 30 – I-30
Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/19/10 @ 4:00 p.m.
The Lucas Oil
Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for 36 nights
of racing action at 18 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.
In its 19th
year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing, the American Sprint Car Series brings
the best of Sprint Car racing to approximately 100 different tracks
throughout 30 states and Canada. Anchored by the Lucas Oil Sprint Car
Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of ten different Regions
throughout the nation.
Additional
information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at
www.ascsracing.com.
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