BRODIX TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS PRE-ENTRY DEADLINE NEARS;
MICHAEL, CHIPPINDALL, McCLELLAND & WINEGARDNER ENTER
by: Thomas J Schmeh

KNOXVILLE, IA (June 10, 2006) - In less than two months, the best-of-the-best winged 360-cubic-inch sprint car drivers in the world will converge on the Marion County Fairgrounds for the eighth annual Brodix Tournament of Champions. With the June 28 pre-entry deadline looming, a number of stars have already signaled their intentions to compete in the $5,000-to-win invitational show on Sunday, August 6. Included in that group is Curt Michael from the United Racing Company (URC), Garry Chippindall from the Premier-Avalon-SpeedwayCity Series (PASS) in Australia, Tom Winegardner, Jr., from the United Sprint Car Series (USCS) Dirt Cup, Luke Cranston of the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA), Sean McClelland and Eric Baldaccini from the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Sooner Region, and Brett Mather and Johnny Anderson from the host Knoxville Raceway.

According to Knoxville’s director of racing Ralph Capitani, “Gang, the combination of our Knoxville 360 Nationals on August 3-4-5 and Brodix Tournament of Champions on August 6 means that we’ll have the ‘cream of the crop’ here for four straight nights, less than one week before our 410 Nationals. We really appreciate the support we’re seeing from both coasts of the United States and Canada… and Australia. It promises to be the most exciting ‘360’ show in the country this year with the most diverse cast of characters!”

Curt Michael of Ocean View, Delaware, is the defending URC point champion. Johnny Anderson of Indianola, Iowa, just won last weekend’s Hoosier Tire Midwest Masters vs. Young Guns Challenge at Knoxville. Garry Chippindall of Warragul, Victoria, won the PASS title at the three tracks in southeastern Australia. Sean McClelland of Collinsville, Oklahoma, is the current ASCS point leader in the Sooner Region, while Eric Baldaccini of Keller, Texas, sits in tenth place in the same series. Brett Mather of Ames, Iowa, sits in tenth in Knoxville points. Tom Winegardner, Jr., of Pierson, Florida, is fourth in USCS Dirt Cup points, while Luke Cranston of Ness City, Kansas, is ninth in NCRA points. The one-day international invitational for the top stars and cars in 360 sprint car racing utilizes one common set of technical rules, including use of the ASCS Brodix spec head.

The pre-entry deadline ($30 fee) is June 28, while the final entry deadline ($45 fee) is July 26. The entries to date are as follows (number, driver, hometown, state, chassis/engine, affiliate):


1, Sean McClelland, Collinsville, Oklahoma, Maxim/TBA, ASCS-S
S1, Garry Chippindall, Warragul, Victoria, Australia, J&J/Wells, PASS
B4, Eric Baldaccini, Keller, Texas, Maxim/TBA, ASCS-S
7A, Johnny Anderson, Indianola, Iowa, Eagle/Ostrich, KNOX
11T, Tom Winegardner, Jr., Pierson, Florida, J&J/WRP, USCS
20, Luke Cranston, Ness City, Kansas, Maxim/TBA, NCRA
54, Brett Mather, Ames, Iowa, Eagle/Wesmar, KNOX
99, Curt Michael, Ocean View, Delaware, J&J/Ott, URC

The twenty-five sanctioning affiliates that have confirmed participation in the eighth annual Brodix Tournament of Champions are as follows:

Alberta Sprint Tour (AST),
American Sprint Cars on Tour (ASCoT),
ASCS – Gulf South Region (ASCS – GS),
ASCS – Midwest Region (ASCS-M),
ASCS – Mid-South Region (ASCS-MS),
ASCS – Northern Plains Region (ASCS-NP),
ASCS - Patriot Sprint Group (ASCS-PSG),
ASCS – Rocky Mountain Region (ASCS-RM),
ASCS – Sooner Region (ASCS-S),
ASCS - Sprints On Dirt (ASCS-SOD),
Empire Super Sprints (ESS),
Knoxville Raceway (KNOX),
National Championship Racing Association (NCRA),
National Racing Alliance (NRA),
Northern Sprint Tour (NST),
Sprint Invaders Association (SIA),
Southern Ontario Sprints (SOS),
United Racing Company (URC),
United Sprint Car Series (USCS) Dirt Cup,
USCS – Carolina Tour (USCS-C),
USCS – Mid-South Tour (USCS-MS),
USCS – Southern Tour (USCS-S),
Western Australian Sprintcar Drivers to America Series (WASDAS),
Winged Outlaw Warriors (WOW), and
Premier-Avalon-SpeedwayCity Series (PASS).

Past Brodix ToC winners are as follows (year, driver, affiliate, number, hometown; all races at Knoxville unless otherwise noted):

2005 - Garry Lee Maier, NCRA, 11x, Cimarron, Kansas
2004 - Loren Langerud, WISSOTA, 56, Harwood, North Dakota
2003 - Terry McCarl, SIA, 86, Altoona, Iowa
2002 - Josh Higday, KNOX, 24, Des Moines, Iowa
2001 - Not Held
2000 - Not Held
1999 - (Limaland) - Kyle Sauder, NRA, 2s, Archbold, Ohio
1998 - (Eldora) - Phil Gressman, ASCS-Challengers, 8h, Clyde, Ohio
1997 - Greg Coverdale, URC, 63, Milford, Delaware

The technical rules for the Brodix Tournament of Champions will be dictated by the Knoxville Raceway. They will be similar to those used for the ASCS-sanctioned $10,000-to-win Knoxville 360 Nationals on August 3-4-5, except for the Knoxville 360 Nationals ban on cockpit-adjustable devices other than for the forward/backward motion of the top wing. Those seeking more information, including entry forms and technical rules, are urged to visit the half-mile dirt track’s web site at www.knoxvilleraceway.com.