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Lucas Oil Sprint Cars Set for the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks"
by: Lonnie Wheatley
WHEATLAND, MO. (September 21) – With the series $60,000 championship hanging
in the balance, the Lucas Oil Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters kick off
the stretch drive to the title by storming into Lucas Oil Speedway in
Wheatland, MO, this Saturday night.
Locking horns with the Missouri-based Winged Outlaw Warriors, a hearty
throng of competitors is expected to converge upon the "Diamond of Dirt
Tracks" for the tenth and final Lucas Oil Sprint Car event of 2009 that will
recorded for later broadcast on the VERSUS Network.
With the Lucas Oil Sprint Cars averaging 52.7 entries per race night, the
cream has ultimately risen to the top with Louisiana's Jason Johnson and
Oklahoma's Shane Stewart entrenching themselves as the leading championship
contenders.
"The Ragin' Cajun" carries a slim 26-point edge over Stewart into Saturday's
card, an advantage that can be wiped away with one simple miscue. As many as
42 points can be gained or lost if both drivers make the main event, while a
swing of 75 points would be possible if one driver were unable to make it to
the main event for some reason.
Johnson has been on both ends of that spectrum in past Lucas Oil Speedway
appearances, watching a possible title escape his grasp when a failed
bleeder valve resulted in a 19th-place finish after leading in 2006 and then
picking off the third of eleven series wins en route to the 2008 title.
While Johnson has reeled off four ASCS Regional wins since the Lucas Oil
Sprint Cars last saw action at Knoxville in August, Stewart collected the
$9,000 winner's share in this past weekend's Canadian Sprint Car Nationals
at Ohsweken, ON.
Stewart will be one of a handful of drivers among the top 15 in Lucas Oil
Sprint Car points making his first appearance at the "Diamond of Dirt
Tracks" along with Tim Crawley, Danny Wood and rookie contenders Chad Corken
and Darren Long.
Sitting third in points and 64 points off the lead pace is four-time series
champion Gary Wright, who has collected 125 career Lucas Oil Sprint Car
feature wins. Needing miscues from both Johnson and Stewart down the stretch
for a shot at a fifth title, "The Texan" looks to begin a new streak of
feature starts after his record stretch of 200 feature starts in a row was
snapped at Knoxville.
Travis Rilat of Forney, TX, enters the night another 75 points back in
fourth and will try to become just the third driver in Lucas Oil Sprint Car
history to reach the 300 feature-start plateau. Rilat enters Saturday with
299 career National feature starts, a level only reached thus far by Gary
Wright and Garry Lee Maier.
Three-time series champ Tim Crawley of Benton, AR, has climbed to fifth in
points after a slow start, with Nebraska Cup winner Tony Bruce, Jr., leading
Brodix Rookie of the Year contender Paul McMahan, three-time series
runner-up Danny Wood, 19-year-old rookie contender Jack Dover and Missouri's
Jesse Hockett rounding out the current top ten.
Others vying for their slice of the $250,000 points fund that will be
divvied up among the top 15 include Sean McClelland, Kenneth Walker, Chad
Corken, Darren Long and Gavin Punch. Twelfth-ranked Gary Taylor's Saturday
status is uncertain at this time, as his regular Sparks No. 91 has been
parked for the short-term.
A red-hot Josh Fisher of Smithton, MO, leads the Winged Outlaw Warrior
forces into the card. Riding a wave of three consecutive WOW wins, Fisher
holds nearly a 200-point advantage over Austin Alumbaugh and Rusty Potter as
he looks to put the finishing touches on his first series championship on
Saturday night.
As per the norm with Lucas Oil Sprint Car events contested in Missouri with
WOW, either the standard 105x16.0-15 Medium Hoosier or the Hoosier SC-25
will be permitted on the right rear.
The Series:
Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters
When & Where:
Saturday night, September 26 – Lucas Oil Speedway at 7:00 p.m.
Track Information:
Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located
0.2 miles south of US 54 of SR 83. Track phone: 417-282-5984.
Lucas Oil ASCS Lucas Oil Speedway History:
The Lucas Oil Sprint Cars first took the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks" in
September of 2006 with Brian Brown breaking into victory lane and then
returned in April of 2008 with Jason Johnson taking top honors. Entries
exceeded the 50 mark on both occasions.
Lucas Oil Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS Winners include: Brian Brown 1, Jason
Johnson 1
Lucas Oil Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-Race Winners: Brian Brown
(9/30/06), Jason Johnson (4/19/08).
Current Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters Points:
Top Twenty: 1. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 1,864, 2. Shane Stewart (Bixby,
OK) 1,838, 3. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 1,800, 4. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX)
1,725, 5. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 1,699, 6. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS)
1,697, 7. Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN) 1,678, 8. Danny Wood (Norman,
OK) 1,618, 9. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 1,617, 10. Jesse Hockett (Warsaw,
MO) 1,561, 11. Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 1,424, 12. Gary Taylor
(Snohomish, WA) 1,321, 13. Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK) 1,280, 14. Chad
Corken (Highlands Ranch, CO) 1,205, 15. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 1,193, 16.
Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA) 1,172, 17. Gavin Punch (Collinsville, OK)
1,119, 18. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 907, 19. Brady Bacon (Broken
Arrow, OK) 882, 20. Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) 870.
Brodix Rookie of the Year Points (Top Five): 1. Paul McMahan
(Hendersonville, TN) 1,678, 2. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 1,617, 3. Chad
Corken (Highlands Ranch, CO) 1,205, 4. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 1,193, 5.
Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA) 1,172.
2009 Lucas Oil Sprint Car Feature Winners:
Jason Johnson 3, Tim Crawley 2, Terry McCarl 2, Travis Rilat 2, Shane
Stewart 2, Roger Crockett 1, Jack Dover 1, Wayne Johnson 1, Gary Wright 1.
Speedweek winners; Tony Bruce, Jr., Zach Chappell, Tim Crawley, Nick Smith
and Gary Wright.
Lucas Oil Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
October 16-17 – 36th Annual Devil's Bowl Speedway Winter Nationals
(Mesquite, TX)
October 29-31 – 22nd Annual Short Track Nationals – I-30 Speedway (Little
Rock, AR)
November 19-21 – 42nd Annual Western World Championships – USA Raceway
(Tucson, AZ)
November 22 18th Annual ASCS Awards Banquet presented by Brodix – Old Tucson
Studios
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
Events to be aired on VERSUS include the following:
Event Date – Track (Location) – Air Date & Re-Air Date (All Times Eastern)
Mar. 20 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/2/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 5/7/09
@ 5:00 p.m.
Mar. 21 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/23/09 @ 4:00 p.m. &
5/27/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
May 23 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 8/8/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 8/13/09 @
5:00 p.m.
May 24 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 8/15/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 8/20/09 @
5:00 p.m.
July 3 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – 9/13/09 @ 4:00 p.m. & 9/17/09
@ 5:00 p.m.
July 4 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – 9/20/09 @ 4:00 p.m. & 9/24/09
@ 5:00 p.m.
Aug. 6 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 10/18/09 @ 6:00 p.m. & 10/22/09
@ 5:00 p.m.
Aug. 7 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 11/1/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 11/5/09 @
6:00 p.m.
Aug. 8 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 11/22/09 @ 6:00 p.m. & 11/25/09
@ 6:00 p.m.
Sept. 26 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 11/29/09 @ 6:00 p.m. &
12/3/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
The Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated
for approximately 30 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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