By Shawn Miller
TULSA, Okla. (January 6, 2011) – The spotlight will be on the American Sprint Car Series Northwest Region in 2011.
All four of the ASCS National Tour events in the Northwest – July 15-16 at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash., and July 22-23 at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. – will be televised on a tape-delay by the VERSUS channel.
“What a great exposure for the Northwest drivers, tracks and teams,” Northwest Region Director Greg Burgess said. “I’m very excited for the rest of the country to see the atmosphere the Northwest puts on for sprint car racing.”
This is the third straight season the premier sprint car tour will venture to the Northwest, which has quickly became one of the top regions in the country. While those four races stand out, there is plenty of excitement on the tentative schedule, which lists 18 races at six tracks throughout Washington and Oregon.
The season kicks off with the Grove Classic on May 13-14 at the Cottage Grove Speedway, which hosts five events – the most in Oregon.
The series then heads to Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., for the Claire Arnold Memorial – named for the late promoter of the 3/8th-mile track – on May 27, starting a three-event Memorial weekend spectacle capped with events at Grays Harbor Raceway on May 28-29.
The Northwest Region returns to action on July 11 at Southern Oregon Speedway in White City, Ore., which is the opener to the 16th annual Bully Dog ASCS NW Speedweek Presented by Contingency Connection – boasting five races in six days.
Drivers will then head to the Oregon Coast, where Coos Bay Speedway in Coos Bay, Ore., will host the race on July 12.
Willamette Speedway is the stop on July 13 before the drivers take a day off for a meet-and-greet BBQ between the Northwest Region and the ASCS National Tour on July 14 at Grays Harbor Raceway, which hosts the final two Bully Dog ASCS NW Speedweek Presented by Contingency Connection events – July 15-16 – in conjunction with the ASCS National Tour and the tape-delayed televised broadcast.
This year will also mark the 5th annual Fred Brownfield Memorial, which honors the late and famed promoter of sprint car racing in the Northwest.
The ensuing weekend – July 22-23 – will be the second two-day show in the Northwest with the ASCS National Tour and the TV cameras competing at the Cottage Grove Speedway.
Grays Harbor Raceway, which hosts a series-high six races, will conclude its final two Northwest Region races as part of the Big E Weekend on Aug. 26-27.
The Northwest Region finishes its schedule in Oregon on Sept. 16 at Willamette Speedway and Sept. 17 at Cottage Grove Speedway as part of the Oregon Fall Special.
The 2011 season will conclude with the Championship Weekend at the Fair as the Sept. 23-24 races at The Yakima Dirt Track at Central Washington State Fair Raceway in Yakima, Wash., to start the Central Washington State Fair.
2011 ASCS Northwest Schedule
May 13 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR)
May 14 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR)
May 27 – Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, OR)
May 28 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA)
May 29 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA)
July 11 – Southern Oregon Speedway (Medford, OR)
July 12 – Coos Bay Speedway (Coos Bay, OR)
July 13 – Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, OR)
*July 15 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA)
*July 16 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA)
*July 22 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR)
*July 23 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR)
August 26 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA)
August 27 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA)
September 16 – Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, OR)
September 17 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR)
September 23 – Yakima Dirt Track (Yakima, WA)
September 24 – Yakima Dirt Track (Yakima, WA)
* – Indicates events held in conjunction with Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series.
The 2011 season marks the 20th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series, which 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.