By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (April 19, 2010) – The American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region kicks off its 2010 slate of events on Saturday night at the refurbished Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK.
Saturday’s card atop the ¼-mile Creek County Speedway clay oval marks the first of 15 nights of competition at nine different tracks throughout Oklahoma and the surrounding area for the ASCS Sooner Region in 2010.
Oklahoma City’s Joe Wood, Jr., became the eighth different ASCS Sooner Region champion in nine years of competition by taking the 2009 title by just 32 points over Glenpool’s Matt Covington.
Wood became the first Oklahoma City area driver to claim sole possession of the crown since Norman’s Danny Jennings earned top Sooner Region honors in 2002, a year after Tulsa native and current Fort Worth resident J.P. Bailey took the inaugural Sooner crown in 2001.
Fort Worth’s Kevin Ramey topped the point charts in 2003 before sharing top honors with Oklahoma City’s Andy Shouse in 2004.
The title shifted to Tulsa in 2005 with Sean McClelland earning the top position, then shifted south of the Red River to Texas with Sam Hafertepe, Jr., winning the 2006 championship.
Tulsa’s Brian McClelland earned back-to-back Sooner championship in 2007 and 2008 before Wood took the title back to Oklahoma City last year.
The site of the first ever ASCS Sooner Region event in 2001, Creek County Speedway has featured 15 different drivers in victory lane in 17 Sooner events. Only Kevin Ramey and Sean McClelland have topped a pair of Sooner features.
Last year’s ASCS Sooner Region feature winners at Creek County Speedway included Danny Wood, Nick Smith and Zach Chappell.
Smith, second on the career ASCS Sooner Region win charts with 13 triumphs, is expected to be among the top contenders vying to dethrone Joe Wood, Jr., in 2010.
Creek County Speedway is located southwest of Tulsa off I-44 Exit 211, then 0.3 miles south on SR 33, then one mile west on SR 66. For more information, contact the track at 918-605-6270.
The American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region is slated for 15 nights of racing action at nine different tracks throughout Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri in 2010.
Past ASCS Sooner Region Feature Winners at Creek County Speedway:
9/19/09 – Zach Chappell
7/25/09 – Nick Smith
4/25/09 – Danny Wood
9/20/08 – Gary Taylor
6/7/08 – Sean McClelland
9/22/07 – Brian McClelland
5/20/06 – Sean McClelland
7/19/03 – Kevin Ramey (non-wing)
5/10/03 – Travis Rilat (non-wing)
3/22/03 – Kevin Ramey
9/28/02 – Danny Jennings
7/20/02 – Jason Martin
3/30/02 – Jamie Passmore
9/22/01 – Larry Neighbors
8/11/01 – Nick Smith
6/23/01 – J.P. Bailey
4/14/01 – Wayne Johnson
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.