By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (April 21, 2010) – Two weekends of traditional Sprint Car racing in Texas and Arkansas are just around the corner for the Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless Series.
And when wingless, 410-ci Sprint Cars hit the high-banked, ¼-mile I-30 Speedway clay oval in Little Rock, AR, on Saturday night, May 8, for the first time in over a quarter of a century, some extra dollars will be up for grabs in the form of the TNT Front Row Challenge.
I-30 Speedway promoter Tracey Clay has offered to double the winner’s share from $3,000 to $6,000 for the driver that is up to the challenge of racing from the tail of the field to Sprint Bandits TNT glory.
The driver that earns the pole position for the Sprint Bandits TNT feature event through heat race and qualifying race action will be offered the opportunity to take the I-30 Speedway TNT Front Row Challenge.
If that driver accepts the challenge and then successfully races from the tail of the field to take the victory, it will be a feat worth $6,000 rather than the standard $3,000 winner’s take. At the very worst, the driver will collect a minimum of $700, which includes a $400 bonus over the standard $300 feature start money. A full TNT feature field of 22 starters must take to the track with the Challenged driver starting 22nd for the potential bonus to be in effect.
Should the driver that earns the pole position decline the offer, the I-30 Speedway TNT Front Row Challenge will then be extended to the driver that earns the front row outside starting position.
The I-30 Speedway event on May 8 will put the caps on two weekends of Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT competition. The series kicks off on Friday night, April 30, at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, TX, before moving on to Baytown’s Houston Raceway Park the following night, May 1.
From there, it’s on to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, on Friday night, May 7, before taking to Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway on Saturday night, May 8, for the TNT Front Row Challenge.
All four events offer up a $3,000 winner’s share with $300 to start. A $500 bonus is also offered for the top finishing competitor powered by a 360-ci engine at each of the events at Golden Triangle, Houston Raceway Park, Devil’s Bowl and I-30 Speedway.
While Beaumont’s Golden Triangle Raceway Park and Baytown’s Houston Raceway Park are both regular stops on the ASCS Gulf South Regional tour, neither track has ever hosted the likes of traditional 410-ci Sprint Cars.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway last hosted wingless Sprint Car racing in May of 1988 with Ron Shuman reaching victory lane, while records indicate the last wingless 410-ci Sprint Car event contested at I-30 Speedway took place in 1981.
Defending TNT champ Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, OK, leads the way into the pair of weekend doubles with past TNT champions Jesse Hockett of Warsaw, MO, and Robert Ballou of Rocklin, CA, in the mix as well along with the likes of Casey Shuman, Zach Chappell, Travis Rilat, Channin Tankersley and many more.
A Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT points fund totaling $1,000 per event will be distributed among the series top teams at the end of the season. The top ten in series points will also receive $300 tow money per event.
In addition to the upcoming events at Golden Triangle, Houston Raceway Park, Devil’s Bowl and I-30, the series has a June 18-19 weekend set for Creek County Speedway and Lucas Oil Speedway along with the traditional six-race slate of events from August 15-21 throughout Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas.
The Series:
Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless (TNT)
When & Where:
Friday night, April 30 at 8:00 p.m. – Golden Triangle Raceway Park
Saturday night, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. – Houston Raceway Park
Friday night, May 7 at 8:00 p.m. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Saturday night, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. – I-30 Speedway ($6,000 possible to win TNT Front Row Challenge)
Track Information:
Golden Triangle Raceway Park (Beaumont, TX) – ¼-mile high-banked gumbo clay oval located 9.5 miles west of I-10 on US 90 near Beaumont, TX. Track phone: 409-752-7200.
Houston Raceway Park (Baytown, TX) – ¼-mile high-banked dirt oval located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then south to FM 565, then west to the speedway entrance at Gate 3. Track phone: 281-383-7223.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – ½-mile, high-banked clay oval located six miles east of Dallas’ I-635 on I-20, then three miles north on Lawson Road. Lawson Road north of the track (and south off of US 80) has been closed for repair, so fans and racers are urged to use I-20 and then go north on Lawson. Track phone: 972-222-2421.
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. Track phone: 501-455-4567.
Past Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT Champions:
2005 – Levi Jones
2006 – Jesse Hockett
2007 – Robert Ballou and Tim Kaeding
2008 – Dave Darland
2009 – Brady Bacon
Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT Career Feature Wins:
Brady Bacon 6, Robert Ballou 6, Levi Jones 5, Cory Kruseman 3, Dave Darland 2, Jesse Hockett 2, Brady Short 2, Jerry Coons, Jr. 1, Dickie Gaines 1, Darren Hagen 1, Bud Kaeding 1, Brad Sweet 1, Chris Windom 1.
Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT on the Web:
Those unable to catch all the action in person can listen to every Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT event live at www.racinboys.com.
Official results, championship point updates, photos and race notes will be available at www.sprintbandits.com.
Additional information regarding the Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless series is available at www.sprintbandits.com.