By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (May 12, 2010) – After a recent rainout at Riverside, the next stop on the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series presented by K&N Filters trail is just around the corner with the Second Annual Boothill Casino Steve King Memorial at the Jetmore Motorplex in Jetmore, KS, on May 29-30.
And, while reigning series champ Shane Stewart carries a slim points lead into the weekend, it will be 20-year-old Nebraska shoe Jack Dover looking to defend his Steve King Memorial title atop the semi-banked, 3/8-mile Jetmore Motorplex dirt track in southwest Kansas.
Two full nights of action will unfold at the Second Annual Boothill Casino Steve King Memorial at the Jetmore Motorplex, with the top four finishers from the Saturday night, May 29, preliminary feature locked into the $6,000-to-win, Sunday night, May 30, Steve King Memorial championship feature event.
The Steve King Memorial at Jetmore kicks off three consecutive weekends of Lucas Oil ASCS National action with an Outlaw Motor Speedway (Muskogee, OK) – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) weekend double on June 4-5 followed up by Nebraska’s Eagle Nationals on June 11-12. The series finishes out the month of June with the Fourth Annual Daniel McMillin Memorial at Missouri’s Lake Ozark Speedway on Saturday night, June 26.
Last year, the past ASCS Midwest Region champion bested a field of 50 to top the TBJ Promotions event, holding off a late bid from “The Texan”, Gary Wright, for his second career Lucas Oil ASCS National feature win.
Dover went on to finish his out his Rookie campaign on the National circuit a solid ninth in points and is currently tenth in this year’s standings with the initial three nights of action in the books. Dover recently topped his first feature of the year by posting an ASCS Midwest Regional win at Nebraska Raceway Park’s I-80 Speedway.
The Lucas Oil Sprint Cars opened up the season with the Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals on March 19-20, with Sammy Swindell topping a 62 car field for the $6,000 triumph as Mother Nature nixed night two.
Brodix Rookie of the Year contender Matt Covington cracked Lucas Oil ASCS National victory lane for the first time in the next event at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, TX, on April 9, with 2001 series champ Zach Chappell of Talala, OK, fending off Brady Bacon and Jesse Hockett the next night at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway.
The series most recent scheduled event, the Second Annual Rock ‘N Roll 50 at Riverside Speedway in West Memphis, AR, was washed out on April 23-24 and rescheduled for October 1-2.
With the opening three nights of competition in the books, Bixby, OK, native Shane Stewart is out to the early lead in the series $60,000 championship points race on the strength of finishes of sixth, third and eighth.
The defending champ’s lead is a slight one however, with Warsaw, Missouri’s Jesse Hockett just three points back and then Liberal, KS, shoe Tony Bruce, Jr., third in points, just 13 markers off the lead pace.
Twenty-year-old Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, OK, is currently fourth, with Louisiana’s Jason Johnson rounding out the current top five. The balance of the current top ten in Lucas Oil National points includes Tennessee’s Sammy Swindell, the Oklahoma trio of Zach Chappell, Danny Wood and Matt Covington and Nebraska’s Jack Dover.
Arkansas ace Tim Crawley is just outside the top ten, with some other top series contenders including Travis Rilat, Ricky Logan, Gary Wright, Darren Long and Kenneth Walker.
Covington is out to the early lead in the Brodix Rookie of the Year chase, with other Rookie contenders including California’s Kyle Hirst and Justyn Cox, Oklahoma’s Dustin Morgan, Texas’ Channin Tankersley, Washington’s Austen Wheatley, New Mexico’s Joshua Hodges and Tennessee’s Don Young.
The Lucas Oil National Sprint Cars will be bolstered by a strong contingent of invaders including the Kansas forces defending their home turf as well as the ASCS Rocky Mountain Region contenders that open their 2010 campaign with the Jetmore double. Eighteen-year-old Jake Ossenfort of Rapid City, SD, is the reigning ASCS Rocky Mountain Region champion.
Advance tickets for the Second Annual Boothill Casino Steve King Memorial are available on-line at www.tbjpromotions.com. Weekend passes purchased in advance are just $35, a savings of $10 over tickets purchased at the gates.
The weekend will commence with an ASCS Sprint Car driver Meet and Greet on the Courthouse Square in Jetmore on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with a parade in town set for 2:30 p. m.
More information regarding the Second Annual Boothill Casino Steve King Memorial at the Jetmore Motorplex is available by contacting TBJ Promotions at 541-778-8630. The track phone is 620-225-3929.
The Series:
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters
When & Where:
Saturday night, May 29 at 7:30 p.m. – Jetmore Motorplex
Sunday night, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. – Jetmore Motorplex
Track Information:
Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt oval located 6.6 miles south of SR 156 in Jetmore, KS, on US 283. For more information, check www.tbjpromotions.com or call 541-778-8630 or 620-225-3929.
Lucas Oil ASCS Jetmore Motorplex History:
After debuting at Jetmore with a two-night stand in 2002 with Zach Chappell and Tim Crawley reaching victory lane, the series returned to the Motorplex last year for the Inaugural Steve King Memorial with Travis Rilat topping preliminary action before Jack Dover trumped the weekend’s 50-car field in the finale.
Jetmore Motorplex Lucas Oil ASCS National winners include: Zach Chappell 1, Tim Crawley 1, Jack Dover 1, Travis Rilat 1.
Jetmore Motorplex Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-Race Winners: Zach Chappell (5/25/02), Tim Crawley (5/26/02), Travis Rilat (5/23/09), Jack Dover (5/24/09).
Current Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters Points:
Top Twenty: 1. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 373, 2. Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO) 370, 3. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 360, 4. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 342, 5. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 340, 6. Sammy Swindell (Bartlett, TN) 331, 7. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 328, 8. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 318, 9. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 313, 10. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 309, 11. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 301, 12. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 300, 13. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 290, 14. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 286, 15. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 283, 16. Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM) 263, 17. Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 254, 18. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 252, 19. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 249, 20. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 240.
Brodix Rookie of the Year Points: 1. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 313, 2. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 290, 3. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 252, 4. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 240, 5. Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) 238, 6. (tie) Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA), Joshua Hodges (Tijeras, NM) and Don Young (Bartlett, TN) 195.
2010 Lucas Oil Sprint Car Feature Winners:
Zach Chappell 1, Matt Covington 1, Sammy Swindell 1.
Lucas Oil Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
May 29/30 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS)
June 4 – Outlaw Motor Speedway (Muskogee, OK)
June 5 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)
June 11/12 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE) – VERSUS/MavTV
June 26 – Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO)
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 and MavTV.
Events to be aired on VERSUS and MavTV include the following:
Event Date – Track (Location) – VERSUS Air Date & Time (All Times Eastern & Subject to Change):
March 19 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 6/6/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
March 20 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – Rained Out
June 11 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE) – 11/21/10 @ 4:00 p.m.
June 12 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE) – 11/21/10 @ 5:00 p.m.
September 25 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 11/28/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
October 1 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – TBD
October 2 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – TBD
October 28 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/5/10 @ 5:00 p.m.
October 29 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/5/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
October 30 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/19/10 @ 4:00 p.m.
The Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for 36 nights of racing action at 18 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.
In its 19th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing, the American Sprint Car Series 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 eleven different Regions throughout the nation.
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.