By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (May 17, 2010) – Indiana is a noted haven of non-wing Sprint Car racing. Fans in the Hoosier State get the opportunity to mix things up this Friday night though, as the winged forces of the Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt presented by ARP take to Gas City I-69 Speedway.
Friday’s card atop the semi-banked, ¼-mile clay oval marks the return of the ASCS SOD tour to Gas City for the first time since 1999 and the first series stop in Indiana since a Crown Point outing in 2005.
After capturing his 65th career ASCS Sprints on Dirt feature win in the recent season opener at Michigan’s Crystal Motor Speedway, two-time series champ Dustin Daggett of Grand Ledge, MI, leads the way into the weekend as he tries to move a step closer to Hank Lower’s all-time SOD-best win total of 71.
Daggett is out to the early series lead over Lucas Oil ASCS National contender Darren Long of Elida, OH, with Joe Bares (Traverse City, MI), Gregg Dalman (Bellevue, MI) and two-time and defending series champion Brett Mann (Goshen, IN) rounding out the current top five.
The balance of the current top ten in ASCS Sprints on Dirt points includes Ben Rutan (Jerome, MI), Mike Daggett (Portland, MI), Andy Teunessen (Hastings, MI), Tim Champlin (Muir, MI) and Ryan Ruhl (Mt. Pleasant, MI).
The SOD series last took to Gas City I-69 Speedway in September of 1999 with Mark Broughman capturing the second of his two career series feature wins.
Friday’s Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt presented by ARP action at Gas City I-69 Speedway is set to get under way at 7:30 p.m.
Indiana’s Gas City I-69 Speedway is located off I-69 Exit 59, then 0.8 miles west on SR 22. For more information, contact the track at 765-674-6135 or 765-384-7285.
The Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt presented by ARP is in its 31st season of competition. Twenty-seven races are on the calendar scheduled throughout Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario.
The American Sprint Car Series, in its 19th 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, ASCS also consists of ten different regions throughout the nation.
Past ASCS Sprints on Dirt Feature Winners at Gas City I-69 Speedway:
9/24/99 – Mark Broughman
9/25/98 – Mike Ling
6/6/98 – Mark Long
9/26/97 – Phil Gressman
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.