By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (June 14, 2010) – It’s time to get topless again, as the Lucas Oil Sprint Bandit Tour ‘N Topless series fires back to action with a pair of events in Oklahoma and Missouri this weekend.
On Friday night, the TNT forces mix it up atop the cozy confines of Creek County Speedway near Tulsa in Kellyville, OK, before moving on to “The Diamond of Dirt Tracks”, Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO, on Saturday night.
Leading the way into the weekend is Forney, TX, shoe Travis Rilat, who is the series virtual points leader with the initial three TNT events of the 2010 season in the books.
Rilat leads a stout cast of contenders into the weekend double that is expected to include the likes of Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK), Robert Ballou (Rocklin, CA), Casey Shuman (Tempe, AZ), Zach Chappell (Talala, OK), Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK), Matt Sherrell (Owasso, OK) and J.C. Bland (Springfield, IL) among others.
Both events offer up a $3,000 winner’s share with a minimum of $300 to start the feature event.
As was the case with the opening three events of the year, a $500 bonus will be in effect for the top-finishing 360-ci powered competitor each night.
After a rainout in Beaumont on April 30, Robert Ballou blasted from the tail of the field to nip Jesse Hockett by inches at the line in the May 1 season opener at Houston Raceway Park.
The following weekend, Rilat raced to victory lane on May 7 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, with Tim Crawley defending his home I-30 Speedway turn in Little Rock, AR, the following night with a 360-ci engine besting the 410-ci forces.
Both tracks have hosted a pair of Sprint Bandits TNT events in recent years, with Ballou (2007) and Bacon (2008) claiming Creek County wins and Dickie Gaines (2006) and Ballou (2008) taking TNT honors at Lucas Oil Speeday.
Friday’s action at Creek County Speedway fires off at 7:00 p.m., with Saturday’s card at Lucas Oil Speedway going green at 7:05 p.m.
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.
Lucas Oil Speedway is located in Wheatland, MO, 0.2 miles south of US 54 on SR 83. For more information, contact the track at 417-282-5984.
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:
Robert Ballou 7, Brady Bacon 6, Levi Jones 5, Cory Kruseman 3, Dave Darland 2, Jesse Hockett 2, Brady Short 2, Jerry Coons, Jr. 1, Tim Crawley 1, Dickie Gaines 1, Darren Hagen 1, Bud Kaeding 1, Travis Rilat 1, Brad Sweet 1, Chris Windom 1.
Current Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT Points:
Top Ten: 1. Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO) 412, 2. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 410, 3. Ray Allen Kulhanek (Montgomery, TX) 377, 4. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 375, 5. Robert Ballou (Rocklin, CA) 365, 6. Casey Shuman (Tempe, AZ) 355, 7. Matt Sherrell (Owasso, OK) 353, 8. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 341, 9. J.C. Bland (Springfield, IL) 339, 10. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 328.
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