By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (August 25, 2010) – It’s been a season of streaks on the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National trail in 2010.
And the man with the hot hand entering this weekend’s action at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL, on Friday and then Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway on Saturday is defending series champion Shane Stewart of Bixby, OK.
Riding a wave of three consecutive Lucas Oil ASCS National wins in a row, Stewart will try to become just the second driver in ASCS National history to make it four wins in a row in Friday night’s series debut at Tri-City Speedway.
If Stewart can successfully rack up number four in a row in what will be the 590th feature in ASCS National history, then he’ll have a shot the next night at I-30 Speedway of tying Gary Wright’s record of five wins in a row set in 2005.
Other than Wright’s ’05 run of five, there had been only nine other occasions in which a driver had picked off three National wins prior to the 2010 season. Stewart’s current run of three in a row is the fourth such streak of 2010.
After a pair of wins to close out 2009, Sammy Swindell opened the year with a Devil’s Bowl win to make it three in a row. Twenty-year-old Brady Bacon swept the Jetmore double and then added an I-30 win in June, while Jason Johnson swept Grays Harbor before picking off the Cottage Grove preliminary win.
Each of those streaks was halted at three. Rookie shoe Matt Covington ended Swindell’s victory run with a Lone Star Speedway score, Danny Wood eliminated Bacon’s sizzle with an Eagle Nationals prelim win and then Bacon stopped the Cajun from all that Ragin’ with a Cottage Grove Nationals victory.
Now, after a win at LA Raceway in La Monte, MO, and then a win in his ASCS Knoxville Nationals preliminary as well as the $10,000-to-win ASCS Knoxville Nationals, Stewart will try to park Paul Silva’s Rock Star Energy Drink No. 57 in Lucas Oil ASCS victory lane again after a podium finish in the 50th Annual Knoxville Nationals.
While Stewart carries the most momentum into the weekend’s Tri-City / I-30 double, he still trails 2008 champion Jason Johnson by 67 points in the series $60,000 championship chase.
And Johnson comes off a another strong weekend as well after sweeping through a pair of ASCS Gulf South events in southeast Texas to run his overall ASCS win total for 2010 to eleven, including four on the National trail.
Stewart and Johnson are matched in the National win column at four by only third-ranked Brady Bacon. Zach Chappell is the only other driver to post multiple wins with an April score at I-30 and then a win in Lake Ozark’s McMillin/Hockett Memorial in June. Single wins have been collected by Swindell, Covington, Wood and Brian Brown.
The Series:
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters
When & Where:
Friday night, August 27 at 7:00 p.m. – Tri-City Speedway
Saturday night, August 28 at 7:30 p.m. – I-30 Speedway
Track Information:
Tri-City Speedway (Pontoon Beach, IL) – 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt oval located off I-270 Exit 4 then 0.5 miles south on SR 203 by Granite City. For more information, contact the track at 800-617-9077 or check http://www.tricityspeedway.net/.
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. For more information, contact the track at 501-455-4567 or check http://www.i-30speedway.com/.
Lucas Oil ASCS Tri-City Speedway History:
After being rained out at Tri-City in 2009, the first page in series history at the track will be written on August 27 when Kevin and Tammy Gundaker bring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series to Tri-City Speedway for the first time. It marks just the fourth event within the state of Illinois in series history and the first since a Terry Gray triumph at Peoria in August of 1997.
Lucas Oil ASCS I-30 Speedway History:
A staple of the ASCS National Series, I-30 Speedway hosted the first official ASCS National event on May 15, 1993, with Memphis shoe Mike Ward dropping in on victory lane. Since that time, 18 different drivers have posted at least one ASCS National win in the 46 events contested at I-30.
Gary Wright has enjoyed the most success at I-30 with a dozen triumphs, with his most recent Little Rock success including Speedweek and Short Track Nationals prelim wins in 2008.
Tony Bruce, Jr., has enjoyed the most success recently at I-30 Speedway, topping the last two editions of the track’s prestigious Short Track Nationals while also capturing the 2009 leg of ASCS Speedweek, which didn’t count as an official National win. Both STN triumphs were worth $15,000 to the Liberal shoe.
Saturday marks the third and final one-night stand at I-30 Speedway leading into October’s Short Track Nationals, with Oklahoma shoes Zach Chappell (non-stop 35-lapper on April 10) and Brady Bacon (June 5) victorious in the previous two stops.
I-30 Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 12, Tim Crawley 4, Garry Lee Maier 4, Terry Gray 3, Jason Johnson 3, Wayne Johnson 3, Mike Ward 3, Tony Bruce, Jr. 2, Travis Rilat 2, Shane Stewart 2, Brady Bacon 1, Pete Butler 1, Zach Chappell 1, Ricky Logan 1, Jason Meyers 1, Eric Sandage 1, Tim Shaffer 1, Nick Smith 1.
I-30 Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-Race Winners: Mike Ward (5/15/93), Tim Crawley (6/24/93), Terry Gray (7/17/93), Garry Lee Maier (6/18/94), Garry Lee Maier (8/13/94), Terry Gray (5/20/95), Ricky Logan (6/24/95), Gary Wright (7/15/95), Mike Ward (5/18/96), Garry Lee Maier (6/15/96), Garry Lee Maier (8/3/96), Mike Ward (5/17/97), Gary Wright (6/14/97), Wayne Johnson (9/26/97), Wayne Johnson (9/27/97), Gary Wright (5/16/98), Terry Gray (6/13/98), Eric Sandage (8/25/01), Pete Butler (6/22/02), Gary Wright (7/13/02), Gary Wright (9/21/02), Gary Wright (6/21/03), Tim Crawley (7/12/03), Shane Stewart (9/6/03), Gary Wright (6/5/04), Travis Rilat (7/10/04), Gary Wright (8/28/04), Tim Crawley (6/11/05), Gary Wright (7/9/05), Travis Rilat (10/1/05), Jason Johnson (7/29/06), Jason Johnson (4/28/07), Gary Wright (7/14/07), Shane Stewart (10/25/07), Tim Shaffer (10/26/07), Jason Meyers (10/27/07), Nick Smith (4/26/08), Gary Wright (7/12/08), Gary Wright (10/23/08), Tim Crawley (10/24/08), Tony Bruce, Jr. (10/25/08), Wayne Johnson (11/5/09), Jason Johnson (11/6/09), Tony Bruce, Jr. (11/7/09), Zach Chappell (4/10/10), Brady Bacon (6/5/10).
Current Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters Points:
Top Twenty: 1. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 2,033, 2. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 1,966, 3. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 1,942, 4. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 1,881, 5. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 1,795, 6. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 1,772, 7. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 1,769, 8. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 1,722, 9. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 1,717, 10. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 1,643, 11. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 1,606, 12. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 1,430, 13. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 1,420, 14. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 1,417, 15. (tie) Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) and Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,344, 17. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 1,152, 18. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 1,099, 19. Andrew Marshala (Shawnee, OK) 823, 20. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 658.
Brodix Rookie of the Year Points: 1. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 1,717, 2. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 1,606, 3. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 1,420, 4. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 1,417, 5. (tie) Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) and Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,344.
2010 Lucas Oil Sprint Car Feature Winners:
Brady Bacon 4, Shane Stewart 4, Jason Johnson 4, Zach Chappell 2, Brian Brown 1, Matt Covington 1, Sammy Swindell 1, Danny Wood 1.
Lucas Oil Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
September 25- Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO)
October 1 – Riverside Speedway (West Memphis, AR)
October 2 – Riverside Speedway (West Memphis, AR)
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 ten different Regions throughout the nation.
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.