By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (November 22, 2010) – What better way to finish off a Thanksgiving holiday weekend than with two full nights of intense Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters racing action.
That’s exactly what happens this weekend, as the Lucas Oil ASCS National series finishes off the 2010 racing season with a first ever appearance at the ½-mile semi-banked Las Vegas Motor Speedway clay oval for the inaugural Las Vegas Sprint Car Super Nationals.
And, barring a meltdown of unprecedented proportions, Jason Johnson will emerge from the weekend with a second Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National championship, a title worth $60,000.
After another pair of top-five runs in this past weekend’s 43rd Annual Western World Championships at Tucson’s USA Raceway, “The Ragin’ Cajun” has extended his lead in the points chase to 134 markers over Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon.
A native of Eunice, LA, Johnson tops the win charts with five National triumphs and has posted 20 top-fives in 30 feature events to build his advantage. If Johnson can race into both features without use of a provisional, he will be out of Bacon’s reach.
Johnson does have three provisionals at his disposal, including one full-point provisional, should he need them, leaving Bacon’s odds of overtaking the top spot extremely slim.
While Johnson will try to add another win or two, including Saturday night’s $6,000 to win finale, to the win column as he seals the big deal, the balance of the Lucas Oil ASCS National contenders will finish the battle for the $250,000 point fund that will be distributed among the final top 15 in points. A host of other contenders, including Western World champion Donny Schatz, will try for top honors in the Las Vegas Sprint Car Super Nationals as well.
Bacon holds just a 40-point edge over 2009 Lucas Oil ASCS National champion Shane Stewart in the battle for second in points, while 20-year-old Nebraska shoe Jack Dover holds down fourth in points.
Three-time series champion Tim Crawley of Benton, AR, enters the final weekend of action with a solid grip on fifth in points, with Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS), Zach Chappell (Talala, OK), Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA), Danny Wood (Norman, OK) and Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) rounding out the current top ten.
Still with a shot at cracking the top ten is Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK), with other full-time Lucas Oil ASCS contenders including Darren Long (Elida, OH), Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK), Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) and four-time series champion Gary Wright (Hooks, TX).
With 33 nights of Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National action in the books for 2010, 17 different drivers have posted at least one feature win. While Johnson tops the charts with five victories, Bacon and Stewart are next with four wins apiece. Crawley has claimed three wins, with Dover, Chappell, Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet all winning twice. Single wins have been claimed by Bruce, Jr., Wood, Covington, Brian Brown, Johnny Herrera, Sammy Swindell, Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Steve Kinser and Jerrod Hull.
The Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series has averaged 57.1 cars per event in 2010.
Tickets for this weekend’s action are available for $25 per night. The two-day package is just $35, a savings of $15, at http://www.lvms.com/strip/tickets/las_vegas_sprint_car_super_nationals/.
The Series:
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters
When & Where – Inaugural Las Vegas Sprint Car Super Nationals:
Friday, November 26 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 27 at 6:00 p.m.
Track Information:
Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Las Vegas, NV) – ½-mile semi-banked clay oval located off I-15 Exit 54, the southeast on Speedway Boulevard. Track phone: 800-644-4444.
Lucas Oil ASCS Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
The first pages in Lucas Oil ASCS history at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be composed this weekend as the series finishes off the 2010 season with the first events in the state of Nevada in ASCS history.
Current Points:
Top Twenty: 1. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 3,509, 2. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 3,375, 3. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 3,335, 4. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 3,268, 5. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 3,154, 6. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 3,017, 7. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 2,948, 8. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 2,874, 9. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 2,839, 10. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 2,789, 11. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 2,739, 12. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 2,566, 13. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 2,513, 14. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 2,481, 15. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 2,206, 16. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 1,756, 17. Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,674, 18. Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM) 1,414, 19. Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) 1,344, 20. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 1,152.
Brodix Rookie of the Year Points: 1. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 2,874, 2. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 2,739, 3. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 2,513, 4. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 2,481, 5. Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,674.
Owner Points (Top Twenty): 1. JJR 41 – 3,509, 2. Tel-Star 99 – 3,375, 3. Silva 57 – 3,335, 4. Dover 53 – 3,268, 5. Ward 88 – 3,154, 6. Bruce Racing 18 – 3,017, 7. Chappell 50z – 2,948, 8. Perkins 6 – 2,874, 9. Hammers 94 – 2,839, 10. Logan 10a – 2,789, 11. Covington 95 – 2,739, 12. Gaerte 3g – 2,566, 13. Morgan 93 – 2,513, 14. Tankersley 71 – 2,481, 15. Brown 9x – 2,206, 16. Van Dyke 5h – 2,094, 17. Brown 21 – 1,756, 18. Herrera 45x – 1,414, 19. Wheatley 44w – 1,344, 20. Rilat 29 – 1,252.
2010 Feature Winners:
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series: Jason Johnson 5, Brady Bacon 4, Shane Stewart 4, Tim Crawley 3, Zach Chappell 2, Jack Dover 2, Donny Schatz 2, Brad Sweet 2, Brian Brown 1, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, Matt Covington 1, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 1, Johnny Herrera 1, Jerrod Hull 1, Steve Kinser 1, Sammy Swindell 1, Danny Wood 1.
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
19th Annual ASCS Awards Banquet Presented by Brodix – Sunday, December 12 at 2:00 p.m., Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa, OK.
Lucas Oil ASCS 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.
Live Internet Pay-Per-View this Weekend!
The “The Las Vegas Sprint Car Super Nationals” will be televised live via internet Pay-Per-View. Five cameras, instant replays, special video productions and announcers Toby Kruse and Chet Christner will keep you up to speed with all the action as it happens!
Go to www.SpeedwayChannel.com to order the two-day package for only $12.95 or a single day for just $9.95. It goes live at 6:00 p.m. on both nights, just before the start of the heat races.
Lucas Oil ASCS 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) – 9/4/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
June 12 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE) – 10/3/10 @ 5:00 p.m.
September 25 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 11/21/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
October 1 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – 11/28/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
October 2 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – 12/5/10 @ 5:00 p.m.
October 28 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/5/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
October 29 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/11/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
October 30 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – 12/12/10 @ 6:00 p.m.
The Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for 35 nights of racing action at 17 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.