By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (January 26, 2011) – The American Sprint Car Series kicks off its 20th year of competition in just two short weeks. And, it will be in unique fashion, as the series will bring its National forces to California for the first time before moving on to Arizona for the Fifth Annual Copper on Dirt.
The Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series kicks off the 2011 season on Wednesday night, February 9, at the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, CA, before moving on to Hanford’s Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway on Saturday night, February 12.
The following weekend, the fan-favorite ASCS National touring series moves on to Tucson’s USA Raceway on February 18-19 for the Fifth Annual Copper on Dirt that will also include Midgets, Late Models and Modifieds.
All four opening events will be taped for later broadcast on the VERSUS network, the initial four of approximately ten one-hour episodes featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series.
Coming off a 2010 season in which the Lucas Oil ASCS National series averaged more than 57 competitors per event and 19 different feature winners, the upcoming season-opening events in California and Arizona mark the first of 39 currently scheduled nights of competition throughout the action.
And, the cast of characters vying for the $60,000 championship share among the $250,000 points fund will once again be tougher than nails.
Louisiana’s Jason Johnson, coming off a second ASCS National title in 2010, and the JJR No. 41 team will try to defend the top spot while Oklahoma native Shane Stewart and Cali car owner Paul Silva try to put the Rockstar No. 57 back in first after a ranking of third in 2010.
While the Johnson-Stewart rivalry builds after swapping Lucas Oil titles over the past two season, the young duo (both 21 within the next couple of weeks) of Brady Bacon and Jack Dover both look to unseat the established champion. Oklahoma’s Bacon netted a runner-up ranking in his first full winged campaign on the road in 2010, while Nebraska’s Dover overcame a pair of mid-season setbacks to rally for a fourth-place ranking.
Three more past National champs are ready for another run including Tim Crawley, Gary Wright and Zach Chappell. Crawley and the Mike Ward Racing No. 88 pick up Lucas Oil sponsorship since fellow Little Rock native Ricky Logan has cut back on travelling plans, Wright hooks up with Missouri’s Donnie Cooper again and Chappell teams with the Kansas-based Washburn No. 0 for a 2011 title assault.
Also back on the Lucas Oil ASCS trail for 2011 are two-time Short Track Nationals champ Tony Bruce, Jr., of Liberal, KS, and the Oklahoma-based pair of series sophomores Matt Covington and Dustin Morgan. Veteran contender Danny Wood also will be back in action, though his California presence is in question (much like Dover) pending the readiness of truck and trailer for the early road trip.
Another pair of established Sprint Car stars are set for the full Lucas Oil ASCS National slate in 2011 as well, including Memphis’ Jeff Swindell and New Mexico’s Johnny Herrera. Swindell returns to the road for the first time in several years after winning the Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis) title in 2010, with Herrera looking to add Lucas Oil ASCS title honors to a 2009 Knoxville Raceway track championship.
Washington’s Seth Bergman, a Lucas Oil ASCS full-timer in 2009, takes to the road again after winning the Grays Harbor track championship last year, with fellow Washington native Logan Forler taking aim on Brodix Rookie of the Year honors.
Colorado’s Chad Corken will also reportedly be back on the trail after following the full circuit in 2009 with several others weighing National possibilities pending early returns from California and Arizona.
The Series:
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters
When & Where:
Wednesday night, February 9 – Thunderbowl Raceway
Saturday night, February 12 – Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway
Friday night, February 18 at 6:00 p.m. – Fifth Annual Copper on Dirt at USA Raceway
Saturday night, February 19 at 6:00 p.m. – Fifth Annual Copper on Dirt at USA Raceway
Track Information:
Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, CA) – 1/3-mile, high-banked clay oval located off SR 99 to Exit 86, then 0.5 miles west on Bardsley Avenue to gate 14. Track phone: 559-688-0909.
Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway (Hanford, CA) – 3/8-mile, high-banked clay oval located south of SR 198 on 10th Avenue to the Fairgrounds. Track phone: 559-584-7223.
USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) – 3/8-mile, clay oval located east of Tucson off I-10 Exit 268, then 1.6 mile south on Craycroft Road, which turns into Los Reales. Track phone: 520-574-8515.
Lucas Oil ASCS Thunderbowl Raceway & Kings Speedway History:
The February 9 event at Thunderbowl Raceway and the February 12 card at Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway will mark the first Lucas Oil ASCS National events to ever be contested within the Golden State. With the Thunderbowl and Kings events, California will become the 27th different state to host an ASCS National event since the series inception in 1992. Both Thunderbowl Raceway and Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway will be staples on the newly-formed ASCS Southern California Region.
Lucas Oil ASCS USA Raceway History:
The Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series broke ground in Arizona with the 2009 running of the Western World Championships at USA Raceway, a blockbuster event that gained momentum in 2010. February’s Fifth Annual Copper on Dirt at USA Raceway will mark the first appearance of the Lucas Oil ASCS winged Sprint Cars at the event that also features Midgets, Late Models and Modifieds.
USA Raceway Lucas Oil ASCS winners include: Donny Schatz 2, Sammy Swindell 2, Johnny Herrera 1, Tim Kaeding 1.
USA Raceway Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-race Winners: Sammy Swindell (11/19/09), Tim Kaeding (11/20/09), Sammy Swindell (11/21/09), Donny Schatz (11/18/10), Johnny Herrera (11/19/10), Donny Schatz (11/20/10).
Final 2010 Points:
Top Twenty: 1. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 3,698, 2. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 3,569, 3. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 3,564, 4. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 3,533, 5. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 3,318, 6. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 3,188, 7. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 3,078, 8. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 3,004, 9. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 2,958, 10. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 2,939, 11. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 2,904, 12. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 2,813, 13. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 2,702, 14. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 2,596, 15. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 2,357, 16. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 2,040, 17. Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,804, 18. Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM) 1,590, 19. Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) 1,344, 20. Sammy Swindell (Bartlett, TN) 1,329.
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, Joey Saldana 1, Tony Stewart 1, Sammy Swindell 1, Danny Wood 1.
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
March 25 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX); 38th Annual Spring Nationals
March 26 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX); 38th Annual Spring Nationals
April 15 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)
April 16 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)
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.
Official results, championship point updates, photos and race notes will be available at www.ascsracing.com.
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.
The full schedule of events to be aired on VERSUS and broadcast dates will be released soon.
The events from Thunderbowl Raceway, Kings Speedway and USA Raceway will be aired as follows;
Thunderbowl Raceway (Feb. 9) – 4/16/11 @ 6:00 p.m. ET
Kings Speedway (Feb. 12) – 4/23/11 @ 6:00 p.m. ET
USA Raceway (Feb. 18) – 5/1/11 @ 6:00 p.m. ET
USA Raceway (Feb. 19) – 5/14/11 @ 6:00 p.m. ET
The Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for 39 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 20th 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.