By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (March 21, 2011) – Spring is in the air. And, for several decades now, the first throttle cracks atop the storied ½-mile Devil’s Bowl Speedway clay oval in Mesquite, TX, have signified the official arrival of the upcoming racing season.
This year is no different, as the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series takes to the hallowed circle of clay near Dallas for the 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals this Friday and Saturday, with Saturday night’s Spring Nationals champion pocketing the $6,000 winner’s share.
The weekend double will mark rounds five and six of the 2011 championship chase for the Lucas Oil Sprint Cars after early openers in California and Arizona last month that featured four different winners in as many races, including Kyle Larson, Tim Kaeding, Johnny Herrera and Shane Stewart.
Stewart, who topped the Copper on Dirt finale at Tucson’s USA Raceway aboard Paul Silva’s Wesmar-powered Rockstar Energy Drink No. 57 A.R.T., enters this weekend’s Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals atop the early driver’s points chart.
A native of Bixby, OK, Stewart opened his 2009 Lucas Oil Sprint Car championship run with a win in the Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals preliminary feature. It was a triumph that ultimately launched Stewart and Silva to the $60,000 series championship, an amount among the $250,000 points fund that remains in place for the 2011 season.
While Stewart holds a 27-point edge over New Mexico’s Johnny Herrera in the driver’s title chase, reigning series champion Jason Johnson sits atop the owner points in an unusual twist to open the 2011 season.
With “The Ragin’ Cajun” in Australia to finish off the World Series Sprintcar owner’s championship for Alan Haynes, hotshoes Kyle Larson and Jack Dover filled in last month aboard the JJR No. 41 entry in California and Arizona, respectively, with the No. 41 emerging atop the owner points by just seven markers over Silva’s No. 57 piloted by Stewart. With the $60,000 first-place share split with $30,000 to the top driver and $30,000 to the top owner as in years past, 2011 could potentially be the first time the $60,000 championship has been split among differing owner/driver combinations.
Absent from the initial four events due to his Australian commitments, Johnson will be back aboard the JJR No. 41 this weekend as he tries to add a second Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals championship after besting a 67-car field in 2009. Johnson also topped the Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals in 2007.
Nebraska’s Jack Dover, the reigning Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals champion, is expected to be back aboard the familiar 3D Auto Transport No. 53 this weekend after filling in aboard the JJR No. 41 for runner-up honors at last month’s Copper on Dirt.
Also back after missing the initial four events of the season and the last half of 2010 is Travis Rilat, whose first start since suffering critical burns in a shop accident last July netted a runner-up finish in the ASCS Lone Star season opener on March 12. Rilat, the 2003 ASCS National champion, topped the 2006 edition of the Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals.
Stewart holds an early edge in the Lucas Oil Sprint Car title chase over veteran contenders Herrera and Jeff Swindell (Bartlett, TN), with three-time series champion Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) and 23-year-old Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA) rounding out the current top five.
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon is currently sixth in points, with other title contenders including leading Brodix Rookie of the Year contender Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX), four-time series champion Gary Wright (Hooks, TX), Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS), Mason Moore (Princeton, CA), Logan Forler (Eatonville, WA), Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) and Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK).
Sammy Swindell bested a field of 62 entries to win last year’s Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals that was shortened to one night due to winter weather activity, with other recent Spring Nationals winners including Jason Johnson (2009), Gary Wright (2008), Jake Peters (2007) and Kevin Ramey (2006).
A similar field is expected this weekend as Sprint Car teams from throughout the nation converge upon the famed Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
The Series:
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters
When & Where:
Friday night, March 25 at 8:00 p.m. – 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals
Saturday night, March 26 at 8:00 p.m. – 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals
Track Information:
Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – ½-mile, high-banked clay oval located six miles east of Dallas’ I-635 on I-20, then three miles north on Lawson Road. Lawson Road north of the track (and south off of US 80) has been closed for repair, so fans and racers are urged to use I-20 and then go north on Lawson. Track phone: 972-222-2421.
Lucas Oil ASCS Devil’s Bowl History:
Devil’s Bowl Speedway has been hosting the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series since 1994, with 21 different drivers scoring at least one victory in 63 feature events. Gary Wright has claimed 20 of his 126 career Lucas Oil National Sprint Car wins at Devil’s Bowl, including a Spring Nationals triumph in 2008.
Only Jason Johnson has posted multiple series wins over the past two seasons at Devil’s Bowl with two wins in seven tries including a score in last October’s Winter Nationals preliminary. Other winners over the past two seasons at Devil’s Bowl include Jack Dover, Sammy Swindell, Kevin Ramey, Gary Wright and Shane Stewart.
Sammy Swindell dominated last year’s weather-shortened one-night edition of the Spring Nationals after successive years in which Tony Bruce, Jr., gave up the lead on the final lap to Gary Wright in 2008 and then Jason Johnson in 2009.
Devil’s Bowl Lucas Oil ASCS winners include: Gary Wright 20, Jason Johnson 8, Wayne Johnson 4, Kevin Ramey 4, Danny Jennings 3, Sammy Swindell 3, Shane Carson 2, Terry Gray 2, Garry Lee Maier 2, Mike Peters 2, Travis Rilat 2, Shane Stewart 2, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, Tim Crawley 1, Jack Dover 1, Edd French 1, Johnny Herrera 1, Larry Neighbors 1, Alan Payne 1, Jake Peters 1, Mike Ward 1.
Devil’s Bowl Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-race Winners: Shane Carson (6/21/94), Alan Payne (5/12/95), Mike Ward (7/23/95), Mike Peters (9/1/95), Sammy Swindell (9/2/95), Sammy Swindell (9/3/95), Wayne Johnson (6/18/96), Terry Gray (7/6/96), Terry Gray (11/1/96), Johnny Herrera (11/2/96), Shane Carson (4/5/97), Wayne Johnson (6/18/97), Edd French (10/31/97), Mike Peters (11/1/97), Gary Wright (6/19/98), Gary Wright (10/3/98), Garry Lee Maier (10/4/98), Gary Wright (7/8/99), Garry Lee Maier (7/30/99), Gary Wright (10/1/99), Gary Wright (10/2/99), Gary Wright (7/21/00), Gary Wright (10/6/00), Larry Neighbors (4/20/01), Gary Wright (7/20/01), Gary Wright (10/6/01), Travis Rilat (4/19/02), Jason Johnson (6/7/02), Wayne Johnson (10/4/02), Gary Wright (10/5/02), Kevin Ramey (4/18/03), Tim Crawley (10/17/03), Gary Wright (10/18/03), Shane Stewart (10/23/04), Danny Jennings (3/18/05), Danny Jennings (3/19/05), Danny Jennings (6/9/05), Gary Wright (10/21/05), Gary Wright (10/22/05), Kevin Ramey (6/24/06 – Spring Nationals makeup feature), Kevin Ramey (6/24/06 – Summer Nationals), Gary Wright (7/13/06), Jason Johnson (10/13/06), Travis Rilat (10/14/06), Wayne Johnson (3/16/07), Jake Peters (3/17/07), Gary Wright (5/12/07), Gary Wright (7/19/07), Jason Johnson (10/12/07), Jason Johnson (10/13/07), Tony Bruce, Jr. (3/14/08), Gary Wright (3/15/08), Jason Johnson (5/10/08), Gary Wright (7/17/08), Jason Johnson (10/17/08), Gary Wright (10/18/08), Shane Stewart (3/20/09), Jason Johnson (3/21/09), Gary Wright (10/17/09), Kevin Ramey (10/19/09), Sammy Swindell (3/19/10), Jason Johnson (10/15/10), Jack Dover (10/16/10).
Current 2011 Points:
Top 15 Driver Points: 1. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 545, 2. Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM) 518, 3. Jeff Swindell (Bartlett, TN) 475, 4. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 455, 5. Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA) 448, 6. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 431, 7. Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX) 421, 8. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 418, 9. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 398, 10. (tie) Trey Starks (Puyallup, WA) and Mason Moore (Princeton, CA) 391, 12. Zach Zimmerly (West Linn, OR) 371, 13. Logan Forler (Eatonville, WA) 365, 14. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 349, 15. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 347.
Top 15 Owner Points: 1. Jason Johnson Racing #41 – 552, 2. Paul Silva #57 – 545, 3. Herrera/Main #45x – 518, 4. Swindell Group #28 – 475, 5. Mike Ward #88 – 455, 6. Petersen Motorsports #23 – 448, 7. Brady Bacon Racing/Tel-Star #99 – 431, 8. Kenny Reutzel #87 – 421, 9. Cooper/Sperry #01/51 – 418, 10. Bruce Racing #18 – 398, 11. (tie) Harley Van Dyke #5h and Terry Starks #55 – 391, 13. Steve Forler #2L – 365, 14. Randy Washburn #0 – 349, 15. M&M Motorsports #2 – 347.
2011 Feature Winners:
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series: Johnny Herrera 1, Tim Kaeding 1, Kyle Larson 1, Shane Stewart 1.
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:
April 15 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)
April 16 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)
May 6 – Tri-City Speedway (Pontoon Beach, IL)
May 7 – Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, 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 37 nights of racing action at 16 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.
The 2011 season marks the 20th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series, with approximately 200 nights of competition at tracks throughout the nation and into 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.