By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (March 31, 2011) – Yet another marquee event has been added to the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National slate, as the series will invade Minnesota for the 33rd Annual Jackson Nationals on August 19-20.
It will mark the first time for the Lucas Oil ASCS National series to sanction the history-rich event atop the high-banked, ½-mile Jackson Speedway clay oval in Jackson, MN.
With the addition of the Jackson Nationals to the slate, the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series is now slated for 38 nights of competition at 15 different tracks throughout a dozen states.
The August venture to Jackson Speedway will be just the second time in Minnesota for the ASCS National forces, with Wayne Johnson winning the only previous feature event in the state at Brainerd in 2007. Paired with car owner Bryan Sundby for the balance of the Lucas Oil ASCS National slate, Johnson was a Jackson Nationals winner in 2005.
The Lucas Oil Sprint Cars have opened the 2011 season in rousing fashion with six different winners in as many events, including Kyle Larson, Tim Kaeding, Johnny Herrera, Shane Stewart, Jason Johnson and Sam Hafertepe, Jr. This comes off a 2010 season that featured 19 different winners in 35 main events, the most single-season feature winners in modern ASCS history.
With $60,000 of the $250,000 points fund earmarked for the top spot, Bixby, OK, native Shane Stewart is out to the early driver points lead with a 57-point advantage over New Mexico’s Johnny Herrera while the JJR No. 41 holds the owner points edge over Paul Silva’s No. 57 by 37 markers.
With last weekend’s 38th Annual Devil’s Bow Spring Nationals in the books, next up for the Lucas Oil Sprint Cars is a two-night stand atop Little Rock, Arkansas’ high-banked, ¼-mile I-30 Speedway red clay oval on April 15-16.
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.