By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (May 2, 2011) – Devil’s Bowl Speedway, the fabled ½-mile clay oval in Mesquite, TX, is set to host the first American Sprint Car Series Regional clash of 2011 this weekend.
On Saturday night, contenders from north-Texas based The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region will tangle with their foes from the other side of the Red River, the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region, in another potential classic Devil’s Bowl tilt. It marks the first of four scheduled Red River Clash events pitting the Lone Star versus Sooner Regions in 2011.
With the Lone Star Region firing to life in 2009, the Lone Star and Sooner forces have mixed it up seven previous times with the Sooner Region arguably holding a slight edge in bragging rights. Sooner contenders have claimed three wins, Lone Star regulars have topped two features and the other two wins were claimed by National drop-ins.
Sooner winners in the Red River Clash events include Sean McClelland, Nick Smith and Kenneth Walker, while victorious Lone Star shoes have been Claud Estes and Justin Melton. Gary Wright and Jason Johnson have each dropped in for a win as well.
Saturday’s card marks the third The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star event of the season and is the opening event of the year for the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region after the scheduled April 2 event at South Coffeyville’s Mid-America Speedway was postponed by rain to May 21.
Leading the way into Saturday’s event on Texas turf is Glenpool, OK, shoe Matt Covington. Coming off a full year of Lucas Oil ASCS National competition in 2010, the 21-year-old is out to the early lead in ASCS Lone Star points and could very well be in the mix for both the Lone Star and Sooner titles.
Covington holds a 23-point edge over reigning Lone Star champion Eric Baldaccini of Keller, TX, with the balance of current top five in Lone Star points including Claud Estes, Martin Edwards and Junior Jenkins.
Tulsa’s Sean McClelland, a Red River Clash winner at Lawton last July, is the reigning American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region champion. McClelland earned his second series crown by outdistancing 2009 series champion Joe Wood, Jr., of Oklahoma City, OK, by 157 points last year. Kenneth Walker, Andy Shouse and Donnie Ray Crawford filled out the top five in 2010 points.
Gary Wright bested a field of 44 entries to take the Lone Star vs. Sooner win at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in 2009, while Kenneth Walker and Jason Johnson took Clash honors at the Bowl last June.
Both nights of action are set to go green at 8:00 p.m.
Mesquite, Texas’ high-banked, ½-mile Devil’s Bowl Speedway clay oval is 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. For more information, contact the track at 972-222-2421.
The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region is currently slated for 17 nights of competition at nine different tracks throughout Texas and into Oklahoma in 2011.
The American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region is slated for 14 nights of racing action at seven different tracks throughout Oklahoma and neighboring areas of Kansas, Texas and Missouri in 2011.
Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Devil’s Bowl Speedway:
7/24/10 – Kolt Walker (Gulf South vs. Lone Star)
6/19/10 – Kenneth Walker (Lone Star vs. Sooner)
6/18/10 – Jason Johnson (Lone Star vs. Sooner)
9/5/09 – Gary Wright (Gulf South vs. Lone Star)
5/9/09 – Gary Wright (Lone Star vs. Sooner)
9/27/08 – Justin Spoerl (Sooner)
9/1/07 – Jason Johnson (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
7/22/06 – Larry Neighbors (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
7/16/05 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
10/16/04 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
7/12/03 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
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.