By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (May 16, 2011) – After the originally scheduled American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region season opener at Mid-America Speedway was rained out on April 2, the series tries again atop the semi-banked, 3/10-mile dirt oval in South Coffeyville, OK, this Saturday night.
Saturday’s card at Mid-America Speedway marks the first of two scheduled events at South Coffeyville and the third Sooner card of the year after events the past two Saturday nights.
Out to the early Sooner lead is 21-year-old Matt Covington of Glenpool, OK, who topped this past weekend’s main event at Lawton Speedway after finishing second to Jason Johnson in the season opener one week earlier versus the Lone Star forces at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Covington is out to a 40-point lead over Texas shoe Claud Estes, with 2004 co-champion Andy Shouse (Oklahoma City, OK), 2009 champion Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK) and Guthrie’s Michelle Decker rounding out the current top five in points.
The balance of the current top ten in points includes a trio of rookie contenders, Brady Demeree (Skiatook), Koby Barksdale (Norman) and Rick Wright, Jr. (San Jose, CA), along with Michael Brown (Lawton) and Donnie Ray Crawford (Broken Arrow).
After an absence of two years, the ASCS Sooner Region returned to Mid-America Speedway last September with Sean McClelland racking up the 12th of 13 career ASCS Sooner Region feature wins en route to a second series championship. McClelland outlasted Broken Arrow’s Nick Smith for last year’s Mid-America score, with Missouri’s Kyle Bellm claiming the show position.
In eleven previous ASCS Sooner Region events at Mid-America Speedway, Nick Smith is one of two drivers along with Garry Lee Maier to post a pair of wins. Both of Smith’s Mid-America wins came in 2006.
Saturday’s action at Mid-America Speedway fires off at 7:00 p.m.
Mid-America Speedway is located one mile south of the Oklahoma-Kansas state line on US 169, then 0.7 miles west. For more information, contact the track at 918-766-6960.
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 Sooner Region Feature Winners at Mid-America Speedway:
9/11/10 – Sean McClelland
5/3/08 – Gary Taylor
10/6/07 – Brian Brown
10/5/07 – Brian McClelland
6/9/07 – Kevin Ramey
4/21/07 – Garry Lee Maier
4/20/07 – Garry Lee Maier
10/7/06 – Nick Smith
9/16/06 – Nick Smith
5/13/06 – Sam Hafertepe, Jr.
10/15/05 – Travis Rilat
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.