From Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (May 23, 2011) โ The Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region gets an early start on the Memorial Day weekend racing festivities with a pair of events in Nebraska this Thursday and Friday.
On Thursday, the Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region takes to Nebraska Raceway Parkโs I-80 Speedway in Greenwood. Then, on Friday night, itโs on to McCool Junctionโs Junction Motor Speedway.
Thursdayโs card offers up a $2,000-to-win first-place purse, while Fridayโs tilt at McCool Junction is a $3,000-to-win affair provided that the winner competed at I-80 on Thursday night as well. If Fridayโs winner was not in action Thursday, the winnerโs cut will be $1,500.
This weekendโs double marks the second pair of events for the Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region after opening with a two-night stand at I-80 Speedway on April 8-9. A pair of events at Eagle Raceway the following weekend fell victim to inclement weather.
While Washingtonโs Seth Bergman picked off the April 8 win at I-80, it was Missouriโs Brian Brown topping the next night atop the 4/10-mile, semi-banked dirt oval and escaping the weekend with the early Midwest points lead.
Brown, a frequent Greenwood winner with eight ASCS Midwest scores at I-80, has a 17-point advantage over Bergman in the Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest points chase with Oklahomaโs Wayne Johnson and the Nebraska duo of Don Droud, Jr., and Jack Dover rounding out the current top five. The rest of the current top ten includes Tony Bruce, Jr., Gregg Bakker, Ryan Anderson, Lee Grosz and Logan Forler.
While Brown has been the most frequent ASCS Midwest winner at I-80, he also ranks as the only driver to post multiple series visits to victory lane at the semi-banked, 3/8-mile Junction Motor Speedway dirt oval, though itโs been nearly three years since his last McCool Junction glory.
Oklahomaโs Shane Stewart, the 2009 Lucas Oil ASCS National champion and this yearโs National points leader, topped last yearโs Memorial Day weekend event at I-80 while Aurora, Nebraskaโs Ryan Roberts took top honors at Junction Motor Speedway.
Thursdayโs action at I-80 Speedway fires off at 7:00 p.m., with Fridayโs green flag at Junction Motor Speedway also flying at 7:00 p.m.
Nebraska Raceway Park’s I-80 Speedway is located in Greenwood, NE, between Lincoln and Omaha off I-80 Exit 420, then 0.4 mile north on SR 63 then west. For more information, contact the track at 402-659-3301 or 402-342-3453.
Junction Motor Speedway is located 5.6 miles south of York, NE, off I-80 Exit 353 on US 81, then 0.3 miles west on CR 4. For more information, contact the track at 402-773-5538 or on race day only at 402-724-3100.
The Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region is slated for 22 nights of competition at a seven throughout Nebraska and the surrounding areas of Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.
Past ASCS Midwest Regional Winners at I-80 Speedway:
4/9/11 โ Brian Brown
4/8/11 โ Seth Bergman
9/24/10 โ Billy Alley
9/3/10 โ Brian Brown
7/2/10 โ Brian Brown
5/27/10 โ Shane Stewart
4/17/10 โ Jack Dover
4/16/10 โ Dustin Morgan
7/2/09 โ Brian Brown
5/21/09 โ Chad Humston
4/11/09 โ Jonathan Cornell
4/10/09 โ Billy Alley
8/14/07 โ Jack Dover
4/15/07 โ Chuck Swenson (Midwest vs. Northern Plains)
4/14/07 โ Brian Brown (Midwest vs. Northern Plains)
8/15/06 โ Billy Alley
7/3/06 โ Jake Peters (Midwest vs. Northern Plains)
4/8/06 โ Brian Brown (Midwest vs. Northern Plains)
8/3/05 โ Brian Brown (Midwest vs. National)
7/8/05 โ Brian Brown
4/15/05 โ Terry McCarl
Past ASCS Midwest Region Winners at Junction Motor Speedway:
9/11/10 โ Jason Johnson
7/1/10 โ Chad Humston
5/28/10 โ Ryan Roberts
5/22/09 โ Shane Stewart
6/27/08 โ Brian Brown
6/29/07 โ Brian Brown
5/25/07 โ Garry Lee Maier
6/30/06 โ Brian Brown
5/26/06 โ Jake Peters
5/27/05 โ Jason Danley
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.