By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (June 13, 2011) – Just over a month ago, the ASCS Sooner and ASCS Lone Star Regions tangled for the first of four scheduled times in the 2011 season.
This weekend, the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region and The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region will mix it up over two full nights of 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Summer Nationals action atop the storied half-mile clay oval in Mesquite, TX.
Round Two of the Red River Clash will take place Friday night at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, with Round Three to follow on Saturday night. Both full nights of action offer up $2,000 to win.
The first round of Red River Clash action pitting the Lone Star versus Sooner Regions took place at Devil’s Bowl as well on May 7 with National invader Jason Johnson besting a 38-car field. The fourth and final round of the Red River Clash is set for Lawton Speedway on July 16.
While Oklahoma shoe Matt Covington enters the weekend atop ASCS Lone Star points, he finds himself chasing Joe Wood, Jr., and Michelle Decker on the ASCS Sooner side of things.
Covington, the 21-year-old from Glenpool, OK, finished second to Johnson in the May 7 Red River Clash event at Devil’s Bowl and holds a 71-point edge over Godley’s Claud Estes in The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star points with reigning champion Eric Baldaccini of Keller, Mesquite’s Martin Edwards and Flower Mound’s Justin Melton rounding out the current top five in points.
While Covington led the Sooner points as well after a May 14 win at Lawton Speedway, 2009 series champion Wood, Jr., of Oklahoma City has surged to the top with stronger outings in the three events since that time.
Wood, Jr., holds a slim 13-point edge over Guthrie’s Michelle Decker with Covington just another six points back in third. Oklahoma City’s Andy Shouse, the Sooner co-champion in 2004 with Kevin Ramey, and Norman’s Koby Barksdale round out the current top five in American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner points.
Jason Johnson has ranked as the only repeat winner in Lone Star action thus far in 2011 with two wins. Others posting wins include Gary Taylor, Gary Wright, Kevin Ramey and Michael Lang.
While there have been five winners in six Lone Star events, it’s been five winners in five Sooner events thus far with winners including Jason Johnson, Covington, Jack Dover, Brady Bacon and Sean McClelland.
Kenneth Walker and Jason Johnson took Clash honors at last year’s Devil’s Bowl Summer Nationals.
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 15 nights of competition at eight 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:
5/7/11 – Jason Johnson (Lone Star vs. Sooner)
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.