Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (July 25, 2011) – Texas is a place that has been known to have a few showdowns over the years. So, it’s only fitting the ASCS Gulf South and ASCS Lone Star Regions square off at a pair of Texas ovals this Friday and Saturday.
On Friday night, the Gulf South vs. Lone Star battle erupts atop the high-banked, ¼-mile Heart O’ Texas Speedway clay oval in Waco. Then, on Saturday night, it’s off to the storied ½-mile Devil’s Bowl Speedway clay oval near Dallas in Mesquite, TX. Both events offer up $2,000 to win.
Leading the way into the weekend double are Fort Worth’s George White and Glenpool, Oklahoma’s Matt Covington. White leads the Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South title chase while Covington is atop The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star point charts.
While Covington maintains a 62-point lead over defending Lone Star champ Eric Baldaccini after this past weekend’s Lone Star double, White’s lead over two-time and defending Gulf South king Ray Allen Kulhanek is as slight as it gets at just two points.
With White and Kulhanek separated by just two points in the Gulf South title chase, Tommy Bryant is still within striking distance in third, just 53 points off the lead pace. Kulhanek topped last year’s Gulf South vs. Lone Star event at Heart O’ Texas while Bryant took the 2009 edition.
Chris Sweeney and Channin Tankersley round out the current Gulf South top five with other top series shoes expected for the weekend including Travis Elliott, two-time champion Brandon Berryman, Greg Rilat, Beau Smith and 2006 champion Gary Watson among others.
Sooner State shoe Covington and Baldaccini of Keller, TX, lead the Lone Star forces into the weekend with other top north Texas contenders including Claud Estes, Michael Lang, Justin Melton, John Ricketts, Robert Byrom and Martin Edwards.
Waco’s Heart O’ Texas Speedway has hosted both the Gulf South and Lone Star series this year, with Aaron Reutzel topping the Gulf South card in April and then Kevin Ramey a Lone Star winner in June.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway has hosted three Lone Star vs. Sooner nights along with the recent Lone Star card won by Danny Wood on July 9.
Friday’s racing action at Heart O’ Texas Speedway is set to go green at 8:00 p.m., with Saturday’s tilt at Devi’s Bowl Speedway firing off at 8:00 p.m. as well
The high-banked, 1/4-mile Heart O’ Texas Speedway clay oval is located in Waco, TX, off I-35 Exit 343, then 0.6 miles north on east frontage road. For more information, contact the track at 254-829-2294.
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 Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region is slated for 28 nights of racing action at eleven different tracks throughout Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi in 2011.
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.
Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Heart O’ Texas Speedway:
6/10/11 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
4/1/11 – Aaron Reutzel (Gulf South)
7/23/10 – Ray Allen Kulhanek (Gulf South vs. Lone Star)
5/14/10 – Brandon Berryman (Gulf South)
4/16/10 – Wayne Johnson (Lone Star)
7/31/09 – Tommy Bryant (Gulf South vs. Lone Star)
6/5/09 – Trey Robb (Gulf South)
4/3/09 – Skip Wilson (Lone Star)
8/22/08 – Greg Rilat (Gulf South)
5/25/08 – Ryan Hall (Gulf South)
9/14/07 – Kevin Ramey (Sooner)
8/31/07 – Brandon Berryman (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
9/15/06 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South)
7/21/06 – Jason Johnson (Gulf South vs. Sooner Region)
10/15/04 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South)
9/17/04 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South)
6/18/04 – Claud Estes (Gulf South)
Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Devil’s Bowl Speedway:
7/9/11 – Danny Wood (Lone Star)
6/18/11 – Joe Wood, Jr. (Lone Star vs. Sooner)
6/17/11 – Tony Bruce, Jr. (Lone Star vs. Sooner)
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.