By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (August 15, 2011) – The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star title belt is perilously close to being taken across the Red River into Oklahoma territory, as Matt Covington has the series championship within his sights.
The 21-year-old from Glenpool, OK, can move one step closer to the ASCS Lone Star title when the series takes to the high-banked, ¼-mile Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, TX, this Friday night.
Only a tentative date remains on the Lone Star schedule following this Friday night’s tilt near Fort Worth.
Covington, who picked off his first Lone Star win in showdown action versus the Gulf South Region at Waco’s Heart O’ Texas Speedway on July 29, has put together consistent runs that include nine top-fives and 11 top-tens in 14 events to amass a 90-point advantage over defending Lone Star champion Eric Baldaccini of Keller, TX.
Covington’s Waco win marked his second overall ASCS Regional win of the season after picking up a Sooner score at Lawton earlier in the year.
Baldaccini, a Lone Star winner at Abilene on July 23, comes off a strong 13th-place run at the ASCS Knoxville Nationals just over a week ago.
While Baldaccini tries to close the gap on Covington, Godley’s Claud Estes enters Friday’s action third in points with Mesquite’s Michael Lang and Flower Mound’s Justin Melton rounding out the current top five.
The balance of the current top ten in ASCS Lone Star points includes John Ricketts (Burleson), Martin Edwards (Mesquite), Robert Byrom (Fort Worth), Evan Pardo (Gatesville) and Dale Wester (Red Oak).
Friday’s card marks just the second The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star stop of the season atop the fast-paced Cowtown high banks after Gary Taylor picked off a win in April.
Friday night’s action at Cowtown Speedway is set to go green at 8:00 p.m.
Cowtown Speedway, “The Fastest Lil’ Dirt Track in Texas”, is located in Kennedale, TX, just east of Fort Worth off I-20 Exit 442-A, then 1.7 miles southeast on Mansfield Highway, then 1.4 miles southwest on New Hope Road. For more information, contact the track at 817-917-8562.
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 Cowtown Speedway:
4/30/11 – Gary Taylor (Lone Star)
11/13/10 – Tommy Bryant (Lone Star)
11/12/10 – Gary Taylor (Lone Star)
7/17/10 – Claud Estes (Lone Star/Sooner)
6/12/10 – Brian McClelland (Lone Star)
10/10/09 – Tony Bruce, Jr. (Gulf South/Lone Star/Sooner)
8/29/09 – Travis Rilat (Lone Star)
6/27/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
4/4/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
10/11/08 – Brian Brown (National vs. Sooner)
10/10/08 – Gavin Punch (National vs. Sooner)
8/23/08 – Kolt Walker (Gulf South)
7/26/08 – Brad Welborn (Sooner)
5/17/08 – Gary Taylor (Sooner)
4/5/08 – Travis Rilat (Sooner)
9/15/07 – Nick Smith (Sooner)
7/7/07 – Brian McClelland (Sooner)
4/14/07 – Kevin Ramey (Sooner)
9/23/06 – Travis Rilat (Sooner)
6/10/06 – Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sooner)
4/8/06 – Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sooner)
9/24/05 – Travis Rilat (Sooner)
6/25/05 – Jason Martin (National vs. Sooner)
4/9/05 – Sean McClelland (Sooner)
9/25/04 – Andy Shouse (Sooner)
5/29/04 – Kevin Ramey (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.