By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (August 15, 2011) – The American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region championship has shifted from one end of the Turner Turnpike to the other over each of the last couple of years.
After capturing his first series title in 2009, Oklahoma City’s Joe Wood, Jr., is trying to bring the Sooner title back to the western end of the Turner Turnpike and can move one step closer when the series ventures to the southwestern portion of the state this Saturday night.
Saturday night marks the ASCS Sooner Region’s fourth and final scheduled stop of the year atop the high-banked, ¼-mile Lawton Speedway red clay oval in Lawton, OK.
And the ASCS Sooner action at Lawton has been unpredictable thus far in 2011, with Matt Covington, 2010 series champion Sean McClelland and Danny Wood each posting victories atop Lawton clay.
While Joe Wood, Jr., has built a 64-point advantage over Guthrie’s Michelle Decker, is Lawton results have been mixed with a fourth-place run on June 4 the best in three tries. Wood, Jr., who did pick off a Sooner win at Lawton in 2008, has finished 10th and 13th in the other two Lawton events this season.
With seven top-tens in nine events, including a Lone Star vs. Sooner win at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in June, Wood, Jr., is closing in on a second Sooner title with Decker, Glenpool’s Matt Covington, Oklahoma City’s Andy Shouse and California native Rick Wright, Jr., rounding out the current top five in points.
Cameron Hagin, Claud Estes, Lee Little, Koby Barksdale and Danny Wood fill out the current top ten in Sooner points.
Just two events remain on the ASCS Sooner slate following Saturday’s action at Lawton.
Saturday’s action at Lawton Speedway fires off at 8:00 p.m.
Lawton Speedway is located in Lawton, OK, off I-44 Exit 36, then 2.5 miles west on Lee Boulevard, then 1.4 miles south on Sheridan Road. For more information, contact the track at 580-355-6417.
The American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region is slated for 13 nights of racing action at six different tracks throughout Oklahoma and neighboring areas of Kansas, Texas and Missouri in 2011.
Past American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Feature Winners at Lawton Speedway:
7/16/11 – Danny Wood (vs. Lone Star Region)
6/4/11 – Sean McClelland
5/14/11 – Matt Covington
10/2/10 – Andy Shouse
7/10/10 – Sean McClelland (vs. Lone Star Region)
6/5/10 – Robert Sellers
8/22/09 – Jason Johnson
7/18/09 – Brady Bacon
8/16/08 – Robert Sellers
6/14/08 – Joe Wood, Jr.
4/12/08 – Gary Taylor
9/8/07 – Kevin Ramey
8/19/06 – Kevin Ramey
4/22/06 – Sean McClelland
9/17/05 – Kevin Ramey
7/2/05 – Sean McClelland
4/30/05 – Sean McClelland
9/11/04 – Danny Wood
7/3/04 – Danny Wood
5/1/04 – Travis Rilat
9/20/03 – Kevin Ramey
7/5/03 – Nick Smith
5/3/03 – Kevin Ramey
9/14/02 – Danny Jennings
8/3/02 – Zach Chappell
7/6/02 – Foster Landon
8/18/01 – Danny Jennings
8/4/01 – Danny Jennings
7/7/01 – Robert Sellers
6/2/01 – Travis Scott
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.