By Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (September 26, 2011) – With Emmett Hahn back at the helm of Sapulpa, Oklahoma’s Creek County Speedway, the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region makes a long-awaited return to the ¼-mile clay oval this Saturday night.
Saturday night’s Sooner event at Creek County Speedway marks the first event at the track near Tulsa since the 2010 season opener.
In that 2010 opener, Oklahoma City’s Joe Wood, Jr., kicked off his title defense with a drive to victory lane. While Wood, Jr., ultimately wasn’t able to successfully defend his 2009 title, he has bounced back this year and has his sights set on a second championship in three years.
Wood, Jr., holds a 96-point advantage over Glenpool’s Matt Covington entering Saturday’s event, with only the season-ending card at Muskogee’s Thunderbird Speedway on October 8 remaining on the schedule.
Covington, who has already earned the 2011 The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star championship, keeps slim Sooner title hopes alive and tries to keep Guthrie’s Michelle Decker at bay. Decker is just 19 points back in third, with 2004 series co-champion Andy Shouse of Oklahoma City and California native Rick Wright, Jr., rounding out the current top five in points.
The balance of the current top ten includes Claud Estes (Godley, TX), Cameron Hagin (Tulsa), Lee Little (Mustang), Koby Barksdale (Norman) and Danny Wood (Norman).
With ten ASCS Sooner events logged into the books thus far, there have been as many different winners with nobody able to repeat yet. Those posting wins in 2011 include Wood, Jr., Covington, Danny Wood, Tony Bruce, Jr., Brady Bacon, Brian McClelland, Sean McClelland, Brandon Corn, Jason Johnson and Jack Dover.
The site of the first ever ASCS Sooner Region event in 2001, Creek County Speedway has featured 16 different drivers in victory lane in 18 Sooner events. Only Kevin Ramey and Sean McClelland have topped a pair of Sooner features.
Champ Sprints and ASCS2 Midgets are also on Saturday night’s card.
Saturday’s action at Creek County Speedway fires off at 7:30 p.m.
Creek County Speedway is located southwest of Tulsa off I-44 Exit 211, then 0.3 miles south on SR 33, then one mile west on SR 66. For more information, contact the track at 918-247-7223.
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, Missouri and Arkansas in 2011.
Past ASCS Sooner Region Feature Winners at Creek County Speedway:
4/24/10 – Joe Wood, Jr.
9/19/09 – Zach Chappell
7/25/09 – Nick Smith
4/25/09 – Danny Wood
9/20/08 – Gary Taylor
6/7/08 – Sean McClelland
9/22/07 – Brian McClelland
5/20/06 – Sean McClelland
7/19/03 – Kevin Ramey (non-wing)
5/10/03 – Travis Rilat (non-wing)
3/22/03 – Kevin Ramey
9/28/02 – Danny Jennings
7/20/02 – Jason Martin
3/30/02 – Jamie Passmore
9/22/01 – Larry Neighbors
8/11/01 – Nick Smith
6/23/01 – J.P. Bailey
4/14/01 – Wayne Johnson
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.