From Lonnie Wheatley
Little Rock, AR — (October 1, 2012) — Turning the page of the calendar to October is a sure sign of one thing; that the first hints of Short Track Nationals Fever are already in the air.
October annually brings about the nation’s premier 360-ci Sprint Car event, the Short Track Nationals at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway. And this year’s edition of the event, set for October 25-27, is sure to be a grand one as it will be the 25th rendition of the crown jewel event.
Approximately 100 of the nation’s top Sprint Car teams will converge upon Little Rock over the final weekend of October to vie for their share of the 25th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires purse that exceeds $100,000, with the winner pocketing a hefty $15,000 and all Saturday night STN Championship Feature starters earning at least $2,500.
With the pre-entry deadline coming up on October 17, entries are already pouring into the I-30 Speedway track office with several past event winners among the early crop of entries. Entries postmarked by October 17 are $150, with entries submitted after that $250. Entry forms are available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/
Last October, Sammy Swindell became just the fourth multi-time STN winner by besting a field of 100 competitors for his first Short Track Nationals championship since 1990. Others that have claimed multiple STN honors include four-time champion Gary Wright (1995, 1999, 2003, 2004), Steve Kinser (1988, 1989, 1991) and Tony Bruce, Jr. (2008, 2009).
Other past Short Track Nationals winners include Brad Sweet (2010), Jason Meyers (2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Paul McMahan (2002), Jason Sides (2001), Mike Ward (2000), Tim Crawley (1998), Wayne Johnson (1997), Pete Butler (1996), Terry Gray (1994) and John Gerloff (1993). The 1992 edition fell victim to rain.
The Pertinent Info:
The What: 25th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.
The Where: I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR). I-30 Speedway is located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126 (Alexander Road).
The When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 25-27, 2012. $15,000 to win the STN finale on October 27 with $2,500 to start the STN championship feature. Race time is 7:30 p.m. each night. Rain date is November 1-3. Test ‘N Tune session on Wednesday night, October 24.
The Format: The format introduced last year will once again be in effect. Approximately half the field will take to the track in the Thursday night qualifying event, with the other half in Friday’s qualifying event. The top three from each night will be locked into Saturday night’s $15,000-to-win, $2,500-to-start STN Championship Finale. Those six drivers will battle it out in Saturday’s Dash for Cash to determine the alignment of the front three rows of the championship main event.
Beyond that, drivers will be lined up on Saturday night in twin “B” Mains, twin “C” Mains, twin “D” Mains, twin “E” Mains and “F” Mains if necessary. Four drivers will transfer from each “F” to “E”, “E” to “D”, “D” to “C” and “C” to “B”, with seven advancing from each “B” Main to form the 20-car STN championship main event field.
The popular format of heats and qualifying races will once again be in place on qualifying nights. The top 14 in cumulative points from heats and qualifiers will be locked into that night’s main event, with two or three “B” Mains depending upon car count contested to fill out the qualifying night feature field.
Points earned in qualifying night heat races, qualifiers and features will set Saturday night’s feature lineups.
The Past Winners: Sammy Swindell (2011 and 1990), Brad Sweet (2010), Tony Bruce, Jr. (2009 and 2008), Jason Meyers (2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Gary Wright (2004, 2003, 1999 and 1995), Paul McMahan (2002), Jason Sides (2001), Mike Ward (2000), Tim Crawley (1998), Wayne Johnson (1997), Pete Butler (1996), Terry Gray (1994), John Gerloff (1993), Steve Kinser (1991, ’89 and ‘88). 1992 finale was rained out.
The Trade Show & Midway: This year’s rendition of the Short Track Nationals will also include the Eighth Annual Short Track Nationals Trade Show & Midway. Fans, drivers & crews will have the opportunity to visit vendor displays, which opens at noon on Thursday and then at 9 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. The deadline for guaranteed vendor space is Monday, October 22. Inquiries regarding vendor space should be directed to dssm93@msn.com.
The Tickets: Advance tickets are on sale through Wednesday, October 24, no advance sales after that. Tickets ordered in advance are just $45 for all three nights. Day of show prices are $15 on Thursday and Friday and $25 on Saturday. To order tickets in advance or for more information, call the track at 501-455-4567 or e-mail orders to racing@I-30speedway.com. Children’s tickets will be available at the event for just $2 on both Thursday and Friday and then $5 on Saturday. There is a $1 per ticket surcharge for orders placed via credit/debit cards. Pit passes are $30 on both Thursday and Friday and $35 on Saturday.
For more information regarding the 25th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires, contact I-30 Speedway at 501-455-4567.