From Lonnie Wheatley
Little Rock, AR — (October 8, 2012) — With the 25th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires little more than two weeks away, the stack of completed entry forms are starting to pile up on the desk in the I-30 Speedway track office.
Among those early entries for the October 25-27 worth $15,000 to win and $2,500 to start is reigning NASCAR Nationwide champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., along with a trio of past STN champions including Jason Johnson, Wayne Johnson and Tony Bruce, Jr.
Others that have made the cut for a STN championship feature event among the early round of entries include the likes of A.G. Rains, Matt Covington, Travis Rilat, Johnny Herrera, Dale Howard and Claud Estes.
The pre-entry deadline is just a few days away, with entries submitted by next Wednesday, October 17, just $150. Entries filed after the October 17 deadline will be $250. Entry forms are available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/
A native of Olive Brach, MS, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., will take advantage of an idle weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide series to make a return to the Short Track Nationals after missing out on last year’s edition. Stenhouse captured last year’s Nationwide title and is locked in a tight battle for the top spot this year.
Stenhouse made the cut for his first STN championship finale as a 16-year-old in 2003 and then made three consecutive main events from 2005 to 2007, finishing among the top ten all three years with a career-best STN finish of fifth in 2005.
Stenhouse will be teamed with 2006 STN champion Jason Johnson out of the Stenhouse / JJR stable.
Jason Johnson is one of three past event winners among the early entries. “The Ragin’ Cajun” has made six STN championship feature starts, though the two-time ASCS National champion hasn’t finished among the top ten since a fourth-place run in 2007.
Johnson, a native of Eunice, LA, is currently locked in a tight battle for another National championship with Oklahoma City’s Wayne Johnson, who earned his STN crown in 1997. Vying for his 15th career STN championship feature start, W. Johnson’s only STN top-ten since 2003 was a runner-up finish three years ago in 2009.
Rounding out the current trio of past winners already entered is Liberal, KS, shoe Tony Bruce, Jr., who snared back-to-back STN crowns in 2008 and 2009. One of just three drivers to claim back-to-back event wins along with Steve Kinser and Gary Wright, Bruce, Jr., will try to race his way back into the Saturday night finale after missing the cut each of the past two years.
Matt Covington, who claimed both the Sooner and Lone Star championships this year, was one of seven drivers to start his first STN finale last year while A.G. Rains earned the Interstate Cup title this year after making his fifth STN feature in 2011.
Travis Rilat, who missed the top ten by just one spot last year, pilots a Canadian entry as he tries for a ninth STN finale this year.
Dale Howard made the most recent of his STN feature starts in 2006, Claud Estes made the feature cut in 2003 and Johnny Herrera made his lone STN feature start in the early years of the event in 1990.
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.
Approximately 100 of the nation’s top Sprint Car teams are expected to 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.
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 PPV: Can’t make your way to Little Rock, AR, for this prestigious event? For the first time ever, this year you can still catch every lap of the action on your computer via live Pay-Per-View. Just check out www.shorttracknationals.com for pricing and ordering information. Orders are being taken now.
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.