By Lonnie Wheatley
DODGE CITY, Kan. (May 9, 2013) – Sprint Cars take to the Dodge City Raceway Park 3/8-mile clay oval for the first time of 2013 this Saturday night. And it’s something that will be a fairly common occurrence over the balance of the year at the southwest Kansas race track.
Beginning with Saturday’s URSS Sprint Car tilt, Sprint Cars will be featured on eight of the remaining 13 nights of competition at Dodge City Raceway Park. In addition to the URSS Sprint Cars, Saturday night’s slate includes DCRP title chase action for IMCA Modifieds, United Wireless IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Hornets.
Saturday’s card marks the first of five URSS 305-ci Sprint Car events at DCRP, with ensuing rounds of URSS action on June 29, the opening day of Dodge City Days on July 26 and then Championship Night on September 28.
The initial pair of URSS events simply whets the appetite of race fans for the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars that ride into town for the much anticipated Boothill Showdown on July 5-6. Tickets for the Boothill Showdown are available at http://dirtcar.ticketforce.
Another big weekend double of Sprint Car action offers up the wingless forces of the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars on August 23-24 that is the finale of a four-day swing that opens at South Coffeyville’s Mid-America Speedway on August 21 before moving on to 81 Speedway near Wichita on the 22nd.
Saturday’s event marks the fourth round of competition for the URSS Sprint Cars in 2013. Ness City’s Luke Cranston has had the hot hand early on with a win at Oberlin’s Decatur County Speedway last Saturday to go along with runner-up finishes at Liberal on April 27 and Nebraska’s Dawson County Raceway last Sunday to take the early points lead.
Cranston has a ten-point edge over Ray Seemann, a top-five finisher in all three events thus far, with Richie Dewell, Zac Taylor and Dawson County winner Jeff Radcliffe rounding out the current top five. Barry Crane won the season opener at Liberal.
Wichita’s Randy Wilson carries a slim 2-point lead over Mike Lunow into Saturday’s DCRP title chase action for the IMCA Modifieds, with Clay Sellard holding a 4-point edge over Jeff Kaup in the United Wireless IMCA Sport Modified point chase.
Billy Phelps leads the way in for the IMCA Stock Cars, with Jarett Lunow gunning to remain perfect in Hornets after topping the initial pair of events on the inner asphalt oval.
Saturday’s action goes green at 7:30 p.m. General admission for adults is just $12, with children 11 and under admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
Eighteen scheduled nights of action at Dodge City Raceway Park over the course of 2013 features several special events including the TORC Off Road Trucks in April, the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars on July 5-6, a pair of $1,200-to-win IMCA Modified tilts in July along with USAC Sprint Cars on August 23-24 and four rounds of URSS Sprint Car competition along the way.
Dodge City Raceway Park is located on the south edge of Dodge City, KS, on US 283, then 0.9 miles west on US 56, then 0.1 miles south. For more information, contact the track at 620-225-3277 or check www.dodgecityraceway.com.