By the URSS
OBERLIN, Kan. — A pair of weekend races in southwest Kansas is the next step in deciding who possibly could become the 2013 United Rebel Sprint Series champion.
On Friday, the Rebels take to the 3/8-mile dirt oval of Liberal Fairgrounds Speedway. Then on Saturday, the URSS heads to Dodge City Raceway Park for the $1000 to win Jerry Soderberg Memorial. Friday night’s race is a Kansas Region event, while Saturday’s race on the 3/8-mile oval at DCRP is a national event — and the next-to-last race for the URSS this season.
Entering the weekend, Colorado’s Jake Bubak leads the national standings with 1,754 points in 20 races. Bubak won the URSS national rookie of the year award last year and also is the defending Colorado Region champ.
Right on Bubak’s heels is Plains driver Luke Cranston. Cranston has 1,746 points in 18 races this year.
Dodge City‘s Brian Herbert is third in the national standings with 1,714 points in 17 events.
Bubak has three URSS victories this season and seven for his career. Cranston has won four URSS features this season and has 15 for his career — ranking him seventh in the series’ history. Cranston also has a win at Liberal this season.
Herbert has 20 career URSS victories, tying him with Jon Johnson and Patrick Bourke for second on the all-time list. Herbert has won two features this season, including one at DCRP.
While the national points battle is one of the tightest in the series’ history, so are the Kansas and Colorado regions.
Cranston leads the Kansas Region with 2,018 points in 15 races, followed closely by Herbert (1,984 in 14 races) and Zac Taylor (1,902 in 14 races).
Adam Trimble has a slim four-point advantage over Bubak in the Colorado Region. Trimble has amassed 1,320 points in 10 events, while Bubak has 1,316 in 10 events. Mark Walinder is in contention as well, having 1,290 points in 11 races.
For more information about Liberal Fairgrounds Speedway, visit beavercountyraceway.com.
For more information about Dodge City Raceway Park, visit www.dodgecityraceway.com.
For more information about the United Rebel Sprint Series, visit www.unitedrebelsprintseries.