By Andrew Kunas
RATHDRUM, Idaho – A big weekend of racing is coming up for the Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series, who will be welcoming the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour presented by MavTV to Montana for two nights of action.
Electric City Speedway in Great Falls will welcome the A…SCS National series for the third year this Friday, followed by the second event for Billings Motorsports Park on Saturday night.
Boise, Idaho’s Joe Ramaker, the ASCS Frontier Region points leader and winner of three main events so far this season, will lead the best Big Sky Country has to offer against some of the best 360 winged sprint car racers in the nation.
Meanwhile, Brad Loyet of Sunset Hills, Missouri, in search of his first ASCS National championship, is leading the points by 26 tallies over four-time and defending ASCS National champion Jason Johnson of Eunice, Louisiana. Loyet has one win to his credit this season, coming at Nebraska’s Eagle Raceway on May 31st.
Johnson is winless on the National tour in 2014 but does have five Top 5 finishes including three runner-ups. He was the winner at the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour’s inaugural event at Billings Motorsports Park last year, one of his series leading ten main event triumphs in 2013.
Meanwhile, Tony Bruce Jr. of Liberal, Kansas, twice a winner this year, will defend his 2013 victory at Electric City Speedway on Friday night. Bruce, however, barely beat Ramaker, who would’ve had a very popular victory in front of his home track crowd had he pulled the upset. Ramaker, who grew up attending the races at Electric City Speedway, will look to be in contention again this weekend at the track he calls home.
Sprint car racing veteran Jeff Swindell of Bartlett, Tenn. currently sits 95 points back of Loyet in third place and has a win this year. Albuquerque, New Mexicos’ Johnny Herrera is just seven points back of Swindell. A pair of Texans, Aaron Ruetzel and Sam Hafertepe Jr. are fifth and sixth, respectively. Snohomish, Wash.’s Seth Bergman, who had prior experience racing at Electric City Speedway before joining the ASCS National Tour, is seventh with a win to his credit. Oklahoma’s Blake Hahn is eighth and Bruce ninth. Oklahoma’s Matt Covington, a former champion of both the ASCS Lone Star Region and the ASCS Sooner Region, is tenth in the point standings.
On the Frontier Region front, T.J. Hartman, out of Puyallup, Wash. via Edmonton, Alberta is a distant 76 points back of Ramaker but has been competitive, having three Top 5 finishes including a win in May at Electric City Speedway over the first four races of the season. Fresh off running Speedweek with the ASCS Northwest Region, Lethbridge, Alberta’s Kelly Miller will look to improve on his third place standing, just five points back of Hartman.
Four-time Montana champion and reigning ASCS Frontier Region champion Phil Dietz of Laurel, Mont. used a pair of Top 5 finishes in his last couple of outings to jump up to fourth place in the Frontier Region standings. With the drivers of the ASCS National Tour in the mix this weekend, Dietz will look to further move up the standings as he pursues a fifth Montana-region championship. Helena, Mont.’s Trever Kirkland, who finished third and second in ASCS Frontier Region races last month, is just one point behind Dietz in fifth place.
Expect the best of the National Tour to be in Great Falls Friday night and Billings on Saturday night to take on the Frontier Region’s best, along with cars and drivers expected from Wyoming, South and North Dakota, Washington and Alberta as well. A pit area full of sprint cars should be expected at both tracks this weekend in Montana.
More information on the Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series can be found online at frontier.ascsracing.com. You can also follow the series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ascsfrontier. The national website for ASCS can be seen at www.ascsracing.com.
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Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour presented by MavTV
Past Montana winners
July 11, 2012: Brock Lemley at Electric City Speedway
July 9, 2013: Jason Johnson at Billings Motorsports Park
July 10, 2013: Tony Bruce Jr. at Electric City Speedway
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ASCS Frontier Region
Top 10
1. Joe Ramaker, 642 points
2. T.J. Hartman, 566
3. Kelly Miller, 561
4. Phil Dietz, 548
5. Trever Kirkland, 547
6. Jerry Brey, 498
7. Jeremy McCune, 493
8. Paxton Lambrect, 485
9. Damon McCune, 460
10. Rick Fauver, 457
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Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour present by MavTV
Top 10
1. Brad Loyet, 1,751 points
2. Jason Johnson, 1,725
3. Jeff Swindell, 1,656
4. Johnny Herrera, 1,649
5. Aaron Reutzel, 1,625
6. Sam Hafertepe Jr., 1,620
7. Seth Bergman, 1,551
8. Blake Hahn, 1,531
9. Tony Bruce Jr., 1,530
10. Matt Covington, 1,526