By Andrew Kunas
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – After eight long months, the wait for sprint car fans in the state of Montana will finally end on Friday, when the Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series opens its 2015 season with races Friday and Saturday night at Billings Motorsports Park.
Choteau, Montana driver Joe Ramaker, the defending ASCS Frontier Region champion, will begin his title defense aboard the Ramaker Raking No. 98 at the track where he won twice in 2014 and was on the podium almost every night the series raced at BMP last season. He’ll have his share of challengers this weekend and over the course of the 2015 season, which consists of 21 scheduled events at four different tracks in two states.
Quilcene, Washington’s J.J. Hickle, who won the Friday night show and was the overall winner of the Dan Laber Memorial last September at Billings, is scheduled to be back in the Peterson Racing No. 23n and is considered by many as one of the favorites to be victorious this weekend.
Former ASCS Frontier Region champion Phil Dietz is expecting to have a season better than the one he had in 2014, where he finished second five times but was unable to score a victory. He’ll look to get off to a strong start to 2015 on his home race track. Aside from Dietz, the likes of Trever Kirkland, Jeremy McCune, David Hoiness, Joe Perry, Damon McCune, and Septmber winner D.J. Brink are all expected to be in attendance.
Drivers and cars are expected from Montana, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota and Alberta this weekend. Super stocks and modifieds are on the card as support classes both nights as well. Racing is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. both nights.
After this weekend’s events in Billings, the ASCS Frontier Region continues its season with Friday and Saturday events at Electric City Speedway in Great Falls on May 15th and 16th.
The Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series, presented in part by Speedmart Inc. is a winged 360 dirt sprint car tour racing around the state of Montana and beyond. More information on the ASCS Frontier Region can be found online at frontier.ascsracing.com or you can follow the series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ascsfrontier. The national website of the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour presented by MAVTV American Real is www.ascsracing.com.