From Lonnie Wheatley
Little Rock, AR — (October 13, 2015) — The Kings Royal and the Ironman 55 are already among his 2015 triumphs. A Short Track Nationals victory to round out an already stellar year would look nice along with those.
It’s something Shane Stewart will have a chance to do as he makes his return to Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway for the 28th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires on October 28-31.
“That’s one race I’ve really wanted to win, I can’t wait for it,” the Bixby, OK, native says of the $15,000-to-win and $2,000-to-start event atop the high-banked, ΒΌ-mile clay oval.
Stewart, currently ranked second in World of Outlaws Sprint Car points with Kings Royal and Ironman 55 triumphs among his nine victories this season, has been mighty close to STN glory on several occasions in the past.
Stewart has paced the Saturday night feature on at least three different occasions, including the opening 38 rounds of the 2007 edition only to settle for second after some last gasp Jason Meyers heroics.
That was one of four STN podium finishes for Stewart with another runner-up finish in 2003 to go along with a pair of third-place runs in 2009 and 2011.
A winner of two STN preliminary features in 2003 and 2007, Stewart most recently competed in the STN two years ago in 2013 when he added his eighth top ten finish in ten STN championship feature starts with a fifth-place run.
This time, Stewart will join forces with the Texas-based Scottie McDonald No. 88 Sprint Car team in a run for the $15,000 pay day.
It’s a combination that brought the curtains down on the 2014 Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour campaign with a Yuma triumph. They’ll try to duplicate that season-ending effort as the ASCS season ends with the Saturday night, October 31, 40-lap STN championship feature event.
It will be an effort against a field estimated to flirt with the 100 entry range, as entries (available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/flyers/2015STN.pdf) continue to pour into the I-30 Speedway track office.
Entries submitted by October 19 are just $150 with entries after that date at $250.
Last October, Norman, Oklahoma’s, Christopher Bell became the youngest winner of the premier 360-ci Sprint Car event by taking the checkered flag in the 40-lapper after taking command following a mid-race restart. Bell raced on to victory lane ahead of current ASCS National Tour points leader Aaron Reutzel with the rest of a powerful top five including Brian Brown, Wayne Johnson and Kevin Swindell.