Bryan Hulbert
DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (December 8, 2021) The lineup of events for the 31st season of competition for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series has dropped with 57 dates spread across 30 tracks in 11 states.
Putting the primary focus on tracks in the mid-west, new series owner, Terry Mattox, is entering his first year at the helm with the emphasis on making the National Tour more efficient, effective, and affordable for teams to be able to travel on a full-time basis.
“Looking back at the last few seasons, we would always start with 10-15 full-time travelers, and by the time we made it past east and west coast swings, we’d be lucky to still have eight sometimes. That’s not to say anything bad about the series or anyone involved; it’s just a matter of economics,” explained Mattox.
“I approached the 2022 season with the goal of creating a schedule that pays decent, opens the door for smaller teams to travel and be competitive, but still provides the challenge of competing on the road so a team can build itself up. We have one weekend that involves a little bit of traveling. Otherwise, most everything is within 8-10 hours of Tulsa.”
With a few dates still in the works, the goal is to have at least 60 events. Updates on those will be posted as soon as details are finalized. A quick glance over the 2022 lineup reveals several familiar favorites, along with a variety of new and returning venues.
Among the new destinations is Superbowl Speedway in Greenville, Texas, on Thursday, March 24. Just down the road, Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss. comes out swinging as Terry has leased the track for action on Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2. A long-standing tradition of Oklahoma racing, Thunderbird Speedway in Muskogee is set for Friday, April 22.
Brought back to life in 2021, Missouri’s I-70 Speedway will feature the series on Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25. Kicking off the hectic month of July, Nebraska’s Boone County Raceway goes live on Thursday, July 1, as a kick-off to a three-night weekend that sees action returning to WaKeeney Speedway the next two nights.
Revolution Park (aka. Dirt on the Rev) is set for Saturday, July 9. Formally Flint Creek Speedway, the Colcord, Okla. oval will see new life in 2022 as Arrowhead Speedway with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series paying a visit on Saturday, July 16.
Absent from the tour’s lineup since 2019, South Dakota’s Black Hills Speedway will be the furthest venture for the tour on Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14. Returning to the schedule last year for the first time since 2010, Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill., is back for more and has expanded action to two nights on Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21.
Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18 will venture into the mid-south with Texarkana 67 Speedway ending a 13-year gap between events on Friday, while Louisiana’s Boothill Speedway ends its sobriety after 21 years on Saturday.
Kicking off the 2022 ASCS Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek on Thursday, July 21, The Mighty Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla. is back for the first time since 2006 and is the fifth time the high-banked oval will be featured during Speedweek. Back on track for the first time since 2012, the tour will headline action at Dodge City Raceway Park on Friday, August 26, and Saturday, August 27. One final oval making a long-awaited return in Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La on Saturday, September 24. Formerly Jones Motor Speedway, the track last saw ASCS Action during Speedweek on June 18, 2012.
Going after large paydays, $10,000 is on the line at Jackson Motor Speedway. I-70 Speedway currently sits at $7,000 to win and is followed by $5,000 to win at WaKeeney.
Already one of the biggest paydays of the season, the 32nd 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank offers a $15,000 top prize but could potentially pay the winner $30,000 with the track adding Lap Money at $500 per lap to the expanded 30-lap affair. Laps can be purchased by emailing KendraJ@KnoxvilleRaceway.com.
A combined $11,000 to win over three nights at Lake Ozark Speedway during Memorial Day Weekend, the Jesse Hockett/Danial McMillin Memorial combines to $16,000 if a driver can sweep the three-night affair. Considered a must-win event in Sprint Car racing, the COMP Cams Short Track Nationals at I-30 Speedway will again offer teams a $10,041 payday.
Beyond the massive lineup of events, the tour’s newly released format, as well as boosted point fund, has attracted a lot of attention.
On the changes within the series, Terry stated, “The format and point fund were two things that we wanted to address immediately, and so far, the feedback has been very positive. Thanks to teams and owners weighing in, we already made a small tweak to the format in our qualifying points. The other thing we did address is cleaning up some wording in the rules and working with Knoxville Raceway to stop some work that teams were trying to do on the Cylinder Heads in the pushrod area. Of course, the rumor was that we opened the heads, which is false. We worked with Brodix to clean up some wording, but you still cannot open the head. We are still going to check the intake as we’ve always done, along with pumping the engines, and now checking the pushrod area.”
For the 2022 season, Terry Mattox will also serve as the Competition Director. Anyone with questions can contact the series at (918) 838-3777 or at 1141 S. 83rd East Ave. Tulsa, OK 74112. Anyone needing to get Terry Mattox directly can do so by email to terry@ascsracing.com or phone at (918) 417-0624.
Bryan Hulbert will remain the Announcer and Publicist for the American Sprint Car Series. Bryan can be reached at (918) 838-3777 or by email at announcer@ascsracing.com.
Events in 2022 will be streamed live on http://www.floracing.com.
The 2022 season will mark the 31st year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, the ASCS Nation includes 11 Regional Tours encompassing both wing and non-wing competition.
For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).
2022 Lucas Oil ASCS National Lineup
Date – Location (City, State) To Win
3/18/2022-Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) $3,000
3/19/2022-Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) $4,000
3/24/2022-Superbowl Speedway (Greenville, TX) $3,000
3/25/2022-I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) $3,000
3/26/2022-I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) $4,000
4/1/2022-Jackson Motor Speedway (Byram, MS) $3,000
4/2/2022-Jackson Motor Speedway (Byram, MS) $10,000
4/22/2022-Thunderbird Speedway (Muskogee, OK) $4,000
4/23/2022-US 36 Raceway (Osborn, MO) $4,000
5/13/2022-Black Hills Speedway (Rapid City, SD) $3,000
5/14/2022-Black Hills Speedway (Rapid City, SD) $4,000
5/20/2022-Tri City Speedway (Granite City, IL) $3,000
5/21/2022-Tri City Speedway (Granite City, IL) $4,000
5/27/2022-Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) $3,000
5/28/2022-Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) $4,000
5/29/2022-Outlaw Motor Speedway (Oktaha, OK) $3,000
6/17/2022-Texarkana 67 Speedway (Texarkana, AR) $4,000
6/18/2022-Boothill Speedway (Greenwood, LA) $4,000
6/24/2022-I-70 Speedway (Odessa, MO) $1,500**
6/25/2022-I-70 Speedway (Odessa, MO) $7,000**
7/1/2022-Boone County Raceway (Albion, NE) $3,000
7/2/2022-WaKeeney Speedway (WaKeeney, KS) $3,000
7/3/2022-WaKeeney Speedway (WaKeeney, KS) $5,000
7/8/2022-TBA
7/9/2022-Revolution Park (Monroe, LA) $4,000
7/15/2022-US 36 Raceway (Osborn, MO) $4,000
7/16/2022-Arrowhead Speedway (Colcord, OK) $4,000
7/21/2022-Tri-State Speedway (Pocola, OK) $3,000
7/22/2022-Batesville Motor Speedway (Batesville, AR) $3,000
7/23/2022-I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) $3,000
7/27/2022-Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, KS) $3,000
7/28/2022-81 Speedway (Park City, KS) $3,000
7/29/2022-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) $3,000
7/30/2022-Salina Highbanks Speedway (Salina, OK) $3,000
8/2/2022-Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS) $3,000
8/4/2022-Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) $3,000**
8/5/2022-Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) $3,000**
8/6/2022-Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) $15,000+Lap Money**
8/26/2022-Dodge City Raceway Park (Dodge City, KS) $3,000
8/27/2022-Dodge City Raceway Park (Dodge City, KS) $4,000
9/2/2022-Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) $3,000
9/3/2022-Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) $3,000
9/4/2022-Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) $5,000
9/8/2022-Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS) $4,000
9/10/2022-Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, KS) $4,000
9/13/2022-Clay County Fair Speedway (Spencer, IA) $3,000
9/15/2022-Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) $3,000
9/16/2022-Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) $3,000
9/17/2022-Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) $10,000
9/22/2022-TBA
9/24/2022-Super Bee Speedway (Chatham, LA) $4,000
9/30/2022-I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) TBA**
10/1/2022-I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) $10,041**
10/14/2022-Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) $3,000
10/15/2022-Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) $4,000
10/28/2022-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) $3,000
10/29/2022-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) $4,000
**Indicates non-point events.