By Nick Graziano
MEEKER, OK (May 8, 2024) – More than 200 checkered flags have been claimed in Oklahoma with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, and on Friday, May 10, one will be claimed at Red Dirt Raceway for the first time.
The National Tour will make its debut at the 1/4-mile track in Meeker, OK, for the second race of the 2024 season – joined by the ASCS Sooner Region.
After the first race of the season at Super Bee Speedway in April, drivers with Oklahoma connections will be poised for a home state win. Leading that charge will be Seth Bergman, driving for the Oklahoma City-based TwoC Racing team.
He scored the first win of the season and currently holds an eight-point lead over Rookie of the Year contender Andrew Deal.
The American Sprint Car Series has made one appearance at Red Dirt Raceway with the former Red River Region in 2018. That race was also won by Bergman.
Tickets for the event at Red Dirt Raceway can be purchased in advance HERE. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.
Follow the biggest storylines of the weekend:
TWO FOR TWO(C)?
All stats point to Seth Bergman, of Snohomish, WA, as a leading favorite for Friday’s event. He opened the 2024 season for the ASCS Sooner Region with a win at Oklahoma’s Creek County Speedway and then won the season opener for the National Tour at Super Bee Speedway – now leading the points in both divisions.
Bergman opened the National Tour season, driving the No. 2C Sprint Car for TwoC Racing while 2000 ASCS National Tour champion Wayne Johnson recovered from an arm injury. But with Johnson’s injury hindering him from returning to the seat, Bergman will continue to pilot the car with Johnson serving as his crew chief.
STRONG STARTS
While Seth Bergman walked away with the win at Super Bee Speedway, several other drivers had strong showings, ranging from rookies to Series veterans.
2024 Rookie of the Year contender Andrew Deal, of Caney, KS, came out of the gate strong, qualifying second to Bergman in their qualifying group, won his Heat Race, finished second in the Dash and then finished second in the Feature. It was his career-best finish with the National Tour and second career top-five finish with the tour – his first top five came at Oklahoma’s Lawton Speedway last year. He’s no stranger to winning in Oklahoma too, having won with the ASCS Sooner Region at Oklahoma’s Creek County Speedway in 2023.
Deal will enter Friday’s race with some experience at Red Dirt Raceway, having ran with the ASCS Red River Region there in 2018. He finished 15th.
Reigning ASCS National Tour champion Jason Martin, of Liberal, KS, put on a show at Super Bee, making a charge from 22nd to fourth. He’s coming off a career year with the National Tour, having won nine races en route to his first title in 2023. Of those nine victories, three came in Oklahoma – two at Longdale Speedway and one at the Salina Highbanks Speedway.
Like Deal, Martin also has laps around Red Dirt Raceway. Recent laps too. He ran a national 410 Sprint Car race there last month. He finished 25th after being involved in an accident.
OKLAHOMA NATIVES
Of the 14 confirmed full-time regulars with the ASCS National Tour this year, four call Oklahoma home – Brandon Anderson (Glenpool, OK), Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK), Hank Davis (Sand Springs, OK) and Terry Easum (Broken Arrow, OK).
Covington is in his 11th straight full-time season with the ASCS National Tour and is coming off a career-best year, having finished second in points with three wins – now at 19 National Tour wins overall. He’s also a two-time ASCS Sooner Region champion. The veteran had a quiet start to the season with a sixth-place finish at Super Bee.
Anderson started off his second full-time season with the National Tour strong at Super Bee, finishing fifth. While he’s still looking for his first National Tour win, he’s no stranger to winning in Oklahoma as three of his five ASCS Sooner Region victories came in the Sooner State.
Davis and Easum are both running for the Rookie of the Year title this season. Easum had the better finish of the two at Super Bee, finishing 11th, while Davis missed the Feature. However, Davis enters Friday’s race with an upper hand in the statistics category, having won in Oklahoma with the ASCS Sooner Region last year at Creek County Speedway.
STAT GLANCE:
When & Where
Date – Friday, May 10
Track – Red Dirt Raceway (1/4-mile in Meeker, OK)
CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP TOP 10:
1. Seth Bergman (150 points)
2. Andrew Deal (-8)
3. Brady Baker (-15)
4. Jason Martin (-20)
5. Brandon Anderson (-25)
6. Matt Covington (-28)
7. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-31)
8. Channin Tankersley (-34)
9. Landon Britt (-37)
10. Kyler Johnson (-40)