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World of Outlaws Sprint cars at Lone Star Speedway and Houston Raceway Park this weekend

Each and every World of Outlaws driver’s versatility will be tested this weekend, as the series competes on the blazing fast high-banked half-mile at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas on Friday night, followed by the series return to the always racy ¼-mile bullring at Houston Raceway Park on Saturday, April 11 for the Texas Shootout which will award the winner $10,000.

Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending series champion, has won each of the last two races for the World of Outlaws at Houston Raceway Park, picking up a victory over Daryn Pittman in 2007 and one over 20-time series champion Steve Kinser in 2005. Schatz heads to Houston Raceway Park with three A-Feature wins this season and is on top of the series championship standings by 11 markers over Kinser as the 2009 season really begins to pick up this weekend for the best sprint car drivers in the world.

Kinser leads all World of Outlaws drivers with six wins in his career at Houston Raceway Park. He was victorious in the series debut at the track in 2000 and won three of the first four races that were contested at the track which is located in Baytown, Texas. The only other driver to win a World of Outlaws A-Feature at the track other than Kinser and Schatz was Mark Kinser who was victorious at Houston Raceway Park twice in his career.

Kinser, 2001 World of Outlaws champion Danny Lasoski and Craig Dollansky are the only three drivers that have competed in all 13 of the previous series events at the track including preliminary features.

Slidejobs- Texas Shootout at Houston Raceway Park:

Looking to make it three in a row: Donny Schatz has won each of the last two World of Outlaws events at Houston Raceway Park. He led 18 laps in 2005 to pick up his first win at the track and followed that up by leading all 35 laps in 2007. He is tied for the series lead with three A-Feature wins this season and is currently on top of the series championship standings.

A strong track record: Steve Kinser has won six times in his career at Houston Raceway. In 13 career starts at the now ¼-mile and the former four-tenths mile, he has finished in the Top-10 in each and every one. He leads the World of Outlaws with eight Top-10 finishes in nine starts this season as he closes in on his first win of the campaign, as he seeks his record 21st title.

Nearing the top: Jason Meyers is currently third in the World of Outlaws standings, just 19 markers out of the lead as he chases his first series title. He has seven Top-10 finishes in nine starts this season, including a win on a ¼-mile track at Silver Dollar Speedway in his home state of California. He has two Top-10 finishes in his career at Houston Raceway Park, including a fourth-place performance in 2004.

A new track record: Joey Saldana set a new track record in time trials in the World of Outlaws last visit to Houston Raceway Park in 2007, circling the high-banked ¼-mile in 11.996 seconds. He finished fourth in that event and has four career Top-10 finishes there. The second generation driver won earlier this season on a ¼-mile at Silver Dollar Speedway in California during the Mini Gold Cup. He is currently fourth in the series championship standings, just 15 markers out of the third position.

First time in Houston in a while: Sammy Swindell, the three-time World of Outlaws champion will make his first start at Houston Raceway Park since 2001 this weekend. He won a preliminary feature at the track in 2000 over Mark Kinser and was 10th in his last start at the track. He is currently sixth in the series standings this season on the strength of six Top-10 finishes.

Closing in on a win: Jason Sides, who is currently seventh in the World of Outlaws championship standings, finished second in his debut at Houston Raceway Park in 2000. He followed that up with a fifth-place effort that same season. He was ninth in his most recent start at the track in 2007 with the World of Outlaws. He has a couple of runner-up finishes this season as he chases his first win of the year.

Fast on the high banks: Craig Dollansky, who is the midst of his first season driving for Kasey Kahne Racing, has competed in all 13 previous World of Outlaws events at Houston Raceway Park, scoring 11 Top-10 finishes, with four of those being Top-Fives. He has two consecutive third place finishes at the track.

“It’s definitely a different mindset when you go into the short tracks versus the big tracks,” noted Dollansky. “We’ll go in there prepared a little bit differently with the race car. The way you race a short track is definitely different than the way you race a bigger track. I always enjoy going to the short tracks.”

Improving each time: Kraig Kinser has improved upon his previous finish in each of his last three starts at Houston Raceway Park. He was 10th at the track in 2004 and was a career-best sixth in his most recent start at the track in 2005. He was fourth in the last World of Outlaws event on March 28 at Manzanita Speedway and is ninth in points on the strength of five Top-10 finishes.

“I don’t know how much momentum you can carry after an off week, but hopefully we have everything rolling with the busy part of the season starting,” said Kinser.

Perfect attendance: Danny Lasoski, the 2001 World of Outlaws champion, has competed in all 13 of the previous series events at Houston Raceway Park. The native of Dover, Missouri won a preliminary feature at the track in 2002 and has 11 Top-10 finishes dating back to 2000. He is just outside of the Top-10 in the series standings on the strength of four Top-Five finishes this season.

Always a contender: Jac Haudenschild finished sixth in his last start at Houston Raceway Park in 2007. He has four career Top-10 finishes at the bullring, including two Top-Fives. He is just outside of the Top-10 in the series standings this season on the strength of four Top-10 performances.

Representing the Lone Star State: Sam Hafertepe Jr. is the lone driver from the state of Texas competing full-time with the World of Outlaws. He has made two starts in his career at Houston Raceway Park, with the most recent coming in 2007 with the series.

“Texas has been waiting for the Outlaws to come back,” shared Hafertepe. “It’s great to bring the series back to Texas. There are a lot of fans down there that have not gotten to see the Outlaws for a long time. We are really looking forward to it and hopefully the fans are too.”

A couple of first timers: Lucas Wolfe and Brian Ellenberger will both be making their first trip to Houston Raceway Park this weekend. Wolfe is the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner, while Ellenberger is a contender for the honor this season. They both hail from the state of Pennsylvania.

By the Numbers: Houston Raceway Park

0.25-Miles around Houston Raceway Park
0.4- Miles around Houston Raceway Park before the track was reconfigured prior to the World of Outlaws last visit to the facility in 2007
1- World of Outlaws driver that hails from the state of Texas, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
2- Races in Texas for the World of Outlaws this season
3- Drivers that have competed in all 13 World of Outlaws races at Houston Raceway Park, Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski and Craig Dollansky
5- A-Feature wins for Steve Kinser in his career at the track
6- Total wins for Steve Kinser at the track
9- A-Feature events contested by the World of Outlaws at Houston Raceway Park dating back to 2000; Events contested this season through March 28
11- Points that separate Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser at the top of the series standings entering this weekend
11.996- Track record established by Joey Saldana in time trials on March 16, 2007
12- Events on ¼-mile tracks for the World of Outlaws this season
13- Top-10 finishes for Steve Kinser at HRP in the same number of starts to lead all drivers
27- World of Outlaws championships that will be accounted for by drivers in action on Saturday, April 11
35- Laps led by Donny Schatz en route to winning at Houston Raceway Park in 2007
44- Points that separate the Top-Five in the World of Outlaws standings
65- Laps led in A-Feature events by Donny Schatz through March 28 to lead the series
75.025- Track record in miles per hour established in 2007 by Joey Saldana
215- Miles from Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas where the World of Outlaws race on April 10 to Houston Raceway Park in Baytown
10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Saturday, April 11
51,690- Dollars in the total purse on April 11

Tickets: On Saturday, April 11 at Houston Raceway Park, general admission tickets will be $30 for adults if purchased in advance and $35 the day of the race, with general admissions tickets for children ages 6-12 just $15. Children ages 5-under will be admitted free of charge. Pit combos are also available for advance purchase only for $38 which includes a grandstand ticket and a pit pass. For tickets call SLS Promotions at 815-344-2023. Also tickets can be purchased by calling the track at 281-383-7223 or from Ticketmaster.

by Houston Raceway Park Media
Photos Courtesy Houston Raceway Park

Lone Star Speedzone Video Cast - 4/6/2009

In this Lone Star Speedzone Video Cast, the crew will head to Elm Mott to check out the racing action at Heart O’ Texas Speedway. We’ll have interviews with racers and track officials in this week’s show!

David Murray wins the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational Qualifier at Boyd Raceway

Four-time IMCA National Modified Champ David Murray made the trip down to Boyd Raceway from Oberlin, Kansas, well worth the effort by winning the IMCA Modified Fast Shafts All Star Invitational Qualifier Race this Friday at Boyd’s quarter-mile, semi-banked dirt oval.

Murray, winner of over 400 IMCA sanctioned A-Mains over his career, started the feature in the third row beside Tim Clonch with front-row starters Tommy Fain and Sam Cox and Chris Bragg and Chris Dawson in row two – a very formidable lineup.

Hot shoes Gabe Tucker, Jeff Emerson and Charlie Harmon started 11th, 12th and 13th respectively while Chris Elliott started in the 19th spot.

Fain jumped to an early lead as Murray roared to the top of the track to pick off both Bragg and Cox.

Murray then set his sights on Dawson and Fain, but the steering in Dillon Smith’s ride broke and he slid to a stop in turn 3-4 in front of the charging field. Charlie Harmon and Greg Kruger stacked up beside Smith without much damage, but Michael McLaughlin couldn’t avoid the mayhem and ran across the front of Smith’s car, twisting the front clip way out of shape.

The race resumed with Fain, Dawson, Murray, Cox and Bragg the top 5.

As they took the green, Dawson dove under Fain in a challenge for the lead and pulled him by half a car length. They drag raced side-by-side down the front stretch with Fain battling back in turn 1 & 2. But Murray, in what some might say is his classic style, made the move of the night and by jumping to the high side and powered by both as the threesome tore down the backstretch.

After that, Murray was never seriously challenged by Fain, who finished second, but he had to survive two caution periods, one of which put Clonch out for the night with major damage to his car.

As the laps counted down, the on-track battle was for third among Cox, Bragg and Tucker with Tucker working his way past both Cox and Bragg in the late stages.

At the checkered flag it was Murray by half a straightaway over Fain, Tucker, Bragg and Cox.

IMCA Modifieds

1. 97m David Murray, Jr Oberlin, KS
2. 90 Tommy Fain Abilene, TX
3. 28 Gabe Tucker Carbon, TX
4. 24b Chris Bragg Springtown, TX
5. 3 Sam Cox Flower Mound, TX
6. 35 Jeff Emerson Hobbs, NM
7. 6 Varian Sisson Springtown, TX
8. 199 Charlie Harmon II Oak Point, TX
9. 7 Randy Martin Springtown, TX
10. 23 Chris Elliot Abilene, TX
11. 52 John Gober Poolville, TX
12. 316 Junior Styles Boyd, TX
13. 12 Toby Hubbard Weatherford, TX
14. 18 Daniel Wyatt Princeton, TX
15. 7x Chris Dawson Post, TX
16. 118 Tim Clonch Quinlain, TX
17. 7k Greg Kruger Pilot Point, TX
18. 715 Michael McLaughlin Aubrey, TX
19. 71m Chad Melton Springtown, TX
20. 3 Dillon Smith Waco, TX

In the Boyd Mini Stocks feature it didn’t take Eric Bragg long to get to the front from his sixth-place start and lead most of the race. He seemed to leave the rest of the field to race for second place until late in the action when Ruben Broussard showed up in second from his ninth-place start.

Broussard got inside Bragg with one lap to go and the pair battled over that top spot like a couple of cur dogs fighting for a t-Bone. The battle was intense as they came off turn four door- to-door headed for the checked. They separated going down the front stretch and opened the door for Zac Sydney to thread the needle between them and steal the win. Talk about edge of your seat action. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Broussard wound up in second with Bragg, Austin Gregg and Alex Hunt rounding out the top 5.

Mini Stocks

1. 2z Zac Sydney Farmersville, TX
2. 51 Ruben Broussard Paradise, TX
3. 24b Eric Bragg Springtown, TX
4. 1A Austin Gregg Granbury, TX
5. 5 Chris Hunt Ft. Worth, TX
6. 9 Ronnie Evans Springtown, TX
7. 13 Jeremy Rutenchroer Weatherford, TX
8. 157 Paul Simmons Weatherford, TX
9. 15 Mark Rutenschroer Weatherford, TX
10. 40 Shanna Ferrrell Haslet, TX
11. 87 Zac Raybourn Azle, TX
12. 73 Ronald Allison Dallas, TX
13. 49 John Holbrook Azle, TX
14. 50 Matt Lingo Springtown, TX
15. 5 Kris Lunsford Azle, TX
16. 146 Donnie Johnson Springtown, TX
17. 4 Jimmy Doremus Springtown, TX
18. 66 Rod Murphy Weatherford, TX

The IMCA Southern SportMods were up next with Matt Mueller starting outside of Don Owens on the front row for this one. Mueller took the early lead and hung on for several laps before Jeff “The Jet” Turner worked his way up from 11th to take the point.

Dean Abbey finished in second, several car lengths behind Turner. Abbeys’ brother, Steven Abbey came home in third in spite of being hindered, no doubt, by the front cowling on his car which was turned straight up after he ran up under Mueller when he broke on the backstretch. Fourth went to Ronnie Welborn and fifth was Brad Shirley.

IMCA SportMods

1. 44 Jeff Turner Kaufman, TX
2. 37x Dean Abbey Comanche, TX
3. 95 Steven Abbey Comanche, TX
4. 20 Ronnie Welborn Princeton, TX
5. 0 Brad Shirley Springtown, TX
6. 6c Caleb Stone Hobbs, NM
7. 16 Donald Owens Azle, TX
8. 99 Matt Winnett Colbert, OK
9. 77 Tyler Fain Tuscola, TX
10. ZZ Brandon Holbrooks Springtown, TX
11. 5 Chris Hunt Ft. Worth, TX
12. 10 Dustin Robinson Post, TX
13. 86 Paul Vines Prosper, TX
14. 99m Tyler McDaniel Edgewood, TX
15. 2c Chris Custard Flower Mound, TX
16. 12w Gary Fox Haslet, TX
17. 7 Chris Meyers Eunice, NM
18. 38 Matt Muller Stanford, TX
19. 07t Jarrod Thomas Ft. Worth, TX
20. 28 Gabe Tucker Carbon, TX

Cory Davis started on the pole of the IMCA Stock Car A-main with Doug Kennemer on his outside. Jeff Turner started third but it didn’t take too long to get to the front.

Most of this race there were 6 cars together at the front in an intense battle for the lead. Turner was in classic form after blowing a motor last week and kept the lead to win this one.

Doug Kennemer finished second after fending off a strong challenge from Duain Pritchett as the laps wound down. Cory Davis and Michael Childs round out the top five.

IMCA Stock Cars

1. 44t Jeff Turner Kaufman, TX
2. 1 Douglas Kennemer Boyd, TX
3. 22 Duain Pritchett Combine, TX
4. 28 Cory Davis Eunice, NM
5. 1 Michael Childs Weatherford, TX
6. 69 Krik Martin Aledo, TX
7. 4x Rowdy Holbert Cleburne, TX
8. 88 Jackie Dooly Weatherford, TX
9. 23 Robert Ferron Venus, TX
10. 31 Aaron Ferrell Haslet, TX

Boyd Raceway continues to WOW the fans by hosting some of the country’s best race teams! If you race at Boyd, you race not only with a host of the area’s Top Local Talent, but some of the Nation’s Best as well! With names like Turner, Pritchett, Bragg, Montgomery, Mueller, Tucker, Winnett, Abbey, Bissonnette, Coleman, Kinnaird and Sewell on the roster every week, you can be guaranteed of a Great Show!

Then you add into the mix names like Clonch, Emerson, Stone, Fain, Dawson, Smith, Cox, Mims…. OH! And did I mention Murray! Yes, David Murray Jr.… 4 time IMCA National Champ! Murray, winner of over 400 IMCA sanctioned A-Mains, made the trip down from Oberlin Kansas to mix it up with the local talent Boyd hosts on a regular basis.

He slipped in unannounced and surprised even local racing pal, Chris Bragg who has raced with him all over the country! The racers were certainly surprised to see him parked there next to the fence as they pulled in! That was the first clue that this night was going to be something to see!

This season, Boyd has seen some new regular faces in the pits, names like Jeff Emerson; Jeff has partnered with WH Stone of Hobbs New Mexico and formed Southwest Racing Specialties. SRS will build and market the Racing Chassis Jeff is known for as well as provide racing products to West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. In addition, Southwest Racing Specialties is the 2009 Title Sponsor for the IMCA Southern Sport Mods!

Dillon Smith, a name well known in this region, has made every Boyd race this season; Steven Abbey has joined brother Dean and is proving to be a force to be reckoned with! Chris Elliott is becoming a familiar face at Boyd and I hear tell his dad David will soon have a new Taylor Modified in their stable as well! Gabe Tucker has added a Hughes Modified to his arsenal and has been HOT right from the start! Dustin Mims, an IMCA Hobby Stock racer, he is second in Hobby Stock points now!

The point is this: Boyd Raceway is fast becoming the Friday Night Home to most of the region’s top IMCA talent! The reconfigured track consistently provides competitive racing that rivals any you will see at any track across America! David Murray Jr. remarked while at Boyd that “it was one of the best he had raced on! ”

By Neal Palmer and Nick Holt

040609 - Brian McClellan interviewed

“Bringing you all the racing action across the great state of Texas.” ^TM

Press play on the player below to listen

Direct download link

Jason Hughes completes weekend USMTS sweep at West Siloam Speedway

Jason Hughes put an exclamation point on a perfect weekend Saturday as he led wire to wire to capture his second main event in as many nights in the 3rd Annual Quarter Master Sooner Modified Nationals at the West Siloam Speedway in West Siloam Springs, Okla.

The win was worth $3,000 and increased his two-day take to $5,000 as he made the short drive home to Westville, Okla., with the points lead in both the USMTS Southern Series and the Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region of the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour.

Despite a field of 69 entries Friday night and 59 on Saturday which included some of the heaviest hitters in the dirt Modified ranks, Hughes was in a class all his own as the 34-year-old chassis builder was perfect in almost every aspect. In addition to leading every lap of both nightcaps, he also garnered the most passing points in heat race action to earn the AFCO Pole Award both nights.

On Friday night, Hughes used the high line to hold back the challenges of Kelly Shryock and take a narrow victory at the end of the 30-lapper. Saturday’s 40-lap Sunoco “A” Main started out as a continuation of Friday’s feature race with Kelly Shryock on the inside of the front row and Hughes on his right.

Hughes got the advantage at the drop of the green flag while Shryock again used the bottom of the racing surface to mount his attack. But unlike Friday night where the two battled side by side for most of the distance, Hughes expanded his lead over the eight-time USMTS National Champion with each passing lap.

After a lap-12 caution flag, Bryan Rowland snuck by Shryock for the second spot while Jeremy Payne followed into third. Payne got around Rowland for second place on lap 20 while Terry Phillips, who started 13th, charged up to third during the 25th lap.

Another yellow flag on lap 34 erased a straight-away advantage for Hughes with teammates Payne and Phillips filling the row behind him on the restart. Hughes was able to pull away on the restart, but another caution on lap 38 slowed the field again and set up a two-lap shootout to the finish.

Back under green, Phillips disposed of his protégé in the first turn but was unable to mount a challenge on the leader as Hughes cruised beneath the checkered flags to record the popular hometown victory.

Phillips and Payne hung on for second and third, respectively, while Rowland finished fourth ahead of his teammate Rodney Sanders. Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Randy Timms, Dustin Boney, Zack VanderBeek, Wes Armstrong and Chad Wheeler.

COMING EVENTS …

With Sunday’s event at the Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kan., being canceled due to inclement weather, the next stop for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour will be the long-awaited Inaugural Frostbuster at Kevin and Tammy Gundaker’s Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill., on Friday, April 10. The series moves north to the 24 Raceway in Moberly, Mo., on Saturday, April 11.

For the USMTS Southern Series, action picks back up on Friday, April 17, at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas, and the Gator Motorplex in Willis, Texas, on Saturday, April 18, for a pair of Western Region showdowns.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour (Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region)
USMTS Southern Series (West Region)
3rd Annual Quarter Master Sooner Modified Nationals - Night 2 of 2
West Siloam Speedway, West Siloam Springs, Okla.
Saturday, April 4, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 13 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (10 laps):
1. 74 - Jeremy Payne — Springfield, MO (4)
2. 75 - Terry Phillips — Springfield, MO (3)
3. 26 - Brian Williams — Fayetteville, AR (8)
4. 111 - Bumper Jones — Mesilla Park, NM (9)
5. 66x - Mike Dillard — Allen, TX (2)
6. 4 - Ronnie Barbee — Siloam Springs, AR (5)
7. 75 - Alan Sharpensteen — Amarillo, TX (10)
8. 38 - Jeremy Ross — Locust Grove, OK (1)
9. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (7)
10. 60 - Kip Hughes — Enid, OK (6)

HEAT RACE #2 (10 laps):
1. 22 - Dustin Boney — Tonganoxie, KS (2)
2. 91b - Shawn Brassfield — Ada, OK (1)
3. 33z - Zack VanderBeek — New Sharon, IA (8)
4. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (7)
5. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (4)
6. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (10)
7. 42t - Tim Shields — Kansas City, MO (6)
8. 41 - Dustin Davis — Kansas, OK (9)
9. 24b - Larry Bratti — Springdale, AR (3)
10. 6 - Pat McVicker — Woodward, OK (5)

HEAT RACE #3 (10 laps):
1. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (3)
2. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (2)
3. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (7)
4. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt — Clear Lake, IA (5)
5. 5c - Don Crnkovich — Lenexa, KS (6)
6. YF - Toby Foster — Springdale, AR (4)
7. 0 - Kirby Stiens — Conception Junction, MO
8. 74 - Robert Janes — Siloam Springs, AR (9)
9. 8 - Mark Hoover — Maryville, MO (8)
10. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (1) DNF

HEAT RACE #4 (10 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (5)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (7)
3. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (8)
4. 21m - Steven Martin — Ozark, MO (1)
5. 14 - Jon Tesch — Watertown, SD (4)
6. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (9)
7. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (3)
8. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (6)
9. 9m - Melvin Pilcher — Springdale, AR (2)
10. 71k - Kevin Sustaire — Emery, TX (10) DNF

HEAT RACE #5 (10 laps):
1. 90 - Steve Wetzstein — West Concord, MN (2)
2. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (5)
3. 51 - Eddie Martin — Stilwell, OK (3)
4. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (8)
5. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (6)
6. 9j - Jeremy Morris — Lowell, AR (7)
7. 18 - Cody Smith — Kaufman, TX (4)
8. 30 - Chase Allen — Midlothian, TX (1) DNF
9. 4x - Chad Austin — Canyon, TX (9) DNF
10. L1 - Larry Clevenger — Greenwood, LA (10) DNS

HEAT RACE #6 (10 laps):
1. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (3)
2. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (1)
3. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (4)
4. C8 - Timothy Culp — West Monroe, LA (2)
5. 33 - Ryan Stiens — Maryville, MO (8)
6. 65 - Tommy Myer — Blooming Prairie, MN (7)
7. 89x - Tate Cole — Muskogee, OK (6)
8. 7k - Jason Krohn — Slayton, MN (9) DNF
9. 52 - Hank Long — Stilwell, OK (5) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (3)
2. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (5)
3. 14 - Jon Tesch — Watertown, SD (7)
4. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (12)
5. 18 - Cody Smith — Kaufman, TX (10)
6. YF - Toby Foster — Springdale, AR (9)
7. 74 - Robert Janes — Siloam Springs, AR (11)
8. 33 - Ryan Stiens — Maryville, MO (4)
9. 111 - Bumper Jones — Mesilla Park, NM (2)
10. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (6)
11. 91b - Shawn Brassfield — Ada, OK (1)
12. 75 - Alan Sharpensteen — Amarillo, TX (8)
13. 24b - Larry Bratti — Springdale, AR (13) DNF
14. 4x - Chad Austin — Canyon, TX (14) DNF
15. 6 - Pat McVicker — Woodward, OK (15) DNF
16. L1 - Larry Clevenger — Greenwood, LA (16) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (1)
2. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (15)
3. 9j - Jeremy Morris — Lowell, AR (7)
4. 0 - Kirby Stiens — Conception Junction, MO (8)
5. 52 - Hank Long — Stilwell, OK (14)
6. 8 - Mark Hoover — Maryville, MO (13)
7. 5c - Don Crnkovich — Lenexa, KS (5)
8. 42t - Tim Shields — Kansas City, MO (9)
9. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (2) DNF
10. 51 - Eddie Martin — Stilwell, OK (3) DNF
11. 21m - Steven Martin — Ozark, MO (4) DNF
12. 89x - Tate Cole — Muskogee, OK (10) DNF
13. 66x - Mike Dillard — Allen, TX (6) DNF
14. 7k - Jason Krohn — Slayton, MN (11) DNS
15. 30 - Chase Allen — Midlothian, TX (12) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (2)
2. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (1)
3. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (6)
4. C8 - Timothy Culp — West Monroe, LA (4)
5. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt — Clear Lake, IA (3)
6. 4 - Ronnie Barbee — Siloam Springs, AR (8)
7. 65 - Tommy Myer — Blooming Prairie, MN (7)
8. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (5)
9. 9m - Melvin Pilcher — Springdale, AR (13)
10. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (12)
11. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (9)
12. 38 - Jeremy Ross — Locust Grove, OK (11)
13. 60 - Kip Hughes — Enid, OK (14) DNF
14. 41 - Dustin Davis — Kansas, OK (10) DNF
15. 71k - Kevin Sustaire — Emery, TX (15) DNS

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (2)
2. 75 - Terry Phillips — Springfield, MO (13)
3. 74 - Jeremy Payne — Springfield, MO (6)
4. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (3)
5. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (11)
6. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (8)
7. 22 - Dustin Boney — Tonganoxie, KS (4)
8. 33z - Zack VanderBeek — New Sharon, IA (10)
9. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (17)
10. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (22)
11. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (19)
12. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (15)
13. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (16)
14. 51 - Eddie Martin — Stilwell, OK (25)
15. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (26)
16. 14 - Jon Tesch — Watertown, SD (20)
17. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (24)
18. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (1)
19. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (14) DNF
20. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (12) DNF
21. 26 - Brian Williams — Fayetteville, AR (9) DNF
22. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (5) DNF
23. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (23) DNF
24. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (18) DNF
25. 90 - Steve Wetzstein — West Concord, MN (7) DNF
26. 9j - Jeremy Morris — Lowell, AR (21) DNF

Lap Leaders – J. Hughes 1-40.
Total Laps Led – J. Hughes 40.
AFCO Pole Winner – J. Hughes.
Provisional Starters – Holzkamper, Bone, E. Martin, Hebert.

USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour:
Ruter Farms Long Tow – Tesch (697.89 miles).
PBM Performance Products Hard Charger – Wheeler (started 22nd, finished 10th).
Next Race – Friday, April 10, Tri-City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, Ill. (Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region).
Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region Points – J. Hughes 383, Boney 337, Tesch 331, Sanders 309, Bone 301, Shryock 298, Holzkamper 295, Green 293, VanderBeek 292, Wheeler 289.
DandyLand Farms Rookie of the Year Points – K. Hughes 62, Crnkovich 51, Gary Langworthy Jr. 50, Cole 47, Brian Bolin 44.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points – Mullins 43, Sput’s 37, A.S.I. 34, AEM 23, Hatfield 17.
Chassis Builders Championship Points – Hughes 45, Skyrocket 40, Ramirez 35, GRT 32, TRE 29.

USMTS Southern Series:
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Wheeler (started 22nd, finished 10th).
Next Race – Friday, April 17, Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, Texas (West Region).
West Region Points – J. Hughes 208, Shryock 153, E. Martin 153, Tesch 152, Rowland 143, Sanders 143, Hebert 143, Holzkamper 130, Wheeler 129, Whiteaker 129.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points – W. Armstrong 68, J. Armstrong 62, Sustaire 55, Dillard 49, Patrick Linn 48.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points – Mullins 29, Sput’s 29, A.S.I. 29, BMS 19, Shinook 18.
Chassis Builders Championship Points – GRT 35, Hughes 34, Skyrocket 32, TRE 29, Ramirez 28.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – J. Hughes.
American Racer – S. Martin.
Isky Racing Cams – Payne.
KSE Racing Products – Timms, Wheeler.
PBM Performance Products – Wheeler.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Morris.
Nitroquest – Payne.
Quarter Master – J. Hughes, VanderBeek.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Boney.
Real Racing Wheels – Foster, Hoover, Barbee.
Ruter Farms – Tesch.

Kevin Ramey prevails for ASCS Lone Star Region Win at Cowtown

Kevin Ramey broke back into American Sprint Car Series victory lane in grand fashion with some last lap heroics to win Saturday night’s 25-lap ASCS Lone Star feature event atop Cowtown Speedway’s high-banked, ¼-mile clay oval.

Ramey took command at the midway point after surging from the 15th starting position and then survived a slugfest for the top spot with Sam Hafertepe, Jr., over the final rounds to post the win aboard the Williams Motorsports Wells-powered City Vending No. 7m Maxim.

After Ramey won the night’s first “B” Main with a last lap pass of Rodney Henderson, he wasted little time moving forward in the night’s finale as pole starter Ryan Hall and Marvin Lough swapped the point over the first half of the race. Hall paced the opening two circuits and then regained the lead on the eighth round after Lough led the way for a handful of laps.

By the time Hall had regained the lead, Ramey had battled his way up to fourth. A lap later, the two-time ASCS Sooner Region champion shot around both Matt Covington and Lough to capture second.

Ramey then raced into the lead on the 13th round and appeared briefly to have the field covered. But Sam Hafertepe, Jr., had other ideas.

Hafertepe had been up to second and pressuring the leader when he bicycled and nearly flipped on the eighth lap, slipping back to fifth in the process. Hafertepe worked back towards the front though and took second away from Covington with just five laps to go.

As Ramey had his hands full with traffic, Hafertepe closed the gap and began challenging for the lead with just two laps to go. After racing down the backstretch in wheel-to-wheel fashion, Hafertepe edged into the lead as the white flag flew.

Ramey fought back through turns one and two and then held off one last Hafertepe bid in the final corner to capture his 33rd career overall ASCS feature win and first since a Sooner Region score at Waco in September 2007.

Hafertepe settled for second, with Covington in the show position. Lough took the checkered flag in fourth, while Brady Bacon raced from 16th to round out the top five.

Brad Welborn climbed from 20th to sixth, with Dustin Morgan, Matt Clevenger, Chad Wilson and Justin Melton completing the top ten.

Covington, Hafertepe, Hall, Eric Baldaccini and Kolt Walker topped heat race action for the 39-car field, with both Ramey and Bacon making last-lap moves to win the twin “B” Mains. After leading during the early portion of the feature, Hall fell to twelfth in the final rundown with a stuck bleeder valve in the right rear.

Baldaccini’s night ended with a turn one flip nine laps into the main event. Baldaccini was just one of several flip victims on the night, with others including J.P. Bailey on the opening lap of the feature, Michael Lang, Colt Treharn, Jerry Bell and Bruce Griffith, Jr., in “B” Main action and Nick Clinkenbeard in heat race competition. There were no injuries.

ASCS Lone Star Region Results from Cowtown Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington, 2. 71-Channin Tankersley, 3. 85-Jerry Bell, 4. 1r-Scott Reneau, 5. 69h-Larry Howery, 6. 74-Brandon Corn, 7. 74e-Claud Estes, 8. 88r-Andy Rea.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 15-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 2. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 3. 11-Justin Melton, 4. 20x-Chad Wilson, 5. 81au-Gavin Punch, 6. 66-Nick Clinkenbeard, 7. 87x-Billy Melton, 8. 25-Robert Sellers (Disqualified; failed to report directly to scales after finishing first).

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 79-Ryan Hall, 2. 20-Terry Monroe, 3. 87-Brian McClelland, 4. 14-Michael Lang, 5. 26-Dalton Steed, 6. 11m-Brandon Moseley, 7. 11F-Darrell Fletcher, 8. 65-Skip Wilson.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 39-Marvin Lough, 3. 45-J.P. Bailey, 4. 93-Dustin Morgan, 5. 17w-Brad Welborn, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 14b-Robert Byrom, 8. 9-Brian Parker.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 45k-Kolt Walker, 2. 5m-Glenn Martin, 3. 67-Rodney Henderson, 4. 99-Brady Bacon, 5. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 6. 76-John Ricketts, 7. 77-Colt Treharn.

First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 67-Rodney Henderson, 3. 87-Brian McClelland, 4. 65-Skip Wilson, 5. 81au-Gavin Punch, 6. 11m-Brandon Moseley, 7. 9-Brian Parker, 8. 69h-Larry Howery, 9. 77-Colt Treharn, 10. 87x-Billy Melton, 11. 88r-Andy Rea, 12. 14-Michael Lang. DNS: 66-Nick Clinkenbeard.

Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 20x-Chad Wilson, 3. 17w-Brad Welborn, 4. 74-Brandon Corn, 5. 76-John Ricketts, 6. 74e-Claud Estes, 7. 25-Robert Sellers, 8. 14b-Robert Byrom, 9. 11F-Darrell Fletcher, 10. 26-Dalton Steed, 11. 85-Jerry Bell, 12. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 15-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 3. 95-Matt Covington, 4. 39-Marvin Lough, 5. 99-Brady Bacon, 6. 17w-Brad Welborn, 7. 93-Dustin Morgan, 8. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 9. 20x-Chad Wilson, 10. 11-Justin Melton, 11. 87-Brian McClelland, 12. 79-Ryan Hall, 13. 5m-Glenn Martin, 14. 1r-Scott Reneau, 15. 67-Rodney Henderson, 16. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 17. 71-Channin Tankersley, 18. 45k-Kolt Walker, 19. 45-J.P. Bailey, 20. 20-Terry Monroe.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 296, 2. Brad Welborn 276, 3. Matt Clevenger 274, 4. Brian McClelland 272, 5. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 256, 6. Eric Baldaccini 252, 7. Channin Tankersley 248, 8. Justin Melton 244, 9. J.P. Bailey 238, 10. Kolt Walker 230.

by Lonnie Wheatley
Photos courtesy of ASCS

Skip Wilson scores “HOT” win in Inaugural ASCS Lone Star Event

Skip Wilson inked his name into the record books as the first American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region feature winner by topping the series’ inaugural 25-lap main event Friday night at Heart O’ Texas Speedway.

The veteran shoe hailing from Mesquite, TX, withstood a mid-race bid from Brian McClelland before ultimately taking the checkered flag six car-lengths ahead of Kevin Ramey, who emerged atop a wild scramble for runner-up honors after starting eleventh.

Wilson found the new Heart O’ Texas Speedway configuration, which consists of significantly more banking than in the past along with new clay, to his liking. “I never really could run around the top here, not the way we could tonight,” Wilson explained afterward. “Now, there’s something to hold you up there and you can really get around this place.”

Originally slated to start inside the second row, Wilson shuffled to the front row outside after original front row starter Justin Melton looped it in turn two on the first start and collected Justin Spoerl and Sam Hafertepe, Jr., sending all three machines to the pits for good.

Wilson took quick advantage aboard J.B. Cook’s Speed Specialties-powered Brookhollow Rental Co. No. 65 Avenger, outgunning pole starter Claud Estes for the early lead. Estes tailed the leader for a handful of laps before second row starter McClelland raced into second on the sixth circuit and set his sights on the leader.

With a pair of lapped cars in the mix, McClelland closed in on Wilson’s tail tank on the tenth round. But, Wilson nimbly maneuvered through traffic and began to slip away from McClelland and company on the 12th circuit.

“A time or two I thought somebody might be there, but I was afraid to look down to see,” Wilson commented. “After I got a couple of lapped cars in there, I felt a little bit safer.”

Wilson, who captured his first ASCS win by topping a National feature at Paris, TX, last year, slipped away in the ensuing laps as a torrid battle for the runner-up spot developed between McClelland, Estes and Ramey, who had surged forward from the sixth row.

Ramey finally wrestled the runner-up slot away from fellow two-time ASCS Sooner Region champ McClelland on the 23rd circuit and tried to reel in the leader. Ramey ran out of laps though, falling just a handful of car-lengths short as the checkered flag flew on his first night in a new Maxim.

McClelland settled for the show position in front of Estes, with Matt Clevenger rounding out the top five.

Brad Welborn climbed ten positions from his 16th starting slot to finish sixth, with Gavin Punch in seventh. Eric Baldaccini matched Welborn’s charge by racing from 18th to eighth, with Gulf South championship contender Channin Tankersley rebounding from an early spin to finish ninth. After racing from tenth to win the 15-lap “B” Main, Michael Lang advanced from 17th to complete the top ten.

Clevenger, McClelland, Justin Melton and Punch topped heat race action for the 30-car field, while John Ricketts paced the opening nine circuits of the “B” Main before Michael Lang took command.

The ASCS Lone Star Region completes its inaugural weekend of competition with Saturday night’s card at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, TX, which is slated to get under way at 7:00 p.m.

ASCS Lone Star Region Results from Heart O’ Texas Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 2. 74e-Claud Estes, 3. 71-Channin Tankersley, 4. 14e-Justin Spoerl, 5. 76-John Ricketts, 6. 12-Shawn Mize, 7. 67-Rodney Henderson, 8. 26-Dalton Steed.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 87-Brian McClelland, 2. 65-Skip Wilson, 3. 45k-Kolt Walker, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 20-Terry Monroe, 6. 5m-Glenn Martin, 7. 14b-Robert Byrom, 8. 20x-Chad Wilson.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 11-Justin Melton, 2. 87x-Billy Melton, 3. 74-Brandon Corn, 4. 15-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 5. 77-Colt Treharn, 6. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 7. 14-Michael Lang.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 81au-Gavin Punch, 2. 45-J.P. Bailey, 3. 69h-Larry Howery, 4. 17w-Brad Welborn, 5. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 6. 9-Brian Parker, 7. 25-Robert Sellers.

“B” Feature (15 Laps): 1. 14-Michael Lang, 2. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 3. 76-John Ricketts, 4. 25-Robert Sellers, 5. 20-Terry Monroe, 6. 67-Rodney Henderson, 7. 9-Brian Parker, 8. 77-Colt Treharn, 9. 26-Dalton Steed, 10. 5m-Glenn Martin, 11. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 12. 12-Shawn Mize, 13. 20x-Chad Wilson, 14. 14b-Robert Byrom.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 65-Skip Wilson, 2. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 3. 87-Brian McClelland, 4. 74e-Claud Estes, 5. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 6. 17w-Brad Welborn, 7. 81au-Gavin Punch, 8. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 9. 71-Channin Tankersley, 10. 14-Michael Lang, 11. 25-Robert Sellers, 12. 45-J.P. Bailey, 13. 74-Brandon Corn, 14. 87x-Billy Melton, 15. 69h-Larry Howery, 16. 76-John Ricketts, 17. 45k-Kolt Walker, 18. 11-Justin Melton, 19. 14e-Justin Spoerl, 20. 15-Sam Hafertepe, Jr.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Skip Wilson 150, 2. Kevin Ramey 146, 3. Brian McClelland 144, 4. Claud Estes 142, 5. Matt Clevenger 140, 6. Brad Welborn 138, 7. Gavin Punch 136, 8. Eric Baldaccini 134, 9. Channin Tankersley 132, 10. Michael Lang 130.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Heart O’ Texas, Cowtown to host inaugural ASCS Lone Star Region events this weekend

The much-anticipated initial pair of events for the all-new American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region are just two days away as the series is set for its inaugural weekend of competition this Friday and Saturday.

The ASCS Lone Star Region lifts off with Friday night’s card atop Waco’s 1/3-mile Heart O’ Texas Speedway clay oval. Then, on Saturday night, it’s up the road to complete the series’ opening weekend of action atop Cowtown Speedway’s high-banked ¼-mile near Fort Worth.

Both tracks have been regular Regional stops in recent years, with Heart O’ Texas often hosting the ASCS Gulf South Region and Cowtown Speedway a standard ASCS Sooner Region stop. But, with the emergence of the new Lone Star Region, a more fitting pair of ovals couldn’t have been selected for the opening weekend.

Heart O’ Texas Speedway will also host the Gulf South Region on June 5, with a Lone Star vs. Gulf South Shootout to follow on July 31 after both Regional Tours have had a look at the speedway.

The inaugural Lone Star Region championship will virtually run through Cowtown Speedway, as the Kennedale, TX, track will host the Lone Star Region on several more occasions including stops on May 16, June 27 and August 29 before the Cowtown Sprint Nationals on October 9-10 that will feature a triumvirate of Regions including Lone Star, Gulf South and Sooner.

In total, the ASCS Lone Star Region will contest 16 events at eight different tracks throughout North Texas in addition to one venture north of the Red River to Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway in May versus the Sooner Region.

Two-time ASCS Sooner Region champion Kevin Ramey of Fort Worth and 2008 ASCS Sooner Region runner-up Kolt Walker are among the nearly two-dozen drivers that have already indicated intentions of pursuing the Lone Star crown, setting up a stout opening weekend of action.

Several invaders from north of the Red River are expected for the weekend’s action, along with several Lucas Oil ASCS National contenders including reigning champion Jason Johnson, Travis Rilat, Eric Baldaccini, Kathryne Minter and Trey Robb. Both features offer up $1,500 to win and $250 to start.

Ramey ranks as the only driver to capture ASCS victories at both the Heart O’ Texas and Cowtown Speedways. Ramey has collected four Waco wins (three Gulf South and one Sooner) along with two Sooner wins at Cowtown.

While Ramey has collected 32 overall career ASCS feature wins, he’ll be trying to snap a series victory drought of 40 race nights dating back to a September 14, 2007, ASCS Sooner score at Heart O’ Texas.

Friday’s racing action at Heart O’ Texas goes green at 8:00 p.m., with Saturday’s NASCAR weekend event at Cowtown Speedway firing off at 7:00 p.m.

The semi-banked, 1/3-mile Heart O’ Texas Speedway clay oval is located in Waco, TX, off I-35 Exit 343, then 0.6 miles north on east frontage road. For more information, contact the track at 254-829-2294.

Cowtown Speedway is located in Kennedale, TX, just east of Fort Worth off I-20 Exit 442-A, then 1.7 miles southeast on Mansfield Highway, then 1.4 miles southwest on New Hope Road. For more information, contact the track at 817-478-9952.

The American Sprint Car Series, in its 18th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing events, brings the best of Sprint Car racing to nearly 100 different tracks throughout 25 states and Canada in 2009. Anchored by the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of a dozen different Regions throughout the nation.

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Heart O’ Texas Speedway:

8/22/08 – Greg Rilat (Gulf South)
5/25/08 – Ryan Hall (Gulf South)
9/14/07 – Kevin Ramey (Sooner)
8/31/07 – Brandon Berryman (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
9/15/06 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South)
7/21/06 – Jason Johnson (Gulf South vs. Sooner Region)
10/15/04 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South)
9/17/04 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South)
6/18/04 – Claud Estes (Gulf South)

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Cowtown Speedway:

10/11/08 – Brian Brown (National vs. Sooner)
10/10/08 – Gavin Punch (National vs. Sooner)
8/23/08 – Kolt Walker (Gulf South)
7/26/08 – Brad Welborn (Sooner)
5/17/08 – Gary Taylor (Sooner)
4/5/08 – Travis Rilat (Sooner)
9/15/07 - Nick Smith (Sooner)
7/7/07 - Brian McClelland (Sooner)
4/14/07 - Kevin Ramey (Sooner)
9/23/06 - Travis Rilat (Sooner)
6/10/06 - Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sooner)
4/8/06 - Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sooner)
9/24/05 - Travis Rilat (Sooner)
6/25/05 - Jason Martin (National vs. Sooner)
4/9/05 - Sean McClelland (Sooner)
9/25/04 - Andy Shouse (Sooner)
5/29/04 - Kevin Ramey (Sooner)

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Thunderhill Raceway running at full throttle for start of 2009 racing season

Thunderhill Raceway (THR) in Kyle, TX, started out its 2009 racing season at full throttle – starting with the Allstate Texas Racefest on March 14, which was coincidentally hosted by Full Throttle Productions. The THR season opener for the local classes was held on March 21, followed by a full schedule of events this past weekend.

The action this past Saturday night (March 28) was jam-packed – bringing fans plenty of “thrills and spills” to watch as eight classes of all types of stock cars (and karts) took to the 3/8-mile, D-shaped asphalt oval track.

After all of the classes completed their qualifying runs and heat races, the drivers were ready to give the fans their money’s worth in their respective feature races.

 

Starting off the night was the Thunder Stock feature race. Michael Teague (Bastrop, TX) started on the pole and quickly lost the lead to Aaron Brungot (Cedar Park, TX), who held on to the top position for the first six laps. Jason Stanley (San Antonio, TX) grabbed the lead on Lap 7 and stayed at the front until near the end of the race. Meanwhile, the 2008 Thunder Stock Champion and last week’s feature winner, Joey Tschoerner (Bartlett, TX), worked his way up through the pack after starting in the 9^th position. Tschoerner passed Stanley with only two laps to go and claimed his second Thunder Stock victory of the season.

The Dwarf Car Series of Texas was next on the track. Jerry Young (Helotes, TX) claimed the win in the 20-lap feature event, followed by Arden Vikre (San Marcos, TX) and Chuck McCormick (Helotes, TX).

The ASA A-Line Super Stocks came out next for their 40-lap feature event. The 15-car starting field was led by Duane Toyne (Leander, TX). After just one lap in the lead, Toyne blew an engine and was out for the night. Chase Stapp (San Marcos, TX), who is the rookie pilot of the #99 Super Stock, then assumed the lead. Stapp is the brother of last year’s Super Stock Champion and ASA National Champion Cary Stapp. Chase Stapp held off the rest of the field before being passed by Clint LaFont (Volente, TX) on Lap 33. LaFont had steadily charged up from his eighth starting position and had been picking off his competitors one-by-one before battling for the lead. LaFont held on for the win, and Stapp turned in an impressive second-place finish in his second career start.

 

The Texas Super Racing Series (TSRS) Allison Legacys made their second appearance at THR this year, and Kris Kerr (San Antonio, TX) started on the pole following a draw for position among the top six qualifiers. Kerr never looked back – holding off Gavin Boyett (Buda, TX) and last week’s feature winner Charles Evans, Jr. (Friendswood, TX) for the win.

Next on the track for their 75-lap feature race were the ever-popular TSRS Late Models. A well-known former champion, Colt James from North Carolina, started on the pole. However, Robert Barker (Boerne, TX), who was the TSRS Racefest winner and fast qualifier, took over the lead on the first lap and held on for 64 laps. After slowing down due to a low tire, Barker was forced to give up his position to Cody Smith (La Vernia, TX) for the last ten laps of the race. Smith claimed his first victory of the 2009 season and was followed by James, Bobby Teer, Jr. (Comfort, TX) and Barker when he took the checkered flag.

Mason Yousling (Pflugerville, TX) then put on an exhibition race in #46 Mini Stock. The Mini Stocks are a new class at THR this year, and much growth is anticipated for this affordable way to race.

 

After setting the track qualifying record earlier in the evening and starting on the pole, Lyndon Kirk led the 11-kart field of NasKarts onto the track. Kirk held on the lead until the end – finishing ahead of Chris Terry and Michael Steinman.

The night ended with the 25-lap Grand Stock feature event. Brandon Gaither (Floresville, TX) started out on the pole and quickly lost the lead to Layton Carroll (Yoakum, TX). Throughout the race, Michael Weaver (Elmendorf, TX), who was the ninth-place starter, worked his way up to the field – claiming the second position on Lap 10. Carroll managed to hold off for the win, followed by Weaver and Kenny Wright (McQueeney, TX).

Thunderhill Raceway will now settle into its schedule for the remainder of the year, with races being held on the 2^nd and 4^th Saturdays of each month. The next race at THR will be held on Saturday, April 11, and will feature the Texas Pro Sedans, Pro Trucks, Lone Star Legends and Bandoleros – along with the ASA A-Line Super Stocks, Thunder Stocks, Grand Stocks, Mini Stocks and NasKarts.

An Easter Egg Hunt will also be held in the infield – hosted by the Thunderhill Raceway Kids’ Club.

Grandstand gates will open on April 11 at 5 p.m. The racing action will begin with qualifying at 5:30 p.m., heat races at 6 p.m. and feature races at 7 p.m.

Thunderhill Raceway is located at 24801 IH-35, just north of San Marcos (TX) near Yarrington Road (Exit #210). For more information on Thunderhill Raceway, please visit the THR website at www.thunderhillraceway.com.

 

 

By Debbie Williams, Thunderhill Raceway Media & Public Relations Director

Boyd Raceway hosts All Star Invitational Qualifier - Round 2 - this Friday

Friday night, April 3rd, Boyd Raceway will host the second $1,000 to Win Fast Shafts All Star Invitational Qualifier Race of the five they have scheduled for this season. Once again, IMCA Modified drivers who want to try and qualify for the chance to get voted into the Fast Shafts All Star Invitational Race coming up later this year during the IMCA Super Nationals at Boone will converge on the Bullring to give it their best shot! You can rest assured; the racing action will be hot!

Chris Bragg, a local driver from Springtown, added his name to the ballot with his win back on March 6th in a race that was a real barn burner. The action was hot from the drop of the green flag as the thundering horde swept thru the first set of turns and headed off down the backstretch. They were 5 wide coming into turn 3 and, well, that just didn’t work. Rick McDaniel got clipped in the melee and turned broadside of the roaring tide that swept him right into the middle of turn 3 before they got shut down!

Several tough contenders were taken out in that first lap mishap including Monte Bolton, Chris Simmel, Randy Martin and Charlie Harmon. I look for most of those guys to be back with their race face on and their minds made up to get the win they wanted back then!

But take a look at the drivers that finished in the top ten; Guys like Jeff Emerson, (who’s been HOT this season already in his Emerson Chassis!), Gabe Tucker, (he led the first part of this race in his new Hughes!), Rick McDaniel, (even after being pushed broadside down the backstretch in his Allen Chassis!), Chris Elliott, (the young phenom from Eastland in a new Jeff Taylor Modified!), Varian Sisson, (the cagey ole veteran), Michael Moore, (another fast Allen Chassis!), Darryl Campbell, ( WOW! And he did it in his Destroyer 2 link!), William Gould, (top local finisher at TMS earlier this year!), and Dillon Smith, (this boy has got his “groove on” this year!).

All I can say is you won’t want to miss the action at Boyd Raceway this Friday night as these talented drivers converge on the Bullring to take a shot at winning this race! Will you be there to see it for yourself? Or, will you be wishing you would have been!
www.boydraceway.net

by Neal Palmer

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