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Three ASCS Sprint Car Champions to be crowned at the Cowtown Speedway Nationals this weekend

Roger Crockett, Jason Danley, Bryan Howland, Brett Mann and Jake Ossenfort have each already collected ASCS Regional championships in 2009.

Now, another three drivers will be crowned simultaneously at this weekend’s second annual Cowtown Sprint Nationals at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, TX, this weekend.

The ASCS Gulf South, Lone Star and Sooner Regions converge upon the high-banked, ¼-mile dirt oval for two full nights of competition this Friday and Saturday, with Aaron Reutzel, Kevin Ramey and Joe Wood, Jr., leading their respective regions into the weekend double dip.

While Reutzel (134 point lead) and Ramey (167 point lead) both have their Regional point chases virtually locked up, Wood, Jr., isn’t entirely out of the woods yet as Matt Covington is just 30 points out of the lead.

Vying for his first American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region championship, Oklahoma City’s Wood can secure the crown with a solid weekend. However, if things go south for Wood, 19-year-old Glenpool, OK, shoe Matt Covington is right there to take quick advantage.

Fort Worth’s Ramey, a former two-time ASCS Sooner Region champion, needs to do little more than show up both nights to put the wraps on the inaugural ASCS Lone Star championship, while 19-year-old Reutzel of Clute, TX, has plenty of breathing room in the ASCS Gulf South chase after this past weekend’s competition.

The current top ten in each Regional points chase is as follows:

ASCS Gulf South: 1. Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX) 3,170, 2. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 3,036, 3. Tommy Bryant (Conroe, TX) 3,004, 4. Scottie McDonald (New Caney, TX) 2,944, 5. Brandon Berryman (Missouri City, TX) 2,901, 6. Kent Lewis, Jr. (Willis, TX) 2,877, 7. Greg Rilat (Texas City, TX) 2,837, 8. Ray Allen Kulhanek (Magnolia, TX) 2,699, 9. Gary Watson (Beaumont, TX) 2,676, 10. Jimmy Brooks (College Station, TX) 2,517.

ASCS Lone Star: 1. Kevin Ramey (Fort Worth, TX) 1,970, 2. Brad Welborn (Princeton, TX) 1,803, 3. Justin Melton (Flower Mound, TX) 1,772, 4. Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) 1,751, 5. Claud Estes (Godley, TX) 1,737, 6. Michael Lang (Mesquite, TX) 1,704, 7. Matt Clevenger (Flower Mound, TX) 1,626, 8. Scott Reneau (Kemp, TX) 1,606, 9. Brian McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 1,594, 10. John Ricketts (Burleson, TX) 1,508.

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner: 1. Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK) 1,380, 2. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 1,350, 3. Donnie Ray Crawford (Tulsa, OK) 1,237, 4. Kyle Bellm (Nixa, MO) 1,142, 5. Brad Graham (Springfield, MO) 1,071, 6. (tie) Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) and Forrest Sutherland (Cherryvale, TX) 958, 8. Chris Lloyd (Moore, OK) 938, 9. Brian McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 936, 10. Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) 929.

Friday night’s action, which concludes with a $2,000-to-win main event, is set to go green at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday’s $8,000-to-win tilt firing off at 7:00 p.m.

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 ninth year of American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region action has consisted of ten events at five tracks throughout Oklahoma as well as Missouri and north Texas. This weekend’s action will be the first Sooner stops of the year at Cowtown.

The eighth year of ASCS Gulf South Region competition has consisted of 23 nights of racing action at nine different tracks throughout primarily southern Texas. This weekend marks the first ASCS Gulf South events of the year at Cowtown Speedway.

The inaugural year of ASCS Lone Star Regional action has consisted of 14 nights of competition at nine different tracks primarily throughout northern Texas, including three events at Cowtown Speedway.

After a stretch of nine different winners in as many ASCS Regional events at Cowtown Speedway over the course of 2007 and 2008, Kevin Ramey was within a lap of sweeping this year’s three Lone Star events at Cowtown. After victories on April 4 and June 27, only last-lap contact with Travis Rilat that sent Ramey out of the park denied the hat trick on August 29. Instead, it was Rilat taking his fourth career ASCS Regional win atop the Cowtown dirt oval.

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Cowtown Speedway:
8/29/09 – Travis Rilat (Lone Star)
6/27/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
4/4/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
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

An ASCS Lone Star Saturday Night at Lone Star Speedway

It’s going to be an all out Lone Star Saturday night, as the American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region takes to the high-banked, ½-mile Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, TX, this Saturday.

It marks the lone Lone Star event of the season at Lone Star, where Brandon Berryman bested a 37-car field of Gulf South entries in May.

Leading the way into Saturday’s card is Fort Worth’s Kevin Ramey, who is just three race nights away from adding the inaugural ASCS Lone Star title to a pair of previous ASCS Sooner Region championships.

Ramey added his fourth ASCS Lone Star win of the season this past Friday night at Crandall’s Speedway before picking up another top-five finish at Devil’s Bowl Speedway the following night.

With nine top-fives and 11 top-tens in 14 points, Ramey has amassed a 167-point advantage wit just the Cowtown Sprint Nationals that includes the Lone Star, Gulf South and Sooner Regions on October 9-10 remaining after the Lone Star card.

While Ramey holds a solid lead, Brad Welborn of Princeton, TX, holds down the second position, just 31 markers ahead of 22-year-old Flower Mound, TX, shoe Justin Melton.

Twenty-one-year-old Eric Baldaccini of Keller, TX, has climbed to fourth in points, with Godley’s Claud Estes rounding out the current top five.

The balance of the current top ten in ASCS Lone Star points includes Michael Lang (Mesquite), Matt Clevenger (Flower Mound), Scott Reneau (Kemp), Brian McClelland (Broken Arrow, OK) and John Ricketts (Burleson, TX).

Saturday’s ASCS Lone Star action at Lone Star Speedway is set to go green at 7:30 p.m.

Lone Star Speedway is located in Kilgore, TX, off I-20 Exit 583, then 0.5 miles north on SR 135, then one mile east on FM 1252, then 0.5 miles south. For more information, contact the track at 903-986-9731.

The inaugural slate of ASCS Lone Star Region competition consists of 18 events at nine different tracks throughout North Texas in addition to one venture north of the Red River to Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway.

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.

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

Gary Wright rolls to ASCS Regional Sprint Car Clash win at Devil’s Bowl Speedway

Devil’s Bowl Speedway has been kind to Gary Wright over the years. “The Texan” added yet another win atop the fabled ½-mile clay oval by topping Saturday night’s 25-lap American Sprint Car Series Gulf South vs. Lone Star Clash main event.

Starting outside the second row, Wright wrestled the lead away from Gulf South Iron-man Greg Rilat on the fifth round and never looked back en route to his seventh overall ASCS feature win of the year aboard Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service/Richwood Construction No. 9x Maxim.

Wright also won the ASCS Lone Star vs. Sooner Challenge event at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in May.

After a late red flag for a turn two tumble including sixth-running Sean McClelland and Kent Lewis, Jr., the four-time Lucas Oil Sprint Car national champion checked out over the final circuits to take the checkered flag in front of Travis Rilat.

Rilat, who started alongside his father Greg Rilat on the front row, took over second when the elder Rilat slipped off the top of turn two on the sixth circuit to bring out a quick caution.

Current Lucas Oil Sprint Car national points leader Jason Johnson worked from eighth to claim the show position behind Wright and Rilat, with current ASCS Lone Star points leader Kevin Ramey and Michael Lang rounding out the top five.

Eric Baldaccini was sixth, with Justin Spoerl, ASCS Gulf South points leader Aaron Reutzel, Tommy Bryant and 23rd-starter Scottie McDonald competing the top ten.

Ramey, Johnson, Lang, Travis Rilat and Channin Tankersley topped heat race action for Saturday night’s 42-car field, with Brian McClelland and Kent Lewis, Jr., winning the twin “B” Mains.

ASCS Gulf South vs. Lone Star Results from Devil’s Bowl Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 3. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 4. 17w-Brad Welborn, 5. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 6. 11-Justin Melton, 7. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 8. 76-John Ricketts, 9. 87x-Billy Melton.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 1-Sean McClelland, 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 4. 6-Justin Spoerl, 5. 25-Brian McClelland, 6. 5m-Glenn Martin, 7. 2-Joe Zierolf, 8. 5c-Chris Coker, 9. 20k-Ray Allen Kulhanek.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 14-Michael Lang, 2. 35-Greg Rilat, 3. 9-Brian Parker, 4. 45x-Martin Edwards, 5. 45-J.P. Bailey, 6. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 7. 71T-Shane Thompson, 8. 74e-Claud Estes.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 21T-Tommy Bryant, 3. 1r-Scott Reneau, 4. 12w-Dale Wester, 5. 3-Gary Watson, 6. 65-Skip Wilson, 7. 81au-Gavin Punch, 8. 15T-Travis Elliott.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 24-David Gailley, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 88-Scottie McDonald, 6. 19-Klint Angelette, 7. 30x-Bean Elliott, 8. 69-Larry Howery.

First “B” Feature (10 Laps): 1. 25-Brian McClelland, 2. 3-Gary Watson, 3. 88-Scottie McDonald, 4. 20k-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 5. 69-Larry Howery, 6. 30x-Bean Elliott, 7. 2-Joe Zierolf, 8. 31-Brandom Berryman, 9. 65-Skip Wilson, 10. 5m-Glenn Martin, 11. 71T-Shane Thompson. DNS: 87x-Billy Melton.

Second “B” Feature (10 Laps): 1. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 2. 12w-Dale Wester, 3. 45-J.P. Bailey, 4. 19-Klint Angelette, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 7. 76-John Ricketts, 8. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 9. 5c-Chris Coker, 10. 81au-Gavin Punch, 11. 11-Justin Melton. DNS: 15T-Travis Elliott.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 14-Michael Lang, 6. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 7. 6-Justin Spoerl, 8. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 9. 21T-Tommy Bryant, 10. 88-Scottie McDonald, 11. 45-J.P. Bailey, 12. 35-Greg Rilat, 13. 12w-Dale Wester, 14. 9-Brian Parker, 15. 1-Sean McClelland, 16. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 17. 45x-Martin Edwards, 18. 3-Gary Watson, 19. 71-Channin Tankersley, 20. 25-Brian McClelland, 21. 24-David Gailley, 22. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 23. 1r-Scott Reneau, 24. 17w-Brad Welborn.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Aaron Reutzel 2,782, 2. Tommy Bryant 2,720, 3. Channin Tankersley 2,632, 4. Scottie McDonald 2,576, 5. Kent Lewis, Jr. 2,534, 6. Brandon Berryman 2,501, 7. Greg Rilat 2,459, 8. Ray Allen Kulhanek 2,346, 9. Gary Watson 2,337, 10. Jimmy Brooks 2,273.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 1,970, 2. Brad Welborn 1,803, 3. Justin Melton 1,772, 4. Eric Baldaccini 1,751, 5. Claud Estes 1,737, 6. Michael Lang 1,704, 7. Matt Clevenger 1,626, 8. Scott Reneau 1,606, 9. Brian McClelland 1,594, 10. John Ricketts 1,508.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Kevin Ramey romps to ASCS Lone Star vrs Gulf South Sprint Car win at RPM Speedway

After the Gulf South Region got the upper hand versus the Lone Star Region five weeks ago at Waco, Kevin Ramey struck a blow for the ASCS Lone Star forces by reaching victory lane in Friday night’s 25-lap feature at RPM Speedway.

Ramey raced around Brian McClelland for the lead in the early stages and went on to capture the $2,000 winner’s share in the opening leg of the ASCS Gulf South vs. Lone Star Clash atop the ¼-mile clay oval, giving the Fort Worth shoe his second win in as many tries at the new RPM facility.

Ramey held off Gulf South shoe Tommy Bryant, the Gulf South vs. Lone Star winner at Waco on July 31, over the final rounds to post his fifth overall ASCS Regional triumph of the season aboard the Williams Motorsports Wells-powered City Vending No. 7m Maxim.

Four-time Lucas Oil Sprint Car National champion Gary Wright finished a close third, with McClelland and Eric Baldaccini rounding out the top five.

Ray Allen Kulhanek was sixth, with Sean McClelland, Brad Welborn, 17th-starter Justin Melton and Kent Lewis, Jr., completing the top ten.

Welborn, Billy Melton, Travis Rilat, Gulf South points leader Aaron Reutzel, Brian McClelland and Bryant topped heat race action for the 42-car field, with Skip Wilson and Gavin Punch winning the twin “B” Mains.

With the ASCS Gulf South vs. Lone Star Challenge knotted at one apiece after Friday’s feature event, the rubber match is set for Saturday night at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, a makeup of the event rained out on August 1.

ASCS Gulf South vs. Lone Star Results from RPM Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 17w-Brad Welborn, 2. 1r-Scott Reneau, 3. 1-Sean McClelland, 4. 88-Scottie McDonald, 5. 11-Justin Melton, 6. 5c-Chris Coker, 7. 14-Michael Lang.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 87x-Billy Melton, 2. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 71-Channin Tankersley, 6. 76-John Ricketts, 7. 2-Joe Zierolf.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 3. 6-Justin Spoerl, 4. 65-Skip Wilson, 5. 9-Brian Parker, 6. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 7. 71T-Shane Thompson.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 2. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 3. 30x-Bean Elliott, 4. 5m-Glenn Martin, 5. 20-Chad Wilson, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 3-Gary Watson.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 25-Brian McClelland, 2. 15T-Travis Elliott, 3. 20k-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 81au-Gavin Punch, 5. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 6. 69-Larry Howery, 7. 19-Klint Angelette.

Heat Six (8 Laps): 1. 21t-Tommy Bryant, 2. 45-Martin Edwards, 3. 9x-Gary Wright, 4. 35-Greg Rilat, 5. 12w-Dale Wester, 6. 74e-Claud Estes, 7. 8-Charlie McDonald.

First “B” Feature: 1. 65-Skip Wilson, 2. 11-Justin Melton, 3. 14-Michael Lang, 4. 15T-Travis Elliott, 5. 71T-Shane Thompson, 6. 20-Chad Wilson, 7. 19-Klint Angelette, 8. 76-John Ricketts, 9. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 10. 35-Greg Rilat, 11. 45-Martin Edwards, 12. 31-Brandon Berryman, 13. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 14. 31m-Matt Clevenger.

Second “B” Feature: 1. 81au-Gavin Punch, 2. 6-Justin Spoerl, 3. 88-Scottie McDonald, 4. 1r-Scott Reneau, 5. 71-Channin Tankersley, 6. 9-Brian Parker, 7. 69-Larry Howery, 8. 5m-Glenn Martin, 9. 74e-Claud Estes, 10. 5c-Chris Coker, 11. 12w-Dale Wester, 12. 3-Gary Watson, 13. 8-Charlie McDonald, 14. 2-Joe Zierolf.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 21T-Tommy Bryant, 3. 9x-Gary Wright, 4. 25-Brian McClelland, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 20k-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 7. 1-Sean McClelland, 8. 17w-Brad Welborn, 9. 11-Justin Melton, 10. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 11. 87x-Billy Melton, 12. 88-Scottie McDonald, 13. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 14. 14-Michael Lang, 15. 30x-Bean Elliott, 16. 65-Skip Wilson, 17. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 18. 6-Justkin Spoerl, 19. 29-Travis Rilat, 20. 81au-Gavin Punch.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Aaron Reutzel 2,640, 2. Tommy Bryant 2,580, 3. Channin Tankersley 2,502, 4. Scottie McDonald 2,438, 5. Kent Lewis, Jr. 2,400, 6. Brandon Berryman 2,385, 7. Greg Rilat 2,323, 8. Ray Allen Kulhanek 2,220, 9. Gary Watson 2,205, 10. Jimmy Brooks 2,145.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 1,820, 2. Brad Welborn 1,677, 3. Justin Melton 1,664, 4. Matt Clevenger 1,626, 5. Claud Estes 1,613, 6. Eric Baldaccini 1,607, 7. Michael Lang 1,558, 8. Scott Reneau 1,478, 9. Brian McClelland 1,462, 10. John Ricketts 1,390.

by Lonnie Wheatley

ASCS Gulf South and Lone Star Regions set for their “North Texas Clash” this weekend

The American Sprint Car Series Gulf South and Lone Star Regions are ready to try it again.

Just a few weeks ago, after Gulf South shoe Tommy Bryant topped the Challenge event at Waco’s Heart O’ Texas Speedway, Mother Nature intervened and washed out the scheduled Devil’s Bowl card the following night.

Now, the ASCS Gulf South and Lone Star Regions will square off for another pair of $2,000-to-win events in North Texas this weekend. On Friday night, the North Texas Clash kicks off at the ¼-mile RPM Speedway in Crandall, TX. Then, on Saturday night, it’s on to the famed ½-mile Devil’s Bowl Speedway clay oval in Mesquite.

Leading the way into the weekend for their respective Regions are Fort Worth’s Kevin Ramey and Clute’s Aaron Reutzel. Ramey is trying to add the inaugural Lone Star title to a pair of previous ASCS Sooner crowns, while the 19-year-old Reutzel is trying to bag his first Sprint Car title in the form of the ASCS Gulf South championship.

Ramey has extended his lead in the Lone Star title chase to 135 markers despite a Saturday night tumble out of the park at Cowtown Speedway. The battle for second behind him is a close one, as just 13 points separate Brad Welborn (Princeton), Justin Melton and Matt Clevenger (both of Flower Mound). Claud Estes rounds out the current top five in Gulf South points.

To the South, Reutzel holds a 72-point advantage over Conroe’s Tommy Bryant, with Channin Tankersley (Highlands), Scottie McDonald (New Caney) and two-time and defending champion Brandon Berryman (Missouri City) rounding out the current top five.

This past weekend, Lucas Oil Sprint Car point leader Jason Johnson added his second Gulf South triumph of the season to become the fourth driver to post multiple Gulf South wins. Bryant and Gary Wright have each claimed three wins, with Johnson joining Ray Allen Kulhanek with two wins. With a dozen different winners in 18 feature events thus far, single wins have been claimed by Reutzel, Berryman, Eric Baldaccini, Travis Rilat, Trey Robb, Ramey, Skip Wilson and George White.

Also this past weekend, Brian McClelland and Travis Rilat ran the number of Lone Star feature winners to nine in a dozen events. Ramey leads the way with three wins, Baldaccini has claimed a pair of triumphs and McClelland and Rilat joined Skip Wilson, Jerry Bell, Nick Smith, Gary Wright and Tommy Bryant as single winners.

Friday’s racing action at RPM Speedway is slated to go green at 8:30 p.m., with Saturday’s card at Devil’s Bowl Speedway firing off at 8:00 p.m.

The semi-banked, ¼-mile RPM Speedway dirt oval is located southeast of Crandall, TX, on US 175 to CR 4106 (Bud Story Road exit) to the intersection of CR 4104. For more information, contact the track at 972-427-6822.

The ½-mile high-banked Devil’s Bowl Speedway clay oval is located six miles east of Dallas’ Loop I-635 on US 80, then three miles south on Lawson Road. For more information, contact the track at 972-222-2421.

The ASCS Gulf South Region is set for 27 nights of racing action at ten different tracks throughout Texas in 2009.

The inaugural slate of ASCS Lone Star Region competition consists of 18 events at nine different tracks throughout North Texas in addition to one venture north of the Red River to Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway.

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at RPM Speedway:
7/10/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Devil’s Bowl Speedway:
5/9/09 – Gary Wright (Lone Star vs. Sooner)
9/27/08 – Justin Spoerl (Sooner)
9/1/07 – Jason Johnson (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
7/22/06 – Larry Neighbors (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
7/16/05 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
10/16/04 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South vs. Sooner)
7/12/03 – Kevin Ramey (Gulf South vs. Sooner)

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.

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

Travis Rilat rounds up ASCS Lone Star Region win at Cowtown Speedway

The Kennedale parking lot challenge came to the most spectacular of conclusions at Cowtown Speedway on Saturday night, with Travis Rilat ultimately standing in victory lane when the checkered flag flew upon the evening’s 25-lap American Sprint Car Series Lone Star feature event.

And, after a last-lap scramble for the lead that sent Kevin Ramey out of the park, the roar from the crowd was an undeniable one, a hearty mix of both cheers and jeers directed towards the Forney, TX, racer.

“You know they’ll be back in October for the ASCS Cowtown Sprint Nationals after that one,” Rilat commented afterward.

Ramey, who started the feature event inside the third row alongside Rilat, had battled past early pacesetter Matt Clevenger on the 14th circuit and was closing in on his fourth series triumph of the year aboard Ray Williams’ No. 7m entry.

But, as heavy traffic became a factor in the final rounds, Rilat quickly began closing the gap on the leader after taking second away from Clevenger on the 18th circuit.

On Ramey’s tailtank as the white flag flew, Rilat dove to the bottom of the track entering turn one and edged ahead as the pair raced off turn two with Ramey on the top side.

Wheel-to-wheel down the backstretch and approaching turn three, contact was made and the current ASCS Lone Star point leader tumbled several times before launching over the turn three retaining wall and out of sight into the back pit area.

“I had him passed coming off of two,” Rilat explained afterward. “I was moving to the top to get into three and he just drove right over my right rear.”

Ramey likely disagreed with that account, as evidenced by his march down the backstretch to Rilat’s mount parked in turn two, where some pleasantries were exchanged among the drivers and several crew members.

With the stage set for a green-white-checkered run after the lap 25 mishap, Rilat raced on to the stripe unchallenged aboard the Shark-powered F&J Construction No. 29 Triple-X for his 17th career ASCS Regional triumph and 41st overall ASCS victory.

Rilat’s apparent $1,500 payday was bolstered in a big way by www.shoptheboss.com, which anted up $3,600 worth of hardwood flooring for the triumph, making the night’s take worth $5,100.

Rilat was chased to the stripe by Matt Clevenger, who settled for runner-up honors after pacing the initial 13 circuits. “We had a first place car, just didn’t get the job done,” a disappointed Clevenger explained.

Eric Baldaccini claimed the show position, while current ASCS Southwest points leader Ben Gregg of Phoenix, AZ, charged from 16th to claim fourth at the stripe. George White rounded out the top five, with Marvin Lough in sixth.

Skip Wilson rebounded from a lap 12 incident in which Brian Parker got upside down in turn one to finish seventh, with Claud Estes, Scott Reneau and 17th-starter Brian McClelland completing the top ten.

Baldaccini, Kolt Walker, Ramey and Clevenger topped Saturday night’s heat race action, with McClelland winning the 15-lap “B” Main.

Ramey was credited with a 15th place finish in the final rundown, escaping the night with a 135-point advantage over Brad Welborn, who scratched from “B” Main action with engine woes.

ASCS Lone Star competition continues with next weekend’s double versus the ASCS Gulf South Region at Crandall’s RPM Speedway on Friday night and then Mesquite’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday night.

ASCS Lone Star Results from Cowtown Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 65-Skip Wilson, 4. 20-Chad Wilson, 5. 25-Brian McClelland, 6. 76-John Ricketts, 7. 14-Michael Lang, 8. 71T-Shane Thompson.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 45k-Kolt Walker, 2. 9-Brian Parker, 3. 10-George White, 4. 11-Justin Melton, 5. 22b-Ben Gregg, 6. 17w-Brad Welborn, 7. 5m-Glenn Martin, 8. 56-Jarrett Lucito.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 74e-Claud Estes, 3. 1r-Scott Reneau, 4. 22j-John Gaston, 5. 87-Billy Melton, 6. 45-J.P. Bailey, 7. 87a-Andrew Marshala.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 2. 69-Larry Howery, 3. 39-Marvin Lough, 4. 0-Chris Morgan, 5. 5c-Chris Coker, 6. 55-David Doyle, 7. 88-Andy Rea.

“B” Feature (15 Laps): 1. 25-Brian McClelland, 2. 87-Billy Melton, 3. 45-J.P. Bailey, 4. 76-John Ricketts, 5. 5c-Chris Coker, 6. 20-Chad Wilson, 7. 5m-Glenn Martin, 8. 55-David Doyle, 9. 56-Jarrett Lucito, 10. 71T-Shane Thompson, 11. 88-Andy Rea, 12. 14-Michael Lang. DNS: 17w-Brad Welborn, 87a-Andrew Marshala.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 22b-Ben Gregg, 5. 10-George White, 6. 39-Marvin Lough, 7. 65-Skip Wilson, 8. 74e-Claud Estes, 9. 1r-Scott Reneau, 10. 25-Brian McClelland, 11. 11-Justin Melton, 12. 22j-John Gaston, 13. 45-J.P. Bailey, 14. 69-Larry Howery, 15. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 16. 45k-Kolt Walker, 17. 76-John Ricketts, 18. 0-Chris Morgan, 19. 9-Brian Parker, 20. 87-Billy Melton.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 1,670, 2. Brad Welborn 1,535, 3. Justin Melton 1,524, 4. Matt Clevenger 1,522, 5. Claud Estes 1,499, 6. Eric Baldaccini 1,463, 7. Michael Lang 1,422, 8. Kolt Walker 1,361, 9. Scott Reneau 1,350, 10. Brian McClelland 1,316.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Brian McClelland wins wild ASCS Lone Star feature at Kennedale Speedway Park

Brian McClelland topped the opening leg of the Kennedale parking lot challenge by earning a much-needed victory in Friday night’s frenetic 25-lap American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region main event at Kennedale Speedway Park.

The two-time ASCS Sooner Region champion hailing from Tulsa, OK, cashed in on Travis Rilat’s late misfortune, pacing the final handful of circuits to the checkered flag after Rilat surrendered the point with steering woes.

“This year has been the worst, we really needed this one,” a relieved McClelland commented after his second overall ASCS Regional win of the year. “In fact, we both needed it,” he stated in reference to long-time Sooner Region car owner Ronnie Davis, whom he joined forces with several weeks ago.

McClelland’s final stint at the front of the pack was his third different time to lead the wild 25-lapper after starting from the outside pole position aboard Davis’ D&L Performance Machine No. 25 Eagle.

Outgunning pole starter Skip Wilson for the lead at the drop of the green flag, McClelland reached the tail of the field in just three circuits on the tight ¼-mile clay oval, establishing what would become a recurring theme in the race.

“It seemed like it was just two or three laps and you were beating on lapped traffic again,” McClelland explained. “And those guys were racing for position too, it was tough.”

McClelland gave up the lead for the first time when Wilson took advantage of traffic on the sixth round. McClelland battled back three laps later, only to have Michael Lang’s turn one spin bring out a caution that negated the move.

McClelland wasted little time on the restart though, blasting past Wilson in turns three and four to reclaim the lead on the ninth circuit. “He left an opening and I was able to take advantage.”

With traffic an ever-present factor and cars throughout the field often bicycling at either end of the track, ninth-starter Rilat was on the move. Up to third by the time Lang spun, Rilat raced past Wilson for second on the tenth round and began putting the heat on McClelland for the point.

Finding the opening he needed, Rilat charged into the lead on the 14th circuit and appeared to be destined for victory lane until steering issues forced him to a stop in turn two on the 21st lap.

Back up front with three lapped cars between himself and Wilson on the final restart, there was no stopping McClelland from capturing his seventh career ASCS Regional win and first since teaming with Wichita Falls, TX, car owner Davis.

Wilson held on for runner-up honors, with Kolt Walker taking the show position. Eric Baldaccini climbed a half-dozen positions to snare fourth, while eighth-starter and current ASCS Lone Star points leader Kevin Ramey worked up to third and then lost a pair of positions in the final laps to round out the top five.

J.P. Bailey was sixth, with 18th-starter Brad Welborn, Matt Clevenger, Lang and Arizona’s Ben Gregg completing the top ten.

Bailey, Walker, McClelland and Clevenger topped heat race action for Friday night’s 31-car field, with Gregg winning the 15-lap “B” Main.

Scott Reneau got upside down lining up for the night’s third heat race, with Billy Melton taking a hard ride down the backstretch on the opening lap of the “B” Main. Melton walked away uninjured, while Reneau ultimately finished 13th in the “A” Main.

After contact with Chad Wilson, Topeka, KS, shoe Chris Morgan took out some of the infield signage towards turn three and four in the main event.

The ASCS Lone Star Region moves across the parking lot to Cowtown Speedway on Saturday night for the second leg of the Kennedale parking lot challenge.

ASCS Lone Star Results from Kennedale Speedway Park:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 45-J.P. Bailey, 2. 14-Michael Lang, 3. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 4. 69-Larry Howery, 5. 22j-John Gaston, 6. 88-Andy Rea, 7. 58-Gary Floyd, 8. 45x-Martin Edwards.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 45k-Kolt Walker, 2. 11-Justin Melton, 3. 65-Skip Wilson, 4. 22b-Ben Gregg, 5. 39-Marvin Lough, 6. 17w-Brad Welborn, 7. 5c-Chris Coker, 8. 87x-Billy Melton.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 25-Brian McClelland, 2. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 74-Claud Estes, 5. 76-John Ricketts, 6. 71T-Shane Thompson, 7. 14b-Robert Byrom, 8. 1r-Scott Reneau.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 2. 0-Chris Morgan, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 9-Brian Parker, 5. 20-Chad Wilson, 6. 5m-Glenn Martin. DNS: 26-Dalton Steed.

“B” Feature (15 Laps): 1. 22b-Ben Gregg, 2. 17w-Brad Welborn, 3. 1r-Scott Reneau, 4. 20-Chad Wilson, 5. 5m-Glenn Martin, 6. 9-Brian Parker, 7. 5c-Chris Coker, 8. 45x-Martin Edwards, 9. 76-John Ricketts, 10. 88-Andy Rea, 11. 71T-Shane Thompson, 12. 87x-Billy Melton. DNS: 14b-Robert Byrom, 58-Gary Floyd, 26-Dalton Steed.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 25-Brian McClelland, 2. 65-Skip Wilson, 3. 45k-Kolt Walker, 4. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 6. 45-J.P. Bailey, 7. 17w-Brad Welborn, 8. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 9. 14-Michael Lang, 10. 22b-Ben Gregg, 11. 22j-John Gaston, 12. 74e-Claud Estes, 13. 1r-Scott Reneau, 14. 29-Travis Rilat, 15. 11-Justin Melton, 16. 20-Chad Wilson, 17. 0-Chris Morgan, 18. 69-Larry Howery, 19. 39-Marvin Lough, 20. 87a-Andrew Marshala.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 1,550, 2. Brad Welborn 1,460, 3. Justin Melton 1,396, 4. Matt Clevenger 1,376, 5. Claud Estes 1,365, 6. Michael Lang 1,347, 7. Eric Baldaccini 1,319, 8. Kolt Walker 1,243, 9. Scott Reneau 1,218, 10. Brian McClelland 1,186.

by Lonnie Wheatley

ASCS Lone Star Region visits Kennedale Speeway Park and Cowtown Speedway this weekend

There’s not another layout like it. No other site has two different dirt tracks separated by little more than a parking lot.

Sprint Car fans will have the opportunity to check out this unique configuration this weekend near Fort Worth, TX, as the American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region takes to the pair of Kennedale ¼-mile clay ovals.

On Friday night, the series invades Kennedale Speedway Park. Then, on Saturday night, it’s a couple of hundred yards across the parking lot to the high banks of Cowtown Speedway.

Kevin Ramey, who was topped both Lone Star events at Cowtown this year, leads the way into the weekend with an 86-point advantage in the chase for the inaugural ASCS Lone Star championship. The Fort Worth shoe is trying to add Lone Star accolades to a pair of previous Sooner Region crowns.

Ramey’s closest chaser is Brad Welborn, an ASCS winner at Cowtown last year. Welborn is 48 markers ahead of Flower Mound’s Justin Melton, with fellow Flower Mound shoe Matt Clevenger and Godley’s Claud Estes rounding out the current top five.

The balance of the current top ten in Lone Star points includes Mesquite’s Michael Lang, Keller’s Eric Baldaccini, Graham’s Kolt Walker, Kemp’s Scott Reneau and Burleson’s John Ricketts.

While Ramey has topped both previous Lone Star events at Cowtown this season, Baldaccini took top honors in the series’ lone previous stop at Kennedale Speedway Park.

This weekend’s Kennedale Speedway Park-Cowtown double marks the first of three consecutive weekends of Lone Star competition, with challenge events versus the ASCS Gulf South Region at Crandall’s RPM Speedway and Mesquite’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Labor Day weekend (September 4-5) followed up by a September 12 stop at Kilgore’s Lone Star Speedway.

Both nights of racing action are slated to get under way at 7:00 p.m.

The pair of Kennedale, TX, tracks are located 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.

The semi-banked, ¼-mile Kennedale Speedway Park dirt oval may be reached at 817-478-7223 or 817-229-0287, while the high-banked, ¼-mile Cowtown Speedway dirt oval can be contacted at 817-478-9952.

The inaugural slate of ASCS Lone Star Region competition consists of 18 events at nine different tracks throughout North Texas in addition to one venture north of the Red River to Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway.

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Kennedale Speedway Park:
7/11/09 – Eric Baldaccini
7/25/08 – Joe Wood, Jr.
6/27/08 – Joe Wood, Jr.

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Cowtown Speedway:
6/27/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
4/4/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
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)

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.

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

Eric Baldaccini takes ASCS Lone Star feature at Kennedale Speedway Park

Eric Baldaccini put a halt to the Joe Wood, Jr. domination of Kennedale Speedway Park by winning Saturday night’s 25-lap ASCS Lone Star Region main event atop the ¼-mile dirt oval.

Baldaccini wrestled the lead away from Wood in the final handful of circuits to post his second Lone Star win of the season aboard his father’s Smiley’s Racing Products No. 4 Maxim.

Kolt Walker paced the opening nine laps of the feature before Wood, who topped both ASCS Regional events at Kennedale Speedway Park, took command. Wood led until slipping too high in turns one and two on the 21st lap to open the door for Baldaccini.

Baldaccini beat Wood to the stripe, with Brad Welborn, Walker and Marvin Lough rounding out the top five. Current ASCS Lone Star points leader Kevin Ramey was sixth, with Justin Melton, Scott Reneau, Michael Lang and Robert Sellers completing the top ten.

Melton, Wood and Ramey topped heat race action, with Chad Wilson winning the “B” Main.

ASCS Lone Star Region Results from Kennedale Speedway Park:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 11-Justin Melton, 2. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 3. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 4. 1r-Scott Reneau, 5. 25-Robert Sellers, 6. 5m-Glenn Martin, 7. 9-Brian Parker, 8. 14b-Robert Byrom, 9. 12-Shawn Mize.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 2. 65-Skip Wilson, 3. 39-Marvin Lough, 4. 76-John Ricketts, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 87x-Billy Melton, 7. 26-Dalton Steed, 8. 40-Junior Jenkins, 9. 88-Andy Rea.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 17w-Brad Welborn, 3. 45k-Kolt Walker, 4. 14-Michael Lang, 5. 20-Chad Wilson, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 71T-Shane Thompson, 8. 5c-Chris Coker.

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 20-Chad Wilson, 2. 87x-Billy Melton, 3. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 4. 40-Junior Jenkins, 5. 12-Shawn Mize, 6. 14b-Robert Byrom, 7. 5m-Glenn Martin, 8. 9-Brian Parker, 9. 71T-Shane Thompson, 10. 26-Dalton Steed, 11. 88-Andy Rea, 12. 5c-Chris Coker.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 3. 17w-Brad Welborn, 4. 45k-Kolt Walker, 5. 39-Marvin Lough, 6. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 7. 11-Justin Melton, 8. 1r-Scott Reneau, 9. 14-Michael Lang, 10. 25-Robert Sellers, 11. 74e-Claud Estes, 12. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 13. 20-Chad Wilson, 14. 40-Junior Jenkins, 15. 14b-Robert Byrom, 16. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 17. 12-Shawn Mize, 18. 65-Skip Wilson, 19. 87x-Billy Melton, 20. 76-John Ricketts.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 1,282, 2. Brad Welborn 1,210, 3. (tie) Justin Melton and Matt Clevenger 1,140, 5. Claud Estes 1,097, 6. Michael Lang 1,091, 7. Eric Baldaccini 1,033, 8. Scott Reneau 994, 9. Robert Sellers 979, 10. Kolt Walker 967.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Kevin Ramey rules ASCS Lone Star debut at RPM Speedway

Kevin Ramey extended his American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region points lead by wiring the field in Friday night’s series debut atop the cozy confines the tight, ¼-mile RPM Speedway.

Starting from the front row, Ramey gunned into the lead at the outset aboard the Wells-powered City Vending/Melray Oil & Gas No. 7m and led all the way in the 25-lapper to secure his third series triumph of the season.

The two-time ASCS Sooner Region champion vying for the inaugural Lone Star title took the checkered flag in front of Skip Wilson, with Marvin Lough, Justin Melton and Claud Estes rounding out the top five.

Brad Welborn was sixth, with 16th-starter Matt Clevenger, Martin Edwards, Glenn Martin and Robert Sellers completing the top ten.

Chad Wilson, Melton and Sellers topped heat race action, with Martin winning the “B” Main.

ASCS Lone Star Region Results from RPM Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 20-Chad Wilson, 2. 39-Marvin Lough, 3. 65-Skip Wilson, 4. 9-Brian Parker, 5. 45-Martin Edwards, 6. 5c-Chris Coker, 7. 79-Ryan Hall, 8. 14b-Robert Byrom, 9. 76-John Ricketts.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 11-Justin Melton, 2. 14-Michael Lang, 3. 26-Dalton Steed, 4. 1r-Scott Reneau, 5. 87x-Billy Melton, 6. 5m-Glenn Martin, 7. 40-Junior Jenkins, 8. 71t-Shane Thompson.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 25-Robert Sellers, 2. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 3. 74e-Claud Estes, 4. 17w-Brad Welborn, 5. 67-Jeff Day, 6. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 7. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 8. 31m-Matt Clevenger.

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 5m-Glenn Martin, 2. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 3. 67-Jeff Day, 4. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 40-Junior Jenkins, 6. 79-Ryan Hall, 7. 71T-Shane Thompson, 8. 14b-Robert Byrom, 9. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 10. 87x-Billy Melton, 11. 76-John Ricketts.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 65-Skip Wilson, 3. 39-Marvin Lough, 4. 11-Justin Melton, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 17w-Brad Welborn, 7. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 8. 45-Martin Edwards, 9. 5m-Glenn Martin, 10. 25-Robert Sellers, 11. 40-Junior Jenkins, 12. 20-Chad Wilson, 13. 1r-Scott Reneau, 14. 26-Dalton Steed, 15. 67-Jeff Day, 16. 5c-Chris Coker, 17. 79-Ryan Hall, 18. 9-Brian Parker, 19. 14-Michael Lang, 20. 4-Eric Baldaccini.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 1,144, 2. Brad Welborn 1,066, 3. Matt Clevenger 1,014, 4. Justin Melton 1,004, 5. Claud Estes 969, 6. Michael Lang 959, 7. Brian McClelland 896, 8. Eric Baldaccini 883, 9. Glenn Martin 878, 10. Scott Reneau 860.

by Lonnie Wheatley

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