Tim Crawley conquers ASCS in Rock ‘N Roll 50 to sweep series return to Riverside
July 5, 2009
Arkansas ace Tim Crawley completed a weekend sweep of the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters much-anticipated return to Riverside Speedway by winning Saturday night’s Rock ‘N Roll 50 championship feature event atop the storied ¼-mile gumbo clay oval.
Tim Crawley swept the weekend's ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series Rock 'N Roll 50 feature event, the first 50-lapper in series history
The three-time Lucas Oil ASCS National champion wrestled the lead away from Justin Sturch on the 31st round en route to topping the first 50-lapper in series history, collecting the $6,000 winner’s share and a nifty Gibson Les Paul guitar event trophy with the VERSUS cameras catching all the action.
“What a great weekend!” Crawley exclaimed in victory lane. “Last night it was pretty much wide open, but tonight was more about being patient and waiting for the right time to make that move.”
Tim Crawley picked up a Gibson Les Paul guitar and $6,000 at Riverside Speedway in West Memphis, AR
After racing from eleventh to win Friday night’s preliminary feature, Crawley drew the pole position for Saturday night’s 50-lap finale. But, it was Justin Sturch gunning into the lead at the outset from the front row outside after racing his way into the six-car redraw by ranking among the night’s top two earners in passing points.
Sturch paced 30 rounds before Crawley snuck underneath entering turn one on the 31st circuit and never looked back, ultimately taking the checkered flag aboard Mike Ward’s McCarver-powered Boater Sports No. 88 Maxim with a comfortable straightaway advantage.
“Justin (Sturch) drove a strong race, but he left one hole open and I was there to plug it,” Crawley explained. “We owe David McCarver a lot of credit on this one, he busted his tail to have an engine ready for tonight.”
While Crawley cruised out front in the waning laps, event promoter Tony Bruce, Jr., slipped around Sturch in the closing circuits to snare runner-up honors in the Rider-powered Sundial Tee Shirts/AMC Plumbing No. 18 Maxim.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this worn out in my life,” the Kansas shoe commented upon climbing out of his mount on a muggy night next to the Mississippi River after piling 50 laps upon double duty as racer and promoter. “It’s worth it though, it was a great race and we look forward to doing this every year.”
Sturch, the reigning track champion at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway, settled for his best career Lucas Oil ASCS finish by taking third in his No. 9 entry, commenting that, “We were just getting way too loose there at the end, we’re satisfied with what we got. I was a little concerned that we were about to get freight-trained, but I think a lot of the other guys had the same problem.”
Gary Wright battled forward from 11th to earn fourth in Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service/Richwood Construction No. 9x Maxim to take over the series points lead by six markers over Jason Johnson and Shane Stewart, who are now tied for second.
Jesse Hockett battled amongst the lead handful of cars throughout, ultimately rounding out the top five in the RMS-powered VKCC Motorsports/Tom Buch No. 13 JEI.
Gary Taylor advanced a half dozen positions to finish sixth, with Jan Howard, Nick Smith, Shane Stewart and 23rd-starter Jason Johnson completing the top ten.
The feature event ran off with four yellow flags and two reds. The first yellow flew after two laps when third-starter Darren Long looped it in turn one. Two laps later, Paul McMahan came to a stop in turn three with engine woes.
Chad Corken tumbled in turn two on the ninth lap to bring out the first red flag, with Brady Bacon spinning to a stop in turn two with 16 laps in the books. After Dustin Morgan coasted to a stop with mechanical issues after 36 laps, Travis Rilat got upside down in turn two three laps later after running among the top five throughout. Terry Gray and Danny Wood were collected in the melee, with Gray forced pitside along with Rilat.
A pair of drivers used provisionals to start the main event, including reigning series champion Jason Johnson and Nebraska’s Jack Dover.
After tangling with Ricky Logan and flipping in turn four on the opening lap of the night’s sixth and final heat race, Johnson used his first provisional of the year after being unable to transfer from his “B” Main.
Struggling in his heat and “B” Main, Dover regrouped to race from 24th to eleventh to garner the R.E. Technologies Young Gun of the Race award, presented to the night’s top finisher under 21 years of age. Don Young claimed Friday night’s Young Gun award.
With 50 cars on hand for Saturday night’s Rock ‘N Roll 50, Wright, Marshall Skinner, Taylor, Jan Howard, Smith and Stewart topped heat race action. Matt Covington, Danny Wood and Paul McMahan won the “B” Mains.
Gavin Punch slipped too high exiting turn two in the second “B” Main and flipped after tagging the wall. Punch walked away uninjured, as did the night’s other flip victims.
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
Riverside Speedway – West Memphis, AR
Rock ‘N Roll 50 Preliminary Event Results
Heat Races (Top 16 in Passing Points to “A” Main; Balance to 2 “B” Mains):
Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 81au-Gavin Punch, 3. 88-Tim Crawley, 4. 12d-Jeff Swindell, 5. 75-Don Young, 6. 53-Jack Dover, 7. 7-Darren Long, 8. 15s-Nick Smith, 9. 85-Jerry Bell.
Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 40-Ernie Ainsworth, 2. 13-Jesse Hockett, 3. 6-Raymond Stull, 4. 23-Seth Bergman, 5. 4x-Jan Howard, 6. 7n-Philip Faulkner, 7. 13k-Kathryne Minter, 8. 93-Dustin Morgan, 9. 51-Lee Sowell.
Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 9x-Gary Wright, 5. 8z-Zach Pringle, 6. 11-Chad Corken, 7. 3d-Paul McMahan, 8. 91-Gary Taylor, 9. 22-Kevin Kilpatrick.
Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 1e-Eddie Gallagher, 2. 39-Brad Bowden, 3. 2-Kenneth Walker, 4. 8x-Chris Williams, 5. 17-Tim Sites, 6. 58-Wade Oliver, 7. 1-Sean McClelland, 8. 97-Aaron Berryhill. DNS: 44-Ronny Howard.
Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 45-Dale Howard, 2. 9-Justin Sturch, 3. 94-Danny Wood, 4. 57-Shane Stewart, 5. 3-A.G. Rains, 6. 95-Matt Covington, 7. 10a-Ricky Logan, 8. 12-Trey Robb.
“B” Mains (Top 3 From Each Advance to “A” Main):
First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 12d-Jeff Swindell, 2. 94-Danny Wood, 3. 3-A.G. Rains, 4. 95-Matt Covington, 5. 3d-Paul McMahan, 6. 7-Darren Long, 7. 11-Chad Corken, 8. 15s-Nick Smith, 9. 17-Tim Sites, 10. 51-Lee Sowell, 11. 7n-Philip Faulkner, 12. 22-Kevin Kilpatrick. DNS: 4x-Jan Howard, 93-Dustin Morgan.
Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 53-Jack Dover, 2. 8z-Zach Pringle, 3. 57-Shane Stewart, 4. 8x-Chris Williams, 5. 1-Sean McClelland, 6. 23-Seth Bergman, 7. 10a-Ricky Logan, 8. 91-Gary Taylor, 9. 44-Ronny Howard, 10. 13k-Kathryne Minter, 11. 12-Trey Robb, 12. 85-Jerry Bell, 13. 58-Wade Oliver. DNS: 97-Aaron Berryhill.
Rock N’ Roll 50 Preliminary “A” Main Event:
“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 88-Tim Crawley, 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 13-Jesse Hockett, 4. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 5. 9x-Gary Wright, 6. 45-Dale Howard, 7. 41-Jason Johnson, 8. 57-Shane Stewart, 9. 3d-Paul McMahan, 10. 40-Ernie Ainsworth, 11. 3-A.G. Rains, 12. 2-Kenneth Walker, 13. 12d-Jeff Swindell, 14. 9-Justin Sturch, 15. 39-Brad Bowden, 16. 75-Don Young, 17. 15s-Nick Smith, 18. 6-Raymond Stull, 19. 94-Danny Wood, 20. 1e-Eddie Gallagher, 21. 8z-Zach Pringle, 22. 81au-Gavin Punch, 23. 99-Brady Bacon, 24. 53-Jack Dover.
Lap Leaders: Tony Bruce, Jr. 1-17, Tim Crawley 18-30.
Note: Paul McMahan and Nick Smith utilized Lucas Oil ASCS provisionals to start the “A” Main. It was McMahan’s first of the year and Smith’s second of the year.
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
Riverside Speedway – West Memphis, AR
Rock ‘N Roll 50 Results
Locked in From Friday Night’s Preliminary Feature:
88-Tim Crawley, 29-Travis Rilat, 13-Jesse Hockett, 18-Tony Bruce, Jr.
Heat Races (Top 12 in Passing Points to “A” Main; Balance to 3 “B” Mains):
Heat One (10 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 12-Trey Robb, 3. 95-Matt Covington, 4. 39-Brad Bowden, 5. 12d-Jeff Swindell, 6. 6-Raymond Stull, 7. 53-Jack Dover, 8. 75-Don Young.
Heat Two (10 Laps): 1. 26-Marshall Skinner, 2. 40r-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 3. 1-Sean McClelland, 4. 10-Terry Gray, 5. 16-Anthony Nicholson, 6. 2-Kenneth Walker, 7. 51-Lee Sowell, 8. 3-A.G. Rains.
Heat Three (10 Laps): 1. 91-Gary Taylor, 2. 7-Darren Long, 3. 94-Danny Wood, 4. 7n-Philip Faulkner, 5. 23-Seth Bergman, 6. 45-Dale Howard, 7. 8x-Chris Williams, 8. 17-Tim Sites.
Heat Four (10 Laps): 1. 4x-Jan Howard, 2. 58-Wade Oliver, 3. 99-Brady Bacon, 4. 40-Ernie Ainsworth, 5. 78-Henry Gustavus, 6. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 7. 16p-Dewayne Prince, 8. 44-Ronny Howard.
Heat Five (10 Laps): 1. 15s-Nick Smith, 2. 3d-Paul McMahan, 3. 1e-Eddie Gallagher, 4. 8z-Zach Pringle, 5. 2T-Todd Fayard, 6. 22-Kevin Kilpatrick, 7. 85-Jerry Bell.
Heat Six (10 Laps): 1. 57-Shane Stewart, 2. 9-Justin Sturch, 3. 11-Chad Corken, 4. 93-Dustin Morgan, 5. 81au-Gavin Punch, 6. 10a-Ricky Logan, 7. 41-Jason Johnson.
“B” Mains (Top 2 From Each Advance to “A” Main):
First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington, 2. 11-Chad Corken, 3. 10a-Ricky Logan, 4. 12-Trey Robb, 5. 22-Kevin Kilpatrick, 6. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 7. 41-Jason Johnson, 8. 39-Brad Bowden, 9. 16-Anthony Nicholson, 9. 7n-Philip Faulkner, 10. 17-Tim Sites, 11. 44-Ronny Howard.
Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 94-Danny Wood, 2. 40r-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 3. 40-Ernie Ainsworth, 4. 8z-Zach Pringle, 5. 6-Raymond Stull, 6. 53-Jack Dover, 7. 75-Don Young, 8. 8x-Chris Williams, 9. 85-Jerry Bell, 10. 2T-Todd Fayard, 11. 81au-Gavin Punch.
Third “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 3d-Paul McMahan, 2. 1-Sean McClelland, 3. 12d-Jeff Swindell, 4. 1e-Eddie Gallagher, 5. 2-Kenneth Walker, 6. 51-Lee Sowell, 7. 16p-Dewayne Prince, 8. 45-Dale Howard, 9. 23-Seth Bergman, 10. 78-Henry Gustavus, 11. 3-A.G. Rains.
Rock N’ Roll 50 “A” Main Event:
“A” Feature (50 Laps): 1. 88-Tim Crawley, 2. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 3. 9-Justin Sturch, 4. 9x-Gary Wright, 5. 13-Jesse Hockett, 6. 91-Gary Taylor, 7. 4x-Jan Howard, 8. 15s-Nick Smith, 9. 57-Shane Stewart, 10. 41-Jason Johnson, 11. 53-Jack Dover, 12. 40r-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 13. 7-Darren Long, 14. 1-Sean McClelland, 15. 94-Danny Wood, 16. 95-Matt Covington, 17. 29-Travis Rilat, 18. 10-Terry Gray, 19. 93-Dustin Morgan, 20. 26-Marshall Skinner, 21. 58-Wade Oliver, 22. 99-Brady Bacon, 23. 11-Chad Corken, 24. 3d-Paul McMahan.
Lap Leaders: Justin Sturch 1-30, Tim Crawley 31-50.
Note: Jason Johnson and Jack Dover utilized Lucas Oil ASCS provisionals to start the “A” Main. It was the first of the year for both drivers.
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters Points (Top 20): 1. Gary Wright 996, 2. (tie) Jason Johnson and Shane Stewart 990, 4. Travis Rilat 899, 5. Paul McMahan 882, 6. Tim Crawley 881, 7. Danny Wood 872, 8. Jack Dover 871, 9. Nick Smith 870, 10. Tony Bruce, Jr. 869, 11. Jesse Hockett 785, 12. Brady Bacon 752, 13. Sean McClelland 728, 14. Gary Taylor 666, 15. Kenneth Walker 644, 16. Trey Robb 632, 17. (tie) Aaron Berryhill and Matt Covington 625, 19. Darren Long 607, 20. Gavin Punch 599.
by Lonnie Wheatley
“Grandpa” Gary Wright romps in ASCS Sprint Car Speedweek round five at State Fair Speedway
June 13, 2009
Prior to Friday night, the 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters had been an ordeal that Gary Wright would just as soon forget.
Gary Wright (9x) romped at Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway on Friday night.
“The Texan” changed that in short order though by romping to victory lane in Friday night’s 25-lap main event atop State Fair Speedway’s 3/8-mile oval to become the fourth different winner in as many Speedweek events after the previous night’s card at Devil’s Bowl Speedway was washed out.
And, to top it off, the six-time ASCS Speedweek champion got some big news earlier in the night.
“I just found it I’m gonna be a Grandpa, so this is a special night to win one,” Wright revealed to the crowd in victory lane. “My daughter Lauren and my son-in-law Nick (Smith) just found out yesterday they’re having their first.”
While collecting four assorted ASCS Regional wins this season, the four-time Lucas Oil Sprint Car champion had been denied a National caliber victory thus far.
After starting sixth though, Wright needed just nine rounds to chase down early leader Channin Tankersley and then checked out to eventually take his 30th career ASCS Speedweek checkered flag with a full half-lap advantage in the lightning-quick, non-stop affair.
“Finally!” a relieved Wright commented as he climbed out of Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service/Richwood Construction No. 9x Maxim. “It’s been a tough week. We had a really good car tonight though, it couldn’t have been much better.”
Up to third behind pole starter Tankersley and front row outside starter Eric Baldaccini in the early rounds, Wright took second away from Baldaccini on the sixth circuit and quickly began reeling in the 18-year-old ASCS Gulf South contender.
Wright raced by Tankersley in turns three and four on the ninth round and immediately disappeared into a maze of lapped traffic. When it was all said and done, Wright took the checkered flag with eight lapped cars and a half-lap separating himself from runner-up Brady Bacon.
Bacon had worked forward from eighth in the Wesmar-powered Tel-Star Communications No. 99 Triple-X and wrangled second away from Baldaccini in the closing circuits. The 19-year-old hailing from Broken Arrow, OK, took over the ASCS Speedweek points lead in the process.
Baldaccini, the 2008 Brodix Rookie of the Year, claimed the show position in Harry Baldaccini’s Smiley’s Racing Products No. 4 Maxim, with defending Lucas Oil Sprint Car champion Jason Johnson advancing a half-dozen spots to snare fourth in Lanny Row’s Wesmar-powered The Shop Motorsports No. 41 Eagle.
Travis Rilat rounded out the top five in the Shark-powered F&J Construction No. 29 Triple-X, with Paul McMahan keeping the Speedweek title within his sights by finishing sixth. McMahan goes into Saturday night’s finale just four points off of Bacon’s lead pace.
Matt Clevenger posted his second consecutive seventh-place run to launch into a potential money-paying points position, with Tankersley, Gavin Punch and Nick Smith completing the top ten.
Bacon, Clevenger, McMahan, Rilat and Punch topped heat race action for the 41-car field with Danny Wood and Tim Crawley winning the twin “B” Mains. After climbing from 20th to eleventh, Crawley enters Saturday’s finale just six points behind Bacon.
The 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters concludes on Saturday night at Oklahoma’s Lawton Speedway, with racing action set to go green at 8:00 p.m.
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek
Round Five – State Fair Speedway
Heat Races (Top 18 in Passing Points to “A” Main):
Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 15s-Nick Smith, 3. 53-Jack Dover, 4. 1-Sean McClelland, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 7. 27-Andy Shouse, 8. 12w-Dale Wester, 9. 22-Koby Barksdale.
Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 88-Tim Crawley, 5. 1J-Danny Jennings, 6. 57-Shane Stewart, 7. 95-Matt Covington, 8. 87a-Andrew Marshala.
Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 3d-Paul McMahan, 2. 71-Channin Tankersley, 3. 9x-Gary Wright, 4. 94-Danny Wood, 5. 77-Colt Treharn, 6. 93-Dustin Morgan, 7. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 8. 21$-Michelle Decker.
Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 28-Chris Lloyd, 3. 75-Don Young, 4. 21-Brian Brown, 5. 25-Robert Sellers, 6. 2-Kenneth Walker, 7. 27m-Kyle Merriman, 8. 20-Rick Barksdale.
Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 81au-Gavin Punch, 2. 23-Seth Bergman, 3. 91-Gary Taylor, 4. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 5. 45-Martin Edwards, 6. 20s-Sheldon Barksdale, 7. 61-Earnest Jennings, 8. 9-Brian Parker.
“B” Mains (Top 3 From Each Advance to “A” Main):
First “B” Feature (10 Laps): 1. 94-Danny Wood, 2. 45-Martin Edwards, 3. 1J-Danny Jennings, 4. 93-Dustin Morgan, 5. 2-Kenneth Walker, 6. 77-Colt Treharn, 7. 27-Andy Shouse, 8. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 9. 61-Earnest Jennings, 10. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 11. 9-Brian Parker. DNS: 21$-Michelle Decker.
Second “B” Feature (10 Laps): 1. 88-Tim Crawley, 2. 57-Shane Stewart, 3. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 20s-Sheldon Barksdale, 7. 95-Matt Covington, 8. 27m-Kyle Merriman, 9. 12w-Dale Wester, 10. 22-Koby Barksdale. DNS: 20-Rick Barksdale.
ASCS Speedweek Round Five “A” Main Event:
“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 99-Brady Bacon, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 41-Jason Johnson, 5. 29-Travis Rilat, 6. 3d-Paul McMahan, 7. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 8. 71-Channin Tankersley, 9. 81au-Gavin Punch, 10. 15s-Nick Smith, 11. 88-Tim Crawley, 12. 21-Brian Brown, 13. 1-Sean McClelland, 14. 53-Jack Dover, 15. 57-Shane Stewart, 16. 94-Danny Wood, 17. 91-Gary Taylor, 18. 75-Don Young, 19. 25-Robert Sellers, 20. 1J-Danny Jennings, 21. 45-Martin Edwards, 22. 28-Chris Lloyd, 23. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 24. 23-Seth Bergman.
Lap Leaders: Channin Tankersley 1-8, Gary Wright 9-25.
17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek Points (Top Fifteen – Through Round Five of Six): 1. Brady Bacon 544, 2. Paul McMahan 540, 3. Tim Crawley 538, 4. Jason Johnson 532, 5. Sean McClelland 530, 6. (tie) Gary Wright and Matt Clevenger 518, 8. Shane Stewart 506, 9. Eric Baldaccini 482, 10. Nick Smith 481, 11. Danny Wood 470, 12. Dustin Morgan 455, 13. Seth Bergman 441, 14. Kenneth Walker 437, 15. Tony Bruce, Jr. 430.
by Lonnie Wheatley
‘Zach Attack’ in ASCS Speedweek round three; Chappell wins wild one
June 10, 2009
Zach Chappell became the third different winner in as many legs of the 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters by topping Tuesday night’s 30-lap feature at Creek County Speedway.
Zach Chappell became the 3rd different winner in as many legs of the 17th Annual ASCS Speedweek
The Talala, OK, racer paced the final four circuits after racing forward from 16th in the wildly unpredictable affair atop the tight ¼-mile bullring to capture his second career ASCS Speedweek triumph and first ASCS win since a Sooner score in July of 2005.
“It feels good to win this, the team’s really been working hard and they had this one coming,” Chappell commented after his triumph aboard the family-owned Legend’s Bar-B-Q & Steak Joint No. 50z Maxim.
After Tony Bruce, Jr., and Seth Bergman enjoyed stints at the head of the pack, Chappell became the race’s fourth and final leader when Tim Crawley surrendered the point with a cut right rear in the final handful of laps. And, it was a cut that was by all indications inflicted by Chappell.
“I don’t like to race like that and sure didn’t mean to get into him,” Chappell explained. “I had a real good run off of two and tried to cut down into three to try to get around and I guess I clipped his right rear. It’s not the way we wanted it. But, hey, we’ll take it.”
Following a red flag stoppage after 20 rounds for Donnie Ray Crawford’s flip down the backstretch, Chappell had turned the heat up on Crawley, who had taken the lead away from Washington’s Bergman on the 16th round.
Chasing Crawley around the bottom of one and two and then challenging on the top side of turns three and four, the pair raced side-by-side several times before the slightest of contact entering turn three on the 27th round sent Crawley coasting to a stop at the top of turn four.
“I drove the exact same line I’d driven every lap before that, it’s not like I moved up the track,” Crawley commented after being credited with a 15th place finish rather than collecting his second win of the week.
With Crawley sidelined, Chappell led the final circuits to collect the win in front of Bergman, who held off Missouri’s Brian Brown for runner-up honors.
Piloting Steven Bergman’s Shark-powered Corridor Electric No. 23 Eagle, Bergman had outdueled Crawley for second in the early rounds and then took command when Tony Bruce, Jr., spun out of the lead on the 12th lap.
But, a lap after Shane Stewart spun from contention on the 15th circuit, Crawley battled past Bergman and set sail. “We were good, but Tim found the bottom of the track before we did,” Bergman explained.
Advancing from the 12th starting position, Brown kept his nose clean to collect show honors in his Creek County debut aboard the Super Clean No. 21 Maxim.
After losing a torsion arm while leading his heat race, Brady Bacon raced from the tail of the “B” Main to earn a transfer position and then charged from 23rd to claim fourth in the Wesmar-powered Tel-Star Communications No. 99 Triple X.
Originally slated to start eleventh, Paul McMahan started tailback after getting collected in an opening lap melee that sidelined four cars (Gary Taylor, Eric Baldaccini, Kenneth Walker and Forrest Sutherland) and raced back through the field to round out the top five aboard the Wesmar-powered J&D Motorsports No. 3d Maxim.
Tony Bruce, Jr., who paced the opening eleven rounds before looping it off the top of turn two, raced back through the field to salvage a sixth place finish and retain the ASCS Speedweek points lead.
Ninth-row starters Matt Clevenger and Sean McClelland were seventh and eighth, respectively, with fourth heat race tusslers Nick Smith and Dustin Morgan advancing from “B” Main action to complete the top ten in the feature.
Jason Johnson, Claud Estes, Baldaccini and Danny Wood topped heat race action for the 31-car field, with Smith making a move around Morgan to win the 12-lap “B” Main. Defending ASCS Speedweek champ Jason Johnson spun in turn four on the second attempt to start the feature and was forced pitside with a flat front tire, while Wood finished 13th after looping it in turn two while running among the top five in the early stages of the feature.
Crawley and Sapulpa’s Danny Smith both got upside down in a double tumble in the night’s second heat race. Smith was done for the night while Crawley continued on with minimal damage to earn the 13th starting position for the feature.
After battling from sixth to take the lead in the third heat, six-time ASCS Speedweek champion Gary Wright slipped too high in turn two and dumped his mount after tagging the wall. After a “B” Main spin, Wright charged into a transfer position in the final rounds before making an early exit from the feature.
The 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters resumes with Round Four at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, on Thursday night before moving on to Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway on Friday and then concluding on Saturday night at Lawton Speedway.
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek
Round Three – Creek County Speedway
Heat Races (Top 18 in Passing Points to “A” Main):
Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 91-Gary Taylor, 3. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 4. 21-Brian Brown, 5. 1-Sean McClelland, 6. 77-Colt Treharn, 7. 95-Matt Covington, 8. 99-Brady Bacon.
Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 74e-Claud Estes, 2. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 3. 2-Kenneth Walker, 4. 88-Tim Crawley, 5. 85s-Forrest Sutherland, 6. 22-Koby Barksdale, 7. 87-Brian McClelland, 8. 5$-Danny Smith.
Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 20s-Sheldon Barksdale, 3. 50z-Zach Chappell, 4. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 5. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 6. 9x-Gary Wright, 7. 52-Frank Sudduth, 8. 87a-Andrew Marshala.
Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 94-Danny Wood, 2. 23-Seth Bergman, 3. 3d-Paul McMahan, 4. 57-Shane Stewart, 5. 93-Dustin Morgan, 6. 15s-Nick Smith, 7. 72-Sherman Davis.
“B” Main (Top 6 Advance to “A” Main):
“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 15s-Nick Smith, 2. 93-Dustin Morgan, 3. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 4. 9x-Gary Wright, 5. 99-Brady Bacon, 6. 95-Matt Covington, 7. 5$-Danny Smith, 8. 87-Brian McClelland, 9. 72-Sherman Davis, 10. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 11. 77-Colt Treharn. DNS: 22-Koby Barksdale, 52-Frank Sudduth.
ASCS Speedweek Round Three “A” Main Event:
“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 50z-Zach Chappell, 2. 23-Seth Bergman, 3. 21-Brian Brown, 4. 99-Brady Bacon, 5. 3d-Paul McMahan, 6. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 7. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 8. 1-Sean McClelland, 9. 15s-Nick Smith, 10. 93-Dustin Morgan, 11. 95-Matt Covington, 12. 20s-Sheldon Barksdale, 13. 94-Danny Wood, 14. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 15. 88-Tim Crawley, 16. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 17. 57-Shane Stewart, 18. 9x-Gary Wright, 19. 74e-Claud Estes, 20. 41-Jason Johnson, 21. 91-Gary Taylor, 22. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 23. 2-Kenneth Walker, 24. 85s-Forrest Sutherland.
Lap Leaders: Tony Bruce, Jr., 1-11, Seth Bergman 12-15, Tim Crawley 16-26, Zach Chappell 27-30.
17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek Points (Top Fifteen – Through Round Three of Six): 1. Tony Bruce, Jr. 430, 2. Tim Crawley 410, 3. Sean McClelland 406, 4. Paul McMahan 402, 5. Brady Bacon 398, 6. Jason Johnson 390, 7. (tie) Shane Stewart and Zach Chappell 386, 9. Matt Clevenger 382, 10. Dustin Morgan 380, 11. Gary Wright 368, 12. Kenneth Walker 362, 13. (tie) Donnie Ray Crawford and Danny Wood 352, 15. Nick Smith 351.
by Lonnie Wheatley
ASCS Sprint Car “Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek” right around the corner
June 2, 2009
For the past 16 years, some of the most memorable moments in American Sprint Car Series history, both on and off the track, have taken place during the series’ annual Speedweek.
That tradition continues when the 17th Annual ASCS Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters fires off next Friday night, June 5, with the first of six events at six different tracks throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
For the second year in a row, ASCS Speedweek fires off atop the tight confines of Texarkana 67 Speedway on the Arkansas side of the state line. The following night, Saturday June 6, it’s up Interstate 30 to Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway for Round Two of ASCS Speedweek.
After two nights off, a third consecutive ¼-mile bullring is on tap with Creek County Speedway near Tulsa, OK, hosting Round Three on Tuesday night, June 9.
One more idle day precedes the final three-race stanza of the 17th Annual ASCS Speedweek, with Devil’s Bowl Speedway (June 11) in Mesquite, TX, Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway (June 12) and Lawton (OK) Speedway (June 13) hosting the final half of Speedweek.
While this year’s Speedweek events will not award points towards the Lucas Oil ASCS National championship, a $10,000 points fund has been established for the week. The week’s magnificent seven, the top seven point earners, will each walk away with some extra money at week’s end with the champion taking the lion’s share of $2,000. The balance of the ASCS Speedweek points fund is $1,600 (2nd), $1,500 (3rd), $1,400 (4th), $1,300 (5th), $1,200 (6th) and $1,000 (7th).
Eunice, Louisiana’s Jason Johnson enters as the reigning ASCS Speedweek champion after taking his second such title in three seasons with two Speedweek feature wins last year. Johnson climbed to third on the all-time ASCS Speedweek feature win list behind Gary Wright (29 wins) and Tim Crawley (12) with nine career wins.
While Johnson took two wins last year, he was matched by Gary Wright and Gary Taylor. The victories marked Taylor’s first pair of National triumphs while six-time ASCS Speedweek champion Wright has now snared at least one Speedweek win in 13 of the last 15 years, shut out in only 1996 and 2004.
All three of last year’s Speedweek feature winners are expected to vie for this year’s Speedweek title along with a host of top challengers including 2003 Speedweek champion Shane Stewart, 2004 Speedweek champion Tim Crawley, Danny Wood, Travis Rilat, Nick Smith, Jack Dover, Eric Baldaccini, Sean McClelland, Kenneth Walker, Seth Bergman, Matt Covington, Brady Bacon, Kathryne Minter and many more.
Each ASCS Speedweek event pays $3,000 to win and $300 to start.
17th Annual ASCS Speedweek Schedule:
Friday, June 5 – Texarkana 67 Speedway (Texarkana, AR) 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 6 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 9 – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 11 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) 8:00 p.m.
Friday, June 12- State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK) 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 13 – Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) 8:00 p.m.
ASCS Speedweek has been in place since 1993 with seven different drivers earning Speedweek titles and 31 different drivers posting at least one win in the 104 Speedweek features contested thus far.
Additional information regarding the 17th Annual ASCS Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek is available at http://www.ascsracing.com/speedweek.asp.
by Lonnie Wheatley
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