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Danny Lasoski strikes Lucas Oil ASCS Gold in Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals

Danny Lasoski added his name to the prestigious list of Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals champions by racing to victory lane in Saturday night’s 38th Annual edition of the event atop the ½-mile Devil’s Bowl Speedway.

“The Dude” slipped past Sam Hafertepe, Jr., just past the midway point en route to snaring the $10,000 winner’s share in the 30-lapper as he collected his first Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National win of the year and just second of his career.

After taking command exiting turn four on the 16th round, the Show-Me Stater led rest of the way to take the win aboard Mark Burch’s Engler Machine No. 1m Wolfweld with a 1.155 second advantage over Hafertepe, Jr.

“I was in this position in the Spring with my own car, I was leading the race and rubber got down and Hafertepe got by me,” Lasoski explained. “I just tried to pace myself and stay with him. If he slipped up a little bit, we just wanted to be there to capitalize and that’s all it was.”

Which is precisely how the 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals finale played out, as Spring Nationals winner Hafertepe, Jr., gunned into the lead from the front row outside and paced the initial 15 circuits in front of Lasoski until one slight bobble in turn four opened the door for Lasoski to race into the lead.

But, before Lasoski took command, eighth-starter Jason Johnson made his way past Friday night winner Wayne Johnson for third by the sixth round and made it a three-car race for the lead for several laps before a lapped car fell into place between Lasoski and J. Johnson.

Once Lasoski got into the lead, he slipped away and appeared to be on his way to the checkered flag without challenge until a caution flew with just four laps to go when Koby Barksdale spun to a stop in turn four.

With Hafertepe, Jr., and J. Johnson in tow on the restart, Lasoski proved too much to handle and cruised to the stripe unabated with Hafertepe, Jr., taking runner-up honors in the Fisher-powered Lone Star Speedway No. 15h for the second night in a row.

Johnson claimed the show position in the Don Ott-powered Haynes/Mesilla Valley Transport No. 41 Maxim, with Brady Bacon making a move past Wayne Johnson in the final ten circuits to snare fourth in the Wesmar-powered Fatheadz Eyewear No. 99 Triple X.

Wayne Johnson held fifth until the final lap when he popped a right rear tire, ultimately limping across the stripe in 14th.

Current Lucas Oil Sprint Car points leader Shane Stewart took advantage by rounding out the top five in Paul Silva’s Wesmar-powered Rockstar Energy Drink/Makita No. 57 A.R.T., with Brian Brown, 2010 Winter Nationals champion Jack Dover, Terry McCarl, Gary Wright and Robert Sellers completing the top ten.

The early rounds of the race were interrupted by two cautions. The first appeared after one lap when Jeff Swindell limped to a stop off of turn three after a near-crash on the frontstretch. The next one flew after four circuits when Tony Bruce, Jr., spun to a stop in turn two. The next 22 circuits ran off in non-stop fashion until Barksdale stopped in turn four.

Brown, Stewart, Dover, Sellers, Lasoski and McCarl topped Saturday night’s heat race action, with Seth Bergman, Danny Wood and Travis Rilat winning the “B” Mains. A total of 56 different drivers competed in the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters portion of the 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters
38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals Finale
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, TX

Heat Races (Top 12 in Passing Points, including the heat race winners, to “A” Main; Balance to Three “B” Main):

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 21-Brian Brown, 2. 1j-Danny Jennings, 3. 30-Brandon Corn, 4. 48-Jake Martens, 5. 74x-Joshua Hodges, 6. 224-John Carney II, 7. 49-Mike Peters, 8. 10-George White. DNS: 3-Raven Culp.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 57-Shane Stewart, 2. 9-Gary Wright, 3. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 40-Clint Garner, 6. 11c-Matt Covington, 7. 54e-Claud Estes, 8. 88-Tim Crawley, 9. 15T-Travis Elliott.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 53-Jack Dover, 2. 81-Danny Wood, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 5. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 6. 05-Brad Loyet, 7. 28-Jeff Swindell, 8. 110-Cameron Hagin.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 36-Robert Sellers, 2. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 3. 0-Zach Chappell, 4. 23-Seth Bergman, 5. 44w-Austen Wheatley, 6. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 7. 11g-Mike Goodman, 8. E85-Sean McClelland.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 1m-Danny Lasoski, 2. 45-Martin Edwards, 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 71-Channin Tankersley, 5. 7s-Shane Sellers, 6. 81au-Gavin Punch, 7. 6-Justin Spoerl. DNS: 22a-Dan Adkins.

Heat Six (8 Laps): 1. 97-Terry McCarl, 2. 99-Brady Bacon, 3. 14-Michael Lang, 4. 5h-Mason Moore, 5. 94-Derek Hagar, 6. 54-Evan Pardo, 7. 12-Dale Wester. DNS: 2-Dustin Morgan.

“B” Mains (Top 2 from Each Advance to “A” Main):

First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman, 2. 45-Martin Edwards, 3. 74x-Joshua Hodges, 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 5. 48-Jake Martens, 6. 5h-Mason Moore, 7. 54e-Claud Estes, 8. 110-Cameron Hagin, 9. 0-Zach Chappell, 10. 81au-Gavin Punch, 11. 28-Jeff Swindell. DNS: 40-Clint Garner, 22a-Dan Adkins.

Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 81-Danny Wood, 2. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 3. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 4. 44w-Austen Wheatley, 5. 88-Mike Ward, 6. 224-John Carney II, 7. 71-Channin Tankersley, 8. 49-Mike Peters, 9. 54-Evan Pardo, 10. 6-Justin Spoerl, 11. 30-Brandon Corn. DNS: 15T-Travis Elliott, 2-Dustin Morgan.

Third “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 11c-Matt Covington, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 11g-Mike Goodman, 5. 05-Brad Loyet, 6. 94-Derek Hagar, 7. E85-Sean McClelland, 8. 7s-Shane Sellers, 9. 12-Dale Wester, 10. 10-George White, 11. 3-Raven Culp, 12. 14-Michael Lang.

38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals “A” Main:

“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 1m-Danny Lasoski, 2. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 99-Brady Bacon, 5. 57-Shane Stewart, 6. 21-Brian Brown, 7. 53-Jack Dover, 8. 97-Terry McCarl, 9. 9-Gary Wright, 10. 36-Robert Sellers, 11. 88-Tim Crawley, 12. 81-Danny Wood, 13. 29-Travis Rilat, 14. 77x-Wayne Johnson, 15. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 16. 1j-Danny Jennings, 17. 23-Seth Bergman, 18. 5-Koby Barksdale, 19. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 20. 11c-Matt Covington, 21. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 22. 2d-Bryan Dobesh, 23. 45-Martin Edwards, 24. 28-Jeff Swindell.

Lap Leaders: Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 1-15, Danny Lasoski 16-30.

Note: Jeff Swindell and Tim Crawley both utilized their mid-season bonus full-point provisional to start the main event. Swindell has two partial-point provisionals remaining while Crawley has one partial-point provisional remaining.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters Driver Points (Top 15): 1. Shane Stewart 2,711, 2. Johnny Herrera 2,574 3. Jeff Swindell 2,528, 4. Brady Bacon 2,461, 5. Tim Crawley 2,413, 6. Gary Wright 2,373, 7. Jason Johnson 2,294, 8. Seth Bergman 2,217, 9. Tony Bruce, Jr. 2,203, 10. Aaron Reutzel 2,142, 11. Zach Chappell 1,926, 12. Wayne Johnson 1,678, 13. (tie) Dustin Morgan and Jack Dover 1,371, 15. Danny Wood 1,175.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters Owner Points (Top 15): 1. Jason Johnson Racing #41 – 2,846, 2. Paul Silva #57 – 2,711, 3. Herrera/Main #45x – 2,574, 4. Swindell Group #28 – 2,528, 5. Bacon/Tel-Star #99 – 2,461, 6. Mike Ward #88 – 2,413, 7. Petersen Motorsports #23 2,217, 8. Bruce Racing #18 – 2,203, 9. Kenny Reutzel #87 – 2,142, 10. Randy Washburn #0 – 1,926, 11. Gary Wright #9 – 1,777, 12. M&M Motorsports #2 – 1,371, 13. Bryan Sundby #38 – 1,196, 14. Danny Wood #81 – 1,175, 15. Jack Dover #53 – 1,099

Story by Lonnie Wheatley
Photo by Tim Aylwin

Channin Tankersley takes ASCS Gulf South Sprint Car win at Golden Triangle

Channin Tankersley picked off his second Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South main event win of the season by racing to victory lane in Friday night’s 25-lap feature at Golden Triangle Raceway Park.

Tankersley took the lead away from current series points leader Paul White on the eleventh round and went on to post his second GTRP win of the year aboard the Harris-powered CVS/Griffith Truck & Equipment No. 71 Maxim after posting an early Beaumont win just over a month ago.

After starting fifth, Tankersley worked his way into second by the tenth round and then quickly disposed of White en route to his sixth career ASCS Gulf South score.

Tankersley was chased to the line by White, with defending champion Ray Allen Kulhanek, Travis Elliott and Scottie McDonald rounding out the top five. Aaron Reutzel was sixth, with Wes Miller, Beau Smith, Tommy Bryant and Chris Sweeney completing the top ten.

Tankersley, Bryant and Kulhanek topped heat race action, with Michael McNeil winning the “B” Main.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Results from Golden Triangle Raceway Park:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 3-Gary Watson, 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 4. 35-Greg Rilat, 5. 93-Chris Sweeney, 6. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 7. 82-Mark Harris, 8. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 9. 31-Brandon Berryman.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 28-Tommy Bryant, 2. 15T-Travis Elliott, 3. 2-Wes Miller, 4. 19-Klint Angelette, 5. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 6. 69-Larry Howery, 7. 52-Roger Oakes, 8. 24-Brandie Jass.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 2. 88-Scottie McDonald, 3. 51s-Beau Smith, 4. 10-George White, 5. 9-Gary Wright, 6. 25m-Michael McNeil, 7. 5c-Chris Coker, 8. B51-Johnny Brown.

“B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 25m-Michael McNeil, 2. 5c-Chris Coker, 3. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 4. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 5. B51-Johnny Brown, 6. 31-Brandon Berryman, 7. 52-Roger Oakes. DNS: 69-Larry Howery, 82-Mark Harris, 51-Jimmy Brooks, 24-Brandie Jass.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 10-George White, 3. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 15T-Travis Elliott, 5. 88-Scottie McDonald, 6. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 7. 2-Wes Miller, 8. 51s-Beau Smith, 9. 28-Tommy Bryant, 10. 93-Chris Sweeney, 11. 3-Gary Watson, 12. 25m-Michhael McNeil, 13. 31-Brandon Berryman, 14. 35-Greg Rilat, 15. 5c-Chris Coker, 16. 19-Klint Angelette, 17. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 18. B51-Johnny Brown, 19. 9-Gary Wright, 20. 12b-Logan Bledsoe.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. George White 1,452, 2. Ray Allen Kulhanek 1,388, 3. Tommy Bryant 1,378, 4. Brandon Berryman 1,299, 5. Chris Sweeney 1,296, 6. Channin Tankersley 1,264, 7. Travis Elliott 1,203, 8. Aaron Reutzel 1,202, 9. Greg Rilat 1,190, 10. Gary Watson 1,138.

by Lonnie Wheatley
ASCS Gulf South photo

Jason Johnson is an ASCS Gulf South “Spoiler” at Speedarama

Reigning Lucas Oil ASCS National champion Jason Johnson put an end to Gary Wright’s bid for a perfect Regional weekend by taking the $2,000 triumph in Sunday night’s 25-lap Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South main event at the Speedarama Raceway.

With Wright vying for a $1,000 bonus for topping all three nights of the Gulf South’s “Memorial Day Classic”, Johnson played the role of spoiler by picking off his fifth overall ASCS feature win of the season aboard the Don Ott-powered Haynes No. 41 Maxim.

Wright still picked up a $500 bonus for winning two of the weekend’s three feature events.

Pole starter Brandon Berryman paced the initial pair of rounds before fifth-starter Johnson raced into a lead he would never relinquish. Johnson went on to the checkered flag ahead of Michael Dupuy, with Berryman settling for the show position.

Wright crossed the stripe fourth, with reigning series champion Ray Allen Kulhanek in fifth. Kevin Ramey was sixth, with Chris Sweeney, George White, Wes Miller and Brandon Corn completing the top ten.

Kulhanek, Wright, Beau Smith and Berryman won Sunday night’s heat races, with Eric Baldaccini winning the “B” Main.

George White reclaimed the series points lead with his eighth place finish, as Tommy Bryant missed the feature cut for the first time in eleven events this season after entering the night with a slim 6-point advantage.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Results from Speedarama Raceway:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 2. 2-Wes Miller, 3. 35-Greg Rilat, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 88-Scottie McDonald, 6. 25m-Michael McNeil, 7. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 8. 7w-Dustin Welch.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 9-Gary Wright, 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 3. 3-Gary Watson, 4. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 5. 71-Channin Tankersley, 6. 5-Nathan Hamberg, 7. 19-Klint Angelette, 8. 45-Martin Edwards.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 51s-Beau Smith, 2. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 3. 15T-Travis Elliott, 4. 30-Brandon Corn, 5. 52-Roger Oakes, 6. 24-Brandie Jass. DNS: 69-Larry Howery.

Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 31-Brandon Berryman, 2. 93-Chris Sweeney, 3. 10-George White, 4. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 6. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 7. 5c-Chris Coker.

“B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 88-Scottie McDonald, 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 4. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 5. 25m-Michael McNeil, 6. 52-Roger Oakes, 7. 45-Martin Edwards, 8. 19-Klint Angelette, 9. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 10. 24-Brandie Jass, 11. 71-Channin Tankersley, 12. 5-Nathan Hamberg, 13. 5c-Chris Coker, 14. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 15. 7w-Dustin Welch. DNS: 69-Larry Howery.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 3. 31-Brandon Berryman, 4. 9-Gary Wright, 5. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 6. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 7. 93-Chris Sweeney, 8. 10-George White, 9. 2-Wes Miller, 10. 30-Brandon Corn, 11. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 12. 88-Scottie McDonald, 13. 25m-Michael McNeil, 14. 15T-Travis Elliott, 15. 35-Greg Rilat, 16. 51s-Beau Smith, 17. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 18. 3-Gary Watson, 19. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 20. 52-Roger Oakes.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. George White 1,310, 2. Tommy Bryant 1,265, 3. Ray Allen Kulhanek 1,253, 4. Brandon Berryman 1,195, 5. Chris Sweeney 1,186, 6. Channin Tankersley 1,114, 7. (tie) Greg Rilat and Jason Johnson 1,088, 9. Aaron Reutzel 1,080, 10. Travis Elliott 1,073.

by Lonnie Wheatley
ASCS Gulf South photos

Gary Wright snares second ASCS Gulf South win in-a-row, this time at Gator

A return to his familiar No. 9 Maxim was apparently just the tonic that Gary Wright needed, as “The Texan” reeled off another win in Saturday night’s 25-lap Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South main event at the Gator Motorplex.

It was Wright’s second win of the weekend in the three-race ASCS Gulf South “Memorial Day Classic” and his fifth in just seven starts aboard his own entry thus far in 2011 after just three Regional wins over the course of the entire 2010 season.

With his second $2,000 triumph in as many nights, Wright has already clinched a $500 bonus for the weekend. Another $2,000 triumph in Sunday’s card at Lufkin’s Speedarama Raceway would net Wright $7,000 for the weekend including a $1,000 bonus for a weekend sweep.

In Saturday’s feature, Wright redrew the pole position after a runner-up finish in his heat race and wired the field for his first ASCS win atop Gator Motorplex clay.

Wright was chased to the line by third-starter Jason Johnson, while Friday night absentee Kevin Ramey dropped in to claim a podium finish by taking the show position. Aaron Reutzel was fourth, with Channin Tankersley rounding out the top five.

Scottie McDonald picked up Hard Charger honors by racing from 15th to sixth, with Brandon Corn, Eric Baldaccini, Brandon Berryman and Chris Sweeney completing the top ten.

Heat races for the 30-car field were won by Brandon Corn, Johnson, Reutzel and Tankersley, with McDonald and Baldaccini winning the “B” Mains.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Results from Gator Motorplex:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 30-Brandon Corn, 2. 9-Gary Wright, 3. 88-Scottie McDonald, 4. 19-Klint Angelette, 5. 10-George White, 6. 25m-Michael McNeil, 7. 3-Gary Watson, 8. 22L-Kent Lewis, Jr., 9. 69-Larry Howery.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 51s-Beau Smith, 3. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 4. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 6. 45-Martin Edwards, 7. 36-John Pate, 8. 2-Wes Miller, 9. 40-Junior Jenkins.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 2. 35-Greg Rilat, 3. 93-Chris Sweeney, 4. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 5. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 6. 5c-Chris Coker, 7. 66-J.J. Simmons, 8. 23-Darryl Wills.

Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 31-Brandon Berryman, 3. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 4. 15T-Travis Elliott, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 5-Nathan Hamberg, 7. 52-Roger Oakes, 8. 76-John Ricketts.

First “B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 88-Scottie McDonald, 2. 74e-Claud Estes, 3. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 15T-Travis Elliott, 5. 25m-Michael McNeil, 6. 36-John Pate, 7. 22L-Kent Lewis, Jr., 8. 2-Wes Miller, 9. 66-J.J. Simmons. DNS: 76-John Ricketts.

Second “B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 19-Klint Angelette, 3. 45-Martin Edwards, 4. 3-Gary Watson, 5. 69-Larry Howery, 6. 5c-Chris Coker, 7. 5-Nathan Hamberg, 8. 52-Roger Oakes, 9. 23-Darryl Wills. DNS: 40-Junior Jenkins.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9-Gary Wright, 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 3. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 5. 71-Channin Tankersley, 6. 88-Scottie McDonald, 7. 30-Brandon Corn, 8. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 9. 31-Brandon Berryman, 10. 93-Chris Sweeney, 11. 10-George White, 12. 35-Greg Rilat, 13. 74e-Claud Estes, 14. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 15. 51s-Beau Smith, 16. 45-Martin Edwards, 17. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 18. 19-Klint Angelette, 19. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 20. 3x-Michael Dupuy.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Tommy Bryant 1,200, 2. George White 1,194, 3. Ray Allen Kulhanek 1,128, 4. Chris Sweeney 1,067, 5. Brandon Berryman 1,060, 6. Channin Tankersley 1,049, 7. Greg Rilat 988, 8. Aaron Reutzel 972, 9. Travis Elliott 971, 10. Jason Johnson 938.

by Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS PR
ASCS Gulf South photo

“The Texan” is Tops in ASCS Gulf South Golden Triangle go

Just because he’s being inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame next weekend doesn’t mean that Gary Wright is done winning races. “The Texan” made that evident on Friday night by topping the opening leg of the Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South three-night “Memorial Day Classic” at Golden Triangle Raceway Park.

Wright added his 18th overall ASCS Regional win to 127 previous ASCS National triumphs by driving his No. 9 Maxim to victory lane for the fourth in just six 2011 outings aboard his own entry, becoming the first repeat ASCS Gulf South winner of the season through nine events.

While Wright started the feature from the front row outside, it was pole starter Gary Watson leading the opening circuit before Wright took command.

Wright paced the field the rest of the way, taking the checkered flag ahead of fifth-starter Jason Johnson, defending series champion Ray Allen Kulhanek, current Gulf South points leader Tommy Bryant and Michael Dupuy, who earned Hard Charger honors by racing from 15th to round out the top five.

Watson was sixth, with Michael McNeil, John Pate, Wes Miller and George White completing the top ten.

Johnson, Chris Sweeney, Watson and Wright topped heat race action, with Dupuy winning the “B” Main.

The Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South “Memorial Day Classic” continues on Saturday night at the Gator Motorplex in Willis, TX, before finishing up at Lufkin’s Speedarama Raceway on Sunday.

With his $2,000 triumph in Friday’s feature, Wright is eligible for a $1,000 bonus if he can pull down wins over each of the next two nights as well.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Results from Golden Triangle Raceway Park:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 10-George White, 3. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 4. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 5. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 6. 2-Wes Miller, 7. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 8. 19-Klint Angelette.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 93-Chris Sweeney, 2. 36-John Pate, 3. 40-Junior Jenkins, 4. 24j-Brandie Jass, 5. 76-John Ricketts, 6. 31-Brandon Berryman, 7. 30-Brandon Corn.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 3-Gary Watson, 2. 25m-Michael McNeil, 3. 15T-Travis Elliott, 4. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 5. 71-Channin Tankersley, 6. 66-J.J. Simmons, 7. 5c-Chris Coker.

Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 9-Gary Wright, 2. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 3. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 35-Greg Rilat, 5. 51s-Beau Smith, 6. 69-Larry Howery, 7. 52-Roger Oakes.

“B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 2. 2-Wes Miller, 3. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 4. 71-Channin Tankersley, 5. 69-Larry Howery, 6. 35-Greg Rilat, 7. 31-Brandon Berryman, 8. 66-J.J. Simmons, 9. 51s-Beau Smith, 10. 19-Klint Angelette, 11. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 12. 52-Roger Oakes, 13. 76-John Ricketts, 14. 30-Brandon Corn, 15. 5c-Chris Coker.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9-Gary Wright, 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 3. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 5. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 6. 3-Gary Watson, 7. 25m-Michael McNeil, 8. 36-John Pate, 9. 2-Wes Miller, 10. 10-George White, 11. 93-Chris Sweeney, 12. 35-Greg Rilat, 13. 40-Junior Jenkins, 14. 69-Larry Howery, 15. 24j-Brandie Jass, 16. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 17. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 18. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 19. 15T-Travis Elliott, 20. 71-Channin Tankersley.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Tommy Bryant 1,108, 2. George White 1,086, 3. Ray Allen Kulhanek 1,026, 4. Chris Sweeney 957, 5. Brandon Berryman 947, 6. Channin Tankersley 924, 7. Travis Elliott 906, 8. Greg Rilat 882, 9. Gary Watson 871, 10. Aaron Reutzel 842.

by Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS PR
ASCS Gulf South photo

Gary Wright holds on to win ASCS Gulf South feature at Speedarama

Gary Wright picked up his second overall American Sprint Car Series Regional feature win of the year by limping to the checkered flag in Saturday night’s 25-lap Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region main event at the Speedarama Raceway.

Working forward from the ninth starting position in his familiar No. 9, Wright raced into the lead on the 15th circuit and then slipped across the finish line in command moments after a piston failure in his powerplant.

Wright claimed the victory just in front of eleventh-starter Jason Johnson, who charged past George White in the final corner for runner-up honors. With a broken steering box, White tagged the wall and flipped across the finish line to claim the show position and assume the ASCS Gulf South points lead.

With the red flag flying with checkered as White flipped, the balance of the field was scored on the previous lap with Scottie McDonald in fourth and Jeffrey Newell posting his first career top-five ASCS finish by rounding out the top five.

Tommy Bryant was sixth, with defending series champion Ray Allen Kulhanek, 15th-starter Travis Rilat, Brandon Berryman and pole starter Chris Sweeney completing the top ten.

Aaron Reutzel, Bryant, McDonald and Newell topped heat race action, with Travis Rilat winning the “B” Main.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Results from Speedarama Raceway:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 2. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 3. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 41-Jason Johnson, 5. 3-Gary Watson, 6. 51s-Beau Smith, 7. 17-Channin Tankersley, 8. 7w-Dustin Welch.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 2. 35-Greg Rilat, 3. 9-Gary Wright, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 6. 19-Klint Angelette, 7. 69-Larry Howery. DNS: 64j-Johnny Miller.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 88-Scottie McDonald, 2. 5c-Chris Coker, 3. 10-George White, 4. 93-Chris Sweeney, 5. 54-Evan Pardo, 6. 28-James Cooper, 7. 25h-Trey Schmidt, 8. 17c-Greg Coleman.

Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 11-Jeffrey Newell, 2. 15T-Travis Elliott, 3. 25m-Michael McNeil, 4. 29-Travis Rilat, 5. 40-Junior Jenkins, 6. 2-Wes Miller, 7. 2s-Steve Hubbard.

“B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 54-Evan Pardo, 3. 51s-Beau Smith, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 17-Channin Tankersley, 6. 3-Gary Watson, 7. 40-Junior Jenkins, 8. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 9. 19-Klint Angelette, 10. 28-James Cooper, 11. 69-Larry Howery, 12. 2-Wes Miller, 13. 17c-Greg Coleman, 14. 25h-Trey Schmidt, 15. 2s-Steve Hubbard, 16. 7w-Dustin Welch. DNS: 64j-Johnny Miller.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9-Gary Wright, 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 3. 10-George White, 4. 88-Scottie McDonald, 5. 11-Jeffrey Newell, 6. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 7. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 8. 29-Travis Rilat, 9. 31-Brandon Berryman, 10. 93-Chris Sweeney, 11. 15T-Travis Elliott, 12. 25m-Michael McNeil, 13. 35-Greg Rilat, 14. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 15. 54-Evan Pardo, 16. 51s-Beau Smith, 17. 17-Channin Tankersley, 18. 5c-Chris Coker, 19. 3-Gary Watson, 20. 87-Aaron Reutzel.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. George White 389, 2. Aaron Reutzel 353, 3. Brandon Berryman 351, 4. Tommy Bryant 338, 5. Greg Rilat 312, 6. Ray Allen Kulhanek 309, 7. Jeffrey Newell 290, 8. Michael McNeil 287, 9. Chris Sweeney 285, 10. Channin Tankersley 282.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Hafertepe takes Lucas Oil ASCS honors in Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals

Sam Hafertepe, Jr., became the sixth different winner in as many nights of 2011 Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National action by taking top honors in Saturday night’s 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals 30-lap championship finale.

After pacing the initial pair of circuits, Hafertepe rallied past both Danny Lasoski and leader Brian Brown on a lap 17 restart en route to the $6,000 triumph, his second career ASCS National victory aboard the Fisher-powered Lone Star Speedway No. 15h Maxim.

Struggling with a faulty wing slider, the Sunnyvale, TX, shoe slipped back as far as fifth at the race’s midway point before rallying for the win in front of current Lucas Oil Sprint Car points leader Shane Stewart from eleventh and defending series champion Jason Johnson in third after winning Friday night’s preliminary feature.

“I’d written myself off, the wing was stuck all the way back and I couldn’t get going,” Hafertepe explained. “It finally got where I could keep my momentum up though and we were able to get back up front.”

Starting from the pole position, Hafertepe outgunned Brian Brown for the lead at the drop of the green flag and led just two laps before Brown and fifth-starter Lasoski raced by on the third circuit.

Brown kept the FVP No. 21 Maxim in front of Missouri relative Lasoski over the ensuing rounds, with sixth-starting Brady Bacon putting the top side of turns one and two to good use to race around Hafertepe for third on the ninth circuit and then take second from Lasoski by the midway point as Wayne Johnson relegated Hafertepe to fifth.

A seemingly innocuous caution for Eric Baldaccini’s race-ending excursion off turn three after 16 laps changed the complexion of the race though, as Wayne Johnson clipped an infield tire in turn two and slid to a stop with front end damage on the restart with Bacon falling victim to a failed fuel line on the next try.

Up to third behind Brown and Lasoski after the misfortune of Johnson and Bacon, Hafertepe hustled past them both for the lead and checked out in short order with 2009 series champion Shane Stewart taking over second by the 19th round.

After a final caution for Dustin Morgan in turn two on the 24th lap, Hafertepe checked out again only to reach traffic again before the white flag flew. Stewart tried to move in, but was unable to mount a challenge on the 25-year-old.

Stewart settled for runner-up honors in Paul Silva’s Wesmar-powered Rockstar Energy Drink No. 57 A.R.T., holding off the late charges of Friday night preliminary winner Jason Johnson in the Don Ott-powered Haynes No. 41 Maxim.

Lasoski crossed the stripe fourth, with Brown rounding out the top five after pacing 13 early rounds. In just his second National start since suffering severe burns last July, Travis Rilat charged from the 17th starting position to claim sixth with 15th-starter Danny Wood, 14th-starter Matt Covington, “Texan” Gary Wright and Missouri’s Kyle Bellm completing the top ten.

Covington, Wood, Johnny Herrera, Tim Crawley, Stewart and Brown won Saturday night’s heat races. Rilat made a lap 12 move around Zach Chappell to win the first “B” Main, while Channin Tankersley’s last corner pass of Dustin Morgan netted the win in an enthralling second “B” Main.

A total of 54 different drivers took part in the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters portion of the 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals without the red flag ever flying over the course of two full nights.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters
38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals Championship Finale
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, TX

Locked in from Friday Night’s Preliminary Feature:

41-Jason Johnson, 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 99-Brady Bacon, 33-Danny Lasoski.

Heat Races (Top 12 in Passing Points, including the six heat race winners, to “A” Main; Balance to Two “B” Main):

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington, 2. 71-Channin Tankersley, 3. 74x-Joshua Hodges, 4. 12$-Michelle Decker, 5. 29-Travis Rilat, 6. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 7. 21v-Taylor Velasquez, 8. 28x-Mitch Runge.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 81-Danny Wood, 2. 8-John Carney II, 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 4. 2-Dustin Morgan, 5. 1j-Danny Jennings, 6. 11-Jeffrey Newell, 7. 15T-Travis Elliott, 8. 51-Beau Smith.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 2. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 3. 38-Wayne Johnson, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 2x-Logan Payne, 7. 31-Brandon Berryman, 8. 53-Jack Dover.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 88-Tim Crawley, 2. 0-Zach Chappell, 3. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 4. 15d-Brady Demeree, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 31x-Mark Pace, 7. 35-Rick Wright, Jr., 8. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 57-Shane Stewart, 2. 10-George White, 3. 2L-Logan Forler, 4. 44w-Austen Wheatley, 5. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 6. 45-Martin Edwards, 7. 54-Evan Pardo, 8. 23-Seth Bergman.

Heat Six (8 Laps): 1. 21-Brian Brown, 2. 28-Jeff Swindell, 3. 01-Gary Wright, 4. 14-Michael Lang, 5. 23x-Darryl Wills, 6. 35g-Barry Gifford, 7. 1x-Garry Lee Maier, 8. 9-Brian Parker.

“B” Main (Top 3 from Each Advance to “A” Main):

First “B” Feature (15 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 8-John Carney II, 3. 0-Zach Chappell, 4. 74x-Joshua Hodges, 5. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 6. 12$-Michelle Decker, 7. 74e-Claud Estes, 8. 35g-Barry Gifford, 9. 31x-Mark Pace, 10. 15T-Travis Elliott, 11. 45-Martin Edwards, 12. 15d-Brady Demeree, 13. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 15. 9-Brian Parker. DNS: 44w-Austen Wheatley, 31-Brandon Berryman, 53-Jack Dover.

Second “B” Feature (15 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 2-Dustin Morgan, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 28-Jeff Swindell, 5. 1x-Garry Lee Maier, 6. 11-Jeffrey Newell, 7. 1j-Danny Jennings, 8. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 9. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 10. 54-Evan Pardo, 11. 35-Rick Wright, Jr., 12. 23x-Darryl Wills, 13. 21v-Taylor Velasquez, 14. 51-Beau Smith, 15. 28x-Mitch Runge, 16. 2x-Logan Payne. DNS: 14-Michael Lang, 23-Seth Bergman.

38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals Championship “A” Main:

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 2. 57-Shane Stewart, 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 33-Danny Lasoski, 5. 21-Brian Brown, 6. 29-Travis Rilat, 7. 81-Danny Wood, 8. 95-Matt Covington, 9. 01-Gary Wright, 10. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 11. 88-Tim Crawley, 12. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 13. 71-Channin Tankersley, 14. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 15. 28-Jeff Swindell, 16. 0-Zach Chappell, 17. 2L-Logan Forler, 18. 8-John Carney II, 19. 10-George White, 20. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 21. 2-Dustin Morgan, 22. 99-Brady Bacon, 23. 38-Wayne Johnson, 24. 4-Eric Baldaccini.

Lap Leaders: Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 1-2, Brian Brown 3-16, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 17-30.

Note: Jeff Swindell and Aaron Reutzel both utilized their first provisionals of 2011 to start the main event.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters Driver Points (Top 15): 1. Shane Stewart 800, 2. Johnny Herrera 743, 3. Tim Crawley 665, 4. Jeff Swindell 664, 5. Brady Bacon 654, 6. Aaron Reutzel 627, 7. Tony Bruce, Jr. 604, 8. Seth Bergman 600, 9. Gary Wright 596, 10. Logan Forler 553, 11. Zach Chappell 543, 12. Dustin Morgan 501, 13. (tie) Mason Moore and Trey Starks 391, 15. Jack Dover 387.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars presented by K&N Filters Owner Points (Top 15): 1. Jason Johnson Racing #41 – 837, 2. Paul Silva #57 - 800, 3. Herrera/Main #45x - 743, 4. Mike Ward #88 - 665, 5. Swindell Group #28 – 664, 6. Bacon/Tel-Star #99 - 654, 7. Kenny Reutzel #87 – 627, 8. Bruce Racing #18 – 604, 9. Petersen Motorsports #23 - 600, 10. Cooper/Sperry #01/51 - 596, 11. Steve Forler #2L – 553, 12. Randy Washburn #0 – 543, 13. M&M Motorsports #2 – 501, 14. (tie) Harley Van Dyke #5h and Terry Starks #55 – 391

by Lonnie Wheatley
Tim Aylwin photos

Gary Wright makes late move to win ASCS Sprint Car feature at Lone Star Speedway

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame bound Gary Wright took full advantage of a late caution flag to win Saturday night’s 25-lap season-opening The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region main event atop the newly reconfigured 3/8-mile Lone Star Speedway clay oval.

Reigning ASCS Lone Star champion Eric Baldaccini paced the initial 21 circuits before a late caution flag set the table for the Hooks, TX, veteran to pounce upon his 16th career ASCS Regional triumph to go along with an all-time best 126 Lucas Oil ASCS National scores.

While Wright tacked another feature win on to his legendary career, the night was highlighted by Travis Rilat’s successful return to the seat after critical burns less than eight months ago. Rilat needed just three laps to race from sixth to win his heat race and then claimed third in the feature behind Wright and Matt Covington.

As Wright started the feature from seventh aboard his No. 9 entry, Baldaccini led the way to the green flag with George White alongside. Gunning into the lead at the outset, Baldaccini was closing in on a fourth career ASCS Lone Star triumph when a caution flew after 21 laps for Jeffrey Newell’s stalled mount.

With Baldanccini’s left rear tire low on air pressure and Wright on his tailtank on the restart, “The Texan” charged into the lead and raced on to the checkered flag as Baldaccini lost several positions in the closing circuits. Covington, a Lucas Oil National Sprint Car winner at Lone Star Speedway last year, claimed runner-up honors with Rilat in the show position. Sam Hafertepe, Jr., climbed from eighth to fourth, with Baldaccini rounding out the top five.

White was sixth, with Martin Edwards, Travis Elliott, Beau Smith and 15th-starter Justin Melton completing the top ten.

Baldaccini, Covington, Rilat and White topped heat race action for the 28-car field, with Newell winning the 12-lap “B” Main.

The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region Results from Lone Star Speedway:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 14-Michael Lang, 3. 33-Mark Huddleston, 4. 11-Justin Melton, 5. 20-Chad Wilson, 6. 15b-Curtis Wayne Brown, 7. 7w-Dustin Welch.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington, 2. 15T-Travis Elliott, 3. 51-Beau Smith, 4. 76-John Ricketts, 5. 17w-Brad Welborn, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 12w-Dale Wester.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 45-Martin Edwards, 3. 40-Junior Jenkins, 4. 74e-Claud Estes, 5. 11x-Jeffrey Newell, 6. 36-John Pate, 7. 15d-Brady Demeree.

Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 10-George White, 2. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 3. 9-Gary Wright, 4. 64j-Johnny Miller, 5. 79-Ryan Hall, 6. 14b-Robert Byrom, 7. 54-Evan Pardo.

“B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 11x-Jeffrey Newell, 2. 17w-Brad Welborn, 3. 64j-Johnny Miller, 4. 36-John Pate, 5. 79-Ryan Hall, 6. 14b-Robert Byrom, 7. 15d-Brady Demeree, 8. 54-Evan Pardo, 9. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 10. 7w-Dustin Welch, 11. 15b-Curtis Wayne Brown. DNS: 12w-Dale Wester.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9-Gary Wright, 2. 95-Matt Covington, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 10-George White, 7. 45-Martin Edwards, 8. 15T-Travis Elliott, 9. 51-Beau Smith, 10. 11-Justin Melton, 11. 74e-Claud Estes, 12. 17w-Brad Welborn, 13. 76-John Ricketts, 14. 40-Junior Jenkins, 15. 36-John Pate, 16. 33-Mark Huddleston, 17. 20-Chad Wilson, 18. 14-Michael Lang, 19. 11x-Jeffrey Newell, 20. 64j-Johnny Miller.

The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Gary Wright 150, 2. Matt Covington 142, 3. Travis Rilat 135, 4. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 130, 5. Eric Baldaccini 125, 6. George White 122, 7. Martin Edwards 119, 8. Travis Elliott 116, 9. Beau Smith 113, 10. Justin Melton 110.

By Lonnie Wheatley
Photos by Tim Aylwin

Kolt Walker claims ASCS Lone Star Region win at Lone Star Speedway

Kolt Walker became the first repeat winner in American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region action so far this season by taking top honors in Saturday night’s 25-lap main event at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas.

After racing from eighth to win the night’s opening heat race, the Kermit, TX, native backed it up by charging past Gary Wright early in the main event en route to his second series win of the year aboard the Jars Inc./Texas Moon No. 45k Maxim.

While Walker started sixth in the 13th ASCS Lone Star main event of the year, he needed less than two laps to slide past pole starter Wright for the lead. Walker led the rest of the way, with Wright, Brandon Corn, Michael Lang and Martin Edwards rounding out the top five.

Current series points leader Eric Baldaccini climbed from 11th to sixth, with Dale Wester, 18th-starter Chad Wilson, 15th-starter Skip Wilson and Claud Estes completing the top ten.

Logan Payne turned over early in the feature, with Justin Melton, Justin Spoerl and Josh Hawkins all eliminated in a lap five tangle.

Walker, Corn and Wright each claimed heat race wins.

ASCS Lone Star Results from Lone Star Speedway:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 45k-Kolt Walker, 2. 45-Martin Edwards, 3. 6-Justin Spoerl, 4. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 2-Logan Payne, 6. 15T-Travis Elliott, 7. 69-Larry Howery, 8. 5c-Chris Coker.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 30-Brandon Corn, 2. 76-John Ricketts, 3. 11-Justin Melton, 4. 12-Dale Wester, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 14e-Todd Evans, 8. 16-Koty Adams.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 3. 14-Michael Lang, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 65-Skip Wilson, 6. 20-Chad Wilson, 7. 80-Josh Hawkins, 8. 01-Greg Bartchy.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 45k-Kolt Walker, 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 30-Brandon Corn, 4. 14-Michael Lang, 5. 45-Martin Edwards, 6. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 7. 12-Dale Wester, 8. 20-Chad Wilson, 9. 65-Skip Wilson, 10. 74e-Claud Estes, 11. 31-Brandon Berryman, 12. 16-Koty Adams, 13. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 15. 69-Larry Howery, 16. 01-Greg Bartchy, 17. 11-Justin Melton, 18. 6-Justin Spoerl, 19. 80-Josh Hawkins, 20. 76-John Ricketts, 21. 15T-Travis Elliott, 22. 2-Logan Payne. DNS: 14e-Todd Evans, 5c-Chris Coker.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top 10): 1. Eric Baldaccini 1,660, 2. Claud Estes 1,558, 3. Justin Melton 1,454, 4. Martin Edwards 1,442, 5. Brandon Corn 1,405, 6. John Ricketts 1,377, 7. Preston Peebles II 1,333, 8. Kolt Walker 1,302, 9. Brian McClelland 1,205, 10. Scott Reneau 1,122.

by Lonnie Wheatley
Photos by Tim Aylwin

Andy Shouse ends 6-year ASCS drought at Speedarama Raceway

Oklahoma invader Andy Shouse foiled Jason Johnson’s hopes of an American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region Labor Day weekend tripleheader sweep by racing to victory lane in Sunday night’s 25-lap main event at Speedarama Raceway.

The 2004 ASCS Sooner Region champion hailing from Oklahoma City surged past Beau Smith for the lead at the midway point and set the pace the rest of the way for his third career ASCS Regional triumph and the first since a Sooner score at Cowtown Speedway nearly six years ago on September 25, 2004.

“It was getting a little rough in the middle coming off of two, I found a little piece just above it that gave us a really good run off the corner,” Shouse explained in victory lane.

In the process, Shouse denied Johnson a weekend sweep which would have been worth an extra $1,000 from Griffith Trucking for Johnson. Johnson rebounded from an early encounter with Gary Wright to snare third at the line behind Shouse and Channin Tankersley and collected an extra $500 for winning two of three events over the weekend.

After the initial start was waved off for a three-car tangle in turn one, Beau Smith gunned into the lead from the pole position with third-starting Shouse working past Tommy Bryant for second in the opening circuits.

With Smith fending off Shouse, Tankersley and Bryant, Johnson’s hopes of a three-peat were diminished when he and Gary Wright tangled exiting turn two and slid to a stop on the backstretch while battling for sixth on the fifth circuit. Both restarted at the tail.

Shouse went to work on Smith and ultimately raced into the lead on the 13th round, a lap before fourth-running Bryant stopped in turn three with Johnson and Wright back up to seventh and ninth, respectively.

While Shouse cruised out front in the ensuing circuits, Tankersley battled past Smith for second as Johnson and Wright scratched their way forward. The race’s final caution flew just four laps shy of the checkered flag when Smith spun to a stop on the backstretch after contact with Johnson, who was up to fourth as Wright checked his mount into the pit area.

Shouse held off Tankersley over the final four rounds to secure the win aboard the Bishop Racing Components No. 27, while Johnson nipped 15th-starter Skip Wilson at the line for the show position. Wilson was fourth, with Aaron Reutzel rounding out the top five.

Chris Sweeney was sixth, with Travis Elliott, Wes Miller, Jimmy Brooks and Larry Howery completing the top ten.

Scottie McDonald, Bryant, Miller and Johnson topped heat race action for the 32-car field, with Wilson winning the “B” Main.

ASCS Gulf South Results from Speedarama Raceway:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 88-Scottie McDonald, 2. 51s-Beau Smith, 3. 3-Gary Watson, 4. 35-Greg Rilat, 5. 69-Larry Howery, 6. 58-Gary Floyd, 7. 36-John Pate. DNS: 74e-Claud Estes.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 85-Tommy Bryant, 2. 93-Chris Sweeney, 3. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 4. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 5. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 6. 14-Michael Lang, 7. 8tw-Kent Lewis, Jr., 8. 19-Klint Angelette.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 51w-Wes Miller, 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 3. 27-Andy Shouse, 4. 5c-Chris Coker, 5. 16-Koty Adams, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 30-Brandon Corn, 8. 76-John Ricketts.

Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 71-Channin Tankersley, 3. 9x-Gary Wright, 4. 65-Skip Wilson, 5. 15T-Travis Elliott, 6. 30x-Bean Elliott, 7. 31-Brandon Berryman. DNS: 8-Bruce Crockett.

“B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 65-Skip Wilson, 2. 69-Larry Howery, 3. 16-Koty Adams, 4. 15T-Travis Elliott, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 7. 31-Brandon Berryman, 8. 76-John Ricketts, 9. 19-Klint Angelette, 10. 58-Gary Floyd, 11. 36-John Pate, 12. 8tw-Kent Lewis, Jr., 13. 14-Michael Lang, 14. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr. DNS: 5c-Chris Coker, 30x-Bean Elliott, 30-Brandon Corn, 8b-Bruce Crockett.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 27-Andy Shouse, 2. 71-Channin Tankersley, 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 65-Skip Wilson, 5. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 6. 93-Chris Sweeney, 7. 15T-Travis Elliott, 8. 51w-Wes Miller, 9. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 10. 69-Larry Howery, 11. 51s-Beau Smith, 12. 9x-Gary Wright, 13. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 14. 16-Koty Adams, 15. 35-Greg Rilat, 16. 74e-Claud Estes, 17. 85-Tommy Bryant, 18. 3-Gary Watson, 19. 88-Scottie McDonald, 20. 12b-Logan Bledsoe.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Ray Allen Kulhanek 2,165, 2. Aaron Reutzel 2,098, 3. Tommy Bryant 2,083, 4. Brandon Berryman 1,986, 5. Travis Elliott 1,911, 6. Chris Sweeney 1,833, 7. Wes Miller 1,770, 8. Beau Smith 1,684, 9. Scottie McDonald 1,679, 10. Logan Bledsoe 1,641.

Photos and story by Lonnie Wheatley

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