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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

“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

Sam Hafertepe, Jr, ASCS Gulf South winner at Golden Triangle Raceway Park

Sam Hafertepe, Jr., returned to his roots by racing to victory lane in Friday night’s season-opening Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Prelude to the Gulf Coast Nationals at Golden Triangle Raceway Park.

Working his way forward from the eighth starting position in the $3,000-to-win affair, the 2003 ASCS Gulf South Rookie of the Year chased down Wayne Johnson in lapped traffic on the 25th of 30 laps en route to his fourth career Gulf South score and eighth overall ASCS triumph aboard the Fisher-powered PlumbFast Racing/Lone Star Speedway No. 15h Maxim.

“Lapped traffic kind of played into our favor, I got Wayne into a tough spot where he had to lift and I got the right of way through there,” Hafertepe explained of the race-winning move. “Without that, I don’t think we could of got him, Wayne had a little better car.”

After racking up the most passing points by rallying from seventh to second in the night’s first of five heat races for the stacked 37-car field, Hafertepe pulled the eight pill in the redraw to start fourth row outside with Sean McClelland and Kevin Ramey on the front row.

With five combined Regional titles in Sooner and Lone Star competition leading the way to the green flag, reigning ASCS Sooner Region champion McClelland gunned into the lead at the outset and paced the initial circuits with fourth-starting Johnson moving Travis Rilat’s Shark-powered F&J Construction/Murray & Sons/shoptheboss.com No. 29 Triple-X into second before the first of two red flags flew after four laps.

The first red flag appeared for a three-car tangle in turn two in which Bruce Crockett got upside down, with the second red flying another four laps later when two-time series champion Brandon Berryman took a turn one tumble.

Up to fifth behind McClelland, Johnson, Ramey and George White by the time the second red flag flew, Hafertepe had to gain the remaining positions without benefit of caution as the final 22 circuits ran off in non-stop fashion.

Johnson immediately went to work on McClelland for the lead when action resumed, snaring the point in turns one and two on the tenth round with Hafertepe surging past both White and Ramey to take third by the 12th round.

With traffic coming into play, Hafertepe took second away from McClelland on the 21st round and then began to reel in the leader. When Johnson slipped high into the turn three and four cushion on the 25th circuit in traffic, Hafertepe was there to pounce with a power move to the low side exiting turn four and raced into the lead.

The 25-year-old Hafertepe raced on to the checkered flag, with Johnson settling for runner-up honors aboard the familiar Rilat entry. “We just kinda lost the car at the end, a bleeder went bad in the left rear and we just couldn’t get any drive off the corners,” Johnson explained.

After pacing the early circuits, McClelland settled for the show position in the Maxwell Oil No. 1, explaining that, “I just drove the wrong lines, screwed up a little bit, just wasn’t good enough.”

Transferring from “B” Main action, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon worked from the 17th starting position and rallied in strong form over the final circuits, taking fourth from Ramey on the final round. “I could see all of them right there, I just needed a caution or a few more laps.”

Ramey rounded out the top five, with 13th-starter Michael Dupuy, George White, Michael McNeil, 19th-starter Aaron Reutzel and 20th-starter Chris Sweeney completing the top ten.

Berryman, White, Channin Tankersley, Jeffrey Newell and Ramey topped heat race action, with John Pate and Derek Hagar winning the “B” Main.

The Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region moves on to Battleground Speedway in Highlands, TX, for Saturday night’s $3,000-to-win Fourth Annual Gulf Coast Nationals, with racing action set to go green at 7:00 p.m.

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

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 31-Brandon Berryman, 2. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 3. 25m-Michael McNeil, 4. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 5. 17c-Greg Coleman, 6. 96-Rod Craddock, 7. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 8. 66-J.J. Simmons.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 10-George White, 2. 29-Wayne Johnson, 3. 94-Derek Hagar, 4. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 5. 8x-John Carney II, 6. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 7. 51s-Beau Smith, 8. 49-Ty Johnson.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 2-Wes Miller, 3. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 4. 36-John Pate, 5. 5c-Chris Coker, 6. 69-Larry Howery. DNS: 3-Gary Watson.

Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 11-Jeffrey Newell, 2. 35-Greg Rilat, 3. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 4. 93-Chris Sweeney, 5. 99-Brady Bacon, 6. 15T-Travis Elliott, 7. 19-Klint Angelette.

Fifth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 1-Sean McClelland, 3. 8-Bruce Crockett, 4. 2$-Steve Hubbard, 5. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 6. 64j-Johnny Miller. DNS: 40-Junior Jenkins.

First “B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 36-John Pate, 2. 99-Brady Bacon, 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 4. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 5. 5c-Chris Coker, 6. 15T-Travis Elliott, 7. 19-Klint Angelette, 8. 51s-Beau Smith, 9. 17c-Greg Coleman, 10. 96-Rod Craddock. DNS: 66-J.J. Simmons, 3-Gary Watson.

Second “B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 94-Derek Hagar, 2. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 3. 93-Chris Sweeney, 4. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 5. 8x-John Carney II, 6. 64j-Johnny Miller, 7. 2$-Steve Hubbard, 8. 40-Junior Jenkins, 9. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 10. 49-Ty Johnson, 11. 69-Larry Howery.

“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 1-Sean McClelland, 4. 99-Brady Bacon, 5. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 6. 3x-Michael Dupuy, 7. 10-George White, 8. 25m-Michael McNeil, 9. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 10. 93-Chris Sweeney, 11. 35-Greg Rilat, 12. 14e-Tommy Bryant, 13. 2-Wes Miller, 14. 94-Derek Hagar, 15. 11-Jeffrey Newell, 16. 36-John Pate, 17. 31-Brandon Berryman, 18. 8-Bruce Crockett, 19. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 20. 71-Channin Tankersley.

Smiley’s Racing Products ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 150, 2. Travis Rilat 142, 3. Sean McClelland 135, 4. Brady Bacon 130, 5. Kevin Ramey 125, 6. Michael Dupuy 122, 7. George White 119, 8. Michael McNeil 116, 9. Aaron Reutzel 113, 10. Chris Sweeney 110.

Photos and Story by Lonnie Wheatley

Jason Johnson golden in ASCS Gulf South go at Golden Triangle

Jason Johnson kicked off the American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region Labor Day weekend triple by racing to victory lane in Friday night’s 25-lap main event at Golden Triangle Raceway Park.

Johnson needed just four laps to charge into the lead from the sixth starting position and led the rest of the way for his 12th overall ASCS win of 2010 aboard the JJR Don Ott-powered Haynes No. 41 Maxim and sixth in Gulf South action.

While Skip Wilson jumped into the early lead from the pole position, Johnson raced around the top side of the ¼-mile clay oval into third on the opening circuit behind Wilson and Reutzel.

Johnson disposed of Reutzel for second the next time around and then dove underneath Wilson entering turn three on the fourth circuit to snare a lead he would never relinquish although Reutzel kept pace throughout after taking second from Wilson a lap after Johnson took command.

While Johnson found some breathing room after a lap 13 restart, one final caution with six laps to go put Reutzel on Johnson’s tailtank and in position to challenge for the point in the final circuits. But, Johnson worked the top of one and two and the bottom of turns three and four flawlessly over the final half dozen rounds to secure the win over the defending ASCS Gulf South champion.

Tommy Bryant chased Johnson and Reutzel to the line, with Wilson and Travis Elliott rounding out the top five. Chris Sweeney was sixth, with Wes Miller, current ASCS Gulf South points leader Ray Allen Kulhanek, 17th-starter Andy Shouse and Greg Rilat completing the top ten.

Channin Tankersley, Johnson, Bryant and Wilson topped heat race action for the 27-car field, with Larry Howery making a last-lap pass of Gary Watson to win the 12-lap “B” Main. After starting eighth in the main event, Tankersley was sideline after tagged the turn one wall on the third lap.

ASCS Gulf South Results from Golden Triangle Raceway Park:

First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 15T-Travis Elliott, 3. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 5. 69-Larry Howery, 6. 8-Bruce Crockett, 7. 5c-Chris Coker.

Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 93-Chris Sweeney, 3. 51w-Wes Miller, 4. 27-Andy Shouse, 5. 31-Brandon Berryman, 6. 52-Roger Oakes, 7. 76-John Ricketts.

Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 85-Tommy Bryant, 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 3. 16-Koty Adams, 4. 3-Gary Watson, 5. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 6. 30x-Bean Elliott, 7. 45k-Kolt Walker.

Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 65-Skip Wilson, 2. 51s-Beau Smith, 3. 35-Greg Rilat, 4. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 5. 7-Michael McNeil, 6. 19-Klint Angelette.

“B” Main (12 Laps): 1. 69-Larry Howery, 2. 3-Gary Watson, 3. 27-Andy Shouse, 4. 7-Michael McNeil, 5. 30x-Bean Elliott, 6. 31-Brandon Berryman, 7. 8-Bruce Crockett, 8. 45k-Kolt Walker, 9. 5c-Chris Coker, 10. 76-John Ricketts, 11. 52-Roger Oakes, 12. 19-Klint Angelette, 13. 12b-Logan Bledsoe.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 3. 85-Tommy Bryant, 4. 65-Skip Wilson, 5. 15T-Travis Elliott, 6. 93-Chris Sweeney, 7. 51w-Wes Miller, 8. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 9. 27-Andy Shouse, 10. 35-Greg Rilat, 11. 16-Koty Adams, 12. 3-Gary Watson, 13. 30x-Bean Elliott, 14. 7-Michael McNeil, 15. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 16. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 17. 51s-Beau Smith, 18. 31-Brandon Berryman, 19. 71-Channin Tankersley, 20. 69-Larry Howery.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Ray Allen Kulhanek 1,996 2. Tommy Bryant 1,895, 3. Aaron Reutzel 1,843, 4. Brandon Berryman 1,811, 5. Travis Elliott 1,692, 6. Chris Sweeney 1,605, 7. Wes Miller 1,564, 8. Beau Smith 1,482, 9. Scottie McDonald 1,462, 10. Logan Bledsoe 1,443.

Photos and story by Lonnie Wheatley

ASCS Gulf South Sprint Cars set for Texas Labor Day weekend triple

The American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region will be in full force action with a complete set of three events in southeast Texas over this Labor Day holiday weekend.

The weekend kicks off at Beaumont’s Golden Triangle Raceway Park on Friday night, shifts to the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Saturday night and then wraps up at Lufkin’s Speedarama Raceway on Sunday night.

The triple could prove crucial in Ray Allen Kulhanek’s drive for a second ASCS Gulf South title, as the Montgomery, TX, shoe carries a 120-point advantage over Conroe’s Tommy Bryant into the weekend. Only a pair of events on September 17-18 remains after this weekend’s action.

Kulhanek, the 2005 ASCS Gulf South champion, has reached victory lane on just one occasion thus far in 2010, a Gulf South vs. Lone Star tilt at Waco’s Heart O’ Texas Speedway on July 23. However, ten top-five feature finishes in 15 events, more than double the number of top-fives recorded by any of his title challengers, has proved to be the difference at the top of the point charts.

Bryant, who picked off back-to-back wins at Lufkin (May 30) and Beaumont (June 18), holds down second in points by just 43 points over two-time series champion Brandon Berryman of Missouri City, TX, with defending ASCS Gulf South champion Aaron Reutzel a close fourth.

Travis Elliott of Alvin, TX, rounds out the current top five in points, with Chris Sweeney (Channelview), Scottie McDonald (New Caney), Wes Miller (Santa Fe), Beau Smith (Texas City) and Logan Bledsoe (Richmond, TX) the balance of the top ten.

Friday’s card marks the sixth ASCS Gulf South stop of the year at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park. Gary Wright has topped two of five previous Beaumont features, with Chris Morgan, Bryant and Jason Johnson each posting single wins.

Saturday marks the second stop of the year at the Gator Motorplex, where Kent Lewis, Jr., used a 23-year-old Gambler Chassis to knock off the Gulf South forces over Memorial Day weekend.

Sunday’s weekend finale marks the third series stop of the year at the Speedarama Raceway, where Jason Johnson and Bryant have bagged Lufkin wins in 2010.

Friday’s action at Golden Triangle Raceway Park fires off at 8:00 p.m., Saturday’s green flag at Gator flies at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday’s action at Speedarama gets under way at 7:00 p.m.

Golden Triangle Raceway Park is located 9.5 miles west of I-10 on US 90 near Beaumont, TX. For more information, contact the track at 409-752-7200.

The Gator Motorplex is located in Willis, TX, off I-45 Exit 98 (Shepherd Hill exit), then east, then 1.4 miles south on SR 75. For more information, contact the track at 936-588-6127.

Speedarama Raceway is located east of Lufkin, TX, on SR 103, just one mile east of Loop 287. For more information, contact the track at 936-328-7571.

The ASCS Gulf South Region has completed 15 nights of racing action at seven different tracks throughout Texas in 2010 with just five nights of action remaining. Another seven nights have been lost to rain.

Past ASCS Gulf South Region Feature Winners at Golden Triangle Raceway Park:
8/20/10 – Jason Johnson
7/16/10 – Gary Wright
6/18/10 – Tommy Bryant
5/28/10 – Chris Morgan
3/5/10 – Gary Wright
10/2/09 – Channin Tankersley
9/18/09 – Jason Johnson
7/17/09 – Aaron Reutzel
6/19/09 – Travis Rilat
5/16/09 - Gary Wright
5/16/09 - Tommy Bryant (4/24 Makeup Feature)
3/6/09 - Gary Wright
8/15/08 - Channin Tankersley
7/18/08 - Gary Watson
5/9/08 - Channin Tankersley
2/29/08 - Jason Johnson
9/28/07 - Jason Johnson
6/22/07 - Michael Dupuy
5/18/07 - Brandon Berryman
4/6/07 - Jason Johnson
9/29/06 - Kevin Ramey
8/18/06 - Jason Johnson
6/23/06 - Gary Watson
8/19/05 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
6/17/05 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
4/15/05 - Travis Rilat
9/18/04 - Kelly Angelette
7/9/04 - Stephen Chevallier
* 9/28/02 - Michael Dupuy
* 9/27/02 - Tim Crawley
7/5/02 - Buddy Bodden
5/24/02 - Jason Johnson
* 4/5/02 - Zach Chappell

* - Indicates events held in conjunction with ASCS National Tour.

Past ASCS Gulf South Region Feature Winners at Gator Motorplex:
5/29/10 – Kent Lewis, Jr.
5/23/09 – Skip Wilson
3/28/09 – Jason Johnson
7/19/08 – Tommy Bryant
5/24/08 – Chris Sweeney
9/16/06 – Brad Best
5/27/06 – Chris Sweeney
10/8/05 – Travis Rilat
4/16/05 – Scottie McDonald

Past ASCS Gulf South Region Feature Winners at Speedarama Raceway:
5/30/10 – Tommy Bryant
4/24/10 – Jason Johnson

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

by Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS
Ron Skinner Photto

Gary Wright wrangles 3rd ASCS Gulf South win of year at Golden Triangle Raceway Park

Gary Wright picked off his third American Sprint Car Series Regional win of the year by topping Friday night’s 25-lap ASCS Gulf South main event at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas.

Wright took the lead away from Tommy Bryant on the tenth round en route to victory lane aboard Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service No. 9x Maxim.

Wright took the checkered flag in front of Bryant, with early leader Aaron Reutzel, current ASCS Gulf South points leader Ray Allen Kulhanek and Travis Elliott rounding out the top five.

Chris Sweeney was sixth, with Beau Smith, Wes Miller, Larry Howery and Brandon Berryman completing the top ten.

Smith, Elliott and Wright topped heat race action, with Scottie McDonald winning the “B” Main.

ASCS Gulf South Region Results from Golden Triangle Raceway Park:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 51s-Beau Smith, 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 3. 30x-Bean Elliott, 4. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 5. 19-Klint Angelette, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 2-Dustin Welch, 8. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 9. 23-Darryl Wills.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 15T-Travis Elliott, 2. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 3. 85x-Jerry Bell, 4. 85-Tommy Bryant, 5. 51w-Wes Miller, 6. 88-Scottie McDonald, 7. 31-Brandon Berryman, 8. 3-Gary Watson.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 93-Chris Sweeney, 3. 69-Larry Howery, 4. 8b-Bruce Crockett, 5. 22L-Kent Lewis, Sr., 6. 52-Roger Oakes, 7. 35-Greg Rilat. DNS: 25c-Steve Hubbard.

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 88-Scottie McDonald, 2. 31-Brandon Berryman, 3. 22L-Kent Lewis, Sr., 4. 3-Gary Watson, 5. 23-Darryl Wills, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 2-Dustin Welch, 8. 52-Roger Oakes. DNS: 35-Greg Rilat, 51-Jimmy Brooks, 25c-Steve Hubbard.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 85-Tommy Bryant, 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 4. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 5. 15T-Travis Elliott, 6. 93-Chris Sweeney, 7. 51s-Beau Smith, 8. 51w-Wes Miller, 9. 69-Larry Howery, 10. 31-Brandon Berryman, 11. 30x-Bean Elliott, 12. 88-Scottie McDonald, 13. 23-Darryl Wills, 14. 3-Gary Watson, 15. 8b-Bruce Crockett, 16. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 17. 22L-Kent Lewis, Sr., 18. 19-Klint Angelette, 19. 85x-Jerry Bell, 20. 12b-Logan Bledsoe.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Ray Allen Kulhanek 1,345, 2. Tommy Bryant 1,299, 3. Aaron Reutzel 1,261, 4. Brandon Berryman 1,246, 5. Scottie McDonald 1,185, 6. Travis Elliott 1,145, 7. Chris Sweeney 1,086, 8. Wes Miller 1,060, 9. Greg Rilat 983, 10. Logan Bledsoe 963.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Tommy Bryant bags ASCS Gulf South sprint win at Golden Triangle

Tommy Bryant bagged his second American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region win in a row by cracking victory lane in Friday night’s 25-lap main event at Golden Triangle Raceway Park.

After leading the initial nine rounds from the pole position, Bryant reclaimed the lead from Channin Tankersley on the 16th circuit en route to his sixth career ASCS Gulf South triumph.

Bryant took the checkered flag aboard Jerry Bell’s Eckley-powered Alco Automotive/Smiley’s Racing Products No. 85 Eagle, with current ASCS Gulf South points leader Ray Allen Kulhanek, Michael Dupuy, Gary Watson and a late-moving Brandon Berryman rounding out the top five.

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

Brooks, Aaron Reutzel and Watson topped heat race action, with Greg Rilat winning the “B” Main.

ASCS Gulf South Region Results from Golden Triangle Raceway Park:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 2. 85-Tommy Bryant, 3. 71-Channin Tankersley, 4. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 5. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 6. 35-Greg Rilat, 7. 52-Roger Oakes, 8. 5c-Chris Coker.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 2. 14-Michael Lang, 3. 8b-Bruce Crockett, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 69-Larry Howery, 6. 93-Chris Sweeney, 7. 51s-Beau Smith, 8. 88-Scottie McDonald.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 3-Gary Watson, 2. 51w-Wes Miller, 3. 00-Michael Dupuy, 4. 85x-Jerry Bell, 5. 28-James Cooper, 6. 15T-Travis Elliott, 7. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr.

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 35-Greg Rilat, 2. 15T-Travis Elliott, 3. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 4. 51s-Beau Smith, 5. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 6. 88-Scottie McDonald, 7. 28-James Cooper, 8. 52-Roger Oakes. DNS: 5c-Chris Coker.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 85-Tommy Bryant, 2. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 3. 00-Michael Dupuy, 4. 3-Gary Watson, 5. 31-Brandon Berryman, 6. 8b-Bruce Crockett, 7. 15T-Travis Elliott, 8. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 9. 93-Chris Sweeney, 10. 69-Larry Howery, 11. 51s-Beau Smith, 12. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 13. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 14. 71-Channin Tankersley, 15. 35-Greg Rilat, 16. 51w-Wes Miller, 17. 85x-Jerry Bell, 18. 14-Michael Lang, 19. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 20. 88-Scottie McDonald.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Ray Allen Kulhanek 1,093, 2. Brandon Berryman 1,046, 3. Aaron Reutzel 1,038, 4. Tommy Bryant 1,027, 5. Scottie McDonald 944, 6. Travis Elliott 901, 7. Chris Sweeney 858, 8. Wes Miller 834, 9. Greg Rilat 816, 10. Logan Bledsoe 765.

by Lonnie Wheatley
ASCS Photo

Aaron Reutzel takes a diminishing ASCS Gulf South Sprint Car lead into Texas weekend double

He’s been atop the American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region point charts since the fourth night of the season on April 24.

Now, with 22 full nights in the books, Aaron Reutzel’s advantage has been trimmed to just 32 markers by Tommy Bryant entering this weekend’s pair of events at Beaumont’s Golden Triangle Raceway Park on Friday night and then 105 Speedway in Cleveland, TX, on Saturday night.

This weekend’s twinbill marks the final events before the following weekend’s Cowtown Sprint Nationals, in which the Gulf South forces will square off against both the Sooner and Lone Star contenders.

After a 12th-place run in the series season opener at Beaumont, Reutzel climbed to the top of the point charts and extended his points lead on the strength of an ASCS Regional record of 15 consecutive top-ten feature runs.

At one point during that stretch that included his first career ASCS triumph (Golden Triangle Raceway Park on July 17), the Clute, TX, racer had built as much as an 88-point advantage in the championship points race.

However, in the eleven nights since that June 19 peak, Tommy Bryant of Conroe, TX, has been on a mission, chipping away at Reutzel’s advantage to the tune of 56 points with two of his three victories on the season coming during that span of events.

While both Reutzel and Bryant have penetrated victory lane at Golden Triangle Raceway Park this year, Bryant has finished ahead of Reutzel in four of six events atop the high-banked, 3/8-mile gumbo clay oval, accumulating 36 more points than Reutzel in Beaumont.

Cleveland’s 105 Speedway has been a different story however, where Reutzel has piled up 56 points on Bryant by finishing no lower than seventh in three events atop the semi-banked, ¼-mile clay oval with Bryant yet to crack the top ten.

While Reutzel and Bryant mix it up for the potential title on this pivotal weekend, 18-year-old Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) enters the weekend ranked third with Scottie McDonald (New Caney, TX) and two-time series champion Brandon Berryman (Missouri City, TX) rounding out the current top five.

The balance of the current top ten in ASCS Gulf South points includes Kent Lewis, Jr. (Willis, TX), Greg Rilat (Texas City, TX), Ray Allen Kulhanek (Magnolia, TX), Gary Watson (Beaumont, TX) and Jimmy Brooks (College Station, TX).

Friday’s card at Golden Triangle Raceway Park marks the series seventh stop of the season in Beaumont. Gary Wright has a pair of GTRP wins this year, with single triumphs posted by Bryant, Reutzel, Travis Rilat and Jason Johnson.

Saturday marks the fourth Gulf South stop of the year at 105 Speedway, where Wright, Kulhanek and Johnson have each posted victories.

Friday’s card at Golden Triangle Raceway Park is slated to get under way at 7:45 p.m., with Saturday’s action at 105 Speedway going green at 7:00 p.m.

Golden Triangle Raceway Park is located 9.5 miles west of I-10 on US 90 near Beaumont, TX. For more information, contact the track at 409-752-7200.

Cleveland, Texas’ ¼-mile, semi-banked 105 Speedway clay oval is located six miles west of US 59 on SR 105, then 0.3 miles north on Fostoria. For more information, contact the track at 281-592-7223.

The ASCS Gulf South Region is set for 26 nights of racing action at ten different tracks throughout Texas in 2009.

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

Past ASCS Gulf South Region Feature Winners at Golden Triangle Raceway Park:
9/18/09 – Jason Johnson
7/17/09 – Aaron Reutzel
6/19/09 – Travis Rilat
5/16/09 - Gary Wright
5/16/09 - Tommy Bryant (4/24 Makeup Feature)
3/6/09 - Gary Wright
8/15/08 - Channin Tankersley
7/18/08 - Gary Watson
5/9/08 - Channin Tankersley
2/29/08 - Jason Johnson
9/28/07 - Jason Johnson
6/22/07 - Michael Dupuy
5/18/07 - Brandon Berryman
4/6/07 - Jason Johnson
9/29/06 - Kevin Ramey
8/18/06 - Jason Johnson
6/23/06 - Gary Watson
8/19/05 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
6/17/05 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
4/15/05 - Travis Rilat
9/18/04 - Kelly Angelette
7/9/04 - Stephen Chevallier
* 9/28/02 - Michael Dupuy
* 9/27/02 - Tim Crawley
7/5/02 - Buddy Bodden
5/24/02 - Jason Johnson
* 4/5/02 - Zach Chappell

Past ASCS Gulf South Region Feature Winners at 105 Speedway:
8/29/09 – Jason Johnson
6/6/09 – Ray Allen Kulhanek
3/7/09 - Gary Wright
7/5/08 - Bryn Gohn
6/7/08 - Brandon Berryman
4/5/08 - Jason Johnson
9/2/07 - Jason Johnson
7/28/07 - Scottie McDonald

* - Indicates events held in conjunction with ASCS National Tour.

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

ASCS Gulf South adds Sprint Car event at Golden Triangle Raceway Park this Friday

The American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region has added one final date at Beaumont’s Golden Triangle Raceway Park, with the series set to return to the high-banked, 3/8-mile gumbo clay oval on Friday night, October 2.

The added date, a makeup of the card rained out on August 28, sets up a weekend double with the ASCS Gulf South already slated to move on to 105 Speedway in Cleveland, TX, the following night, October 3.

That weekend double will set the Gulf South portion of the stage for the following weekend’s Cowtown Sprint Nationals in Kennedale, TX, which also includes the Lone Star and Sooner Regions.

With four nights remaining on the 2009 ASCS Gulf South slate, the series has already completed 22 nights of competition at nine different tracks throughout Texas.

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

Jason Johnson wins ASCS Gulf South Sprint Car feature at Golden Triangle Raceway Park

Jason Johnson picked off his eighth overall American Sprint Car Series feature win of the year by racing to victory lane in Friday night’s 25-lap ASCS Gulf South main event at Golden Triangle Raceway Park.

The current Lucas Oil Sprint Car National points leader took the lead away from Aaron Reutzel on the second round and then fought off nemesis Gary Wright to snare his third Gulf South score of the year aboard Marvin Pearson’s No. 11 entry.

Johnson and Wright flashed under the checkered flag in the top two positions, with Travis Rilat earning Hard Charger honors by racing from 16th to third.

After current ASCS Gulf South points leader Reutzel exited at the midway point, Tommy Bryant took a bite out of his advantage by snaring fourth, with Eric Baldaccini rounding out the top five.

Travis Elliott was sixth, with 16-year-old Klint Angelette posting his top run of the year by crossing the stripe in seventh. Past series champ Gary Watson was eighth, two-time and defending Gulf South king Brandon Berryman raced from 18th to ninth and Scottie McDonald completed the top ten.

Jimmy Brooks, Baldaccini, Reutzel and Watson topped heat race action for Friday night’s 28-car field, with Kent Lewis, Jr., winning the “B” Main.

ASCS Gulf South Results from Golden Triangle Raceway Park:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 2. 15T-Travis Elliott, 3. 74-Brandon Corn, 4. 71-Channin Tankersley, 5. 35-Greg Rilat, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 87a-Andrew Marshala.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 93-Chris Sweeney, 3. 9x-Gary Wright, 4. 2-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 5. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 6. 29-Travis Rilat, 7. 12x-Logan Bledsoe.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 2. 11-Jason Johnson, 3. 88-Scottie McDonald, 4. 19-Klint Angelette, 5. 5-Chris Buhler, 6. 52-Roger Oakes. DNS: 30x-Bean Elliott.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 3-Gary Watson, 2. 21T-Tommy Bryant, 3. 20-Terry Monroe, 4. 5m-Glenn Martin, 5. 2T-Todd Fayard, 6. 31-Brandon Berryman, 7. 79-Charlie McDonald.

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 35-Greg Rilat, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 5m-Glenn Martin, 6. 2T-Todd Fayard, 7. 12x-Logan Bledsoe, 8. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 9. 79-Charlie McDonald, 10. 5-Chris Buhler, 11. 2-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 12. 52-Roger Oakes, 13. 87a-Andrew Marshala. DNS: 30x-Bean Elliott.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 11-Jason Johnson, 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 21T-Tommy Bryant, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 15T-Travis Elliott, 7. 19-Klint Angelette, 8. 3-Gary Watson, 9. 31-Brandon Berryman, 10. 88-Scottie McDonald, 11. 93-Chris Sweeney, 12. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 13. 5m-Glenn Martin, 14. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 15. 35-Greg Rilat, 16. 20-Terry Monroe, 17. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 18. 71-Channin Tankersley, 19. 2T-Todd Fayard, 20. 74-Brandon Corn.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Aaron Reutzel 2,898, 2. Tommy Bryant 2,862, 3. Channin Tankersley 2,746, 4. Scottie McDonald 2,706, 5. Kent Lewis, Jr. 2,656, 6. Brandon Berryman 2,633, 7. Greg Rilat 2,579, 8. Gary Watson 2,471, 9. Ray Allen Kulhanek 2,421, 10. Jimmy Brooks 2,399.

by Lonnie Wheatley

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