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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

ASCS Gulf South headed to Golden Triangle and Houston Raceway Park this weekend

After a pair of idle weekends to regroup after a Memorial Day triple, the ASCS Gulf South Region fires back to action with the second of three scheduled Golden Triangle Raceway Park – Houston Raceway Park weekend doubles.

On Friday night, the series makes its third stop of the year at Beaumont’s Golden Triangle Raceway Park before moving on to Baytown’s Houston Raceway Park on Saturday night for a $3,000 to win tilt.

Riding the strength of six top-tens in eight feature runs, including five consecutive top-five finishes, 2005 ASCS Gulf South champion Ray Allen Kulhanek of Montgomery, TX, carries the points lead into the weekend.

The winner of last year’s June event at Houston Raceway Park, Kulhanek holds a 17-point edge over defending series champion Aaron Reutzel of Clute, TX, with two-time Gulf South kingpin Brandon Berryman of Missouri City, TX, just another ten points back in third.

Conroe’s Tommy Bryant enters the weekend ranked fourth, with New Caney’s Scottie McDonald rounding out the current top five.

The balance of the current top ten in ASCS Gulf South points includes Travis Elliott (Alvin), Chris Sweeney (Channelview), Wes Miller (Santa Fe), Greg Rilat (Texas City) and Eric Baldaccini (Keller).

Seven different drivers have cracked ASCS Gulf South victory lane in eight events thus far in 2010, with only Jason Johnson doubling up. Single wins have been claimed by Berryman, Bryant, Gary Wright, Brian Brown, Kent Lewis, Jr., and Chris Morgan. Morgan topped the most recent event at Golden Triangle with a last-corner pass of Skip Wilson, while Jason Johnson won the initial Houston Raceway Park event of 2010.

Friday’s racing action at Golden Triangle Raceway Park goes green at 8:00 p.m., while Saturday’s card at Houston Raceway Park fires off 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.

Houston Raceway Park is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 798, then three miles south on State Road 146, then 0.8 miles southeast on FM 1405, then 1.5 miles northeast on FM 565. For more information, contact the track at 281-383-7223.

The ASCS Gulf South Region is slated for 27 nights of racing action at ten different tracks throughout Texas in 2010.

In its 19th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing, the American Sprint Car Series brings the best of Sprint Car racing to approximately 100 different tracks throughout 30 states and Canada. Anchored by the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of ten different Regions throughout the nation.

Past ASCS Gulf South Region Feature Winners at Golden Triangle Raceway Park:
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

Past ASCS Gulf South Region Feature Winners at Houston Raceway Park:
4/3/10 – Jason Johnson
9/19/09 – Gary Wright
7/18/09 – Kevin Ramey
6/20/09 – Ray Allen Kulhanek
5/16/09 - Eric Baldaccini
9/27/08 - Jason Johnson
6/21/08 - Michael Dupuy
5/10/08 - Brandon Berryman
3/1/08 - Jack Dover
9/29/07 - Brandon Berryman
8/18/07 - Travis Rilat
5/19/07 - Johnny Miller
9/30/06 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
8/19/06 - Brad Best
6/24/06 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
4/8/06 - Travis Rilat
8/20/05 - Lane Whittington
6/18/05 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
7/10/04 - Kevin Ramey

* - 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
TWC photo

Jason Johnson Cashes in with ASCS Gulf South win at Houston Raceway Park

Jason Johnson got a much-needed win by wiring the field in Saturday night’s 25-lap American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region main event to top the Inaugural Lone Star Shootout at Houston Raceway Park.

The Ragin’ Cajun’s 23rd career ASCS Gulf South triumph and 73rd overall ASCS victory was the first for the newly-formed Jason Johnson Racing team in just its second night of competition after debuting in the recent Lucas Oil ASCS National opener.

While Johnson paced the field all the way aboard the Don Ott-powered Haynes/Pope Transportation No. 41 Maxim, he withstood mid-race pressure from Travis Rilat and then a late charge from Gary Wright to secure the $3,000 triumph.

“The first win, this is huge,” an ecstatic Johnson relayed from victory lane.

While Rilat led the feature field to the green flag, it was Johnson gunning into the lead at the outset from the front row outside.

Reeling in the tail of the field in just a handful of laps, a pair of cautions in the opening ten circuits gave Johnson clear track just as traffic was about to factor into the proceedings on a pair of occasions.

But after California’s Kyle Hirst coasted to a stop on the ninth lap, Rilat had an opportunity when Johnson began working through traffic at the midway point.

Rilat closed to Johnson’s tailtank on the 15th round, only to have Johnson make a timely move around a lapped car to slip away by several car lengths. Very soon after, Rilat coasted to a stop on the frontstretch with terminal engine woes, setting up a seven-lap dash to the checkered flag with “The Texan” now in the role of chaser.

A pair of lapped cars between the leader and Wright was just the cushion Johnson needed though. Reaching traffic once again with two rounds to go, Wright rapidly closed the gap on Johnson. But when Johnson made a nimble move through a pair of cars entering turn one on the final circuit, the race was all but over.

Johnson flashed under the checkered flag to take the win and become the third different winner in as many 2010 ASCS Gulf South feature events, with Wright settling for runner-up honors.

After starting eighth, Missouri’s Brian Brown was on the move following the lap nine caution and climbed to third by race’s end with defending ASCS Gulf South champion Aaron Reutzel and 14th-starter Michael Dupuy rounding out the top five.

Brady Bacon charged from 19th to sixth, with Tony Bruce, Jr., 15th-starter Tommy Bryant, Eric Baldaccini and Channin Tankersley completing the top ten.

Kyle Hirst, Bruce, Jr., Baldaccini and Johnson topped heat race action for Saturday night’s 36-car field, with Bacon making a lap 10 move around Chris Sweeney to win the 12-lap “B” Main.

American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region Results from Houston Raceway Park:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 6-Kyle Hirst, 2. 35-Greg Rilat, 3. 71-Channin Tankersley, 4. 51w-Wes Miller, 5. 93-Chris Sweeney, 6. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 7. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 8. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 9. 70-Anthony Reaves.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 4. 10-Ricky Logan, 5. 00-Michael Dupuy, 6. 52-Roger Oakes, 7. 51s-Beau Smith, 8. 99-Brady Bacon, 9. 1g-Cody Gardner.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 21-Brian Brown, 3. 85-Tommy Bryant, 4. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 5. 61-Travis Knighton, 6. 30x-Bean Elliott, 7. 8z-Zach Pringle, 8. 3T-Tyler King, 9. 19-Klint Angelette.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 88-Scottie McDonald, 6. 87x-Billy Melton, 7. 28-James Cooper, 8. 3-Gary Watson, 9. 5-Jack Spencer.

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 93-Chris Sweeney, 3. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 4. 87x-Billy Melton, 5. 61-Travis Knighton, 6. 30x-Bean Elliott, 7. 51s-Beau Smith, 8. 19-Klint Angelette, 9. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 10. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 11. 52-Roger Oakes, 12. 5-Jack Spencer, 13. 28-James Cooper, 14. 3T-Tyler King, 15. 8z-Zach Pringle, 16. 3-Gary Watson, 17. 70-Anthony Reaves. DNS: 1g-Cody Gardner.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 21-Brian Brown, 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 5. 00-Michael Dupuy, 6. 99-Brady Bacon, 7. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 8. 85-Tommy Bryant, 9. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 10. 71-Channin Tankersley, 11. 31-Brandon Berryman, 12. 51w-Wes Miller, 13. 88-Scottie McDonald, 14. 87x-Billy Melton, 15. 93-Chris Sweeney, 16. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 17. 61-Travis Knighton, 18. 30x-Bean Elliott, 19. 29-Travis Rilat, 20. 10-Ricky Logan, 21. 6-Kyle Hirst, 22. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 23. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 24. 35-Greg Rilat.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Brian Brown 404, 2. Brady Bacon 379, 3. Tony Bruce, Jr. 374, 4. Travis Rilat 359, 5. Gary Wright 357, 6. Ricky Logan 341, 7. (tie) Tommy Bryant and Aaron Reutzel 336, 9. Brandon Berryman 324, 10. Wes Miller 321.

By Lonnie Wheatley

Gary “The Texan” Wright nails ASCS Gulf South win at Golden Triangle Raceway Park

The American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region opened up the 2010 season in much the same way as 2009, with Gary Wright standing in victory lane at Golden Triangle Raceway Park.

For the second year in a row, “The Texan” topped the $3,000-to-win, 25-lap Prelude to the Gulf Coast Nationals to launch the season for the ASCS Gulf South Region atop the Golden Triangle clay.

However, rather than wait for the last lap to make the winning move like last year, Wright gunned into the lead at the outset aboard Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service/The Shop No. 9x Maxim and never looked back en route to a third ASCS Gulf South season opening win.

“As heavy as the track was tonight, it was real easy to get in trouble in traffic or really anywhere,” Wright explained. “We got lucky tonight and stayed out of trouble, we’ll get cleaned up and try to get another one tomorrow.”

A move past Tommy Bryant and Bruce Crockett in the final two laps of his heat race landed Wright in the redraw. And when he drew the number one pill, that may have been all the luck the four-time Lucas Oil National Sprint Car champion needed.

Weathering three red flag periods over the initial four circuits, including a pair on the initial two starts, Wright paced the early circuits in front of fellow front row starter Klint Angelette before Travis Rilat, Ricky Logan and Jesse Hockett freight trained the 16-year-old on a lap five restart.

After one final caution after nine circuits for Dustin Morgan’s turn four spin, the final 16 rounds ran off in non-stop fashion with Wright distancing himself from the field while lapping well into the top ten.

Rilat held off several challenges from Logan over the latter portion of the race for runner-up honors, with Logan settling for the show position. Hockett advanced from ninth in the early rounds to snare fourth, with Tony Bruce, Jr., rounding out the top five.

Brady Bacon crossed the stripe sixth, making it a sweep of the top six positions by prospective Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters championship contenders.

Brian Brown crossed the stripe in seventh, with two-time ASCS Gulf South champ Brandon Berryman the final car on the lead lap in eighth, just ahead of fellow Gulf South shoes Wes Miller and Scottie McDonald.

The initial attempt to start the main event was waved off for a Jimmy Brooks tumble in turn one, with the second start going red as well when reigning ASCS Gulf South champ Aaron Reutzel launched out of the park in turn two. Four laps later, Tommy Bryant tumbled in turn two as well. There were no injuries.

Brown, Angelette, Brooks, Wright and Morgan topped heat race action for the 37-car field, with Berryman and Reutzel winning the twin “B” Mains.

American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region Results from Golden Triangle Raceway Park:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 21-Brian Brown, 2. 61-Travis Knighton, 3. 93-Chris Sweeney, 4. 31-Brandon Berryman, 5. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 6. 3-Gary Watson, 7. 28-James Cooper, 8. 3T-Tyler King.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 19-Klint Angelette, 2. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 3. 75-Jesse Hockett, 4. 15T-Travis Elliott, 5. 74-Brandon Corn, 6. C41-Wayne Johnson, 7. 14-Michael Lang, 8. 35-Greg Rilat.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 2. 51w-Wes Miller, 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 4. 99-Brady Bacon, 5. 00-Michael Dupuy, 6. 4m-Michael Miller, 7. 52-Roger Oakes.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 8-Bruce Crockett, 3. 10-Ricky Logan, 4. 85-Tommy Bryant, 5. 87x-Billy Melton, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 51s-Beau Smith.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 93x-Dustin Morgan, 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 71-Channin Tankersley, 4. 88-Scottie McDonald, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 76-John Ricketts, 7. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek.

First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 31-Brandon Berryman, 2. 93-Chris Sweeney, 3. C41-Wayne Johnson, 4. 12b-Logan Bledsoe, 5. 87x-Billy Melton, 6. 3-Gary Watson, 7. 35-Greg Rilat, 8. 28-James Cooper, 9. 51s-Beau Smith, 10. 4m-Michael Miller, 11. 15T-Travis Elliott. DNS: 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek.

Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 2. 85-Tommy Bryant, 3. 74-Brandon Corn, 4. 00-Michael Dupuy, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 76-John Ricketts, 7. 14-Michael Lang, 8. 52-Roger Oakes, 9. 3T-Tyler King, 10. 71-Channin Tankersley, 11. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 10-Ricky Logan, 4. 75-Jesse Hockett, 5. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 6. 99-Brady Bacon, 7. 21-Brian Brown, 8. 31-Brandon Berryman, 9. 51w-Wes Miller, 10. 88-Scottie McDonald, 11. 93x-Dustin Morgan, 12. 19-Klint Angelette, 13. 61-Travis Knighton, 14. 74-Brandon Corn, 15. 93-Chris Sweeney, 16. 85-Tommy Bryant, 17. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 18. C41-Wayne Johnson, 19. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 20. 8-Bruce Crockett (DNS).

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Gary Wright 150, 2. Travis Rilat 142, 3. Ricky Logan 135, 4. Jesse Hockett 130, 5. Tony Bruce, Jr. 125, 6. Brady Bacon 122, 7. Brian Brown 119, 8. Brandon Berryman 116, 9. Wes Miller 113, 10. Scottie McDonald 110.

By Lonnie Wheatley
Photos courtesy ASCS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Cowtown Speedway:
8/29/09 – Travis Rilat (Lone Star)
6/27/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
4/4/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
10/11/08 – Brian Brown (National vs. Sooner)
10/10/08 – Gavin Punch (National vs. Sooner)
8/23/08 – Kolt Walker (Gulf South)
7/26/08 – Brad Welborn (Sooner)
5/17/08 – Gary Taylor (Sooner)
4/5/08 – Travis Rilat (Sooner)
9/15/07 - Nick Smith (Sooner)
7/7/07 - Brian McClelland (Sooner)
4/14/07 - Kevin Ramey (Sooner)
9/23/06 - Travis Rilat (Sooner)
6/10/06 - Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sooner)
4/8/06 - Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sooner)
9/24/05 - Travis Rilat (Sooner)
6/25/05 - Jason Martin (National vs. Sooner)
4/9/05 - Sean McClelland (Sooner)
9/25/04 - Andy Shouse (Sooner)
5/29/04 - Kevin Ramey (Sooner)

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

Channin Tankersley wins ASCS Gulf South feature at Golden Triangle after Tommy Bryant’s DQ

The American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region made its seventh and final stop of the 2009 season at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park on Friday night, and well after all the dust had settled it was Channin Tankersley taking his first series win of the year.

While the 18-year-old from Highlands, TX, was awarded his fourth career ASCS Gulf South victory, it only came after apparent victor Tommy Bryant was disqualified after the use of illegal fuel additives was detected in post-race inspection.

While Bryant’s wire-to-wire drive from the pole position proved to be all for naught in post-race inspection, Tankersley’s battle past Kent Lewis, Jr., on the 15th round proved to be the race-winning move aboard the Tim’s Engines Griffith Truck & Equipment/Highlands Kawasaki No. 71 Maxim.

Lewis, Jr., settled for runner-up honors, with Ray Allen Kulhanek taking the show position. Eric Baldaccini raced from 11th to fourth, with Klint Angelette rounding out the top five for his first career ASCS top-five finish.

Combined with Bryant’s disqualification, Aaron Reutzel virtually locked up the ASCS Gulf South championship with an eighth place finish.

Bryant and Travis Elliott won Friday night’s heat races.

ASCS Gulf South Results from Golden Triangle Raceway Park:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 21T-Tommy Bryant, 2. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 3. 31-Brandon Berryman, 4. 30x-Bean Elliott, 5. 88-Scottie McDonald, 6. 17c-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 7. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 8. 3-Gary Watson.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 15T-Travis Elliott, 2. 71-Channin Tankersley, 3. 35-Greg Rilat, 4. 19-Klint Angelette, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 7. 25g-Steve Hubbard.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 71-Channin Tankersley, 2. 1b-Kent Lewis, Jr., 3. 17c-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 19-Klint Angelette, 6. 31-Brandon Berryman, 7. 35-Greg Rilat, 8. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 9. 88-Scottie McDonald, 10. 3-Gary Watson, 11. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr., 12. 25b-Steve Hubbard, 13. 15T-Travis Elliott, 14. 30x-Bean Elliott (DNS). Disqualified: 21T-Tommy Bryant.

ASCS Gulf South Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Aaron Reutzel 3,170, 2. Channin Tankersley 3,036, 3. Tommy Bryant 3,004, 4. Scottie McDonald 2,944, 5. Brandon Berryman 2,901, 6. Kent Lewis, Jr. 2,877, 7. Greg Rilat 2,837, 8. Ray Allen Kulhanek 2,699, 9. Gary Watson 2,676, 10. Jimmy Brooks 2,517.

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

ASCS Gulf South Sprint Cars set for one last 2009 Golden Triangle-Houston Raceway Park double

Golden Triangle Raceway Park and Houston Raceway Park are both staples on the ASCS Gulf South Regional tour. This weekend, the Beaumont and Baytown clay ovals in southeast Texas are both set to host the series for the final time in 2009.

The series takes to Beaumont’s Golden Triangle Raceway Park on Friday night for a $2,000-to-win tilt, before moving on to Baytown’s Houston Raceway Park on Saturday night for a $3,000-to-win affair.

Leading the way into the weekend is 19-year-old Clute, TX, shoe Aaron Reutzel, who has posted 17 top-ten feature runs in 20 events aboard the Motor Mike-powered No. 87 Triple-X to amass a 62-point advantage over Conroe’s Tommy Bryant.

Reutzel, who picked off his first career series win in the last stop at Beaumont on July 17, has just three race nights after this weekend’s double separating him from the 2009 series title.

Poised to pounce on any Reutzel miscues is Bryant, who has collected three Gulf South wins this season including a May 16 triumph at Golden Triangle Raceway Park.

Eighteen-year-old Channin Tankersely of Highlands, TX, is 150 points off the lead pace in third, with New Caney’s Scottie McDonald and Willis’ Kent Lewis, Jr., rounding out the current top five.

Sixth through ninth in ASCS Gulf South points are two-time champion Brandon Berryman (Missouri City), series Iron Man Greg Rilat (Texas City) and past champions Ray Allen Kulhanek (Magnolia) and Gary Watson (Beaumont), with Jimmy Brooks (College Station) in tenth.

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

Saturday marks the fourth Gulf South stop of the year at Houston Raceway Park, with Eric Baldaccini, Kulhanek and Kevin Ramey each scoring atop the Baytown clay.

Friday’s card at Golden Triangle Raceway Park is slated to get under way at 7:45 p.m., with Saturday’s action at Houston Raceway Park set to go 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.

Houston Raceway Park is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 798, then three miles south on State Road 146, then 0.8 miles southeast on FM 1405, then 1.5 miles northeast on FM 565. For more information, contact the track at 281-383-7223.

The ASCS Gulf South Region is set for 27 nights of racing action at eleven 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:
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 Houston Raceway Park:
7/18/09 – Kevin Ramey
6/20/09 – Ray Allen Kulhanek
5/16/09 - Eric Baldaccini
9/27/08 - Jason Johnson
6/21/08 - Michael Dupuy
5/10/08 - Brandon Berryman
3/1/08 - Jack Dover
9/29/07 - Brandon Berryman
8/18/07 - Travis Rilat
5/19/07 - Johnny Miller
9/30/06 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
8/19/06 - Brad Best
6/24/06 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
4/8/06 - Travis Rilat
8/20/05 - Lane Whittington
6/18/05 - Ray Allen Kulhanek
7/10/04 - Kevin Ramey

* - 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 Sprint Cars set to storm Houston Raceway Park Speedway Saturday

The Speedway at Houston Raceway Park will come to life next Saturday, September 19, 2009, for the Universal Technical Institute ASCS Sprint Car Challenge. This event will mark the last time the American Sprint Car Series hits the Speedway during the 2009 racing season. The race is presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts and Mustang CAT.

The Outlaw Winged Sprints will hit Houston Raceway’s nationally recognized, ¼ mile high-banked dirt oval Speedway and battle side-by-side, wheel to wheel, at speeds in excess of 120 mph.

“The speed and excitement of the American Sprint Car Series is undeniable,” said GM, Seth Angel. “To be able to smell the dirt and feel the energy in the air from the wind gusts produced from the wings of these machines is simply awesome.”

The racing action will also include the O’Reilly Auto Parts Speedway Series classes, VP Racing Fuels Limited Modifieds and the UMP Modifieds.

The action off the track will be just as exciting as one race fan will win the role as the Honorary Starter for the night, and have the opportunity to wave the green flag in the flag stand for the ASCS Sprint Car A-Main, the night’s feature race. Additionally, Extreme Trailers of Texas will give-a-way a FREE 6’x10’ Haulmark Trailer to one lucky race fan who signs up at the Official Souvenir store located behind the main Speedway grandstand.

Race fans will also be able to walk through the manufacturer/vendor midway and visit the Official souvenir shop of Houston Raceway during the races. The Speedway “Kid Zone” will feature the largest Houston area inflatable slide along with several other Moonwalks and attractions for the kids, including a rock walk provided by the United Sates ARMY. A 20 minute fireworks show, provided by the Texas Outlaw Fireworks Company, will take place during intermission, followed by our three A-Main feature events.

For more information or to purchase discounted tickets click to www.houstonraceway.com and select the Order Tickets tab.

The Speedway at Houston Raceway Park consists of a professional-level quarter-mile high-banked dirt oval on its 450 acre site. With permanent seating for 8,000 fans, luxury corporate suites, and on-site parking for all of its events, the facility is one of the premier dirt racing destinations in the south.

Houston Raceway Park is located 25 miles east of downtown Houston off Interstate-10. Take Exit #799 (SH 99 Grand Parkway) and go South to FM 565 (1st exit). Take a right at FM 565 and Houston Raceway Park is located on your right side. The Speedway entrance is located at Gate 3.

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