• Home
• About LSS
• Dirt Calendar
• Paved Calendar
• Touring Series

Subscribe

• Login
• Forums
• Audio
• Live Blogs
• Video

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

An ASCS Lone Star Saturday Night at Lone Star Speedway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ASCS Lone Star Results from Kennedale Speedway Park:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The pair of Kennedale, TX, tracks are located just east of Fort Worth off I-20 Exit 442-A, then 1.7 miles southeast on Mansfield Highway, then 1.4 miles southwest on New Hope Road.

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

Kevin Ramey rules ASCS Lone Star debut at RPM Speedway

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

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

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

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

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

ASCS Lone Star Region Results from RPM Speedway:

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Lonnie Wheatley

Kevin Ramey ropes ASCS Lone Star trophy at Cowtown

Kevin Ramey became the first repeat winner in American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region competition by winning Saturday night’s 25-lap feature event atop the high-banked, ¼-mile Cowtown Speedway clay oval.

Advancing from the third row, Ramey took the point away from race-long leader George White on the 18th round en route to the $2,000 triumph aboard the Williams Motorsports Wells-powered City Vending/Melray Oil & Gas No. 7m entry.

The two-time ASCS Sooner Region champion padded his points lead in the inaugural Lone Star title chase by taking the checkered flag in front of White, with Memphis shoe Don Young, Justin Melton and Brad Welborn rounding out the top five.

Skip Wilson was sixth, with Robert Sellers, Brandon Berryman, Claud Estes and Scott Reneau completing the top ten.

Kris Miller, Estes, Ramey and Melton topped heat race action for the 30-car field, with Michael Lang winning the “B” Main.

ASCS Lone Star Region Results from Cowtown Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 33-Kris Miller, 2. 17w-Brad Welborn, 3. 10-George White, 4. 5m-Glenn Martin, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 11F-Darrell Fletcher, 7. 40-Junior Jenkins, 8. 45-J.P. Bailey.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 74e-Claud Estes, 2. 87x-Billy Melton, 3. 76-John Ricketts, 4. 67-Rodney Henderson, 5. 26-Dalton Steed, 6. 79-Ryan Hall, 7. 17-Channin Tankersley. DNS: 20-Chad Wilson.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 75-Don Young, 3. 87-Brian McClelland, 4. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 5. 14-Michael Lang, 6. 45k-Kolt Walker, 7. 1r-Scott Reneau.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 11-Justin Melton, 2. 31-Brandon Berryman, 3. 65-Skip Wilson, 4. 25-Robert Sellers, 5. 9-Brian Parker, 6. 88r-Andy Rea, 7. 14b-Robert Byrom.

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 14-Michael Lang, 2. 5m-Glenn Martin, 3. 1r-Scott Reneau, 4. 20-Chad Wilson, 5. 40-Junior Jenkins, 6. 14b-Robert Byrom, 7. 9-Brian Parker, 8. 88r-Andy Rea, 9. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 10. 45k-Kolt Walker, 11. 45-J.P. Bailey. DNS: 79-Ryan Hall, 11F-Darrell Fletcher, 17-Channin Tankersley.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 10-George White, 3. 75-Don Young, 4. 11-Justin Melton, 5. 17w-Brad Welborn, 6. 65-Skip Wilson, 7. 25-Robert Sellers, 8. 31-Brandon Berryman, 9. 74e-Claud Estes, 10. 1r-Scott Reneau, 11. 14-Michael Lang, 12. 87x-Billy Melton, 13. 20-Chad Wilson, 14. 33-Kris Miller, 15. 5m-Glenn Martin, 16. 26-Dalton Steed, 17. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 18. 76-John Ricketts, 19. 67-Rodney Henderson, 20. 87-Brian McClelland.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 994, 2. Brad Welborn 928, 3. Brian McClelland 896, 4. Matt Clevenger 878, 5. Justin Melton 862, 6. Michael Lang 847, 7. Claud Estes 829, 8. Kolt Walker 825, 9. J.P. Bailey 786, 10. Eric Baldaccini 773.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Joey Saldana wins World of Outlaw go at Lone Star Speedway on Friday

Joey Saldana scored a big World of Outlaw Sprint Car victory at Lone Star Speedway on Friday for his car owner Kasey Kahne who celebrated his 29th birthday on Friday.

Saldana led all 30 laps in the World of Outlaws return to high-speed, high-banked half-mile oval in Kilgore to pick up the $10,000 top prize. It was his fourth A-Feature victory of the season, which is the most of any driver and it was also the 43rd of his World of Outlaws career, which puts him just three wins out of the Top-10 on the all-time series win list.

“This is awesome,” said Saldana in Victory Lane. “That was a great effort by our team. We were strong in qualifying, the heat race, the dash and the feature. Last year we won five races and we struggled. We had a good car and just didn’t finish races. This year at least we are finishing races. All of the hard work is paying off this year.”

Saldana used strong starts on eight occasions aboard the Budweiser Maxim on Friday night, as caution flags plagued the 30-lap contest. The yellow flew three times before a single lap was in the books, leading to a complete restart each time. On all of those starts, Saldana who lined up on the outside of the front row found himself in the lead by the time the field entered turns one and two. He battled Jac Haudenschild on the initial two starts and then Wayne Johnson on the third one, after Haudenschild was penalized one row for a crew member working on the car during the fuel stop that followed the third caution prior to the first lap being completed.

“You never really know who is behind you and I knew that Haud (Jac Haudenschild) would be tough on the top,” noted Saldana. “You just have to stay focused and hit your marks and try not to screw up. It was a good night for me.”

The race on Friday night was the first for the World of Outlaws at Lone Star Speedway since 2004 and a huge crowd welcomed the series back to the blazing fast track, which is owned and operated by the family of World of Outlaws driver Sam Hafertepe Jr. Saldana now has three career wins in the state of Texas.

“I’m so happy to be racing in Texas, especially Kilgore,” Saldana said. “This is a beautiful facility. I’m glad all the fans came out and supported this. We need to be back in this state racing. The Outlaws belong in Texas. Hopefully the fans will want to come back next year.”

Donny Schatz, the three-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, had a couple of spirited battles throughout the 30-lap contest as he raced 20-time series champion Steve Kinser for a number of laps, as well as Jason Meyers. The trio was battling for the fifth spot for a large portion of the race until, Haudenschild and Johnson were involved in an accident on the 12th lap, while running second and third, which moved them all up a couple of spots on the restart. Schatz got around Kinser on the 23rd lap aboard the Armor All J&J to move into third and wound up second, after Jason Sides suffered a flat tire on the last lap while running second.

“It was a good night,” said Schatz. “We knew we would draw that 10 (in the dash) sooner or later and tonight was the night. We hadn’t been here in five years and it was a fun place to race. It was darn fast. We did our best to get up in there.”

Kinser continued his consistent start to the 2009 season, picking up his ninth Top-10 finish in the first 10 races aboard the Quaker State Maxim. He battled Sides early in the race and also traded spots with Schatz and Meyers a couple of times. He began the night by winning the second heat race to earn a spot in the Crane Cams Dash.

“We were a little off in the feature,” stated Kinser. “We’ll go back at it tomorrow night. We were pretty consistent, but we still need to be a little bit quicker. We made some changes tonight and it didn’t really seem to fit what I wanted to do. We’ll just plugging away, that’s all we can do.”

Jason Meyers was fourth on Friday night in the GLR Investments KPC to earn his eighth Top-10 finish of the season.

Danny Lasoski was fifth aboard the Casey’s General Stores Maxim, with Jason Sides holding on to finish sixth in the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim after the last lap flat tire. Craig Dollansky recovered from an early flat tire to finish seventh aboard the Direct TV Maxim to earn the KSE Race Products Hard Charger Award, after starting 19th. Johnny Herrera was eighth, with Jason Johnson ninth and Kraig Kinser rounded out the Top-10 in the Bass Pro Shops Maxim.

The World of Outlaws wrap up their weekend in Texas on Saturday nights at Houston Raceway Park with the Texas Shootout.

LONE STAR SPEEDWAY NOTES

• FAST QUALIFIER: Donny Schatz paced the 24 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked 1/2-mile oval at 14.332 seconds at 125.593 mph. For his qualifying effort, Schatz earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Craig Dollansky (4), Joey Saldana (3), Jac Haudenschild (2), and Lucas Wolfe (1).

• QUALIFYING WINNERS: Jason Meyers, Steve Kinser and Joey Saldana won heat races. Jac Haudenschild won the Crane Cams Dash.

• FEATURE WINNERS: There has been 10 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature event held in 2009. The winners include: Joey Saldana (Volusia Speedway Park, Silver Dollar Speedway, Thunderbowl Raceway and Lone Star Speedway), Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park-twice and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Randy Hannagan (Thunderbowl Raceway), Chad Kemenah (Manzanita Speedway) and Jason Meyers (Silver Dollar Speedway).

• 1/2-MILE WINNERS: Lone Star Speedway is a high-banked half-mile oval. The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series has raced six times this season on a track that size. The winners include: Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park-twice and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Joey Saldana (Volusia Speedway Park and Lone Star Speedway) and

Chad Kemenah (Manzanita Speedway).

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Lone Star Speedway; Kilgore, TX; April 10, 2009

Qualifying

1) 15-Donny Schatz 14.332

2) 19-Craig Dollansky 14.335

3) 9-Joey Saldana 14.349

4) 6-Danny Lasoski 14.361

5) R19-Jac Haudenschild 14.378

6) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 14.413

7) 14-Jason Meyers 14.421

15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 14.437

9) 24-Terry McCarl 14.445

10) 14AJ-Wayne Johnson 14.456

11) 11-Steve Kinser 14.520

12) 20-Kraig Kinser 14.531

13) 45X-Johnny Herrera 14.621

14) 55-Kerry Madsen 14.666

15) 22-Brian Ellenberger 14.691

16) 41-Jason Johnson 14.718

17) 7S-Jason Sides 14.747

18) 18-Tony Bruce Jr. 14.768

19) 9X-Gary Wright 14.885

20) 29-Travis Rilat 14.924

21) 96-Bronson Maeschen 15.064

22) 12-Lynton Jeffrey 15.091

23) 51-Wes Miller 15.148

24) 4X-Toni Lutar 15.342

25) 10-Sammy Swindell 21.499

Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 14-Jason Meyers

2) 14AJ-Wayne Johnson

3) 15-Donny Schatz

4) 6-Danny Lasoski

5) 41-Jason Johnson

6) 45X-Johnny Herrera

7) 9X-Gary Wright

12-Lynton Jeffrey

Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 11-Steve Kinser

2) 7S-Jason Sides

3) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.

4) R19-Jac Haudenschild

5) 29-Travis Rilat

6) 55-Kerry Madsen

7) 51-Wes Miller

19-Craig Dollansky

Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 9-Joey Saldana

2) 20-Kraig Kinser

3) 24-Terry McCarl

4) 22-Brian Ellenberger

5) 10-Sammy Swindell

6) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.

7) 5W-Lucas Wolfe

4X-Toni Lutar

9) 96-Bronson Maeschen

Crane Cams Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)

1) R19-Jac Haudenschild

2) 9-Joey Saldana

3) 14AJ-Wayne Johnson

4) 7S-Jason Sides

5) 11-Steve Kinser

6) 15-Donny Schatz

7) 6-Danny Lasoski

20-Kraig Kinser

9) 14-Jason Meyers

10) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.

A-main (30 laps) - Starting Position [#]

1) 9-Joey Saldana[2] [$10,000]

2) 15-Donny Schatz[6] [$5,500]

3) 11-Steve Kinser[5] [$3,200]

4) 14-Jason Meyers[9] [$2,800]

5) 6-Danny Lasoski[7] [$2,500]

6) 7S-Jason Sides[4] [$2,300]

7) 19-Craig Dollansky[19] [$2,200]

45X-Johnny Herrera[12] [$2,100]

9) 41-Jason Johnson[15] [$2,050]

10) 20-Kraig Kinser[8] [$2,000]

11) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[16] [$1,500]

12) 10-Sammy Swindell[18] [$1,200]

13) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[10] [$1,100]

14) 55-Kerry Madsen[13] [$1,050]

15) 4X-Toni Lutar[25] [$1,000]

16) 96-Bronson Maeschen[22] [$900]

17) 29-Travis Rilat[17] [$800]

18) 24-Terry McCarl[11] [$800]

19) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[20] [$800]

20) R19-Jac Haudenschild[1] [$800]

21) 14AJ-Wayne Johnson[3] [$800]

22) 22-Brian Ellenberger[14] [$800]

23) 51-Wes Miller[24] [$800]

24) 9X-Gary Wright[21] [$800]

25) 12-Lynton Jeffrey[23] [$800]

Lap Leaders: Joey Saldana 1-30

SuperClean Start of the Night Award: Jason Sides

Penske Power Position Award: Steve Kinser

KSE Hard Charger Award: Craig Dollansky

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), Quaker State (Official Motor Oil), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder’s Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder’s Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.

Story and Photo courtesy of World of Outlaws

Copyright © 2005-2009 Lone Star Speedzone · 139 E. Hopkins, Suite 200-E, San Marcos, TX 78666 · Log in