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Texan Gary Wright finds Victory Lane in ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series

For the first time in 2009 championship points competition, Gary Wright reached Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters victory lane by topping Saturday night’s 30-lap feature event at I-90 Speedway.

Wright’s 125th National win didn’t come without a stiff challenge from local ace Chad Meyer though, with Tim Crawley then closing in on “The Texan’s” tailtank as the checkered flag flew on the fast-paced affair atop the high-banked, 3/8-mile dirt oval.

“For no bigger than this track is, this place is really fast,” Wright commented after the $6,000 triumph. “It was really good, both top and bottom and we had the right car for it.”

Meyer, who paced the opening ten rounds before surrendering the point to Wright, turned up the heat on the eventual winner after a lap 18 restart, briefly surging into the lead at one point as the final laps clicked off.

Wright edged back out front though, moved to the bottom and went on to secure the win aboard Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service No. 9x Maxim. It was his sixth overall ASCS win of the year after four Regional scores and a Speedweek victory.

“I saw somebody down there and knew it was probably time to move to the bottom,” Wright explained. “Turned out the bottom was probably a little faster than the top had been.”

While Wright started the main event in sixth, it was polesitter Meyer outgunning Danny Wood for the lead at the drop of the green flag. Meyer set a strong pace up front, with Wright battling past fourth-starter Darren Long and then Wood by the fifth circuit to move into second.

As Meyer reached the tail of the 24-car feature field, Wright raced by on the high side of turns three and four to take command on the 11th circuit. But, Wright was never able to slip away, as Meyer kept pace while fending off seventh-starter Crawley at the same time for the runner-up slot.

Wright found clear track when the caution flew after 18 laps for Long’s turn two spin. The caution also offered new life to Meyer though, as he began pressuring Wright for the point when action resumed.

The pair battled for the lead in side-by-side fashion for several laps before Wright finally regained control of the lead on the 24th lap. As Meyer began to lose ground, Crawley moved in to try to make it three wins in a row after sweeping last weekend’s Riverside double.

But, as the checkered flag flew upon Wright, Crawley had to settle for runner-up honors aboard Mike Ward’s McCarver-powered Boater Sports No. 88 Maxim just a couple of car-lengths back.

Travis Rilat battled from eighth to take the show position aboard the Shark-powered F&J Construction No. 29 Triple-X, with defending series champion Jason Johnson also advancing a handful of positions to claim fourth in Lanny Row’s Wesmar-powered The Shop Motorsports No. 41 Eagle.

Meyer rounded out the top five in the Weseman-powered No. 1w, with Tony Bruce, Jr., racing from 15th to sixth. Paul McMahan climbed from 19th to seventh, with Wood slipping to eighth at the stripe.

After utilizing his first provisional of the year, Jesse Hockett charged from 23rd to ninth, while 18th-starter Shane Stewart rebounded from a cut right rear tire two laps into the main to complete the top ten.

Chad Corken, Crawley, Johnson, Meyer, Butch Hanssen and Randy Droescher topped heat race action for the 52-car field, with McMahan, Stewart and Gary Taylor winning the “B” Mains.

Johnn Cressman flipped in turn two in the night’s opening heat race. Cressman walked away uninjured but done for the night.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
I-90 Speedway – Hartford, SD

Heat Races (Top 16 in Passing Points to “A” Main; Balance to 3 “B” Mains):

Heat One (10 Laps): 1. 11-Chad Corken, 2. 2d-Dusty Ballenger, 3. 81au-Gavin Punch, 4. 22-Matt Heinzerling, 5. 2k-Kevin Ingle, 6. 2-Kenneth Walker, 7. 19-John Lambertz, 8. 85-Justin Saathoff, 9. 56-Johnn Cressman.

Heat Two (10 Laps): 1. 88-Tim Crawley, 2. 82-Jason Danley, 3. 11m-Troy Meyer, 4. 3d-Paul McMahan, 5. 10a-Ricky Logan, 6. 5-Eric Lutz, 7. X-Chuck Swenson, 8. 28-Mitch Runge, 9. 91a-Aaron Wendt.

Heat Three (10 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 75c-Casey Heser, 3. 27-Jody Rosenboom, 4. 7-Darren Long, 5. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 6. 25-Dylan Peterson, 7. 1x-Justin Glaser, 8. 32-Greg Valentine, 9. 5x-Dave Glennon.

Heat Four (10 Laps): 1. 1w-Chad Meyer, 2. 94-Danny Wood, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 57-Shane Stewart, 5. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 6. 53-Jack Dover, 7. 10-Justin Jacobsma, 8. 17b-Ryan Bickett, 9. 5w-Dusty Wasmund.

Heat Five (10 Laps): 1. 8k-Butch Hanssen, 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 13-Jesse Hockett, 4. 1-Sean McClelland, 5. 44w-Austen Wheatley, 6. 101-Chuck McGillivray, 7. 23-Seth Bergman, 8. 8-Lane Brenden.

Heat Six (10 Laps): 1. 24-Randy Droescher, 2. 13jm-Jordan Martens, 3. 91-Gary Taylor, 4. 05-Bill Boles, 5. 71-R.J. Johnson, 6. 3-Donovan Peterson, 7. 15x-Joe Riedel, 8. 0x-Jess Beckett.

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

First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 3d-Paul McMahan, 2. 11m-Troy Meyer, 3. 13-Jesse Hockett, 4. 10a-Ricky Logan, 5. X-Chuck Swenson, 6. 44w-Austen Wheatley, 7. 2-Kenneth Walker, 8. 8-Lane Brenden, 9. 25-Dylan Peterson, 10. 23-Seth Bergman, 11. 17b-Ryan Bickett. DNS: 56-Johnn Cressman.

Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 57-Shane Stewart, 2. 53-Jack Dover, 3. 1-Sean McClelland, 4. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 5. 19-John Lambertz, 6. 28-Mitch Runge, 7. 1x-Justin Glaser, 8. 5x-Dave Glennon, 9. 2k-Kevin Ingle, 10. 91a-Aaron Wendt, 11. 85-Justin Saathoff, 12. 27-Jody Rosenboom.

Third “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 91-Gary Taylor, 2. 5-Eric Lutz, 3. 71-R.J. Johnson, 4. 3-Donovan Peterson, 5. 05-Bill Boles, 6. 101-Chuck McGillivray, 7. 22-Matt Heinzerling, 8. 0x-Jess Beckett, 9. 10-Justin Jacobsma, 10. 15x-Joe Riedel, 11. 32-Greg Valentine, 12. 5w-Dusty Wasmund.

“A” Main Event:

“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 88-Tim Crawley, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 41-Jason Johnson, 5. 1w-Chad Meyer, 6. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 7. 3d-Paul McMahan, 8. 94-Danny Wood, 9. 13-Jesse Hockett, 10. 57-Shane Stewart, 11. 81au-Gavin Punch, 12. 5-Eric Lutz, 13. 7-Darren Long, 14. 1-Sean McClelland, 15. 91-Gary Taylor, 16. 11m-Troy Meyer, 17. 11-Chad Corken, 18. 8k-Butch Hanssen, 19. 82-Jason Danley, 20. 2d-Dusty Ballenger, 21. 75c-Casey Heser, 22. 24-Randy Droescher, 23. 53-Jack Dover, 24. 13jm-Jordan Martens.

Lap Leaders: Chad Meyer 1-10, Gary Wright 11-21, Chad Meyer 22, Gary Wright 23-30.

Note: Jesse Hockett and Sean McClelland utilized Lucas Oil ASCS provisionals to start the “A” Main. It was the first of the year for Hockett and the second of the year for McClelland.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters Points (Top 20): 1. Gary Wright 1,146, 2. Jason Johnson 1,132, 3. Shane Stewart 1,120, 4. Travis Rilat 1,043, 5. Tim Crawley 1,027, 6. Paul McMahan 1,018, 7. Tony Bruce, Jr. 1,007, 8. Danny Wood 1,006, 9. Jack Dover 975, 10. Jesse Hockett 917, 11. Nick Smith 870, 12. Sean McClelland 830, 13. Gary Taylor 786, 14. Brady Bacon 752, 15. Darren Long 731, 16. Gavin Punch 727, 17. Kenneth Walker 719, 18. Chad Corken 701, 19. Seth Bergman 649, 20. Ricky Logan 639.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Lucas Oil ASCS on Deck: Lake Ozark Speedway’s Daniel McMillin Memorial

With the 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek successfully in the books, it’s back to business for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters.

The $250,000 points chase, including the $60,000 earmarked for the 2009 Lucas Oil Sprint Car champion, resumes with next Saturday night’s (June 27) Third Annual Daniel McMillin Memorial at the scenic Lake Ozark Speedway near Eldon, MO.

And with the opening four point events of the season completed, a mere four points separate the top three in championship points with Oklahoma native Shane Stewart just two markers ahead of four-time series champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX. Defending series champion Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA, is just another two points back in third.

Norman, OK, shoe Danny Wood enters next Saturday’s action ranked fourth, with Travis Rilat of Forney, TX, ranked fifth.

Leading a stellar rookie crop, California native Paul McMahan is tied for sixth with Tulsa-area racer Nick Smith, with the balance of the current top ten including Nebraska teen Jack Dover, 2001 series champion Zach Chappell of Talala, OK, and three-time ASCS National champion Tim Crawley of Benton, AR.

Crawley just picked up a $2,000 bonus by earning the 17th Annual ASCS Speedweek championship by a mere eight point margin over McMahan. Johnson, Brady Bacon, Sean McClelland, Wright and Matt Clevenger also picked up bonus money by finishing among the top seven in Speedweek points.

Four different drivers have cracked victory lane in the opening four events of the season including Stewart, Johnson, Rilat and Dover. Add in another five winners during ASCS Speedweek (Crawley, Tony Bruce, Jr., Chappell, Wright and N. Smith) and the total is nine different winners in nine events held under the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series banner thus far in 2009.

Current series points leader Shane Stewart, gunning for his first ASCS title with car owner Paul Silva, swept a two-night ASCS stand at Lake Ozark in 2004, while local hero Jesse Hockett swept a two-nighter in 2005. Next Saturday’s event is held in honor of Hockett’s departed cousin Daniel McMillin.

Reigning series champion Jason Johnson has topped both previous editions of the Daniel McMillin Memorial. “The Ragin’ Cajun” won the inaugural event at Double X Speedway in California, MO, in 2007, then pulled off the repeat last year when the event shifted to Lake Ozark Speedway. Last year’s McMillin triumph also avenged a last-lap Lake Ozark loss several weeks earlier to Aaron Berryhill, who captured his first career series win atop the 1/3-mile clay oval last May.

Sixty-seven drivers competed in the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series season-opening two-night stand at Texas’ Devil’s Bowl Speedway in March. Then, after several rainouts, fifty drivers took part in the two-night Steve King Memorial at Kansas’ Jetmore Motorplex over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Next Saturday night’s Daniel McMillin Memorial at Lake Ozark Speedway kicks off the first of five consecutive weekends of competition for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters with ensuing events including the Rock & Roll 50 at Riverside Speedway in West Memphis, AR, on July 3-4, a journey to Hartford, South Dakota’s I-90 Speedway on July 11 and then the series first venture to the Northwest for doubles at Elma, Washington’s Grays Harbor Raceway Park (July 17-18) and Oregon’s Cottage Grove Speedway (July 24-25).

The Series:

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters

When & Where:

Saturday night, June 27 at 7:00 p.m. – Lake Ozark Speedway

Track Information:

Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) – 1/3-mile semi-banked dirt oval located south of Eldon on US 54 to SR 52, then 0.1 miles east on SR 52, then 0.5 miles north on Twiggy Lane (frontage road). For more information, contact the track at 573-392-9977 or check www.lakeozarkspeedway.com.

Lucas Oil ASCS Lake Ozark Speedway History:

The Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series returned to Lake Ozark Speedway last year after a two-year absence with Aaron Berryhill making a last-lap pass of Jason Johnson for his first career series win in May. Johnson got some Lake Ozark redemption by winning the Second Annual Daniel McMillin Memorial in July.

Lake Ozark Speedway ASCS National winners include: Jesse Hockett 2, Shane Stewart 2, Aaron Berryhill 1, Jason Johnson 1.

Lake Ozark Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-Race Winners: Shane Stewart (9/4/04), Shane Stewart (9/5/04), Jesse Hockett (9/3/05), Jesse Hockett (9/4/05), Aaron Berryhill (5/3/08), Jason Johnson (7/5/08).

Current Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters Points:

Top Twenty: 1. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 578, 2. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 576, 3. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 574, 4. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 520, 5. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 509, 6. (tie) Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) and Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN) 506, 8. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 501, 9. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 469, 10. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 459, 11. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 447, 12. Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) 430, 13. Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 427, 14. Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK) 422, 15. Trey Robb (Newcastle, OK) 407, 16. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 398, 17. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 370, 18. Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK) 368, 19. Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO) 365, 20. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 357.

Brodix Rookie of the Year Points (Top Five): 1. Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN) 506, 2. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 501, 3. Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK) 422, 4. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 398, 5. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 357.

2009 Lucas Oil ASCS Feature Winners:

Jack Dover 1, Jason Johnson 1, Travis Rilat 1, Shane Stewart 1.

Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:

July 3/4 – Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, AR)
July 11 – I-90 Speedway (Hartford, SD)
July 17/18 – Grays Harbor Raceway Park (Elma, WA)
July 24/25 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR)

Lucas Oil ASCS on the Web:

Those unable to catch all the action in person can listen to every Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters live at www.racinboys.com.

Also, the Lucas Oil ASCS Show airs on www.racinboys.com each Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET, recapping the previous week’s events while also previewing upcoming action.

Official results, championship point updates, photos and race notes will be available at www.ascsracing.com.

Lucas Oil ASCS on TV:

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters will be featured in ten one-hour shows broadcast on a tape-delayed basis on the VERSUS Network

Events to be aired on VERSUS include the following:

The revised schedule of Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters events to be aired on VERSUS is as follows:

Event Date – Track (Location) – Air Date & Re-Air Date (All Times Eastern)
Mar. 20 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/2/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 5/7/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
Mar. 21 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/23/09 @ 4:00 p.m. & 5/27/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
May 23 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 8/1/09 @ 4:00 p.m. & 8/5/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
May 24 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 8/1/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 8/6/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
July 3 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – 8/8/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 8/13/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
July 4 – Riverside Speedway (W. Memphis, AR) – 9/20/09 @ 4:00 p.m. & 9/24/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
Aug. 6 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 10/1/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 10/10/09 @ 3:00 p.m.
Aug. 7 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 10/18/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 10/22/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
Aug. 8 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 11/15/09 @ 5:00 p.m. & 11/19/09 @ 5:00 p.m.
Sept. 26 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 11/29/09 @ 4:00 p.m. & 12/3/09 @ 4:00 p.m.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for approximately 33 nights of racing action at 17 different tracks throughout the nation, with the country’s top Sprint Car drivers set to battle it out for their share of the $250,000 points fund.

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

Tony Bruce takes first ASCS win, second leg of “Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek”

Tony Bruce, Jr., captured his first career ASCS Speedweek feature win by cracking victory lane in the second leg of the 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters at I-30 Speedway on Saturday night.

The Liberal, KS, racer scooted past Kenneth Walker for the lead on the sixth round and led the rest of the way in the hotly contested 30-lapper aboard the Rider-powered Coors Light No. 18 Maxim, ultimately taking the checkered flag just ahead of a rapidly-closing Gary Wright.

“I’m starting to like this place, it’s been good for us lately,” Bruce explained after backing up his $15,000 Short Track Nationals score atop the ¼-mile I-30 Speedway clay oval last October.

While Bruce started the feature from the front row outside, he spent the opening handful of laps chasing pole starter Kenneth Walker. But, soon after a lap four caution for Gavin Punch’s punch of a turn two infield tire, Bruce slid underneath Walker entering turn one to take command.

Working the topside of the track, Bruce led the way as Dustin Morgan and Jason Johnson also made their way past Walker by the time Lewis Jenkins, Jr., looped it in turn four with eight laps in the books.

Bruce worked the cushion flawlessly, with tenth-starter Gary Wright soon joining the fray for second. Wright finally battled past both Morgan and Johnson for second on the 23rd lap only to slip off the top of turn two.

The slip proved to be costly for the six-time Speedweek champion, as it took him another handful of laps to work back around Johnson and Morgan. And with just two laps remaining by the time “The Texan” had reclaimed second, Bruce was very nearly out of reach.

Wright hustled to close the gap, but hooking the turn three cushion one final time as the white flag being presented was just the last bit of breathing room Bruce needed to secure the win.

While Bruce escaped the night with a slim two-point lead in ASCS Speedweek points, Wright posted runner-up honors in Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service No. 9x Maxim.

After surviving a close call in heat race action in which Jeremy Newkirk’s tumbling sprinter nearly removed his wing, Morgan battled amongst the front-runners all the way before taking show honors in the Wesmar-powered Ark Wrecking No. 93 Maxim.

Defending ASCS Speedweek champion Jason Johnson was a close fourth in Lanny Row’s Wesmar-powered The Shop Motorsports No. 41 Eagle.

After winning the ASCS Speedweek opener one night earlier, Tim Crawley’s night got off to an inauspicious start when he was squeezed into the frontstretch wall and suffered front end damage as the green flag flew on the night’s third heat race.

The three-time ASCS National champion salvaged the night by racing from the tail of his “B” Main to take the third and final transfer position away from Nick Smith on the final round and then charging from 23rd to round out the top five in the feature event.

“If we could have caught a caution with six or seven laps to go, we might have made thing up front interesting,” Crawley commented afterward.

Kenneth Walker crossed the stripe sixth, with Travis Rilat, Justin Sturch, 17th-starter Sean McClelland and 21st-starter Brady Bacon completing the top ten.

Third-starter Shane Stewart clipped an infield tire exiting turn two on the second lap and spun to a stop in turn three. Catching a timely caution on the ensuing restart, the current Lucas Oil ASCS points leader tagged the tail of the field and climbed back up to 13th by race’s end.

Lewis Jenkins, Jr., Gavin Punch, Kenneth Walker, Gary Wright and Tony Bruce, Jr., topped heat race action for the 40-car field, with Don Young and Paul McMahan winning the twin “B” Mains.

Matt Covington, Jeremy Newkirk and Dusty Fronabarger each flipped in heat race action. Covington returned for “B” Main action, with the others done for the night.

The 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters resumes with Round Three at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK, on Tuesday night, with racing action set to go green at 7:00 p.m.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek
Round Two – I-30 Speedway

Heat Races (Top 18 in Passing Points to “A” Main):

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 7h-Lewis Jenkins, Jr., 2. 9-Justin Sturch, 3. 1-Sean McClelland, 4. 74e-Claud Estes, 5. 23-Seth Bergman, 6. 15s-Nick Smith, 7. 4T-Tommy Snellgrove, 8. 95-Matt Covington.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 81au-Gavin Punch, 2. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 3. 57-Shane Stewart, 4. 99-Brady Bacon, 5. 72-Sherman Davis, 6. 58-Wade Oliver, 7. 11F-Foster Landon. DNS: 38-Rick Pringle.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 2-Kenneth Walker, 2. 93-Dustin Morgan, 3. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 4. 1g-Cody Gardner, 5. 75-Don Young, 6. 01-Jeremy Newkirk, 7. 77-Colt Treharn, 8. 88-Tim Crawley.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 3. 91-Gary Taylor, 4. 1x-Chad Pitts, 5. 8z-Zach Pringle, 6. 94-Danny Wood, 7. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 8. 13-Dusty Fronabarger.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 2. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 50z-Zach Chappell, 5. 57g-Dude Garrett, 6. 3d-Paul McMahan, 7. 14t-Tyler Brown, 8. 14k-Kyle Bellm.

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

First “B” Feature (10 Laps): 1. 75-Don Young, 2. 99-Brady Bacon, 3. 88-Tim Crawley, 4. 15s-Nick Smith, 5. 8z-Zach Pringle, 6. 11F-Foster Landon, 7. 77-Colt Treharn, 8. 57g-Dude Garrett, 9. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 10. 58-Wade Oliver, 11. 87a-Andrew Marshala.

Second “B” Feature (10 Laps): 1. 3d-Paul McMahan, 2. 94-Danny Wood, 3. 14T-Tyler Brown, 4. 95-Matt Covington, 5. 72-Sherman Davis, 6. 23-Seth Bergman, 7. 4T-Tommy Snellgrove, 8. 1x-Chad Pitts. DNS: 01-Jeremy Newkirk, 13-Dusty Fronabarger, 38-Rick Pringle.

ASCS Speedweek Round Two “A” Main Event:

“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 93-Dustin Morgan, 4. 41-Jason Johnson, 5. 88-Tim Crawley, 6. 2-Kenneth Walker, 7. 29-Travis Rilat, 8. 9-Justin Sturch, 9. 1-Sean McClelland, 10. 99-Brady Bacon, 11. 3d-Paul McMahan, 12. 94-Danny Wood, 13. 57-Shane Stewart, 14. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 15. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 16. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 17. 91-Gary Taylor, 18. 75-Don Young, 19. 81au-Gavin Punch, 20. 14T-Tyler Brown, 21. 74e-Claud Estes, 22. 7h-Lewis Jenkins, Jr., 23. 50z-Zach Chappell, 24. 1g-Cody Gardner.

Lap Leaders: Kenneth Walker 1-5, Tony Bruce, Jr. 6-30.

17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek Points (Top Fifteen – Through Round Two of Six): 1. Tony Bruce, Jr. 292, 2. Tim Crawley 290, 3. Jason Johnson 280, 4. Sean McClelland 272, 5. (tie) Shane Stewart and Justin Sturch 270, 7. Travis Rilat 264, 8. Paul McMahan 262, 9. Kenneth Walker 258, 10. Brady Bacon 256, 11. Gary Wright 254, 12. Dustin Morgan 250, 13. Matt Clevenger 246, 14. Gavin Punch 242, 15. (tie) Zach Chappell and Don Young 236.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Tim Crawley wins ASCS Sprint Car “Sizzlin’ Spring Speedweek” opener

Tim Crawley kicked off the 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters by wiring the field in Friday night’s 30-lap feature at Texarkana 67 Speedway.

Crawley used a slick move through the opening pair of corners to race into the lead from his fourth starting position and then survived several caution periods en route to his 13th career ASCS Speedweek feature triumph and second atop the ¼-mile 67 Speedway clay oval.

“We thought the start could be pretty important, there was a good chance that it could be hard to pass much and in front was the place to be,” the 2004 Speedweek champion and three-time ASCS National champion explained from victory lane.

After a chaotic initial attempt to start the feature was waved off, current Lucas Oil ASCS points leader Shane Stewart and Tony Bruce, Jr., led the feature field to the green flag with Crawley gridded to the outside of Nick Smith in row two.

With Stewart outdragging Bruce into turn one and taking to the topside, Crawley cut across to the bottom exiting turn two to take command.

While Stewart stayed within striking distance much of the way, Crawley worked the bottom portion of the track flawlessly and cruised to victory lane aboard Mike Ward’s McCarver-powered Boater Sports No. 88 Maxim, not even allowing some lapped traffic in the latter stages slow his victory charge.

In Crawley’s wake, Stewart had his hands full throughout. After just a handful of laps, tenth-starter Sean McClelland moved in and diced with Stewart for the runner-up position until the race’s final caution flew for Eric Baldaccini’s disabled mount on the front stretch with 15 laps in the books.

Nick Smith battled past McClelland on the restart and then mixed it up with Stewart the rest of the way with Stewart edging Smith by mere feet at the line for second in Paul Silva’s Wesmar-powered ProBilt Construction No. 57 A.R.T.

Smith claimed the show position in the Wesmar-powered Sooner Network Solutions No. 15s J&J, while Tony Bruce, Jr., reclaimed several positions over the final rounds to snare fourth in the Rider-powered No. 18 Maxim.

McClelland rounded out the top five in the Wesmar-powered Maxwell Oil No. 1 J&J, with defending ASCS Speedweek champion Jason Johnson climbing from 12th to finish sixth. Justin Sturch was seventh, with 16th-starter Paul McMahan, 20th-starter Zach Chappell and 23rd-starter Gavin Punch completing the top ten.

Bruce, Matt Covington, Dustin Morgan and Stewart topped heat race action for the 30-car field, with Eric Baldaccini winning the 12-lap “B” Main.

Six-time ASCS Speedweek champion Gary Wright, racing just 20 miles from his Hooks, TX, home, made an early exit from the feature with rear end woes and was credited with a 21st place finish.

Claud Estes and Gary Taylor both tumbled off the turn three embankment on the opening round of the “B” Main. Both drivers walked away unscathed, although Taylor’s mount was mangled.

Round Two of the 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters takes place Saturday night at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway, with racing action getting under way at 7:30 p.m.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek
Round One – Texarkana 67 Speedway

Heat Races (Top 18 in Passing Points to “A” Main):

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 2. 88-Tim Crawley, 3. 15s-Nick Smith, 4. 2-Kenneth Walker, 5. 81au-Gavin Punch, 6. 50z-Zach Chappell, 7. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 8. 87a-Andrew Marshala.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington, 2. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 41-Jason Johnson, 5. 23-Seth Bergman, 6. 75-Don Young, 7. 74e-Claud Estes, 8. 2x-Randy McKinney.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 93-Dustin Morgan, 2. 94-Danny Wood, 3. 1-Sean McClelland, 4. 9x-Gary Wright, 5. 77-Colt Treharn, 6. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 7. 14k-Kyle Bellm.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 57-Shane Stewart, 2. 8z-Zach Pringle, 3. 9-Justin Sturch, 4. 3d-Paul McMahan, 5. 99-Brady Bacon, 6. 01-Jeremy Newkirk, 7. 91-Gary Taylor.

“B” Main (Top 6 Advance to “A” Main):

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 50z-Zach Chappell, 3. 01-Jeremy Newkirk, 4. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 5. 81au-Gavin Punch, 6. 75-Don Young, 7. 77-Colt Treharn, 8. 2x-Randy McKinney, 9. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 10. 74e-Claud Estes, 11. 91-Gary Taylor, 12. 87a-Andrew Marshala.

ASCS Speedweek Round One “A” Main Event:

“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 88-Tim Crawley, 2. 57-Shane Stewart, 3. 15s-Nick Smith, 4. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 5. 1-Sean McClelland, 6. 41-Jason Johnson, 7. 9-Justin Sturch, 8. 3d-Paul McMahan, 9. 50z-Zach Chappell, 10. 81au-Gavin Punch, 11. 29-Travis Rilat, 12. 99-Brady Bacon, 13. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 14. 75-Don Young, 15. 2-Kenneth Walker, 16. 23-Seth Bergman, 17. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 18. 95-Matt Covington, 19. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 20. 8z-Zach Pringle, 21. 9x-Gary Wright, 22. 93-Dustin Morgan, 23. 01-Jeremy Newkirk, 24. 94-Danny Wood.

Lap Leaders: Tim Crawley 1-30.

17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek Points (Top Ten – Through Round One of Six): 1. Tim Crawley 150, 2. Shane Stewart 146, 3. Nick Smith 144, 4. Tony Bruce, Jr., 142, 5. Sean McClelland 140, 6. Jason Johnson 138, 7. Justin Sturch 136, 8. Paul McMahan 134, 9. Zach Chappell 132, 10. Gavin Punch 130.

by Lonnie Wheatley

ASCS Sprint Cars fire up for 17th Annual ASCS “Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek”

It’s that time of year. Travel plans are all laid out. Vacation days are line up and those mysterious “flu-like” symptoms may conveniently arise at just the right time to fit in that extra night or two.

That’s right, the 17th Annual ASCS Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek fires off this Friday night, marking the first of six nights of competition at six different tracks throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, the popular ASCS Speedweek kicks off Friday night at Texarkana 67 Speedway before moving on to Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway on Saturday.

After a two-night break, competition resumes at Creek County Speedway near Tulsa, OK, on Tuesday night, June 9, before wrapping up with three consecutive nights from June 11-13 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX), State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK) and Lawton (OK) Speedway.

And, for the first time, the stars of the Sprint Car racing world will be joined for the week by the ASCS2 Outlaw Micro Sprints. The ASCS2 Outlaw Micros will be in action at five of the six events, sitting out only the Devil’s Bowl Speedway portion of ASCS Speedweek.

A $10,000 ASCS Speedweek points fund is in place, with each individual night’s feature winner pocketing $3,000.

Eunice, Louisiana’s Jason Johnson, “The Ragin’ Cajun”, is the defending ASCS Speedweek champion as well as the reigning Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National champion. Johnson will try to become the first driver to post back-to-back Speedweek titles since Gary Wright accomplished the repeat feat in 1999 and 2000.

In addition to Johnson and Wright, other past ASCS Speedweek champions expected for the week include Tim Crawley and current Lucas Oil ASCS points leader Shane Stewart. A full host of top contenders are expected to vie for a first ASCS Speedweek crown as well.

ASCS Speedweek Particulars:

17th Annual ASCS Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters

When & Where:

ROUND ONE: Friday night, June 5 at 7:30 p.m. – Texarkana 67 Speedway
ROUND TWO: Saturday night, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. – I-30 Speedway
ROUND THREE: Tuesday night, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. – Creek County Speedway
ROUND FOUR: Thursday night, June 11 at 8:00 p.m. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway
ROUND FIVE: Friday night, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. – State Fair Speedway
ROUND SIX: Saturday night, June 13 at 8:00 p.m. – Lawton Speedway

ASCS Speedweek Point Fund:

The top seven in final ASCS Speedweek points, “The Magnificent Seven”, will divvy up the $10,000 point fund in the following manner:

Champion - $2,000
2nd - $1,600
3rd - $1,500
4th - $1,400
5th - $1,300
6th - $1,200
7th - $1,000

Track Information:

Texarkana 67 Speedway (Texarkana, AR) – ¼-mile semi-banked clay oval located east of Texarkana on I-30 to Exit 7, then 0.5 miles southeast on State Road 108, then 2.6 miles northeast on U.S. 67. For more information, contact the track at 870-773-0029.

I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – ¼-mile high-banked clay oval located seven miles southwest of Little Rock on I-30 to Exit 126 (Alexander Road), then south to frontage road, then east. For more information contact the track at 501-455-4567.

Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) – ¼-mile semi-banked dirt oval located southwest of Tulsa off I-44 Exit 211, then 0.3 miles south on State Road 33, then one mile west on State Road 66, then south. For more information, contact the track at 918-247-6675.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – ½-mile high-banked clay oval located six miles east of Dallas’ I-635 on US 80, then three miles south on Lawson Road. For more information, contact the track at 972-222-2421.

State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK) – 3/8-mile slightly-banked dirt oval located at Oklahoma City’s Oklahoma State Fairgrounds near the intersection of N.W. 10th and May Avenue, one-half mile north of I-40 off Exit 147-C. For more information, contact the track at 405-948-6796.

Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) – ¼-mile semi-banked clay oval located off I-44 Exit 36, then 2.5 miles west on Lee Boulevard, then 1.4 miles south on Sheridan Road. For more information, contact the track at 580-355-6417.

ASCS Speedweek Past Winners by Track:

Texarkana 67 Speedway (Fifth time to host ASCS Speedweek) - Tim Crawley (1998), Gary Wright (2000), Tim Crawley (2005), Gary Taylor (2008)

I-30 Speedway (Eleventh time to host ASCS Speedweek) - Tim Crawley (1993), Garry Lee Maier (1994), Gary Wright (1995), Garry Lee Maier (1996), Gary Wright (1997), Terry Gray (1998), Travis Rilat (2004), Tim Crawley (2005), Gary Wright (2007), Gary Wright (2008)

Creek County Speedway (Twelfth time to host ASCS Speedweek) - Mike Ward (1993), John Hunt (1993), Garry Lee Maier (1994), Gary Wright (1995), Wayne Johnson (1996), Phil Gressman (1998), Tim Crawley (1999), Tim Crawley (2000), Jason Johnson (2006), Darren Stewart (2007), Jason Johnson (2008)

Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Fourteenth time to host ASCS Speedweek) - Shane Carson (1994), Mike Ward (1995), Wayne Johnson (1996), Wayne Johnson (1997), Gary Wright (1998), Garry Lee Maier (1999), Gary Wright (2000), Gary Wright (2001), Jason Johnson (2002), Danny Jennings (2005), Gary Wright (2006), Gary Wright (2007), Gary Wright (2008)

State Fair Speedway (Sixth time to host ASCS Speedweek) - Zach Chappell (2001), Shane Stewart (2003), Jason Johnson (2006), Gary Wright (2007), Gary Taylor (2008)

Lawton Speedway (Sixth time to host ASCS Speedweek) - Gary Wright (2002), Gary Wright (2003), Kevin Ramey (2006), Gary Wright (2007), Jason Johnson (2008)

Past ASCS Speedweek Champions:

2008 – Jason Johnson
2007 – Gary Wright
2006 – Jason Johnson
2005 – Darren Stewart
2004 – Tim Crawley
2003 – Shane Stewart
2002 – Gary Wright
2001 – Kevin Ramey
2000 – Gary Wright
1999 – Gary Wright
1998 – Terry Gray
1997 – Gary Wright
1996 – Terry Gray
1995 – Terry Gray
1994 – Gary Wright
1993 – Terry Gray

Career ASCS Speedweek Feature Wins (31 Different Winners in 104 Features):

Gary Wright 29, Tim Crawley 12, Jason Johnson 9, Terry Gray 7, Garry Lee Maier 5, Mike Ward 5, Wayne Johnson 4, Darren Stewart 4, Travis Rilat 3, Eddie Gallagher 2, Kevin Ramey 2, Shane Stewart 2, Gary Taylor 2, Pete Butler 1, Shane Carson 1, Zach Chappell 1, Roger Crockett 1, Michael Dupuy 1, Phil Gressman 1, Rickey Hood 1, Jan Howard 1, John Hunt 1, Danny Jennings 1, Tim Montgomery 1, Larry Neighbors 1, Alan Payne 1, A.G. Rains 1, Eric Sandage 1, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. 1, Billy Wilburn 1, Danny Wood 1.

ASCS Speedweek on the Web:

Those unable to catch all the action in person can listen to every ASCS Speedweek event featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters live at www.racinboys.com.

Official results, Speedweek championship point updates, photos and race notes will be available at www.ascsracing.com.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for approximately 33 nights of racing action at 16 different tracks throughout the nation, with the country’s top Sprint Car drivers set to battle it out for their share of the $250,000 points fund.

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 Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals; Launches Lucas Oil ASCS title defense

Jason Johnson launched his Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters title defense in strong fashion by emerging atop a hotly-contested 30-lap finale at the 36th Annual Devil’s Bowl Speedway Spring Nationals on Saturday night.

“The Ragin’ Cajun” battled into the lead on the 20th circuit and then outdueled Tony Bruce, Jr., over the final circuits to secure the win in a rousing finale to the series’ opening weekend of competition that attracted 67 competitors from 17 different states.

“This thing is tough, there’s so much competition here I’m having to work way too hard,” Johnson quipped after his first series win of the season aboard Lanny Row’s Wesmar-powered The Shop Motorsports/Custom Equipment Design No. 41 Eagle.

Advancing from the sixth position, Johnson raced around Bruce for the lead on a lap 20 restart. But, the race was far from being over, as Bruce battled back in his Rider-powered No. 18 Maxim.

After crossing the stripe in full throttle, wheel-to-wheel formation to complete the 26th lap, the pair locked horns for the $6,000 winner’s share with Johnson on the low side and Bruce up high. Johnson drifted up the track exiting turn two on the 27th round and muscled back into the lead as Bruce was forced into uncharted territory beyond the traditional Devil’s Bowl backstretch racing surface.

“I apologize if I used up too much track there, I try to race everyone the way they would race me,” Johnson explained in victory lane. “I had to what I could though because this is where I want to be standing after the checkered flag flies.”

As if coming out on the short end of the lead battle weren’t enough, insult was added to injury when Bruce weighed in just five pounds below the required minimum of 1,475 pounds. Bruce was relegated to a 24th place finish following the disqualification, with Shane Stewart escaping the weekend with the series’ early points lead after assuming runner-up honors. Gary Wright picked up three positions over the final ten rounds to claim the show position, with Johnny Herrera and Travis Rilat rounding out the top five.

After drawing the pole position for the main event, Bruce outgunned Friday night winner Shane Stewart for the lead at the drop of the green flag and paced the early circuits with Johnson taking third away from Wright by the sixth round.

A three-way scrum for the point between Bruce, Stewart and Johnson was about to fully erupt as traffic came into play, only to have the race’s first caution fly after eleven laps when Brian Brown came to a stop on the frontstretch. At the same time, Travis Rilat slid to a stop off the top of turn two. Rilat tagged the tail of the field, while Brown retired to the pit area after attempted repairs.

Back under way, Stewart shot into the lead on the 12th circuit. It was short-lived however, as Bruce returned the favor on the 14th round. Bruce turned up the wick in the ensuing circuits and opened a half straightaway lead as Stewart and Johnson battled for second.

Johnson finally disposed of Stewart for second on the 17th round and was reeling in the leader when action was interrupted with 19 laps in the books after Dustin Morgan came to a stop on the frontstretch following contact with Danny Wood.

Johnson rallied by Bruce on the high side of turns one and two on the restart, setting the stage for the intense final rounds in which Johnson ultimately outlasted Bruce to take the checkered flag with a 0.518-second advantage.

Running among the top three throughout, Stewart assumed runner-up honors aboard Paul Silva’s Wesmar-powered ProBilt Construction No. 57 A.R.T. in the final rundown.

Slipping from his third-starting position to as far back as sixth on the 19th round, four-time series champion Gary Wright worked back up to third by race’s end in Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service No. 9x Maxim.

New Mexico’s Johnny Herrera posted his second top-five finish in as many nights by crossing the stripe fourth in the No. 45x entry, while 18th-starter Rilat raced back from his early miscue to round out the top five in the Shark-powered F&J Construction No. 29 Triple-X.

Eric Baldaccini, the 2008 Brodix Rookie of the Year, earned KSE Hard Charger honors by racing from 20th to sixth. After surrendering the fourth position due to a flat left rear tire on the 23rd lap, Joe Wood, Jr., raced back through the field in the final circuits to salvage a solid seventh-place showing.

Zach Chappell raced from 22nd to eighth, with Nick Smith and Tim Crawley completing the top ten.

Koby Barksdale, Smith, Wood, Morgan, Andy Shouse, Sean McClelland and Rilat topped Saturday night’s heat races. Barksdale made an early exit from the main event with engine woes.

Wood wired the field in the first “B” Main with ninth-starter Baldaccini making a late move around Brad Welborn for the second and final transfer.

Rilat paced the opening eleven laps of the second “B” Main before Brady Bacon finally made the top side of turns three and four work to his advantage. Bacon spun out of the lead a lap later however, leaving Rilat to take the win in front of Mike Chadd.

McMahan paced the entire distance in the third “B” Main, with Chappell taking advantage of a late caution to overtake Trevor Lewis for the final transfer.

Michael Dupuy ran among the top five much of the way in the main event before fading and then exiting just a few laps shy of the checkered flag.

Sixteen-year-old Trey Robb had climbed from 12th to sixth only to spin off the top of turn two on the 27th round to bring out the race’s final caution.

Darren Long got upside down on the opening lap of the second heat race, with Glenn Martin also tumbling entering turn one in the fifth heat. Both drivers were done for the night.

Derrik Ortega tagged the frontstretch wall exiting turn four and got upside down on the initial start of the second “B” Main, with Jerry Bell and Kenneth Walker both tumbling in the same place on the ensuing restart. Walker made repairs in time to use a provisional for the main event as the others watched on.

Action for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters resumes with next weekend’s State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals in Oklahoma City, OK.

36th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals Finale Results:

Locked in From Friday’s Preliminary Feature:
57-Shane Stewart, 9x-Gary Wright, 41-Jason Johnson, 21-Brian Brown.

Heat Races (Top 12 in Passing Points to “A” Main; Balance to 3 “B” Mains):

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 22-Koby Barksdale, 2. 4J-Lee Grosz, 3. 3d-Paul McMahan, 4. e85-Zach Chappell, 5. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 6. 86-Josh Fisher, 7. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 8. 11-Chad Corken, 9. 50-Stephanie Chappell.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 15s-Nick Smith, 2. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 3. 12-Trey Robb, 4. 88-Tim Crawley, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 2-Kenneth Walker, 7. 13k-Kathryne Minter, 8. 9-Brian Parker, 9. 7-Darren Long.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 94-Danny Wood, 2. 17w-Brad Welborn, 3. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 4. 9jr-Derek Hagar, 5. 53-Jack Dover, 6. 91-Gary Taylor, 7. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 8. 74e-Claud Estes, 9. 35-Derrik Ortega.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 93-Dustin Morgan, 2. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 3. 81au-Gavin Punch, 4. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 5. 21L-Trevor Lewis, 6. 15-Kerry McAlister, 7. 65-Skip Wilson, 8. 3-Mark Shirshekan.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 27-Andy Shouse, 2. 00-Michael Dupuy, 3. 10-Bryan Dobesh, 4. 95-Matt Covington, 5. 11F-Foster Landon, 6. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 7. 5m-Glenn Martin, 8. 96-Bronson Maeschen.

Heat Six (8 Laps): 1. 1-Sean McClelland, 2. 99-Brady Bacon, 3. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 4. 23-Seth Bergman, 5. 87-Billy Melton, 6. 45k-Kolt Walker, 7. 12w-Dale Wester, 8. 13-Jesse Hockett.

Heat Seven (8 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 4c-Mike Chadd, 3. 85-Jerry Bell, 4. 12J-Jared Ridge, 5. 10a-Ricky Logan, 6. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 7. 65g-Jordan Goldesberry, 8. 14e-Justin Spoerl.

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

First “B” Feature (15 Laps): 1. 94-Danny Wood, 2. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 3. 17w-Brad Welborn, 4. 4J-Lee Grosz, 5. 11F-Foster Landon, 6. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 7. 81au-Gavin Punch, 8. 96-Bronson Maeschen, 9. 9jr-Derek Hagar, 10. 10-Bryan Dobesh, 11. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 12. 12w-Dale Wester, 13. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 14. 50-Stephanie Chappell, 15. 14e-Justin Spoerl, 16. 97-Aaron Berryhill

Second “B” Feature (15 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 4c-Mike Chadd, 3. 10a-Ricky Logan, 4. 23-Seth Bergman, 5. 53-Jack Dover, 6. 65-Skip Wilson, 7. 11-Chad Corken, 8. 74e-Claud Estes, 9. 15-Kerry McAlister, 10. 99-Brady Bacon, 11. 13k-Kathryne Minter, 12. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 13. 85-Jerry Bell, 14. 2-Kenneth Walker, 15. 35-Derrik Ortega. DNS: 7-Darren Long.

Third “B” Feature (15 Laps): 1. 3d-Paul McMahan, 2. e85-Zach Chappell, 3. 21L-Trevor Lewis, 4. 13-Jesse Hockett, 5. 91-Gary Taylor, 6. 3-Mark Shirshekan, 7. 45k-Kolt Walker, 8. 87-Billy Melton, 9. 95-Matt Covington, 10. 12J-Jared Ridge, 11. 9-Brian Parker, 12. 65g-Jordan Goldesberry, 13. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 14. 86-Josh Fisher. DNS: 5m-Glenn Martin.

36th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals Championship “A” Main Event:

“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 57-Shane Stewart, 3. 9x-Gary Wright, 4. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 5. 29-Travis Rilat, 6. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 7. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 8. e85-Zach Chappell, 9. 15s-Nick Smith, 10. 88-Tim Crawley, 11. 94-Danny Wood, 12. 12-Trey Robb, 13. 27-Andy Shouse, 14. 4c-Mike Chadd, 15. 3d-Paul McMahan, 16. 2-Kenneth Walker, 17. 00-Michael Dupuy, 18. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 19. 1-Sean McClelland, 20. 93-Dustin Morgan, 21. 50-Stephanie Chappell, 22. 21-Brian Brown, 23. 22-Koby Barksdale, 24. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr. (Disqualified; weighed in below the minimum required weight after finishing second).

Lap Leaders: Tony Bruce, Jr. 1-11, Shane Stewart 12-13, Tony Bruce, Jr. 14-19, Jason Johnson 20-30.

Note: Stephanie Chappell and Kenneth Walker utilized provisionals based on 2008 owner’s points to start the “A” Main.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters Points (Top 15): 1. Shane Stewart 296, 2. Jason Johnson 294, 3. Gary Wright 290, 4. Johnny Herrera 282, 5. (tie) Danny Wood and Nick Smith 260, 7. Paul McMahan 258, 8. (tie) Brian Brown and Eric Baldaccini 248, 10. Michael Dupuy 240, 11. Tony Bruce, Jr. 238, 12. Sean McClelland 232, 13. Mike Chadd 226, 14. Dustin Morgan 222, 15. Travis Rilat 215.

by Lonnie Wheatley

Shane Stewart Wins Lucas Oil ASCS Opener at Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals

A new era in Sprint Car racing kicked off with the opening night of the 36th Annual Devil’s Bowl Speedway Spring Nationals as Oklahoma native Shane Stewart raced to victory lane in the season opening 25-lap feature event for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters.

Stewart raced around early leader Paul McMahan on the tenth round and later held off the closing duo of Gary Wright and Jason Johnson to strike the winning blow in the opening salvo of the Lucas Oil ASCS $60,000 championship points chase.

“This has got to be one of my biggest wins,” were the first words out of Stewart’s mouth after climbing from Paul Silva’s Wesmar-powered ProBilt Construction No. 57 ART-chassis. “Paul and his guys did an unbelievable job, just four days ago the trailer was completely empty and now it’s got about all we could need.”

Stewart beat four-time series champion Gary Wright to the stripe by two car-lengths, with defending series champion Jason Johnson claiming the show position. Brian Brown snared the fourth and final lock-in position to Saturday night’s 30-lap Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals championship feature event by crossing the stripe in fourth.

After starting the feature from the second row inside, Stewart spent the early rounds chasing McMahan, who had outgunned Brown for the lead at the drop of the green.

But, after three quick cautions in the opening handful of laps, Stewart began pressuring McMahan for the point before diving into the lead in turn three on the tenth lap.

“I thought he (McMahan) would be a little stronger than what he was,” Stewart explained afterward. “We were just a little tight early, so I knew we’d probably get better as the race went on.”

Out front, Stewart worked through traffic adeptly to keep Wright and Johnson at bay in the final rounds en route to his 16th career ASCS National triumph.

“We just need a backup motor and then I’m sure we can stay out here all year and try to keep racking up the points,” Stewart commented of his Lucas Oil ASCS title aspirations.

Just as Stewart took command on the tenth circuit, the action immediately behind him for position was intense between McMahan, Wright and Johnson. Wright finally battled into the second position on the 15th round with Johnson following suit. A lap later, McMahan bicycled in turn two and lost three more positions.

Wright, who surrendered the second starting position and was shuffled back to 14th in the grid (last among heat race transfers to the “A” Main) after swapping out powerplants, had wasted little time racing into contention by cracking the top five in Scott Brown’s ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service No. 9x Maxim after just five laps.

Wright then took fourth from Brown by the ninth round before surging past both Johnson and McMahan in traffic. Wright closed in on Stewart in the closing circuits before settling for runner-up honors and locking into Saturday’s feature in his bid for back-to-back Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals honors.

Working forward from seventh, Johnson kicked off his title defense with a close third-place run in the Wesmar-powered The Shop Motorsports No. 41 Eagle, while Brown took advantage of McMahan’s lap 16 slip to snare fourth in the Super Clean No. 21 Maxim.

Riding a wave of 15 consecutive ASCS Regional feature wins into the weekend, New Mexico’s Johnny Herrera rounded out the top five just a couple of car lengths behind Brown.

McMahan settled for sixth, with Tony Bruce, Jr., earning KSE Hard Charger honors by racing from 20th to seventh. Jack Dover bounced back from an early stop to snare eighth after starting 18th, while Danny Wood recovered from an early foray off of turn two to claim ninth. After running among the top five in the early stages, Pennsylvania’s Trevor Lewis completed the top ten.

Stewart, Wright, Kyle Bellm, Nick Smith, Herrera, Lewis, Aaron Berryhill and Wood topped heat race action for the 65-car field, with Michael Dupuy, Skip Wilson, Dustin Morgan and Dover victorious in the 12-lap “B” Mains.

The red flag flew on the opening lap of the night’s eighth and final heat race when Minnesota’s Neil Stevens and Nebraska’s Mark Pace both flipped wildly in the opening pair of corners after contact. Both drivers emerged relatively unscathed.

36th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals Preliminary Results:

Heat Races (Top 14 in Passing Points to “A” Main; Balance to 4 “B” Mains):

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 57-Shane Stewart, 2. 93-Dustin Morgan, 3. 1-Sean McClelland, 4. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 5. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 6. 22-Koby Barksdale, 7. 2-Kenneth Walker, 8. 50-Stephanie Chappell, 9. 12w-Dale Wester.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 13k-Kathryne Minter, 3. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 4. 88-Tim Crawley, 5. 29-Travis Rilat, 6. 9jr-Derek Hagar, 7. 12-Trey Robb, 8. 9-Brian Parker.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 2. 4c-Mike Chadd, 3. 13-Jesse Hockett, 4. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 5. 53-Jack Dover, 6. 96-Bronson Maeschen, 7. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 8. 5m-Glenn Martin.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 15s-Nick Smith, 2. 00-Michael Dupuy, 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 15-Kerry McAlister, 5. 23-Seth Bergman, 6. e85-Zach Chappell, 7. 17w-Brad Welborn, 8. 91-Gary Taylor.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 2. 21-Brian Brown, 3. 81au-Gavin Punch, 4. 12J-Jared Ridge, 5. 7-Darren Long, 6. 87-Billy Melton, 7. 51-Jimmy Brooks, 8. 99-Brady Bacon.

Heat Six (8 Laps): 1. 21L-Trevor Lewis, 2. 11F-Foster Landon, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 27-Andy Shouse, 5. 10a-Ricky Logan, 6. 11-Chad Corken, 7. 14e-Justin Spoerl, 8. 85-Jerry Bell.

Heat Seven (8 Laps): 1. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 2. 3-Mark Shirshekan, 3. 65-Skip Wilson, 4. 10-Bryan Dobesh, 5. 95-Matt Covington, 6. 35-Derrik Ortega, 7. 65g-Jordan Goldesberry, 8. 45-Martin Edwards.

Heat Eight (8 Laps): 1. 94-Danny Wood, 2. 3d-Paul McMahan, 3. 86-Josh Fisher, 4. 4x-Jamie Passmore, 5. 4J-Lee Grosz, 6. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 7. 2x-Neil Stevens, 8. 31-Mark Pace.

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

First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 00-Michael Dupuy, 2. 1-Sean McClelland, 3. 13-Jesse Hockett, 4. 22-Koby Barksdale, 5. 4J-Lee Grosz, 6. 96-Bronson Maeschen, 7. 15-Kerry McAlister, 8. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 9. 12-Trey Robb, 10. 12J-Jared Ridge, 11. 65g-Jordan Goldesberry, 12. 9-Brian Parker. DNS: 91-Gary Taylor.

Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 65-Skip Wilson, 2. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 3. e85-Zach Chappell, 4. 88-Tim Crawley, 5. 23-Seth Bergman, 6. 99-Brady Bacon, 7. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 8. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 9. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 10. 3-Mark Shirshekan, 11. 9jr-Derek Hagar. DNS: 2x-Neil Stevens, 31-Mark Pace.

Third “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 93-Dustin Morgan, 2. 81au-Gavin Punch, 3. 86-Josh Fisher, 4. 4x-Jamie Passmore, 5. 11-Chad Corken, 6. 7-Darren Long, 7. 10a-Ricky Logan, 8. 27-Andy Shouse, 9. 17w-Brad Welborn, 10. 85-Jerry Bell, 11. 12w-Dale Wester, 12. 45-Martin Edwards. DNS: 51-Jimmy Brooks.

Fourth “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 53-Jack Dover, 2. 11F-Foster Landon, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 5. 95-Matt Covington, 6. 14e-Justin Spoerl, 7. 2-Kenneth Walker, 8. 87-Billy Melton, 9. 35-Derrik Ortega, 10. 5m-Glenn Martin 11. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 12. 50-Stephanie Chappell.

36th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals Preliminary “A” Main Event:

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 57-Shane Stewart, 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 4. 21-Brian Brown, 5. 45x-Johnny Herrera, 6. 3d-Paul McMahan, 7. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 8. 53-Jack Dover, 9. 94-Danny Wood, 10. 21L-Trevor Lewis, 11. 15s-Nick Smith, 12. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 13. 00-Michael Dupuy, 14. 10-Bryan Dobesh, 15. 1-Sean McClelland, 16. 81au-Gavin Punch, 17. 11F-Foster Landon, 18. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 19. 93-Dustin Morgan, 20. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 21. 65-Skip Wilson, 22. 50-Stephanie Chappell, 23. 4c-Mike Chadd, 24. 13k-Kathryne Minter.

Lap Leaders: Paul McMahan 1-9, Shane Stewart 10-25.

Note: Stephanie Chappell and Eric Baldaccini utilized provisionals based on 2008 owner’s points to start the “A” Main.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters Points (Top 15): 1. Shane Stewart 150, 2. Gary Wright 146, 3. Jason Johnson 144, 4. Brian Brown 142, 5. Johnny Herrera 140, 6. Paul McMahan 138, 7. Tony Bruce, Jr. 136, 8. Jack Dover 134, 9. Danny Wood 132, 10. Trevor Lewis 130, 11. Nick Smith 128, 12. Aaron Berryhill 126, 13. Michael Dupuy 124, 14. Bryan Dobesh 122, 15. Sean McClelland 120.

by Lonnie Wheatley

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