Devils Bowl ready for ASCoT Spring Nationals

[rebelracewriter]

O'Reilly ASCoT Set for Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals

 

by Lonnie Wheatley

 

TULSA, Okla. (March 12, 2007) – The engines fire back to life this weekend for the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour as the National series takes to the famed ½-mile Devil's Bowl Speedway clay oval near Dallas, TX, for the 34th Annual Spring Nationals on Friday and Saturday.

 

And, being added to the event's list of prestigious winners will prove to be quite a task as approximately 50 of the nation's top drivers are expected for the weekend.

 

Leading the way into the weekend is three-time and reigning ASCS National champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX. "The Texan", who got the ASCoT season off to a strong start with a $10,000 triumph at Tampa's East Bay Raceway Park, has posted 14 of his 108 career series feature wins atop the Devil's Bowl clay.

 

While Wright tries to pad his early-season point lead, several drivers will try to chip away at that lead with a strong weekend. Among those who will try to make a run at Wright this weekend are 2006 National runner-up Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA, and 2003 ASCS National champion Travis Rilat of Forney, TX. Johnson topped the preliminary event of last year's season-ending Winter Nationals at Devil's Bowl, with Rilat topping the Winter Nationals finale the next night.

 

Others expected to vie for the crown include Oklahoma City's Wayne Johnson, who has teamed with the Mississippi-based H&H Enterprises team, 2005 National Tour runner-up Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK), 2006 Rookie of the Year Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK), 2001 National Tour runner-up Larry Neighbors (Oklahoma City, OK) and Rookie of the Year contenders Chris Schmelzle (Victoria, BC Canada) and Foster Landon (Collinsville, OK).

 

Other top contenders expected for the weekend include former ASCS National champion Garry Lee Maier (Cimarron, KS), Missouri's Brian Brown, defending ASCS Midwest Region champion Toby Chapman (Lincoln, NE) and defending ASCS Northern Plains Region champion Chuck Swenson (Watertown, SD).

 

Also, Fort Worth's Kevin Ramey will try to add another ASCS Devil's Bowl triumph after winning both the Spring and Summer Nationals in 2006, while Norman, Oklahoma's Danny Jennings tries for another Spring Nationals title after sweeping the two-night event in 2005.

 

The Series:

O' Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour (ASCoT)

 

When & Where:

Friday night, March 16 at 8:00 p.m. – Devil’s Bowl 34th Annual Spring Nationals prelim

Saturday night, March 17 at 8:00 p.m. – Devil’s Bowl 34th Annual Spring Nationals finale

 

Track Information:

Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) ½-mile high-banked clay oval located six miles east of Dallas’ Loop I-635 on US 80, then three miles south on Lawson Road. Track phone: 972-222-2421.

 

O'Reilly ASCoT Devil’s Bowl History:

Devil’s Bowl Speedway has been hosting the O’Reilly ASCS National Tour since 1994, with 18 different drivers scoring at least one victory in 44 feature events. Gary Wright has claimed 14 of his 108 career ASCS National wins at Devil’s Bowl, including an ASCS Speedweek win in 2006. After Norman, Oklahoma's Danny Jennings swept the 2005 edition of the Spring Nationals, former track champion Kevin Ramey was ultimately crowned the 2006 Spring Nationals champion when he won the rain-postponed finale on June 24. Former series champion Travis Rilat put the wraps on the 2006 season with a triumph in the Devil's Bowl Winter Nationals.

 

Devil’s Bowl ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 14, Danny Jennings 3, Wayne Johnson 3, Kevin Ramey 3, Shane Carson 2, Terry Gray 2, Jason Johnson 2, Garry Lee Maier 2, Mike Peters 2, Travis Rilat 2, Sammy Swindell 2, Tim Crawley 1, Edd French 1, Johnny Herrera 1, Larry Neighbors 1, Alan Payne 1, Shane Stewart 1, Mike Ward 1.

 

Devil’s Bowl O’Reilly ASCoT Race-by-race Winners: Shane Carson (6/21/94), Alan Payne (5/12/95), Mike Ward (7/23/95), Mike Peters (9/1/95), Sammy Swindell (9/2/95), Sammy Swindell (9/3/95), Wayne Johnson (6/18/96), Terry Gray (7/6/96), Terry Gray (11/1/96), Johnny Herrera (11/2/96), Shane Carson (4/5/97), Wayne Johnson (6/18/97), Edd French (10/31/97), Mike Peters (11/1/97), Gary Wright (6/19/98), Gary Wright (10/3/98), Garry Lee Maier (10/4/98), Gary Wright (7/8/99), Garry Lee Maier (7/30/99), Gary Wright (10/1/99), Gary Wright (10/2/99), Gary Wright (7/21/00), Gary Wright (10/6/00), Larry Neighbors (4/20/01), Gary Wright (7/20/01), Gary Wright (10/6/01), Travis Rilat (4/19/02), Jason Johnson (6/7/02), Wayne Johnson (10/4/02), Gary Wright (10/5/02), Kevin Ramey (4/18/03), Tim Crawley (10/17/03), Gary Wright (10/18/03), Shane Stewart (10/23/04), Danny Jennings (3/18/05), Danny Jennings (3/19/05), Danny Jennings (6/9/05), Gary Wright (10/21/05), Gary Wright (10/22/05), Kevin Ramey (6/24/06 – Spring Nationals makeup feature), Kevin Ramey (6/24/06 – Summer Nationals), Gary Wright (7/13/06), Jason Johnson (10/13/06), Travis Rilat (10/14/06).

 

Current O’Reilly ASCoT Points (After 3 of 46 Nights):

Top Ten: 1. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 147, 2. Danny Smith (Danville, IN) 130, 3. Tim Shaffer (Aliquippa, PA) 127, 4. Greg Wilson (Benton Ridge, OH) 126, 5. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 118, 6. Terry McCarl (Altoona, IA) 117, 7. Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK) 115, 8. Danny Martin, Jr. (Sarasota, FL) 112, 9. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 111, 10. Kenny Adams (Malabar, FL) 106.

 

2007 O’Reilly ASCoT Feature Winners:

Gary Wright 2, Terry McCarl 1.

 

ASCoT Coming Up:

March 23 State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK)

March 24 State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK)

April 20 Crossville Raceway (Crossville, TN)

April 21 Magnolia Motor Speedway (Columbus, MS)

April 27 67 Speedway (Texarkana, AR)

April 28 I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)

 

The 2007 season marks the 16th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series. With 13 different Regions in addition to the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series, ASCS will sanction approximately 240 nights of racing at more than 100 different race tracks throughout at least 30 different states and Canada.

 

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