ASCS Gulf South hits Haughton La. Champion Park Spwy.

[rebelracewriter]

ASCS Gulf South Fires Off Saturday at Champion Park

 

 

Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (March 26, 2007) – The American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region kicks off its sixth year of racing action this Saturday night with the inaugural Josh Lofton Memorial at Champion Park Speedway in Haughton, LA.

 

 

 

Saturday's lidlifter is the first of nine events on the 2007 ASCS Gulf South schedule that offers up a $2,000 winner's share.

 

 

 

Leading the way into the opener is defending series champion Gary Watson of Beaumont, TX, who became the series fourth different champion in as many years, edging Greg Rilat by just 32 markers for the title.

 

 

 

Hailing from Texas City, TX, the veteran Rilat will make another bid for the ASCS Gulf South Region championship in 2007 after finishing among the top three in series points each of the past four years. Last year marked Rilat's third ASCS Gulf South Region points runner-up finish, with Rilat also finishing second in 2003 and 2005 with a third-place showing in 2004.

 

 

 

Also expected is Ray Allen Kulhanek, who kicked off his 2005 ASCS Gulf South Region campaign with his first career ASCS win in the Gulf South Region's most recent visit to the semi-banked, ¼-mile Champion Park Speedway clay oval.

 

 

 

Among others expected to kick off their pursuit of the ASCS Gulf South Region crown this weekend are Lane Whittington, Chris Sweeney, Kent Lewis, Jr., and Channin Tankersley.

 

 

 

And, with the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series idle this weekend, it's very likely that Louisiana's Jason Johnson and Texan Travis Rilat will drop in to contend for victory honors in the inaugural Josh Lofton Memorial event.

 

 

 

Saturday's action is set to fire off at 7:00 p.m.

 

 

 

Champion Park Speedway is located east of Shreveport, LA, off I-20 Exit 38, then 0.2 miles north, then east 0.7 miles. For more information, contact the track at 318-371-0077.

 

 

 

The 2007 slate for the ASCS Gulf South Region consists of 24 events at ten different tracks throughout Louisiana and Texas as well a single event in Mississippi.

 

 

 

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.