Canyon Series heads to Manzy for Hank Arnold Memorial

[rebelracewriter]

Hank Arnold Memorial on Tap for ASCS Canyon Region

 

by Lonnie Wheatley

 

Tulsa, OK (June 11, 2007) - The wingless aces of the American Sprint Car Series Canyon Region return to Manzanita Speedway's famed half-mile clay oval this Saturday night for the annual Hank Arnold Memorial.

 

And it will provide another opportunity for one of the teams of the ASCS Canyon Region to step up and try to a put a halt to what has been a nearly perfect season thus far for the potent driver-owner combo of Jeremy Sherman and Fred Bryan.

 

Piloting Bryan's F&E Development No. 77 Maxim, Sherman has been masterful in recording six feature wins in seven attempts. And the one time the duo was denied victory lane, they finished a close second at Casa Grande on May 12.

 

But considering the dynamic nature of wingless Sprint Car racing, at least two dozen drivers will try to loosen Sherman's stranglehold on victory lane in Saturday's Hank Arnold Memorial.

 

Sherman carries a 72-point lead in the series championship points race into Saturday's event, with past state champion Josh Pelkey his closest points challenger. Yuma's Mike Martin has climbed into third after three consecutive top-ten runs, just a dozen markers ahead of Mike Leslie and Bernie Smith, who are tied for fourth.

 

The balance of a tightly bunched top ten in points includes Bob Ream, Jr., Andrew Reinbold, Seainn Hendricsen, Shon Deskins and Charles Davis, Jr. After missing one event early in the season, Davis cracked the top ten with his fourth runner-up finish of the season this past Saturday night at Tucson.

 

Sixteen-year-old Michael Colegrove is just nine points out of the top ten right now, chased by Rookie contenders Jeremy Reagles and Nick Aiuto along with Bruce St. James and Bobby Taylor.

 

Ream was originally only awarded 75 points following Saturday night's event at Tucson's USA Race Park when he scratched from the main following a crash in the Pole Dash. However, it was determined in a post-race points audit that Ream should have been awarded 21st place feature points since he had locked himself into the feature event by virtue of earning a Pole Dash starting position, resulting in 108 points being awarded to Ream on Saturday night.

 

Once again, $50 certificates will be awarded to each of the heat race winners, with Racing Optics sponsoring heat race one, Parker Store sponsoring heat race two, Kenz & Leslie/BG Chemicals sponsoring heat race three and Sunoco sponsoring heat race four. Arizona Race Mart sponsors the Pole Dash, while Sunoco will also award a $50 certificate to each "B" Main winner in ASCS Canyon Region action this year.

 

Saturday's Hank Arnold Memorial at Manzanita Speedway kicks off at 8:00 p.m.

 

Manzanita Speedway is located in Phoenix, AZ, off I-10 Exit 141, then four miles south on 35th Avenue to West Broadway. For more information, contact the track at 602-276-7575.

 

The ASCS Canyon Region brings the best in wingless Sprint Car racing to Arizona in 2007 with a slate of 24 events. In addition to Manzanita Speedway, the series will also be in action at Tucson's USA Race Park and Casa Grande's Central Arizona Raceway over the course of the season.

 

The 2007 season marks the 16th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series, with the series set to 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.