rebelracewriter Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 ASCS: The Road to Knoxville Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (July 31, 2007) – The American Sprint Car Series will be well represented over four nights of action in Iowa beginning on Thursday with the 17th Annual ASCS Knoxville Nationals before winding down with Sunday night's Brodix Tournament of Champions atop the famed half-mile. Twenty-three drivers will be competing under the ASCS banner in Sunday night's $5,000-to-win Brodix Tournament of Champions event. Each of these, along with a number of other ASCS shoes, will be in action as well in the $10,000-to-win ASCS Knoxville Nationals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Well over 100 entries have been received for the ASCS Knoxville Nationals, with a total of 62 drivers representing 18 different sanctioning bodies invited to compete in Sunday's Brodix Tournament of Champions. Nine of the twenty-three ASCS representatives for the Brodix Tournament of Champions come from the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series, with the other 14 representing seven ASCS Regions including Coastal, Gulf South, Midwest, Northern Plains, Patriot, Rebel and Sprints on Dirt. Current O'Reilly ASCoT National point leader Gary Wright is one of six ASCS points leaders that will be in action over the coming weekend at Knoxville Raceway, with others including Tim Norman (ASCS Sprints on Dirt), T.J. Winegardner (ASCS Rebel Region), Chuck Hebing (ASCS Patriots), Natalie Sather (ASCS Midwest Region) and Chuck Swenson (ASCS Northern Plains Region). A look at each of the ASCS contenders that will be in action in both the ASCS Knoxville Nationals and the Brodix Tournament of Champions, in numerical order, follows. #1x – Matt Linder (Hoschton, GA) Series: Rebel Region Rank: 3rd Car Owner: Matt Linder Engine/Chassis: Wells-Eagle Sponsors: CJK Services, MServe, Pro Shocks, Kear's Speed Shop Linder has finished among the top-five in two of six ASCS Rebel starts, with a runner-up finish at Swainsboro (GA) Raceway on June 23 his top finish of the year. #3g – Tim Norman (Warsaw, IN) Series: Sprints on Dirt Rank: 1st Car Owner: Joe Gaerte Racing Engine/Chassis: Gaerte-Maxim Sponsors: XYZ Machining, Gaerte Engines, Hoosier, Red Line Oil, Art's Radiator Holding a slim four-point lead as he chases his third career ASCS Sprints on Dirt championship, Norman has nine top-fives and eleven top-tens in 12 ASCS SOD features this season with his single triumph coming at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, MI, on June 1. #b4 – Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 8th Car Owner: Harry Baldaccini Chassis: Maxim Sponsors: Mike Smith Machine Shop, Best Used Trucks, Color Works Powder Coating, Mahle Pistons After ranking seventh in ASCS Sooner Region points in 2006, the 19-year-old has climbed to eighth in National points while competing in 18 of 28 events. Also competing in seven Regional events this season, Eric's top runs of the year thus far are a pair of sixth-place ASCS Gulf South runs at Motorama Speedway in Beaumont, TX (April 6 and May 18). #4J – Lee Grosz (Harwood, ND) Series: Northern Plains Region Rank: 2nd Car Owner: Doug Howells Engine/Chassis: Wesmar-J&J Sponsors: Bergstrom Electric, Hi-10 Sports Center Just 20 points out of the ASCS Northern Plains Region points lead, the 19-year-old has posted three top-five finishes this year including a runner-up showing at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, MN, on July 7. Grosz also posted three ASCS National top-ten feature finishes in four starts, crossing the stripe seventh at Crawford County, North Central and Dakota State Fair Speedway. #5L – Eric Lutz (Sioux Falls, SD) Series: Northern Plains Region Rank: 4th Car Owner: Monte Lutz Engine/Chassis: Bruns-Schnee Sponsors: Ahrens Chimney Technique, Hunter Automotive, Mader Farms, Bruns Machine, Techniclean of Sioux Falls Last year's ASCS Northern Plains points runner-up, the best of Eric's three top-ten finishes this year was a 15th to third charge at I-90 Speedway in Hartford, SD, on July 27. #05 – Dave Glennon (Casselton, ND) Series: Northern Plains Region Rank: 3rd Car Owner: Dave Glennon Engine/Chassis: Thom-Sand – J&J Sponsors: Thom-Sand Machine, Velociti Metal Works Glennon has posted three top-ten finishes in ASCS Northern Plains action, including a fourth-place run at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, WI, on July 14. Dave also posted a top-ten finish in ASCS National action at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, MN, when he claimed ninth. #9 – Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 1st Car Owner: Gary Wright Engine/Chassis: Wesmar-Maxim Sponsors: Richwood Construction, Whiteco Commercial Funding, Southwest Express, The Shop The defending Brodix Tournament of Champions winner, "The Texan" broke open a tight three-way battle for the $50,000 National championship by winning four of five Speedweek events for his sixth career ASCS Speedweek title. In 28 National starts this season, Wright has posted a dozen wins to run his career total to 118 in ASCS National competition. Wright has finished among the top five in 25 of 28 features with 26 top tens. Wright kicked off the season with a triumph on one of the sport's "majors" by snaring the $10,000 winner's share in East Bay Raceway Park's "King of the 360's" Nationals in Tampa, FL. #09 – Timmy Thrash (Gulfport, MS) Series: Coastal Region Rank: 8th Car Owner: Timmy Thrash Engine/Chassis: Ronald Parker-Maxim Sponsors: Ronald Parker Race Engines, David Ray Automotive, Sunny Mortgage Group, Gulf South Radiology, ICCI Thrash was ranked fourth in ASCS Coastal Region points before missing the July 21 event at Milton, FL, that was plagued by the Florida DOT and dropping to eighth in points. Timmy has posted three top-ten feature finishes with a sixth-place run at South Mississippi Speedway in Long Beach, MS, on June 2 his best thus far. #11F – Foster Landon (Collinsville, OK) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 5th Car Owner: Landon Racing Engine/Chassis: Wells-Maxim Sponsors: Sooner Surplus Sales, Congressman John Sullivan, Sooner Emergency Inc., American Bank of Oklahoma Vying for Brodix Rookie of the Year honors with the ASCS National Tour, Landon has recorded eleven top-ten feature runs in National action this year with a third-place showing at Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway on March 23 his top finish. #11T – T.J. Winegardner (Pierson, FL) Series: Rebel Region Rank: 1st Car Owner: Tom Winegardner Engine/Chassis: WRP Racing Engines-J&J Sponsors: WRP Racing Products, WRP Racing Engines, Stick's Pest Control Holding a slim 14-point lead in the inaugural ASCS Rebel Region championship chase, T.J. has finished among the top-five in three of seven Rebel starts and among the top-ten in seven of 17 overall ASCS starts this year. T.J. has flirted with ASCS victory lane by posting three runner-up finishes, including Rebel runner-ups at Green Valley Speedway in Glencoe, AL (March 31) and Sugar Creek Raceway in Blue Ridge, GA (June 29), along with a Southern Tour second-place run at Mileback Speedway in Gray Court, SC (July 13). #13m – Kathryne Minter (Bedford, TX) Series: Gulf South Region Rank: 15th Car Owner: Tracy Minter Engine: Wells Sponsors: Keene Heavy Equipment Co., Concrete Crushing Co., Bullmack Custom Coatings, Twin Kell Cleaners, Body Construction Fitness Center Taking in the full Gulf South schedule along with a mix of National and Sooner events, the 16-year-old Texas lady racer has already made 20 ASCS starts in 2007. #15s – Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 7th Car Owner: Kip Smith Engine/Chassis: Ostrich-J&J Sponsors: Sooner Network Solutions After stints in two other rides, last year's National Tour Rookie of the Year is back aboard the family-owned entry and up to seventh in points after finishing out Speedweek with three consecutive top-ten finishes. #29 – Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 4th Car Owner: Travis Rilat Engine/Chassis: Motor Mike-Triple X Sponsors: F&J Construction, Ten Hagen Excavating, Smiley's, C&B Mushroom Farms, Laney Road Boring With 34 ASCS starts to his credit this year (no other driver has competed in more ASCS events), the 2003 ASCS National champion has posted National wins this year at Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, NY (May 19) and Virginia Motor Speedway in Saluda, VA (May 25). With 13 top-fives and 20 top-tens in 28 National starts, Rilat also picked up a Gulf South feature win at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, MS, on May 5. #41 – Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 3rd Car Owner: Lanny Row Engine/Chassis: Wesmar-Eagle Sponsors: Custom Equipment Design, David Pope Refrigerated Transportation, King Racing, Gleco Plating, Bell Helmets Last year's National Driver of the Year, "The Ragin' Cajun" has added seven National wins this year with 21 top-fives and 24 top-tens in 28 National starts. Johnson swept an April weekend at Texarkana and Little Rock and was dominant in the Northern Plains swing by winning three of four events. Johnson also topped the inaugural Daniel McMillin Memorial at Double X Speedway on July 4. Jason also has a pair of Regional triumphs to his credit this year, besting the Gulf South at Motorama Speedway in Beaumont, TX, on April 6 and the Coastal Region at Southern Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS, on April 20. #45 – Chuck Hebing (Ontario, NY) Series: Patriot Region Rank: 1st Car Owner: Chuck Hebing Engine/Chassis: Jimmy D's-Maxim Sponsors: F/A Products, Northcoast Performance, Southeast Properties, Penske Racing Shocks, Casey's Truck Parts Gunning for his second consecutive ASCS Patriots title, "The Cobra" has scored six Patriot wins in 14 events and currently holds a 16-point lead. Hebing proved his merit against the nation's best by topping the O'Reilly ASCoT National forces at Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, NY, on May 18. #57c – Chris Schmelzle (Victoria, BC, CANADA) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 12th Car Owner: Schmelzle Racing Engine/Chassis: Custom Automotive Specialties-Lejeune Sponsors: Talcore Walls and Ceilings, Slegg Lumber, Lejeune Performance, Walt and Fran Peterson, Pennzoil The Canadian racer took in the opening 16 nights of action with the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series before electing to stay closer to home. Schmelzle returns to action for his second visit to Knoxville. #67 – Brian Thomas (Pendergrass, GA) Series: Rebel Region Rank: 2nd Car Owner: Brian Thomas Engine/Chassis: Broome Competition Services-Avenger Sponsors: Main Auto Parts of Lawrenceville, Saligoe Metal Works, Atlanta Monster Cycles, Broome Competition Services Just 14 points out of the lead as he contends for the inaugural ASCS Rebel Region championship, Thomas has finished among the top-ten in five of seven Rebel features. #82 – Jason Danley (Lincoln, NE) Series: Midwest Region Rank: 3rd Car Owner: K&N Enterprises Engine/Chassis: Lewis-Schnee Sponsors: Cubby's Truck Stop, Cosaert Thoroughbreds Battling for Midwest Region honors, Danley nearly posted his second career series win at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, NE, on June 29 before settling for a close runner-up finish. #84 – Toby Chapman (Lincoln, NE) Series: Midwest Region Rank: 2nd Car Owner: Rick and Michele Bowers Engine/Chassis: Eckley-Schnee Sponsors: Select Auto, Select Auto Body, Trade Center Automotive, Chez's Place, Backlund Plumbing The reigning ASCS Midwest Region champion has been in the wrong place at the wrong time on at least three occasions this year when forced pitside after being collected in accidents while on the move. Chapman still ranks second with three top-ten Midwest Region feature finishes. Chapman also posted a top-ten finish in ASCS National action by crossing the stripe ninth at Crawford County Speedway in Denison, IA, on June 16. #91 – Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 6th Car Owner: Bobby Sparks Engine/Chassis: Ostrich-Eagle Sponsors: Sparks Racing, Ostrich Racing Engines, RESM Transport, FSR Radiators, Eagle Chassis After missing several events due to engine woes, Stewart and the familiar Sparks entry returned in time for ASCS Speedweek action where the 2005 Speedweek king threw a kink in Gary Wright's domination by topping the second round at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK, on July 16. Stewart has a half-dozen top-five finishes in National action this year. #94 – Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) Series: ASCoT National Rank: 2nd Car Owner: Mike & Tim Hammers Engine/Chassis: Wesmar-Eagle Sponsors: H&H Enterprises, Pearson Farms, Simpson Race Products, Weld Wheels, Butler Built Battling for National championship honors with Gary Wright and Jason Johnson, Wayne has posted three wins, 21 top-fives and 24 top-tens in 28 National events this year. Triumphs have come at Devil's Bowl Speedway (March 16), in Mesquite, TX, Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway (March 24) and North Central Speedway (June 20) in Brainerd, MN. #94s – Natalie Sather (Fargo, ND) Series: Midwest Region Rank: 1st Car Owner: Brad Sather Engine/Chassis: Shaver-J&J Sponsors: Gateway Chevrolet, Brookings Auto Mall, Metro Hyundai, Wenatchee Ford, Lady Eagle Just two races away from becoming the first female champion in ASCS history, the 22-year-old holds an 86 point lead in the Midwest Region title chase with five top-tens in nine starts. Natalie has also posted a pair of top-five runs in National action, including a runner-up finish at Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway on March 23. #X – Chuck Swenson (Watertown, SD) Series: Northern Plains Region Rank: 1st Car Owner: Chuck Swenson Engine/Chassis: Fisher-Maxim Sponsors: K&C Conversions, VRP Shocks, Nichols Construction, Beavers Truck Wash Vying for a second consecutive ASCS Northern Plains Regional championship, Swenson has finished among the top-ten in seven of nine Northern Plains features with wins at Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway (April 15), Wisconsin's Cedar Lake Speedway (July 14) and South Dakota's I-90 Speedway (July 27). Swenson also has a handful of top-five finishes in eleven National starts with a third-place run in the Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals finale on March 17 his top run. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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