rebelracewriter Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 O'Reilly ASCoT – Spring Beckons! Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (March 4, 2008) – With one last blast of winter making its way across the country, a pair of Spring Nationals events are on tap for the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series as the $50,000 championship chase picks up steam. And it could prove to be the most wide-open shootout for the championship in series history if the list of assembled title contenders is any indication. The series returns to action next weekend, March 14-15, with the 35th Annual Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals in Mesquite, TX. Then, one weekend later on March 21-22, it's on to Oklahoma City, OK, for State Fair Speedway's Spring Nationals. The O'Reilly ASCoT National championship title chase includes five past series champions, with four-time and reigning series champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX, joined by 2003 champion Travis Rilat (Forney, TX), 2001 champion Zach Chappell (Talala, OK), 2000 champion Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) and 1992 kingpin Garry Lee Maier (Cimarron, KS). Wright will often feature a different look in 2008, as he will alternate between his familiar No. 9 and the No. 01 machine after joining forces with Missouri car owner Donnie Cooper in the off-season. Rilat is back on Tour in the familiar F&J Construction No. 29 machine, while Chappell rejoins the ASCS National Tour with plans of splitting time between the family-owned No. 50z machine and Terry Henry's No. 92 entry. Wayne Johnson pursues another title at the helm of the H&H Enterprises No. 94 after a close third place finish last year, while Maier (the initial ASCS champion in 1992) rejoins the Tour aboard Scott Brown's familiar Lubbock Wrecker Service/Max Jantz Excavating No. 11x machine. And even with five past National champions vying for the 2008 crown, the betting favorite could in fact be Eunice, Louisiana's Jason Johnson. After all, Johnson did capture the $10,000 to win finale in the series' season opener at Tampa's East Bay Raceway Park aboard Lanny Row's The Shop Motorsports No. 41 and enters next weekend's Spring Nationals at Devil's Bowl just one point behind Wright after posting runner-up finishes in series points over each of the past two seasons. Then toss in the Rookie crop, led by Lincoln, Nebraska's Don Droud, Jr., who takes over the Bobby Sparks No. 91 entry. With title aspirations overshadowing the Rookie race, Droud takes on a group of Rookie contenders that includes 20-year-old Eric Baldaccini of Keller, TX, and 17-year-old Kathryne Minter of Bedford, TX, both of whom took in the Florida opener. Piloting the No. B4 entry, Baldaccini has ranked among the top ten in American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region points over each of the past two seasons, while Minter, driving the lucky No. 13 machine, claimed eighth in points and Rookie of the Year honors with the ASCS Gulf South Region last year. Picking up the Tour at Devil's Bowl will be another pair of Rookie contenders including Washington-state native Gary Taylor, a past ASCS Rocky Mountain Region champion and 2007 SMRS Midget champion that now calls Tulsa home, as well as Tulsa-area racer Kenneth Walker. Taylor takes the helm of Mike Eubanks' Tel-Star Communications No. 5*, while Walker will wheel his own No. 2 Sprint Car after picking off a ranking of ninth last year despite competing in a limited slate of events. With a stellar cast of title contenders, the O'Reilly ASCoT National series is currently slated for 44 nights of racing action at 23 different tracks throughout a dozen different states in 2008. The Series: O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour (ASCoT) When & Where: Friday night, March 14 at 8:00 p.m. – 35th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals prelim Saturday night, March 15 at 8:00 p.m. – 35th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals finale Friday night, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. – State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals prelim Saturday night, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. – State Fair Speedway 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. State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK) – 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located on the Oklahoma State Fair Grounds near the intersection of N.W. 10th and May Avenue. Track phone: 405-948-6796. O’Reilly ASCoT Devil’s Bowl History: Devil’s Bowl Speedway has been hosting the O’Reilly ASCS National Tour since 1994, with 19 different drivers scoring at least one victory in 50 feature events. Gary Wright has claimed 16 of his 119 career ASCS National wins at Devil’s Bowl, including a pair of triumphs in 2007. South Dakota's Jake Peters topped one of the most thrilling editions of the Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals in recent history last year after Wayne Johnson topped the prelim, while Jason Johnson swept both nights of the Winter Nationals in the latter portion of the season. Devil’s Bowl ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 16, Jason Johnson 4, Wayne Johnson 4, Danny Jennings 3, Kevin Ramey 3, Shane Carson 2, Terry Gray 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, Jake Peters 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), Wayne Johnson (3/16/07), Jake Peters (3/17/07), Gary Wright (5/12/07), Gary Wright (7/19/07), Jason Johnson (10/12/07), Jason Johnson (10/13/07). O’Reilly ASCoT State Fair Speedway History: State Fair Speedway has hosted 24 ASCS National Tour events since 1994, with 20 events in Oklahoma City since the track was reconfigured prior to the 2002 season. Gary Wright has won nine of 20 feature events since the reconfiguration, with Kevin Ramey and Jason Johnson the only other drivers to score multiple wins since that time. The last time Gary Wright didn’t start an ASCS National Tour feature event, it was at State Fair Speedway on May 9, 2003, when an accident while en route forced Wright's absence. Since that time, Wright has racked up four series titles and has competed in 169 consecutive ASCS National Tour events. Wright topped three of four ASCS National Tour features at State Fair Speedway last year, foiling Natalie Sather's bid for a first win in the Spring Nationals prelim before Wayne Johnson topped the Spring Nationals finale the following night. State Fair Speedway ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 11, Jason Johnson 3, Kevin Ramey 2, Zach Chappell 1, Tommie Estes, Jr. 1, Wayne Johnson 1, Wayne Pennington 1, Travis Rilat 1, Darren Stewart 1, Shane Stewart 1, Danny Wood 1. State Fair Speedway O’Reilly ASCoT Race-by-race Winners: Gary Wright (10/13/94), Tommie Estes, Jr. (5/26/96), Gary Wright (8/11/96), Zach Chappell (7/21/01), Wayne Pennington (5/17/02), Kevin Ramey (6/28/02), Gary Wright (8/23/02), Travis Rilat (5/9/03), Shane Stewart (6/1/03), Gary Wright (6/27/03), Gary Wright (8/1/03), Danny Wood (6/25/04), Gary Wright (7/30/04), Kevin Ramey (5/20/05), Darren Stewart (6/24/05), Gary Wright (7/29/05), Jason Johnson (3/24/06), Jason Johnson (3/25/06), Gary Wright (6/23/06), Jason Johnson (7/14/06), Gary Wright (3/23/07), Wayne Johnson (3/24/07), Gary Wright (5/11/07), Gary Wright (7/20/07). Current O’Reilly ASCoT Points (After 3 of 44 Nights): Top Ten: 1. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 143, 2. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 142, 3. Terry McCarl (Altoona, IA) 139, 4. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 138, 5. Kenny Adams (Malabar, FL) 132, 6. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 127, 7. Daryn Pittman (Owasso, OK) 121, 8. (tie) Don Droud, Jr. (Lincoln, NE), Garry Lee Maier (Cimarron, KS) and Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 114. 2008 O’Reilly ASCoT Feature Winners: Kenny Adams 1, Jason Johnson 1, Terry McCarl 1. O'Reilly ASCoT – A Look Ahead to April: April 5 Checkered Flag Speedway (Hohenwald, TN) April 19 Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) April 25 Paris Motor Speedway (Paris, TX) April 26 I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) The O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series is currently slated for 44 nights of racing action at 23 different tracks throughout a dozen different states, with more than $1,000,000 in purse money and point fund to be distributed during the 2008 season. The nation's most prominent Sprint Car sanctioning body with 14 different Regions throughout the United States in addition to the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series, the American Sprint Car Series' (ASCS) 17th year of activity will include approximately 250 nights of racing at more than 100 different race tracks throughout 28 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...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.