rebelracewriter Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 O'Reilly ASCoT Ready for Red River Shootout This Weekend! Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (May 5, 2008) – A wildly unpredictable season of racing action for the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series continues with this upcoming weekend's Second Annual Red River Shootout. On Friday night, the series takes to Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway for the opening night of the Red River Shootout. Then on Saturday night, the ASCoT troops travel south of the Oklahoma-Texas state line to take on the famed Devil's Bowl Speedway clay oval in Mesquite, TX. This weekend's action wraps up a torrid four weekend stretch of racing action for the nation's premier traveling circuit, with four different drivers posting wins in as many events over the past three weeks. Among those recent winners were a pair of first-timers in series action, including Texas shoe Skip Wilson, who fought off Wayne Johnson and Tim Crawley at Paris, TX, on April 25, and then Oklahoma's Aaron Berryhill, who battled past Jason Johnson on the white flag lap to win at Missouri's Lake Ozark Speedway this past Saturday night. Also taking wins in this stretch of events are Jason Johnson, who topped a loaded field at Missouri's Lucas Oil Speedway on April 19, and Nick Smith, who snared his first ASCS National win in two seasons with a triumph at Little Rock's I-30 Speedway on April 26. The recent string of winners extends the series total to nine different winners through the opening 11 events of 2008. Thus far, only Jason Johnson has posted multiple wins, with a triumph in Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals finale in March among his three series triumphs this season. "The Ragin' Cajun" still finds himself third in points entering the weekend, just four points behind second-ranked Oklahoma City-native Wayne Johnson and 60 markers off Gary Wright's lead pace. Hailing from Hooks, TX, Wright has posted one feature win in pursuit of an unprecedented fifth consecutive ASCS National championship, with his last-corner pass to win the Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals running his career win total to 120 ASCS National Tour feature wins. Wright has enjoyed plenty of success at both State Fair Speedway and Devil's Bowl Speedway, racking up a combined total of 28 ASCS National Tour victories at the pair of tracks, including a sweep of last year's Red River Shootout. Talala, Oklahoma's Zach Chappell, the 2001 series champion, climbed to fourth in points after a strong top-five run at Lake Ozark, with 2003 ASCS National champion Travis Rilat of Forney, TX, cracking the top five. After suffering early engine problems, Kansas ace Garry Lee Maier slipped to sixth in points, while Keller, TX, racer Eric Baldaccini maintains his lead in the Brodix Rookie of the Year race by ranking seventh in points. Other rookie contenders include Kenneth Walker (ninth), Kathryne Minter (13th), Gary Taylor (14th) and Chris Tarrant (15th). After making a strong bid for a second consecutive series win Saturday night at Lake Ozark before encountering front end problems, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's Nick Smith has climbed to eighth. Smith topped an ASCS Sooner Region event at State Fair Speedway on April 11. The Olive Branch, MS, based Sparks Construction No. 91 entry, currently ranked eighth in Owner points, is expected to be on hand as well. After Don Droud, Jr., opened the season aboard the Sparks ride, Missouri's Tim Montgomery filled in at Lake Ozark by racing from 19th to seventh. No driver has been announced yet for this weekend's double. The rugged group of ASCoT travelers will be joined by a stout field of rivals over the course of the weekend including past ASCS Sooner Region champions Brian McClelland, Kevin Ramey, Danny Jennings and Andy Shouse among others. Also making the journey south for the weekend's Red River Shootout will be at least a couple of Northern reps, with reigning ASCS Midwest Region champion Natalie Sather of Fargo, ND, and Nebraska's Jack Dover expected to be on hand. The Series: O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour (ASCoT) When & Where: Friday night, May 9 – State Fair Speedway (7:30 p.m.) Saturday night, May 10 – Devil's Bowl Speedway (8:00 p.m.) Track Information: 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. 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 State Fair Speedway History: State Fair Speedway has hosted 26 ASCS National Tour events since 1994, with 22 events in Oklahoma City since the track was reconfigured prior to the 2002 season. Gary Wright has won nine of 22 feature events since the reconfiguration, with Jason Johnson and Kevin Ramey 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 177 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. Jason Johnson picked off his second State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals victory in March. State Fair Speedway ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 11, Jason Johnson 4, Kevin Ramey 2, Zach Chappell 1, Tommie Estes, Jr. 1, Wayne Johnson 1, Danny Lasoski 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), Danny Lasoski (3/21/08), Jason Johnson (3/22/08). O’Reilly ASCoT Devil's Bowl Speedway History: Devil’s Bowl Speedway has been hosting the O’Reilly ASCS National Tour since 1994, with 20 different drivers scoring at least one victory in 52 feature events. Gary Wright has claimed 17 of his 120 career ASCS National wins at Devil’s Bowl, including a pair of triumphs in 2007 and a dramatic last corner pass to win this year's edition of the Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals. Wright also won last year's Devil's Bowl leg of the Red River Shootout, with Jason Johnson sweeping both nights of the Winter Nationals in October. Devil’s Bowl ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 17, 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, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, 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), Tony Bruce, Jr. (3/14/08), Gary Wright (3/15/08). Current O’Reilly ASCoT Points (After 11 of 42 Nights): Top Fifteen: 1. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 1,277, 2. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 1,221, 3. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 1,217, 4. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 1,131, 5. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 1,084, 6. Garry Lee Maier (Cimarron, KS) 1,072, 7. Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) 980, 8. Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) 948, 9. Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK) 904, 10. Jason Sides (Bartlett, TN) 888, 11. Don Droud, Jr. (Lincoln, NE) 827, 12. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 751, 13. Kathryne Minter (Bedford, TX) 748, 14. Gary Taylor (Sapulpa, OK) 699, 15. Chris Tarrant (Greenville, TX) 641. 2008 O’Reilly ASCoT Feature Winners: Jason Johnson 3, Kenny Adams 1, Aaron Berryhill 1, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, Danny Lasoski 1, Terry McCarl 1, Nick Smith 1, Skip Wilson 1, Gary Wright 1. O'Reilly ASCoT – A Look Ahead: June 20 Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) June 24 I-90 Speedway (Hartford, SD) June 28 Dakota State Fair Speedway (Huron, SD) The O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series is currently slated for 42 nights of racing action at 22 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...
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