Entries Rolling in for 23rd Annual Short Track Nationals!

[rebelracewriter]

Entries Rolling in for 23rd Annual Short Track Nationals!

 

Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (October 6, 2010) – The defending event champion, the leading Lucas Oil ASCS National championship contenders and the reigning Knoxville Nationals champion are just a few of the earliest entries for I-30 Speedway’s upcoming 23rd Annual Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires in Little Rock, AR.

 

Add in one of the nation’s most versatile open wheelers that is testing NASCAR waters along with the leading Lucas Oil ASCS Brodix Rookie of the Year contender and a slew of other hotshoes from all around the country and this year’s edition of the Short Track Nationals is already shaping up as perhaps the wildest in event history.

 

And the event, set to be broadcast for the first time on VERSUS on a tape-delayed basis, is still three weeks away.

 

The 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires, set for October 28-30 at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway, offers up a whopping $15,000 winner’s share and an unrivaled minimum of $2,300 to start the Saturday night STN championship feature event.

 

While 20-year-old Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters title contender Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, OK, was the first to file an STN entry several months ago, fellow title hopefuls Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA, and Shane Stewart of Bixby, OK, have submitted entries as well.

 

Johnson, the current Lucas Oil ASCS points leader, claimed the STN crown in 2006, while defending series champion Stewart has been tantalizingly close on several occasions. Bacon, who topped a Lucas Oil ASCS event at I-30 earlier this year, made it to the STN finale in his rookie effort of 2008 before missing the feature cut last year.

 

Also among the top five in Lucas Oil Sprint Car points, two-time and defending STN champion Tony Bruce, Jr., of Liberal, KS, is as eager as anyone to tackle the high banks of I-30 Speedway’s ¼-mile oval at the end of October.

 

While four of the leading Lucas Oil ASCS title contenders have already filed STN entries, a pair of series rookies are among the early entries as well including leading Brodix Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Hirst of Loomis, CA, along with Oklahoma’s Dustin Morgan, who made the STN feature cut in 2008.

 

The Lucas Oil ASCS forces will face all variety of competition, with Aliquippa, Pennsylvania’s Tim Shaffer among those leading the charge. Shaffer, a 2007 STN preliminary feature winner, has enjoyed a monster 2010 season including a triumph in the 50th Annual Knoxville Nationals.

 

Also set for his first STN run since making the feature as an event rookie in 2006 is Grass Valley, CA, native Brad Sweet, who has picked off all variety of wins in winged Sprint Cars, wingless Sprint Cars and Midgets in 2010 while also making several NASCAR Camping World Truck starts as well.

 

Among other early entries that have cracked the STN feature field in the past are Darren Stewart, who is back aboard the Sparks No. 91 in which he made six consecutive STN feature starts from 2002 to 2007, along with Jan Howard, A.G. Rains, Jerrod Hull and Claud Estes.

 

Among those vying to crack the STN feature grid for the first time will be 2010 ASCS Gulf South champion Ray Allen Kulhanek and 2009 ASCS Gulf South champion Aaron Reutzel along with fellow Texas shoes John Carney II, Kent Lewis, Jr., Brandon Corn and Marty Stanford, Arkansas’ Wade Human, Mississippi’s Lee Sowell, South Dakota’s Ryan Bickett and Missouri’s Jonathan Cornell, Mark Shirshekan and Curtis Evans.

 

Hirst is one of three event rookies entered so far along with ASCS Gulf South contender Beau Smith of Texas City, TX, and La Monte, MO, lady racer Dakota Carroll.

 

Drivers planning on competing in the 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires are encouraged to submit their entries as soon as possible. Entries postmarked by October 17 are $150, with entries submitted after that $250. Entry forms are available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/2010stnflyer.pdf or by calling 501-455-4567.

 

 

What: 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.

 

Where: I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR). I-30 Speedway is located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126 (Alexander Road).

 

When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 28-30, 2010. $15,000 to win the STN finale on October 30, with $2,300 to start the STN championship feature. Race time is 7:30 p.m. each night. Rain date is November 4-6. Test 'N Tune session on Wednesday night, October 27. All three nights will be taped for later broadcast on VERSUS and MavTV.

 

Past Winners: Tony Bruce, Jr. (2009 and 2008), Jason Meyers (2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Gary Wright (2004, 2003, 1999 and 1995), Paul McMahan (2002), Jason Sides (2001), Mike Ward (2000), Tim Crawley (1998), Wayne Johnson (1997), Pete Butler (1996), Terry Gray (1994), John Gerloff (1993), Steve Kinser (1991, ’89 and ‘88) and Sammy Swindell (1990). 1992 finale was rained out.

 

The Series: A premier stop on the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National trail, Jason Johnson, Brady Bacon and Shane Stewart are currently locked in a torrid three-way duel for the series $60,000 championship chase, with Tim Crawley, Tony Bruce, Jr., and others trying to gain ground in Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals (October 15-16) prior to the STN.

 

After the STN the Lucas Oil Sprint Cars will finish out the year at Las Cruces’ Southern New Mexico Speedway (November 12-13), Tucson’s USA Raceway (November 18-20) and then Las Vegas Motor Speedway (November 26-27).

 

Current top 20 in Lucas Oil Sprint Car points: 1. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 2,627, 2. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 2,582, 3. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 2,550, 4. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 2,414, 5. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 2,406, 6. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 2,337, 7. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 2,332, 8. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 2,235, 9. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 2,190, 10. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 2,184, 11. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 2,087, 12. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 1,965, 13. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 1,942, 14. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 1,828, 15. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 1,517, 16. Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,513, 17. Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) 1,344, 18. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 1,152, 19. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 1,081, 20. Andrew Marshala (Shawnee, OK) 823.

 

The Trade Show & Midway: This year’s rendition of the Short Track Nationals will also include the Sixth Annual Short Track Nationals Trade Show & Midway. Fans, drivers & crews will have the opportunity to visit vendor displays, which opens at noon on Thursday and then at 9 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. The deadline for guaranteed vendor space is Monday, October 25. Inquiries regarding vendor space should be directed to dssm93@msn.com.

 

The Tickets: Advance tickets are on sale through Wednesday, October 27, no advance sales after that. Tickets ordered in advance are just $45 for all three nights. Day of show prices are $15 on Thursday and Friday and $25 on Saturday. To order tickets in advance or for more information, call the track at 501-455-4567 or e-mail orders to racing@I-30speedway.com. Children's tickets will be available at the event for just $2 on both Thursday and Friday and then $5 on Saturday. There is a $1 per ticket surcharge for orders placed via credit/debit cards. Pit passes are $30 on both Thursday and Friday and $35 on Saturday.

 

STN on TV: All three nights of action at the 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires will be taped for later broadcast on VERSUS and MavTV. Air dates, according to www.motorsportshour.com, are currently set for December 5 at 6:00 p.m. ET (October 28 event), December 11 at 6:00 p.m. ET (October 29 event) and December 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET (October 30 STN finale).

 

 

For more information regarding the 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires, contact I-30 Speedway at 501-455-4567.