Lucas Oil ASCS National Series to Reach 600 Mark at Las Cruces!

[rebelracewriter]

Lucas Oil ASCS National Series to Reach 600 Mark at Las Cruces!

 

Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (November 10, 2010) – Not only will the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series break a stretch of six-plus years minus a New Mexico event, the series will also reach another landmark in this weekend’s double at Las Cruces’ Southern New Mexico Speedway.

 

Friday night’s preliminary event atop the high-banked, 5/16-mile clay oval, which will lock the top four finishers into Saturday night’s $6,000-to-win main event, will mark the 600th feature event in ASCS National history.

 

Several current series contenders have topped previous landmark events, including Tim Crawley, Zach Chappell and Gary Wright.

 

After Lee Scrape defended his Florida turf to win the 100th feature in ASCS National history at Jacksonville, FL, on January 31, 1997, Tim Crawley won the 200th feature at Oklahoma’s Creek County Speedway on July 25, 1999.

 

Chappell won the 300th feature in series history with a Jetmore (KS) Motorplex score on May 25, 2002, while Wright topped both the 400th (Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway on July 3, 2004) and 500th features (Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway on July 14, 2007).

 

Crawley and Wright are also the only drivers among the current top 15 in Lucas Oil ASCS National points with a past series win in the Land of Enchantment. Crawley topped the first New Mexico event at Las Cruces on September 4, 1994, while Wright notched a Duke City win in July of 2003.

 

Darren Stewart ranks as the driver with the most ASCS National wins in New Mexico, sweeping a Hollywood Hills double over the 2004 Fourth of July holiday weekend to run his state total to three wins. Rickey Hood has a pair of series wins in New Mexico, the latest coming in 2002, with single-time winners in New Mexico including Crawley, Wright, Danny Young, Terry Gray, Chris Ikard, Michael Dupuy and Garry Lee Maier.

 

This weekend’s action at Las Cruces will mark the first Lucas Oil ASCS National action in New Mexico since Stewart topped that 393rd event in series history.

 

In the 206 ASCS National features since that last New Mexico event, a few of the things have taken place include:

 

---Twenty-six different drivers have posted their first career ASCS National wins to run the overall total to 98 different winners, including four thus far in 2010. Matt Covington became the 95th different driver to post on ASCS National win with a Lone Star Speedway victory in April, Brady Bacon became the 96th in May and then Sam Hafertepe, Jr., and Brad Sweet became the 97th and 98th in recent Short Track Nationals competition.

 

---While Gary Wright chased Darren Stewart to the last New Mexico stripe in 2004, Zach Chappell ran sixth that night while a 19-year-old Sam Hafertepe, Jr., was 17th. Recovering from burns suffered earlier this year, Travis Rilat claimed the show position behind Stewart and Wright in that Hollywood Hills main event.

 

---Past ASCS National champions Gary Wright, Jason Johnson, Shane Stewart, Tim Crawley, Travis Rilat and Wayne Johnson have combined to win 122 of 206 features (59%) since the last series visit to New Mexico. Wright leads the way with 41 since that time followed by Johnson (40), Stewart (14), Crawley (11), Rilat (8) and Johnson (8). Those are the top six overall National feature winners since that time.

 

---Gary Wright posted 41 wins over a stretch of 164 features (25%) from July 30, 2004, to his latest win at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on October 17, 2009. Wright’s streak of 16 consecutive years of two National wins or more is in serious jeopardy with just Tucson’s Western World Championships (November 18-20) and the Las Vegas Sprint Car Super Nationals (November 26-27) remaining after this weekend’s Southern New Mexico Speedway double.

 

---Trying to put the finishing touches on a second $60,000 Lucas Oil ASCS National championship, Johnson is currently on a victory run just a tick better than Wright’s run of 25%. Johnson has topped 38 of the series most recent 146 main events, a rate of 26.2%.

 

---Defending Lucas Oil ASCS National champion Shane Stewart has posted 14 of his 22 career series wins since the last New Mexico event.

 

---Jason Johnson and Shane Stewart entered I-30 Speedway’s recent Short Track Nationals tied with the longest active streak of feature starts at 45 apiece. Stewart’s streak ended on his preliminary night, while Johnson made it to 46 before missing the cut in the STN finale. Now, 20-year-old Brady Bacon holds the longest active mark at 24 in a row since missing the feature grid in the series second event of the year at Lone Star Speedway. Wright still holds the all-time series record of 200 in a row, a stretch that extended from June 14, 2003, to August 7, 2009.

 

---Current Lucas Oil ASCS National contenders Brady Bacon, Jack Dover, Matt Covington, Dustin Morgan and Channin Tankersley hadn’t turned a lap yet in an injected Sprint Car when the series last visited New Mexico. They were all 13-15 years old at the time and a year or so away from graduating from the Micro ranks.

 

While this weekend’s action will prove pivotal in the series points chase, which includes a $250,000 points fund for the final top 15 in points, ASCS Southwest Regional points will be awarded as well. Las Cruces shoe Rick Ziehl, vying for a third ASCS Southwest title, holds the edge over Phoenix native turned Knoxville, IA, resident Calvin Landis with other top Southwest shoes including John Gaston, 15-year-old Joshua Hodges and Joshua Williams.

 

After missing both the Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals and I-30 Speedway’s Short Track Nationals, the Van Dyke No. 5h rejoins the tour for the final three weekends with California’s Mason Moore at the wheel.

 

Justyn Cox, the 16-year-old from Clarksburg, CA, that wheeled the No. 5h through the end of August, picks up the series at Tucson and Las Vegas aboard a second Brian Brown Racing entry. Brown, the Knoxville Raceway track champ that has cracked the top 20 in Lucas Oil ASCS National points while running a selected slate of events, will be in action at Las Cruces as well as Tucson and Las Vegas.

 

While the Jason Johnson vs. Shane Stewart rivalry continues to build, another familiar rivalry will be rekindled this weekend as Sammy Swindell crosses paths with Steve Kinser, who makes his ASCS debut.

 

Provisionals, or lack of, could also come into play over the course of the final three weekends. Johnson still has the luxury of all four provisionals while chief title challengers Bacon and Stewart are down to two and one, respectively. Also among the top five, Crawley has three remaining while Dover has two remaining after burning a pair in start-and-park fashion while recovering from injuries.

 

With Tony Bruce, Jr., Zach Chappell, Danny Wood and Ricky Logan all depleted in terms of provisionals, the like of Kyle Hirst, Matt Covington, Darren Long, Dustin Morgan and Channin Tankersley are all in position to take advantage in the final nights of this season.

 

 

The Series:

 

Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters

 

When & Where:

 

Friday night, November 12 at 7:45 p.m. – Southern New Mexico Speedway

Saturday night, November 13 at 7:45 p.m. – Southern New Mexico Speedway

 

Track Information:

 

Southern New Mexico Speedway (Las Cruces, NM) – 5/16-mile, high-banked clay oval located west of I-25 on I-10 to Exit 132, then south to frontage road, then 3.1 miles west on Robert Larson Boulevard (pits are 3.4 miles). Track phone: 575-524-7913.

 

Lucas Oil ASCS Southern New Mexico Speedway History:

 

Series history at SNMS is somewhat ancient with a pair of events in the third year of ASCS operation (1994) won by Tim Crawley and Danny Young, with Chris Ikard claiming his only career National victory the last time an ASCS National event took place at Las Cruces in 1997. Crawley’s win on September 4, 1994, was his fourth in ASCS National action. Crawley now has 42 National wins after his most recent score, the Rock ‘N Roll 50 at Riverside International Speedway on October 2.

 

Southern New Mexico Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS winners include: Tim Crawley 1, Chris Ikard 1, Danny Young 1.

 

Southern New Mexico Speedway Lucas Oil ASCS Race-by-race Winners: Tim Crawley (9/4/94), Danny Young (10/7/94), Chris Ikard (2/23/97).

 

Current Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National Points:

 

Top Twenty: 1. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 3,019, 2. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 2,947, 3. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 2,880, 4. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 2,743, 5. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 2,722, 6. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 2,673, 7. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 2,604, 8. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 2,497, 9. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 2,479, 10. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 2,464, 11. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 2,368, 12. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 2,203, 13. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 2,195, 14. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 2,119, 15. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 1,790, 16. Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,513, 17. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 1,390, 18. Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) 1,344, 19. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 1,152, 20. Andrew Marshala (Shawnee, OK) 923.

 

Brodix Rookie of the Year Points: 1. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 2,497, 2. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 2,368, 3. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 2,195, 4. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 2,119, 5. Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,513, 6. Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) 1,344.

 

Owner Points (Top Twenty): 1. JJR 41 – 3,019, 2. Tel-Star 99 – 2,947, 3. Silva 57 – 2,880, 4. Ward 88 – 2,743, 5. Dover 53 – 2,722, 6. Bruce Racing 18 – 2,673, 7. Chappell 50z – 2,604, 8. Perkins 6 – 2,497, 9. Hammers 94 – 2,479, 10. Logan 10a – 2,464, 11. Covington 95 – 2,368, 12. Gaerte 3g – 2,203, 13. Morgan 93 – 2,195, 14. Tankersley 71 – 2,119, 15. Brown 9x – 1,790, 16. Van Dyke 5h – 1,766, 17. Brown 21 – 1,390, 18. Wheatley 44w – 1,344, 19. Rilat 29 – 1,252, 20. Marshala 87a – 1,053.

 

Current ASCS Southwest Points:

 

Top Ten: 1. Rick Ziehl (Las Cruces, NM) 1,600, 2. Calvin Landis (Knoxville, IA) 1,503, 3. John Gaston (Peoria, AZ) 1,448, 4. Joshua Hodges (Tijeras, NM) 1,382, 5. Joshua Williams (Glendale, AZ), 6. Steve Stone (Mesa, AZ) 1,298, 7. Koty McGullam (Marana, AZ) 1,229, 8. J.T. Imperial (Mesa, AZ) 1,071, 9. Lance Norick (Scottsdale, AZ) 970, 10. Mike Rux, Jr. (Mesa, AZ) 912.

 

2010 Lucas Oil ASCS National Feature Winners:

 

Jason Johnson 5, Brady Bacon 4, Shane Stewart 4, Tim Crawley 3, Zach Chappell 2, Brad Sweet 2, Brian Brown 1, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, Matt Covington 1, Jack Dover 1, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 1, Jerrod Hull 1, Sammy Swindell 1, Danny Wood 1.

 

Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters – A Look Ahead:

 

November 18 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)

November 19 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)

November 20 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) - $15,000 to win

November 26 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Las Vegas, NV)

November 27 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Las Vegas, NV)