Lucas Oil Sprint Cars set for Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals

[NickHolt]

Lucas Oil Sprint Cars Set for Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals

 

by Lonnie Wheatley

 

Tulsa, Oklahoma (March 17, 2011) – After opening the 2011 season with a pair of February weekends on the left coast, the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series fires back to life with next weekend’s 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals in Mesquite, Texas.

 

The series takes to the storied ½-mile Devil’s Bowl Speedway clay oval near Dallas for two full nights of action on Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, with the 38th Annual Spring Nationals champion pocketing the Saturday night winner’s share of $6,000.

 

Bixby, OK, native Shane Stewart, last month’s Copper on Dirt winner at Tucson’s USA Raceway, is out to the early lead in the $60,000 championship points chase over a pair of veteran contenders vying for their first Lucas Oil Sprint Car crowns, Johnny Herrera and Jeff Swindell.

 

While Stewart, the 2009 Lucas Oil Sprint Car champion, added his 23rd career series triumph on February 19 to open up a 27-point advantage, Albuquerque’s Herrera returns to the site of his first career ASCS National triumph next weekend. Herrera, a two-time Knoxville Raceway champion, scored his first series win at Devil’s Bowl in 1996 before adding wins last November and then last month at Tucson.

 

Memphis shoe Jeff Swindell is expected to bring Roush/Yates Ford power to the Bowl, with three-time ASCS National champion Tim Crawley and Washington’s Seth Bergman rounding out the current top five in points.

 

Other series title contenders include 2010 runner-up Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK), leading Rookie shoe Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX), four-time series champion Gary Wright (Hooks, TX), Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS), Mason Moore (Princeton, CA), Logan Forler (Eatonville, WA), Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) and Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK).

 

Also, set for his 2011 series debut is reigning Lucas Oil Sprint Car champion Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA. While “The Ragin’ Cajun”, missed the initial four events to finish off the World Series Sprintcar owner’s championship for Alan Haynes in Australia, the JJR No. 41 was on hand with Kyle Larson in California and then reigning Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals champion Jack Dover in Arizona. While Johnson has spotted his rivals four nights of competition in driver points, his JJR No. 41 entry sits atop the owner point charts entering next weekend’s Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals.

 

Sammy Swindell bested a field of 62 entries to win last year’s Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals that was shortened to one night due to winter weather activity, with other recent Spring Nationals winners including Shane Stewart (2009), Gary Wright (2008), Jake Peters (2007) and Kevin Ramey (2006).

 

The Series:

 

Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters

 

When & Where:

 

Friday night, March 25 at 8:00 p.m. – 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals

Saturday night, March 26 at 8:00 p.m. – 38th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals

 

Track Information:

 

Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – ½-mile, high-banked clay oval located six miles east of Dallas' I-635 on I-20, then three miles north on Lawson Road. Lawson Road north of the track (and south off of US 80) has been closed for repair, so fans and racers are urged to use I-20 and then go north on Lawson. Track phone: 972-222-2421.

 

Lucas Oil ASCS Devil’s Bowl History:

 

Devil’s Bowl Speedway has been hosting the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series since 1994, with 21 different drivers scoring at least one victory in 63 feature events. Gary Wright has claimed 20 of his 126 career Lucas Oil National Sprint Car wins at Devil’s Bowl, including a Spring Nationals triumph in 2008.

 

Only Jason Johnson has posted multiple series wins over the past two seasons at Devil’s Bowl with two wins in seven tries including a score in last October’s Winter Nationals preliminary. Other winners over the past two seasons at Devil’s Bowl include Jack Dover, Sammy Swindell, Kevin Ramey, Gary Wright and Shane Stewart.

 

Sammy Swindell dominated last year’s weather-shortened one-night edition of the Spring Nationals after successive years in which Tony Bruce, Jr., gave up the lead on the final lap to Gary Wright in 2008 and then Jason Johnson in 2009.

 

Devil’s Bowl Lucas Oil ASCS winners include: Gary Wright 20, Jason Johnson 8, Wayne Johnson 4, Kevin Ramey 4, Danny Jennings 3, Sammy Swindell 3, Shane Carson 2, Terry Gray 2, Garry Lee Maier 2, Mike Peters 2, Travis Rilat 2, Shane Stewart 2, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, Tim Crawley 1, Jack Dover 1, Edd French 1, Johnny Herrera 1, Larry Neighbors 1, Alan Payne 1, Jake Peters 1, Mike Ward 1.

 

Devil’s Bowl Lucas Oil ASCS 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), Jason Johnson (5/10/08), Gary Wright (7/17/08), Jason Johnson (10/17/08), Gary Wright (10/18/08), Shane Stewart (3/20/09), Jason Johnson (3/21/09), Gary Wright (10/17/09), Kevin Ramey (10/19/09), Sammy Swindell (3/19/10), Jason Johnson (10/15/10), Jack Dover (10/16/10).

 

Current 2011 Points:

 

Top 15 Driver Points: 1. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 545, 2. Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM) 518, 3. Jeff Swindell (Bartlett, TN) 475, 4. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 455, 5. Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA) 448, 6. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 431, 7. Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX) 421, 8. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 418, 9. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 398, 10. (tie) Trey Starks (Puyallup, WA) and Mason Moore (Princeton, CA) 391, 12. Zach Zimmerly (West Linn, OR) 371, 13. Logan Forler (Eatonville, WA) 365, 14. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 349, 15. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 347.

 

Top 15 Owner Points: 1. Jason Johnson Racing #41 – 552, 2. Paul Silva #57 - 545, 3. Herrera/Main #45x - 518, 4. Swindell Group #28 - 475, 5. Mike Ward #88 - 455, 6. Petersen Motorsports #23 - 448, 7. Tel-Star Communications #99 - 431, 8. Kenny Reutzel #87 - 421, 9. Cooper/Sperry #01/51 - 418, 10. Bruce Racing #18 - 398, 11. (tie) Harley Van Dyke #5h and Terry Starks #55 – 391, 13. Steve Forler #2L - 365, 14. Randy Washburn #0 – 349, 15. M&M Motorsports #2 - 347.

 

2011 Feature Winners:

 

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series: Johnny Herrera 1, Tim Kaeding 1, Kyle Larson 1, Shane Stewart 1.

 

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

 

April 15 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)

April 16 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)

May 6 – Tri-City Speedway (Pontoon Beach, IL)

May 7 – Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, AR)

 

Lucas Oil ASCS on the Web:

 

Those unable to catch all the action in person can listen to every Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters live at www.racinboys.com.

 

Official results, championship point updates, photos and race notes will be available at www.ascsracing.com.

 

Lucas Oil ASCS on TV:

 

The Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters will be featured in ten one-hour shows broadcast on a tape-delayed basis on the VERSUS Network and MavTV.

 

The full schedule of events to be aired on VERSUS and broadcast dates will be released soon.

 

The events from Thunderbowl Raceway, Kings Speedway and USA Raceway will be aired as follows;

Thunderbowl Raceway (Feb. 9) – 4/16/11 @ 6:00 p.m. ET

Kings Speedway (Feb. 12) – 4/23/11 @ 6:00 p.m. ET

USA Raceway (Feb. 18) – 5/1/11 @ 6:00 p.m. ET

USA Raceway (Feb. 19) – 5/14/11 @ 6:00 p.m. ET

 

The Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for 37 nights of racing action at 16 different tracks throughout the nation, with the country's top Sprint Car drivers set to battle it out for their share of the $250,000 points fund.

 

The 2011 season marks the 20th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series, with approximately 200 nights of competition at tracks throughout the nation and into Canada. Anchored by the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of ten different Regions throughout the nation.

 

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.