Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (April 21, 2008) – The intensity level continues to climb for the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series, as the nation's premier traveling Sprint Car circuit invades a pair of bullrings for the first time thus far in 2008 this coming weekend.
On Friday night, the O'Reilly ASCoT stars take to the high-banked, ¼-mile Paris Motor Speedway dirt oval in Paris, TX. Then on Saturday night, it's off to Little Rock's high-banked, ¼-mile I-30 Speedway clay oval.
Friday's card at Paris Motor Speedway marks the first National Tour event atop the Parisian dirt track since 2005, when four-time and reigning series champion Gary Wright claimed victory just an hour or so from his Hooks, TX, home. Louisiana's Jason Johnson topped a Regional event at Paris in 2006.
Saturday's action at I-30 Speedway serves as an excellent tune-up opportunity for the second leg of the 16th Annual ASCS Sizzlin' Summer Speedweek on July 12 and then the track's and series' season-ending $15,000-to-win Short Track Nationals on October 23-25, an event that has become one of the nation's most highly anticipated Sprint Car spectaculars.
After consecutive O'Reilly ASCoT points runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2007, Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA, rides a wave of two consecutive series feature wins into the weekend and ranks as the only driver to snare more than one National win thus far in 2008 with a total of three National victories.
However, Johnson enters the weekend ranked third in points due to missing the cut for one feature event and using a provisional, which awards money but no points.
Trying to chase down an unprecedented fifth consecutive ASCS National championship, Wright enters the weekend with a 40-point lead over Oklahoma City native Wayne Johnson in the $50,000 championship chase, with the unrelated Jason Johnson just another 18 points back.
Wright, winner of the last two ASCS National events at Paris Motor Speedway and ten series events at I-30 Speedway, has finished among the top ten in all eight series feature events this season with his lone win coming in the Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals finale on March 15.
A third-place finisher in last year's points, 2000 series champion Wayne Johnson comes off Hard Charger efforts at Lucas Oil Speedway as he pursues a second series title.
Tennessee's Jason Sides is holding down fourth in series points, with Garry Lee Maier of Cimarron, KS, rounding out the current top five.
Maier, the 1992 ASCS National champion, is just ahead of two more past ASCS National champions, including 2001 king Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) and 2003 champ Travis Rilat (Forney, TX).
Twenty-year-old Eric Baldaccini enters the weekend ranked eighth, tops amongst the series Brodix Rookie of the Year contenders. Baldaccini is just 35 points ahead of fellow rookie contender Don Droud, Jr., of Lincoln, NE with Springfield, Nebraska's Jack Dover competing the current top ten.
Other full-time O'Reilly ASCoT contenders include Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK), Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK), 17-year-old Kathryne Minter (Bedford, TX), Gary Taylor (Sapulpa, OK) and Chris Tarrant (Greenville, TX).
A number of other top contenders will be in action over the weekend, including three-time ASCS National champion Tim Crawley of Benton, AR. Crawley topped this past weekend's weekly Sprint Car action at I-30 Speedway.
This weekend marks the second of four consecutive weekends of racing action for the O'Reilly ASCoT National series. The series moves on to Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO, on Saturday night, May 3, before returning to Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway and then Devil's Bowl Speedway near Dallas, TX, on May 9-10.
The Series:
O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour (ASCoT)
When & Where:
Friday night, April 25 – Paris Motor Speedway at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday night, April 26 – I-30 Speedway at 7:30 p.m.
Track Information:
Paris Motor Speedway (Paris, TX) – 1/4-mile high-banked dirt oval located 7.4 miles east of Paris' loop 286 on US 82, then 3.9 miles south on FM 196. For more information, contact the track at 903-982-6062.
I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – ¼-mile high-banked clay oval located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126 (Alexander Rd.), then south to frontage road, then east. For more information, contact the track at 501-455-4567.
O’Reilly ASCoT Paris Motor Speedway History:
The O'Reilly ASCoT National series has been in action on ten occasions at Paris Motor Speedway. Gary Wright won the first event in 1999 and has topped the most two recent Paris outings in 2004 and 2005. In between those wins, Wright was shut out as seven different drivers reached victory lane in the other seven events.
Paris Motor Speedway ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 3, Tim Crawley 1, Jeff Day 1, Michael Dupuy 1, Terry Gray 1, Jason Johnson 1, Travis Rilat 1, Mike Ward 1.
Paris Motor Speedway O'Reilly ASCoT Race-by-race Winners: Gary Wright (7/29/99), Terry Gray (4/21/00), Michael Dupuy (7/20/00), Travis Rilat (9/29/00), Tim Crawley (9/30/00), Jeff Day (5/18/01), Mike Ward (7/19/01), Jason Johnson (6/6/02), Gary Wright (8/27/04), Gary Wright (7/8/05).
O’Reilly ASCoT I-30 Speedway History:
A staple of the ASCS National Tour, I-30 Speedway hosted the first official ASCS National Tour event on May 15, 1993, with Memphis shoe Mike Ward dropping in on victory lane. Since that time, 14 different drivers have posted at least one ASCS National Tour feature win in the 36 events contested at I-30.
Gary Wright has enjoyed the most success at I-30 with ten triumphs, his most recent one coming during the 2006 edition of ASCS Speedweek.
I-30 Speedway ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 10, Garry Lee Maier 4, Tim Crawley 3, Terry Gray 3, Mike Ward 3, Jason Johnson 2, Wayne Johnson 2, Travis Rilat 2, Shane Stewart 2, Pete Butler 1, Ricky Logan 1, Jason Meyers 1, Eric Sandage 1, Tim Shaffer 1.
I-30 Speedway O’Reilly ASCoT Race-by-Race Winners: Mike Ward (5/15/93), Tim Crawley (6/24/93), Terry Gray (7/17/93), Garry Lee Maier (6/18/94), Garry Lee Maier (8/13/94), Terry Gray (5/20/95), Ricky Logan (6/24/95), Gary Wright (7/15/95), Mike Ward (5/18/96), Garry Lee Maier (6/15/96), Garry Lee Maier (8/3/96), Mike Ward (5/17/97), Gary Wright (6/14/97), Wayne Johnson (9/26/97), Wayne Johnson (9/27/97), Gary Wright (5/16/98), Terry Gray (6/13/98), Eric Sandage (8/25/01), Pete Butler (6/22/02), Gary Wright (7/13/02), Gary Wright (9/21/02), Gary Wright (6/21/03), Tim Crawley (7/12/03), Shane Stewart (9/6/03), Gary Wright (6/5/04), Travis Rilat (7/10/04), Gary Wright (8/28/04), Tim Crawley (6/11/05), Gary Wright (7/9/05), Travis Rilat (10/1/05), Jason Johnson (7/29/06), Jason Johnson (4/28/07), Gary Wright (7/14/07), Shane Stewart (10/25/07), Tim Shaffer (10/26/07), Jason Meyers (10/27/07).
Current O’Reilly ASCoT Points (After 8 of 42 Nights):
Top Fifteen: 1. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 853, 2. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 813, 3. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 795, 4. Jason Sides (Bartlett, TN) 756, 5. Garry Lee Maier (Cimarron, KS) 721, 6. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 717, 7. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 678, 8. Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) 659, 9. Don Droud, Jr. (Lincoln, NE) 624, 10. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 613, 11. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 593, 12. Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK) 542, 13. Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) 536, 14. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX) 522, 15. Kathryne Minter (Bedford, TX) 476.
2008 O’Reilly ASCoT Feature Winners:
Jason Johnson 3, Kenny Adams 1, Tony Bruce, Jr. 1, Danny Lasoski 1, Terry McCarl 1, Gary Wright 1.
O'Reilly ASCoT – A Look Ahead:
May 3 Lake Ozark Speedway (Lake Ozark, MO)
May 9 State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK)
May 10 Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX)
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.
Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (April 21, 2008) – The Discount Tire Co. American Sprint Car Series Canyon Region championship battle is beginning to heat up as the series returns to Manzanita Speedway's 1/3-mile clay oval in Phoenix this Saturday night.
Reaching victory lane in the series' past two feature events, including an April 5 outing on Manzy's 1/3-mile track, Davis has been chipping away at Jeremy Sherman's points lead.
Davis has closed to within 38 points of the defending series champion, who also has two feature wins to his credit thus far in 2008.
While Davis tries to reel in Sherman, he can't afford to look back as Nathan High is just six points behind him in third with 19-year-old Jeremy Reagles another half-dozen markers back in fourth.
Thomas Ogle, the only driver to finish among the top ten in all five ASCS Canyon Region feature events this season other than Sherman, enters the weekend ranked fifth, with the balance of the top ten including Josh Pelkey, Mike Martin, R.J. Johnson, Mike Leslie and Andrew Reinbold.
Certificates will be awarded to each of the heat race winners, with Racing Optics sponsoring heat race one, MPD Race Products sponsoring heat race two, Winters Performance sponsoring heat race three and Sunoco sponsoring heat race four. Arizona Race Mart sponsors the Trophy Dash, while Sunoco will also award a certificate to each "B" Main winner in ASCS Canyon Region action this year. Parker Store sponsors the Roll for Inversion.
Saturday's Discount Tire Co. ASCS Canyon Region action at Manzanita Speedway is set to go green at 7:00 p.m.
Manzanita Speedway is located in Phoenix, AZ, off I-10 Exit 141, then four miles south on 35th Avenue to West Broadway. For more information, contact the track at 602-276-7575.
The Discount Tire Co. ASCS Canyon Region brings the best in non-wing Sprint Car racing to Arizona with a full slate of 29 nights of racing in 2008. In addition to events atop both the ½-mile and 1/3-mile ovals at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, the series will also be in action at Tucson's USA Race Park and Casa Grande's Central Arizona Raceway over the course of the 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.
For immediate release from the O'Reilly USCS Newsroom:
Johnny Bridges scores big win in O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder event at Dillon Motor Speedway
Dillon, SC - April 19, 2008 – 20054 O’Reilly United Sprint Car Series/ AOAS Champion, Johnny Bridges from Cherryville, North Carolina won the 35-Lap O’Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder Tour main event at Dillon Motor Speedway in Dillon, South Carolina on Saturday night. The win was his third career O’Reilly USCS feature win.
Bridges started the evening by setting the fastest time trial qualifying lap around high-banked 4/10ths mile paved oval. After winnningthe Butlerbuilt Second Heat Race, Bridges drew a zero inversion in the K&N Filters pole Award drawing place himself and second quick qualifier, Wayne Reutimann, Jr. from Zephyrhills, Florida on the front row for the start of the main event.
When the green flag flew for the initial start of the 35-lap feature, Wayne Reutimann, Jr. got the jump on Bridges into the lead entering turn one only to see the caution flag waved for Wendy Mathis’contact incident in the turn three outside wall. After Mathis was checked out and deemed to be okay, her car was in much worse condition and could not continue.
On the restart Bridges bolted into the lead exiting turn two with Reutimann, Jr. leading the pack down to turn one with Wayne Reutimann, Jr. , defending National Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee in pursuit behind him. Standout sprint car rookie driver, Adam Jackson from Birmingham, England was in the fourth position and Gray’s team-mate, seventeen year-old, 2006 O’Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year, Derek Hagar rounded out the five car lead pack.
Bridges quickly placed lapped cars between Reutimann, Jr. and himself while extending his lead around the track.
But, Reutimann closed the gap each time Bridges dealt with lapped cars and until lap fourteen, he seemed to still have a chance to challenge the Cherryville charger known as the “Wild Child” for the win. On lap fourteen the caution came out for Reutimann who had broken a major suspension system component on the right rear corner of the car. This ended his valiant run and his night ended in the pits. The caution period placed Terry Gray on the rear bumper of Bridges for the re-start. Bridges charged away from the field again and raced his way to victory lane with a comfortable victory margin. Gray followed him home in the runner-up spot. Derek Hagar passed Adam Jackson on lap twenty-two for the third position at the finish. Jackson who presently resides in Timmonsville, South Carolina finished in fourth place. Veteran O’Reilly USCS hard-charger, Doug Day from Winder, Georgia who started in sixth place, rounded out the top five finishers.
Former Butler Speedway (Butler, Mich.) track Chmpion, Brad Wickham from Forest City, North Carolina finished sixth while making his return to sprint car racing after a fifteen year hiatus. It was also his paved track debut as well. Bronzie Lawson from Southern Pines, Norh Carolina who was also making his intial paved track start finished in seventh position. Nineteen year-old sprint car rookie Brandon Rekow from Mooresville, North Carolina finished eighth in the race followed by Wayne Reutimann, Jr. in ninth place followed by David Thorman from Greenville, South Carolina in the tenth position.
Adam Jackson who qualified fourth fastest raced to victory in the evenings six car, six-lap Lucas Oil Power Dash. Wayne Reutimann, Jr. raced from outside the second row in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat Race to the win. Bridges then raced from outside the second row to the victory in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat Race 8 laps later as well.
The Huggins Cams Hardcharger Award went to Derek Hagar as did the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race (for the highest finishing driver under 25 years old). Bridges additionally earned the JE Pistons Top Guns award. Bridges was also the K&N Filters Pole Award recipient after drawing a zero on the draw. The award goes to the driver who starts the sprint car feature race from the pole position. Adam Jackson garnered the FSR Products Rookie of the Race award after his fourth place finish.
The O'Reilly USCS www.uscsracing.com returns to action on dirt Harris Speedway www.harrisspeedway.com next Friday and Saturday April 25th and 26th with two O’Reilly USCS Southern Thunder regional point’s events and a national points event.. The O’Reilly USCS is the only winged sprint car series in the World that races on both dirt and paved ovals. The next O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder Tour event is scheduled for Saturday July 26th at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Georgia.
O’Reilly USCS OFFICIAL RESULTS Dillon Motor Speedway – Dillon, SC 4/19/08:
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH - 6 Laps - 1.Adam Jackson ; 2. Terry Gray; 3. Johnny Bridges; 4. Wendy Mathis; 5. Derek Hagar; 6. Wayne Reutimann, Jr.
HEAT RACES:
ENGLER MACHINE AND TOOL 1ST HEAT: : 1. Wayne Reutimann, Jr. ; 2.Doug Day; 3. Brad Wickham; 4. Adam Jackson; 5. Bronzie Lawson; 6. Brandon Rekow.
BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT: 1. Johnny Bridges; 2.Wendy Mathis; 3. Derek Hagar; 4. Terry Gray; 5. David Thorman; 6. Wayne Reutimann.
POS START CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS
FAST TIME: Johnny Bridges