|
| 15th Year of ASCS Action Kicks off Thursday at East Bay | Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 24, 2006) – After a banner season in 2005, things just keep getting bigger and better for the American Sprint Car Series as the sanctioning body kicks off its 15th year of racing action with the O’Reilly ASCS National Tour presented by Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores at the Eighth Annual “King of the 360’s” at Tampa’s East Bay Raceway Park on Thursday through Saturday.
The event, which culminates with the $10,000-to-win Ronald Laney Classic Saturday night, kicks off East Bay Raceway Park’s 30th Annual Winter Nationals. Three nights of O’Reilly Sprint Bandits Tour N’ Topless non-wing 410-ci action follow on January 30 – February 1, with the winged 410-ci Sprints wrapping up the Sprint Car portion of East Bay’s Winter Nationals on February 2-4.
Founded in 1992, the American Sprint Car Series is coming off a 2005 season that included a record 95 nights of racing under the ASCS banner. Forty-one different drivers made at least one trip to ASCS victory lane, with a total of 539 drivers competing in at least one ASCS event in ’05.
With the addition of the ASCS Sprints on Dirt, Northern Plains Region and Mid-South Region to the existing National Tour and Gulf South, Midwest, Rocky Mountain, Sooner and Southern Regions, those numbers will expand with approximately 175 nights of ASCS racing expected in 2006.
And what better way to kick off a huge 15th year of racing for the American Sprint Car Series than with East Bay Raceway Park’s “King of the 360’s”?
With 66 entries from throughout the nation at last count, this weekend’s East Bay Raceway Park entry total for ASCS competition could reach upwards of the 80 mark, loaded with a number of the nation’s top Sprint Car racers.
Among those expected for competition are two-time and defending ASCS National champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX, 2003 series champion Travis Rilat (Forney, TX), 2001 series champion Zach Chappell (Talala, OK), 2000 series champion Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK), 2005 series runner-up Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK), 2005 Most Improved Driver Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX), 2005 Rookie of the Year Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS), two-time Knoxville Raceway champion Jake Peters (Sioux Falls, SD), defending ASCS Sooner Region champion Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK), Jan Howard (Byhalia, MS), Jerrod Hull (Sikeston, MO), James Mosher (Albuquerque, NM), Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO), 13-year-old Trey Robb (Newcastle, OK), two-time Sprints on Dirt champion Dustin Daggett (Portland, MI), Abe Sherwood (Drumright, OK), Terry McCarl (Altoona, IA), Kenny Adams (Malabar, FL), Tim Montgomery (Fredericktown, MO), Jason Sides (Bartlett, TN) and Sport Allen (Largo, FL).
After a practice session atop the semi-banked 1/3-mile dirt oval from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday night, the 2006 season for the American Sprint Car Series gets under way on Thursday night. All entries will compete over the course of all three nights, including both Thursday and Friday prelims as well as Saturday’s finale, of the Eighth Annual “King of the 360’s” at East Bay Raceway Park.
East Bay Raceway Park is located off I-75 Exit 250, then two miles west, then 1.2 miles north on US 41, then right 1.3 miles on Old US 41, then right on Burts Rd. For more information, contact the track at 813-677-7223 or 1-877-457-5611.
Including the O’Reilly ASCS National Tour and the American Sprint Car Series Regional Tours (Gulf South, Mid-South, Midwest, Northern Plains, Rocky Mountain, Sooner, Southern, Sprints on Dirt), the American Sprint Car Series will present approximately 175 nights of racing in 2006.
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at http://www.ascsracing.com/.
Have an opinion on
this story? Post a message on
our Message Board! or Email KARNACto send a letter to the editor!
|
