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Cody Morris, Tulsa, OK (11-8-2011) - Exactly five weeks after Cowtown Speedway commenced the first edition of the inaugural Cowtown Crown, the stars of the Lucas Oil American Small Car Series will once again set their sights on The Fastest Lil' Dirt Track in Texas this coming weekend for the conclusion of both the Cowtown Crown and the 2011 Lucas Oil American Small Car Series campaign.
While each of the three Lucas Oil ASCS2 point leaders enjoy comfortable margins, very little is ensured except two nights of tenacious mini sprint action featuring the top talents of the region. The highly anticipated event cannot come soon enough for Sooner state racing teams looking to escape a freak series of earthquakes quite close to Tulsa/OKC metro areas. Indeed, that rumble will shift south of the Red River a high banked 1/4 mile slice of heaven this coming weekend for the closing half of the 2011 Cowtown Crown.
It is an event of both achievement and defense. No driver in the field exemplifies this more than Sapulpa, Oklahoma's Blake Hahn. The defending 2010 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw Champion started his 2011 campaign with a bang. The sensational 17 year old has firmly established himself as one of the top young open wheel drivers in the nation.
In the past 12 months, the pilot of the Speedway Vending no. 52 got the better of a thrilling duel with fellow rising star Christopher Bell in the 2010 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw title chase, and hardly six weeks after the hard fought championship, put nationwide Outlaw teams on their knees with a total sweep of Winged and Non-Winged Outlaw action at the 2011 Tulsa Shootout.
Shootout success has since been followed with a top ten finish in his first career ASCS sprint car start at Lawton Speedway, followed by a top 5 finish in ASCS Lone Star action at Texarkana, Arkansas. Hahn's 2011 dash also netted his 2nd and 3rd career Lucas Oil ASCS EcoTec Midget victories, as well as teaming with the stout Hard Eight Racing team for a 2012 Chili Bowl assault. And just this past saturday, Hahn snared his first USCS 600 victory at "The Ditch" - West Memphis, Arkansas' vaunted Riverside Speedway.
But where Hahn's 2011 success pertains to us most is his four 2011 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw feature wins and an incredible 255 point margin entering the ASCS2 Series finale this weekend at Cowtown Speedway. Hahn's dominance thus far in the 2011 ASCS2 Outlaw campaign has all but ensured his Championship defense, as with just a taking a green flag lap in either night of ASCS2 action at the Cowtown Crown, Hahn will be crowned the 2011 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw Champion and also be the first driver in series' history to win back-to-back titles.
However, Hahn's eyes will be on the same prize as the rest of the field. Coweta, Oklahoma's Kade Morton will likely concede the title, he will be racing hard for his first Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw win. Lindsay, Oklahoma's Harli White enters the weekend with 55 points behind Morton's runner up pace. White can also boast a claim no other driver in the field can as she enters the 2nd half of the Cowtown Crown as the only driver to unseat Tyson Hall in Outlaw action at Cowtown Speedway.
A Longview, Texas native, Hall smashed the field in both ASCS2 Outlaw events at Cowtown to conclude 2010 action. A winner of the 1st part of the 2011 Cowtown Crown in October, Hall is 3 for 4 with only a Harli White rocketing to her first of three 2011 ASCS2 Outlaw scores at Cowtown Speedway in February.
Pauls Valley, Oklahoma's Steven Shebester has turned in a red hot 2011 campaign and enters the Lucas Oil ASCS2/Cowtown Crown finale with a 154 point advantage over Glenpool, Oklahoma's Matt Ward in the 2011 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Non Wing title chase. Shebester possesses a Non Wing series best three victories in the 2011 campaign.
The 2011 campaign has been up and down at best for Matt Ward. A string of consistent finishes had Ward at the point late into the season, but a two weekends of excruciating misfortune saw that advantage turned upside down. Ward enters the Cowtown fray 57 markers ahead of Harli White in the 2011 Non Wing push, as White has come on extremely strong in the highly competitive Non Wing division. A string of top ten finishes, including her first Lucas Oil ASCS2 Non Wing score at South Coffeyville, Oklahoma's Mid America Speedway, has boosted White from a midseason 8th to currently a third place position entering the weekend.
Coweta, Oklahoma native Chance Morton has a strong argument for MVP among the three Lucas Oil American Small Car Series divisions. In 12 starts gainst an exceptionally talented 2011 Restricted division, Morton has notched a top ten finish in all 12 events, including an ASCS2 best ten top 10 finishes and another ASCS2 best, five main event feature wins.
So strong is the field that despite Morton's dominance, Atoka, Oklahoma's Austin Shores has also matched the perfect top ten consistency and along with his first Lucas Oil ASCS2 Restricted feature win at Oklahoma City's I-44 Speedway in May, Shores enters the 2011 season finale 122 markers behind Morton's staggering pace in the 2011 Lucas Oil ASC2 Restricted division title chase.
Cyril, Oklahoma's Cord Dodson enters the season finale third in the Restricted ranks, trailing Morton by 158 markers on the strength of 11 top ten finishes, with 7 of those finishes being of of the top five variety. Kennedale, Texas' hometown favorite Christian Kinnison enters the finale fourth in the Restricted ranks, with February's ASCS2 Restricted winner at Cowtown Speedway and El Reno, Oklahoma native Kyle Keeler fifth in the 2011 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Restricted campaign.
The Lucas Oil American Small Car Series will headline the last half of the Cowtown Crown this coming friday and saturday at Kennedale, Texas' Cowtown Speedway. Friday night's green flag will drop at 7pm with the Saturday night finale commencing at 6pm. Points and purse will be awarded BOTH NIGHTS.
Local/regional USRA Modifieds and Limited Modifieds will join the Lucas Oil American Small Car Series action Saturday night only. The Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw, Non Wing, and Restricted divisions will run full shows (heats and features) for purse and points each night.
For more information regarding the Lucas Oil American Small Car Series, please contact ASCS headquarters at 918.838.3777
For more information regarding Cowtown Speedway, please visit www.cowtownspeedway.com or contact speedway promoter Jeff Martinez at 817.917.8562
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