Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (August 27, 2007) – Closing in on his first series title, 19-year-old Lee Grosz of Harwood, ND, leads the American Sprint Car Series Northern Plains Region into this weekend's Mighty Axe Nationals at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, MN.
 
It marks the second consecutive year that the ASCS Northern Plains Region has taken part in the track's Mighty Axe Nationals, with full cards on both Saturday night and Sunday night.
 
With just four events remaining on the 2007 slate including this weekend's North Central Speedway double, Grosz holds a 94-point lead over Dave Glennon of Casselton, ND, in the ASCS Northern Plains Region championship points chase.
 
Eric Lutz of Sioux Falls, SD, is next in the title chase, with other top series contenders including Curt Lund (Redwood Falls, MN), Chris Graf (Glencoe, MN), Scott Winters (Butterfield, MN) and Jody Rosenboom (Rock Rapids, IA).
 
In the series most recent visit to North Central Speedway on July 7, Billy Balog captured his first career ASCS feature win.
 
Last year, Minnesota racers Dustin Lindquist and Curt Lund kept the Mighty Axe Nationals bragging rights within the state's borders.
 
North Central Speedway is located six miles south of Brainerd, MN, on SR 371, then 0.5 miles north on BR 371.  For more information, contact the track at 218-828-1545 or 218-330-9097.
 
The ASCS Northern Plains Region 2007 slate consists of 19 events at eleven different tracks throughout Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin.
 
The 2007 season marks the 16th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series. With a dozen different Regions in addition to the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series, ASCS will sanction approximately 240 nights of racing at more than 100 different race tracks throughout at least 30 different states and Canada.

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