Stenhouse & Trio
of Past Winners Among Early STN Entries!
Lonnie
Wheatley, LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (October 8, 2012) – With the 25th Annual
COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires little more than two
weeks away, the stack of completed entry forms are starting to pile up on the
desk in the I-30 Speedway track office.
Among
those early entries for the October 25-27 worth $15,000 to win and $2,500 to
start is reigning NASCAR Nationwide champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., along with a
trio of past STN champions including Jason Johnson, Wayne Johnson and Tony
Bruce, Jr.
Others
that have made the cut for a STN championship feature event among the early
round of entries include the likes of A.G. Rains, Matt Covington, Travis Rilat,
Johnny Herrera, Dale Howard and Claud Estes.
The
pre-entry deadline is just a few days away, with entries submitted by next
Wednesday, October 17, just $150.Entries filed after the October 17 deadline will be $250.Entry forms are available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/flyers/stn_2011.pdf
or by calling 501-455-4567.
A
native of Olive Brach, MS, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., will take advantage of an idle
weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide series to make a return to the Short Track
Nationals after missing out on last year’s edition.Stenhouse captured last year’s Nationwide
title and is locked in a tight battle for the top spot this year.
Stenhouse
made the cut for his first STN championship finale as a 16-year-old in 2003 and
then made three consecutive main events from 2005 to 2007, finishing among the
top ten all three years with a career-best STN finish of fifth in 2005.
Stenhouse
will be teamed with 2006 STN champion Jason Johnson out of the Stenhouse / JJR
stable.
Jason
Johnson is one of three past event winners among the early entries.“The Ragin’ Cajun” has made six STN championship
feature starts, though the two-time ASCS National champion hasn’t finished
among the top ten since a fourth-place run in 2007.
Johnson,
a native of Eunice, LA, is currently locked in a tight battle for another
National championship with Oklahoma City’s Wayne Johnson, who earned his STN
crown in 1997.Vying for his 15th
career STN championship feature start, W. Johnson’s only STN top-ten since 2003
was a runner-up finish three years ago in 2009.
Rounding
out the current trio of past winners already entered is Liberal, KS, shoe Tony
Bruce, Jr., who snared back-to-back STN crowns in 2008 and 2009.One of just three drivers to claim
back-to-back event wins along with Steve Kinser and Gary Wright, Bruce, Jr.,
will try to race his way back into the Saturday night finale after missing the
cut each of the past two years.
Matt
Covington, who claimed both the Sooner and Lone Star championships this year,
was one of seven drivers to start his first STN finale last year while A.G.
Rains earned the Interstate Cup title this year after making his fifth STN
feature in 2011.
Travis
Rilat, who missed the top ten by just one spot last year, pilots a Canadian entry
as he tries for a ninth STN finale this year.
Dale
Howard made the most recent of his STN feature starts in 2006, Claud Estes made
the feature cut in 2003 and Johnny Herrera made his lone STN feature start in
the early years of the event in 1990.
Last
October, Sammy Swindell became just the fourth multi-time STN winner by besting
a field of 100 competitors for his first Short Track Nationals championship
since 1990.Others that have claimed
multiple STN honors include four-time champion Gary Wright (1995, 1999, 2003,
2004), Steve Kinser (1988, 1989, 1991) and Tony Bruce, Jr. (2008, 2009).
Other past Short Track Nationals winners
include Brad Sweet (2010), Jason Meyers (2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim
Montgomery (2005), Paul McMahan (2002), Jason Sides (2001), Mike Ward (2000),
Tim Crawley (1998), Wayne Johnson (1997), Pete Butler (1996), Terry Gray (1994)
and John Gerloff (1993).The 1992
edition fell victim to rain.
Approximately
100 of the nation’s top Sprint Car teams are expected to converge upon Little
Rock over the final weekend of October to vie for their share of the 25th
Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires purse that
exceeds $100,000.
The Pertinent Info:
The What:25th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by
Hoosier Tires.
The Where:I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR).I-30 Speedway is located seven miles
southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126 (Alexander Road).
The When:Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 25-27,
2012.$15,000 to win the STN finale on
October 27 with $2,500 to start the STN championship feature.Race time is 7:30 p.m. each night.Rain date is November 1-3.Test 'N Tune session on Wednesday night,
October 24.
The Format:The format introduced last year will once
again be in effect.Approximately half
the field will take to the track in the Thursday night qualifying event, with
the other half in Friday’s qualifying event.The top three from each night will be locked into Saturday night’s
$15,000-to-win, $2,500-to-start STN Championship Finale.Those six drivers will battle it out in
Saturday’s Dash for Cash to determine the alignment of the front three rows of
the championship main event.
Beyond
that, drivers will be lined up on Saturday night in twin “B” Mains, twin “C”
Mains, twin “D” Mains, twin “E” Mains and “F” Mains if necessary.Four drivers will transfer from each “F” to
“E”, “E” to “D”, “D” to “C” and “C” to “B”, with seven advancing from each “B”
Main to form the 20-car STN championship main event field.
The
popular format of heats and qualifying races will once again be in place on
qualifying nights.The top 14 in
cumulative points from heats and qualifiers will be locked into that night’s
main event, with two or three “B” Mains depending upon car count contested to
fill out the qualifying night feature field.
Points
earned in qualifying night heat races, qualifiers and features will set
Saturday night’s feature lineups.
The Past Winners:Sammy Swindell (2011
and 1990), Brad Sweet (2010), Tony Bruce, Jr. (2009 and 2008), Jason Meyers
(2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Gary Wright (2004, 2003,
1999 and 1995), Paul McMahan (2002), Jason Sides (2001), Mike Ward (2000), Tim Crawley
(1998), Wayne Johnson (1997), Pete Butler (1996), Terry Gray (1994), John
Gerloff (1993), Steve Kinser (1991, ’89 and ‘88).1992 finale was rained out.
The PPV:Can’t make your way to Little Rock, AR, for
this prestigious event? For the first time ever, this year you can still catch
every lap of the action on your computer via live Pay-Per-View.Just check out www.shorttracknationals.com for
pricing and ordering information.Orders
are being taken now.
The Trade Show & Midway:This year’s
rendition of the Short Track Nationals will also include the Eighth Annual
Short Track Nationals Trade Show & Midway.Fans,
drivers & crews will have the opportunity to visit vendor displays, which
opens at noon on Thursday and then at 9 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday.The deadline for guaranteed vendor space is
Monday, October 22.Inquiries regarding
vendor space should be directed to [email protected].
The Tickets:Advance
tickets are on sale through Wednesday, October 24, no advance sales after that.
Tickets ordered in advance are just $45 for all three nights.Day of show prices are $15 on Thursday and
Friday and $25 on Saturday.To order
tickets in advance or for more information, call the track at 501-455-4567 or
e-mail orders to [email protected]'s tickets will be available at the event for just $2 on both
Thursday and Friday and then $5 on Saturday.There is a $1 per ticket surcharge for orders placed via credit/debit
cards.Pit passes are $30 on both
Thursday and Friday and $35 on Saturday.
For
more information regarding the 25th Annual COMP Cams Short Track
Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires, contact I-30
Speedway at 501-455-4567.
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