Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I just moved to NW Arkansas and I was encouraged by how many dirt tracks there are in the area.  Tons of 360 sprint car racing with ASCS National & Sooner region and the OCRS (Oil Capital Racing Series).  There are also a few WoO stops as well plus the big specials like Chili Bowl and STN.  It's like I live in NorCal again!

I found several tracks less than 2 hours from my new home;  W. Siloam Springs, Salina, Monett, Tri-State and Outlaw Motorsports Park.  Anyone have a recommendation on the best tracks in the area?  Does the OCRS and Sooner Region put on a good show?

I already have the Chili Bowl, STN, Jessie Hocket Mem. (Lucas Oil) and the Salina WoO on my calendar.

You will need to get in touch with Glad Brad and find the directions to DOREY'S CATFISH BUFFET.  It is unbelievable!!!!!

 
I LEARNED ESP FROM MY MOM

"PUT YOUR SWEATER ON: DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW WHEN 
YOU'RE COLD?"

The OCRS usually runs a show or 2 at Monett, MO every year, and it usually ends up being a really good race. Monett is a semi banked 3/8 that looks kinda narrow/tight cornered from the stands. There is no wall outside the corners, so guys can really hammer even a razor thin cushion if theres one up there...somebody who can run the bottom well can be as fast as a cushion hustler when the track slicks off, and half the passes in the feature are usually sliders. The facilities at Monett are kinda old/worn out looking but the racing usually ends up pretty good with OCRS or ASCS cars.

I would also recommend going to North Central Ark Speedway in Flippin/Yellville Ark if they schedule any sprint shows. They occasionally have a Sooner region show there, and even if only 14-16 cars show up they put on a good show on that track.

Springfield raceway in Springfield, MO always schedules a couple ASCS Sooner/Warrior region races each year, and I think they are planning on having 2 or 3 WAR series nonwing shows this coming year. Both of those series typically put on a great show on Springfields high banked 1/4 mile, but be prepared to sit through 7 of their weekly classes any time you go to Springfied. They literally run 3 different classes of modifieds every week, along with 2-3 classes of street stock type cars and legends cars. They do run a pretty quick/smooth show considering they have well over 100 cars combined in all those different classes, but it still gets hard to sit through for a die hard open wheel guy.

And you may be a bit farther than 2 hours away, but for sure make as many trips as you can to Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa (Tulsa) OK. It is a tiny tiny track and when you put 20 sprintcars or midgets on it you need 4 sets of eyes to see all the action at that little joint.

And for sure make at least one trip to Port City raceway in Port of Catoosa, OK (just east of Tulsa)... They run 600cc micros weekly on a high banked 1/8- 1/6 mile track, usually have upwards of 150 cars, the racing is INSANE and the ticket price is cheaper than any big car track you go to. There are so many big time sprint/midget drivers who got their start there it would be impossible to name them all, but Brady Bacon, Donnie Ray Crawford, Shane Stewart and Daryn Pittman are a few of them... several of the Tulsa area sprintcar guys occasionally show up at Port City to race, and any time you go watch a show at port you are going to see more than a few guys who are a few years away from making a big splash in the sprintcar or midget world.

I would also plan on making a trip to West Memphis Riverside Speedway (The Ditch)...thats where the Swindells got started, and several really good racers run there weekly. They run winged 360s, winged 305s, and 600cc micros weekly, and it's another track that produces insane racing. Fast 1/4 mile thats always elbows up tacky.  They may have a USAC sprint show there again this year, and that is for sure a "don't miss" show. And while you're over on that side of the state you may as well check out Little Rock. They also run 360s and I think 305s weekly, and host the Short Track Nationals every fall which pulls about 120 sprinters for 3 days of racing.

You are in a pretty good area for a sprintcar fan to be... nothing in your back yard, but a 2-3 hour drive any direction gives you tons of choices of good racing to see.

Loose is when you hit the wall with the rear of the
car, tight is when you hit the wall with the front of
the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and
torque is how far you move the wall.

Lawton Speedway maybe a little far for you but they will have several stops for the ASCS National and Sooner region.

Creek County will have ASCS and OCRS shows as well.

USAC Southwest series will be near you as well.

August 13: Lawton Speedway – Lawton, OK (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)

August 14: Creek County Speedway – Sapulpa, OK (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)

ASCS is the best in this region (besides the WoO stop) but the OCRS put on a great show as well. If nothing else is going on you will not be disappointed. They have the 3X5 wings though.

Darnall, don't know if you've been to the Ditch in recent years?   Under it's current owner they've gotten away from the "always incredibly tacky" thing.    The new owner ripped out the sprinkler system that had been watering the track for years and went with a water truck.   I guess they must lose the keys to it sometimes.   I went to an All Star show there in 2008 and there was dust coming off of the tires in hot laps.   The track wound up black from top to bottom and the track was one groove and horridly slow.    It was much better a couple of years ago in 2011 when I went to a USCS show there, but it still slicked a little towards the end of the night.    I think the new owner just doesn't like tacky for some reason.     WIth all that being said the place is still worth visiting just because of the history.   However, anyone who goes expecting a tacky track with cars doing wheelstands may be in for a surprise.  

Thanks for the info Willie... About the only shows I have seen video from down there in the last ew years have been the USAC shows, and I know the one last year was ridiculously over watered, by mother nature or by man i'm not sure... but the pics and video from that race showed lots of mud all night long...I just assumed that it was still that way all the time.

Loose is when you hit the wall with the rear of the
car, tight is when you hit the wall with the front of
the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and
torque is how far you move the wall.

I-30 Speedway hosts several ASCS shows, a USAC show + The Short Track Nationals.  When here, you have got to eat the Frito Chili Pie...

Salina Highbanks in Salina, OK is an awesome speed plant (WoO + ASCS).

Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO is an excellent facility (ASCS).

Sedalia Fairgrounds in Sedalia, MO (when there, please tell THE REF to kiss my @$$).

Are you sitting down?  Bad news... DOREY's closed their buffet last summer - too much demand.  They have scaled back to catering only.

Sedalia didn't run a race this year and I suspect probably won't for a while after the bad night there last year.

If rain doesn't come through try Pevely in the spring and in the fall to for some great Hi-Banked 410 winged sprint action. Farmington,MO on almost every Saturday night with some great action to..

Thanks for the correction.