remember, the STN will be live: Thursday, Fri., & Sat. at 8:30PM Eastern, 7:30PM
Central Time on www.americandirtnetwork.com. Audio only... so even dial up can get
it....
O'Reilly
Short Track Nationals – The Time is Near!
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (October 22, 2007) –
It's just a matter of a couple of short days now, the final few hours, and
the final weekend of October is upon us.You know, that weekend when all roads seemingly lead to Little
Rock, Arkansas.The weekend when
the collective eyes of the entire Sprint Car racing community shifts to
"The Natural State's" capital city.
And the added beauty of it is, at least
for those who have planned accordingly, it's a long weekend.It's one that fires to life on Thursday
when the first official green flag flies upon the 20th edition
of I-30 Speedway's O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier
Tires.
With the entry count already in record
territory at 105 with more entries still trickling in every day, it's
doubtful that a tougher, more competitive cast of characters has ever been
assembled in one place for a 360-ci Sprint Car event, one that will serve
as the final event of the year for the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour
National series.
And following three full nights of the
most intense Sprint Car racing imaginable atop I-30 Speedway's
high-banked, red clay, ¼-mile oval, including two full preliminary events
on Thursday and Friday followed by Saturday night's STN championship
finale, we'll finally know the answer to the most frequently-asked
question in recent weeks, or even months.
We'll know the exact identity of the next
Short Track Nationals king.We'll
know who rides out of Little Rock $20,000 wealthier with a Saturday night
triumph.We'll know if the loot
goes to New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, California or one of the other 21
states represented among the star-studded field.Or maybe, just maybe, the winner's
bounty will stay within the Arkansas state lines for just the third time
in event history.
And just to make things more interesting
this time around, as if that was really necessary to begin with, the
winner could leave I-30 Speedway with more than $45,000.That's right, the top three from the
Thursday and Friday preliminary feature events will square off in the
Pack's Dash for Cash for the opportunity to be presented the COMP Cams
Challenge.
Just witnessing who will become eligible
for the added money will be spectacular enough on Thursday and Friday
nights.After all, simply getting
locked into the $2,000-to-start finale through preliminary night action is
virtually priceless.Those studly
six won't have to battle amongst the remaining 100 or so combatants for
the final 14 positions to the STN championship finale on Saturday
night.
And as those other 100 or so battle
through heats, last chance races and qualifiers on Saturday in a popular
version of the Sprint Bandits format, the six drivers already locked in
will square off in the Pack's Dash for Cash, a Dash that has historically
held more than its fair share of dicey moments.This year will be no different, as there
is that added impetus to finish in front, for that is where the
opportunity at a $45,000 payday is to be found.Simply accepting the challenge and going
to the tail of the field assured that driver of an extra $1,000 regardless
of finishing position.Pull off the
unthinkable, come from the tail and win it all, and the winner's share
balloons to a whopping $45,000.
The entry list already reads like a
"Who's Who of Sprint Car Racing" with the likes of Gary Wright, Daryn
Pittman, Shane Stewart, Dale Blaney, Terry Gray, Garry Lee Maier, Tim
Shaffer, Lucas Wolfe, Greg Wilson, Brian Brown, Travis Rilat, Wayne
Johnson, Jake Peters, local legend Tim Crawley and defending STN champion
Jason Johnson among an endless list of lead-footed chargers seeking the
STN crown.
And the field keeps getting stouter with
each passing day.
Over the weekend, car owner Donnie Cooper
confirmed that World of Outlaws ace Paul McMahan will indeed pilot the
potent #01 entry.McMahan is only
undefeated at I-30 Speedway, winning both his qualifying feature and the
STN finale in 2002, the only time he has ever competed at I-30
Speedway.McMahan gave Cooper the
first of his two victories as a car owner, with Tim Montgomery wheeling
Cooper's No. 01 to victory lane in 2005.Only Bobby Sparks, with back-to-back STN wins with Wayne Johnson
and Tim Crawley in 1997 and 1998, can match Cooper with STN victories as a
car owner.
With McMahan officially in the field, the
number of past STN winners vying for another big score is now eight, with
others past winners including Gary Wright (2004, 2003, 1999 and 1995),
Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Jason Sides (2001), Tim
Crawley (1998), Wayne Johnson (1997) and Terry Gray (1994).
Also entering over the weekend were the
likes of Missouri's Jesse Hockett, who provided some of the most memorable
moments of the 2006 STN with a dramatic daytime run on a smoldering right
rear tire, Michigan's Dain Naida, a former Sprint on Dirt titlist, Ohio's
Ron Blair, Nebraska's Stu Snyder, Oklahoma's Foster Landon (the likely
2007 O'Reilly ASCoT Rookie of the Year) and Joe Wood, Jr., and the local
father-son combo of Rick and Zach Pringle, with Zach reigning as 2007 I-30
Speedway track champion.
Pertinent
Short Track Nationals Information:
What:20th Annual O'Reilly Short
Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.
Where:I-30
Speedway (Little Rock, AR).I-30
Speedway is located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126
(Alexander).
When:Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, October 25-27, 2007.$20,000 to win the STN finale on October 27, with $2,000 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.
Past
Winners: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) and Sammy
Swindell (1990).1992 finale was
rained out.
The
Entries:Entries after the October 14 pre-entry
deadline are $250.Entry forms are
available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/driverentry.htm or by
calling the track at 501-455-4567.
Current
Entries:
#0
Dustin Daggett (Portland, MI)
#00
Danny Martin, Jr. (Sarasota, FL)
#1g
Cody Gardner (Benton, AR)
#1m
Andy McElhannon (Hernando, MS)
#1p
Curtis Evans (Norburne, MO)
#1s
Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK)
#1x
Don Droud, Jr. (Lincoln,
NE)
#01
Paul McMahan (Nashville, TN)
#01x
TBA
#2d
Stu Snyder (Waverly, NE)
#2m
Bryce Vowan (Forrest City, AR)
#2w
Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK)
#3
A.G. Rains (West Memphis, AR)
#3b
Brad Greer (Coultierville, IL)
#03
Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK)
#4am
TBA
#B4
Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX)
#4x
Jan Howard (Byhalia, MS)
#5ma
Mallory Armfield (St. Joseph, MO)
#5$
Danny Smith (Sapulpa, OK)
#6
Mike Dussel (Rising Sun, OH)
#6b
Dale Blaney (Fowler, OH)
#6n
Dain Naida (Belleville, MI)
#7c
Chris Morgan (Topeka, KS)
#7h
Lewis Jenkins, Jr. (Bryant, AR)
#7m
Kevin Ramey (Fort Worth, TX)
#7s
Jason Sides (Bartlett, TN)
#7w
Wade Human (Marion, AR)
#8
Jeff Wingate (Centertown, MO)
#8s
Steve Short (Farmington, MO)
#8x
Chris Williams (Memphis, TN)
#8z
Zach Pringle (Benton, AR)
#9
Gary Wright (Hooks, TX)
#10
Terry Gray (Bartlett, TN)
#11
Raymond Stull (Hernando, MS)
#11F
Foster Landon (Collinsville, OK)
#11x
Garry Lee Maier (Cimarron, KS)
#12
Jerrod Hull (Sikeston, MO)
#12x
Robbie Standridge (Springfield, IL)
#a12
Tim Shaffer (Aliquippa, PA)
#d12
Doc Sloan (Imperial, MO)
#13k
Lucas Wolfe (Harrisburg, PA)
#13m
Kathryne Minter (Bedford, TX)
#14
Coleman Gulick (Binghamton, NY)
#14E
Danny Jennings (Norman, OK)
#14k
Kyle Bellm (Nixa, MO)
#14T
Tyler Brown (Vilonia, AR)
#15b
Brad Bowden (Hernando, MS)
#15h
Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX)
#15s
Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK)
#17b
Ryan Bickett (Ramona, SD)
#18T
Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS)
#R19
Scott Winters (Butterfield, MN)
#20
Josh Howard (Byhalia, MS)
#20
Eric Lutz (Sioux Falls, SD)
#w20
Greg Wilson (Benton Ridge, OH)
#21
Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO)
#21p
Daryn Pittman (Owasso, OK)
#21T
TBA
#23
Rob Chaney (Wooster, OH)
#23b
Garry Bell (Cordova, TN)
#25
Gary Taylor (Sapulpa, OK)
#26
Marshall Skinner (West Memphis, AR)
#28
Jonathan Cornell (Sedalia, MO)
#29
Travis Rilat (Forney, TX)
#35
Brad Best (Tulsa, OK)
#35
Jimmy Hurley (Springfield, IL)
#35r
Ron Blair (Troy, OH)
#38
Rick Pringle (Benton, AR)
#40
Ernie Ainsworth (Southaven, MS)
#41
Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA)
#47
Dale Howard (Byhalia, MS)
#50z
Zach Chappell (Talala, OK)
#51
Jimmy Brooks (College Station, TX)
#51
Lee Sowell (Nesbit, MS)
#51b
Mike Boston (Crete, NE)
#53
Joe Beaver (Knoxville, IA)
#53
Jack Dover (Springfield, NE)
#57x
Jake Peters (Sioux Falls, SD)
#58
Wade Oliver (Milan, TN)
#64J
Johnny Miller (Burleson, TX)
#66
Kenny Taylor (Clinton, AR)
#69h
Larry Howery (Hearne, TX)
#71
Tim Simmons (Splendora, TX)
#71b
Robert Bell (Colfax, IA)
#71J
John Jacob (Aurora, CO)
#74e
Claud Estes (Godley, TX)
#75
Tyler Blank (California, MO)
#75J
Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO)
#76
Jay Russell (Elwood, KS)
#81
Jon Freeman (Salina, KS)
#86F
Josh Fisher (Smithton, MO)
#86s
Eric Schrock (Lake Ozark, MO)
#87
Brian McClelland (Tulsa, OK)
#87
Tim Montgomery (Fredericktown, MO)
#88
Tim Crawley (Benton, AR)
#91
Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK)
#93
Bob Schaeffer (New Castle, CO)
#93c
Chris Sweeney (Channelview, TX)
#94
Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK)
#94s
Natalie Sather (Fargo, ND)
#94T
Steven Tiner (Elverta, CA)
#95
Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)
#97
Mike Brecht (Leipsic, OH)
#98
Andrew Korte (Centertown, MO)
Prolific
2007 Feature Winners:
Jason Johnson 19, Tim Crawley 16, Brian Brown 14, Shane Stewart 14, Gary
Wright 14, Dale Blaney 13, Terry Gray 12, Dustin Daggett 10, Wayne Johnson
10, Lucas Wolfe 10, Jerrod Hull 9, Garry Lee Maier 7, Daryn Pittman 7,
Kevin Ramey 7.
Past
STN Championship Feature Starts Among Entered Drivers (Since
1993):Gary Wright 13, Tim Crawley 12, Wayne
Johnson 10, Terry Gray 10, Garry Lee Maier 9, Lewis Jenkins, Jr. 8, Dale
Howard 7, Jan Howard 6, Tim Montgomery 6, Travis Rilat 5, Jason Sides 5,
Darren Stewart 5, Shane Stewart 5, Jesse Hockett 4, Garry Bell 3, Brian
Brown 3, Jason Johnson 3, A.G. Rains 3, Kevin Ramey 3, Marshall Skinner 3,
Nick Smith 3, Ernie Ainsworth 2, Zach Chappell 2, Jerrod Hull 2, Wade
Oliver 2, Daryn Pittman 2, Dale Blaney 1, Claud Estes 1, Cody Gardner 1,
Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 1, Danny Jennings 1, Paul McMahan 1, Jake Peters 1,
Eric Schrock 1, Robbie Standridge 1, Raymond Stull 1, Steven Tiner 1,
Kenneth Walker 1
The
Series: This
year's edition of the Short Track Nationals will be the season-ending
event for the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series.The 16th year of competition
for the American Sprint Car Series will culminate with the champion, to be
determined at the Short Track Nationals, receiving $50,000.
Current
top ten in ASCS National points:1.
Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 4,280, 2. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 4,212,
3. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 4,176, 4. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 3,976,
5. Foster Landon (Collinsville, OK) 3,477, 6. Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK)
2,697, 7. Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) 2,290, 8. Eric Baldaccini (Keller,
TX) 1,851, 9. Andy Shouse (Oklahoma City, OK) 1,740, 10. Kenneth Walker
(Sapulpa, OK) 1,723.
The
Format:A
version of the popular Sprint Bandits format of heats and qualifying races
will be in place for all three nights of competition.Each night, Heat Races will be aligned
according to the pre-race draw, with the passing points system in
effect.
Approximately
half of the STN entrants will battle through Thursday's qualifying
program, with the other half racing through Friday night's qualifying
program.Those not locked in after
the first two nights (top three from each night) will race through a full
card of Heats, Last Chance Races and Qualifying Races on Saturday night to
fill out the October 27 STN championship finale.
Each
qualifying night, the top 32 in passing points from Heat Race competition
will be inverted in four Qualifying Races with the balance of each
Qualifying Race lined straight up with 33rd in points on back
filling out rows five and beyond.The top twenty in combined finishing/passing points from the Heats
and Qualifying Races will set each preliminary night's feature
lineup.The top three feature
finishers from each qualifying feature are locked into Saturday's main
event.
With
six cars locked into Saturday’s $20,000-to-win, $2,000-to-start main
event, the top twelve drivers in combined passing points from Saturday’s
Heats, Qualifiers and Last Chance Races will fill positions seven through
eighteen.The final two slots of
the STN finale will be awarded to the two remaining drivers that have
accumulated the most points through Heat, Qualifying, Last Chance and
Feature racing action over their qualifying night and Saturday
night.
Drivers
must compete in either Thursday’s prelim or Friday’s prelim to be eligible
for passing points on Saturday.
The
Dash will be aligned by a pill draw conducted in “Cheater’s Day”
fashion.Thursday’s winning driver
will draw the first pill then give that pill to the driver of his
choice.Friday’s winner will draw
the second pill and give that pill to one of the remaining drivers, and so
on until the lineup is determined.
The
COMP Cams Challenge:
The drivers finishing first and second in the Dash will have the option to
take the COMP Cams Challenge, with the first-place finisher getting first
option.Any driver accepting the
challenge will start at the tail of the field and has the opportunity to
pocket an extra $25,000 by racing from the tail to win the race.
The
Huggins Bonus:The
race winner can also collect an additional $1,000 from Huggins Cams if a
Huggins Cams decal is displayed on the car.
The
Trade Show:This
year’s rendition of the Short Track Nationals will also include the Third
Annual Short Track Nationals Trade Show & Midway.Fans, drivers &
crews will have the opportunity to visit vendor displays, which will be
open each day.The deadline for
guaranteed vendor space is Monday, October 22.
The
Tickets:Advance
tickets are on sale through Wednesday, October 24, no advance sales after
that. Those ordering in advance by credit card receive a discount, with
all three nights just $45.Two-day
advance tickets are available as well at the same price as day of show.
Day of show cash prices are $15 on Thursday and Friday and $27 on
Saturday. To order tickets in advance or for more information, call the
track at 501-455-4567.
For more information
regarding the 20th Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals
presented by Hoosier Tires, contact I-30 Speedway at
501-455-4567.
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