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Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (April 9, 2007) – The American Sprint Car Series Midwest and Northern Plains Regions kick off the 2007 season in spectacular fashion this weekend, squaring off for two full nights of racing action at Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, NE.
The lidlifter for both Regional series, last year's edition of this event attracted an ASCS Regional record of 69 entries. And that's a record that could be in jeopardy when the Midwest and Northern Plains Regions converge upon I-80 Speedway's semi-banked, 4/10-mile dirt oval this Friday and Saturday.
The two-day showdown marks the beginning of a pair of title defenses. Lincoln, Nebraska's Toby Chapman will make a bid for a second consecutive ASCS Midwest Region crown, while Watertown, South Dakota's Chuck Swenson vies for back-to-back ASCS Northern Plains titles.
A third 2006 season champion will be in action as well when the NCRA joins Saturday night's card. But it is unlikely that Garry Lee Maier of Cimarron, KS, will try for another NCRA championship as he has rejoined the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series.
Maier, currently ranked eighth in ASCS National points, is one of five drivers ranked among the top-ten expected for the weekend. Others include Swenson, who is third after several strong early runs, along with second-ranked Wayne Johnson of Oklahoma City, sixth-ranked Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA and ninth-ranked Rookie of the Year contender Andy Shouse, also of Oklahoma City.
Both the Midwest and Northern Plains Regions will be well represented over the weekend. Along with Chapman, other top ASCS Midwest Region shoes expected include Jack Dover, Mike Chadd, Rick Ideus, Jason Danley, Chad Humston and Mark Pace.
Swenson leads the ASCS Northern Plains Region forces, with others top contenders expected to include Eric Lutz, Curt Lund, Lee Grosz, Scott Winters and Mike Sitzmann, Jr.
Also expected for the weekend are South Dakota's Jake Peters, who won the recent Devil's Bowl Speedway Spring Nationals in O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour action, and defending race winner Brian Brown of Missouri, who declared after last year's triumph, "Man, I love this place. I-80 may be favorite track in the whole wide world. I might just have to move to Nebraska." Brown has been victorious in three of four ASCS starts at I-80 over the past two years.
Friday's racing action goes green at 7:00 p.m., with Saturday's card kicking off at 6:30 p.m.
Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway is located between Lincoln and Omaha off I-80 Exit 420, then 0.4 miles north on State Road 63, then west. For more information, contact the track at 402-944-2233.
In its third year of competition, the ASCS Midwest Region 2007 slate consists of ten events at a half dozen tracks throughout and Nebraska and the surrounding area.
Geared up for a second year of action, the ASCS Northern Plains Region 2007 season includes 21 events at a dozen 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.
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