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April 30, 2008 at
04:31:16 PM
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11/20/2006
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There will be a Test and Tune at Lake Country in Ardmore, Oklahoma starting at 7PM, Thursday, May 1st, the night before THIS FRIDAY'S USMTS race! Now this weekend is the one EVERYONE's been talking about around Oklahoma and Dallas.
Ronny Gould's Lake Country Speedway has it going on right now! One of the best passing tracks on the Southern Series schedule. Don't be surprised at the amount of side-by-side and even three-wide racing that you'll see come THIS FRIDAY NIGHT! Talking with the drivers this past weekend, it's clear, they're all looking forward to this one!
And couple that up with, Bo Rawden's Cowtown Speedway -- perhaps the most popular Modified track in Texas racing history -- and folks, you're headed for some big numbers over there this weekend and more importantly, some GREAT RACING!!!
Then don't forget the Doug Murphrey Memorial on Sunday in north Louisiana. It's a one-night, $2500 to win that the USMTS crew will flag and score. (not a points race -- that comes on June 7th) Mapquest says it's only 300 miles from Cowtown to Chatham. 4 hours and 45 minutes but hey, 4 hours of it (270 miles) is I-20 and with some of U guys at the wheel of them rigs......well, let's just say there might be a minute or two shaved off of that?
Cya in Ardmore THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!
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April 30, 2008 at
04:35:43 PM
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11/20/2006
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1378
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Who might be there this weekend? Let's take a look:
At Lake Country, Blaine Shives -- probably in a Stanford Trucking Hoffman Chassis #57 -- was last week's feature winner. Other's who have taken checkers this year include the always present Buddy Honaker #55H, Jeff Gibby #11, Eugene Stephens #858 and Travis Penrod (still a Bills Built #17P??). IMCA driver Chris Bragg #24 has a runner-up this year and also won a $380 dash at LCS! And on top of that we still have the potential to get LCS regulars and part-time regualrs like Ray Hoedebeck #62, Kyle Robinson #02 and many, many more!
At Cowtown, there's another strong mix of feature winners as possible entries including Josh Landers #14, Brian Suggs #8, Troy Taylor #56 and Clyde Dunn, Jr. #88xxx. And then there's the almost always present George White #10, Danny Veal #5 and Glenn Leuschner #89 that you may have to deal with as well.
Throw in the fact that this week, LCS is Friday night show so the C-town guys can come run and if they want, the LCS hot shoes can also come run C-town on Saturday night!
And I can't make a list of Cowtown-LCS Modified camaigners and not think of #3 Sam Cox! I hope Sam is healing up well. Last I heard, he went home in December and a lot of therapy to go. Hope he's doing well and if you have an update from Sam post it here. I'd like to know how it's going. If there was anybody who could have upset these USMTS-guys on the ears this weekend, it would have been Sam Cox! But don't underestimate any of those names above!
You want 2 USMTS regulars who know these tracks? How about Paul White in the Bridwell-Champman #2W Dust Devil or Dallas's Bobby Malchus in the Rowland #5R!!!
Now, who else may be coming in to face them? That part will be easy for me since we rained out last weekend. (BTW - the WEATHER FOR FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTS LOOKS AWESOME!) Here's how they stack up coming into LCS Friday night:
After the first two races, there is no surprise in the top three positions of Southern Series points standings. Colcord, Oklahoma's Jason Hughes -- the builder and designer of Hughes Racing Chassis -- hasn't had much luck qualifying so far but he has been a passing machine in the features. (USMTS awards finishing points and passing points in the features.) After a runner-up at GTRP and an 8th at Gator, Hughes is the point leader by 19 markers over another Okie, Randy Timms (Timms is locked into the top 13 at Champion Park & that will be completed May 8th!) of Wheatland who was last year's runner-up in the series and the USMTS race winner at Fast Trax Speedway. Hughes claimed the USMTS win at Boothill last year. Timms drives one of those fast Larry Shaw Chassis and had a 7th and a 2nd in Texas with some passing points of his own -- just not as many as Hughes. One other note: Randy Timms loves Lake Country Speedway!
After a thrilling race at Gator where they had nine lead changes with four different leaders in the feature, Gentry, Arkansas's Steve Holzkamper -- the designer and builder of TRE Chassis -- reversed his misfortune of the previous night when he fell out of a 4th starting spot before the feature ever started and was awarded 24th place. Holzkamper came out on top of the thriller and sits 3rd in points at -29. The next two spots in the standings are familiar names to Ark-La-Tex area fans and are also 1st & 2nd in the Dustin Duncan-JustSayYes Rookie-of-the-Year standings. Longview, Texas racer Morgan Bagley in a Shaw Chassis and Robeline, Louisiana's Kyle Pleasant in a Kraft Kar Chassis this year, are tied for fourth in the standings at -34 while Bagley holds a slim lead over Pleasant in the rookie standings. Bagley had a 5th at GTRP and ninth at Gator after burning a provisional (I think, you only get two provisionals the first ten races, then one every ten races after that) and starting 24th! Unfortunately for Bagley, provisional starters do not earn passing points like someone who qualifies 22nd would get. Pleasant qualified for both shows so he has a provisional in hand on Bagley at the moment. Kyle went from 16th to 6th Friday night and had an 11th at Gator. Pleasant & Bagley have run at Cowtown more in recent years while Bagley had a good showing at LCS last fall. Give the nod to Pleasant at C-town & Bagley at LCS.
In 6th in points, is Woodward, Oklahoma racer and Hughes teammate, Tommy Weder, Jr after he rebounded from a DNQ night in Beaumont with a 21st to 3rd run at Gator! In 7th place in points, is legendary Texas racer and SUPR Late Model contender Howard Willis from Dayton. In a reversal of Holzkamper's weekend, Willis drove his Dirt Works to victory from the pole at GTRP but was the first out of the event at Gator with a 24th. The difference in passing points has Willis 13 behind Holzkamper and -42 to Hughes. Another familiar name to Champion Park fans, is David Mitchell (Michell is locked into the top 13 at CPS) of Ashdown, Arkansas. Mitchell is a former track champion at the Minden oval from back when it was called Webster Speedway although the track is quite different today and he won the feature at Champion on April 12th with 32 Mods on hand. Mitchell is 8th in USMTS SS points at -49 on the strength of a 3rd place finish at GTRP with his #13 Shaw Chassis. A more familiar name to Thunder Valley fans is John Whittington of Vidor, Texas. "John-O" has many wins on the central Louisiana oval but perhaps had the worst luck of the leaders on Saturday. After a 13th on Friday, Whittington advanced from 15th to the lead at Gator. Hughes arrived later to challenge but when contact was made and Whittington spun, both were sent to the back of the field with Whittington only able to make it back up to 12th while Hughes scored an 8th. It might be wise to keep an eye on the #5W Bob Pierce Chassis of Whittington's anytime Hughes's #12 gets close by this weekend. John-O is 9th in points at -51. Been a while, but John-O's run Cowtown before!
After a near disasterous Friday showing at GTRP, another familiar name to Louisiana fans, Jamie Burford (Burford is locked into CPS's top 13 and won there over a field of 36 on Saturday night!) of Keatchie drove his #19 TRE Chassis to a 4th place finish at Gator. A year ago, Burford was third at Gator and the way he runs USMTS shows there, I'm sure he's counting the days until August 23 when USMTS returns to Willis, Texas. Burford sits in the all-important 10th spot in the standings. Under the USMTS Southern Series "Top Dog" program, the top ten drivers are guaranteed $300 against their winnings by the series as long as they keep perfect attendance in USMTS Southern Series events. 11th thorough 15th in points also have a place in the Top Dog program as they are guaranteed $200 against their winnings and 4 of those 5 guys are known well in these parts and are also in the hunt for the Dustin Duncan-JustSayYes Rookie-of-the-Year title. Like Burford, Dustin "Tater" Hyde of Texarkana drives a TRE Chassis, a #8J owned by Ducote Motorsports of Alexandria, LA. Hyde had the reverse of Burford's weekend as he was top qualifier on Friday and finished 4th at GTRP but had nothing but trouble on Saturday at Gator. He's 11th in points.
There's a tie for 12th in points and both drivers have feature wins in Modifieds at Champion Park Speedway. Michael Robertson (also top 13 at CPS!) will be racing in his back yard on Thursday night, May 8th. The Minden Rookie-of-the-Year contender recovered from a bad Friday at GTRP when he missed the A by just one spot to scoring a top five finish at Gator in the #05 Kraft Kar Chassis. Shreveport's BJ Robinson took the consistancy route the first weekend, qualified for both features with his Dirt Works #02 and finished 11th and 18th.
In 15th in points, was perhaps the biggest surprise of Saturday night from the region. Marshall, Texas racer, Southern Stock ace and defending Red River Shootout Modified champion from Paris Motor Speedway, Derrick Grigsby had nothing to write home about on Friday but made top 8 in qualifying on Saturday and finished 6th in Kraft Kar #99. Grigsby sits fifth in rookie points while Hyde and Robertson are 3rd and 4th behind Bagley and Pleasant. There are about 30 regulars following the tour at this time but between Golden Triangle and Gator, over 70 different Modified teams competed. And with weather in the forecast, 55 teams showed up at CPS this past Friday including Johnny Scott from Las Cruces, NM, Scott Green from Derby, KS and two from the Texas panhandle -- Rodney "The Rocket" Sanders & Chris Dawson who both made top 13 at Champion Park! Some others you may know include Timothy Culp, Larry Clevenger, Jeff Huckaby, Shane Hebert, Billy Robinson, Mark Smith, Tracy Denby, Phil Dixon, Brandon Kenny, Derick Ramirez and many, many more. But, Corey Babbitt -- a local -- posted a top ten at Gator and doesn't even have a USMTS license. Early entry fees at both events are $80 for licensed drivers, $90 for non-licensed drivers and late entries are $100 for both. Both races this weekend pay $2000 to win whether the winner has a license or not but, licensed drivers get $250 to start and $80 tow money if they don't qualify while non-licensed drivers are only guaranteed $200 to start and get less tow money plus other positions in the field don't pay as well either. For information on how to enter early or how to get a USMTS Southern Series license, call the USMTS office at 515-832-7944 or visit www.USMTS.com to learn more
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April 30, 2008 at
04:39:17 PM
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Joined:
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11/20/2006
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And let's not forget one of Oklahoma's Dustin Duncan Rookie-of-the-Year candidates, Bryan Rowland who also made the top 13 at Champion Speedway in Minden, Lousiaina and that race will conclude on Thursday, May 8th the first of three-straight USMTS shows!
Good luck to Bryan at Lake Country & Cowtown THIS WEEKEND!
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April 30, 2008 at
04:56:19 PM
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11/20/2004
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9152
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Last year at the tracks Jordan Page Winter Nationals, forty-one drivers done battle over the two days in lure of the $5000 to win Saturday night finale. Timms dominated the weekend and the finals night as he lapped up to third place. Chris Dawson, fresh off his Enid Speedway street stock nationals finished second and I noticed he was at the Champion Park Speedway ppd. event (won his heat race) and figure he will be back at LCS this weekend too. Brandon Morton finished third in the event and I figure he will make the trip down, although he hasn't done much traveling this year thus far. I figure at LEAST half of those forty-one drivers will be on hand.
You also can't forget locals Richrard Griffin (#135), Ray Hodenbach (#62) and Honacker (that you already mentioned).
The only OKC driver I see making it done is Curtis Allen (Freedom Chassis #15) as people up here are into chasing points at SFS.
I wouldn't be surpried if the "Woodward Warriors" Brandon Kenny, Derek Ramirez, Bryan Rowland, Mike Roach or Darrin Hacker join Enid residents Mark Smith and Joe Adams for at least the LCS event. Maybe a Willie Kraft?
No word on Greg Skaggs' website as he has been sticking pretty much to Outlaw Motor Speedway on Friday nights.
Also, not sure about last years series regular Dena Wilson.
I read somewhere the Clyde Dunn, Jr. was going to be competiting both nights.
Muskogee/Outlaw contengent? How about Wheeler and Tate Cole?
I still say over fifty easy and not surprised if over sixty for both shows coming up. You will NOT want to miss the Friday night race at Ardmore as the racing is 98% clean and the track real, real racey. The last time I was at Cowtown was 2003 for an ASCS event but a couple of modified drivers and fans have told me the track and the modifieds are "awesome" so looking forward to that.
Just forty-eight hours until I am sitting in the parking lot watching the rigs pull in. Hope your there too!!!
David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com
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April 30, 2008 at
05:03:48 PM
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03/07/2007
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30
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will shyrock be there
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April 30, 2008 at
05:11:10 PM
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11/20/2004
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9152
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Just got official word today that he will not be there.
David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com
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April 30, 2008 at
10:49:36 PM
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11/20/2004
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9152
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Just received emails from Eddie Martin and Shawn Jorski and they both will be there this weekend (Ardmore only for Jorski).
David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com
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