TULSA, Okla. (May 12, 2014) - This past weekend ended up being a light one in the ASCS Nation as the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region ended up as the only game in town on Friday, May 9 at the Creek County Speedway Sapulpa, Okla.
A quick look at season statistics to date, 31 races have been held under the ASCS banner since January, with 38 events accounted for with all but three ASCS Regions in operation. The average car count for the whole of the ASCS Nation stands at 27 per event with 21 tracks in seven states (AR, AZ, MO, NE, NM, OK, TX) seeing laps turned by ASCS drivers.
The Highest car count seen so far this season was at the Devil's Bowl Speedway on March 21 with 49 drivers drawing in. In all, 24 drivers have at least one A-Feature win so far this season with Aaron Reutzel topping the list of overall winners with four.
The Winner:
• Aaron Reutzel - His second American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region score in as many races, Aaron Reutzel is on a roll as of late. Bringing his season total to four in ASCS competition after his Friday night victory, Reutzel traveled east to the I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. on Saturday for weekly racing at the quarter-mile, and topped the field ahead of Blake Hahn and Tim Crawley.
A few points about the weekend:
• The Rain Wins Again - Unfortunately, nature did not play nice for Scott Traylor and Tony Bruce, Jr. in the inaugural KC Klassic at the Lakeside Speedway. With a 100% chance of rain, combined with a 75% chance of severe storms, the event was canceled for the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.
• Attrition - The red lights came on around the Creek County Speedway twice this past Friday night, but the attrition rate was very high. While a few were from crashes, mechanical problems seemed to plague many during the A-Feature.
• Traffic - Anytime you race on a short track, traffic is bound to be a factor, and Friday was no exception. In his post race interview, Aaron talked about track position being very important. It certainly was as slower cars nearly cost the No. 87 the race on Lap 15, when Mike Goodman got the preferred line away from Reutzel through turns on and two. To the luck of Aaron, the No. 11am entered low into three, and washed the rear-end up the track, allowing Reutzel to sneak back by.
• Rough Start - The hardest crash of the night was by far by Kyle Clark. On the start of the feature, the No. 9$ machine flipped end-over-end into turn one. Thankfully, Kyle walked away without a scratch.
• Hard Chargers - Despite the attrition, two drivers that were systematically picking their way through the field before cars started dropping out on Friday were Blake Hahn and Joe Wood, Jr. The pair started in the final row of the night's 25 lap feature and at the checkered flag, Hahn ended up sixth, despite a few close calls, with Wood finishing eighth.
• 5 for 5 - Dustin Morgan's streak of podiums ended at four, but his streak of top fives is still going, finishing fifth this past Friday at the Creek County Speedway. Dustin's average finish this season with the Sooner Region is third.
On Deck
The Smiley's Racing Products Lone Star Region is back in action for a two day swing, starting Friday, May 16 at the Boyd Raceway in Boyd, Texas before picking up with the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region for a show down at the Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas on Saturday, May 17.
The ASCS Frontier Region kicks off their 2014 season this weekend with a Friday/Saturday event at the Electric City Speedway in Great Falls, Mont.
ASCS Southwest action heads back to the Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek on Saturday, and finally, West Texas ASCS 305 action resumes at the El Paso Speedway Park and Southern New Mexico Speedway.
The 2014 season marks the twenty-third year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series, which brings the best of Sprint Car racing to dozens of different tracks throughout the nation. Anchored by the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series, ASCS also consists of ten different Regions throughout the nation.
Lucas Oil Products is the title sponsor of the American Sprint Car Series. More information can be found on Lucas Oil Products at www.lucasoil.com. MAVTV is the presenting sponsor of the American Sprint Car Series. Log onto www.mavtv.com for information regarding availability and listings in your area.
Associate sponsors for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by MAVTV include: Hoosier Racing Tire and Brodix.
Team Lucas Sponsors for the American Sprint Car Series consist of Protect the Harvest, iON Camera, Smokey Mountain Moonshine, C&R Radiator, Hawk Performance Products, Geico, E3 Spark Plugs, and General Tire.
Product and Contingency Sponsorship provided by: K&N Filters, KSE Racing Products, SpeedMart, Competition Suspension, Engler Machine and Tool, FSR Radiator and Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Driverwebsites.com, Weld Wheels, Saldana Racing Products, Maxwell Industries, Print Place, Simpson, The Joie of Seating, Wesmar Racing Engines, Hinchman Indy Racewear, Rod End Supply, Smiley's Racing Products, Speedway Motors, and Hilborn Injection Systems.
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com as well as Twitter (@LucasOilASCS) and Facebook. News and information can also be sent to you with the ASCS E-News by texting ASCS to 22828 with any mobile device.
- Bryan Hulbert on May 12, 2014
- Article Date: 5/12/2014