TULSA, Okla. (May 27, 2014) - Memorial Day Weekend 2014 saw nine events across the ASCS Nation with the Regions of the American Sprint Car Series taking the spot light with events stretching from Thursday, May 22 to Sunday, May 25 in Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, and Texas with an average of 27 cars per event.
Sanctions of the American Sprint Car Series in action included the Gulf South, Midwest, Northwest, and Warrior Regions.
A quick stat overview; 126 drivers took part in ASCS sanctioned events this past weekend from 98 municipalities, across 18 states including Australia and Canada. To date, the total number of ASCS sanctioned events contested in 2014 stands at 52 among 47 nights of racing.
Since January, 304 drivers have taken part in at least one ASCS 360cid sanctioned event. State count for ASCS 360cid competition stands at 25 with drivers representing 203 municipalities. A pair of Canadian provinces and two Australian states have also been represented thus far.
The Winners:
Thursday, May 22, 2014
• Andy Forsberg (ASCS Northwest) - The Auburn, Ca. driver swooped in and led start to finish in the season opener for the ASCS Northwest Region at the Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore. According to the report submitted by Ben Deatherage, the No. 01 led by as much as a half-lap during the night's A-Feature.
Friday, May 23, 2014
• Johnny Herrera (ASCS Gulf South) - Hollywood was shining on Friday night as Johnny Herrera grabbed his second ASCS regional victory of 2014, working past early leader Travis Rilat in the closing laps at the Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, Texas. It was Herrera's first visit to the three-eighths mile oval.
• Jason Martin (ASCS Midwest) - A breakthrough victory at the Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., Jason Martin led every lap of the night's A-Feature for his first trip to victory lane with the Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region.
• Jared Peterson (ASCS Northwest) - Another first time winner in ASCS competition came in the Northwest with Jared Peterson grabbing the win at the Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. The Washington driver led non-stop in the night's 30 lap A-Feature.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
• Seth Bergman (ASCS Northwest) - Returning to the Northwest for some much needed time at home, Seth Bergman used his time to pick off victories with the Northwest Region, winning the opening night of the Saturday/Sunday double header at the Cotton Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore.
• Blake Hahn (ASCS Gulf South) - After destroying a car the night before while running second, Blake Hahn pulled the spare from the trailer and promptly parked it in victory lane at the Shady Oaks Speedway in Goliad, Texas. The Gulf South Region's first visit to the Texas oval, near capacity grandstands saw Hahn work past Matt Covington on Lap 13 as the pair worked into slower traffic.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
• Jason Johnson (ASCS Warrior) - Bringing up the name Jesse Hockett will bring about fond memories of a racer unlike any other, so it's only fitting that a race be held in his honor, at a track that he truly loved. The Double X Speedway in California, Mo. was the site of the ''Tribute to Jesse'' on Sunday with Jason Johnson leading every lap for a fan approved victory.
• Johnny Herrera (ASCS Gulf South) - Once again, Johnny Herrera found himself in victory lane with the Gulf South Region, this time at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas. Herrera's win was worth an extra $500 for winning two out of the three weekend stops for the Gulf South Region.
• Seth Bergman (ASCS Northwest) - Bring Bergman the broom! The Washington driver posted his fourth win of the year in ASCS competition by sweeping the Cottage Grove Speedway with the ASCS Northwest Region. Seth took the lead on Lap 10 after starting fourth.
A Few Points From The Weekend:
• Hard Charging - Henry Van Dam earned the Hard Charger for the weekend, advancing from seventh to the final transfer spot (fourth) of the B-Feature, and then climbed to sixth from twentieth in the A-Feature on Friday at the Willamette Speedway.
• Engine Woes - Matt Covington was singing the Horsepower blues this weekend, after a stumble under the hood took the Oklahoma driver out of the lead not once, but twice. The team changed everything but the engine trying to rectify the situation which would come on as the race progressed.
• California Dreamin' - At least that's what the Northwest Region was doing on Thursday night when the only four California drivers in the lineup charged to the top four spots in the A-Feature. Andy Forsberg led the charge followed by John Michael-Bunch, Steven Tiner, and Kyle Hirst.
• Family of Hard Flips - At least two flips with the Gulf South Region resulted in the use of alternate cars. They just happen to be related. Blake Hahn went head on, inverted, into the wall on Friday at the Cotton Bowl Speedway and ended up having to cut the front clip off his Maxim Chassis to get in back in the trailer. Earlier that night, Blake's cousin, Matt Ward, went upside down in Hot Laps. Ward wasn't able to restart in his No. 51. Instead, he finished out the weekend in the No. 17t which is the team car to Blake Hahn and Bruce Griffith's Old School Racing.
• First Time - Two drivers saw their first wins in ASCS competition, but one driver saw his first start on U.S. soil. Paul Solomon of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia took his first green flag in the United States with the Gulf South Region on Friday night, and capped off his weekend by starting all three A-Features. Good job mate!
• Tie at the Top - After the Memorial Day Weekend, two drivers are now tied for the most wins this season in ASCS 360cid competition as Seth Bergman and Aaron Reutzel each have four wins to their credit. Reutzel leads top-fives' with 10, and Bergman leads top-tens' with 13. There have been 26 different winners so far in 2014.
• Earning Podiums - Five drivers scored a pair of podium finishes over the weekend, but only one earned three. Seth Bergman's sweep of the Cottage Grove Speedway was preceded by a runner up at the Willamette Speedway. In terms of wins, Bergman was match by Johnny Herrera with two.
• High Count - The highest car count this weekend was seen at the Double X Speedway with the Speedway Motors ASCS Warrior Region with 30 drivers checking in. Jason Johnson led flag-to-flag after the Hockett Challenge was accepted by Josh Fisher, moving Johnson to the front row. Fisher ended up twelfth.
• Fuel Leak - Sunday night at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park was led early on by Travis Rilat, and by that, we mean dominated. Even in traffic, Rilat was never under an almost full straight-a-way lead but a win was not to be as the Forney, Texas driver suddenly pulled to the infield with his fire suit covered in Methanol.
On Deck:
The Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour presented by MAVTV American Real returns to action this weekend. Friday, May 30 will see the National Tour joined by the Midwest Region as well as the best of the state of Kansas at the Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan. before heading to the famed Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb. for the Eagle Nationals. Tickets for the Eagle Nationals are on sale at http://www.tbjpromotions.com.
The ASCS Southwest Region heads for the high-banked Central Arizona Speedway on Saturday, May 31 for the season's seventh round of competition.
Finally, West Texas ASCS 305cid Region action picks up in El Paso , Texas and Las Cruces, N.M.
For a complete listing of every ASCS event in 2014, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com
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.
Photo Credit: Ron Skinner
- Bryan Hulbert on May 27, 2014
- Article Date: 5/27/2014