TULSA, Okla. (July 15, 2014) - Five races accounting for seven ASCS sanctioned events took place this past weekend with the American Sprint Car Series with races in Montana, South Dakota, and Texas across ASCS National and Regional platforms.
Standing at 108 sanctioned events so far in 2014, a total of 94 A-Features have been contested with an average car count of 25.9 cars per event across the whole of ASCS. Sanctions over the weekend included the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by MAVTV American Real, ASCS Frontier Region, Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region, and Smiley's Racing Products ASCS Lone Star Region.
The Winners:
Friday, July 11, 2014
• Brad Loyet (ASCS National) - In 2013, Brad Loyet looked to be on his way to victory at the Electric City Speedway in Great Falls, Mont. only to have it slip through his fingers in slower traffic. Returning to the Montana oval, Loyet held tight for his first victory at the Electric City Speedway and second overall in 2014 in ASCS competition. Loyet's victory was well earned, having to come from tenth on a track that was fast top-to-bottom.
• Jake Martens (Lone Star Region) - In his last visit to the Lubbock Speedway on April 26, Jake Martens left with a twisted racecar after hard contact with the wall exiting turn-four sent the No. 48 flipping. Making the trip back to the Texas oval this past Friday night, Martens put his previous performance behind him his first ASCS triumph of 2014. The win is his third with the Smiley's Racing Products Lone Star Region.
• Jack Dover (Midwest Region) - Posting his twenty-second victory with the Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region, Jack Dover rallied from tenth at the Park Jefferson International Speedway in Jefferson, S.D. The win is Dover's second of the season in ASCS competition.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
• Jeff Swindell (ASCS National) - The Billings Motorsports Park in Billings, Mont. provided drivers with ideal track conditions. A good bottom, slick center, and a cushion to ride on and that is where Jeff Swindell dominated Saturday night for his second score of 2014. His second visit to the BMP Speedway with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour, Swindell has placed on the podium in both visits.
• Josh Baughman (Lone Star Region) - Finally would be the appropriate word for the Odessa, Texas driver who picked up his first career ASCS victory Saturday night at the Abilene Speedway in the Wayne Priddy wrenched No. 17. Baughman is the 39th winner with the Smiley's Racing Products Lone Star Region.
Notes on the weekend:
• Thing with "J" - If you look back at the list of winners over the weekend, Brad Loyet seems to be the odd man out. In five A-Feature winners, he is the only one whose first name didn't start with the letter "J".
• Plenty of passing - The Electric City Speedway was far from what anyone expected. Very slick the past two years, track crews put the water to it this time and provided drivers and fans with a very fast racing surface that still provided incredible passing as Brad Loyet came from tenth to win. Seth Bergman from eighteenth grabbed fourth with Sam Hafertepe, Jr. from thirteenth to round out the top-five.
• Park Jefferson - Sprint Cars have been absent from the Park Jefferson International Speedway for over three years. In their return this past Friday night, Jack Dover raced from tenth to win on a track that was smooth and fast. According to results and news provided by Todd Hoffman, praise on the race surface is owed to Gregg Bakker for coming in and getting the track ready for action.
• First Time Starters - On Friday night, the Electric City Speedway saw five drivers make their first Lucas Oil ASCS A-Feature start and included Bryan Brown, Jerry Brey, Steve Reeves, Paxton Lambrecht, and Ryder Olson.
• Bleeder Problems - Joe Ramaker put on a stunning show in 2013 to come from eighteenth to second in Great Falls. Drawing the pole, Ramaker looked to be in good position to possibly get the win but problems with the bleeders dropped Ramaker through the field quick, ultimately putting Ramaker twentieth with a DNF.
• More Hard Luck - Ramaker's problems continued Saturday night with a failed rear-end assembly, putting the No. 98 pit-side for the night. Not being able to continue would cost him the points lead as Kelly Miller snatched up the top spot by 11 markers.
• Variety in Winners - The state of Montana has seen five races in the past three years with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour at the Electric City Speedway and BMP Speedway. In five events, there has yet to be a repeat winner. Brock Lemley took the series first victory on July 11, 2012. Jason Johnson and Tony Bruce, Jr. split wins in 2013, and Brad Loyet and Jeff Swindell each pocketed $4,000 for their wins this past weekend.
• Another Lead Change - Patrick Stasa has taken the points lead with the Smiley's Racing Products Lone Star Region after posting a pair of podiums this past weekend in Lubbock and Abilene. Stasa currently leads by 74 over John Carney II.
• Trying to Overcoming Engine Woes - Several teams have been suffering engine problems lately and this weekend saw several drivers trying to get around their eight-cylinders of misery. Jeff Swindell saw a front row starting spot stripped after dropping a cylinder on Friday night. Tony Bruce, Jr. was also forced to change an engine; putting both on the eighth row. The following night Swindell led non-stop at Billings and Bruce rallied to eighth. Aaron Reutzel was another driver who suffered some engine problems on Friday. Not having to swap engines, Reutzel was able roll from nineteenth to eighth, then added a third place finish on Saturday.
• Podiums - Since January in ASCS 305cid and 360cid competition, 106 drivers have placed on the podium. Aaron Reutzel leads that statistic with 11. Jason Johnson has stood on the steps 10 times in 2014. Rick Ziehl holds this final podium step with nine.
• "FORE" - It echoed across through the valley on Monday afternoon as Stagg Insurance and BMP Speedway presented by Frontier Classic at the Eagle Rock Golf Course in Billings, Mont. Drivers and crew members with the American Sprint Car Series met for an afternoon of fun with teams of four spread around the course. The win was taken by the team of Mike Quigley, Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Brad Loyet, and Bryan Hulbert. The American Sprint Car Series would like to thank the staff at Eagle Rock for their great hospitality and fantastic course.
Up Next for the ASCS Nation:
The American Sprint Car Series heads into another busy weekend with eight events. The Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour will make their return to the Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, S.D. as AtoZ Promotions has leased the facility on Friday, July 18. The group headed by Adam Adamson and managed by Josh Holt is the same that hosts the Jackson Nationals in 2013. Having to go back in the pages of history, Daryn Pittman is the only ASCS National winner at the South Dakota oval, doing so on August 8, 1998.
The Griffith Truck and Equipment ASCS Gulf South Region takes on the Golden Triangle Raceway Park on Friday, July 18 and the Leesville 171 Speedway in Leesville, La. on Saturday, July 19.
American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner action picked up at Creek County Speedway on Friday, July 18 and Lawton Speedway on Saturday, July 19.
After rains washed out the Randolph County Raceway over the Independence Day Weekend, the rescheduled race will take place on Saturday, July 19 with the Double X Speedway hosting the Speedway Motors ASCS Warrior Region on Sunday, July 10.
Finally, the Carolina ASCS 305 will make their second attempt to get their first race in. Races are scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19 at the Harris Speedway in Harris, N.C.
For a complete listing of ASCS events 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.
- Bryan Hulbert on Jul 15, 2014
- Article Date: 7/15/2014