Lonnie Wheatley, LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (September 25, 2014) – With the first batch of entries already in, the avalanche is soon to follow. The avalanche of entries for the 27th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires that is.
The crown jewel of 360-ci Sprint Car racing, the 27th rendition of I-30 Speedway’s Short Track Nationals is set for October 23-25 with the Second Annual Short Track Nationals Open to precede the prestigious event on Wednesday, October 22.
And, once again, a hefty $15,000 winner’s share is guaranteed for the STN champion with a minimum of $2,500 to make the cut for the STN championship finale as more than $100,000 is doled out over the course of the weekend.
Entry forms for the Short Track Nationals are available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/flyers/stn2014.pdf or by calling 501-455-4567. Entries submitted by October 14 are just $150 with entries after that date at $250.
The Wednesday night STN Open will offer $2,000 to win and $200 to start with the top four finishers eligible in order of finish for an STN provisional if necessary. If the Wednesday night STN winner also wins Saturday’s STN finale, Dixon Road U-Pull-It will award a $2,500 bonus on top of the winnings.
Among the early entries for this year’s blockbuster event are a trio of drivers that made their way into last year’s STN championship finale including Johnny Herrera, Brandon Hanks and A.G. Rains.
Albuquerque’s Herrera, currently ranked third in Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour points, raced to a fourth-place finish last October after making the grade for his first STN finale since the event was in its infancy in 1990. Herrera has three ASCS Regional wins to his credit thus far in 2014.
Just 17 years old, Burleson, Tennessee’s Brandon Hanks raced into the STN finale in just his second attempt last year, ultimately taking the checkered flag in an impressive tenth place. Hanks was one of six drivers to make their first STN championship feature start last October along with Terry McCarl, Kraig Kinser, Tyler Thomas, Anthony Nicholson and Channin Tankersley.
West Memphis shoe A.G. Rains made his sixth career STN championship feature start, climbing up to 12th after utilizing the I-30 Speedway track champion provisional. Rains is currently eight points behind fellow West Memphis resident Marshall Skinner in the track’s championship points race.
Another driver among the early batch of entries with past STN championship finale experience is Glenpool, Oklahoma’s Matt Covington. Currently ranked seventh in Lucas Oil ASCS National points, the past Regional champion was an 18th place finisher in the 2011 STN.
Some other early entries include ASCS Gulf South shoe Klint Angelette, current POWRi West Midget points leader Alex Sewell and third-ranked Riverside racer Howard Moore.
Last October, Sammy Swindell bested a field of 105 competitors for his third STN crown, racing to the checkered flag ahead of up-and-coming Christopher Bell, Anthony Nicholson, Johnny Herrera and Shane Stewart.
The Pertinent Info:
The What: 27th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.
The Where: I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR). I-30 Speedway is located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126 (Alexander Road).
The When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 23-25, 2014. $15,000 to win the STN finale on October 25 with $2,500 to start the STN championship feature. Race time is 7:30 p.m. each night. Rain date is October 30, October 31 & November 1. The $2,000 to win and $200 to start Second Annual Short Track Nationals Open kicks off all the action on Wednesday, October 22, at 7:30 p.m.
The Format: The format introduced in 2011 will once again be in effect. Approximately half the field will take to the track in the Thursday night qualifying event, with the other half in Friday’s qualifying event. The top three from each night will be locked into Saturday night’s $15,000-to-win, $2,500-to-start STN Championship Finale. Those six drivers will battle it out in Saturday’s Dash for Cash to determine the alignment of the front three rows of the championship main event.
Beyond that, drivers will be lined up on Saturday night in twin “B” Mains, twin “C” Mains, twin “D” Mains, twin “E” Mains and “F” Mains if necessary. Four drivers will transfer from each “F” to “E”, “E” to “D”, “D” to “C” and “C” to “B”, with seven advancing from each “B” Main to form the 20-car STN championship main event field.
The popular format of heats and qualifying races will once again be in place on the Thursday and Friday qualifying nights. The top 14 in cumulative points from heats and qualifiers will be locked into that night’s main event, with two or three “B” Mains, depending upon car count, contested to fill out the qualifying night feature field.
Points earned in qualifying night heat races, qualifiers and features will set Saturday night’s feature lineups.
Wednesday’s Short Track Nationals Open will have no impact upon Thursday, Friday or Saturday lineups, with the exception that the top finisher among Wednesday’s top four that is unable to qualify for Saturday night’s STN finale will be offered a provisional.
Wednesday’s STN Open will include heat races lined up by pill draw with passing points in effect that will set lineups for the “B” Main(s) (multiple “B” Mains if necessary depending upon car count) and “A” Main.
The Past Winners: Sammy Swindell (2013, 2011 and 1990), Paul McMahan (2012 and 2002), Brad Sweet (2010), Tony Bruce, Jr. (2009 and 2008), Jason Meyers (2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Gary Wright (2004, 2003, 1999 and 1995), Jason Sides (2001), Mike Ward (2000), Tim Crawley (1998), Wayne Johnson (1997), Pete Butler (1996), Terry Gray (1994), John Gerloff (1993), Steve Kinser (1991, ’89 and ‘88). 1992 finale was rained out.
The Tickets: Advance tickets for either three or four nights are on sale through Monday, October 20, no advance sales after that. Single night tickets are not available in advance. Tickets ordered in advance are just $61 for all four nights (Wednesday through Saturday) or $51 for three nights (Thursday through Saturday) with $1 off if paying cash.
Day of show prices are $15 on Wednesday, $20 on Thursday and Friday and $28 on Saturday.
Children's tickets will be available at the event only for just $3 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and then $6 on Saturday with a $1 cash discount per ticket.
To order tickets in advance or for more information, call the track at 501-455-4567 or e-mail orders to raceytlc@sbcglobal.net.
Pit passes are $25 on Wednesday, $30 on both Thursday and Friday and $35 on Saturday.
The PPV: Can’t make your way to Little Rock, AR, for this prestigious event? Once again you can still catch every lap of the action on your computer via live Pay-Per-View. Just check out www.shorttracknationals.com for pricing and ordering information. Orders are being taken now.
The Trade Show & Midway: This year’s rendition of the Short Track Nationals will also include the Tenth Annual Short Track Nationals Trade Show & Midway. Fans, drivers & crews will have the opportunity to visit vendor displays, which opens at noon on Wednesday and then at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The deadline for guaranteed vendor space is Monday, October 20. Inquiries regarding vendor space should be directed to dssm93@msn.com.
For more information regarding the 27th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires, contact I-30 Speedway at 501-455-4567 or check online at http://www.i-30speedway.com/shorttracknationals.html.
- administrator on Sep 26, 2014
- Article Date: 9/26/2014 by Lonnie Wheatley