It’s almost that time. Only ten days remain until $15,000 is on the line in Little Rock with the Thursday, March 10, kickoff of the 28th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires atop the ¼-mile I-30 Speedway clay oval.
Following a Wednesday Test-n-Tune session, two full qualifying nights of action will follow on Thursday and Friday with the Saturday, March 12, $15,000-to-win and $2,000-to-start championship feature capping off the STN championship slate of events.
Among the start-studded field that will converge upon the I-30 Speedway clay oval are a pair of hopefuls to become back-to-back winners of the event that is a makeup of last October’s washout.
Now a full-timer with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Norman, Oklahoma Christopher Bell will try to nab his second STN crown in a row after topping the 27th edition in October of 2014. Bell finished second in his initial pair of attempts at STN glory.
Bell won’t be the only one gunning for back-to-back STN triumphs though, as car owner Brandon Berryman hopes to make a return to I-30 victory lane next weekend after winning the event with Bell at the wheel in 2014.
This time, it will be Wooster, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild at the wheel of Berryman’s No. All pro Auto Reconditioning 31b Sprint Car.
The younger Haudenschild of the father-son duo expected for next weekend comes off a banner 2015 season that included a handful of wins and a sixth-place finish in All Star Circuit of Champions.
Sheldon got his first look at I-30 Speedway on the one night of STN action completed last October, winning a heat race in convincing fashion before getting upside down while on the move in a qualifier.
The pre-entry deadline for next weekend’s Short Track Nationals is this Friday, March 4. Entry forms are available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/flyers/STNFlyer_March2016.pdf. Entries are just $150 if postmarked by March 4, with entries after that $250.
The Pertinent Info:
The What: 28th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires makeup of last October’s rainout.
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, March 10-12, 2016. $15,000 to win the STN finale on March 12 with $2,000 to start the STN championship feature. Race time is 7:30 p.m. each night.
The Entries: Entries are rolling in on a daily basis. Entry forms are available at http://www.i-30speedway.com/flyers/STNFlyer_March2016.pdf or by calling the track at 501-455-4567. Entries submitted by March 4 are just $150 with entries after that at $250.
The Format: All cars will compete during each night, with the familiar heat race and qualifying race format in effect for the Thursday and Friday qualifying events.
While the top three from each qualifying night will lock into Saturday’s $15,000-to-win and $2,000-to-start STN championship feature event, points will be accumulated in each race on Thursday and Friday to set the balance of the Saturday lineups.
Saturday will feature heat races seeded according to accumulated points with an invert of six in each heat race. With more points tallied in Saturday heat race, eight more drivers will lock into the main event with point totals setting the lineups for Saturday’s twin “C” and “B” Mains that will set the field.
The Past Winners:
2014-Christopher Bell
2013-Sammy Swindell
2012-Paul McMahan
2011-Sammy Swindell
2010-Brad Sweet
2009-Tony Bruce, Jr.
2008-Tony Bruce, Jr.
2007-Jason Meyers
2006-Jason Johnson
2005-Tim Montgomery
2004-Gary Wright
2003-Gary Wright
2002-Paul McMahan
2001-Jason Sides
2000-Mike Ward
1999-Gary Wright
1998-Tim Crawley
1997-Wayne Johnson
1996-Pete Butler
1995-Gary Wright
1994-Terry Gray
1993-John Gerloff
1992-Rained Out
1991-Steve Kinser
1990-Sammy Swindell
1989-Steve Kinser
1988-Steve Kinser
The Tickets: Advance tickets for all three nights of the $15,000-to-win Sprint Car spectacular are just $60. Individual night tickets may be purchased as well for $20 on Thursday only, $20 on Friday only and $28 on Saturday only.
Advance tickets may be ordered online at http://www.i-30speedway.com/shorttracknationals.html#tickets or by calling the track at 501-455-4567.
For more information regarding the 28th 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 Mar 01, 2016
- Article Date: 2/29/2016