Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (October 25, 2010) – Well over 100 of the nation’s top Sprint Car teams, the VERSUS Network cameras and the nation’s most intensively competitive Sprint Car touring circuit can mean only one thing; it’s time for I-30 Speedway’s 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.
This weekend, three full nights of Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National action will unfold atop the high banks of Little Rock’s ¼-mile I-30 Speedway clay oval, culminating with Saturday night’s feverishly-anticipated $15,000-to-win, $2,300-to-start STN championship feature event.
As of midday Monday, a total of 108 entries from 21 different states as well as Australia have been filed for the prestigious event, with several more expected before the first official green flag flies on Thursday night.
And what a stellar field it is, with seven past STN champions among the mix including two-time and defending event champion Tony Bruce, Jr., current Lucas Oil ASCS National points leader and 2006 event winner Jason Johnson, four-time STN winner Gary Wright, 2001 winner Jason Sides, 1998 winner Tim Crawley, 1997 winner Wayne Johnson and 1990 STN king Sammy Swindell.
Throw in names such as Bacon, Stewart, Dover, Chappell, Brown, Shaffer, Sweet, Kaeding, Larson, Kemenah, Tatnell, Lasoski and a slew of other hopefuls vying for the biggest share of the $100,000-plus purse and the recipe for an instant classic is in place.
A Wednesday night Test ‘N Tune Session from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. precedes the Thursday and Friday preliminary events, which both include a full card of heat races, qualifiers and “A” Main, with the top three from each night locking into Saturday night’s finale.
The rest of the field will battle through Saturday night’s heat races with double points added to qualifying night points, setting the grid for the seven last chance qualifying races. The top two from each of those qualifying races will set the 20-car STN championship feature field.
All three nights of STN action will be taped for later broadcast on the VERSUS Network.
Fans can still save $10 by purchasing tickets in advance by calling 501-455-4567. Advance tickets, available through Wednesday, are just $45 for all three nights of wild racing action. Tickets at the gate are $15 on both Thursday and Friday and then just $25 on Saturday.
The Pertinent Info:
The What: 23rd 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 28-30, 2010. $15,000 to win the STN finale on October 30, with $2,300 to start the STN championship feature. Race time is 7:30 p.m. each night. Rain date is November 4-6. Test 'N Tune session on Wednesday night, October 27. All three nights will be taped for later broadcast on VERSUS and MavTV.
The Past Winners: Tony Bruce, Jr. (2009 and 2008), Jason Meyers (2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Gary Wright (2004, 2003, 1999 and 1995), Paul McMahan (2002), 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) and Sammy Swindell (1990). 1992 finale was rained out.
The Entries: While the pre-entry discount deadline of October 17 has come and gone, post-entries for the 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires may still be filed for $250 by calling the track at 501-455-4567 or at http://www.i-30speedway.com/2010stnflyer.pdf.
#0 Jason Martin (Liberal, KS)
#0c Preston Peebles II (Lubbock, TX)
#01 Danny Lasoski (Higginsville, MO)
#1b Tim Law (White Hall, AR)
#1m Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK)
#1p Curtis Evans (Norborne, MO)
#1s Sammy Swindell (Bartlett, TN)
#1x Gary Taylor (Snohomish, WA)
#03 Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK)
#3a A.G. Rains (West Memphis, AR)
#3g Darren Long (Elida, OH)
#3m Mark Shirshekan (Farmington, MO)
#3s John Carney II (El Paso, TX)
#3x Brooke Tatnell (Sans Souci, NSW)
#4b Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX)
#4s Tommy Snellgrove (Little Rock, AR)
#5g Dave Glennon (Casselton, ND)
#5l Eric Lutz (Sioux Falls, SD)
#5m Miranda Arnold (Sedalia, MO)
#5r Jerod Roller (Olive Branch, MS)
#6h Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA)
#6k Chad Kemenah (Findlay, OH)
#7h Chris Morgan (Topeka, KS)
#7s Jason Sides (Bartlett, TN)
#7tw Brandon Wimmer (Fairmount, IN)
#7w Wade Human (Marion, AR)
#8tw Kent Lewis, Jr. (Willis, TX)
#8x Chris Williams (Memphis, TN)
#9h Derek Hagar (Marion, AR)
#9s Justin Sturch (Benton, AR)
#9w Lane Whittington (Denham Springs, LA)
#9x Gary Wright (Hooks, TX)
#10a Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR)
#11c Dakota Carroll (La Monte, MO)
#11m Justin Melton (Flower Mound, TX)
#11x Chad Corken (Highlands Ranch, CO)
#12d Dalton Davis (Memphis, TN)
#12h Jerrod Hull (Sikeston, MO)
#12t Joe Young (Benton, AR)
#14e Tommy Bryant (Conroe, TX)
#14k Kyle Bellm (Nixa, MO)
#14m Jordon Mallett (Greenbrier, AR)
#14z Jessica Zemken (Sprakers, NY)
#16 Koty Adams (Doyline, LA)
#17b Ryan Bickett (Ramona, SD)
#17bb Brad Bowden (Hernando, MS)
#17g Bruce Griffith, Jr. (Highlands, TX)
#17w Brad Welborn (Princeton, TX)
#18b Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS)
#18h Mike Hess (Springfield, IL)
#19 Klint Angelette (Thibodaux, LA)
#21b Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO)
#21t Ray Allen Kulhanek (Conroe, TX)
#21tx Brandon Schure (El Paso, TX)
#21v Taylor Velasquez (Turpin, OK)
#22h Randy Hannagan (San Jose, CA)
#22s Robbie Standridge (Springfield, IL)
#22y Dennis Yoakam (Lima, OH)
#23 Darryl Wills (Deer Park, TX)
#26 Marshall Skinner (West Memphis, AR)
#27 Andy Shouse (Oklahoma City, OK)
#28 Jonathan Cornell (Sedalia, MO)
#29 Tim Kaeding (San Jose, CA)
#30 Brandon Corn (Hearne, TX)
#31 Brandon Berryman (Missouri City, TX)
#32 Justin Barger (Montrose, NY)
#33 Mark Huddleston (Mesquite, TX)
#36 Jonathan Beason (Broken Arrow, OK)
#40 Junior Jenkins (Greenville, TX)
#41 Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA)
#46 Jan Howard (Byhalia, MS)
#49 Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA)
#50z Zach Chappell (Talala, OK)
#51b Beau Smith (Texas City, TX)
#51L Lee Sowell (Nesbit, MS)
#53d Jack Dover (Springfield, NE)
#53j Justin Jackson (Bryant, AR)
#55 Jason Solwold (Burlington, WA)
#56 Davey Heskin (St. Michael, MN)
#57 Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK)
#58f Gary Floyd (San Angelo, TX)
#58x Wade Oliver (Southaven, MS)
#59 Marty Stanford (McKinney, TX)
#60 Eric Sandage (Alexander, AR)
#69 Larry Howery (Hearne, TX)
#71 Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX)
#72 Sherman Davis (Sand Springs, OK)
#74e Claud Estes (Godley, TX)
#75b Tyler Blank (California, MO)
#75L Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA)
#76 John Ricketts (Burleson, TX)
#77x Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK)
#83 Tim Shaffer (Aliquippa, PA)
#84 Ben Wagoner (Emden, IL)
#85 Jerry Bell (Garland, TX)
#87m Brian McClelland (Broken Arrow, OK)
#87r Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX)
#88 Tim Crawley (Benton, AR)
#89g David Gravel (Middlebury, CT)
#90 Jeff Swindell (Memphis, TN)
#91 Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK)
#93m Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK)
#93s Chris Sweeney (Channelview, TX)
#94 Danny Wood (Norman, OK)
#95 Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)
#97b Aaron Berryhill (Broken Arrow, OK)
#99 Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK)
#165 Haley Arnold (Sedalia, MO)
Past STN Feature Starts: Gary Wright 17, Tim Crawley 15, Wayne Johnson 13, Shane Stewart 7, Sammy Swindell 7, Jan Howard 6, Jason Sides 6, Darren Stewart 6, Jason Johnson 5, Eric Sandage 5, Danny Wood 5, Brian Brown 4, Jerrod Hull 4, A.G. Rains 4, Marshall Skinner 4, Jeff Swindell 4, Zach Chappell 3, Justin Sturch 3, Tony Bruce, Jr. 2, Tommy Bryant 2, Chad Kemenah 2, Ricky Logan 2, Wade Oliver 2, Tim Shaffer 2, Brady Bacon 1, Aaron Berryhill 1, Jack Dover 1, Claud Estes 1, Derek Hagar 1, Tim Kaeding 1, Sean McClelland 1, Dustin Morgan 1, Danny Lasoski 1, Robbie Standridge 1, Brad Sweet 1, Brooke Tatnell 1, Joe Wood, Jr. 1,
STN Rookie Contenders: Klint Angelette, Miranda Arnold, Jonathan Beason, Dakota Carroll, Gary Floyd, Dave Glennon, David Gravel, Randy Hannagan, Davey Heskin, Mike Hess, Kyle Hirst, Justin Jackson, Tim Law, Jordon Mallett, John Ricketts, Jerod Roller, Beau Smith, Tommy Snellgrove, Jason Solwold, Taylor Velasquez, Ben Wagoner, Darryl Wills, Brandon Wimmer, Dennis Yoakam, Jessica Zemken.
The Series: A premier stop on the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National trail, Jason Johnson, Brady Bacon and Shane Stewart are currently locked in a torrid three-way duel for the series $60,000 championship chase, with Tim Crawley, Jack Dover and the ten other full-time Lucas Oil ASCS National teams vying for their share of the $250,000 points fund.
After the STN the Lucas Oil Sprint Cars will finish out the year at Las Cruces’ Southern New Mexico Speedway (November 12-13), Tucson’s USA Raceway (November 18-20) and then Las Vegas Motor Speedway (November 26-27).
Current top 20 in Lucas Oil Sprint Car points: 1. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 2,919, 2. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 2,847, 3. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 2,780, 4. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 2,643, 5. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 2,622, 6. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 2,573, 7. Zach Chappell (Talala, OK) 2,504, 8. Kyle Hirst (Loomis, CA) 2,397, 9. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 2,379, 10. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 2,364, 11. Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) 2,268, 12. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 2,103, 13. Dustin Morgan (Tulsa, OK) 2,095, 14. Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX) 2,019, 15. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 1,690, 16. Justyn Cox (Clarksburg, CA) 1,513, 17. Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA) 1,344, 18. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 1,290, 19. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 1,152, 20. Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM) 873.
The Format: Approximately half of the STN entrants will battle through Thursday's qualifying program, with the other half racing through Friday night's qualifying program. Both qualifying nights will include heat races followed by four qualifying races with an inversion based on heat race passing points, with the top 20 in combined passing/finishing points from the heats and qualifiers advancing to “A” Main action. The top three finishers from each qualifying night main event lock into Saturday’s $15,000-to-win, $2,300-to-start finale.
Saturday's Odus Pack Building Materials Dash for Cash, which includes the top three finishers from the Thursday and Friday night preliminary features, will be aligned by a pill draw conducted in “Cheater’s Day” fashion. Thursday’s winning driver will draw the first pill then give that pill to the driver of his choice. Friday’s winner will draw the second pill and give that pill to one of the remaining drivers, and so on until the lineup is determined. The Dash finishing order will determine the alignment of the front three rows of Saturday night’s STN finale.
Those not locked in will carry heat, qualifying and feature points over to Saturday night, where they draw in for heat race action that awards double passing/finishing points. Saturday heat race points are added to qualifying night points to set the lineups for seven last chance qualifying races. The top two from each of the seven last chance qualifying races advance to the 40-lap STN finale, with the qualifying race winners in positions 7-13 (lined up based on total points) and qualifying race runners-up in positions 14-20 (lined up based on total points).
The Josh Howard Determination Award: Once again, Bossier City, Louisiana's Shed Road Auto Parts will present a top wing and nose wing courtesy of Lightning Wings to a driver that battles through adversity over the course of the intensely competitive weekend. Andy Lutz Art will also offer a custom painted helmet to the award winner. Derek Hagar won last year’s Josh Howard Determination Award after Eric Sandage took the inaugural award in 2008.
The Trade Show & Midway: This year’s rendition of the Short Track Nationals will also include the Sixth Annual Short Track Nationals Trade Show & Midway. Fans, drivers & crews will have the opportunity to visit vendor displays, which opens at noon on Thursday and then at 9 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. The deadline for guaranteed vendor space is Monday, October 25. Inquiries regarding vendor space should be directed to dssm93@msn.com.
The Tickets: Advance tickets are on sale through Wednesday, October 27, no advance sales after that. Tickets ordered in advance are just $45 for all three nights. Day of show prices are $15 on Thursday and Friday and $25 on Saturday. To order tickets in advance or for more information, call the track at 501-455-4567 or e-mail orders to info@I-30speedway.com. Children's tickets will be available at the event for just $2 on both Thursday and Friday and then $5 on Saturday. There is a $1 per ticket surcharge for orders placed via credit/debit cards. Pit passes are $30 on both Thursday and Friday and $35 on Saturday.
STN on TV: All three nights of action at the 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires will be taped for later broadcast on VERSUS and MavTV. Air dates, according to www.motorsportshour.com, are currently set for December 5 at 6:00 p.m. ET (October 28 event), December 11 at 6:00 p.m. ET (October 29 event) and December 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET (October 30 STN finale).
For more information regarding the 23rd Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires, contact I-30 Speedway at 501-455-4567.
- Lonnie Wheatley on Oct 25, 2010
- Article Date: 10/25/2010