Another date has been added to the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters schedule, as South Dakota’s I-90 Speedway is set to host the series in July.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series will stop off at Hartford, South Dakota’s I-90 Speedway for the third consecutive year on Saturday night, July 11.

The event atop the semi-banked, 3/8-mile dirt oval follows on the heels of the $15,000 to win event at Presleyland Motorsports Park in Chandler, IN, on July 3-4 and serves as an ideal stop as teams make their way to the Northwest for ensuing events at Washington’s Grays Harbor Raceway Park (July 17-18) and Oregon’s Cottage Grove Speedway (July 24-25).

It marks the third consecutive year for the nation’s premier touring series to invade I-90 Speedway, with reigning champion Jason Johnson picking up the win in 2007 after apparent victor Sam Hafertepe, Jr., came up light at the scales. Last year, Tony Bruce, Jr., fended off Gary Wright in a wild duel through lapped traffic for his second career series victory.

The July 11 event will also award points to both the ASCS Midwest and Northern Plains Regions.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters kicked off the 2009 campaign with the 36th Annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals on March 20-21. With 67 competitors taking part in the opener, Shane Stewart topped the preliminary feature before Jason Johnson won a hard-fought Spring Nationals finale.

Foul weather wiped out Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals on March 27-28. No makeup date has been determined.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series fires back into action on Saturday night, April 18, at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway, with a May slate of events that includes Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, IL) on May 1, Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, TN) on May 8-9 and the $10,000 to win Steve King Memorial at the Jetmore (KS) Motorplex on May 23-24.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for 35 nights of racing action at 17 different tracks throughout the nation, with the country’s top Sprint Car drivers set to battle it out for their share of the $250,000 points fund.

The American Sprint Car Series, in its 18th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing events, brings the best of Sprint Car racing to nearly 100 different tracks throughout 25 states and Canada in 2009. Anchored by the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of a dozen different Regions throughout the nation.

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.

With rain, cold temperatures and a potential winter mix of precipitation in the forecast, this weekend’s Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters double at Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway has been postponed.

Lucas Oil ASCS series officials are in discussions with State Fair Speedway promoter Lanny Edwards and track personnel to determine an appropriate makeup date.

The next scheduled event for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, AR, on Saturday night, April 18.

This weekend’s season opening event for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, will be the first two in a run of ten shows to be broadcast on the VERSUS Network, and the air dates for each of the one-hour long broadcasts have been determined.

This weekend also marks the first opportunity for some creative race fans to garner their 15 minutes of fame, as there will be an award at each televised event for the best sign.

Fans devising the most creative and entertaining sign, within the realms of proper language and content, while also incorporating the Lucas Oil, K&N and ASCS logos will be deemed the winner. Prizes will be awarded at intermission with the winners and their signs displayed on the national telecast.

Currently, ten Lucas Oil ASCS events are scheduled for the VERSUS Network, with the possibility of more being added later in the year.

The scheduled air dates on VERSUS are as follows:

Event Date – Track (Location) – Air Date & Time (All Times Eastern)

March 20 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/2/09, 6:00 p.m.
March 21 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – 5/9/09, 6:00 p.m.
May 23 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 7/4/09, 6:00 p.m.
May 24 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS) – 7/11/09, 6:00 p.m.
July 3 – Presleyland Motorsports Park (Chandler, IN) – 7/18/09, 6:00 p.m.
July 4 – Presleyland Motorsports Park (Chandler, IN) – 8/29/09, 6:00 p.m.
August 6 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 9/12/09, 6:00 p.m.
August 7 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 9/26/09, 6:00 p.m.
August 8 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – 10/31/09, 6:00 p.m.
September 26 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) – 11/14/09, 6:00 p.m.

All dates are tentative and subject to change.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is currently slated for 34 nights of racing action at 16 different tracks throughout the nation, with the country’s top Sprint Car drivers set to battle it out for their share of the $250,000 points fund.

The American Sprint Car Series, in its 18th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing events, brings the best of Sprint Car racing to nearly 100 different tracks throughout 25 states and Canada in 2009. Anchored by the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of a dozen different Regions throughout the nation.

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.

The door to a new era in Sprint Car racing bursts open in just a couple of weeks when the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters kicks off the 2009 season with the 36th Annual Devil’s Bowl Speedway Spring Nationals in Mesquite, TX, on March 20-21.

And the pit area at the famed Devil’s Bowl Speedway will be bulging at the seams with the nation’s top Sprint Cars, as approximately two dozen likely Lucas Oil ASCS championship contenders will be joined by a gaggle of other top guns all eager to shine under the lights of the VERSUS Network television cameras.

The Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals, which offers up $6,000 to the winner of the Saturday night championship feature event, launches the pursuit of the $60,000 Lucas Oil ASCS championship, with $250,000 to be doled out among the series top 15 drivers at year’s end.

Heading that list of championship contenders is reigning series king Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA. “The Ragin’ Cajun” racked up eleven series wins last year to capture his first championship, ending Gary Wright’s run of title efforts at four.

Johnson and Wright won’t be the only past series champions in the mix either, as 2003 series champion Travis Rilat will try to become just the fourth driver to claim multiple National titles along with four-time kingpins Wright and Terry Gray and three-time champion Tim Crawley.

They’ll have their work cut out for them with the likes of Paul McMahan, Shane Stewart, Tony Bruce, Jr., Jesse Hockett and Danny Wood among others joining an already stout roster.

A quick look at the 2009 Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters championship contenders reveals the following:

1 Robby Wolfgang (Sioux Falls, SD) – Finding a bigger pair of shoes to fill would be nearly impossible, but Robby is ready for the road in 2009.

2 Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK) – Ready for his second year on the National trail after claiming eighth in points during his rookie campaign last year.

3d Paul McMahan (Nashville, TN) – The 2002 Short Track Nationals winner returns from Down Under in time to begin his pursuit of the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series championship.

4 Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) – Made 48 ASCS starts last year, tops amongst the 963 drivers that competed in at least one series event, ranking sixth in National points and earning Brodix Rookie of the Year honors.

7 Darren Long (Elida, OH) – A winner of seven career features at Eldora, the Rookie of the Year candidate should like the Devil’s Bowl.

9x Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) – After narrowly missing out on a unprecedented fifth consecutive ASCS National title in 2008, joins forces with Scott Brown’s Lubbock Wrecker Service team as he tries to add to the series’ best win total of 124.

10 Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) – After several seasons at Knoxville, Ricky gets to occasionally race closer to his Arkansas home as he takes on the full National slate for the first time.

11 Chad Corken (Highlands Ranch, CO) – A fourth-place finisher in last year’s ASCS Rocky Mountain points despite missing an event, the 19-year-old descends the Rockies for a run at Rookie of the Year honors.

12 Trey Robb (Newcastle, OK) – Back on the trail at 16 as he joins forces with past ASCS Gulf South champ Jerry Bell.

13 Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO) – Third in 2006 points, “The Rocket” served notice that he’s ready to contend for the title with a $13,000 score at East Bay to open the season.

13m Kathryne Minter (Bedford, TX) – Possessor of the bluest eyes in Texas, the 18-year-old is ready for her second full season on the National trail.

15s Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) – Among the elder statesmen on the Tour at just 25 (only Gary Wright, Travis Rilat, Jason Johnson and Danny Wood have more career feature starts among projected title contenders), the 2006 Rookie of the Year looks for a fourth consecutive top-ten ranking.

18 Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) – The series’ 2005 Rookie of the Year, Tony rejoins the Tour in pursuit of the $60,000 championship after topping last year’s Short Track Nationals.

23 Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA) – The first Washington-based team to tackle the Lucas Oil ASCS Series, Seth has ranked among the best of the Northwest over the past three seasons.

29 Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) – Just 14 features away from becoming the third driver in series history to reach the 300 mark, Travis wants another title to go along with the one earned in 2003.

41 Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) – Fifty-one feature wins in ASCS competition (National and Regional) over the past three years pretty much sums it up for the reigning champion. And that doesn’t include a $56,000 Ollie’s Challenge score at Williams Grove last year, the biggest take in track history.

53 Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) – A Midwest Region championship and National Newcomer of the Year honors in 2008 serve as a solid lead-in to a Rookie of the Year chase for the 19-year-old.

86 Josh Fisher (Smithton, MO) – The National Sprint Car Poll’s Rookie of the Year in 2007 and Lake Ozark Speedway track champion in 2008 steps up to the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series in 2009.

91 Gary Taylor (Snohomish, WA) – The modern day nomad takes the wheel of the Sparks entry for the Devil’s Bowl opener after a shakedown session in weekly action at I-30 Speedway a week earlier.

93 Dustin Morgan (Collinsville, OK) – Primarily waging wingless wars over the past couple of years, Dustin makes the shift to ASCS action for 2009.

94 Danny Wood (Norman, OK) – The three-time series runner-up makes a run for the title in the seat vacated by Wayne Johnson, who put the H&H entry third in points over each of the past two seasons.

95 Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK) – The 19-year-old tries out the National scene after finishing fourth in Sooner points last year.

97 Aaron Berryhill (Broken Arrow, OK) – A last-lap winner over Jason Johnson at Lake Ozark last year, Aaron is set to take on the Tour full-time for the first time.

99 Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) – After making last year’s STN championship feature cut, Bacon flies the Tel-Star colors in his first full winged campaign.

Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) – A winner of 15 career ASCS National features in 64 starts, Shane and car owner Paul Silva are in a scramble to put all the winning pieces together.

That’s just a quick look at the championship contenders, with several others possibly joining the championship fray.

Toss another 30 or so into the Devil’s Bowl mix, including ASCS Northern Plains champion Lee Grosz, ASCS Rocky Mountain champion Derrik Ortega, two-time ASCS Sooner champion Kevin Ramey, Knoxville Raceway champion Brian Brown and past ASCS National champion Zach Chappell, and the battle to simply make the feature cut will be an intense one.

The American Sprint Car Series and RacinBoys.com have teamed up to provide live audio webcasts of the entire 2009 Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series.

Mike Sweeton of ASCS, who will be the voice of the series, appeared on “Track Talk” with the RacinBoys Saturday morning to make the announcement.

“We’re excited to be able to partner with RacinBoys.com to bring the live action to fans all across the country,” said Sweeton. “It’s just another huge step in the growth of the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series, and we feel RacinBoys.com is the best place to be for our internet broadcasts.”

All 32 nights of scheduled racing can be heard, free of charge, beginning March 20 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. In addition, the Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless for non-wing sprints in August will also be part the RacinBoys.com audio webcast schdedule.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity of bringing race fans around the world the live action of the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series,” said Kirk Elliott, who along with partner Scott Traylor created RacionBoys.com in 2003. The site has been the source of live audio coverage of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals since 2006. Over the past two years, RacinBoys.com has expanded to include video packages and weekly grassroots racing specialty programming.

A full schedule listing audio webcast start times will be released in the coming days.

Aricle Written by: www.ascsracing.com
For more information: www.racinboys.com or www.ascsracing.com.

As if the season-ending top prize of $60,000 weren’t enough incentive already, Maxwell Industries has sweetened the pot for this year’s Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters championship chase.

Maxwell Industries will offer a $2,000 discount off of a shock dyno at season’s end to the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car series champion, provided that driver has displayed a Maxwell Industries decal on his wing over the course of the 2009 season.

In addition, Maxwell Industries will also offer the series runner-up in points a $1,000 discount on a shock dyno at season’s end as well.

Combining over 55 years of suspension, data acquisition and control experience, Maxwell Industries products bring suspension testing to a new level. Users are becoming more aware of the performance and durability of the products they rely on each and every day. From the train station to the racetrack, Maxwell Industries can provide quality equipment to keep you moving.

Maxwell Dynos are some of the most compact on the market today. Running off standard, single-phase power, they are easily adaptable in the workshop or on the go.

Maxwell Industries joins a proud group of Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters associate sponsors that includes Brodix, Hilborn, The Joie of Seating, Hoosier, Simpson, Wesmar-Shaver Gear Drives, Hilborn, MPD, Alliance Performance Group, KSE, Pro Shocks, Schoenfeld Headers and Weld Wheels.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is set to kick off the 2009 season with the Devil’s Bowl Speedway Spring Nationals in Mesquite, TX, on March 20-21, the opening salvo in the chase for the $60,000 top prize earmarked for the series champion out of the $250,000 point fund.

Additional information regarding Maxwell Industries is available at www.maxwellindustries.com.

Additional information regarding the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is available at www.ascsracing.com.

Article Written By: Lonnie Wheatley (ASCS Racing)

With the 2009 schedule for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters still a work in progress, another handful of dates have been added to the much anticipated tour.

The Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series will invade the Northwest portion of the country over a pair of weekends in July, marking the first events contested in Oregon and Washington in ASCS National Tour history.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series will take to the high-banked, 3/8-mile Grays Harbor Raceway clay oval in Elma, WA, on July 17 and 18, joining in on the final two legs of the annual ASCS Northwest Speedweek.

Then, on the following weekend, two full nights of action are in store for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series atop Oregon’s semi-banked, ¼-mile Cottage Grove Speedway clay oval on July 24 and 25.

While Grays Harbor Raceway and Cottage Grove Speedway will both play host to the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series for the first time, a familiar venue has been added to the schedule as well in the form of Missouri’s Lake Ozark Speedway.

Lake Ozark Speedway, near Eldon, MO, will host the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters on Saturday night, June 27.

Aaron Berryhill captured his first career series win with a last-lap pass of Jason Johnson at Lake Ozark Speedway in May of this past season, with “The Ragin’ Cajun” rebounding to top a wild battle for the Lake Ozark win in July.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the event tentatively scheduled for Sedalia’s State Fair Speedway on September 10-12 has been removed from the schedule until an alternate date can be determined.

The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is slated to kick off the 2009 season with the Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals in Mesquite, TX, on March 20-21.

Several other events will be added to the schedule in the coming weeks as workable dates are determined, with ongoing discussions continuing with a number of other venues.

Preliminary 2009 Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series Presented by K&N Filters Schedule:

March 20 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX)
March 21 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX)
March 27 – State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 28 – State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK)
April 18 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)
May 1 – Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, IL)
May 8 – Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, TN)
May 9 – Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, TN)
May 23 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS)
May 24 – Jetmore Motorplex (Jetmore, KS)
June 5 – 67 Speedway (Texarkana, AR) – ASCS Speedweek points ONLY
June 6 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) – ASCS Speedweek points ONLY
June 9 – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points ONLY
June 11 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) – ASCS Speedweek points ONLY
June 12 – State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points ONLY
June 13 – Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) – ASCS Speedweek points ONLY
June 27 – Lake Ozark Speedway (Lake Ozark, MO)
July 3 – Presleyland Motorsports (Chandler, IN)
July 4 – Presleyland Motorsports (Chandler, IN) – $15,000 to win
July 17 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA)
July 18 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA)
July 24 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR)
July 25 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR)
August 6 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA)
August 7 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA)
August 8 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) – $10,000 to win
September 26 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO)
October 16 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX)
October 17 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX)
October 29 – I-30 Speedway 22nd Annual Short Track Nationals (Little Rock, AR)
October 30 – I-30 Speedway 22nd Annual Short Track Nationals (Little Rock, AR)
October 31 – I-30 Speedway 22nd Annual Short Track Nationals (Little Rock, AR) – $15,000 to win

The standard one-night purse and final night of multi-night events for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters includes a $6,000 winner’s share with $500 to start the feature event in 2009, with standard preliminary night events including $3,000 to win and $300 to start.

Drivers contending for the 2009 series title will be vying for a share of the $250,000 points fund, which will be distributed at season’s end among the top 15 drivers in points. The champion will collect a hefty $60,000.

The 17th Annual ASCS Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek, set for June 5-13, will be based on the 2008 purse structure of $3,000 to win and $300 to start. While not Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series championship points races, there will be a $10,000 point fund in effect for the six-event Speedweek.

Additional events will be added to the 2009 schedule for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters in the coming weeks.

Additional information regarding the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters is available at www.ascsracing.com.

More than $200,000 in cash and contingencies was doled out Saturday night as the American Sprint Car Series National Tour/Sooner Region Awards Banquet took place at the Cherokee Casino in Tulsa, OK.

Eunice, LA, hotshoe Jason Johnson reeled in the lion’s share of the evening’s awards, collecting $50,000 plus contingencies for capturing his first O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National championship along with car owners Alan and Lanny Row of Greenville, TX.

“When I first told my dad about 15 years ago that I wanted to go ASCS racing and win a championship, he just laughed and said ‘Yeah right, you’re gonna go beat Gary Wright and those guys’,” Johnson explained of the early stages of his career.

“I’ve thought at times along the way that there were bigger and better things out there, but three years ago I got back together with the Row’s (Alan and Lanny) and that’s the best thing that could have ever happened.”

Tulsa-area shoe Brian McClelland became one of just four drivers to repeat as 2008 ASCS Regional champions by collecting American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region championship honors for the second year in a row.

Also receiving top honors over the course of the evening were ASCS2 Micro Sprint champions Jerrod Wilson (Outlaw), Andrew Felker (Non-Wing) and Blake Hahn (Restricted “A” Class).

The balance of the top eleven in ASCS National points and the top nine in Sooner Region points were honored as well along with the top ten in each Micro class.

Joining Johnson as National Tour honorees were series runner-up Gary Wright (Hooks, TX), third-place finisher Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK), fourth-ranked Zach Chappell (Talala, OK), fifth-ranked Garry Lee Maier (Cimarron, KS), sixth-ranked Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX), seventh-ranked Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK), eighth-ranked Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK), ninth-ranked Travis Rilat (Forney, TX), tenth-ranked Gary Taylor (Sapulpa, OK) and 11th-ranked Kathryne Minter (Bedford, TX).

McClelland topped a field of Sooner Region honorees that included Kolt Walker (Graham, TX), Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK), Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK), Justin Melton (Flower Mound, TX), Michael Brown (Lawton, OK), Gary Taylor (Sapulpa, OK), Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX) and Sherman Davis (Sand Springs, OK).

Jason Johnson, Wright, Wayne Johnson, Chappell, Maier, Baldaccini and Minter each received awards for Perfect Attendance on the National Tour, while McClelland, Kolt Walker, Covington and Melton recorded Perfect Attendance on the Sooner slate.

Jason Johnson picked up another $1,500 as the 16th Annual Toyota Tundra ASCS Speedweek champion, with the balance of the top five in ASCS Speedweek points receiving their portion of the $6,500 Speedweek points fund including Zach Chappell, Wayne Johnson, Garry Lee Maier and Gary Wright.

Jason Johnson’s crew chief, Philip Dietz, picked up the Brodix Lee Maier Crew Chief of the Year award.

Jason Johnson also picked up the Lowest Average Draw award, the same award he won in 2006.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Gary Taylor received the Highest Average Draw award. Taylor was also presented with the Horizon Award, which is annually awarded to a driver who displays promise of glory in future seasons with ASCS.

Twenty-year-old Eric Baldaccini got the nod in the Brodix Rookie of the Year battle, worth a set of Brodix heads, by edging out fellow rookie contenders Kenneth Walker, Gary Taylor and Kathryne Minter.

Zach Chappell earned the Hard Charger Award by accumulating the most passing points during the 2008 season.

Veteran car owner Scott Brown was presented with the Sportsmanship Award. Brown generously loaned one of his engines to rival Wayne Johnson when the latter ran short of luck over the course of Speedweek.

Kenneth Walker was presented with the Newcomer of the Year award, worth $1,000 in cash.

Seventeen-year-old Kathryne Minter was presented the 2008 Young Lion award, which is annually presented to a promising driver under 21 years of age for their support of the American Sprint Car Series.

Also capturing the ASCS Midwest Region championship in 2008, Nebraska’s Jack Dover picked up the 2008 Most Improved Driver award with the ASCS National Tour, an award that also came with a bare set of Brodix cylinder heads.

Several announcements were made over the course of the evening as well, with confirmation that a dozen one-hour events will be televised on the VERSUS Network in 2009 on a two-week delayed basis. There will also be a two-hour 2009 season wrap-up show on SPEED to highlight the 2009 Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters which will feature a schedule of events offering up $6,000 to win and $500 to start along with a $250,000 points fund. The events that will be televised will be announced soon.

The 2009 slate of events for the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters currently consists of 21 solid dates, with another ten tracks awaiting solid dates. Another dozen or so events are under very strong consideration, with a likely total of approximately 40 events in 2009.

The 17th Annual ASCS Speedweek will take place at the same six tracks that hosted the annual event in 2008 with the $3,000-to-win and $300 to start purse in effect. The Speedweek events, which will not be National point races, will include a $10,000 point fund.

Also introduced over the course of the evening was new ASCS employee Mike Sweeton. The veteran Chili Bowl announcer hailing from Joplin, MO, will serve as the traveling announcer for the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters during 2009 while also fulfilling various marketing and promotional efforts in the Tulsa office.

Regarding rules for 2009, it was announced that any team changing engines during the course of a night will be forced to start at the tail of their main event, a rule designed to curb the use of short-lived, high-expense engines.

A revised Passing Points system that will be in use on the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters as well as all Regional Tours was also introduced. The improved system will provide a greater emphasis on positions gained and also deducts points for positions lost, with fewer ties in points also a result.

On the Regional front, it was revealed that the Sooner Region will be divided into Northern and Southern portions. The “Northern” portion, consisting of traditional Sooner Region venues throughout Oklahoma, currently has a dozen events slated for 2009. The “Southern” portion, most likely dubbed the Lone Star Region, currently has approximately 15 events slated throughout Northern Texas in 2009. None of the Sooner or North Texas events are expected to conflict.

The 2008 O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series consisted of 34 nights of racing action with no rainouts along the way as 347 different drivers competed in at least one event. The American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region slate consisted of 19 events, with 112 drivers taking part in at least one event.

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.

Article Written By: Lonnie Wheatley