After roaming about the Northern Plains over the past week and a half, the O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series kicks off another crucial four-event set with Saturday night’s event at “The Diamond of Dirt Tracks”, the 3/8-mile Lucas Oil Speedway clay oval in Wheatland, MO.
Saturday’s event at Lucas Oil Speedway marks the first of four events spanning eight days, with the first three legs of the “Show-Me Showdown” in Missouri and the fourth and final leg spilling across the border into Kansas.
After Saturday night’s card, the series moves on to the big half-mile clay oval at Sedalia’s Missouri State Fair Speedway on Tuesday night, July 3, for the second round of the O’Reilly ASCoT Show-Me Showdown.
Then on Wednesday night, July 4, it’s on to the cozy confines of Double X Speedway in California, MO, for the inaugural running of the Daniel McMillin Memorial.
The fourth and final leg of the O’Reilly ASCoT Show-Me Showdown then takes place on Saturday night, July 7, as the series makes its first appearance atop the semi-banked, ½-mile Lakeside Speedway dirt oval in Kansas City, KS.
The O’Reilly ASCoT National forces will be joined in all four rounds of the Show-Me Showdown by the Missouri-based Winged Outlaw Warriors, with the ASCS Midwest Region joining in on the action as well in the final round at Lakeside Speedway.
And with the 15th Annual ASCS Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek looming right around the corner with six events from July 13 to July 21, the four-event Show-Me Showdown could prove pivotal in a $50,000 championship points race that tightened considerably over the four-race Northern Plains Speedweek just completed through Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota.
Three-time and reigning ASCS National champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX, enters Saturday’s event at Lucas Oil Speedway once again atop the point charts. But his point lead has dwindled to a mere six points over 2000 ASCS National champion Wayne Johnson, a native of Oklahoma City now residing in Knoxville, IA.
And while Wayne Johnson has closed to within immediate striking distance of Wright, Eunice, Louisiana’s Jason Johnson has won four of the series most recent six events to climb to within 31 points of the lead.
Also keeping his title hopes alive with a string of five consecutive top-five finishes is 2003 ASCS National champion Travis Rilat of Forney, TX, who enters Saturday night’s event at Lucas Oil Speedway just 105 points off of Wright’s pace.
Foster Landon of Collinsville, OK, ranks as the leading Brodix Rookie of the Year contender as he rounds out the current top five in National points.
Darren Stewart is expected to be back in action Saturday night aboard Bobby Sparks’ No. 91 entry, with 2006 ASCS National Tour Rookie of the Year Nick Smith expected to be in action as well.
California, Missouri’s Randy Martin will lead the Winged Outlaw Warriors forces into the Show-Me Showdown, with other top WOW contenders including rookie contender Josh Fisher along with Gabe Maycock, Rusty Potter, Curtis Boyer and Terry Hinck.
And when the ASCS Midwest Region joins in at Lakeside Speedway on July 7, it will be Fargo, North Dakota’s Natalie Sather leading the way, pending the outcome of this Friday night’s event at McCool Junction, NE. Sather currently holds a 25-point lead over Chuck Swenson, with defending series champion Toby Chapman, Jason Danley and Don Droud, Jr., rounding out the current top five.
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