O'Reilly ASCoT Ready for State Fair Speedway's Spring Nationals

Press Release

TULSA, Okla. (March 17, 2008) -- Two more nights of Spring Nationals racing action is in store for the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series this weekend as the series takes to Oklahoma City's 3/8-mile State Fair Speedway clay oval on Friday and Saturday night.

After 55 different drivers competed in this past weekend's Spring Nationals at Lanny Edwards' Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, it's three hours north on I-35 to State Fair Speedway, where Oklahoma City native Wayne Johnson reigns as the defending State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals champion.

And with five different winners through the opening five nights of action for the ASCS National Tour, Johnson will be looking for his first feature score over the weekend.

The series opened the 2008 campaign with Kenny Adams, Terry McCarl and Jason Johnson each earning wins at Tampa's East Bay Raceway Park. Then, over this past weekend, Tony Bruce, Jr., posted his first career series win before Gary Wright used a last corner pass to claim his first Devil's Bowl Spring Nationals victory since 1995.

With his first series win of the year and 120th of his career, Wright of Hooks, TX, enters this weekend's State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals with a 28-point advantage as he chases down a fifth consecutive $50,000 series championship.

"The Texan" has finished no lower than third in this year's five feature events and carries a series record string of 18 consecutive top-five feature finishes into the weekend aboard the Wesmar-powered Richwood Construction/Whiteco Commercial Funding No. 9 Maxim. Wright topped three of four ASCS National Tour feature events at State Fair Speedway last year.

Although shut out of ASCS victory lane thus far in 2008, a pair of fourth-place finishes at Devil's Bowl propelled 2000 ASCS National champion Wayne Johnson up to second in points aboard Mike Hammers' Wesmar-powered H&H Enterprises No. 94 Maxim. The Oklahoma City native that now resides in Knoxville, IA, guns for his first win of the season after finishing third in series' points in 2007.

Tennessee's Jason Sides enters the weekend ranked third in points and is expected to contend for his first win of the year along with past ASCS National champion Zach Chappell of Talala, OK, and Eunice, Louisiana's Jason Johnson, who enter the weekend ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Zach Chappell won an ASCS Speedweek event at State Fair Speedway in 2001, while Jason Johnson won three of four series feature events in Oklahoma City in 2006 including a sweep of the Spring Nationals.

Other top series contenders expected for the weekend include past champions Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) and Garry Lee Maier (Cimarron, KS) along with the Brodix Rookie of the Year crop including Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX), Don Droud, Jr. (Lincoln, NE), Kathryne Minter (Bedford, TX), Kenneth Walker (Claremore, OK) and Gary Taylor (Sapulpa, OK).

A host of other top contenders from throughout the nation including the likes of 2005 ASCoT Rookie of the Year Nick Smith, 2006 ASCoT Rookie of the Year Foster Landon, defending ASCS Sooner Region champion Brian McClelland, defending ASCS Midwest Region champion Natalie Sather, Missouri's Brian Brown and Nebraska's Billy Alley and Jack Dover will be on hand for the weekend's action as well, with approximately 50 entries expected to fill the pit area.

The Series: O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour (ASCoT)

When & Where: Friday night at 7:30 p.m. -- State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals prelim

Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. -- State Fair Speedway Spring Nationals finale

Track Information: State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK) -- 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located on the Oklahoma State Fair Grounds near the intersection of N.W. 10th and May Avenue. Track phone: 405-948-6796.

O’Reilly ASCoT State Fair Speedway History :

State Fair Speedway has hosted 24 ASCS National Tour events since 1994, with 20 events in Oklahoma City since the track was reconfigured prior to the 2002 season. Gary Wright has won nine of 20 feature events since the reconfiguration, with Kevin Ramey and Jason Johnson the only other drivers to score multiple wins since that time.

The last time Gary Wright didn’t start an ASCS National Tour feature event, it was at State Fair Speedway on May 9, 2003, when an accident while en route forced Wright's absence. Since that time, Wright has racked up four series titles and has competed in 171 consecutive ASCS National Tour events.

Wright topped three of four ASCS National Tour features at State Fair Speedway last year, foiling Natalie Sather's bid for a first win in the Spring Nationals prelim before Wayne Johnson topped the Spring Nationals finale the following night.

State Fair Speedway ASCS National winners include: Gary Wright 11, Jason Johnson 3, Kevin Ramey 2, Zach Chappell 1, Tommie Estes, Jr. 1, Wayne Johnson 1, Wayne Pennington 1, Travis Rilat 1, Darren Stewart 1, Shane Stewart 1, Danny Wood 1.

State Fair Speedway O'Reilly ASCoT Race-by-race Winners: Gary Wright (10/13/94), Tommie Estes, Jr. (5/26/96), Gary Wright (8/11/96), Zach Chappell (7/21/01), Wayne Pennington (5/17/02), Kevin Ramey (6/28/02), Gary Wright (8/23/02), Travis Rilat (5/9/03), Shane Stewart (6/1/03), Gary Wright (6/27/03), Gary Wright (8/1/03), Danny Wood (6/25/04), Gary Wright (7/30/04), Kevin Ramey (5/20/05), Darren Stewart (6/24/05), Gary Wright (7/29/05), Jason Johnson (3/24/06), Jason Johnson (3/25/06), Gary Wright (6/23/06), Jason Johnson (7/14/06), Gary Wright (3/23/07), Wayne Johnson (3/24/07), Gary Wright (5/11/07), Gary Wright (7/20/07).

- Source: ASCS