ASCoT Speedweek preview

O'Reilly ASCoT Sizzlin' Summer Speedweek Kicks off Friday!

TULSA, Okla. (July 5, 2006) -- The 14th Annual O'Reilly American Sprint Car Series COMP Cams Sizzlin' Summer Speekweek kicks off this Friday night as six different tracks throughout Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas are set to host the American Sprint Cars on Tour from July 7 through July 15.

This weekend's opening trio of events fires off at Bolivar Speedway in Bolivar, MO, on Friday night, before Mid-America Speedway in South Coffeyville, OK, hosts its first-ever ASCS National Tour event on Saturday night. Then on Sunday night, ASCS Sizzlin' Summer Speedweek Round Three takes place at Creek County Speedway as the Sapulpa, OK, quarter-mile oval hosts its first National event since 2000.

Then after three nights off, the 14th Annual ASCS Speedweek wraps up with Round Four at Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, on Thursday, July 13, Round Five at Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway on Friday, July 14, and Round Six at Lawton (OK) Speedway on Saturday, July 15.

The O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour $50,000 championship points race has tightened to just one point between Brodix Rookie of the Year contender Nick Smith of Broken Arrow, OK, and two-time and defending series champion Gary Wright of Hooks, TX.

After Smith and Wright both made early exits from Monday's feature at Sedalia, Warsaw, Missouri's Jesse Hockett closed to within 74 points of Smith, while 2003 ASCS National champion closed to within 100 points of the leaders. Just ten points off Rilat's pace and 107 points off the lead pace is Eunice, LA, shoe Jason Johnson, the only driver to score three O'Reilly ASCoT feature wins this season.

Bixby, Oklahoma's Darren Stewart, the defending ASCS Speedweek champion, enters this year's edition of Speedweek ranked sixth, with the balance of the top ten including Jan Howard (Byhalia, MS), defending ASCS Sooner Region champion Sean McClelland (Tulsa), 14-year-old Trey Robb (Newcastle, OK) and last year's ASCS National Tour Most Improved driver Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX).

After finishing third in the 2005 edition of Speedweek, Oregon's Roger Crockett is teaming up with California car owner Paul Silva for another run at the Speedweek title. Others expected to contend over the course of Sizzlin' Summer Speedweek include Tony Bruce, Jr., Abe Sherwood, Garry Lee Maier and Jamie Passmore along with a host of other tough competitors.

Friday's action at Bolivar Speedway get under way at approximately 7:30 p.m, with Saturday's card at Mid-America Speedway firing off at 7:00 p.m. Sunday's event at Creek County Speedway goes green at 7:00 p.m. as well.

The high-banked, 3/8-mile Bolivar Speedway clay oval is located three miles south of Bolivar, MO, ON SR 13 to County Road U, then west to Frontage Road, then 0.3 miles south, then a half mile west. For more information, contact the track at 417-326-3966.

The semi-banked, 3/10-mile Mid-America Speedway clay oval is located one mile south of the Oklahoma-Kansas state line on US 169, then 0.7 miles west on County Road 2. For more information, contact the track at 918-255-6698.

The banked, 0x00bc-mile Creek County Speedway dirt oval is located southwest of Tulsa, OK, off I-44 Exit 211, then 0.3 miles south on State Road 33, then one mile west on State Road 66, then south. For more information, contact the track at 918-247-6675.

The 2006 O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour features a record $150,000 point fund, with $50,000 earmarked for the champion. The series will contest 30-40 events throughout Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Virginia, Michigan and Iowa.

In its 15th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing in the United States, the American Sprint Car Series will present approximately 180 nights of racing at nearly 100 tracks throughout 27 different states and Canada in 2006 including the National Tour and its Regional Tours (Gulf South, Mid-South, Midwest, Northern Plains, Patriot Sprint Group, Rocky Mountain, Sooner, Southern and Sprints on Dirt).

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series and the ASCS Patriot Sprint Group is available at www.ascsracing.com.

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