Knoxville ToC ASCS preview

ASCS big guns shoot for Brodix TOC title

TULSA, Okla. (August 6, 2003) - No other sanctioning body can match the level of talent, or abundance thereof, that the American Sprint Car Series brings into this Sunday night's Brodix Tournament of Champions at Iowa's Knoxville Raceway.

The stars of the American Sprint Car Series will take on the best that eleven other 360 Sprint Car groups have to offer this weekend atop the Marion County Fairgrounds' famed half-mile clay oval. Saturday night's event, open to all TOC invitees, offers $2,000 to win, while Sunday night's Brodix Tournament of Champions features $4,000 to the winner. Approximately 75 cars from throughout the country are expected for each night of competition.

Leading the way for the O'Reilly American Sprint Car Series National Tour presented by Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores and United Trailers will be Travis Rilat, Zach Chappell, Darren Stewart and Gary Wright, all of whom are embroiled in a tight battle for the championship, which will be worth $20,000 in point fund money at the end of the season.

Other O'Reilly ASCS National Tour representatives will be Cody Branchcomb, Toby Brown and Shane Stewart.

In the midst of a stellar season, Kevin Ramey leads the ASCS Sooner Region into the weekend. Other ASCS Sooner Region representatives include defending series champion Danny Jennings, Derek Drown, Brian Harvill and James Shoun.

Representing the ASCS Rocky Mountain Region will be Randi Miller, who has a commanding lead in points on the strength of nine feature triumphs.

A Closer Look at the American Sprint Car Series TOC Representatives:

One of the newest residents of Forney, TX, Travis Rilat has a 22 point lead in the closest points battle in O'Reilly ASCS National Tour history. The Texas City, TX, native has driven the F&J Construction/Haulmark Trailers/Archer Motorsports Eagle to victory lane five times, posting 19 top-five finishes and 26 top-tens in 30 events. Rilat also posted a win in a non-wing ASCS Sooner Region event. After leading much of the way in the Knoxville 360 Nationals before settling for second and also finishing a close second in last year's TOC, Rilat will be among the favorites for this year's TOC.

>From Talala, OK, 2001 ASCS National champion Zach Chappell is in contention for a second series title. Chappell has driven the Carbone-powered Champco Concrete Construction Maxim to victory lane twice, notching 18 top-five finishes and 25 top-tens.

After entering the season as the leading ASCS Brodix Rookie of the Year candidate, Darren Stewart of Bixby, OK, quickly established himself as a top title contender. Stewart has been atop the point charts much of the season, posting three wins, along with 20 top-five runs and 25 top-tens. Stewart slipped to third in points, just 28 points out of the lead, after making an early exit in last Saturday night's event at Joplin.

A highway accident while en route to an early-season event in Oklahoma City nearly extinguished Gary Wright's championship hopes. The Hooks, TX, veteran hotshoe has battled back in strong form though, charging to a series' best eleven feature triumphs, recording 23 top-five finishes in 29 feature events. Aboard the Salina-powered Southwest Express/The Shop/Richwood Construction Maxim, Wright has extended his career ASCS win total to 72 triumphs.

Seventeen-year-old Cody Branchcomb of Sapulpa, OK, hasn't suffered from the dreaded sophomore jinx by any means. After earning ASCS National Rookie of the Year honors in 2002, the second-year chauffeur has driven the Berryman Products/Branchcomb, Inc., Eagle to an impressive 19 top-ten finishes, including twelve in the last fifteen events. Branchcomb is currently ranked fifth in points.

After successive top-five finishes in points the past two years, Toby Brown of Carthage, MO, is once again a top contender on the O'Reilly ASCS National trail. Currently ranked sixth in points, Brown has driven the Wesmar-powered ABF Truck Rebuilders J&J to 14 top-ten feature finishes, including eight in the last eleven events.

Tulsa's Shane Stewart, running selected events, has been a front-runner when he's been in competition. Stewart has driven Scott Chilcutt's Wesmar-powered mIn Motorsports Management MCI to four feature victories, recording nine top-five finishes and twelve top-tens in 16 events. Stewart was also crowned champion of the competitive ASCS Speedweek earlier this season.

Focusing on the ASCS Sooner Region title, Ft. Worth's Kevin Ramey has built a solid Sooner Region point lead aboard the Wells-powered Harvill Industries Eagle. Ramey has notched four ASCS Sooner Region victories this season. Ramey has fared well when in ASCS National competition as well, notching a win at Devil's Bowl Speedway early in the season and posting five top-five finishes and ten top-tens in twelve events.

Among the Sooner Region representatives joining Ramey will be his stable-mate, Brian Harvill of Irving, TX. In his first year running with the ASCS on a full-time basis, Harvill has fared well aboard the Wells-powered Harvill Industries Eagle, currently ranked fourth in Sooner Region points and 17th in National points despite running a limited National schedule.

Also hailing from Texas, Amarillo's Derek Drown is having yet another strong season on the ASCS Sooner Region trail, where he is currently ranked third. Aboard the colorful Folks-powered Tripp's Harley Davidson & Buell Eagle, Drown is also ranked 15th in O'Reilly ASCS National points while running a limited schedule.

Defending ASCS Sooner Region champion Danny Jennings of Norman, OK, is having yet another solid season, currently ranked second in Sooner Region points aboard the Folks-powered Bishop Racing Components/Goodyear Eagle.

Shooting for his third consecutive top-ten finish in ASCS Sooner Region points, Oklahoma City's James Shoun is currently ranked sixth aboard the Folks-powered D&B Aircraft Bishop Mach I.

After missing the 2002 ASCS Rocky Mountain Region title by the narrowest of margins, Randi Miller of Sioux Falls, SD, entered the 2003 season on a mission. Miller has established a healthy point lead in the Rocky Mountain Region on the strength of nine victories through the series first 18 events aboard Mac White's Carbone-powered Two Dot Tech Maxim. Miller is slated to drive the Larry Weeks-owned mount in the Brodix Tournament of Champions.

Racing action for both nights at Knoxville Raceway is slated to begin at 8:00 p.m.

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