National series Las Cruces preview

Lucas Oil ASCS National Series to Reach 600 Mark at Las Cruces!

TULSA, Okla. (November 10, 2010) -- Not only will the Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series break a stretch of six-plus years minus a New Mexico event, the series will also reach another landmark in this weekend's double at Las Cruces' Southern New Mexico Speedway.

Friday night's preliminary event atop the high-banked, 5/16-mile clay oval, which will lock the top four finishers into Saturday night's $6,000-to-win main event, will mark the 600th feature event in ASCS National history.

Several current series contenders have topped previous landmark events, including Tim Crawley, Zach Chappell and Gary Wright.

After Lee Scrape defended his Florida turf to win the 100th feature in ASCS National history at Jacksonville, FL, on January 31, 1997, Tim Crawley won the 200th feature at Oklahoma's Creek County Speedway on July 25, 1999.

Chappell won the 300th feature in series history with a Jetmore (KS) Motorplex score on May 25, 2002, while Wright topped both the 400th (Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway on July 3, 2004) and 500th features (Little Rock's I-30 Speedway on July 14, 2007).

Crawley and Wright are also the only drivers among the current top 15 in Lucas Oil ASCS National points with a past series win in the Land of Enchantment. Crawley topped the first New Mexico event at Las Cruces on September 4, 1994, while Wright notched a Duke City win in July of 2003.

Darren Stewart ranks as the driver with the most ASCS National wins in New Mexico, sweeping a Hollywood Hills double over the 2004 Fourth of July holiday weekend to run his state total to three wins. Rickey Hood has a pair of series wins in New Mexico, the latest coming in 2002, with single-time winners in New Mexico including Crawley, Wright, Danny Young, Terry Gray, Chris Ikard, Michael Dupuy and Garry Lee Maier.

This weekend's action at Las Cruces will mark the first Lucas Oil ASCS National action in New Mexico since Stewart topped that 393rd event in series history.

The Series: Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters

When & Where:
Friday night, November 12 at 7:45 p.m. -- Southern New Mexico Speedway
Saturday night, November 13 at 7:45 p.m. -- Southern New Mexico Speedway

Track Information:

Southern New Mexico Speedway (Las Cruces, NM) -- 5/16-mile, high-banked clay oval located west of I-25 on I-10 to Exit 132, then south to frontage road, then 3.1 miles west on Robert Larson Boulevard (pits are 3.4 miles). Track phone: 575-524-7913.

-source: ascs