Finally! (or...a 2011 Wish list)

Busy. Baby. Work. Let's just go.

• Let's keep the special "-fests, 'classics', etc." that are really just huge back gate bonanzas to a minimum. I'll grudgingly accept it being a necessary evil to generate cash. But I have no desire for 100-200 car monotony over the course of 1/4 to 1/3 of a day. And, the fact that they "race twice - pay once" by running heats on one day and features the next (while charging front gate and pit fees each day, plus overall entry fees) should get racers mad. It doesn't. Whatever. 
• And in the further interest of ending a trend - let's hope we've seen the last of track closings for a while. 
• To that point, let's hope there's no such thing as a "C-Mod" any time soon. We have enough classes already. 
• I'd love to see some sort of incentive program for the compact drivers to move up in class. Maybe a free hobby roller or sport mod roller (but they have to race it next year and can't compete in the compacts if they take it). 
• "Little E" (as in the kart track at Eagle) will run karts for the first time. Talks with the Mini Sprint group didn't go well with Eagle owner Roger Hadan so he opted not to run them. I hope he can work something out. On the subject, I'd like to see the dwarf cars run that little track.
• The 1/4 mile at NRP (I-80) will be interesting. A midget show there would be cool, but midget shows haven't exactly been stellar performers business wise, and there aren't enough of them for a back gate special. Still... Modifieds could be interesting. 
• Rumor: one track's owner or owners allegedly offered the owner or owners of another track to buy the facility so they could close it, but they refused the deal. I'll let you guys guess who offered whom. 
• The Eagle Raceway Sprint Car committee is working on improving pay, point funds and has already changed the lineups. My poll says that none of these things are what the voters think the problem is. Is it a case of two different audiences? Is it a case of people with narrow agendas and charisma (I use that liberally) getting their way in group meetings? I find it interesting, knowing who comments to me on my blog most often. 
• The ASCS Midwest tour is running enough races (and close enough to here) for a team to quite literally run a season outside of Eagle's normal season. What will that do to the Eagle show? 
• The group of IMCA Modifieds around here is probably the most competitive group anywhere in the country. I hope it remains that way and short track fans realize what they have.

That's all for now.
-Jason

ASCS Midwest 2011 Slate is Set

Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 6, 2011) – The coming 2011 season will mark the seventh year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series Midwest Region.

And, the ASCS Midwest Region has been set with 21 nights of competition at seven different tracks throughout Nebraska and surrounding portions of South Dakota, Missouri and Iowa.

The 2011 ASCS Midwest slate kicks off with the traditional two-night card at Nebraska Raceway Park’s I-80 Speedway on April 8-9, the first two of six scheduled nights of competition atop the 4/10-mile dirt oval.

The following weekend, action shifts down the road to Eagle Raceway for another doubleheader on April 15-16. Eagle Raceway also welcomes the Midwest Region in conjunction with the Lucas Oil ASCS National forces on June 10-11, with the Midwest Region returning for the Nebraska Cup on September 11.

Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction holds a pair of events in tandem with I-80 Speedway weekend doubles as well as a September 10 lead-in to the Nebraska Cup.

The ASCS Midwest Region also takes to South Dakota’s I-90 Speedway on three occasions, makes the annual stop at Crawford County Speedway in Denison, IA, in July and takes on the ASCS Warrior Region on three occasions at U.S. 36 Raceway in Cameron, MO.

2011 ASCS Midwest Region Schedule

April 8 – I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE)
April 9 – I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE)
April 15 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE)
April 16 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE)
May 26 – I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE) - $2,000 to win
May 27 – Junction Motor Speedway (McCool Junction, NE) - $3,000 to win***
*June 10 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE)
*June 11 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE)
June 17 – U.S. 36 Raceway (Cameron, MO) – vs. ASCS Warrior Region
June 24 – I-90 Speedway (Hartford, SD)
June 30 – Junction Motor Speedway (McCool Junction, NE) - $2,000 to win
July 1 – I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE) - $3,000 to win***
*July 8 – Clay County Speedway (Spencer, IA)
*July 9 – I-90 Speedway (Hartford, SD)
July 15 – U.S. 36 Raceway (Cameron, MO) – vs. ASCS Warrior Region
July 22 – Crawford County Speedway (Denison, IA)
August 26 – U.S. 36 Raceway (Cameron, MO) – vs. ASCS Warrior Region
September 2 – I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE)
September 10 – Junction Motor Speedway (McCool Junction, NE) - $3,000 to win
September 11 – Eagle Raceway (Eagle, NE) - $5,000 to win Nebraska Cup
September 23 – I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE)

* - Indicates events held in conjunction with Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series.

*** - The May 27 and July 1 events pay $3,000 to win provided the winning driver competed in the previous night’s event. If the driver did not compete the previous night, the winner’s share will be $1,500.


The 2011 season marks the 20th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series, which brings the best of Sprint Car racing to approximately 100 different tracks throughout 30 states and Canada. Anchored by the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of ten different Regions throughout the nation.

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.