The Cajun Rages on Short Track Nationals Night Two
 
Lonnie Wheatley, LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (November 6, 2009) – For the second night in a row at I-30 Speedway's 22nd Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires, it was a former past event winner gracing victory lane as Jason Johnson captured his fourth Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters triumph of the season in Friday night's 25-lap preliminary feature.

"The Ragin' Cajun" chased down race-long leader Tim Crawley for the point on the 19th round and paced the final circuits for his ninth overall ASCS feature win of the year aboard Lanny Row's Wesmar-powered The Shop Motorsports No. 41 Eagle.

"It's a pretty emotional time for us right now with Lanny having to park the car at the end of the year," Johnson commented in victory lane.  "We've been blessed to have these last four years together, it's been the best part of my career and we'd love to finish it on a strong note."

Johnson beat Crawley to the stripe, with Danny Wood surviving a last-corner skirmish for the third and final lock-in position to Saturday night's $15,000-to-win, $2,200-to-start STN championship main event.

Johnson, Crawley and Wood join Thursday night's top three finishers (Wayne Johnson, Sammy Swindell and Tony Bruce, Jr.) in Saturday's Odus Pack Building Materials Dash for Cash to determine the alignment of the front three rows of the main event while the balance of the 101-car field battles it out for the remaining positions.

Johnson, who captured the STN crown in 2006, earned the pole position for Friday night's feature with 1998 winner Crawley alongside.  Crawley burst into the early lead and checked out, while fourth-starter Wood made his way around Johnson as well in the opening rounds.

Johnson battled back around Wood for second around the midway point and soon reeled in Crawley, edging ahead on the 19th circuit.

The pair battled for the point until the caution flew with 22 laps in the books for Jeff Swindell, who looped it in turn four after working forward from 12th to fifth.

Johnson held steady over the final three rounds to secure the win, explaining that, "Mike (Ward) and Tim are notorious for using a lot softer left rear than we do.  If we'd had a lot of early cautions, we'd have been in trouble."

"With that long run at the start though, we just kept getting better and better as the race went on, these Hoosier tires were working great," Johnson concluded.

Denied a second career STN win last year by an errant brake caliper bolt, Crawley settled for runner-up honors aboard Mike Ward's McCarver-powered Boater Sports No. 88 Maxim. 

"This is our home track and a win here would mean so much to us," Crawley commented.  "It might not completely make up for last year, but it would sure make it easier to forget it."

Wood, the only driver among the six lock-ins that hasn't topped the STN in the past, very nearly lost that third position on the final circuit.

With STN rookie contenders Donnie Ray Crawford and Seth Bergman on his tailtank on the final restart, it was local shoe Zach Pringle making a last-ditch effort for Saturday night glory.

Pringle raced by both Bergman and Crawford and then got into the back of Wood entering turn three on the final circuit.  With cars scrambling in all directions, everyone maintained forward motion with Wood winning the mad dash to the stripe in Mike Hammers' Fisher-powered H&H Enterprises No. 94 Maxim.

"I'm not sure what that was all about, but it darn near turned me right around," Wood commented.  "I'm not even sure who that guy was, but at least we know how to race him in the future."

Crawford reclaimed fourth in the final corner scramble to establish himself as a leading STN rookie contender aboard the Wesmar-powered A&W Motorsports Tel-Star Communications No. 55 Triple-X, with I-30 Speedway shoe Pringle rounding out the top five in the family-owned No. 8z.

Washington's Bergman battled amongst the top five most of the way before crossing the stripe a solid sixth, with Jim Moughan in seventh.  Jerrod Hull was eighth, with Ray Allen Kulhanek and Danny Smith completing the top ten.

Mired at 39th in passing points after struggling in his heat race, Derek Hagar charged from 10th to third in his qualifier to earn the 13th starting position in the feature before finishing out the night in eleventh.

Kulhanek, Jason Johnson, Jeff Swindell, Kenneth Walker, Jonathan Allard and Mark Shirshekan topped heat race action for Friday night's 49-car field, with Don Young, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Crawley and Jack Dover winning the 12-lap Qualifying races.

After just two STN rookie contenders made the feature cut on Thursday night, five rookies filled Friday's feature field.  In addition to top-ten runners Crawford, Bergman and Moughan, California aces Jonathan Allard and Kyle Larson were in the main event.  After a nifty late-race move to win his heat, Allard survived some rough-and-tumble action to finish 14th while Larson was credited with 19th after getting upside down in the final corner as the checkered flag flew.

Four-time STN king Gary Wright had a night worth forgetting.  After a second-place heat race run, Wright spun to a stop on the frontstretch on the second lap of his qualifier after his right front tire was clipped by another car exiting turn four.  Trying to rally from the tail of the field, Wright slapped the wall exiting turn four several laps later, with his mount showing its disapproval by spitting out the driveline in turn one. 

Saturday night's 22nd Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires championship finale gets under way at 7:00 p.m.

"A” Feature – Top 3 Finishers Locked into Saturday night’s $15,000 to win STN Finale.

A Feature (25 Laps – Starting position in parentheses):  1. 41-Jason Johnson (1), 2. 88T-Tim Crawley (2), 3. 94-Danny Wood (4), 4. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford (6), 5. 8z-Zach Pringle (9), 6. 23-Seth Bergman (3), 7. 1jm-Jim Moughan (5), 8. 12h-Jerrod Hull (11), 9. 17c-Ray Allen Kulhanek (8), 10. d12-Danny Smith (7), 11. 9jr-Derek Hagar (13), 12. 1g-Cody Gardner (17), 13. 3a-A.G. Rains (15), 14. 91a-Jonathan Allard (10), 15. 12s-Jeff Swindell (12), 16. 75-Don Young (14), 17. 53-Jack Dover (19), 18. 03-Joe Wood, Jr. (16), 19. 77-Kyle Larson (20), 40r-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (18).

Lap Leaders; Tim Crawley 1-18, Jason Johnson 19-25.

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Wayne Johnson Wins Short Track Nationals Opener!
 
Lonnie Wheatley, LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (November 5, 2009) – Oklahoma native Wayne Johnson held off a furious last-lap bid from "Slammin'" Sammy Swindell to top Thursday's opening night of I-30 Speedway's 22nd Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.

While Swindell surged ahead in the final pair of corners of the 25-lapper atop the high-banked, ¼-mile clay oval, Johnson powered off the low side of turn four and wheelied underneath the checkered flag of Joe Clay, Jr., for his second Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters triumph of the season by little more than a car-length.

Johnson led a past STN winners' sweep of the top four positions, with Sammy Swindell and defending race winner Tony Bruce, Jr., also locking into Saturday night's $15,000-to-win, $2,200-to-start STN championship feature event.  Paul McMahan, the event winner in 2002, missed locking in by just one position with a fourth-place showing.

"This car was great in practice last night and I couldn't hardly sleep 'cause I was so anxious to get back out here tonight," the enthused Oklahoma City native related in victory lane after his 28th career Lucas Oil ASCS National triumph.

After racing from sixth to second in his heat race and then from eighth to win his qualifying race aboard the Fisher-powered Fattfro Motorsports No. 14aj Maxim to earn the pole position, Johnson paced all 25 circuits of the night's main event.

But, there was never any room for error with fellow front row starter Tony Bruce, Jr., hounding him over the first half of the race and then Swindell turning up the heat in the closing circuits.

With Johnson working the low side, Bruce worked the topside early on.  Fourth-starter Swindell, who topped the 1990 rendition of the Short Track Nationals, battled past fellow second-row starter Travis Rilat in the early rounds and soon started mixing it up with Bruce for the runner-up spot.

Swindell finally took second away from Bruce just before a caution flew at the midway point for Ricky Logan's turn two spin.  Swindell explained that, "A clod stuck under the throttle early and I kept trying to get it out of the way, I finally got rid of it under that caution."

Aboard the Tom Rolfe Trucking No. 10, Swindell stalked Johnson over the final circuits and tried to pounce for a dramatic last-lap win as the lead duo encountered traffic.  Swindell drove deep into the top side of turn three to briefly edge ahead, but Johnson held strong with a perfect run off the bottom of turn four to secure the victory and establish himself as a favorite to become just the second STN repeat winner since 1993.

"It was back in 1997 when I won this the first time, it wasn't easy then but I think it's even tougher now," Johnson explained.  "Look around, you've got Sammy and Tony Bruce, Jr., it'll be tough to repeat but at least we're locked in and have a good shot at it."

While Swindell finished a close second in his first STN start since a 2004 heartbreaker while leading the final laps, Bruce, Jr., claimed the show position in the Rider-powered No. 18 Maxim.

"Once Sammy got by, I decided I better get to the bottom of the track," the defending STN champion explained.  "I could've pressed the issue up top, but it wasn't worth the risk.  We're locked in and now we'll give 'em hell on Saturday."

McMahan crossed the stripe a close fourth in the J&D Motorsports No. 3d Maxim, with Marshall Skinner posting a strong run by rounding out the top five.

Rilat was sixth, with Gary Taylor's maiden voyage aboard Terry Brown's No. 61a entry netting a seventh-place showing.  Tommy Worley, Jr., was eighth, with current Lucas Oil Sprint Car points leader Shane Stewart advancing from 16th to finish ninth in front of STN rookie shoe Anthony Nicholson.

Eric Baldaccini, Swindell, Rilat, Taylor, Sean McClelland, Brandon Moseley and Logan topped heat race action for Thursday night's 52-car field, with Worley, Swindell, Johnson and Tyler Brown winning the Qualifying races.

Marty Stanford flipped exiting turn four in the second heat race, while Billy Melton sailed off the top of turn two on the opening round of the fourth heat race.  Stanford walked away uninjured, while Melton sought further evaluation of an apparent dislocated knee.

Brady Bacon was dicing for the lead early in the second qualifier when he looped it and turned over in turn four, causing just enough wing damage to end his night.  As the field checked up, Scott Reneau got upside down in turn three as well.

Garry Bell got upside down entering turn one as the green flag flew on the third qualifier, with Gary Taylor sailing off the track and onto his side.  While Taylor rejoined the field after replacing a cut right rear tire, Stewart looped it exiting turn two and sent David Gailley for a wild ride.  Some quick repairs put Stewart at the tail with Taylor and the pair advanced to fourth (Taylor) and fifth (Stewart) with ill-handling machines to salvage feature starting berths, and ultimately, top-ten finishes.

After pole starter Jerry Kamer spun in turn one with help at the start of the fourth qualifier, Jesse Hockett assumed the pole and chased outside starter Tyler Brown for several laps until suffering serious engine woes.

Memphis-area rep Nicholson was the best of the night's STN rookie representatives, finishing just one spot ahead of Missouri's J. Kinder, who crossed the stripe eleventh.  Nicholson and Kinder were the only STN rookies to make Thursday night's feature cut.

The second half of the 22nd Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires field will take to the track on Friday night, with racing action set to go green at 7:30 p.m.

22nd Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires Thursday Night Results:

“A” Feature – Top 3 Finishers Locked into Saturday night’s $15,000 to win STN Finale.

A Feature (25 Laps):  1. Wayne Johnson, 2. Sammy Swindell, 3. Tony Bruce Jr., 4. Paul McMahan, 5. Marshall Skinner, 6. Travis Rilat, 7. Gary Taylor, 8. Tommy Worley Jr., 9. Shane Stewart, 10. Anthony Nicholson, 11. J. Kinder, 12. Dustin Morgan, 13. Jonathan Cornell, 14. Josh Fisher, 15. Eric Baldaccini, 16. Tyler Brown, 17. Channin Tankersley, 18. Claud Estes, 19. Tommy Bryant, 20. Ricky Logan.

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Short Track Nationals – 22 Starters for the 22nd!

Lonnie Wheatley, LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (November 3, 2009) – Since the inception of I-30 Speedway's Short Track Nationals in 1988, the Saturday night championship feature grid has always been built upon 20 starters.  That's something that is about to change for 2009.

With a record field of entries expected to converge upon Little Rock's I-30 Speedway this coming weekend for the 22nd edition of the O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires even after a week's rain delay, track promoter Tracey Clay has opted to add an additional starter or two to make for a 22-car starting field in Saturday night's 22nd Annual STN championship finale.

While well over 100 teams from throughout the nation will vie for the $15,000 winner's share in this weekend's Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters event, another pair of drivers will leave Little Rock with the $2,200 championship feature starter's cut as a result of the added positions.

Currently, 128 entries from 23 different states throughout the nation as well as Mexico have been filed for the prestigious event slated for this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  A Wednesday night Test 'N Tune session will precede the three full nights of racing action.

A 21st-starting position has been built into the Short Track Nationals championship feature format in recent years, traditionally reserved for that year's I-30 Speedway track champion.  And, that 21st position is still reserved for the local ace, which is Justin Sturch this time around.

This year though, the Clay family assures 22 starters for Saturday's grand finale.  If Sturch utilizes his provisional, one name will be drawn for that 22nd starting position.  If Sturch races his way into the original 20-car starting grid, two names will be drawn to fill out positions 21 and 22.  Drivers must have competed in both a qualifying night and Saturday night to be eligible.

Entry Updates:

Another handful of entries were submitted on Monday, including NASCAR Nationwide shoe Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., of Olive Branch, MS.  Stenhouse, who ranks as the youngest feature winner in Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series National event history after posting a Speedweek win in 2004, reeled off three consecutive top-ten STN finishes from 2005 to 2007 after making the feature cut as an event rookie in 2003.

Also among the latest entries is Juarez, Mexico, shoe Don Grable, who topped the inaugural ASCS Southwest Region event in 2008.

With the event postponed from its original dates of October 29-31 due to weather, a pair of driver changes have taken place.  Seventeen-year-old California ace Kyle Larson will take over the Jesse Hockett Racing No. 77 entry originally slated for Kyle Hirst, while Illinois' Kaley Gharst takes the seat vacated by Dale Blaney.

While another handful of entered drivers will likely be unable to compete this weekend due to previous commitments, the odds are still strong that the event record of 108 competitors established in 2007 will fall by the wayside over the next several days.

The pre-entry discount deadline for the 22nd Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires has been extended to November 4 along with advance discount tickets for all three nights for just $45.  For more information, contact the track at 501-455-4567.

Pertinent Short Track Nationals Information:

The What:  22nd Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.

The Where:  I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR).  I-30 Speedway is located seven miles southwest of Little Rock off I-30 Exit 126 (Alexander Road).

The When:  Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 5-7, 2009.  $15,000 to win the STN finale on November 7, with $2,200 to start the STN championship feature.  Race time is 7:30 p.m. each night.  Test 'N Tune session on Wednesday night, November 4.

The Past Winners:  Tony Bruce, Jr. (2008), Jason Meyers (2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Gary Wright (2004, 2003, 1999 and 1995), Paul McMahan (2002), Jason Sides (2001), Mike Ward (2000), Tim Crawley (1998), Wayne Johnson (1997), Pete Butler (1996), Terry Gray (1994), John Gerloff (1993), Steve Kinser (1991, ’89 and ‘88) and Sammy Swindell (1990).  1992 finale was rained out.

The Entries: The pre-entry discount deadline has been extended to Wednesday, November 4.  Entries filed by then are just $150, with any entries submitted on race day $250.  Entries are available by calling the track at 501-455-4567 or at http://www.i-30speedway.com/stn.html.

Current Pre-Entries:
#1g Cody Gardner (Benton, AR)
#1jm Jim Moughan (Springfield, IL)
#1k Chris Shirek (Thompson, ND)
#1m Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK)
#1p Curtis Evans (Norburne, MO)
#1xh Randy Hannagan (San Jose, CA)
#1xp Chad Pitts (Little Rock, AR)
#1xx Garry Lee Maier (Dodge City, KS)
#01 TBA
#01n Jeremy Newkirk (Roland, AR)
#2a Randy Hibbs (Savannah, MO)
#2d Dusty Ballenger (Sioux Falls, SD)
#2sb Sean Becker (Carmichael, CA)
#2w Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa. OK)
#3a A.G. Rains (West Memphis, AR)
#3d Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN)
#3m Mark Shirshekan (Farmington, MO)
#3s John Carney II (El Paso, TX)
#03 Joe Wood, Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK)
#4 Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX)
#5h Justyn Cox (Pleasant Grove, CA)
#5k Jerry Kamer (Jacksonville, AR)
#5L Eric Lutz (Sioux Falls, SD)
#6b Kaley Gharst (Decatur, IL)
#6s Raymond Stull (Coldwater, MS)
#6z Jessica Zemken (Sprakers, NY)
#7h Lewis Jenkins, Jr. (Bryant, AR)
#7L Darren Long (Elida, OH)
#7m Kevin Ramey (Fort Worth, TX)
#7s Paul Sides (Bartlett, TN)
#8m Mike Wells (El Paso, TX)
#8s Steve Short (Farmington, MO)
#8x Chris Williams (Memphis, TN)
#8z Zach Pringle (Benton, AR)
#9jr Derek Hagar (Marion, AR)
#9p Brian Parker (Midlothian, TX)
#9s Justin Sturch (Benton, AR)
#9w Lane Whittington (Denham Springs, LA)
#9x Gary Wright (Hooks, TX)
#10a Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR)
#10g Terry Gray (Bartlett, TN)
#10h Josh Higday (Des Moines, IA)
#10s Sammy Swindell (Germantown, TN)
#11c Chad Corken (Highlands Ranch, CO)
#11j Justin Melton (Flower Mound, TX)
#11m Brandon Moseley (Doyline, LA)
#11xs Donovan Peterson (Brookings, SD)
#a12 Tommy Worley, Jr. (Bismarck, MO)
#d12 Danny Smith (Danville, IN)
#12d Dalton Davis (Munford, TN)
#12h Jerrod Hull (Sikeston, MO)
#12s Jeff Swindell (Bartlett, TN)
#13 Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO)
#14aj Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK)
#14k Kyle Bellm (Nixa, MO)
#14L Michael Lang (Mesquite, TX)
#14T Tyler Brown (Vilonia, AR)
#15h Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX)
#16a Koty Adams (Doyline, LA)
#16n Anthony Nicholson (Bartlett, TN)
#16p Dewayne Prince (Munford, TN)
#17b Ryan Bickett (Ramona, SD)
#17c Ray Allen Kulhanek (Magnolia, TX)
#17w Brad Welborn (Allen, TX)
#18 Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS)
#19 Jay Adams (Olive Branch, MS)
#20 Kyle Sager (Alto, NM)
#w20 Greg Wilson (Benton Ridge, OH)
#21b Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO)
#21T Tommy Bryant (Conroe, TX)
#21TX Brandon Schure (El Paso, TX)
#23b Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA)
#23x Brian Bell (Cordova, TN)
#24c Justin Carver (Millington, TN)
#24g David Gailley (Forney, TX)
#25 Don Grable (Jaurez, MEX)
#26 Marshall Skinner (West Memphis, AR)
#27 Curt Michael (Ocean View, DE)
#28 Jonathan Cornell (Sedalia, MO)
#29h Lyle Howey III (Hartford, SD)
#29r Travis Rilat (Forney, TX)
#32 Garry Bell (Cordova, TN)
#35 Ronnie Blair (Troy, OH)
#39 Brad Bowden (Hernando, MS)
#40a Ernie Ainsworth (Southaven, MS)
#40j Junior Jenkins (Greenville, TX)
#40r Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (Olive Branch, MS)
#41 Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA)
#44w Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA)
#46 Jan Howard (Byhalia, MS)
#50z Zach Chappell (Talala, OK)
#51b Jimmy Brooks (College Station, TX)
#51s Lee Sowell (Nesbit, MS)
#53d Jack Dover (Springfield, NE)
#53x Andy Gregg (Placerville, CA)
#55 Donnie Ray Crawford (Broken Arrow, OK)
#56 Davey Heskin (St. Michael, MN)
#57 Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK)
#58 Wade Oliver (Milan, TN)
#61a Gary Taylor (Snohomish, WA)
#69 Larry Howery (Hearne, TX)
#71 Channin Tankersley (Highlands, TX)
#72 Sherman Davis (Sand Springs, OK)
#74c Brandon Corn (Hearne, TX)
#74e Claud Estes (Godley, TX)
#75 Don Young (Bartlett, TN)
#77 Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA)
#83 Tim Shaffer (Aliquippa, PA)
#86 Josh Fisher (Smithton, MO)
#87a Andrew Marshala (Shawnee, OK)
#87m Brian McClelland (Tulsa, OK)
#87r Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX)
#87x Billy Melton (Longview, TX)
#88 Tim Crawley (Benton, AR)
#88b Mike Boston (Omaha, NE)
#88k James Kinder (Holts Summit, MO)
#91a Jonathan Allard (Chico, CA)
#91b Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA)
#91c Cody Darrah (Red Lion, PA)
#91m Marty Stanford (McKinney, TX)
#93 Dustin Morgan (Collinsville, OK)
#94w Danny Wood (Norman, OK)
#94z Zach Zimmerly (West Linn, OR)
#95 Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)
#97 Aaron Berryhill (Broken Arrow, OK)
#99b Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK)
#99d Rickey Hood (Millington, TN)
#165 Haley Arnold (Sedalia, MO)

The Series: A premier stop on the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters trail, Shane Stewart has moved 24 points ahead of Jason Johnson in the $60,000 championship chase with Gary Wright just another 16 points back in third.  After the Short Track Nationals, the Lucas Oil Sprint Cars will finish off the season with USA Raceway's 42nd Annual Kronik Energy Western World Championships presented by Old Tucson Studios in Tucson, AZ, on November 19-21.

Current top 20 in Lucas Oil Sprint Car points:  1. Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 2,278, 2. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 2,254, 3. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 2,238, 4. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 2,117, 5. Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN) 2,066, 6. Tim Crawley (Benton, AR) 2,043, 7. Danny Wood (Norman, OK) 2,020, 8. Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS) 1,982, 9. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 1,963, 10. Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO) 1,961, 11. Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 1,694, 12. Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK) 1,628, 13. Darren Long (Elida, OH) 1,519, 14. Chad Corken (Highlands Ranch, CO) 1,487, 15. Gary Taylor (Snohomish, WA) 1,471, 16. Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA) 1,397, 17. Gavin Punch (Collinsville, OK) 1,344, 18. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) 1,215, 19. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 1,118, 20. Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR) 974.

The Format:  A version of the popular Sprint Bandits format of heats and qualifying races will be in place.  Each night, Heat Races will be aligned according to the pre-race draw, with the 2009 passing points system in effect.

Approximately half of the STN entrants will battle through Thursday's qualifying program, with the other half racing through Friday night's qualifying program.  Those not locked in after the first two nights (top three from each night) will race through a full card of Heats and Qualifying Races on Saturday night to fill out the November 7 STN championship finale.

Drivers must compete in either Thursday’s prelim or Friday’s prelim to be eligible for passing points on Saturday. 

Saturday's Odus Pack Building Materials Dash for Cash will be aligned by a pill draw conducted in “Cheater’s Day” fashion.  Thursday’s winning driver will draw the first pill then give that pill to the driver of his choice.  Friday’s winner will draw the second pill and give that pill to one of the remaining drivers, and so on until the lineup is determined.

The COMP Cams Gambler's Challenge:  The COMP Cams Gambler’s Challenge offers the pole sitter of the STN championship feature event the opportunity to pull a playing card that will grant a new starting position for the 40-lap finale.  Upon accepting the Gambler's Challenge, the driver will draw the fourth, sixth, eighth or tenth starting position.  If the driver can win from the starting position drawn, a $5,000 bonus will push the overall winner's take to $20,000.

If the pole sitter declines to draw a card, the outside front row starter will be presented with the same COMP Cams Gambler's Challenge.

The driver that takes the COMP Cams Gambler's Challenge is assured an extra $1,000 regardless of finishing position.

The Josh Howard Determination Award:  Bossier City, Louisiana's Shed Road Auto Parts will present a top wing and nose wing from Lightning Wings to a driver that battles through adversity over the course of the intensely competitive weekend.

The Dart Engine Block Presented by Wells Racing Engines:  Wells Racing Engines will present a lightened Dart engine block, a prize worth approximately $4,000, to some lucky ASCS registered driver over the course of the weekend.

The Trade Show & Midway:  This year’s rendition of the Short Track Nationals will also include the Fifth Annual Short Track Nationals Trade Show & Midway.  Fans, drivers & crews will have the opportunity to visit vendor displays, which opens at noon on Thursday and then at 9 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday.  The deadline for guaranteed vendor space is Monday, October 26.

The Tickets:  Advance tickets are on sale through Wednesday, November 4, no advance sales after that. Tickets ordered in advance are just $45 for all three nights.  Day of show prices are $15 on Thursday and Friday and $25 on Saturday.  To order tickets in advance or for more information, call the track at 501-455-4567 or e-mail orders to racing@I-30speedway.com.  Children's tickets will be available at the event for just $2 on both Thursday and Friday and then $5 on Saturday.  There is a $1 per ticket surcharge for orders placed via credit/debit cards.  Pit passes are $30 on both Thursday and Friday and $35 on Saturday.

For more information regarding the 22nd Annual O'Reilly Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires, contact I-30 Speedway at 501-455-4567.

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