Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT 2010 Schedule Revealed
Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (February 2, 2010) – For the sixth consecutive year, the Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless series will once again offer up some of the nation’s premier wingless Sprint Car racing action.
And, this year’s edition of TNT will include a bit more than the annual August swing through the heartland, with another half dozen events on the series’ 2010 slate.
The 2010 edition of Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT will kick off with a Texas triple at Beaumont’s Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Baytown’s Houston Raceway Park and then Waco’s Heart O’ Texas Speedway on April 30, May 1 and May 2.
The following weekend, TNT ignites atop the famed Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, on May 7 before tackling the high-banked, ¼-mile I-30 Speedway red clay oval the following night.
After a stop at the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks”, Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO, on June 19, next up is the Sixth Annual Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless Midwest Swing.
The sixth annual August slate of events opens up on Sunday night, August 15, at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, IA, where the series initial attempt was rained out last year.
From there, it’s on to Nebraska Raceway Park’s I-80 Speedway on Monday night, before taking to Missouri’s ½-mile Sedalia State Fair Speedway on Tuesday night.
After an off night, the series shifts to the cozy confines of Sapulpa, Oklahoma’s Creek County Speedway on Thursday night, August 19, before finishing out the week with the annual $10,000 to win Ron Shuman Classic at Kansas City’s Lakeside Speedway on August 20-21.
This year’s standard Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT events will offer up a $3,000 winner’s share with $300 to start along with $300 tow money to the top ten in series points. A points fund totaling $1,000 per event will be distributed among the series top teams at the end of the season.
Several other events are under discussion and will be added to the schedule as details are finalized.
Broken Arrow’s Brady Bacon is the reigning Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT champion after topping three feature events en route to the 2009 crown, joining the likes of Dave Darland (2008), Robert Ballou and Tim Kaeding (2007), Jesse Hockett (2006) and Levi Jones (2005) as past TNT title bearers.
Additional information regarding Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT is available at www.sprintbandits.com.
2010 Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless Schedule:
April 30 – Golden Triangle Raceway Park (Beaumont, TX)
May 1 – Houston Raceway Park (Baytown, TX)
May 2 – Heart O’ Texas Speedway (Waco, TX)
May 7 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX)
May 8 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)
June 19 – Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO)
August 15 – Rapid Speedway (Rock Rapids, IA)
August 16 – I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE)
August 17 – Sedalia’s State Fair Speedway (Sedalia, MO)
August 19 – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
August 20 – Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS)
August 21 – Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS) - $10,000 to win
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Bacon Bags $10K & Sprint Bandits TNT Title in Lakeside Finale!
Lonnie Wheatley, KANSAS CITY, Kan. (August 22, 2009) – Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's Brady Bacon cashed in on a big Saturday night at Lakeside Speedway by topping the $10,000-to-win Ron Shuman Classic and putting the clamps on the Fifth Annual Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless championship in the process.
The 19-year-old emerged unscathed from a calamitous 30-lap affair atop the fast ½-mile clay oval, prevailing in a torrid duel with the unheralded Hud Cone to snare his third win in the week's four completed events and taking the coveted Pedal Car trophy that goes along with winning the prestigious Lakeside Speedway event.
While Bacon ultimately took the checkered flag in front of two-time event winner Jesse Hockett and Casey Shuman, Cone's near storybook drive ended in ghoulish fashion with a violent flip down the backstretch that set up a green-white-checkered dash to the line.
Cone's flip was the seventh of the feature event, with the other six taking place in a tough opening four laps.
"The track was good for us, we had the car for it," Bacon explained after his sixth career Sprint Bandits TNT triumph aboard Mike and Megan Eubanks' Wesmar-powered Tel-Star Communications No. 99 Triple-X. "You just had to use a little patience, not drive like the race was just ten laps long."
After earning the pole position by virtue of earning the most points through Friday's preliminary events and then Saturday night's heats and qualifiers, Bacon led fellow front row starter Hockett and Shuman through the turbulent early rounds.
But, after the early mayhem was out of the way, Oakland City, Indiana's Cone was clearly the man on the move aboard Roger Tapy's Trucker's 24-Hour Road Service entry, surging past both Shuman and Hockett to claim second by 13th round.
With Bacon working through traffic, Cone closed in and raced by on the high side to take command on the 19th circuit.
Bacon volleyed right back, with the duo slugging it out for the point in grand style over the next ten rounds to the delight of the packed house, all the while maneuvering through lapped machines with Hockett trying to close enough ground to make it a three-way duel.
Cone held strong, fending off Bacon's repeated advances and a slider or two until the Broken Arrow Bandit made a turn one and two slider stick on the 28th round.
With Bacon racing off the fourth turn and the white flag in sight, the yellow lights flickered when Mitch Wissmiller coasted to a stop on the top side of turn two with rear end woes.
Making one last bid for the win on the restart, Cone slid high exiting turn two, tagged the retaining wall and launched into a wild series of flips down the backstretch. Cone walked away from the wreckage uninjured.
Even with Hockett and Shuman on his tailtank for the final restart, Bacon was unphased. Two flawless laps sealed the deal as Bacon raced to the stripe unabated.
Hockett fell one spot short of a record third event victory by finishing second aboard the Tom Buch/VKCC Motorsports No. 13, with Shuman claiming the show position in Robbie Rice's STIDA No. 21x DRC with a 1993 Shaver powerplant under the hood.
California's Matt Mitchell advanced from 17th to post his best finish of the week by crossing the stripe fourth in Steve Watts' No. 81m machine, with Josh Wise rebounding from a heat race tumble to round out the top five in the Indiana Underground No. 37.
Arizona's R.J. Johnson was sixth, with Nebraska's Jack Dover snaring seventh in just his third night of wingless Sprint Car competition. Chris Morgan climbed ten spots from 18th to finish eighth, with Caleb Armstrong the final car on the lead lap in ninth. Dusty Murray completed the top ten.
The feature event got off to the most inauspicious of starts with the red flag flying on three consecutive occasions for flips by Bryan Clauson (turn two), Sheldon Leesekamp (turn three) and J.J. Yeley (turn one).
Clauson returned and salvaged 12th with severe handling issues, while Leesekamp also returned and posted an eleventh place run. Yeley was transported to a local hospital complaining of neck pain.
While the fourth attempt to start the finale was successful, only four laps were in the books when two-time and defending race winner Robert Ballou slipped too high in turns one and two and flipped after tagging the wall. Ballou, who had wasted little time charging from ninth to fifth, walked away uninjured.
On the ensuing restart, Friday night winner Darren Hagen bicycled in turn three and flipped in spectacular fashion, with "B" Main winner Casey Riggs collected in the melee and flipping as well. Hagen and Riggs both walked away.
With 30 cars in the pit area for Saturday night's $10,000-to-win tilt, Hagen, Bacon, Hockett and Ballou topped heat race action, with Armstrong, Wissmiller, Cone and Dover winning the qualifying races.
The second heat race was red flagged twice for flips by Kim Kennedy and Kyle Robbins. Both drivers were uninjured, but done for the night.
After posting a fifth-place Silver Crown finish earlier in the day, Friday night runner-up Josh Wise biked it getting into turn three in the night's third heat race and got upside down. Wise accumulated enough overall points to start seventh in the feature event, with his fifth-place run putting him second in the week's final point rundown.
The night opened with a presentation to Roger Tapy and the Trucker's 24-Hour Road Service team for their dedication to the sport by competing in each Sprint Bandits TNT event over the past five years, the only team to accomplish such a feat.
In addition to the $10,000 winner's share, Bacon picked up a $1,000 bonus as the Sprint Bandits TNT champion and a $3,000 certificate from Maxwell Industries towards the purchase of a shock dyno.
Wise received a $900 bonus as points runner-up and a $2,000 certificate from Maxwell Industries, with Hockett pocketing $800 for third in points and a $1,000 certificate from Maxwell Industries. R.J. Johnson earned an extra $700 for ranking fourth in points, with Clauson picking up $600 for finishing fifth.
Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless Lakeside Speedway Ron Shuman Classic Results:
Heat Races:
First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 12-Darren Hagen, 2. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 3. 7k-Chris Morgan, 4. 11-Bryan Clauson, 5. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 6. 37r-Casey Riggs, 7. 69-Mike Moore, 8. 18-Tim Newman.
Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 1-J.J. Yeley, 3. 97-Bret Mellenberndt, 4. F1-Sheldon Leesekamp, 5. 65-Chris Parkinson, 6. 98-J.C. Bland, 7. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 8. 1k-Kim Kennedy.
Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 13-Jesse Hockett, 2. 10-Hud Cone, 3. 21x-Casey Shuman, 4. 53-Jack Dover, 5. 23-Mitch Wissmiller, 6. 46-Dusty Murray, 7. 37-Josh Wise.
Fourth Heat (8 Laps): 1. 81-Robert Ballou, 2. 88-Chad Tye, 3. 15-R.J. Johnson, 4. 10r-David Wheeler, 5. 90-Patrick Budde, 6. 51-Doug Martens, 7. 11x-Craig Braden.
Qualifying Races (Top 8 in Combined Points from Friday's Preliminary Events and Saturday's Heats & Qualifiers to Front Four Rows of "A" Main; "A" Main Positions 9-18 and "B" Main Lineup Determined from Saturday's Heat & Qualifier Points):
First Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 2. 81-Robert Ballou, 3. 1-J.J. Yeley, 4. 7k-Chris Morgan, 5. 69-Mike Moore, 6. 88-Chad Tye, 7. 90-Patrick Budde. DNS: 1k-Kim Kennedy.
Second Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 23-Mitch Wissmiller, 2. 97-Bret Mellenberndt, 3. 21x-Casey Shuman, 4. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 5. 12-Darren Hagen, 6. 65-Chris Parkinson, 7. 51-Doug Martens. DNS: 11x-Craig Braden.
Third Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 10-Hud Cone, 2. 99-Brady Bacon, 3. 11-Bryan Clauson, 4. 15-R.J. Johnson, 5. 37r-Casey Riggs, 6. 46-Dusty Murray. DNS: 17r-Kyle Robbins.
Fourth Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 53-Jack Dover, 2. 13-Jesse Hockett, 3. F1-Sheldon Leesekamp, 4. 10r-David Wheeler, 5. 98-J.C. Bland, 6. 18-Tim Newman. DNS: 37-Josh Wise.
"B" Main (Top Six Advance to "A" Main):
"B" Main (10 Laps): 1. 37r-Casey Riggs, 2. 88-Chad Tye, 3. 46-Dusty Murray, 4. 98-J.C. Bland, 5. 69-Mike Moore, 6. 51-Doug Martens, 7. 90-Patrick Budde, 8. 18-Tim Newman, 9. 65-Chris Parkinson. DNS: 17r-Kyle Robbins, 11x-Craig Braden, 1k-Kim Kennedy.
Sprint Bandits TNT Lakeside Speedway Ron Shuman Classic "A" Main
“A” Main (30 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 13-Jesse Hockett, 3. 21x-Casey Shuman, 4. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 5. 37-Josh Wise, 6. 15-R.J. Johnson, 7. 53-Jack Dover, 8. 7k-Chris Morgan, 9. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 10. 46-Dusty Murray, 11. F1-Sheldon Leesekamp, 12. 11-Bryan Clauson, 13. 10-Hud Cone, 14. 98-J.C. Bland, 15. 69-Mike Moore, 16. 23-Mitch Wissmiller, 17. 10r-David Wheeler, 18. 88-Chad Tye, 19. 97-Bret Mellenberndt, 20. 12-Darren Hagen, 21. 37r-Casey Riggs, 22. 81-Robert Ballou, 23. 51-Doug Martens, 24. 1-J.J. Yeley.
Lap Leaders: Brady Bacon 1-18, Hud Cone 19-27, Brady Bacon 28-30.
Final Sprint Bandits TNT Points (Top Ten): 1. Brady Bacon 590, 2. Josh Wise 578, 3. Jesse Hockett 552, 4. R.J. Johnson 540, 5. Bryan Clauson 536, 6. Matt Mitchell 530, 7. Caleb Armstrong 512, 8. Robert Ballou 496, 9. Hud Cone 478, 10. Kyle Robbins 447.
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Hagen Hauls in Sprint Bandit TNT Win in Lakeside Prelim
Darren Hagne celebrates in victory lane at Lakeside Speedway after winning the Friday night portion of the Ron Shuman Classic.
Lonnie Wheatley, KANSAS CITY, Kan. (August 21, 2009) – Darren Hagen notched his first career Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless feature win in convincing fashion by racing to victory lane in Friday night's 25-lap preliminary feature atop Lakeside Speedway's ½-mile clay oval.
The Riverside, CA, native blasted around early leader Jesse Hockett on the high side just after a lap four restart and proceeded to check out on the field, ultimately taking the checkered flag with a full half-lap advantage aboard the Bell's Custom Conversions No. 12 Maxim.
"Jimmy (Jones) had that car set up perfect, it was working anywhere I needed it to," Hagen explained. "I could really got off the middle of four like no one else could."
With the triumph, Hagen sits in a prime position to snag Saturday night's $10,000 winner's share and the pedal car that goes along with it after escaping preliminary action as the night's top point earner.
"The $10,000 would be nice, but I keep hearing about this neat little pedal car," Hagen commented. "I'd love to get that tomorrow night and maybe take a lap around this place on it."
While Hagen started Friday's feature outside the front row, it was two-time event winner Hockett gunning into the lead at the outset aboard the Tom Buch/VKCC Motorsports No. 13 entry.
But, after the race's only caution appeared after three laps for Hud Cone's disabled mount on the backstretch, Hockett dropped to the low side of the track only to have Hagen hustle by entering turn one on the fifth lap.
Hagen set sail, racing through lapped traffic much of the way, leaving just nine cars on the lead lap as the checkered flag flew.
A half-lap and eight lapped cars separated Hagen from runner-up Josh Wise at the finish. Wise had battled past Hockett by the tenth round and held off the likes of Casey Shuman, Bryan Clauson and current TNT points leader for his third runner-up finish of the week aboard the Indiana Underground No. 37.
Shuman claimed the show position in the STIDA No. 21x, with Clauson fourth in Jeff Walker's Jam-It-In Storage No. 11.
Bacon nipped R.J. Johnson at the line to round out the top five, escaping the night with a two-point edge over Wise in the week's points chase.
Johnson was sixth, with Hockett slipping to seventh at the finish. J.J. Yeley's first appearance of the week netted an eighth-place showing, with Mitch Wissmiller the final car on the lead lap in ninth.
After making a late move around Casey Riggs to win the "B" Main, Kyle Robbins climbed from 17th to complete the top ten in the feature event.
Hockett, Hagen and Bacon topped Friday night's heat race action, with Wise, Hagen and Cone winning the qualifying races.
The night ended early for both Coleman Gulick and Robert Ballou when they flipped violently in turn three in the latter stages of the second qualifying race. While two-time and defending event winner Ballou walked away, Gulick was transported to a local hospital for observation.
After flipping in hot laps, Mike Moore returned for "B" Main action, where he got upside down again after contact from another car. Moore was uninjured.
Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless Lakeside Speedway Ron Shuman Classic Preliminary Results:
Heat Races:
First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 13-Jesse Hockett, 2. 14-Coleman Gulick, 3. 37-Josh Wise, 4. 81-Robert Ballou, 5. 53-Jack Dover, 6. 10-Hud Cone, 7. 37r-Casey Riggs, 8. 10r-David Wheeler, 9. 46-Dusty Murray.
Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 12-Darren Hagen, 2. 11-Bryan Clauson, 3. 21x-Casey Shuman, 4. 15-R.J. Johnson, 5. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 6. 65-Chris Parkinson, 7. 18-Tim Newman, 8. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 9. 11d-Caleb Armstrong.
Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 1-J.J. Yeley, 3. 23-Mitch Wissmiller, 4. 98-J.C. Bland, 5. 1k-Kim Kennedy, 6. 90-Patrick Budde, 7. 88-Chad Tye. DNS: 69-Mike Moore.
Qualifying Races (Top 16 in Combined Points from Heats and Qualifiers to "A" Main; Balance to "B" Main):
First Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 37-Josh Wise, 2. 15-R.J. Johnson, 3. 13-Jesse Hockett, 4. 21x-Casey Shuman, 5. 37r-Casey Riggs, 6. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 7. 98-J.C. Bland, 8. 65-Chris Parkinson. DNS: 46-Dusty Murray.
Second Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 12-Darren Hagen, 2. 53-Jack Dover, 3. 99-Brady Bacon, 4. 1k-Kim Kennedy, 5. 90-Patrick Budde, 6. 81-Robert Ballou, 7. 14-Coleman Gulick, 8. 11d-Caleb Armstrong. DNS: 69-Mike Moore.
Third Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 10-Hud Cone, 2. 11-Bryan Clauson, 3. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 4. 1-J.J. Yeley, 5. 23-Mitch Wissmiller, 6. 10r-David Wheeler, 7. 88-Chad Tye, 8. 18-Tim Newman.
"B" Main (Top Six Advance to "A" Main):
"B" Main (10 Laps): 1. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 2. 37r-Casey Riggs, 3. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 4. 98-J.C. Bland, 5. 10r-David Wheeler, 6. 88-Chad Tye, 7. 65-Chris Parkinson, 8. 46-Dusty Murray, 9. 69-Mike Moore, 10. 18-Tim Newman.
Sprint Bandits TNT Lakeside Speedway Preliminary "A" Main
“A” Main (25 Laps): 1. 12-Darren Hagen, 2. 37-Josh Wise, 3. 21x-Casey Shuman, 4. 11-Bryan Clauson, 5. 99-Brady Bacon, 6. 15-R.J. Johnson, 7. 13-Jesse Hockett, 8. 1-J.J. Yeley, 9. 23-Mitch Wissmiller, 10. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 11. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 12. 53-Jack Dover, 13. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 14. 98-J.C. Bland, 15. 37r-Casey Riggs, 16. 1k-Kim Kennedy, 17. 10r-David Wheeler, 18. 88-Chad Tye, 19. 90-Patrick Budde, 20. 10-Hud Cone, 21. 14-Coleman Gulick (DNS), 22. 81-Robert Ballou (DNS).
Lap Leaders: Jesse Hockett 1-4, Darren Hagen 5-25.
Sprint Bandits TNT Points (Top 10): 1. Brady Bacon 440, 2. Josh Wise 438, 3. Bryan Clauson 410, 4. Jesse Hockett 406, 5. R.J. Johnson 402, 6. Robert Ballou 390, 7. Matt Mitchell 388, 8. Coleman Gulick 382, 9. Caleb Armstrong 380, 10. Kyle Robbins 372.
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Sprint Bandits TNT Rained Out at Creek County
SAPULPA, Okla. (August 20, 2009) – Excessive overnight rain extending into this morning has forced the cancellation of Thursday night’s Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless event at Creek County Speedway.
Efforts were made to salvage the event, but the pit area and track proved much too soggy to get the event in tonight.
The Fifth Annual edition of Sprint Bandits TNT moves on to Kansas City’s Lakeside Speedway on Friday and Saturday, with Saturday night’s Ron Shuman Classic winner collecting a $10,000 winner’s share.
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon holds an eight-point advantage over Riverside, California’s Josh Wise entering the Lakeside double after winning both of the opening two legs of TNT action.
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Bacon Fries 'Em Again!
Makes it Two Sprint Bandits TNT Wins in a Row with Oklahoma City Score
Lonnie Wheatley, OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (August 19, 2009) – Brady Bacon picked off his second Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless feature win in as many nights of action this week by racing to victory lane in Wednesday night's 30-lap feature atop the 3/8-mile State Fair Speedway clay oval.
Bacon used the top side of the track to charge past race-long leader Josh Wise on the 17th circuit en route to not only his second win of the week, but also his second consecutive TNT score atop the historic Oklahoma City Fairgrounds oval after capturing his first career 410-ci wingless win on the same track last year.
After taking Monday night's opener by racing from seven rows deep, Bacon only had to drive Mike and Megan Eubanks' Wesmar-powered Tel-Star Communication No. 99 Triple-X from inside the fourth row on Wednesday night.
But, the 19-year-old Broken Arrow, OK, racer wasn't entirely sure at the outset.
"I really didn't know if we could get there or not, not on this track and with the cars that were up there," Bacon commented.
But, mired in sixth in the early stages as pole starter Wise and fourth-starter R.J. Johnson slipped away from the field, an inadvertent tip from Matt Mitchell while dicing for position proved beneficial for Bacon.
"The 81m (Mitchell) showed me the outside," Bacon explained. "I wasn't real sure we could make it work up there, but I went up there and we were able to move to the front."
That's precisely what Bacon did, moving to the top side after ten circuits and then disposing of first Robert Ballou, then Andy Shouse and then Joe Wood, Jr., in rapid-fire order to snare third by the time the caution flew two laps later with twelve rounds in the books for Matt Sherrell's off-track excursion.
Back under way, Bacon quickly took second away from Johnson and then reeled in Wise, dashing by on the top side of the backstretch to take command on the 17th round.
From there, Bacon breezed through lapped traffic with ease over the final rounds to take his fifth career Sprint Bandits TNT triumph with a comfortable straightaway advantage at Will Hale's checkered flag.
Riverside, CA, native Wise drove the Indiana Underground No. 37 entry to the runner-up position for the second time in a row, with Robert Ballou moving Dallas Mulvaney's MPHG Promotions No. 81 into the show position in the final rounds.
Arizona's R.J. Johnson posted a strong fourth-place run, with Dave Darland rebounding from an early slip off the track to round out the top five in Scott Benic's No. 2b machine.
New York's Coleman Gulick raced from 13th to sixth, with Jesse Hockett charging from 17th to seventh. Mitchell crossed the stripe eighth, with Darren Hagen and Bryan Clauson completing the top ten.
Mitchell, Wise and Ballou topped heat race action for Wednesday night's 29-car field, with Hagen, Levi Jones and Shouse winning the qualifying races. Hockett won the 10-lap "B" Main.
Casey Shuman crossed the stripe first in the night's second heat race but was disqualified when he failed to report directly to the scales. After racing his way into the "A" Main, Shuman was collected in a turn two scramble on the second round and turned over. While uninjured, Shuman was done for the night.
Turn three claimed both Justin Grant and Dustin Morgan in qualifying race action, while Arizona's Jody Wirth took a wild ride exiting turn four in the "B" Main. While all three mounts suffered extensive damage, the drivers all walked away unharmed. Morgan was leading his qualifying race when his bone-jarring incident occurred.
This year's edition of Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless continues Thursday night at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK, before moving on to Kansas City's Lakeside Speedway for the $10,000-to-win Ron Shuman Classic on Friday and Saturday.
Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless State Fair Speedway Results:
Heat Races:
First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 2. 2b-Dave Darland, 3. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 4. 14-Coleman Gulick, 5. 98-J.C. Bland, 6. 12-Darren Hagen, 7. 38-Levi Jones, 8. 0c-Preston Peebles II, 9. 15k-Kerry McAlister, 10. 5x-Jody Wirth.
Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 37-Josh Wise, 2. 15-R.J. Johnson, 3. 10-Hud Cone, 4. 99-Brady Bacon, 5. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 6. 35-Matt Sherrell, 7. 45-Martin Edwards, 8. 1-Justin Grant, 9. 22-Koby Barksdale, 10. 21x-Casey Shuman (Disqualified; failed to report to scales after finishing first).
Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 81-Robert Ballou, 2. 27-Andy Shouse, 3. 11-Bryan Clauson, 4. 13-Jesse Hockett, 5. 93-Dustin Morgan, 6. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 7. 1j-Danny Jennings, 8. 37r-Casey Riggs, 9. 32-Mike Martin.
Qualifying Races (Top 16 in Combined Points from Heats and Qualifiers to "A" Main; Balance to "B" Main):
First Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 12-Darren Hagen, 2. 11-Bryan Clauson, 3. 37-Josh Wise, 4. 81-Robert Ballou, 5. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 6. 13-Jesse Hockett, 7. 10-Hud Cone, 8. 22-Koby Barksdale, 9. 0c-Preston Peebles II, 10. 1-Justin Grant.
Second Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 38-Levi Jones, 2. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 3. 99-Brady Bacon, 4. 14-Coleman Gulick, 5. 2b-Dave Darland, 6. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 7. 21x-Casey Shuman, 8. 45-Martin Edwards, 9. 15k-Kerry McAlister, 10. 37r-Casey Riggs.
Third Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 27-Andy Shouse, 2. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 3. 15-R.J. Johnson, 4. 98-J.C. Bland, 5. 1j-Danny Jennings, 6. 35-Matt Sherrell, 7. 32-Mike Martin, 8. 5x-Jody Wirth, 9. 93-Dustin Morgan.
"B" Main (Top Six Advance to "A" Main):
"B" Main (10 Laps): 1. 13-Jesse Hockett, 2. 21x-Casey Shuman, 3. 35-Matt Sherrell, 4. 98-J.C. Bland, 5. 45-Martin Edwards, 6. 32-Mike Martin, 7. 22-Koby Barksdale, 8. 0c-Preston Peebles II, 9. 15k-Kerry McAlister, 10. 37r-Casey Riggs, 11. 5x-Jody Wirth. DNS: 93-Dustin Morgan, 1-Justin Grant.
Sprint Bandits TNT State Fair Speedway "A" Main
“A” Main (30 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 37-Josh Wise, 3. 81-Robert Ballou, 4. 15-R.J. Johnson, 5. 2b-Dave Darland, 6. 14-Coleman Gulick, 7. 13-Jesse Hockett, 8. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 9. 12-Darren Hagen, 10. 11-Bryan Clauson, 11. 38-Levi Jones, 12. 27-Andy Shouse, 13. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 14. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 15. 32-Mike Martin, 16. 10-Hud Cone, 17. 98-J.C. Bland, 18. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 19. 35-Matt Sherrell, 20. 1j-Danny Jennings, 21. 45-Martin Edwards, 22. 21x-Casey Shuman.
Lap Leaders: Josh Wise 1-16, Brady Bacon 17-30.
Sprint Bandits TNT Points (Top 10): 1. Brady Bacon 300, 2. Josh Wise 292, 3. (tie) Dave Darland and Robert Ballou 284, 5. Coleman Gulick 274, 6. (tie) Levi Jones and Jesse Hockett 270, 8. Bryan Clauson 268, 9. (tie) Matt Mitchell and R.J. Johnson 264.
Bacon Bounces Back for Sprint Bandits TNT Husker Nationals Win!
Lonnie Wheatley, GREENWOOD, Neb. (August 17, 2009) – Brady Bacon's night didn't get off to the best of starts at I-80 Speedway on Monday night.
But, by the time the opening round of this year's Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless competition was completed, the 19-year-old Broken Arrow, OK, bandit had rebounded in strong fashion to take the $4,000 winner's share in the Fifth Annual TNT Husker Nationals.
Working forward from the 14th starting position, Bacon became the race's fourth and final leader when he wrestled the point away from California native Josh Wise on the 20th round en route to his fourth career Sprint Bandits TNT triumph.
"It seems like sometimes we do better starting further back like that," Bacon explained after the triumph aboard Mike and Megan Eubanks' Wesmar-powered Tel-Star Communications No. 99 Triple-X.
Bacon's night got off on the wrong foot when he was collected in an opening lap incident in the night's third heat race. After his crew made the necessary repairs, the winner of three consecutive TNT events last year worked forward from eighth to fifth in his qualifier to earn the 16th starting slot in the 24-car feature grid. When his father, Leon Bacon, scratched with engine issues, Brady moved up another row to start 14th.
While Bacon took the green flag seven rows deep, Arizona's R.J. Johnson gunned into the lead at the outset and paced the opening three rounds before two-time and defending Lakeside Speedway Ron Shuman Classic winner Robert Ballou raced into the lead on the top side aboard Dallas Mulvaney's No. 81 entry.
Wise followed suit aboard the Indiana Underground No. 37 entry soon after a lap nine caution and the West Coast natives took off as Bacon battled past Damion Gardner and Johnson to take over third.
With Bacon stalking the lead pair, Wise battled past Ballou for the lead on the 14th lap, one round before the red flag flew as Gardner coasted to a stop on the frontstretch ablaze. Upon being extricated from his car, Gardner was transported to a local hospital with second-degree burns on his lower legs and feet.
When action resumed, Bacon made quick work of Ballou and began dicing with Wise for the point, taking command just before the red lights flickered one last time for Jack Dover, who got upside down in turn two in his wingless debut.
Wise pressured Bacon over the final ten circuits, but Bacon was flawless on the low side of the 4/10-mile clay oval to secure the win. Wise settled for runner-up honors, with two-time Husker Nationals winner Dave Darland battling past Ballou in the final rounds to snare the show position aboard Scott Benic's No. 2b entry.
Levi Jones also moved up by taking fourth in the latter stages, with Ballou rounding out the top five.
After losing a nerf bar to bring out a caution with nine laps in the books, Bryan Clauson rallied from the tail of the field to claim sixth. Coleman Gulick was seventh, with Jesse Hockett, 19th-starter Mike Moore and 18th-starter Matt Mitchell completing the top ten.
Wise, Caleb Armstrong and Ballou topped the night's heat race action, with Gulick, Dover and Johnson winning the qualifying races.
This year's edition of Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless resumes on Wednesday night at Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway, with ensuing events at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK, on Thursday night and then the $10,000-to-win Ron Shuman Classic at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, KS, on Friday and Saturday.
Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless I-80 Speedway Husker Nationals Results:
Heat Races:
First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 37-Josh Wise, 2. 0c-Preston Peebles II, 3. 99x-Leon Bacon, 4. 71-Damion Gardner, 5. 13-Jesse Hockett, 6. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 7. 14-Coleman Gulick, 8. 17r-Kyle Robbins.
Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 2. 2b-Dave Darland, 3. 15-R.J. Johnson, 4. 11-Bryan Clauson, 5. 1-Justin Grant, 6. 32-Mike Martin, 7. 51-Doug Martens, 8. 10-Hud Cone.
Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. 81-Robert Ballou, 2. 38-Levi Jones, 3. 53-Jack Dover, 4. 69-Mike Moore, 5. 37r-Casey Riggs, 6. 5x-Jody Wirth, 7. F1-Sheldon Leeskamp, 8. 99-Brady Bacon.
Qualifying Races:
First Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 14-Coleman Gulick, 2. 11-Bryan Clauson, 3. 2b-Dave Darland, 4. 81-Robert Ballou, 5. 99-Brady Bacon, 6. 99x-Leon Bacon, 7. 69-Mike Moore, 8. 5x-Jody Wirth.
Second Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 53-Jack Dover, 2. 13-Jesse Hockett, 3. 37-Josh Wise, 4. 71-Damion Gardner, 5. 38-Levi Jones, 6. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 7. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 8. 51-Doug Martens.
Third Qualifier (8 Laps): 1. 15-R.J. Johnson, 2. 37r-Casey Riggs, 3. 1-Justin Grant, 4. 10-Hud Cone, 5. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 6. 0c-Preston Peebles II, 7. F1-Sheldon Leeskamp. DNS: 32-Mike Martin.
Sprint Bandits I-80 Speedway Husker Nationals "A" Main
“A” Main (30 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 37-Josh Wise, 3. 2b-Dave Darland, 4. 38-Levi Jones, 5. 81-Robert Ballou, 6. 11-Bryan Clauson, 7. 14-Coleman Gulick, 8. 13-Jesse Hockett, 9. 69-Mike Moore, 10. 81m-Matt Mitchell, 11. 11d-Caleb Armstrong, 12. 10-Hud Cone, 13. 1-Justin Grant, 14. 15-R.J. Johnson, 15. 17r-Kyle Robbins, 16. 37r-Casey Riggs, 17. 51-Doug Martens, 18. F1-Sheldon Leeskamp, 19. 32-Mike Martin, 20. 0c-Preston Peebles II, 21. 53-Jack Dover, 22. 5x-Jody Wirth, 23. 71-Damion Gardner, 24. 99x-Leon Bacon (DNS).
Lap Leaders: R.J. Johnson 1-3, Robert Ballou 4-13, Josh Wise 14-19, Brady Bacon 20-30.
Sprint Bandits TNT Points (Top 10): 1. Brady Bacon 150, 2. Josh Wise 146, 3. Dave Darland 144, 4. Levi Jones 142, 5. Robert Ballou 140, 6. Bryan Clauson 138, 7. Coleman Gulick 136, 8. Jesse Hockett 134, 9. Mike Moore 132, 10. Matt Mitchell 130.
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Sprint Bandits TNT Rained Out at Rock Rapids
ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa (August 16, 2009) – Sunday night's scheduled opening leg of the Fifth Annual Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless Midwest Swing at Rapid Speedway has been cancelled due to heavy overnight rains.
With Sunday's rain out, the 2009 edition of Sprint Bandits TNT will kick off with Monday's Husker Nationals at Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway before moving on to Oklahoma for a pair of events, including a stop at Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway on Wednesday night followed up by a Thursday card at Creek County Speedway near Tulsa.
The week will conclude with Lakeside Speedway's annual $10,000-to-win tilt on Friday and Saturday in Kansas City, KS.
Additional information regarding the Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless series is available at http://www.sprintbandits.com/.
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Sprint Bandits TNT Ignites Next Sunday!
Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (August 9, 2009) – The annual occurrence is just one week away. Each year, somewhere right around the middle of August, the nation's top wingless Sprint Car drivers converge upon the nation's mid-section for a full week of Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless competition.
This year is no different, with the exception that the wingless wars get under way one night earlier with a Sunday night event (August 16) marking the first of six nights of racing over a span of seven days.
A multitude of drivers hailing from the Hoosier State of Indiana and surrounding "traditional" areas will take on the best the West can offer atop a handful of tracks throughout Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Kansas that only host the top wingless forces once a year, offering up some neutral turn to determine the best of the best.
Indiana's Dave Darland is the reigning Sprint Bandits TNT champion after posting five podium finishes in six events last year, including his second consecutive series triumph at Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway.
While Darland's consistency netted the title, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's Brady Bacon and California's Robert Ballou combined to win five of the six features last August. Bacon, 18 years old at the time, strung together the initial three wingless 410-ci Sprint Car wins of his career, while Ballou topped Lakeside Speedway's $10,000-to-win wingless classic for the second year in a row.
While Darland is the reigning TNT champion, Robert Ballou and Tim Kaeding tied for top TNT Midwest Swing honors in 2007, Missouri's Jesse Hockett earned the top spot in 2006 and Illinois' Levi Jones captured the inaugural TNT championship in 2005.
This year's TNT swing opens at a new venue with Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, IA, hosting the series on Sunday night, August 16. The following night, it's on to Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway for the Fifth Annual TNT Husker Nationals.
After a travel day on Tuesday, action resumes at Oklahoma City's State Fair Speedway on Wednesday, August 19, before moving up the Turner Turnpike to Creek County Speedway near Tulsa on Thursday. The week then concludes with the traditional $10,000-to-win two-night stand at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, KS, on August 21-22.
Round One – Rapid Speedway (Rock Rapids, IA)
When: Sunday, August 16
Description: 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt oval
Location: 0.5 miles east of US 75 on SR 9, then 0.5 miles south on South Tama St. (at the Lyons Co. Fairgrounds)
Race Time: 8:00 p.m.
Track Phone: 712-472-3742
Notes: Just a stone's throw or two from Sioux Falls, SD, Rock Rapids Speedway hosts the Sprint Bandits TNT for the first time with the opening round of 2009.
Round Two – I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE)
When: Monday, August 17
Description: 4/10-mile semi-banked dirt oval
Location: Between Omaha and Lincoln off I-80 Exit 420, then 0.4 miles north on SR 63, then west
Race Time: 7:00 p.m.
Track Phone: 402-342-3453 or 402-944-2233
Notes: Annually the site of some of the most intense TNT racing of the week, I-80 Speedway hosts the Fifth Annual TNT Husker Nationals on a Monday night this year. Levi Jones topped an action-packed 2005 TNT feature, Robert Ballou shocked the world with his first wingless win in 2006, Dave Darland gave the Trucker's Team their first TNT win when he nipped Tim Kaeding at the line by 0.052 seconds in 2007 and then backed it up with a repeat I-80 win aboard Scott Benic's entry last year.
Round Three – State Fair Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK)
When: Wednesday, August 19
Description: 3/8-mile slightly-banked clay oval
Location: At the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds near the intersection of N.W. 10th and May Avenue
Race Time: 7:30 p.m.
Track Phone: 405-948-6796
Notes: The history-rich State Fair Speedway hosts the TNT Swing for the second consecutive year and third time overall. Levi Jones topped the '05 TNT card, the first 410-ci wingless event since a 1988 tilt won by Lealand McSpadden. Last year, Brady Bacon captured his first career 410 wingless win in front of his home state crowd.
Round Four – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
When: Thursday, August 20
Description: ¼-mile semi-banked clay oval
Location: Southwest of Tulsa off I-44 Exit 211 then 0.3 miles south on SR 33, then one miles west on US 66
Race Time: 7:00 p.m.
Track Phone: 918-247-6675
Notes: The bullring has hosted the TNT troops over each of the past two years and has fully lived up to expectations both times. Robert Ballou bested a field of 42 entries in 2007, while Brady Bacon outdueled Ballou to top last year's Creek County stop.
Rounds Five & Six – Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS)
When: Friday and Saturday, August 21-22
Description: ½-mile semi-banked dirt oval
Location: Off I-435 Exit 18, then one mile northwest on SR 5
Race Time: 7:30 p.m. on both nights
Track Phone: 913-299-2040
Notes: After four nights of $4,000 to win events, the week culminates with Lakeside Speedway's $10,000 to win Ron Shuman Classic on Saturday night, August 22. The top four finishers in Friday night's preliminary feature are locked into the finale. Robert Ballou has captured the top prize of $10,000, along with the much-coveted pedal car, over each of the past two years, with other past winners including Brad Sweet (2006), Bud Kaeding (2005 and 2002), Jesse Hockett (2004 and 2003), Troy Rutherford (2001) and Tony Elliott (2000).
Additional information regarding the Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless series is available at http://www.sprintbandits.com/.
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