Bacon Blasts Night 1 & Lasoski Tops Sides on Night 2 at ASCS Short Track Nationals

NIGHT 2

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story by Lonnie Wheatley
Little Rock, AR | Oct. 28, 2011 - Fresh off a Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals triumph the previous weekend, Danny Lasoski battled past Jason Sides to win Friday night’s 25-lap preliminary feature at I-30 Speedway’s 24th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.  After battling side-by-side for several circuits, Lasoski surged ahead and drove Mark Burch’s Engler Machine No. 1m Wolfweld to Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National victory lane for the second time in less than a week...

The Dover, MO, native beat Sides of Bartlett, TN, to the stripe by 3.490 seconds with fellow Tennessee shoe Sammy Swindell also locking into Saturday night’s $15,000-to-win, $2,400-to-start STN finale by finishing third.

With Lasoski gridding the feature outside the second row, Sides and Swindell led the way to the green flag with Sides racing into the lead on the opening round. After the previous preliminary feature ran off in non-stop fashion, the caution flew on the second circuit this time for a four-car tangle in turn two that sent Danny Wood pitside with Brian Brown, Kyle Bellm and defending STN champion Brad Sweet rejoining the chase at the tail.

Back under way, Lasoski battled past Swindell for second and was pressuring Sides for the point when the race’s second and final caution flew for Joe Wood, Jr., who came to a stop in turn three with a cut tire.

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The battle was on when the green flag flew again, with Sides working the low side and Lasoski up top. Lasoski edged ahead momentarily on several occasions before finally gaining command on the 15th round and checking out on the field. Lasoski rallied on to the checkered flag unchallenged, with 2001 STN champion Sides taking runner-up honors in Bobby Sparks’ No. 91 entry.

Swindell, who earned his lone STN title in 1990, earned the show position to lock into Saturday’s finale, with 1998 STN winner Tim Crawley climbing a half dozen positions from tenth to fourth in Mike Ward’s Lucas Oil/Boater Sports No. 88.

Sam Hafertepe, Jr., rounded out the top five in the Lone Star Speedway No. 15h, with California phenom Kyle Larson in seventh. Jason Johnson charged from the 16th position to seventh, with STN rookie contender Stevie Smith, Randy Hannagan and Sweet completing the top ten.

Smith was just one of two STN rookies to make a preliminary night feature cut, with Cody Darrah earning the third starting position in the Friday feature only to suffer engine woes two laps into the main event.

Smith, Wright, Sides, Danny Wood, Larson and I-30 Speedway track champion A.G. Rains topped heat race action for Friday night’s 49-car field, with Hannagan, Bellm, Darrah, Lasoski and Saldana winning the qualifying races. Saldana was forced to the infield early in the feature with suspension issues.

Brian Brown, Jason Johnson and Sweet won the “B” Mains. A total of 100 drivers have taken part in the initial two nights of the 24th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires.

Top 3 Friday Finishers Locked into Saturday night’s $15,000 to win STN Finale.

A-Main RESULTS (25 Laps – Starting position in parentheses):
1. 1mx-Danny Lasoski (4), 2. 91s-Jason Sides (1), 3. 1-Sammy Swindell (2), 4. 88-Tim Crawley (10), 5. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (8), 6. 187-Kyle Larson (9), 7. 41-Jason Johnson (16), 8. 3g-Stevie Smith (12), 9. 22h-Randy Hannagan (13), 10. 49-Brad Sweet (17), 11. 45x-Johnny Herrera (14), 12. 21b-Brian Brown (15), 13. 28s-Jeff Swindell (11), 14. 9x-Gary Wright (19), 15. 14k-Kyle Bellm (18), 16. 03-Joe Wood, Jr. (20), 17. 9-Joey Saldana (5), 18. 3a-A.G. Rainns (6), 19. 81-Danny Wood (7), 20. 91d-Cody Darrah (3).
Lap Leaders: Jason Sides 1-10, Danny Lasoski 11, Sides 12-14, Lasoski 15-25.
FULL FRIDAY RESULTS

NIGHT 1

video by High Vista - CLICK to ORDER FULL DVD

story by Lonnie Wheatley
Little Rock, AR | Oct. 27, 2011 - Brady Bacon picked an ideal time to win his first Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National feature of the year by topping I-30 Speedway’s 24th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires opening feature event.

After the STN lidlifter was interrupted by rain midway through the program on Thursday night, action resumed on Friday with the 21-year-old from Broken Arrow, OK, ultimately wiring the field in the non-stop 25-lap preliminary feature.

Locking into Saturday night’s $15,000-to-win, $2,400-to-start STN finale along with Bacon was runner-up Shane Stewart of Bixby, OK, and third-place finisher Travis Rilat of Forney, TX.

Rilat led the feature field to the green flag after accumulating the most points in heat and qualifying race action, but it was outside front row starter Bacon battling into the lead on the initial circuit.

Rilat kept the heat on Bacon over the initial ten circuits before Bacon slipped away and began working through traffic. Meanwhile, current Lucas Oil Sprint Car points leader Shane Stewart, who had held fourth from the outset, rallied from fourth past Matt Covington and then Rilat on consecutive laps just prior to the midway point.

Stewart began cutting into Bacon’s lead over the final circuits, falling just 0.429-seconds short of the lead as the checkered flag flew on Bacon’s Wesmar-powered Fatheadz Eyewear No. 99 Triple-X.

Stewart settled for runner-up honors in Paul Silva’s Rockstar Energy Drink No. 57 A.R.T., with Rilat third in his No. 29 Triple X.

Covington held fourth until the 23rd round when Seth Bergman claimed the position in the Petersen Motorsports Wesmar-powered Superior Marine No. 23 Eagle, with Tim Shaffer snaring fifth on the white-flag lap in Casey Minks’ No. M1.

Covington was sixth just ahead of past STN champions Wayne Johnson and Paul McMahan, with Jason Martin and Aaron Reutzel completing the top ten.

McMahan, Bergman, Mason Moore, Stewart, Ray Allen Kulhanek and Covington topped heat race action, with Oklahoma shoes Stewart and Covington doubling up with wins in the first two qualifiers before Mother Nature intervened on Thursday night. Jordon Mallett, Claud Estes and Rilat won the remaining qualifying races on Friday, with Moore, Tony Bruce, Jr., and Channin Tankersley winning the “B” Mains.

A total of 51 different drivers took part in the opening portion of the 24th Annual Short Track Nationals. Top 3 Thursday Finishers Locked into Saturday night’s $15,000 to win STN Finale.
FULL THURSDAY RESULTS

A-Main RESULTS (25 Laps – Starting position in parentheses):
1. 99-Brady Bacon (2), 2. 57-Shane Stewart (3), 3. 29-Travis Rilat (1), 4. 23b-Seth Bergman (5), 5. M1-Tim Shaffer (9), 6. 11c-Matt Covington (4), 7. 77x-Wayne Johnson (7), 8. 01x-Paul McMahan (8), 9. 36m-Jason Martin (6), 10. 87a-Aaron Reutzel (10), 11. 18b-Tony Bruce, Jr. (16), 12. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek (7), 13. 71-Channin Tankersley (17), 14. 94-Derek Hagar (14), 15. 1g-Cody Gardner (19), 16. 14m-Jordon Mallett (11), 17. 5h-Mason Moore (15), 18. 27-Andy Shouse (18), 19. 74e-Claud Estes (13), 20. 16-Anthony Nicholson (20).

Lap Leaders: Brady Bacon 1-25.