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Patriots Ready For Tuesday Race at Sharon for Ollie’s 360 Challenge
Rich Vleck, TULSA, Okla. (June 12, 2008)- The last time that Sharon Speedway hosted a 360 race, the ASCS Patriots weren’t around, the track was a ½-mile, Dave Blaney was a national sprint champion, and names like Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne meant much less to the racing world than they do today.
The first leg of the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 360 Challenge will get underway this Tuesday at the Sharon Speedway in Hatford, Ohio. This $6,000-to-win, $500-to-start event will also see the winner set themselves up for a run towards $50,000 bonus.
Drivers and teams from far and wide have announced their intentions on competing at the first 360 race since 1996 at the now 3/8-mile oval. This Tuesday night special event figures to have all eyes of the sprint car world focused on the tiny Eastern Ohio town of Hartford.
Part of a three race series including events at Eldora and Williams Grove Speedways. Anyone who wins at Sharon will be eligible for a $50,000 bonus if they win one of the next two events. This bonus has helped to create one of the finest entry lists around.
While sprint cars have run weekly since the 1960, for many of the competitors that will run for that bonus paying race have little to no experience at Sharon.
Defending ASCS Patriot Champion Chuck Hebing, along with current point leader and 2005 Champion Bryan Howland plan to make their first sprint car start in Ohio in this Patriot sanctioned event. Other Patriots that plan to make their inagural trip include the most recent winner, Jason Barney,along with Scott Kreutter, Gary Troutman, Dave Wickham and rookies T.J. Newton and Robbie Shuttleworth.
Some of the Patriot regulars do have experience at Sharon. Over the last few years, Kyle Moffit, Chris Shuttleworth and Jared Zimbardi have run against the 410’s with incredible success. Moffit finished fourth in points last year, Shuttleworth was third in points earlier this year, and Zimbardi finished second in his only start there. Scott Bonnell and John Schuyler also have run there with their 410 engines.
Added to the Patriot regulars will be stars like Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Track Owner Dave Blaney. Blaney has been around Sharon their whole life and this event expects to be one of their biggest since takings ownership.
Gary Wright, Jason Johnson and Wayne Johnson, the top three in O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National Series points, have also announced their intentions to be on hand for this race.
The ASCS Patriot Region will sanction the event to support the rules laid out early in 2008. The race will also be run using the 2008 ASCS Patriot Race Format, which includes the ASCS standards of an open draw, passing points process, the top-eight redraw, and the “Four Laps of Fame” Dash.
The early registration period is still in effect until this Friday. This will help to expedite the process of registering the afternoon of the event and save competitors $50. For the official entry form, visit http://sharonspeedway.com/images/Marcie/olliesflier.pdf.
Racing will begin at 6:00 p.m., with registration taking place from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Sharon Speedway is located in Hartford in Eastern Ohio, just a mile from the Pennsylvania Border. For more information visit www.SharonSpeedway.com.
For more information on the ASCS Patriots, visit www.ASCSracing.com.
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