O'Reilly SUPR Doubleheader on tap

O'Reilly SUPR Doubleheader on tap

Baton Rouge, Louisiana (May 31, 2001) - The O’Reilly SUPR Late Model Series will continue the torrid pace set last weekend with another doubleheader on tap. The action begins Friday night in Doyline, Louisiana as the troops will be on hand for a make up of an event originally schedule for last Sunday at Champion Park Speedway. 38 O’Reilly SUPR Late Models were on hand when the clouds opened with heavy rain and hail forcing the postponement of the O’Reilly SUPR Late Models’ first visit to Champion Park Speedway.

The action will continue on Saturday night when the O’Reilly SUPR Late Models return to Southwest Arkansas Super Speedway. Last year Kenny Merchant swept both features at the racy track in Murfreesboro and Merchant just keeps on winning this year, claiming his 4^th O’Reilly SUPR victory of the year last Friday night at Sabine Speedway.

Merchant’s win on Friday night helped move him closer to the top of the O’Reilly SUPR Late Model point standings. Merchant driving the J.D. Caver/Goddard Performance Keith Craft powered Ford Mustang Warrior still trails Rodney Wing by 130 points and is 61 points behind second place David Ashley but he has climbed back to third place after having fallen out of the all the way back to 8^th place following an engine failure at I-30 Speedway in mid-April.

Rodney Wing continues to lead the O’Reilly SUPR Late Model standings on the strength of his uncanny ability to finish near the front. Wing, from Meridian Mississippi driving the B&K Underground/Boland Performance Keith Craft powered Chevrolet Monte Carlo Rocket has recorded one victory and has finished inside the top 10 in 10 of 11 features this year.

David Ashley the 1999 O’Reilly SUPR Champion has overcome some early season struggles to establish himself and the new Thornhill Wrecker/Ace Pallets and Storage racing team as a front runner in the race for the title. Ashley claimed his O’Reilly SUPR Late Model victory since the 2000 season when he won at Pike County Speedway in April. Since that time, Ashley has recorded a pair of runner-up finishes to close the gap on Wing.

And while much of the attention has been focused on the point chase, one driver not focused on the points but instead is just racing for the fun. That driver is 2000-01 O’Reilly SUPR Champion Jay Blair. Blair started the season behind the wheel of a Hooter’s Pro Cup car, recording a pair of hard charger awards in finishing each of his first four starts. Blair recognized his need for better equipment to help him achieve his asphalt dreams and so with time to spare, Blair returned to his roots with an eye of winning a few more dirt races and without the point championship to contend with, Blair hopes to be able to visit victory lane more often this year.

The O’Reilly SUPR Late Model field is blessed with a wealth of young talent this year. Drivers like rookie competitor James “Binky” Ward from Lettsworth, Louisiana – a top 5 competitor in his first year in a Late Model; Jon Mitchell from Texarkana, Texas emerging this year as a title contender; 2001 Rookie of the Year Odie Green and 20 year old Kennith Crowe from Port Allen, Louisiana have all proven themselves as capable of winning. Green proved it last year with 2 victories and he proved it once again in April with a victory at I-30 Speedway.

The O’Reilly SUPR Late Models will kick it all off on Friday night at Champion Park Speedway in Doyline, Louisiana. Champion Park is located just off I-20 exit 38, Goodwill Road, North side of Interstate, east of exit. The action then shifts to Southwest Arkansas Super Speedway in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Southwest Arkansas Super Speedway is located 4.8 miles south of State Route301 in Murfreesboro on State Route 27. The gates open at 5:00 p.m. and the racing starts at 8:00 p.m. each night. For further information contact the O’Reilly SUPR offices at 225-275-5040.

The O’Reilly SUPR Late Model Series corporate sponsors for 2002: Hoosier Tire Southwest, J&J Motorsports, Keith Craft Race Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, GRT Race Cars, Ashley Brothers Race Cars, Clausen's Racing, Bert Transmission, B&K Underground, AFCO, Brodix, Schoenfeld, Late Model America, Marlee's Embroidery, Warrior Race Cars, Lloyd Wild Logging, Hinchman Uniforms, Wall 2 Wall Performance Engines, Boland Performance, Dynatech, Borla Mufflers, Dura-Lite Racing Wheels, Breaux Petroleum, and Lone Star Super Gas.

O’Reilly SUPR Late Model Points as of May 26, 2002:
1.                  Rodney Wing 1186
2.                  David Ashley 1117
3.                  Kenny Merchant 1056
4.                  James Ward 1004
5.                  Jon Mitchell 986
6.                  Marlon Wild 941
7.                  Ryan Plaisance 905
8.                  Rob Litton 869
9.                  Chris Wall 814
10.              Odie Green 780
11.              Sam Patrick 697
12.              Ronny Adams 625
13.              Kennith Crowe 618
14.              Tommy Surrett 583
15.              Curt Lipsey 560
16.              Michael Coleman 499
17.              Keith Craft 487
18.              Randy Cook 464
19.              Eric Courville 438
20.              Jeff Chanler 417
20.              Lee Davis 417

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