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Pike County Speedway hosts the final leg of the 2002 Magnolia State Championships
Baton
Rouge, Louisiana (August 8, 2002) – The 3rd and final leg of
the Magnolia State Championships featuring the O’Reilly SUPR Late Models
will be run this Saturday night, August 10th at Pike County
Speedway. The Magnolia State
Championships are an annual 3-event series hosted at Pike County Speedway
that crowns the driver with the best average finish. The Magnolia State Champion and the runner-up finisher are
then guaranteed a starting spot in the season ending Jambalaya 100.
Marlon
Wild claimed the 2001 Magnolia State Championship with the 2000 title
going to Jay Blair and 1999 going to Larry Ritter.
2002 has proven to be the David Ashley show with Ashley claiming
the first two legs of the championship series.
With Ashley solidly in first place the battle appears to be for
second place with James Ward leading Rob Litton, Rodney Wing, Curt Lipsey
and Ryan Plaisance with one point separating each position. Not
only is David Ashley leading the standings in the Magnolia State
Championships, he has also taken over first place in the 2002 O’Reilly
SUPR Late Model Championships. Ashley,
from Zachary, Louisiana took over first place after recording an 8th
place at the Armadillo Nationals last weekend.
Ashley took over the lead when Rodney Wing dropped out of the race
while running 4th. Rodney
Wing of Meridian, Mississippi has led the point standings for much of the
season and he’ll be gunning to take the lead back this weekend.
Wing has recorded a pair of runner-up finishes during the Mardi
Gras Nationals and a pair of top ten finishes during the first two legs of
the Magnolia State Championships. More
importantly for Rodney, Pike County is also the scene of the biggest win
of his career as he claimed the 2000 Jambalaya 100. Kenny
Merchant, of West Monroe, Louisiana is currently third in the chase for
the 2002 O’Reilly SUPR Late Model Championship and he’s no stranger to
victory lane at Pike County as he claimed both nights of the
season-opening Mardi Gras Nationals.
Merchant recorded a solid 6th place finish last week at
the Armadillo Nationals (a race Kenny first won back in 1994) after
transferring to the feature through a last chance race. Ryan
Plaisance from Westwego, Louisiana is 4th in the O’Reilly
SUPR Late Model Championships and he still has a shot at the Magnolia
State Championship and a starting spot in the 2002 Jambalaya 100.
Plaisance led much of the race during leg 2 of the Magnolia State
Championships and he looks to be up front when the checkers wave Saturday
night. Jon Mitchell of Texarkana, Texas recorded his first win of the season 3 weeks ago at Champion Park Speedway and he’ll be looking for his second win this weekend. But he’ll also be watching out for Rob Litton of Alexandria, Louisiana. Litton has steadily climbed the point standings and is within 37 points of Mitchell in the battle for 5th in the point standings. Litton is another driver with his eye on the Magnolia State Championship. A host of local competitors is also expected to be on hand to contend with the O’Reilly SUPR touring drivers. David Knight currently leads the Late Model standings at Pike County. Knight, a former track champion, appears to be on his way to his second title. Tony Lawson is second in track points in his first full season of competition at Pike County. Seavy Clemmons, Rodney Sheridan and Ricky Hankins round out the top 5 in points at Pike County. The
racing action gets underway Saturday night with the gates opening at 4:00
p.m. and the heat races start at 7:30 p.m.
Joining the O’Reilly SUPR Late Models will be the UMP Modifieds,
the Super Stocks, the Street Stocks and the Expert and Novice Pure Stocks.
Come join us at Pike County
Speedway where the racing comes alive at I-55. For additional information
call the Pike County Speedway office at (601) 684-9230 or the O'Reilly
SUPR office at (225) 275-5040. Our
2002 SUPR Corporate Sponsors: Hoosier Tire Southwest, AFCO, GRT Race Cars,
Larry Shaw Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Brodix, Bert Transmissions, Borla,
Schoenfeld, Keith Craft Racing, Clausen Racing, Ashley Bros. Race Cars,
Dynatech, Late Model America, J&J Motorpsorts, Lloyd Wild Logging,
Marlee’s Embroidery, Boland Performance, B&K Undergound, Duralite,
Breaux Petroleum, Lone Star Supergas and Hinchman Uniforms. O’Reilly SUPR Points as of August 3, 2002: 1. David Ashley 2310 2. Rodney Wing 2290 3. Kenny Merchant 2254 4. Ryan Plaisance 1982 5. Jon Mitchell 1937 6. Rob Litton 1900 7. James Ward 1770 8. Odie Green 1706 9. Tommy Surrett 1603 10. Kennith Crowe 1539 11. Marlon Wild 1395 12. Sam Patrick 1355 13. Chris Wall 1345 14. Ronny Adams 1125 15. Keith Craft 1052 16. Curt Lipsey 977 17. Jeff Chanler 958 18. Jay Blair 719 19. Michael Coleman 715 20. Lee Davis 674
© Baton Rouge Raceway, 1998-2002. All rights reserved. Designed and Developed by Internet Advantage Maintained by Weakside Productions |
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