(LEBANON, Missouri, by Sarah Woodhurst) While the 2011 racing season isn’t over yet, the final checkered flag for championship points racing has been collected by drivers in the five ASA sanctioned stock car divisions at I-44 Speedway in Lebanon. Chrissy Wallace, Tyler Scott, Rick Sharp, Mike Scott and Shawn Jones were certified as the ‘Monster Energy Chase for the Cup’ Track Champions, in a conclusion to an often controversial championship points race at the 3/8-mile, high banked asphalt oval track.
Earlier this season, 23-year-old Chrissy Wallace of Concord, NC made Lebanon I-44 Speedway track history by becoming the first female Late Model feature event winner. Then on September 10, Wallace put herself in the track record books again by becoming the track’s first female points champion of all time. Wallace finished the season with six feature wins, including the annual ‘Firecracker 50’ Late Model special on July 2, and is currently in a tight ASA National Championship points battle with drivers from around the nation.
Wallace made it clear all season that her goals were to win races and contend for the track championship. Her goals were turned into reality on Saturday, September 10 when she was able to celebrate her track championship in Monster Energy Victory Lane with her family, which included her father, former I-44 Speedway Late Model track champion and NASCAR Nationwide Series star, Mike Wallace. The younger Wallace is currently working on her racing schedule for the remainder of 2011 and the 2012 season, but no announcements have been made yet other than her intention to race her potent Chevy Impala Late Model in I-44 Speedway’s final race of 2011, the Fall Shootout on Saturday, October 1.
Tyler Scott of Nixa earned the Modified points championship as the 18-year-old driver won 10 feature races just this season, more than any other driver in any class. Widely known as ‘The Nixa Nightmare’ for his almost uncanny ability to drive from the back to the front of a field in record time, Scott also won the annual ‘Hillbilly 50’ – a 50-lap Modified special – in June.
Scott’s dominance in the Modified division was undeniable as he not only won 10 races, he never finished a race out of the Top Five. Scott recorded four 2nd place finishes, two 3rd place finishes, one 5th place finish and only one mechanical ‘DNF’ in a campaign highlighted by five straight back-to-front wins in the middle of the season. The talented young driver is currently looking for sponsorships to secure a 2012 season, racing either a Modified or Late Model at I-44 Speedway.
In the Sportsman division, it was Fair Grove native and wily veteran racer Rick Sharp who claimed the season points championship. Sharp is no stranger to Monster Energy Victory Lane as he wheeled his familiar blue and white #10 Chevrolet Camaro to the winner’s circle eight times this year.
“I kind of like to spread them out,” Sharp said. “In 1973, I won the four-state dirt track championship, then I won the modified championship here in 1990, so I like to – every 20 years or so – win a championship.”
Mike Scott of Rogersville was verified as the Road Warrior division points champion, claiming five feature wins this season. Scott started the season off in the big, steel-bodied ‘pure stock’ class driving his fan-favorite black and yellow #33 “Bumblebee” car, until Scott’s daughter, Kristyn Scott, took over the “Bumblebee” driving duties around midseason and was involved in a collision with the wall, which ultimately destroyed the “Bee.” Fortunately, Scott had a #33 orange Chevy Camaro back-up car that he was able to run for the rest of the season. Scott proved his driving talent was for real, as he was able to earn both feature wins and numerous Top Five finishes. The affable Scott said that he will decide which class in which he will be racing as soon as the 2012 racecar construction rules are announced.
Shawn Jones, driver of the black #7 Charger car, won the 4-cylinder, subcompact division’s championship points chase and immediately expressed his heartfelt thanks to his family and fellow competitors. Jones finished the season with five feature wins in perhaps the track’s most competitive class. Jones is the father half of the father-son Charger team of himself and Caston Jones. Caston Jones finished the points chase two spots behind his father, in third, and agreed with Dad’s assessment of the season.
“I had a lot of good people backing me,” said Shawn Jones. “It’s been a fun year.”
The final 2011 ‘Kickin’ Asphalt’ racing show at I-44 Speedway is slated for Saturday, October 1, the track’s annual ‘Fall Shootout, presented by Budweiser and Monster Energy.’ All feature races will be run with extra laps and additional purse money for each participant. The ASA Late Model race will be 100 laps, with a first place prize of $1,500. The Modifieds will be racing 35 laps for $500 to win, while the Sportsman stock cars will compete for a $250 first prize in 25 laps. The Road Warriors and Chargers will each race for 15 laps, with more prize money for grabs. Gates are slated to open at 2:30 p.m., with hot laps at 2:45 p.m. and Qualifying Heat racing action beginning at 5:00 p.m. As a way to thank their fans for their loyal support in the 2011 season, the track’s admission prices for ‘The ‘Budweiser Wild Side’ and ‘Monster Energy Grandstands’ will remain the same as a regular show.
Additional information about Lebanon I-44 Speedway or the ‘Fall Shootout’ is available online at www.i44speedway.net, or on the track’s official Facebook page.
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FINAL LEBANON I-44 SPEEDWAY ‘MONSTER ENERGY CHASE FOR THE CUP’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
LATE MODEL
1) Chrissy Wallace 2745
2) Ken Dickinson 2635
3) Dale Roper Jr 2495
4) Grant Sharp 2269
5) Jim Vanzandt 2239
6) Jim Reaves 1911
7) Crispin Beaver 1693
8) Austin Fullerton 1449
9) Mike Slone 1427
10) Brian Brown 1318
MODIFIED
1) Tyler Scott 3010
2) Jason Otto 2760
3) Payton Lucas 2225
4) Mike Coryell 2188
5) Stephen Counterman 2165
6) Terry Taylor 1910
7) Riley Sharp 1565
8) Kevin Blackburn 1305
9) David Bates 1165
10) Rodrick Icenhower 800
SPORTSMAN
1) Rick Sharp 2945
2) JC Newell 2715
3) Toby Harden 2595
4) Aaron Douglas 2570
5) Chuck Higdon 1486
6) Blake Sanford 845
7) Rex Sawyer 599
8) Kevin Crider 435
9) Tommy Claus 275
10) Tim Lott 265
ROAD WARRIOR
1) Mike Scott 2505
2) Steve Shaw 2305
3) Dustin Reeves 2080
4) Gary Ball 2000
5) Sam Shaw 1285
6) Brandon Henderson 975
7) Adam Lowrance 714
8) Nick Moore 530
9) Kristyn Scott 395
10) Josh Lewis 375
CHARGER
1) Shawn Jones 2684
2) Gary Davenport 2515
3) Caston Jones 2364
4) Jimmy Poindexter 1934
5) Ben Kramer 1849
6) Larry Hunter 1835
7) Nick Cherry 1760
8) Josh Ratliff 1625
9) John Sims 710
10) Amanda Page 670