DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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Big updates coming to Terre Haute Action Track, why we should be paying attention to the ASCS | Daily 3-15-2022
Coming up we are talking improvements at Terre Haute, some ASCS stats including big performances from JJ Hickle and Ryan Timms, and more. Let's go!
Today is Tuesday, March 15th, two thousand and twenty two. Welcome into DIRTRACKR Daily. I'm Justin Fiedler.
I mentioned briefly at the end of the show yesterday that I was going to sit in on Winged Nation this week. We recorded yesterday for the upcoming show on MAVTV, so if you are a watcher of MAV, check it out. Me and Ashley Stremme talked a bunch of sprint car topics, and had a very solid interview with Daryn Pittman. We got some insight into what happened at Cotton Bowl Speedway a little over a week ago, with Kasey Kahne and his needing to sit out. And consequently, if you tune in, you'll get to see me wearing my golf shirt inside out, which I didn't realize I had done until much later in the day. So at least you'll get a laugh out of that. Make sure to keep up with Winged Nation on social media @WingedNation, or wingednation.com. You may even hear some dirtrackr stats there in the future. Thanks to producer Hank, Ashley, and the Postman for letting me sit in.
It was just about six weeks ago that we talked about the new promoters who are taking over the Terre Haute Action Track for 2022. Bernie Stuebgen of Indy Race Parts fame and Scott Ronk, who owns Chalk Stix and Schroeder Torsion Bars, partnered up to promote the track that is on the property of the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute, Indiana. Terre Haute is a cornerstone race track in Indiana, and it was good news to hear guys like Bernie and Ronk were taking over. Within the last several days, thanks to a new track Twitter account, we are seeing the massive improvements that are coming to the facility for this season. Right off the bat, the biggest change is the removal of the concrete wall that surrounds both ends of the race track. In the past it was stacked concrete blocks with a tire cushion on the top that encircled the track, but the blocks are being removed, and in it's place we'll see a stacked guardrail system like we've become familiar with at places like Knoxville and Jackson Motorplex. That's a big safety upgrade, and something I'm sure the drivers will be thrilled about. Don't forget, this is the track where we saw Brady Bacon leave the ballpark with the big flip last season. The group has also removed the rotting tower in turn one, and put in a concrete pad in turn four for the water truck. They are also updating the tower there with some repairs. And from the original story, they are also planning on upgrading restrooms and the concession stands. One of the things that made Terre Haute recognizable was the red, white, and blue walls surrouding the track, and once the new guardrail is in place, the track is holding a painting day on April 10th to bring those colors back. And they are inviting fans to participate, with a free gift for the first 50 fans and pizza and drinks for participants. If you'd like to follow the progress, make sure you find @Terrehautetrack on Twitter. That is a different handle than we've seen in the past. The 2022 schedule at Terre Haute opens May 1st with the Sumar Classic for the Silver Crown cars. We'll see the USAC National Sprint cars there on May 20th and 21st for the Hulman Classic, July 27th during Indiana Sprint Week, and September 30th for the Jim Hurtubise Classic. Fans can check out Monster Trucks on June 11th, and there are stops for the MSCS Sprint Cars on June 24th and August 12th. Between Skagit out in Washington, Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, and Colby Copeland taking over Silver Dollar, and these updates coming to Terre Haute, there are some great things happening at dirt tracks around the country.
Just in time for the ASCS sprint car opener this weekend, I've finished adding the 2021 season to the dirtrackr.com analytics database. We now have data on all 41 races from last year, which includes results for 284 drivers that competed last season. Blake Hahn was the series champion on the strength of seven wins, 23 top fives, and 35 top tens with an average finish of 5.33. He beat out JJ Hickle, who was a rookie, and veteran Matt Covington, for his first series championship. I added the ASCS to the site because I think it's a great place to discover emerging sprint car talent, and the 2021 provided us with some great examples. Hickle being one, and Ryan Timms being another. Hickle would no doubt be the main contender for Hahn if he were returning to the series this season, but instead he's joining Brandon Ikenberry's team to run weekly at Knoxville for the 410 track championship, along with other scattered midwest starts. Hickle is from Washington, and unless you are super locked into the sprint car scene, you may not know a ton about him. Unlike Timms, Hickle isn't a super young guy, but has emerged in recent seasons as a serious contender, and someone to watch as he gets more starts on the national stage. In 39 ASCS features in 2021, he had 32 top tens, and an average finish of 5.7. He was really good down the stretch late in the year chasing Hahn. He had 10 top tens in the final 11 races, and an average finish of 2.6 over the final five shows. He's a guy we haven't seen yet with the Outlaws or All Stars, but someone that could surprise people with his speed when he does finally get those chances. As for Ryan Timms, the only ASCS driver with more victories in 2021 than Timms was champion Blake Hahn. And Timms accomplished that in basically half as many starts as Hahn. The young Oklahoma driver made 17 feature starts in 20 appearances, and had 15 top tens and an average finish of 5.58 for the year. He had the second most wins with five, was top ten in both top five finishes and top ten finishes, and led the third most laps. And again, did all that in far fewer races than his opponents. These two guys are why I want to track this series going forward, and why I think we should all be paying more attention to series like the ASCS. Scott Bogucki is a guy that is moving from the ASCS to a full time All Star run, obviously I mentioned Hickle. Timms will continue to make waves on the national scene in sprint cars and midgets. And that list doesn't include Hahn, or Covington, or Dylan Westbrook, or the others we will see come through the ASCS in 2022. If you want to dive into some of these stats yourself, find them at dirtrackr.com/analytics/ascs. And for more, grab a subscription to DIRTRACKR Plus for just $4.99 a month. The ASCS 2022 season opens this coming weekend at Devil's Bowl Speedway in Texas.
The only thing on the streaming schedule today is FloRacing 24/7. To see the full daily streaming schedule with links to watch, visit dirtrackr.com/watchtonight.
That's it for the show today, have a good Tuesday. If you have thoughts about the topics on today's show, leave them in the comments below or tweet at me.
Thanks everybody for tuning in, I'll see you tomorrow for more DIRTRACKR Daily!