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Manzanita Developments Alter ASCS Canyon & Southwest Schedules
Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (March 13, 2009) – The dirt track racing world was shaken on Thursday, March 12, with word that the land upon which the legendary Manzanita Speedway sits has been sold and will cease operations next month.
And, with that news, a pair of Arizona-based American Sprint Car Series Regional Tours find their schedules undergoing a major makeover for the 2009 season.
The non-wing Discount Tire Co. ASCS Canyon Region had all 17 events scheduled atop Phoenix's fabled Manzanita clay that has been slung around by churning right rear tires for more than half a century. The winged ASCS Southwest Region also had several events scheduled for Manzanita.
Benji Lyons and Kevin Montgomery, co-promoters at both Tucson's USA Raceway and New Mexico's Hollywood Hills Speedway, wasted little time salvaging the 2009 season for both of the Arizona-based ASCS series by reconfiguring both track schedules and in the process breathing new life into a pair of long-standing traditional events including the Buddy Taylor and Hank Arnold Memorials.
Among the changes, Hollywood Hills Speedway will now host the ASCS Canyon Region's Buddy Taylor Memorial on May 23-24 on a twinbill that also features Midget racing action. Hollywood Hills Speedway will also welcome the ASCS Southwest Region on June 20 in addition to the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters event on August 28-29.
The ASCS Canyon Region is also slated to take to Tucson's USA Raceway on June 27, with the track also set to host the ASCS Canyon Region's Hank Arnold Memorial on September 5-6. The Canyon Region will also return on October 10.
Several ASCS Southwest dates have been shifted to accommodate the changes as well.
Several other dates are still being negotiated and will be announced in the coming weeks.
Both series are slated to hit the Manzanita clay over the next month, with the ASCS Southwest Region on the 1/3-mile oval on April 4 after this Saturday night's season opener at USA Raceway.
The ASCS Canyon Region will tackle Manzanita's 1/3-mile on March 21 before bringing the curtain down on the track's storied history with the Donnie Davis Memorial atop the ½-mile on April 11.
The adjusted ASCS Canyon and Southwest Region schedules are as follows:
Discount Tire Co. ASCS Canyon Region Schedule:
March 7 – Manzanita Speedway 1/3 mile (Phoenix, AZ) – Winner: Jesse Hockett
March 21 – Manzanita Speedway 1/3 mile (Phoenix, AZ)
April 11 – Manzanita Speedway ½ mile (Phoenix, AZ) – Donnie Davis Memorial
May 23 – Hollywood Hills Speedway (San Felipe Pueblo, NM) – Buddy Taylor Memorial
May 24 – Hollywood Hills Speedway (San Felipe Pueblo, NM) – Buddy Taylor Memorial
June 27 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
September 5 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) – Hank Arnold Memorial
September 6 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) – Hank Arnold Memorial
October 10 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
Additional dates to be announced.
ASCS Southwest Region Schedule:
March 14 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
April 4 – Manzanita Speedway (Phoenix, AZ) – 1/3 mile
May 2 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
May 16 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
May 30 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
June 20 – Hollywood Hills Speedway (San Felipe Pueblo, NM)
July 4 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
* - August 28 – Hollywood Hills Speedway (San Felipe Pueblo, NM)
* - August 29 – Hollywood Hills Speedway (San Felipe Pueblo, NM)
September 19 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
November 21 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
November 22 – USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)
* - Indicates Lucas Oil ASCS National event, no Southwest points
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.
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