Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 29, 2009 - Midwest City, Oklahoma - It will be a busy month of May for the Wichita, Kansas based O'Reilly/National Championship Racing Association as five of the series six divisions have at least one event scheduled. The NCRA 360 sprint cars and the new NCRA 305 sprint car series kicks off the first of the month with the modified and new sport modifieds competing in their second of events of the year. To climax the month of May, the NCRA late models will take to the track for the first time in 2009 with a pair of events scheduled.

The NCRA 360 sprint car division kicks off their 20th season on Saturday night (May 2) at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, Kansas. It will be the first of two stops on the tour at the beautiful 3/8ths mile clay oval which will be billed as the "Steve King Foundation Sprint Car Nationals." Drivers, fans and officials will then head east to the series home, 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas for a Sunday night event. Veteran Mike Peters of Wichita, Kansas comes in as the reigning champion and will be back to defend his title.

Also competing with the 360 sprinters at 81 Speedway on Sunday night will be the first event for the new 305 sprint car series. It will be the first of two stops for the new division at the 3/8th mile facility.

The series late model division will take to the track for the first time this year, starting with their annual encounter at Mid-Nebraska Speedway in Doniphan, Nebraska on Friday night, May 22. It will be the first of two events scheduled at the track and will mark the sixth consecutive year the track has been scheduled to host the season opener for the late models. Mother nature won last years event. After their traditional Saturday night off, it is back to the track and some dirt track soup as they partake in the annual Alphabet Soup race at I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park in Greenwood, Nebraska. A fixture on the tour since 2002, this annual event draws in excess of over sixty drivers from all over the country for the co-sanctioned event, this year with the Midwest Late Model Racing Association (MLRA) and the World Dirt Racing League (WDRL). Terry Phillips of Springfield, Missouri won last years event that was ppd. nearly two months because of, you guessed it, Mother Nature.

The NCRA modified division will compete in their second event of the year on Saturday night, May 23rd, at 81 Speedway where five time series champion Brian Franz picked up the victory in the season opener at the track back on April 11. Forty-four drivers competed in that season opener.

Also on Saturday night (May 23), the series new sport modifieds will get back on the track with their first and only appearance of the season at Caney Valley Speedway in Caney, Kansas. Donny Raney of Amarillo, Texas won the very successful season opener at Elk Citys I-40 Speedway in Oklahoma back on March 21st where forty drivers competed. One week later (May 30) it is on the the quarter mile clay oval of Brill Motor Speedway in Meeker, Oklahoma for their first of two scheduled stops.

All in all eight races will be run under the series banner for the true "Weekend Warriors" of the O'Reilly/National Championship Racing Association for the month of May with anybody's guess as to who will become victorious in the Cherokee Casino-Resort feature finales.

To learn more about the NCRA, the series past and present, driver profiles, schedules, point standings and more, check them out on the world wide web at http://www.ncraracing.org/. For any questions regarding the series, to schedule an event or climb aboard as contingency or presenting sponsor for 2009, contact the NCRA office (316) 755-1781.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com