SYLVANIA, Ga. – Tyler Courtney led the way during practice Thursday at Screven Motor Speedway ahead of the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions season opener.
Courtney’s best lap around the three-eighths-mile clay oval was 13.075 seconds (103.250 mph) in the No. 7bc NOS Energy Drink Turbo sprint car for Clauson Marshall Racing.
The Indianapolis native is embarking on his rookie season with the All Stars after taking championships with the USAC National Sprint Car Series (2018) and USAC National Midget Series (2019).
Another All Star rookie, Ian Madsen, was second fastest (13.145/102.701) in the No. 11 for Sam McGhee Motorsports. Madsen is a past rookie-of-the-year with the World of Outlaws.
Gio Scelzi was third on the speed charts in the No. 18 for KCP Racing, while five-time ASCS national champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Hunter Schuerenberg filled out the top five.
Sixth through 10th in practice were Kyle Reinhardt, Chris Myers, Cale Conley, Kerry Madsen and Carson Short.
Other notables included Pennsylvania star Anthony Macri (11th), former sports car ace Sean Rayhall (15th), reigning Central Pennsylvania sprint car champion Danny Dietrich (17th) and IRA regular Scotty Thiel (19th).
Brandon Conkel turned the most laps of any driver on the night, with 49. A total of 23 drivers turned at least one lap at speed during Thursday’s practice sessions.
The two-day Winter Freeze, Friday and Saturday at Screven, opens the season for the All Star Circuit of Champions.
The Screven events, as well as other All Star races in Florida at East Bay Raceway Park and Volusia Speedway Park, do not pay points toward the All Star championship. However, feature wins earned in Georgia and Florida do count toward the all-time All Star totals.