TEXARKANA, Ark. — The storied Short Track Nationals lives on.
And in a big way as well, with a $20,000 winner’s share up for grabs at the prestigious ASCS-sanctioned Winged 360-ci Sprint Car event that takes place at Texarkana 67 Speedway on October 5-7.
A long-time staple at the now shuttered I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, the 36th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires now shifts a couple of hours southwest down the interstate to the Texarkana clay oval under the management of long-time racer and past STN champion Tim Crawley.
This year’s STN kicks off with the ASCS Mid-South sanctioned Ralph Henson Memorial on Thursday, October 5, that offers up a $2,500 winner’s share. Additionally, one of the top three finishers in the Thursday feature will be eligible for a provisional in the Saturday STN finale should they not race their way in.
Friday offers up STN preliminary action that culminates with Twin 25-lap feature events with the top two locking into the Saturday STN championship feature event that offers up $20,000 to win and $1,000-to-start.
Sunnyvale, Texas shoe Sam Hafertepe Jr. brought the curtains down on Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway by topping last year’s Short Track Nationals finale for the second time in three years after he and Aaron Reutzel posted preliminary feature wins the previous night.
Hafertepe joined Paul McMahan and Tony Bruce Jr. as two-time Short Track Nationals winners with other multiple-time champions including Blake Hahn and Steve Kinser (three times each) and Sammy Swindell and Gary Wright atop the charts with five wins each.
Single time STN champions include Christopher Bell, Brad Sweet, Jason Meyers, Jason Johnson, Tim Montgomery, Jason Sides, Mike Ward, Tim Crawley, Wayne Johnson, Pete Butler, Terry Gray and John Gerloff.