NEBRASKA SPRINT RACES AT EAGLE, McCOOL JUNCTION;

HINES, CLAYTON SCORE; HINES REACHES 1,000 PLATEAU!

The Cornhusker State welcomes USAC’s AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series this weekend, with back-to-back races Friday and Saturday night at Eagle and McCool Junction.

Friday’s “Rumble in the Bullring” is at the one-third mile dirt Eagle Raceway, while Saturday’s race at Junction Motor Speedway marks the series’ debut at that 3/8-mile dirt oval.

Series point leader and defending champion Bryan Clauson won the 2012 race at Eagle, which marked the inaugural Nebraska appearance of the series.

Clauson holds a 14-point lead over Brady Bacon after two races last weekend where Clauson scored a second and a seventh and Bacon was second and 14th.

Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind., sixth in the current standings, recorded his 46th series victory at Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway Friday night. That tied Jack Hewitt as the third-winningest driver in series history. He piloted the Carolina Nut Company/Hansen’s Welding DRC/Stanton Chevy to a spectacular win, using the low groove to pass Shane Cottle on lap 25 and lead the final six laps. Clauson was second ahead of Scotty Weir, Cottle and Chris Windom. Clauson led the first lap, Cottle led 16 laps and Bacon led seven.

Daron Clayton of Sikeston, Mo. led all 30 laps in a dominating performance Saturday to take the “Spring Showdown” at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., a race co-sanctioned by MSCS. He piloted the Majestic Electric/Creative Finishing Mach-1/Foxco in beating Bacon, Jon Stanbrough, Hunter Schuerenberg and Brady Short.

Hines celebrated his 1,000th USAC National start at Haubstadt, matching the feat achieved earlier this year by Dave Darland.