USAC SOUTHWEST “FREEDOM TOUR” REVAMPED SCHEDULE – KICKS OFF AUGUST 16 AT I-30 SPEEDWAY
By: Lonnie Wheatley – The 5th Annual USAC Southwest Sprint Car “Freedom Tour” is just four weeks away with some slight adjustments to the four-race mini-series set for August 16-19.
This year’s edition of the “Freedom Tour” for non-wing 360-ci Sprint Cars is now set to take place at four different tracks throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway will host the opener with ensuing events at Creek County Speedway near Tulsa, Wichita’s 81 Speedway and Caney Valley Speedway.
Each night of action offers up a $2,500 winner’s share with $250 to start in each feature.
“Freedom Tour” 2017 will open with a first-time visit to Little Rock, Arkansas’ high-banked I-30 Speedway clay oval on Wednesday night, August 16. Noted for presenting the prestigious “Short Track Nationals” for winged 360-ci Sprint Cars each fall, the “Freedom Tour” opener will mark the first USAC competition at I-30 Speedway since Bryan Clauson topped a National Sprint Car event atop Arkansas clay on September 6, 2013.
From there, action will shift to the ¼-mile Creek County Speedway bullring near Tulsa, OK, on Thursday night, August 17. A “Freedom Tour” fixture since the inaugural edition in 2013, Creek County Speedway has offered up four different winners in four previous rounds including local shoe Danny Smith in the inaugural tour event in 2013 along with fellow area representatives Brady Bacon and Blake Hahn in 2014 and 2015 before reigning USAC Southwest champ R.J. Johnson broke the Oklahoma stranglehold on victory lane last August.
Originally set for two nights, 81 Speedway near Wichita, KS, will now host “Freedom Tour” Round Three on Friday night, August 18. A “Freedom Tour” fixture as well from the outset, past 81 Speedway winners have included New Mexico’s Rick Ziehl in 2013 and then Yuma, Arizona’s Mike Martin with back-to-back wins in 2014 and 2015 atop the 3/8-mile clay oval before last year’s round fell victim to heavy rain.
Bookending new “Freedom Tour” venues around a pair of originals, Caney Valley Speedway near the Oklahoma-Kansas line will host this year’s finale on Saturday, August 19. It will mark the first-ever USAC event atop the racy, ¼-mile clay oval in Caney, KS.
In four previous years of USAC Southwest Sprint Cars “Freedom Tour” competition, nine different drivers have earned feature wins in 15 events. R.J. Johnson leads the way with four triumphs, including two of three last year. Rick Ziehl, Charles Davis, Jr., and Mike Martin each have two wins, will single “Freedom Tour” wins have gone to Danny Smith, Brady Bacon, Mike Bonneau, Blake Hahn and Josh Hodges.
2017 USAC Southwest Sprint Cars “Freedom Tour” Schedule:
August 16 – I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR)
August 17 – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
August 18 – 81 Speedway (Park City, KS)
August 19 – Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, KS)
Information regarding each of the Fifth Annual Freedom Tour tracks is available at:
I-30 Speedway - http://www.i-30speedway.com/
Creek County Speedway - http://www.creekcountyspeedway.co/
81 Speedway – http://www.race81speedway.com
Caney Valley Speedway - http://www.caneyvalleyspeedway.net/
Additional information regarding the USAC Southwest Sprint Car series is available at http://www.southwestsprintcars.com/.
