Championship Battle Heats Up Over Long Weekend
Scott McIlwain Photo
The 500 Sprint Car Tour Presented by Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Part Stores prepares for a three day stretch reminiscent of the first weekend of the season. On Saturday, July 30th the series will return to the high banks of Anderson Speedway for the Inaugural Gene Nolen Classic presented by The Tin Plate Fine Food & Spirits and CB Fabricating, then on Monday, August 1st the series will head to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the Monday Night Racing event. The events will begin the second half of the season for the 500 Sprint Car Tour as the championship battle heats up. Currently the top five drivers in the championship are separated by 57 points.
The long weekend for the Tour will likely be instrumental in setting up the final push for the championship. With only five races remaining on the schedule, having two in the span of three days will surely see the championship favorites set themselves apart. Currently, the top two drivers in the standings are non race winners, so the potential for a fifth and sixth different winner in as many races looms large.
As the series heads to Anderson Speedway on July 30th for the Inaugural Gene Nolen Classic, fans will see the first race of the season where the current championship leader is not a current race winner. Dakoda Armstrong is the championship leader after four races and holds a 17 point lead over Billy Wease. Neither Armstrong or Wease have seen victory lane this season, but both have put together solid, consistent performances. Kyle O’Gara, the most recent winner, will come into the Anderson event with a high level of confidence after a convincing performance at the ¼ mile oval on July 9th during the Glen Niebel Classic. O’Gara, along with Kody Swanson, will look to become the first repeat winner of the season. Tyler Roahrig, the winner of the race at Berlin Raceway, will not race in the Gene Nolen Classic due to a prior racing engagement.
Little 500 fans will see some familiar faces as Brian Gerster, Shane Hollingsworth, and Tanner Swanson will return to Anderson’s oval for the inaugural event. Swanson, brother to Kody Swanson, won the race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in June and will join his brother and Kyle O’Gara in the quest to become the first repeat winner of the season. Gerster proved to have a fast car last May, qualifying on the front row for the first time in his Little 500 career and equaling his second best finish of sixth. He has finished sixth on three different occasions and had a career best third place finish in the 2012 Little 500.
The Inaugural Gene Nolen Classic will also feature Baby Grands, USSA Kenyon Midgets, and the Radical Ford Focus Midget. The 500 Sprint Car Tour Presented by Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Part Stores will see a 100 lap feature with all laps contested under green flag conditions. Tickets to the event will be $15 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12, and FREE for kids 5 and under. Pit gates will open at 1:30pm and front gates are set to open at 3:30pm. Rotating practice and qualifying will also begin at 3:30pm, and the green flag is scheduled for 7:30pm. For fans unable to attend, the event will be aired LIVE on MAVTV on FloRacing.
