By LONNIE WHEATLEY

ASCS

TULSA, Okla. (August 17, 2009) - After several idle weekends, the American Sprint Car Series Rocky Mountain Region kicks into high gear with three consecutive weekends of competition beginning with this weekend's Wyoming double.

On Friday night, the ASCS Rocky Mountain Region makes its lone stop of the year atop the semi-banked, ½-mile Casper Speedway clay oval. Then, on Saturday night, the series takes to the high-banked, 3/8-mile Sweetwater Speedway clay oval in Rock Springs for the final time in 2009.

With the initial six events of the season in the books, Jeremy McCune of Billings, MT, is in the driver's seat to become the ninth different ASCS Rocky Mountain Region champion in as many year.

But, even after capturing his first career win in the series most recent outing at Idaho's Atomic Motor Raceway on July 11, McCune's advantage is a slim one at just four points over Rapid City, South Dakota's Jake Ossenfort.

Just 17 years old, Ossenfort has matched McCune in the top-ten feature finish column with five top-tens in six events.

Meridian, Idaho's Randy Pierce enters the weekend ranked third, with Douglas, Wyoming's Kolter Kosten and Rock Springs' Mark Sweet rounding out the current top five.

Through the opening half dozen events of the season, only Bozeman, Montana's Brent Kronfuss has cracked victory lane on more than one occasion, with a Sweetwater Speedway win on June 12 to go along with an Atomic Motor Raceway triumph on July 10.

The ASCS Rocky Mountain Region returned to Casper Speedway for the first time in five years last season with Joe Ramaker taking the win.

A regular stop on the Rocky Mountain trail since 2001, youth has prevailed in recent Sweetwater Speedway competition. Last year, Derrik Ortega topped two of three features at Rock Springs en route to becoming the youngest champion in ASCS history. Then, earlier this year, fellow New Mexico shoe Joshua Hodges became the youngest feature winner in ASCS history by winning at Rock Springs less than five months after his 14th birthday.

Casper Speedway is located off I-25 Exit 189 (Events Center exit), then 0.8 miles east on Events Drive, then 0.5 miles northeast on East Road. For more information, contact the track at 307-577-3040 or 307-259-4622.

Sweetwater Speedway is located in Rock Springs, WY, off I-80 Exit 104, then 0.9 miles north on US 191 (Elk St.), then 1.1 mile west on Yellowstone Road. For more information, contact the track at 307-352-6789.

The ninth year of action for the American Sprint Car Series Rocky Mountain Region is slated to consist of 14 events at seven tracks throughout Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico and South Dakota.

Past ASCS Rocky Mountain Region Feature Winners at Casper Speedway:

8/22/08 - Joe Ramaker

8/22/03 - Randi Miller

8/16/02 - Randi Miller

6/7/02 - Randi Miller

8/18/00 - Randi Miller

8/27/99 - Randi Miller

Past ASCS Rocky Mountain Region Feature Winners at Sweetwater Speedway:

6/13/09 - Joshua Hodges

6/12/09 - Brent Kronfuss

8/23/08 - Derrik Ortega

6/14/08 - Patrick Bourke

6/13/08 - Derrik Ortega

8/18/07 - Keith Rauch

6/9/07 - C.J. Johnson

8/19/06 - Keith Rauch

6/17/06 - Danny Horner

8/20/05 - Eric Miller

5/14/05 - Patrick Bourke

8/21/04 - Nick Haygood

8/23/03 - Randi Miller

5/31/03 - Randi Miller

8/17/02 - Jason Martin

6/8/02 - Mike Dreiling

8/18/01 - Randi Miller

The American Sprint Car Series, in its 18th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing events, brings the best of Sprint Car racing to nearly 100 different tracks throughout 25 states and Canada in 2009. Anchored by the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of a dozen different Regions throughout the nation.

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.