By LONNIE WHEATLEY

ASCS

TULSA, Okla. (May 18, 2009) - The American Sprint Car Series Midwest Region gets a jump start on the upcoming Memorial Day weekend festivities with a pair of events in Nebraska on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday night, the series takes to Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway in Greenwood. Then, on Friday night, the ASCS Midwest Region makes its first stop of the year at McCool Junction's Junction Motor Speedway.

The ASCS Midwest Region kicked off the 2009 campaign on April 10-11 with a pair of events versus the ASCS Northern Plains Region at I-80 Speedway with Lincoln's Billy Alley and Sedalia, Missouri's Jonathan Cornell splitting victory honors.

Alley, the inaugural ASCS Midwest champion in 2005, escaped the weekend with a two-point advantage over Cornell, who claimed his first career ASCS win. Fargo's Wade Nygaard exited opening weekend third in points, with all-time leading ASCS Midwest feature win leader Brian Brown of Grain Valley, MO, just six points out of the lead in fourth.

While there have been five different winners in the last five ASCS Midwest events at I-80 Speedway, Brian Brown has topped three of the series last four stops at Junction Motor Speedway.

The Thursday-Friday ASCS Midwest double marks the opening half of four consecutive nights of ASCS competition in the area, as the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters takes to the Jetmore Motorplex in southwest Kansas on Saturday and Sunday for the $10,000 to win Steve King Memorial.

Defending ASCS Midwest Region champion Jack Dover of Springfield, NE, will be aboard the Gary Swenson No. 24a entry for both nights of Nebraska competition before shifting to the seat of the family No. 53 for National action at Jetmore.

Racing action is slated to get under way at 7:30 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday night.

Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway is located in Greenwood, NE, between Lincoln and Omaha off I-80 Exit 420, then 0.4 mile north on SR 63 then west. For more information, contact the track at 402-944-2233.

Junction Motor Speedway is located 5.6 miles south of York, NE, off I-80 Exit 353 on US 81, then 0.3 miles west on CR 4. For more information, contact the track at 402-773-5538.

The ASCS Midwest Region is slated for 13 nights of competition at a half dozen tracks throughout Nebraska and the surrounding areas of Missouri and South Dakota.

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.

Past ASCS Regional Winners at I-80 Speedway:

4/11/08 - Jonathan Cornell (Midwest)

4/10/08 - Billy Alley (Midwest)

8/14/07 - Jack Dover (Midwest)

4/15/07 - Chuck Swenson (Midwest vs. Northern Plains)

4/14/07 - Brian Brown (Midwest vs. Northern Plains)

8/15/06 - Billy Alley (Midwest)

7/3/06 - Jake Peters (Midwest vs. Northern Plains)

4/8/06 - Brian Brown (Midwest vs. Northern Plains)

8/3/05 - Brian Brown (Midwest vs. National)

7/8/05 - Brian Brown (Midwest)

4/15/05 - Terry McCarl (Midwest)

Past ASCS Midwest Region Winners at Junction Motor Speedway:

6/27/08 - Brian Brown

6/29/07 - Brian Brown

5/25/07 - Garry Lee Maier

6/30/06 - Brian Brown

5/26/06 - Jake Peters

5/27/05 - Jason Danley