TEXARKANA, Ark. — The pages of the calendar have flipped to October, which means just one thing in the Mid-South and the Sprint Car racing community.
It’s time for the Short Track Nationals.
The 36th edition of the crown jewel 360-ci Sprint Car racing event marks a new chapter as the event shifts to Texarkana 67 Speedway after being contested at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway over the previous 35 years.
The 36th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires & Ark-La-Tex Lawn and Landscape fires off Thursday night with the 16th Annual Ralph Henson Memorial that offers up a $4,646 winner’s share.
Friday is the official opener of the 36th Annual Short Track Nationals that culminates with twin 25-lap feature events, setting the stage for Saturday’s $20,000-to-win STN Championship card.
At latest count, 61 drivers from 15 different states have filed entries for the Short Track Nationals including past race champions Sammy Swindell, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Blake Hahn and Wayne Johnson with past car-owning winner Rains Motorsports fielding an entry for Howard Moore.
Along with the past champions, a stout field of contenders included the likes of Knoxville Raceway champion Austin McCarl, current ASCS National points leader Jason Martin, Pennsylvania shoe Mark Smith, California’s Chase Johnson, Washington’s Brock Lemley, ASCS contenders Matt Covington, Jordon Mallett and Brandon Anderson and top Mid-South shoes such as Derek Hagar, Cody Gardner, Marshall Skinner and more.
Hafertepe Jr., brought the curtains down on Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway by topping last year’s Short Track Nationals finale for the second time in three years after he and Aaron Reutzel posted preliminary feature wins the previous night.
Hafertepe Jr., joined Paul McMahan and Tony Bruce Jr., as two-time Short Track Nationals winners with other multiple-time champions including Hahn and Steve Kinser (three times each) and Swindell and Gary Wright atop the charts with five wins each.
Single time STN champions include Christopher Bell, Brad Sweet, Jason Meyers, Jason Johnson, Tim Montgomery, Jason Sides, Mike Ward, Tim Crawley, Wayne Johnson, Pete Butler, Terry Gray and John Gerloff.
The Current Short Track Nationals Entries:
0-Mike Vaculik (Hot Springs, AR)
1-Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK)
1d-Prestin Dalton (Millington, TN)
1jr-Steven Russell (Rochester, IL)
2-Whit Gastineau (Moore, OK)
2-Chase Porter (St. Joseph, MO)
2-Jason Shavers (Canton, MS)
2c-Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK)
2T-Todd Bradford (Arlington, TN)
3-Howard Moore (Memphis, TN)
4-Tuesday Calderwood (Goodyear, AZ)
4x-Brad Bowden (Hernando, MS)
6-Koty Adams (Haughton, LA)
6-Christopher Townsend (La Porte, TX)
G6-Cody Gardner (Benton, AR)
7c-Chris Morgan (Topeka, KS)
8m-Kade Morton (Coweta, OK)
9jr-Derek Hagar (Marion, AR)
10-Landon Britt (Memphis, TN)
10-Brock Lemley (Sedro Woolley, WA)
10k-Dewayne White (Byalia, MS)
11n-Harli White (Lindsay, OK)
12-Jeffrey Newell (Tulsa, OK)
12m-Greg Merritt (Nesbit, MS)
12x-Garet Williamson (Columbia, MO)
13-Chase Howard (Nesbit, MS)
14-Jordon Mallett (Greenbrier, AR)
14T-Tim Estenson (Fargo, ND)
15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX)
21m-Spencer Meredith (Hernando, MS)
22m-Rees Moran (Tulsa, OK)
23-Junior Jenkins (Greenville, TX)
23w-Conner Wray (Olive Branch, MS)
26-Marshall Skinner (W. Memphis, AR)
27J-Joseph Poe, Jr. (Scott, AR)
28-Chase Johnson (Penngrove, CA)
30-Joseph Miller (Cove, AR)
36-Jason Martin (Liberal, KS)
43-Mark Smith (Sunbury, PA)
44-Ronny Howard (Nesbit, MS)
44-Chris Martin (Ankeny, IA)
45-Mark Huddleston (Genoa, AR)
45x-Kyler Johnson (Quinter, KS)
47-Dale Howard (Byhalia, MS)
47-Sammy Swindell (Germantown, TN)
52-Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK)
55b-Brandon Anderson (Glenpool, OK)
71-Channin Tankersley (Arlington, TX)
71b-Brady Baker (Alexander, AR)
79-Gage Montgomery (Fredericktown, MO)
85-Josh McCord (Bossier City, LA)
87J-Jace Park (Overland Park, KS)
88-Austin McCarl (Altoona, IA)
91-Michael Day (Farmersville, TX)
91-Zach Pringle (Benton, AR)
91a-Ernie Ainsworth (Bartlett, TN)
95-Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)
98p-Miles Paulus (Marshall, MO)
122-Lane Warner (Bloomfield, MO)
132-Jamie Manley (Memphis, TN)
938-Bradley Fezard (Bonnerdale, AR)