A field of close to forty Sprintcar drivers - with the prospect of even more to come - have nominated for the Capalaba Wreckers Sprintcar Cup and World Series Australian Sprintcar Open events at Supercheap Auto Archerfield this week, led by the top two drivers in the world at the moment in Jason Meyers and Donny Schatz from the United States of America.
Meyers and Schatz, who have finished one-two in the World of Outlaws Championship each of the past four years, headline the nominations list which includes fellow Americans Shane Stewart who won both the 2011 ASCS and Knoxville 360 Nationals Championships, World Series Sprintcars Championship contender Jason Johnson and California young-gun Rico Abreu. Both Schatz and Stewart have already recorded victories at Archerfield during the opening two nights of the Sprintcar Summer Of Speed at the raceway.
With the Capalaba Wreckers Sprintcar Cup paying a healthy $10K to win, there's also plenty of incentive for the World Series Sprintcars Championship drivers to head to Brisbane a few days early and chase the big bucks on offer in the third annual running of the event.
And heading to Brisbane they are!
Current World Series points leader James McFadden collected his first career WSS victory at Archerfield in November and has dominated the Series since, winning a remarkable six of the opening eight Rounds of the 2011/12 Championship. McFadden returns to his adopted home town full of confidence, as the hottest driver in the country right now and also with the form to dethrone the Americans as they look to clean sweep all five nights of the Summer Of Speed.
Defending WSS Champ Robbie Farr has had a love affair with Qld tracks the past twelve months or so, posting a near perfect record with victories in WSS events, KRE Track Championship races, the Supercheap Auto Tri-City ShootOut and back-to-back wins in the Qld Sprintcar Championship. Despite this, he hasn't carried as much of that dominating form through this year's WSS Championship to date but never right off Robbie and the East Coast Pipeline team.
Likewise for Brooke Tatnell and Max Dumesny who share an astonishing fifteen WSS Championships between them and currently sit third and eighth in the standings respectively. David Murcott is another who is on the verge of a breakthrough major win this season, as is Steven Lines. Could either the Sprintcar Cup or Australian Open provide one of these four with that all important victory?
And of course it just wouldn't be a Capalaba Wreckers event without G. Brazier on the list. That's right race fans, six time Australian Champion Garry Brazier has filed his entry and is heading north of the Tweed for this week's races. Love him or hate him - yes, he polarises the fans like no other - Brazier is a gas man and remains one of the best in the business, his victory in a recent World Series event at Murray Bridge in South Australia undisputable evidence of that.
Amongst the Qld drivers hoping to bring home the bacon for their fans this week are KRE Race Engines Sprintcar Track Championship leader Bryan Mann, defending Series Champ Andrew Scheuerle, David "Blingy" Muir, Darrell Hodges, Cameron Gessner and Todd Wanless.
It's three nights of top shelf Sprintcar racing, a world class field, a possible thirty-three thousand dollar payday to any driver who can sweep all three nights and it's all at the one venue, Supercheap Auto Archerfield Speedway - Qld's Home of Speedway !
Capalaba Wreckers Sprintcar Cup - Nominations:Andrew Scheuerle, Anthony Lambert, Ben Hilder, Brent Aprile, Brett Thomas, Brock Dean, Bryan Mann, Cameron Gessner, Clem Hoffmans, Dan Murray, Daniel Needham (NSW), Danny Reidy (NT), Darrell Hodges, Darren Jensen, Dave Murcott (Tas), David Muir, Donny Schatz (USA), Dylan Jenkin (SA), Garry Brazier (NSW), Grant Anderson (Vic), James McFadden (NT), Jason Meyers (USA), Jeremy Cross (NSW), Kevin Titman, Luke Oldfield, Matthew Butler, Max Dumesny (Vic), Paul Morris, Paul Rooks, Peter Lack, Richard Morgan, Ricky Maiolo (SA), Rico Abreu (USA), Robbie Farr (NSW), Shane Stewart (USA), Steven Johnson, Todd Wanless, Tony Wynne.
Sprintcar Summer Of Speed Schedule:26.12.2011 - International Series / KRE Race Engines Track Championship (Winner: Donny Schatz)
01.01.2012 - International Series / KRE Race Engines Track Championship (Winner: Shane Stewart)
04.01.2012 - Capalaba Wreckers Sprintcar Cup ($10,000 to win)
06.01.2012 - Supercheap Auto World Series Australian Sprintcar Open (Night 1)
07.01.2012 - Supercheap Auto World Series Australian Sprintcar Open (Final, $20,000 to win)
Event Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2012 Adults: $30.00
Pensioners & Students (with Photo ID): $25.00
Teens: 13 - 15 yrs: $15.00, Children: 5 - 12 yrs: $8.00
Family Passes: $65.00 (2 adults + 2 children 12 yrs or under)
General admission gates open 4:00pm, early racing from 5:00pm, main programme from 6:00pm.
Parking is available at the track for $3.00. Racing finishes by 10.30pm.
Programmed events include: Capalaba Wreckers Sprintcar Cup, Midgets.
Event Date: Friday/Saturday, January 6/7, 2012 Adults: $30.00/$35.00
Pensioners & Students (with Photo ID): $25.00/$28.00
Teens: 13 - 15 yrs: $15.00, Children: 5 - 12 yrs: $10.00
Family Passes: $70.00/$80.00 (2 adults + 2 children 12 yrs or under)
General admission gates open 4:00pm Friday, 3:45pm Saturday. Early racing from 5:00pm each night, main programme from 6:00pm. Parking is available at the track for $3.00. Racing finishes by 10.30pm.
Programmed events include: Supercheap Auto World Series Australian Sprintcar Open (Friday/Saturday), AMCA Nationals (Friday), Modlites (Friday), Late Models (Saturday), Wingless Sprints (Saturday).
Online Ticketing:Online ticketing (Visa/MasterCard accepted) is available for all three nights of racing through the track's website at brisbanespeedway.com.au, with online ticket holders able to be admitted to the grounds early at each event.
American Rico Abreu on the gas at Supercheap Auto Archerfield Speedway. Rico will be looking for the first win of his Australian tour in the 3rd annual running of the Capalaba Wreckers Sprintcar Cup on Wednesday night January 4.
