Rob Nugent, Track Announcer/Social Media/PR

THE EVENT

POCOLA, OK (September 15^th, 2018) – The 10^th Annual Tillman Evans Memorial and 48^th Annual Points Championship Night was a great success with 108 cars taking in the famous high banks in Pocola, OK. Mother Nature upped the temps once again to the low 90’s with a southerly breeze for Saturday night’s action. In what has become the norm this season, the track prep once again produced three and four-wide point racing action for the entire night.

The pre-race ceremonies started at 7:24 PM with the invocation along with several cars presenting the American flag during the national anthem. Right after the parade lap, a brief history of the late Tillman Evans racing career was read. Tillman actually only raced three times, retiring with a 66.6% wining average, but was the one of the original idea people behind the mighty Tri-State Speedway and was the primary builder of the legendary facility. He was also a long-time engine builder and friends with everyone in the area racing scene.

Heat races were determined by the driver’s draw at sign in. The driver’s advanced to their features via a random car invert drawn by the last heat race winner of each class.

Also, a special surprise class of cars showed up for a racing demonstration. Some of the Sharp Mini-Late Models, from the Oklahoma division, brought their cars out for a quick heat and feature later in the night. These cars run a spec chassis, shocks, tires and motorcycle engines making them all virtually equal. They have full race suspensions and the difference comes in driver skill and set up ability. You can learn more about them here: https://www.sharpengllc.com/about

Just before intermission some of the Enduro cars that were on hand, as part of the 10^th Annual Tillman Evans Memorial, took their shot at the high banks for a brief hot lap session.

At intermission everyone grabbed themselves some great food items from the concessions, including the new nacho supreme, along with an ice-cold Pepsi or Gatorade. Some previous week’s feature winners also received their trophies for their previous wins. 50/50 money was also given away as well as some Matt Walter 42W racing t-shirts.

TOP THREE

After intermission, the first A Feature on the track was for the Factory Stocks. Wesley Bourne (5 - Cameron, OK) took his fourth win of the season over Bradley Johnson (33B – Stigler, OK). Dallas Bourland (119 – Fort Smith, AR) finished in third.

Next onto the track, for their A Feature, was the Out-Pace USRA B-Mods. Hunter Byers (88B – Rogers, AR) took home his third win of the season over Steve Holzkamper (40 – Gentry, AR) and Daniel Tarkington (2 – Checotah, OK).

The next A Feature was for the Sharp Mini Late Models where Art Westbrook (0) tracked down and passed Angela Sopha (09HER) for the win. Mike Sopha (09) crossed the finish line in third.

The Super Stock A Feature was up next and saw Neil Johnston (17 – Fort Smith, AR) take the win over Shannon Scott (4 – Henryetta, OK). H. Palmer (X15 - Muldrow, OK) finished in third.

The last A Feature on the track was for the USRA Modifieds. Lonnie Robins (33 - Alma, AR) took the win. Brent Holman (17 - Rogers, AR) finished in second as Kyle Ledford (75 – Greenwood, AR) took home third.

The last race of the night was the big, $1.268 to win, 100 lap Enduro. 29 cars started from a dead stop in turns three and four. At the end of the 100 laps and about 40 minutes later, Michael Skaggs (42 – Wagoner, OK) crossed the line first ahead of James Poe (39 – Gravette, AR) and Clinton Drummond (46).

Complete race results can be found under the “See All Results” link at the bottom of the Results menu page or by clicking the Results link under Fan Info or Driver Info.

CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 48^th Annual Point Championship Races crowned five class champions. The mighty Tri-State Speedway would like to congratulate the champions.

NexGen – Blaise Leatherman (94L – Muskogee, OK). Blaise raced in four features with us in 2018 and won three times.

Factory Stock – Kyle Hamby (7K – Hackett, AR). Kyle raced in 18 features with us in 2018 and ended up with 17 top 10’s, 13 top 5’s and three wins. A total of 75 different drivers raced with us in this class in 2018.

Out-Pace USRA B-Mods – Daniel Tarkington (2 – Checotah, OK). Daniel raced in 15 features with us in 2018 and ended up with 12 top 10’s, 12 top 5’s and two wins. A total of 99 different drivers raced with us in this class in 2018.

Super Stocks – H. Palmer (X15 – Muldrow, OK). H. raced in 12 features with us in 2018 and ended up with 12 top 10’s, eight top 5’s and one win. A total of 61 different drivers raced with us in this class in 2018.

USRA Modified – Michael Hines (57M – Van Buren, AR). Michael raced in 15 features with us in 2018 and ended up with 12 top 10’s and five top 5’s. A total of 64 different drivers raced with us in this class in 2018.

Complete final season points can be found under the Points menu link or by clicking here: https://www.tri-statespeedway.com/points

NEXT TIME

The next event for the mighty Tri-State Speedway will be the 39^th Annual Spooker. Mark your calendars now and book your rooms for October 10^th, 11^th, 12^th and 13^th! You don’t want to miss this annual event. It’s the original, the biggest and still the best!

We will see YOU soon!

Rob Nugent, Track Announcer/Social Media/PR

THE EVENT

POCOLA, OK (September 8^th, 2018) – Mother Nature definitely played nice for the famous high banks in Pocola, OK. While it rained everywhere, it didn’t rain at all during the week at the mighty Tri-State Speedway. Even former hurricane Gordon couldn’t make it rain. Temps were in the upper 80’s with a northerly breeze for Saturday night’s action. The track prep guys had the track in great condition once again for three and four-wide point racing action.

The pre-race ceremonies started at 7:20 PM with the invocation along with the top point cars presenting the American flag during the national anthem. Also joining the parade lap cars was Harli White, who was making her first racing appearance in a race car other than a sprint car.

Heat races were determined by the driver’s draw at sign in. The driver’s advanced to their features via a random car invert drawn by the last heat race winner of each class.

History was made at the legendary track as sprint car driver, Harli White, competed in her first modified race. She "borrowed" the #5 Out-Pace USRA B-Mod, usually piloted by Steve Holzkamper, from Dustin's Dream Racing Team. She hot lapped the car with the regular class hot laps, plus was given a few extra solo hot laps to get a little extra seat time. Harli ran her heat race without any problems.

At intermission everyone grabbed themselves some great food items from the concessions along with an ice-cold Pepsi or Gatorade. Some previous week’s feature winners also received their trophies for their previous wins.

TOP THREE

No NexGen drivers were on hand, but time is running out to get racing this season with your own NexGen car. The NexGen class is an entry-level, low-cost, no racing experience class. You can find the simple rules under Driver Info and then Rules. Blaise Leatherman (94L – Muskogee, OK) is the current points leader.

After intermission, the first A Feature on the track was for the Factory Stocks. Andrew Bohanan (X – Stigler, OK) took his fourth win of the season over Justin Johnson (55 – Van Buren, AR). Kyle Hamby (7K - Hackett, AR) finished in third. Hamby stays at the top of the point standings with only a single point race left and a 56-point lead. He only needs to start the A Feature next week to secure the 2018 class championship.

Next out onto the track, for their A Feature, was the Out-Pace USRA B-Mods. Brian Williams (4$ - Fayetteville, AR) took home his fifth win over Roy Long (7X – Stilwell, OK) and Hunter Byers (88B – Rogers, AR). Daniel Tarkington (2 – Checotah, OK) moves to top of the point standings with an 80-point advantage over second. He will only have to start the A Feature to capture the 2018 championship.

Harli White started mid-pack in the A feature and was holding her own before getting bumped from behind causing her to spin. After restarting at the back of the 23-car field, she finished the Out-Pace USRA B-Mod A feature in seventh place.

The Super Stock A Feature was up next and saw Dylan Davlin (26D – Shady Point, OK) take the win over Neil Johnston (17 – Fort Smith, AR). Robert Knowles (44K – Buffalo Valley, OK) finished in third. H. Palmer (X15 – Muldrow, OK) remains the point leader by 20 points. This class will come down to the final A Feature to determine the 2018 championship.

The last A Feature on the track was for the USRA Modifieds. Trevor Latham (27L – Rogers, AR) took the very high side, only inches from the outside wall, and road the cushion from his ninth starting position for the win. Brian Williams (26 - Fayetteville, AR) finished in second as Michael Hines (57M – Van Buren, AR) took home third. George Martin (15 – Fort Smith, AR) is still on top of the points, but by a very small four points. The 2018 class point championship will come down to the final A feature’s finishing positions to determine the winner.

Complete race results can be found on our website under the “See All Results” link at the bottom of the Results menu page or by clicking on results menu link. The Points menu link has the complete current points.

NEXT TIME

The next event for the mighty Tri-State Speedway will be the 10^th Annual Tillman Evans Memorial and 48^th Annual Point Championship races on September 15^th. The event will also feature a $1,568 to win 100-lap Enduro. Don’t forget, the 39^th Annual Spooker is only one month away. Mark your calendars now!

We will see YOU soon!

Rob Nugent, Track Announcer/Social Media/PR

THE EVENT

POCOLA, OK (August 30^th, 31^st & September 1^st, 2018) – The 2^nd Annual USRA Modified Fall Classic once again proved that the mighty Tri-State Speedway was the place to be this Labor Day Weekend. With 115 cars in action on the famous high banks in Pocola, OK, there was something for everyone. Mother Nature, for the most part, cooperated, except for the 20-minute monsoon on Thursday night that halted the open practice session only an hour or so in. Temps were in the low 90’s with a southerly breeze for Friday and Saturday night’s action. A big shout out to the track prep guys who had the track in great condition for practice and who were able to get it back in top-notch condition for the next two days of three and four-wide racing action.

The pre-race ceremonies started at 7:45 PM, on Friday night, with the invocation along with several cars presenting the American flag during the national anthem. Saturday night’s pre-race action started 7:53 PM.

Friday night’s heat races for the USRA Modifieds were determined by the driver’s draw at sign in and advanced to one of two qualifying features by their passing points earned in their heats. The top five cars in each of the two qualifying features locked into Saturday night’s big money A Feature while the remaining cars would return the next night for one of two last chance qualifying features.

Saturday night’s heat races for all the other classes were determined by the driver’s draw at sign in. The Factory Stocks and Out-Pace USRA Modifieds advanced to their features heads up from their heat race finishing positions with a random invert drawn by the last heat race’s winner. The Super Stocks advanced to their features via heat race passing points. The top five USRA Modifieds advanced from their LCQ’s to join the cars locked in from Friday night’s qualifying features, along with two provisionals to set up a 22-car starting field for the $5,000-to-win paycheck.

On Saturday night, there were several B Feature’s before intermission. In the Super Stocks, H. Palmer (X15 – Muldrow, OK) took home the win. In the first Out-Pace USRA Modified B Feature, Steve Holzkamper (40X – Gentry, AR) captured the win. The second Out-Pace USRA Modified B Feature saw Cody King (510 – Fanshawe, OK) crossing the finish line first for the win. In the first USRA Modified LCQ, Brent Holman (17 – Rogers, AR) took home the win. The second USRA Modified LCQ had Brian Williams (26 – Fayetteville, AR) capturing the checkered flag.

At intermission, on both nights, everyone grabbed themselves some great food items from the concessions along with an ice-cold Pepsi or Gatorade product. 50/50 money, of $170+, was also given away to one lucky winner, on Saturday night, as the remaining money went to the driver’s point fund. On Saturday night, several drivers came up at intermission for autographs. Some previous week’s feature winners also received their trophies for their hard work.

TOP THREE

No NexGen drivers were on hand, but time is running out to get racing this season with your own NexGen car. The NexGen class is an entry-level, low-cost, no racing experience class. You can find the simple rules on our website, at www.Tri-StateSpeedway.com, under Driver Info and then Rules. Blaise Leatherman (94L – Muskogee, OK) is the current points leader.

After intermission, the first A Feature on the track was for the Factory Stocks. Wesley Bourne (5 - Cameron, OK) took his third win of the season over Justin Johnson (55 – Van Buren, AR). Kyle Hamby (7K - Hackett, AR) finished in third. Hamby stays at the top of the point standings with a slightly narrower 41-point lead.

The next A Feature on the track was for the 35-lap, $5,000 to win USRA Modifieds. After running second for the first several laps, Jason Hughes (12H – Salina, OK) took the lead and never looked back, even as heavy lap traffic was encountered for most of the feature. Hughes took the lead from Tyler Wolff (4W – Fayetteville, AR) who stayed within striking distance but was not able to recapture the lead and finished in second. Chad Wheeler (88 – Muskogee, OK) ran a strong race and took home third. George Martin (15 – Fort Smith, AR) is still on top of the points, but by a smaller 23 points. Hughes also picked up the event passing point bonus money from Justin Moore while Mike Hansen (12M - Dickinson, ND) had his entry fee paid by Ready. Set. Float. for traveling the most distance to the event.

Next out onto the track, for their A Feature, was the Out-Pace USRA B-Mods. Mike Striegel (17 – Wheatland, MO) took home the win over Brian Williams (4$ - Fayetteville, AR) and Daniel Tarkington (2 – Checotah, OK). Brandon Wilson (4B – Fort Smith, AR) remains on top of the point standings with a very small 4-point advantage over second.

The Super Stock A Feature was the final A Feature of the night and saw John Coats (35 – Joplin, MO) claim the $1,000 pay check. Jeff Metcalf (6 – Siloam Springs, OK) finished in second as Dylan Davlin (26D – Shady Point, OK) finished in third. H. Palmer (X15 – Muldrow, OK) remains the point leader by 14 points. Coats also picked up the event passing point bonus from Justin Moore while Dale Richardson (327 - Muskogee, OK) claimed the Hard Charger bonus presented by Devin Davis Cosmetics.

Complete race results can be found on under the “See All Results” link at the bottom of the Results menu page. Current season points can also be found under the Points menu link.

NEXT TIME

The next event for the mighty Tri-State Speedway will be on September 8^th, 2018 for the 10^th Annual Tillman Evans Memorial Races and 100 lap Enduro. Full details will be released on September 4^th.

Coming soon will be the 48^th Annual Point Championship races and 39^th Annual Spooker. Mark your calendars now!

We will see YOU soon!