Eagle, McCool, Lakeside Heartland Tour This Week; Clauson, Bacon Split Sprint Wins at Bloomington, Haubstadt

The AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series invades America’s heartland this week for a trio of events expected to weigh heavily on the 2015 championship.

Friday night’s “Rumble at the Bullring” unfolds at Eagle (Neb.) Raceway while Saturday’s race is at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. Sunday night’s “Weld Racing Spring Classic” is at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans. All three races carry additional WAR sanction.

Chase Stockon of Elizabethtown, Ind. leads the standings after a third and a fifth in races last week at Bloomington and Haubstadt, Ind. He has a 15-point lead over Robert Ballou in the latest rankings.

Defending series champion Brady Bacon, a 2009 USAC Midget winner at McCool Junction, wonSaturday night’s “Spring Showdown” at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt. He led the final 27 laps in his Mean Green/Lykins Oil Triple X/Williams Mopar to beat Ballou, Kyle Cummins, Brady Short and Stockon.

Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind. won Friday night’s 30-lapper at Bloomington Speedway in his Priority Aviation Services/Jonathan Byrd’s Racing Maxim/Parker. Jon Stanbrough took second ahead of Stockon, Tracy Hines and Bacon.

ProSource fast qualifiers were Bacon (Bloomington) and Darland (Haubstadt) while B & W Auto Mart Hard Chargers were Stockon (Bloomington) and Carson Short (Haubstadt).

Dave Darland, whose 54 victories are the all-time series record, owns Eagle victories in USAC Sprints and Midgets and Hunter Schuerenberg won last year’s Sprint outing at McCool Junction. Sunday’s race at Lakeside is the first for USAC’s Sprint cars in Kansas City since J.J. Yeley’s victory in 2001. Darland stands fourth in the series points behind Stockon, Ballou and Bacon.

2015 AMSOIL USAC Sprint Car National Championship Points: 1-Chase Stockon-467, 2-Robert Ballou-452, 3-Brady Bacon-439, 4-Dave Darland-424, 5-Kevin Thomas Jr.-391, 6-Jon Stanbrough-374, 7-C.J. Leary-364, 8-Tracy Hines-342, 9-Justin Grant-315, 10-Kyle Cummins-310.