For Immediate Release
Contact: Ben Shelton (msrmafia@gmail.com)
May 31, 2018

Riley Hickman Returns to Action with Pair of Top-5 Finishes

Cleveland, Tennessee (05/31/18) – Wet weather and a new focus have kept Riley Hickman away from the track for much of the past month, but over the weekend he resumed his 2018 season in his Billy Franklin Enterprises #R1 Tucker’s Mobile Home Services/ American Billet/ Black Diamond Race Car Super Late Model.

The Tennessee racer scored a pair of Top-5 finishes, while competing in Alabama and Tennessee.

“I made a decision about a month or so ago to scale back my racing for a while because I just wasn’t having fun anymore,” Hickman recounted. “So, I hadn’t raced in about a month, but this past weekend I was in action in one of Billy Franklin’s cars. I was a little rusty, but we still had a solid weekend. My schedule for the rest of this year will probably just be hit and miss. I want to get back to having fun with racing, while also spending more time with my family.”

Saturday night brought Riley Hickman to North Alabama Speedway (Tuscumbia, Alabama) for a Southern All Star (SAS) Dirt Racing Series sanctioned contest.

With 23 cars on hand for the Memorial Day Classic, Riley locked his spot into the $4,000-to-win A-Main by registering the sixth-fastest qualifying lap in time trials.

Rolling off sixth for the feature, Hickman overtook race leader John Owenby on lap-11 and held the top spot for the next 21 circuits. With eight laps remaining, Owenby used lap traffic to his advantage and snuck past Hickman, ultimately dropping Riley to a runner-up finish when the checkered flag flew.

Jay Scott, Rick Rickman, and Eric Hickerson completed the Top-5 finishers in the 40-lap affair.

The following night at Duck River Raceway Park (Wheel, Tennessee) Hickman landed a fifth-place finish in the unsanctioned, $3,000-to-win feature trailing David Brannon, Jadon Frame, Daniel Miller, and Brad Skinner across the finish line.

Complete results from these events can be found at www.SASDirt.com and www.DuckRiverRacewayPark.com .

Point your browser to www.RileyHickman.com to find the latest schedule and news updates as Riley lays out the remainder of his 2018 plans

Riley Hickman would like to thank all of his sponsors including Hickman Manufacturing Company, American Billet, RH Designs, Tucker’s Mobile Home Service, Black Diamond Race Cars, CVR Race Cars, Austin Trucking, Franklin Enterprises, Boyd’s Speedway, GW Performance, A-1 Towing and Recovery, Competition Racing Equipment, MRC Racing Components, Performance Masters Inc., All-Star Graphix, Stealth Racing Carburetors, Hoosier Racing Tires, JRI Shocks, VP Race Fuels, COMP Cams, Weld Wheels, FSR Racing Products, Design 500, Fel-Pro, KRC Power Steering, Wiles Racing Drive Shafts, Old Man’s Garage, and MSRMafia.com Marketing Services.

For the latest information on Riley Hickman, please visit www.RileyHickman.com .

Blake Hahn Posts Pair Of Podium Finishes With ASCS Gulf South Region

Bryan Hulbert - MESQUITE, Texas (May 31, 2018) Blake Hahn added a pair of podium finishes to his record this past weekend with the Griffith Truck and Equipment ASCS Gulf South Region, standing in both place and show at a pair of Texas ovals.

Second at RPM Speedway and third at Devil's Bowl Speedway, the Friday appearance in Crandall, Texas saw Blake make a last lap run at the win.

"We were rolling at the end of the race at RPM. We started off tight, and I tried the top a few times, but I just had to wait and let the fuel load burn off. Once it did, the car started getting better and better and I was able to run the top without having the throw the car or risk tripping over the cushion," stated Hahn who began the race fifth.

"We had a caution, with like three laps to go and I was fourth. I just threw it to the top and it was working. When we came to the white, Sam [Hafertepe] was running the bottom and it looked like he missed the line a little bit, and I ran right up on him and I thought I may have had a chance to turn under him coming off the fourth turn, but he recovered and got it."

Rolling to one of Hahn's favorite tracks, Saturday at the Devil's Bowl ended with a third-place finish after starting fifth.

"We were good, just needed a little more speed at Devil's Bowl. On the start, we got third right away, but we just couldn't get a run on Ray or Sam. They never really got away from me, and I could run the car pretty much where I wanted it. I feel like if we'd gotten into any real traffic, we would have been right there, but overall, we were really pleased with the weekend, and got some good notes to work with when we go back for Speedweek."

For this coming weekend, the Griffith Truck and Equipment No. 52 will be in action with the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Red River Region presented by Smiley's Racing Products at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, Okla. on Friday, June 1 and Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla. on Saturday, June 2.

The 2018 season is Blake Hahn's 16th year of racing. Starting in Jr. Sprints at the Tulsa Shootout, Hahn has progressed through the ranks with over 90 victories across Micros, Midgets, and Sprint Cars. For continued updates on Blake Hahn Racing, along with his full 2018 lineup, log onto http://www.blakehahnracing.com.

2018 Season to Date:

Events: 26; Wins -1 ; Top 5 - 11; Top 10 - 20; Top 15 -23; Top 20 -24;

Up Next:

June 1, 2018 - Red Dirt Raceway (Meeker, Okla.) with ASCS Red River
June 2, 2018 - Tri-State Raceway (Pocola, Okla.) with ASCS Red River

Blake Hahn Racing Online Store:

You can now purchase your Blake Hahn Racing apparel online at http://www.blakehahnracing.com/shopping/

How To Stalk Blake Hahn Online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Blake-Hahn-Racing-139549836107030/?fref=ts
Website: http://www.blakehahnracing.com 
Instagram: BHAHN52

The Sponsors:

Lucas Oil Products, Griffith Truck and Equipment, CSR Garage, Velocita, Parker Lee Project, Speedway Vending, Semi Crazy Truck Wash, JR1, Wesmar, Triple X Race Co., Engler, Smiley's Racing Products, Hoosier Tire Southwest, Penske Shocks, Maxwell Industries, Best Graphics, Schoenfeld, Rod End Supply, Pizza Express of Oklahoma, and EFH.

Carney Captures Fourth Win of the Year

Lonnie Wheatley, EL PASO, Texas (May 31, 2018) – John Carney II continued his winning ways by driving the John Carney Racing No. J2 Sprint Car to ASCS Southwest victory lane at Las Cruces’ Southern New Mexico Speedway on Saturday night.

It was a weekend that included a pair of podium runs for the El Paso native with a third-place finish in Sunday’s ASCS Southwest feature at the same track’s Salute to Indy to finish off the Memorial Day Weekend of racing.

“Both nights went really well, it was a good way to get ready for ASCS Speedweek,” Carney commented.

Before Speedweek fires off next weekend, Carney will take in Friday’s 305-ci Sprint Car card at Lubbock’s West Texas Raceway.

Last weekend’s Southern New Mexico Speedway double began with Carney II climbing from sixth to second in his heat race and then redrawing the fourth starting position for the feature.  Carney wasted little time racing to the front en route to his fourth overall win of the year, this one worth $2,500.

“The track widened out a lot early and was really dry by the main event,” Carney relates.  “I started pushing for the lead off the bat, I was able to get the lead and set the pace the rest of the way.”

After another high draw on Sunday, Carney climbed from seventh to fourth in heat race action to make the redraw once again.  This time, he drew the six to start third row outside of the feature.

Carney made his way into the lead mix before ultimately settling for third at the stripe.

“The top had some moisture, I didn’t think it would take any rubber until maybe the end,” Carney explained.  “But about seven or eight laps in, I had got by (Rick) Ziehl for second and (Jesse) Baker had latched onto the rubber.”

Traffic would play a role in the final outcome of this one.

“We were racing for the lead and came up on a lapped car,” Carney recalls.  “We split him and I had to get off the throttle, that’s when Ziehl got back by for second.”

Carney held third the rest of the way to finish off the weekend.

Carney guns for win number five on the year Friday night at West Texas Raceway before taking on the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Speedweek beginning at the same Lubbock, TX, oval next Friday, June 8.

John Carney Racing is made possible by the support of invaluable partners including Mesilla Valley Transportation, Vado Speedway Park, South Plains Auto Transport, Danny Sander Construction, CSR Garage, Briley Trucking, Momentum Racing Suspensions, Performance Plus, Performance Motor Coach, Raider Graphix, MSD Ignition and Joe Hunt Magnetos.

Up Next: IMCA 305-ci Sprint Cars at West Texas Raceway (Lubbock, TX) on Friday night.

Keep Track:  Keep track of John Carney II’s on-track action including schedule and results at https://www.johncarneyracing.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JohnCarneyRacing/.

If you would like John Carney Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

McIntosh Rallies at Midget Roundup – Set for ASCS at Meeker on Friday

Lonnie Wheatley, BIXBY, Okla. (May 31, 2018) – It was an eventful weekend for Cannon McIntosh at the POWRi West Midget Roundup with the 15-year-old in the mix throughout the two-night event at Garden City, Kansas’ Airport Raceway.

After a tangle while dicing for the lead in the Saturday event and then charging through the field from the tail to finish fourth in Sunday’s finale, McIntosh and the RL Hudson No. 08 Sprint Car will be back in ASCS Red River Sprint Car action on Friday night at Meeker, Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway.

McIntosh and the RL Hudson/Toyota-TRD No. 08 Midget team kicked off last weekend’s TBJ Promotions Midget Roundup atop the 1/5-mile Airport Raceway with a heat race runner-up finish and then rallied from the 11th starting position into the lead battle in short order.

“It only took us a few laps to get up there, it was good to know that the car was back to normal,” McIntosh said of the mount that was freshly rebuilt prior to the weekend.

McIntosh traded sliders for the lead with Tyler Thomas and then raced for the point with Wesley Smith before getting turned around in traffic.  “We got into a lapped car a little bit and the car behind us had a lot of speed and turned me, it was just a racing thing,” McIntosh relates.

Looking to make up for what could have been a possible win, McIntosh found himself in a hole on Sunday after a heat race spin while dicing for the lead.  But, after transferring through “B” Main action, the young gun made the most of it by charging through the field from 20th to capture a fourth-place finish.

“It was amazing that we even finished, I had no brakes at all,” McIntosh explains.  “Every bolt sheared off, the rotor was just floating.”

It was another weekend in which the young racer showed good speed throughout.

“We were pretty good, I just made too many mistakes that cost us a win on Saturday night and then put us so far back on Sunday,” McIntosh says.

Before embarking upon POWRi’s Illinois Midget Week next week, McIntosh gets in another night of Sprint Car racing on Friday.  The ASCS Red River card at Meeker’s Red Dirt Raceway will be just his fifth night in a winged Sprint Car.  McIntosh has posted three top-ten runs in ASCS action including a third-place showing last time out.

It will be McIntosh’s second visit to Red Dirt Raceway after racing to a top-ten finish in POWRi West Midget action in April.

Along with RL Hudson and Toyota-TRD, other marketing partners making the ambitious 2018 slate of events possible includes American Discount, Complete Auto Care, Best Graphics, Fieldhouse Gear, Precision Inspection, Sanders and Associates, Panels by Smoke, Walker Performance, Sanders Wheels, American Discount Brake and Muffler, D&N Fabrication and Car and Fleet.

2018 Quick Stats:  13 races, 4 top-fives, 8 top-tens.

Up Next: ASCS Red River Region at Meeker, Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway on Friday night.

Keep Track:  Keep track of Cannon McIntosh’s on-track action including schedule and results at https://www.facebook.com/cmacracing/.

If you would like Cannon McIntosh Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Bellm Racks Up another Top Ten at the Lake

Lonnie Wheatley, NIXA, Mo. (May 31, 2018) – Kyle Bellm kicked off last week’s Memorial Day Weekend of racing action with another top-ten finish in ASCS Warrior Region competition aboard the family-owned No. 14k Sprint Car before a strong Saturday night run was cut short by mechanical issues.

Saturday’s engine issues cut short what was initially planned to be a three-race weekend for the Greenworks Nursery/Landscapes Awarded Sprint Car team.

The weekend began with Bellm racing to a heat race win aboard the Christian County Collision Repair/Bybee Lawn Care entry in Friday’s ASCS Warrior Region card at Eldon, Missouri’s Lake Ozark Speedway to land the fifth starting position in the feature.

Bellm wrestled a tight car to post a ninth-place finish for the night in the PPG Automotive Finishes/Colorvision machine.

“The track was heavy and choppy,” Bellm explains.  “I biked it twice, we had the bleeder way too low for the track conditions.  We made the most of it with what we had.”

Bellm drew deep in a stout heat race for Saturday’s card at Lake Ozark Speedway and climbed from sixth to fourth aboard the VP Racing Fuels/Schure Built Suspensions/Schaeffers Racing Oil entry to earn the 14th starting position for the feature.

Bellm was on the move in the 40-lap feature, charging into the top five by the midway point and making a move for fourth when engine woes forced him pitside after 21 laps.

“I think we had a podium car at the very least, we just didn’t get a chance to see,” Bellm said afterward.  “None of the engine problems have been major, but they’re just enough to set things back some.”

The forward progress prior to the issues offered the team encouragement.

“It may be the best that we have rolled around there all year, so we’re looking forward to going back,” Bellm concludes.

Bellm and crew will likely take this weekend off before getting back into action next week.

2018 Quick Stats:  11 races, 2 top-fives, 4 top-tens.

Up Next: TBD.

Keep Track:  Keep track of Kyle Bellm’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.kylebellm.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KyleBellmRacing?fref=ts or on Twitter at @kylebellmracing.

If you would like Kyle Bellm Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

All Star Points Leader Reutzel Charges with the Outlaws – Three Races on Tap for this Weekend

Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (May 31, 2018) – Aaron Reutzel’s Memorial Day Weekend of racing was filled with some ups and some downs.

It ended on a strong upside for Reutzel and the Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 87 Sprint Car team with a thrilling charge through the field from 22nd to seventh in Monday night’s World of Outlaws feature event at Indiana’s Lawrenceburg Speedway.

“That’s the most fun I’ve had racing all year,” Reutzel recalls.  “It was three and four wide in the pack on the restarts, it was cutthroat back there.”

It wrapped up a slated four-race weekend that kicked off with a top-ten All Star Circuit of Champions finish at Attica Raceway Park, a rainout at Wayne County Speedway and then a salvaged 14th-place run at Wayne County Speedway on Sunday night after an incident in hot laps.

This weekend’s triple includes another pair of All Star events on Friday and Sunday at Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway and Bedford Speedway with a stop at Port Royal Speedway scheduled in between on Saturday night.

Last week’s action began at Attica Raceway Park on Friday night with Reutzel picking off a seventh-place finish aboard the Folkens Brothers Trucking/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution Triple-X Sprint Car entry for the second time in a row at Attica.

“We qualified alright, although I thought we should have qualified better.  Then we had a really good car it the heat race to get to the Dash,” Reutzel says.

A loose car the rest of the night limited Reutzel to seventh in the feature.

“We were a little loose in the Dash,” Reutzel explains.  “We tried something totally different from last time since we weren’t that great then and we were still loose again.  They rolled the top down after the heat races and there’s nothing to lean on, you have to roll the middle and we’re struggling with it there.”

Reutzel was still in contention, battling among the lead trio.

“We were contending and got together with another car and that put us back,” Reutzel says.  “Seventh-place still wasn’t too bad considering how bad the car was.”

After Saturday’s rainout at Orrville, Ohio’s Wayne County Speedway, Sunday’s tilt at Waynesfield Raceway Park got off to a rough start with a flip in hot laps that forced the Precision Catalyst/Hollywood Blasting & Coating/Beard Equipment team to miss out on qualifying and heat race action.

“We almost made it out, we were ready but it wouldn’t fire,” Reutzel explains.  “We had a bad MSD box in it.”

After running a few laps to feel the car out in “B” Main action, Reutzel gridded the feature field in 25th and climbed 11 positions to salvage a 14th-place finish to maintain the All Star points lead.

“We were just okay in the feature, getting to 14th was about all we had,” Reutzel says.

Reutzel saved the best of the weekend for last with his Monday night World of Outlaws Hard Charger effort aboard the Nattress Construction/Momentum Racing Suspensions machine.

“We tried something in qualifying and it just didn’t work like we had hoped,” Reutzel said of a qualifying time that was 21st among the 34-car field.

The night was on the upswing from there.

“We were pretty good in the ‘B’ and in the ‘A’ Main the car was awesome,” Reutzel recalls.

Reutzel rallied through the field, picking off 15 positions along the way to earn a seventh-place finish.

“I think we might have had a little more, I slid Jason Johnson for sixth right before the finish but couldn’t quite stick it,” Reutzel explains.  “It was pretty badass to go from 22nd to seventh with that group of guys.”

Reutzel will take that momentum into this weekend’s trio of events in Pennsylvania at Lernerville, Port Royal and Bedford.

2018 Quick Stats:  21 races, 2 wins, 7 top-fives, 11 top-tens.

Up Next: 

Friday – All Star Circuit of Champions at Lernerville (PA) Speedway.

Saturday – 410-ci Sprint Cars at Port Royal (PA) Speedway.

Sunday – All Star Circuit of Champions at Bedford (PA) Speedway.

Keep Track:  Keep track of Aaron Reutzel’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.aaronreutzelracing.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-Reutzel-Racing/117666254913127 or on Twitter at @AaronReutzel.  You can also e-mail Aaron at aaronreutzel@yahoo.com.

If you would like Aaron Reutzel Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Hafertepe Earns Fourth Win Of The Season With RPM Speedway Score

Bryan Hulbert - CRANDALL, Texas (May 31, 2018) Gaining momentum week after week, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. came away from a weekend double with the Griffith Truck and Equipment ASCS Gulf South Region with his fourth win of the season.

Topping action at RPM Speedway on Friday night, Sam used a late race caution to dash around Tennessee's Terry Gray for the win.

"I tried to run the top to get by him, but under open green flag laps, it was hard to gauge if that was the place to be. A few guys poked their heads up there and tried, but the bottom was so dominate you just wanted to ride," explained Hafertepe.

"I waited all race long for Terry to make a mistake, and he just never did where you could get by him. With the pressure I was feeling, I knew it was time to make something happen, so on the restart, I hit the middle. I figured if there a time it was going to work, that was it, and once I got by him, I dropped to protect the line."

Heading to Devil's Bowl Speedway on Saturday, the Heidbreder Foundation No. 15h rolled to a runner-up finish behind Ray Allen Kulhanek.

"We had a couple runs on Ray. The first time I had him lined up and the caution for Covington saved him then the second time, we got the run with about three to go and got to him, then just got caught in dirty air. As good as the track was, there wasn't really anything coming off the bottom of turn-two and I just timed it wrong when I got there, but all in all, the last few races, we've had some really good cars. I think we're just as fast, if not faster than we were at this time last year with the changes we've been making."

With a streak of top-five finishes now five races long, with fourth podium finishes and three wins included, the Hills Racing Team No. 15h is hitting a stride at just the right time as the team prepares for the 2018 ASCS Sizzlin' Summer Speedweek.

Taking the time to further test and tune, Hafertepe is slated to be on track this weekend with the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Red River Region presented by Smiley's Racing Products at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, Okla. on Friday, June 1 and Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla. on Saturday, June 2.

For continued updates on Sam Hafertepe, Jr. log onto http://www.sam15.com and make sure to find him on Twitter (@samhafertepejr). For news on Hill's Racing Team, log onto https://www.facebook.com/hillsracing/ and on Twitter (@HillsRacingTeam).

2018 Season to Date:

Events: 21; Wins -4 ; Top 5 - 10; Top 10 - 12; Top 15 -14; Top 20 -16;

Up Next:

June 1, 2018 - Red Dirt Raceway (Meeker, Okla.) with ASCS Red River
June 2, 2018 - Tri-State Raceway (Pocola, Okla.) with ASCS Red River

Sam Hafertepe, Jr. T-Shirts:

http://www.kevinquirkracewear.com/buy-driver-tees.htm

Sam Hafertepe, Jr. Online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011628097506
Website: http://www.sam15.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/samhafertepejr

The Sponsors: