Several championship fights could be decided this weekend at Orange Show Speedway

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (September 1) – Last weekend, Mark Shackleford was one of the last drivers to arrive at Orange Show Speedway. The reigning Super Late Model champion said the reason for his tardy appearance was that he was trying to decide whether to watch son Chase race a go-kart or continue his pursuit of a third class title.

Shackleford’s perseverance was rewarded when he won the 50-lap main event and trimmed four points off the advantage enjoyed by David Ross. Unfortunately for the Riverside (Ca.) insurance appraiser that was like taking a nibble when huge gulps were required and only changed the condition of Shackleford’s title bid from bleak to dim going into Saturday night’s (September 4) 50-lap feature.

The Super Late Models will be the closing event on a Labor Day weekend program that includes the Team Too Pony Stocks, Pick-A-Part Street Stocks, Interstate Batteries Factory Fours, Tour Trucks, Budweiser Legends Cars and M.C. Erectors Bandoleros. The Street Stocks and Bandoleros originally were scheduled for August 21.

The competitors’ pit gate (Gate 11) will open at noon. Spectator gates will open at 4 p.m. and the first race is at 7 p.m.

Tickets are priced at $10 for general admission and $8 for seniors (60 and older), students 11 to 18 and military personnel with valid identification. Children 10 and under are admitted free. A Family Pack, which includes admission for four plus a hot dog and small soft drink for each person, is priced at $45.

Parking is $5, with entry through Gate 4 off Mill Street.

The Super Late Models seemingly had been building toward a tense finish to their 12-race season, but that changed on August 14, when a broken trailing arm relegated Shackleford to a 15th-place finish while Ross was taking second to Jake Engle.

That turned a 6-point lead into a 32-point lead for Ross, who won six of the first seven races, and the 21-year-old plumber currently is 28 points ahead and needs to finish eighth in the final two events to claim his first championship.

The other classes with the championship in question are the Interstate Batteries Factory Fours, Pick-A-Part Street Stocks and M.C. Erectors Bandoleros, and of the three the battle in the Factory Fours is by far the most entertaining, with reigning champion Dwayne Blay and Kim Marzullo tied atop the standings for the third time in the past five races.

There are two races remaining for the class, on Saturday and October 2, and at this point a tie in the final standings would give the title to Blay because he has two main event wins to one for Marzullo.

There are three events left for the Pick-A- Part Street Stocks and 28 points blanketing Johnny Russo, Jesse Lawson, Cliff Conklin and Kyle Meyer in the standings, and with two races left for the M.C. Erectors Bandoleros Parker Malone has a 26-point edge over RJ Stearns.

Two races remain for the Team Too Pony Stocks, as well, but Robby Hornsby Jr. leads Kevin Meador by 72 points and can clinch the title by finishing 11th on Saturday.

Best in the West Racing’s promotions at Orange Show Speedway are sponsored by Lucas Oil Products, Budweiser, San Bernardino Pick-A-Part, Team Too Termite and Pest Control, JAM Sportswear, Interstate Batteries, MC Erectors, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Rockstar Energy Drinks, Hoosier Tire West, KCAL 96.7 Rocks, Best Buy, Tri-City Towing, Pacific West Interiors (PWI), Luke’s Transmission, Print Depot, Riverside Mission Florist, Wayne’s Engine, Cal’s Towing, JP Striping, K1 Speed, Jerry’s Brake and Wheel, and Arrow Track GPS.com.
            For information on sponsorship and promotional opportunities, please contact Best in the West Racing by telephone at 909-885-9000 or visit the new web site at www.BestInTheWestRacing.com.
            For all other information, please contact Jim Short by telephone at 951-203-2649 or by e-mail at jimshort65@sbcglobal.net.
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As an American Speed Association (ASA)-sanctioned track, Orange Show Speedway is part of the ASA Member Track National Championship.
The goal of the ASA Short Track National Championship is to activate a measuring system which takes into account many variables – such as field size, inversion, wins and number of races in a season – and create a level playing field to determine who is the ‘best-of-the-best’ of the ASA Member Track Champions nationwide.
The ASA Joe Gibbs Driven National Member Track Champion Award was designed to give the National Champion exposure with one of the top teams in racing – Joe Gibbs Racing. Joe Gibbs Driven Oil, a division of Joe Gibbs Racing, sells the actual oil products developed and used by Joe Gibbs Racing to racers at all levels. More information can be found at www.joegibbdriven.com.
The ASA Member Track program is comprised of a network of short tracks around the United States, as well as a variety of regional and national touring series. For news and information from all the racetracks and tours involved in the American Speed Association, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.