HIGHLAND, Ill. (July 23, 2013) – Midwest Open Wheel Association’s (MOWA) Illinois Sprint Week returns for the third consecutive year, Wednesday, as it kicks off at Highland Speedway, Highland, Ill., and ends at Macon Speedway, Macon, Ill., Saturday.
Besides Danny Smith who is expected to return to defend his championship, the week looks to be dotted with stars who plan to either run the entire series or part of it as it kicks off Wednesday.
Multi-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion and former USAC champion Tony Stewart will be racing the week’s final stop at Macon Speedway. Stewart will have a busy week in the Midwest, and plans take time to make his first appearance with the MOWA series.
Bryan Clauson will be racing with a wing for just the second time in his career. Clauson is a multiple time USAC champion and an Indy 500 veteran. He will be running the Pollock Racing 21x machine during the, Friday, Jacksonville Speedway stop.
Greg Wilson, who ran the Fox #53 at Tri-State Speedway earlier this season, will be making appearances on the first two nights of Sprint Week in the same car. The Fox #53 is well known in non-wing ranks, but threw the wing on for one of the first times in team history with Wilson behind the wheel in June. Wilson drove the car to a third place finish that night in Haubstadt, Ind.
For the second straight year, Highland Speedway opens the festivities as part of the Madison County Fair. With two-time, and defending, Illinois Sprint Week champion Danny Smith expected to be in attendance. Also, current MOWA point leader A.J. Bruns will be on hand along with the rest of the MOWA regulars. Smith kicked off the 2012 Sprint Week with a win in the first appearance at the track for the series last season.
Thursday marks the third visit for the MOWA series to Tri-City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, Ill. It is the second year Tri-City Speedway has been part of Illinois Sprint Week. The track was not part of Sprint Week in 2012, but was part of the event in 2011. Danny Smith won in that appearance, helping to secure his first Sprint Week title. Jerrod Hull won the last MOWA series race at the fast 3/8th’s mile in October of last year.
Known as MOWA’s home track, Jacksonville Speedway is marking it’s third straight year as part of Sprint Week, as it hosts the Herb Barlow Memorial on night number three of Sprint Week 2013, Friday. Brian Brown won last year’s stop at the 1/4 mile during Sprint Week. Smith and Jimmy Hurley have already won feature events at Jacksonville Speedway with MOWA in 2013.
The only other track to be a part of Sprint Week for the third straight year is Macon Speedway, which ends the four night swing of races for the second straight season. Last season’s event was won by Danny Smith and went green to checkered after a first lap caution forced an original restart on the 1/5 mile speedway. Hull won the 2011 event at Macon Speedway.
For more information about Sprint Week and the MOWA series visit http://www.midwestopenwheel.
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