Don Hein/Casey Diemert Memorial Championship Night

by Scott C » Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:34 pm

After a tightly contested season The American Speed Association/Northwest Sprintcar Racing Association (ASA/NSRA) conducts its last show for the 2011 Championship this Saturday September 24th at Douglas County Speedway, Roseburg, Oregon for the Don Hein/Casey Diemert Memorial presented by Ten Down Bowling/Splitz Family Grill.

Since the beginning of the season in April the top three contenders for the 2011 Championship have virtually never been separated by more than a handful of points. Matt Hein, the 2008/09 Champion has slipped back to second with a somewhat dismal showing at the two day Meridian Speedway event September 9th and 10th. 2010 Champion Andy Alberding has moved backward to third place himself having a disappointing weekend at Meridian. Sierra Jackson held the advantage at Meridian, it being her home track. After the dust had settled from two days of racing Jackson emerged the new points leader. Jackson maintains a thirty-seven point lead over Matt Hein and a forty-one point lead over Andy Alberding.

Jackson, Hein, and Alberding all have the opportunity to become the 2011 Champion. Hein and Alberding both claim Douglas County Speedway as their home track giving them both the advantage Jackson held just two weeks ago at Meridian. Surprisingly, Jackson had the only podium finish with a 3rd place at the Art Pollard Memorial at Douglas County Speedway July 23rd. Hein mustered only a 7th place finish, Alberding a 6th place finish. All three drivers have to perform at their best. The one that performs THE best will likely hold the title of 2011 ASA/NSRA Champion. Jackson does have a bit of a cushion to work with having a 37 point lead but nothing is guaranteed for Saturday night.

The top three in Championship points are not the only hotly contested positions in the top ten. 4th place Johnny “Jet” Geisler cannot reach the top three but he himself holds just a 4 point advantage over 5th place Jeff Montgomery, and an 8 point advantage over 6th place Ron Larson. Vern Scevers in 7th is 16 points behind Larson, 24 points back of 4th place Geisler ! Darren Spiers and Greg Middendorf in 8th and 9th are separated by 18 points, Spiers trailing Scevers in 7th by only 19 points. A perfect night for a driver can net 70 points on the track.

Top ten Championship points totals going into Douglas County Speedway Don Hein/Casey Diemert Memorial Championship night.

Sierra Jackson 636
Matt Hein 599
Andy Alberding 595
Johnny “Jet” Geisler 396
Jeff Montgomery 392
Ron Larson 388
Vern Scevers 372
Darren Spiers 353
Greg Middendorf 335
Chris Schmelzle 297

Douglas County Speedway is a 3/8’s mile eleven degree banked oval providing exciting side by side racing for the winged 360 sprint cars of NSRA.

ASA/NSRA is the most exciting opened wheel racing on the west coast and by far the fastest. NSRA drivers currently hold 21 all time track records at venues throughout the region. These are open wheeled, winged sprint cars running on paved ovals utilizing 700 plus horsepower methanol-burning engines on tracks that vary in length from quarter mile to five-eights mile facilities.