SOME of the biggest names in sprintcar racing are facing hard nights as the Lucas Oil Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic reaches its climax.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Heading into tonight's final round of heat races, a posse of former Classic winners are well down in the points and outside the top 20.
Among those are three-time winner, Sydneysider Brooke Tatnell, Americans, six-time winner Danny Smith and 2010 winner Shane Stewart.
Tatnell is 28th, Smith 49th and Stewart 67th.Another former winner, 2012 champ Ian Loudon is 30th while some of the highly fancied Americans, last year's runner Terry McCarl (21st) , Kevin Swindell (22nd), Bud Kaeding (24th), Justin Henderson (26th), Kody Kinser (39th), Dale Blaney (44th) and Brad Sweet (46th) are all needing big points in their only heat race to gain direct entry into the A-main.
After the first two nights of racing, eight of the 21 Americans are in the top 20.
But significantly, eight of the top 13 are Australians, including four of the first five.
Could it be an Australian celebrating on our national day?
Follow the action tonight at www.standard.net.au