After a feast of sedan action last weekend, it is an all open-wheeler affair at Ausdeck Archerfield Speedway this Saturday night (May 25) featuring the penultimate round of the East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship. The final round of the Polar Ice Midget Track Championship is also part of the huge Crazy Night program that includes Fireworks and the annual Caravan, Boat and Dunny Derby, along Compact Speedcars and the Jettco Brisvegas Jackpot for Formula 500s. 
Whilst the ECL Sprintcar Track Championship has already been decided, with Andrew Scheuerle once again proving the most consistently quick over the course of the season to clinch another title, there will still plenty to race for on Saturday night. Although not in track championship contention, Queensland champ Lachlan McHugh is in the midst of a remarkable run of success that most recently resulted in a runner-up finish here two weeks ago, less than a week after his state title triumph. It was a last-corner pass that propelled McHugh to second spot behind Scheuerle at the previous round and we know that the Gold Coast young gun will leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of victory. Of course, with the championship wrapped up, Scheuerle has nothing to lose and can afford to take on McHugh without fear or favour, with the likes of Bryan Mann, Kevin Titman, Michael Saller, Ben Hilder, Allan Woods, Brent Kratzmann and Peter Lack also expected to feature prominently, especially with so much at stake for some of this group.
Whilst Mann’s late start to the season puts him out of contention for any kind of overall result in the championship despite being one of the very few to secure a feature race win, he certainly has the potential to emerge as a spoiler in the fight for the minor placings in the championship standings, which is a three-way contest between Lack, Kratzmann and Woods. It is Lack, the only member of the trio to have won a feature race this season, who currently possesses a 12 point advantage over Kratzmann, with Woods just 5 points further back. Titman is lurking 41 points behind Woods and could fight his way into the top three overall with a big result this weekend and again in the series finale on June 1.
Meanwhile, other drivers with something at stake on Saturday include Mitch Gowland, who is on the cusp of climbing into the top ten overall in the championship standings, which would be a great reward for his perseverance throughout the season, while Aaron Kelly will be determined to translate the strong qualifying form he has produced since making his debut just a few weeks ago into a commensurate result come feature race time.
Despite the fact that some of the local Midget competitors have obviously clocked off early for the season, the field for the Polar Ice Track Championship Grand Final remains strong, with Darren Vine, Rusty Whittaker, Scott Farmer and Brock Dean leading the charge in a bid to finish the season on a winning note and perhaps restore some pride after the shellacking the locals copped at the hands of their New South Wales rivals in the 50-lap feature here two weeks ago. With Vine having been hampered by a series of mechanical issues and Farmer only running sporadically, Dean and Whittaker have been the standouts over the course of the season and both will desperate to finish the season with a final visit to victory lane.
With extra money up for grabs, expect the Jettco Brisvegas Jackpot Formula 500 action to be even more intense than usual, with Liam Williams, Kristin Brown, Ryan Skennar and James Kennedy leading the charge for the final time in what has been another hectic season for the category. Jarrod Bampfield has been on the podium this year and Ron Barber has emerged as a genuine threat each week and, whilst Williams has been all but unbeatable throughout the season, with no more meetings on the schedule, there is no reason for any of his rivals to hold back in their pursuit of victory.
Gates open at 4.00pm (3.30pm for online ticketholders), with early racing from 5.00pm. Sprintcars hit the track for time trials at 5.30pm, the main program gets underway at 6.00pm and the mayhem of the Caravan, Boat and Dunny Derby will be the final event of the night.
East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship round 16 nominations: Aaron Kelly, Allan Woods, Andrew Scheuerle, Anthony Lambert, Ben Hilder, Blake Darcy, Brad Ayers, Brandon Haynes, Brent Kratzmann, Bryan Mann, Cody Maroske, Darren Jensen, David Whell, Des Collier, Geoff Davey, Jason King, Karl Hoffmans, Kevin Titman, Kristy Bonsey, Lachlan McHugh, Libby Ellis, Mark Pholi, Michael Saller, Mitch Gowland, Peter Campbell, Peter Lack, Randy Morgan, Scott Genrich, Sean Rose, Trent Vardy
Polar Ice Midget Track Championship Grand Final nominations: Audie Malt, Bodie Smith, Brad Dawson, Brock Dean, Cal Whatmore, Chris Singleton, Darren Vine, Mitchell Rooke, Nathan Mathers, Rusty Whittaker, Scott Doyle, Scott Farmer, Tom Clauss, Tony Stephens, Zac McDonald
Jettco Brisvegas Jackpot Formula 500 nominations: Adrian Farrell, Cameron Bertuch, Dekota Gay, Jacob Gray, James Kennedy, Jarrod Bampfield, Kristin Brown, Liam Williams, Mitchell Whittaker, Ron Barber, Royce Harvey, Ryan Skennar, Tarhlea Apelt, Tomas Partington, Tom Qualischefski, Tony Bailey
Compact Speedcar nominations: Andrew Parkes, Connor McCullough, Dave Collins, Dave Swan, Matt O’Neill, Nick Gannon, Richard Rooke, Trent Usher
Ausdeck Archerfield Speedway is proudly supported by:
Ausdeck Group
East Coast Logistics
Polar Ice
Queensland Speedway Spares
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