TULSA, Okla.  — Gearing up for its 17th year of sprint-car racing action, the O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National Series released a vigorous 2008 schedule.
The series is currently slated for 44 nights of racing at 23 different tracks throughout a dozen states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee, South Dakota, Kansas, Mississippi and Illinois.
The O’Reilly ASCoT National Series kicks off at East Bay Raceway Park’s 32nd Winter Nationals in Gibsonton, Fla., with the 10th annual King of the 360s Nationals Jan. 31-Feb. 2.  
The East Bay opener is the first leg in the Triple Crown of 360 c.i. sprint-car racing, which also includes the ASCoT-sanctioned ASCS Knoxville Nationals (July 31-Aug. 2) and I-30 Speedway’s Short Track Nationals (Oct. 23-25).  
ASCoT competitors will get a chance to tune up for Knoxville’s ASCS Nationals when the series takes to the hallowed half-mile clay oval for the first time outside of Nationals competition on June 20.  That event kicks off the Northern Plains swing, which also includes Clay County Speedway (Spencer, Iowa), I-90 Speedway (Hartford, S.D.) and Dakota State Fair Speedway (Huron, S.D.).
The series is set to return to several tracks in 2008 after an absence of a year or more, including Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, Mo.), Paris Motor Speedway (Paris, Texas), Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, Mo.) and Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale, Texas).
Drivers contesting the O’Reilly ASCS National championship will face some new challenges over the course of the season as well, with the series making its first stop at a handful of new tracks including Checkered Flag Speedway (Hohenwald, Tenn.), Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, Ill.), Manzanita Speedway (Phoenix), Central Arizona Raceway (Casa Grande, Ariz.) and USA Race Park (Tucson, Ariz.).
The schedule:
Jan. 31-Feb. 2, East Bay Raceway Park, Gibsonton, Fla.; March 14-15, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, Texas; March 21-22, State Fair Speedway, Oklahoma City, Okla.; April 5, Checkered Flag Speedway, Hohenwald, Tenn.; April 19, Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo.; April 25, Paris Motor Speedway, Paris, Texas; April 26, I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, Ark.; May 3, Lake Ozark Speedway, Eldon, Mo.;
May 9, State Fair Speedway; May 10, Devil’s Bowl Speedway; June 20, Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, Iowa; June 21, Clay County Speedway, Spencer, Iowa; June 24,      I-90 Speedway, Hartford, S.D.; June 28, Dakota State Fair Speedway, Huron, S.D.; July 4, Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.; July 5, Lake Ozark Speedway, Eldon, Mo.; July 11, 67 Texarkana Speedway, Texarkana, Ark.; July 12, I-30 Speedway; July 14, Creek County Speedway, Sapulpa, Okla.; July 17, Devil’s Bowl Speedway; July 18, State Fair Speedway; July 19, Lawton Speedway, Lawton, Okla.; July 31-Aug. 2, Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, Iowa; Aug. 29, Checkered Flag Speedway, Hohenwald, Tenn.; Aug. 31, Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, Miss.; Sept. 19, Tri-City Speedway, Granite City, Ill.; Sept. 20, West Plains Motor Speedway, West Plains, Mo.; Sept. 26-27, Manzanita Speedway, Phoenix, Ariz.; Oct. 3, Central Arizona Raceway, Casa Grande, Ariz.; Oct. 4, United Sports Arizona Race Park, Tucson, Ariz.; Oct. 10-11, Cowtown Speedway, Kennedale, Texas; Oct. 17-18, Devil’s Bowl Speedway; Oct. 23-25, I-30 Speedway.