2016 AST Voltson Super Trucks season

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2016 AST Voltson Super Trucks season
# of Rounds 10
Ovals 9
Road Courses 1
Driver's Champion USA.png Darrell Quick
Owner's Champion USA.png Too Quick Motorsports
Season Opener Saar Nebraska 100
Season Finale Voltson Marne 100
Championship Overview

The 2016 AST Volston Super Trucks season was the third season of the AST Voltson Super Trucks; a lower-budget, semi-professional auto racing series that utilizes pickup trucks with V6 engines primarily on short tracks around the Great Lakes Basin region of North America.

Over the course of the ten-race season, nine drivers visited victory lane. This includes seven first-time winners: John Bennett, Jack Clark, TM Master Cup Series racer Joel Rodriguez (in a one-off appearance at Nelson Ledges), Wilson Timothy, Kevin Thompson, Jenny Jackson, and Camden Rhodes.

Forty-five-year-old Darrell Quick, driver of the #82 Saar for his self-owned team Too Quick Motorsports, won the drivers' championship after winning two races and earning one pole position. After winning the season-ending Voltson Marne 100, he became tied with Michael McKinley as the winningest driver in the series with five race victories. It was the third consecutive championship for both Quick and his team.

Bryan Kelly, the 30-year-old driver for Binford Racing Team, won the Rookie of the Year Award with two top 5 finishes and a second-place rank in the championship standings.

Pre-Season Overview[edit | edit source]

In its third season of competition, the series continued to attract more teams from Michigan and beyond with the arrival of several new teams and drivers. The full-time entry list of 19 trucks was four greater than the 15-truck roster from the year before.

With an expanded entry list and the potential for an increase in the number of races where qualifying races will become necessary, the officials considered a restructuring of the qualifying format for events that receive more entries than available starting spots. One idea that was presented resembles a twin-race format that, essentially, would be similar to the points system that was used by the TM Master Cup Series for the 2007 Round of Russia. However, no such changes would be implemented.

The driver lineup for the entry of the #6 truck for Binford Racing Team presented the series with a situation that it had not previously seen; a full-time entry shared between multiple drivers. The part-time #77 truck for Legendary Motorsports is also split between multiple drivers. After consideration, officials decided that points will be scored separately for the individual drivers, as opposed to awarding points collectively to the truck that they share. Binford, however, later decided to let Kelly drive truck #6 for the full schedule upon him achieving the points lead following the race at Toledo. He would go on to finish second in the championship standings.

Both Saar and Lycoia returned with the Nebraska and Rebel models, respectively. In addition, Isanni was approved for competition with its own model of pickup truck, originally developed for use in the FARC Truck Series. The series continued to allow former FARC Truck Series chassis to be used, as the regulations remain unchanged.

Schedule[edit | edit source]

The schedule consisted of ten rounds, the same number as the previous year. Eight races were on short tracks.

All of the venues that were visited in 2015 returned to the calendar with the exception of Dells Raceway Park, which did not host a race after being the only addition to the 2015 calendar from the year before. Taking its place as the host venue for the eighth race of the season would be DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. The one-mile dirt track became the second-to-largest oval for the series to visit, and was the first venue in Illinois to host a Super Trucks race. The track was also the oldest on the series calendar.

With the addition of DuQuoin, the schedule included three dirt ovals, six paved ovals, and one paved road course.

The races at both the Michigan International Speedway and the Berlin Raceway retained their title sponsorship, with several new participating sponsors contributing to the race at MIS as it continued to grow in popularity. The race at Nelson Ledges Road Course was unable to find another title sponsor after Nilbog decided not to return.

Round Date Race Title Circuit Laps Race Winner Winning Team (Entry) Starting Field (Entries)
1 28 May Saar Nebraska 100 MI.png Michigan International Speedway 50 USA.png John Bennett USA.png John Bennett Racing (#58 Saar) 33
2 18 June Flat Rock 100 MI.png Flat Rock Speedway 100 USA.png Darrell Quick USA.png Too Quick Motorsports (#82 Saar) 25
3 25 June VST @ Toledo OH.png Toledo Speedway 50 USA.png Jack Clark USA.png Clark Racing (#789 Saar) 24
4 9 July VST @ Nelson Ledges OH.png Nelson Ledges Road Course 20 PRC.png Joel Rodriguez USA.png JINX Racing Development (#86 Lycoia) 23 (27)
5 16 July VST @ Winston MI.png Winston Speedway 50 USA.png Wilson Timothy USA.png Binford Racing Team (#61 Saar) 23
6 22 July VST @ Kalamazoo MI.png Kalamazoo Speedway 75 USA.png Kevin Thompson USA.png Backfire Motorsports (#90 Lycoia) 26 (30)
7 6 August VST @ Galesburg MI.png Galesburg Speedway 50 USA.png Jenny Jackson USA.png Home Grown Racers (#501 Saar) 23 (27)
8 13 August VST @ DuQuoin IL.png DuQuoin State Fairgrounds 50 USA.png Camden Rhodes USA.png Operation JM (#62 Saar) 29
9 20 August VST @ Terre Haute IN.png Terre Haute Action Track 50 USA.png Chase Eberhardt USA.png Outlaw Motorsports (#91 Lycoia) 29 (32)
10 3 September Voltson Marne 100 MI.png Berlin Raceway 100 USA.png Darrell Quick USA.png Too Quick Motorsports (#82 Saar) 21 (31)

Team Chart[edit | edit source]

Team No. Driver Primary Sponsor(s) Manufacturer Home Racetrack Races
USA.png Gargulak Racing 0 USA.png Carl Gargulak Saar WI.png Appleton Speedway 1
30 USA.png Kathy Gargulak Sleez Cheez WI.png Appleton Speedway 1, 6, 7, 8, 9
USA.png Focus Autosports 3 USA.png Riley Durbin Spinner Rotors Lycoia IN.png Anderson Speedway 1, 8, 9, 10
USA.png Binford Racing Team 6 USA.png Bryan Kelly Binford Tools Saar File:Illinois.png Rockford Speedway All
61 USA.png Wilson Timothy Binford Tools All
87 CND.png Amy Robinson Isanni CND.png HLR Circuit 4
USA.png Lake Erie Motorsports 7 USA.png Brianna Princehorn Saar OH.png Toledo Speedway All
84 USA.png Zack Churchill MI.png Flat Rock Speedway
USA.png Pamela Kellar Racing 00 USA.png Kim Conway Saar MI.png Flat Rock Speedway 2
USA.png Bullring Motorsports 06 USA.png John White Saar MI.png Port Huron Dirt Coliseum All
USA.png AJ Gibbs Racing 18 USA.png Nancy Keith Lenient Loans Lycoia MI.png Owosso Speedway 1, 8, 9, 10
USA.png Curtis Sawyers Racing 25 USA.png Mary Brissot Kimball Saar MI.png Dixie Motor Speedway 1, 4, 7, 8, 9
USA.png Ace Racing Motorsports 32 USA.png Gordon Davis MHL Saar 1, 3, 6
USA.png Operation JM 40 USA.png Jason Miller Miller Auto & Repair Saar IN.png Terre Haute Action Track 1, 2, 3, 9
62 USA.png Camden Rhodes Bryn Mawr
Mascroft
IN.png Terre Haute Action Track All
80 USA.png Danny Vigo Vigo Design IN.png Terre Haute Action Track All
USA.png Starks Racing 41 USA.png Mark Hampstein McVie Piston Manufacturing Company Lycoia OH.png Kil-Kare Raceway WD
USA.png Cobalt Motorsports 53 USA.png Buddy McConway Lucky 777 Cola Saar WD
USA.png Team Michigan 57 USA.png Daynella Jacobson Bagel Bandit Lycoia MI.png Auto City Speedway All
75 USA.png Amberly Weiss Hot Shot Orange MI.png Auto City Speedway
USA.png John Bennett Racing 58 USA.png John Bennett Saar All
USA.png Sawgrass Family Racing 67 USA.png Bobby Sawgrass Sawgrass Michigan Saar Dealers Saar WD
USA.png P2M Motorsports 68 USA.png Conner Koda Compton Charcoal Saar MI.png Flat Rock Speedway 1
USA.png Outlaw Motorsports 69 USA.png Ronald Way Goodwin's Super Mart Lycoia MI.png Flat Rock Speedway 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10
91 USA.png Chase Eberhardt Goodwin's Super Mart MI.png Kalamazoo Speedway
USA.png Gravity Racing, Inc. 71 USA.png Hunter Blaize Proto-Call Lycoia OH.png Columbus Motor Speedway All
USA.png Moss Motorsports 74 USA.png Nick Moss Saar All
USA.png Legendary Motorsports 77 USA.png Legend Hart Jackson’s Mirrors
Drowsy Lion Bedding
Saar File:Illinois.png Peoria Speedway 1, 6, 7, 10
USA.png Heaven Bradley OH.png Sandusky Speedway 2, 3, 4
USA.png Too Quick Motorsports 82 USA.png Darrell Quick Insurex Saar MI.png West Midland Bullring All
USA.png JINX Racing Development 86 PRC.png Joel Rodriguez JINX Motor Works Lycoia NY.png Watkins Glen International 4
USA.png Adam Ramirez Isanni NC.png Hickory Motor Speedway 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
USA.png North East Racing 87 USA.png Samantha Spires Isanni 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
USA.png Backfire Motorsports 90 USA.png Kevin Thompson Gaskin's Gaskets Lycoia MI.png Port Huron Dirt Coliseum All
USA.png Midwest Motors 94 MEX.png Juan Cortez eCola Lycoia IN.png Terre Haute Action Track All
95 USA.png Alex DeFranco Air Herler MI.png Kalamazoo Speedway
USA.png Yooper Motorsports 96 USA.png Kris Wascher Wascher General Stores Saar MI.png Winston Speedway 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
USA.png McKinley Racing 99m USA.png Michael McKinley Coletta
StopDebt
Lycoia IN.png Bloomington Speedway All
USA.png Helms Deep Motorsports 153 USA.png Archer Helms Colero Rotors
Fireside Girls
Saar 4, 6, 8, 9, 10
USA.png Purple Torpedo Racing 333 USA.png Ron Anderson Lycoia MI.png Michigan International Speedway 1, 10
USA.png Blue Water Racing 401 CND.png Larry Kowalczyk Saar MI.png Port Huron Dirt Coliseum 1
402 CND.png Rachel Kowalczyk MI.png Port Huron Dirt Coliseum 1, 4, 8, 9
USA.png Grade F Racing Team 404 USA.png Lester McPhail Saar MI.png Kalamazoo Speedway 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
USA.png Home Grown Racers 500 USA.png Jeffer Jackson Helmsley’s Burials Saar All
501 USA.png Jenny Jackson Helmsley’s Burials
USA.png Clark Racing 789 USA.png Jack Clark Saar OH.png Toledo Speedway 2, 3, 6, 7, 10
  • Numbers marked in blue indicate a part-time entry.

Points System[edit | edit source]

The series continued to use the same points system that was used by the FARC touring series in 2014.

The most points that a driver can score in a single race is 110 (by winning, leading the most laps, and either earning the Pole Award or the High Climber Award). There is a 66-point difference from last place in a typical 20-car field, and a 106-point difference from last place in a full 40-car field. To date, 33 is the greatest number of trucks that have started a single race.

Position Points
1 100
2 80
3 78
4 76
5 74
6 72
7 70
8 68
9 66
10 64
11 62
12 60
13 58
14 56
15 54
16 52
17 50
18 48
19 46
20 44
21 42
22 40
23 38
24 36
25 34
26 32
27 30
28 28
29 26
30 24
31 22
32 20
33 18
34 16
35 14
36 12
37 10
38 8
39 6
40 4

Bonus Points

  • 5 points go to the pole sitter
  • 5 points go the leader of the most laps
  • 5 points go to the driver whose finishing rank makes up the most positions from his or her starting position