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Won Some Lost Some
Written by Administrator   
Tuesday, 09 August 2011

     Won some lost some, but been quick in nearly every event. 6b7624a83c3139d37badfcce6c983bd8.jpgThat has pretty much summed up my racing summer. After a tenacious start to the 2011 racing season, I had some minor bumps in the road at like leading the $2,000 to win Clarksville, TN race only to have it go up in smoke with a busted oil pan. Then after winning a pair of USCS Speedweek events, I traveled north to run some POWRi shows, which we had good runs at but fell just short of victory. Then next big race on the calendar was the $10,000 to Win race in Marion, IL. I had a decent weekend, gathering good points in the heat races both nights secured A-Main starts, but both night in the feature event I chased the handling on the car and again fell short of the goal. I can’t say I felt disappointed, there were 114 cars there and thus just making the main was respectable.


     All of this leads up to my favorite race of the year, the 600 Nationals at I-30 Speedway. With the race now moved to July (from its original September date), it was miserably hot those 3 days at the track. Also the purse has taken a big hit over the years from its inception, originally it was a $10,000 to win show in 2006 and 2007, then steadily fell over the years to its present day $3,000 to win prize. Although the car count was down the competition was as fierce as ever. I had a decent start to the weekend, but had to work a bit harder than normal, drawing a low number put me on the pole of the heat which usually is a recipe for disaster in a passing point format, but after winning the heat and then winning the qualifier, I ended up 3rd in points out of 48 cars. In the Friday feature event I had an awesome car and rocketed into the lead not long after the start and got in the win, locking myself into the Saturday feature. In the six times I have raced this event I have never won a opening night feature, and imag0006.jpgin the six years of this race I don’t think anyone has won both nights in succession, I thought maybe I could reverse that. On Saturday, after drawing a 6 for the dash I came from the 6th position to 3rd in 6 laps. So I figured I had a good shot starting from 3rd. With all the hype and with such a great car under me you could imagine the disappointment when a chain tensioner bolt broke at the start of the Feature event on Saturday, which ending my race pretty much before it even started.


     With most of the big races over with for the summer, I’ve had some time to work on my new car and get it ready for the season ending races. I traveled up to Speedway Motors in Lincoln, NE for a photo shoot for their catalog, and we also did some product videos for various suppliers that support Speedway Motors and me. The highlight of the trip was getting to talk racing with "Speedy" Bill Smith for a little over an hour! Also great was the private tour of the Museum of American Speed, adjacent to Speedway Motors. Mike Long at Speedway Motors really came through, showing us a great time and taking care of everything. I just hope that the photos and video we did turn out well. We were scheduled to race at Eagle Raceway in NE, but got rained out giving my team and I a chance to rush over to Knoxville, IA to catch plenty of action during the Knoxville 360 Nationals. For the remainder of the racing season I will stick close to home and race at Riverside and I-30, with maybe a couple more trips north for some POWRi races. All for now.

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Dominance in Inaugural USCS 600 Events
Written by Ben Shelton   
Wednesday, 06 April 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben Shelton ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it )
April 6th, 2011

Travis Senter Displays Dominance in USCS 600 Events


Osceola, Arkansas (04/06/11) -

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When USCS President, Pete Walton, announced the formation of the new USCS 600cc Mini Sprint tour over the off-season many people in the sport automatically tabbed hotshoe, Travis Senter Jr., as the driver, who would be the man to beat in the series, and thus far he has not disappointed as he has claimed wins in the sanction's first three events.

Coming off his third-straight Australian Championship over the winter, Travis has hit the ground running stateside in 2011 in his #22 Senter Motorsports/Stallard/FTZ Racing Engines Mini Sprint.  He opened his American season on March 18th at Malden Speedway (Malden, Missouri) in the first leg of the Bootheel 200 doubleheader.  The inaugural event saw 16 cars, representing four states sign in for battle, but it was Senter, who charged from his fifth starting position to claim the opening night win over Harli White and Howard
Moore

The next night saw Travis entering the backend of the doubleheader at Malden Speedway, and although he would have to start deep in the pack in the tenth starting position, the end result would be the same as he methodically worked his way to the win over the 21 car field, which came over Howard Moore and Derek King.

A
columbus_medium.jpgfter a two week hiatus it was back to business for Senter Jr., as he made the four hour tow to "The Baddest Bullring in the South," Columbus Speedway (Columbus, Mississippi) on Saturday, April 2nd.  Via heat race action, Travis earned the pole position for the main event and from that point there was no looking back as he went flag-to-flag to claim the win in front of Henry Gustavus Jr. and Bobby Zaiontz.

In regards
to his blistering start to the year, Senter Jr. comments, "I've never had such a good start to a season. Coming off a series title in Australia definitely helped keep me up to speed, and I've also made some crew changes this year, as I parted ways with long time helper, Tommy Carter.  We had a great working relationship over the years, but I just felt it was time to move in a different direction and carve a new path. This sets me up perfectly for the upcoming big races on the schedule, and I can't wait to see what my new car I'm currently putting together and new engine packages will do for my program."

Finally Travis would like to thank Pete Walton for putting together the touring USCS 600cc Mini Sprint Series.

Travis will take the upcoming weekend off from racing before returning to action on Saturday, April 16th at Clarksville Speedway (Clarksville, Tennessee) in a $2,000 to win event.  For more information on the event, please visit www.ClarksvilleSpeedway.com .

The remainder of Travis' upcoming schedule is outlined below:

April 16th: Clarksville Speedway (Clarksville, TN) - $2,000 To Win
April 22nd: POWRi - Jacksonville Speedway (Jacksonville, IL)
April 23rd: POWRi - Macon Speedway (Macon, IL)
April 29th: USCS - Tennessee National Raceway (Hohenwald, TN)
April 30th: USCS - Thunderhill Speedway (Summertown, TN)
May 7th: Rock-N-Roll 50 - Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, AR)

Travis Senter Jr. would also like to thank all of his sponsors, including Stallard Chassis, FTZ Engines, Accurate Machine Works , Keizer Wheels, Holthouse Farms, Xtreme Graphics, Fire Service Plus, ARS Shocks, Killer Coatings, Speedway Motors , Clayton’s Body Shop, Perry Farms, Senter and Son’s Gin, motorstands.com, Stren Flex , Intense Fabrication , Mettec Bolts, RaceBumpers.com, Ringers Gloves , ButlerBuilt Seats, Braille Batteries, Saldana Race Products, Conroy Pneu Control , Indico Pty Ltd , Raceseng Design , Indy Race Parts,  Xtreme Fuel Stick, and MSRMafia.com Marketing Services.

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Travis Senter Jr. Conquers Australia for the Third Time!
Written by Ben Shelton   
Friday, 28 January 2011

senter-phil_jordison_pic_l__5563.jpgFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben Shelton ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it )
Special To Daniel Kirby

January 27th, 2011

Travis Senter Jr. Conquers Australia for the Third Time!

Osceola, Arkansas (01/27/11) - Travis Senter Jr. has always faced a host of formidable opponents when he's headed "Down Under" to Australia to compete, but the 2010/2011 Oval Express Formula 500 Super Series proved to be the toughest he's ever encountered.  Despite a talented group of foes and more than his fair share of bad luck, the American driver claimed an impressive, third Oval Express Formula 500 Super Series Championship!

In his two previous ventures to Australia, Senter Jr. was nothing short of spectacular with six wins and twelve top five finishes in thirteen starts.

After missing last season's series due to family commitments, Travis Senter Jr. returned to Australia with a plan of taking three series victories in three appearances on Australian soil.  Teaming up once again with his good friend, Steve Caunt, the familiar USA22 started slowly with a 6th and 9th place finish in the opening two rounds of the series. Travis's first podium appearance occurred in round #3 at Sungold Stadium, Warrnambool on New Year's Day.

Travis looked to have a good shot at his first win in Round #4 at Laang Speedway as he lined up on the front row alongside fellow American, Jake Hagopian.  However,  contact between the two drivers in turn 2 saw Senter Jr. slam the concrete wall and flip bringing his night to a disappointing early end, which dug him a hole in the standings.

Round #5 at Simpson saw Senter Jr. bounce back from the previous night's mishap to miss out on the podium by one position with a 5th place finish.  The next night at Mid Western Speedway, Darlington, the talented driver sped his way to victory lane for the first time in the series, and in what would prove to be his only victory in the 2010/2011 edition of the series.  After trailing Hagopian in the standings during the first four rounds, bad luck struck Hagopian with an engine failure in Round #5. Senter Jr. took command of the lead and never would relinquish the top spot again.

Travis's next visit to the podium occurred at Round #7 at Borderline Raceway, when he finished 4th behind Trevor Harding Jr, Hagopian and Chad Sullivan. Going into the final round Senter Jr. held a slender twelve point advantage over Charlie Brown.  In the final event Travis only needed to finish ahead of Brown to clinch the series title.  The final result at Sungold Stadium saw Senter Jr. finish in the 4th position, just behind Brown.  The performance was adequate to allow Travis to claim the Championship, which was his third.

 

senter-phil_jordison_pic_l__5575.jpgTravis acknowledges that the Australian competition has become much tougher.  "I will say the Aussies have stepped up their game and were much better prepared this time. I also struggled finding a handle on the race car. We changed things everyday looking for combinations that would work.  The main thing that I stress each time is that you must be consistently fast to win this series, since heat race's and feature races count toward the total points, so even a dropped heat race is almost a death penalty in this series. I had good runs in nearly every heat, and had just good enough feature finishes to win my 3rd Oval Express Series title."

Senter goes on to note, "It was a lot of hard work, and very nerve racking there at the end because the point's race was tight. I almost wrote it off after I got  wrecked during the feature in Round #4 at Laang. Then the very next night (at Simpson) the entire top five in points (I was sixth at the time), had problems either making the feature or finishing the feature. By the end of the series I was just watching after the car trying to finish each and every race."

2010/2011 Oval Express Formula 500 Super Series Finishes
Round/Track/Location/Date/Finish
Round 1: Western Speedway, Hamilton- December 30th, 2010 - 6th
Round 2: Avalon Raceway- December 31st, 2010 - 9th
Round 3: Sungold Stadium, Warrnambool- January 1st, 2011 - 4th
Round 4: Laang Speedway- January 2nd, 2011 - 20th
Round 5: Simpson Speedway- January 4th, 2011 - 4th
Round 6: Mid Western Speedway, Darlington- January 5th, 2011 - 1st
Round 7: Borderline Raceway, Mt Gambier- January 7th, 2011 - 4th
Round 8: Sungold Stadium, Warrnambool- January 9th, 2011 (Grand Final) - 4th

166376_10150125238167868_761862867_7963210_3721334_n.jpg Travis 166274_1519885451226_1657238678_1320866_4083984_n.jpghas a long list of people that he would like to thank.  Steve Caunt, and his family provided incredible support, giving Senter Jr. a great race car to drive, and providing all the equipment and supplies needed to get the results.  Greg Wickham, Ralph Wren, Jason Priolo, and Tory Evans were a top notch crew and helping with anything needed along the way.  Senter Jr. would also like to thank Oval Express Magazine for sponsoring the series and for their support of this division.   Rocket Industries stepped up in a big way by sponsoring the grand prize for the series, which was a XXX 600 Frame and Body kit.  In addition, Senter Jr. would like to acknowledge Victorian Formula 500 Association for organizing the great series.

Last, but definitely not least, Travis thanks his  good buddy, Peter Wickham, who was tragically killed just two months before Senter Jr. arrived in Australia.  Travis comments, "Pete was instrumental in my previous two triumphs down-under and I know somehow he was looking out for me."

Travis Senter Jr. would also like to thank all of his sponsors, who made this trip possible, including Stallard Chassis,FTZ Engines, Accurate Machine Works , Keizer Wheels, Holthouse Farms, Xtreme Graphics, Fire Service Plus, ARS Shocks, Killer Coatings, Speedway Motors , Clayton’s Body Shop, Perry Farms, Senter and Son’s Gin, motorstands.com,Stren Flex , Intense Fabrication , Mettec Bolts, RaceBumpers.com, Ringers Gloves , ButlerBuilt Seats, Braille Batteries,Saldana Race Products, Conroy Pneu Control , Indico Pty Ltd , Raceseng Design , Indy Race Parts,  Xtreme Fuel Stick, and MSRMafia.com Marketing Services.

 

 

 

 

 

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Travis Senter Jr. Preparing for Australian Invasion
Written by Ben Shelton   
Monday, 20 December 2010

 

     Osceola, Arkansas (12/20/10)

 

oe_series_rd_3_hamilton-phil_jordison_pic_g__7315.jpg      After traveling to Australia in 2006/2007 and fighting his way to a Oval Express Formula 500 Championship, Travis picked up a second title during the 2008/2009 campaign.  With the hopes to claim his third title, Senter Jr. is currently en route to Australia as he looks to pick up the 2010/2011 Oval Express Formula 500 Super Series Championship.    

 

     In two ventures “down under” Travis’ record has been nothing short of phenomenal.  In 13 starts he has claimed six wins, twelve top five finishes, and only one finish outside the top ten (12th place).  In addition, despite only competing in Australia for two weeks in 2008/2009 he was voted as the 2008/2009 Top Australian Mini Sprint driver. He also has two championships to show for his efforts, and he hopes by the time that January 9th, 2011 arrives he can boast another title.
 

     The 2010/2011 Oval Express Formula 500 Super Series is highlighted by eight races in ten days pitting Australia’s top drivers against some of the top drivers from the United States.  Travis will be piloting a team car to his good friend and Aussie, Steve Caunt.  Even though he will be competing on tracks that he has little or no experience at, he will at least be in the familiar confines of a #22 Stallard that he piloted earlier in the season before shipping it to Australia to be used by Caunt.

 

     The series officially opens on Thursday, December 30th, 2010 at Western Speedway in Hamilton.  The tour will criss-cross Australia for the next nine days before hosting the Grand Final at Sungold Stadium in Warnambool on Sunday, January 9th, 2011.

2010/2011 Oval Express Formula 500 Super Series Dates
Round 1: Western Speedway, Hamilton- December 30th, 2010
Round 2: Avalon Raceway- December 31st, 2010
Round 3: Sungold Stadium, Warrnambool- January 1st, 2011

Round 4: Laang Speedway- January 2nd, 2011
Round 5: Simpson Speedway- January 4th, 2011
Round 6: Mid Western Speedway, Darlington- January 5th, 2011
Round 7: Borderline Raceway, Mt Gambier- January 7th, 2011
Round 8: Sungold Stadium, Warrnambool- January 9th, 2011 (Grand Final)

     Many people have come together to help make this trip possible, and Travis is quick to recognize their support.  “I have to thank Steve Caunt for giving me the opportunity to come back to Australia to race. Without him and his family, this wouldn't be possible.  I have arranged for my good friend Ralph Wren (Accurate Machine Works) from Texas to come along and help.  Greg Wickham (of Warrnambool, Australia) will assume crew chief duties this year, and we will race in honor of his late father Peter Wickham (who was tragically killed in a motorcycle wreck on October 29th).     

 

     Most important I have to thank my wonderful wife, Bridget, for allowing me to travel to Australia and race during the Christmas holidays. It’s hard to be away from my family during Christmas, especially since the children are so young (Trace 4, Elli 3).”    

 

     Travis Senter Jr. would also like to thank all of his sponsors, who are making this trip possible, including Stallard Chassis,FTZ Engines, Accurate Machine Works , Keizer Wheels, Holthouse Farms, Xtreme Graphics, Fire Service Plus, ARS Shocks, Killer Coatings, Speedway Motors , Clayton’s Body Shop, Perry Farms, Senter and Son’s Gin, motorstands.com,Stren Flex , Intense Fabrication , Mettec Bolts, RaceBumpers.com, Ringers Gloves , ButlerBuilt Seats, Braille Batteries,Saldana Race Products, Conroy Pneu Control , Indico Pty Ltd , Raceseng Design , Indy Race Parts, Xtreme Fuel Stick, MSRMafia.com and Aim Sports.  To stay tuned to his progress while in Australia, please stay tuned to www.TravisSenter.com .

 

 

 

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The Show Goes On
Written by Administrator   
Tuesday, 07 December 2010
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     What a long strange trip its been. The 2010 season is coming to a close, and man has it been quite a racing season. For the first time in my career I have raced at least one time in each month of the calendar year, usually we get to skip the cold months, and of course some months just totally rain out, however this year is the exception. I started of at the Tulsa Shootout racing New Years eve, and day, off to East Bay Florida in February, I-30 600 Nationals in March, then resumed regular Spring Summer racing with trips to Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, and even Seattle, then finished up in November at Riverside Speedway in West Memphis. In total I ran 33 top notch races this year, with 7 wins, 23 Top Tens, 22 Top Fives, 19 Heat Race Wins, Average Finish of 8.0, Average Number of Cars of 50.4. By my normal standards you could say I had a bad year, my 7 wins was my lowest count since 2004, when I was running both the micro and 360 Sprint car. However, I look at it in a different perspective. This year I feel like I showed up at almost every major 600 mini/micro sprint race in the country, of course you can’t be at all of them, and i know I missed a few right there near the end, but you would be hard presseimg_0056.jpgd to find a tougher schedule. Given all that and having a pretty decent finish at most of those races shows that I have a good package and can get the job done if luck will fall my way.

      Also this year has been one of tragedy, there were quite a few race related deaths and injuries this season, but one hit very close to home this time. My very good friend from Australia Peter Wickham lost his life in a dscf0187.jpgtragic motorcycle accident. He was my ace crew chief when I raced in over there, he took care of me like a son, his family welcomed me into their home, his son is one of my best friends. I don’t know how things will be this time when I go over there and race. He provided very knowledgeable track experience, and could work on pretty much anything, which sure made my job easier. I can attribute both of my Oval Express Series Championships to Peter and Greg Wickham. On my first trip down under in 2006 Peter and my Dad struck up and immediate friendship, this carried over on my next trip in 2008 when Peter looked after me and did everything he could to help me succeed. One thing I can never forget is my 2008 trip at the Jack Wilsher Cup race , Peter came out to help, and I was driving a borrowed car which didn’t quite suit my style (and my body, I had to tape blocks on the pedals), I spun twice in hot laps, ran near the back of the heat races and Peter came up to me and said “You’re washed up Mate!” “Haven’t got it anymore!” in a joking manner. I went out in that feature and drove from 15th position to take the win and he came up afterward and said “You’re a legend mate!”, “Un-Believable!!!”.. He will be missed and I sincerely pass on my deepest sympathy to his family and friends.      

     With that said, my next race will in fact be in Australia, for the 2010-2011 Oval Express Series . Of course I expect to do well, I have all the right equipment. I will be teaming up with Steve Caunt again to run the tour which will feature 8 races in 10 days. I already have Greg picture1-31_084.jpgWickham lined up to help with crew chief duties, and my good friend and sponsor Ralph Wren from Texas will be traveling down with me. I will try to post updates here as often as I can, but the most recent updates will be on Facebook page. Wish me luck..

 

 

 

 

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600 Nationals 2010
Written by Administrator   
Monday, 20 September 2010
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      Quick little update here, things have gone well since returning from Seattle. I’ve mainly focused on getting prepared and ready for the 5th Annual 600 Nationals at I-30 Speedway. We traveled down the I-30 twice in the last 3 weeks to get tuned up and ready, finished 2nd one night and won the last time there. I think we have a package now that will do good and maybe make up for my bad result during the 4th annual version earlier this season (rain make up in March).


     

 

    texas_3.jpg I also got an opportunity to visit my good pal Ralph Wren in Texas to drive his car at the Texas Mini-Sprint Nationals near Waco, TX at Heart ‘O Texas Speedway. Things started out bad with a first corner mishap in the heat and I couldn’t quite make up ground to lock in the main from the heat, so off to the B-Main I go again. Seems like this year I’m destined for B-Main glory! I won the B-Main from the pole, and in the feature I had to drive my tail off, but I managed to go from 10th starting position to take the win and the $1,000 prize. I had a great time there and it’s always good to hang out with really great friends. I want to thank the wren family for giving us a place to stay treating us to a Texas Labor Day BBQ, and enjoying some great racing.


     

 

     So as I said earlier the 600 Nationals is coming up this next weekend the 25th of September, and we are tuned and ready. I have Mark Stallard flying in on Tuesday to ride down with me, and Tommy and Pete will be driving the rig down on Wednesday to get there in time for practice. Wish us luck.


Also I updated the shop cam page and added one new camera, little closer view to the action.

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