Hull takes points lead, streak into ATPR event

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jerrod Hull has made himself right at home in Auto Tire and Parts Racepark's sprint division this season.

He's won twice in four starts, and he finished second the other two times. He leads defending track champion Robbie Standridge by 61 points in the standings at the dirt track near Benton, Mo.

But there's good news for his competition.

"We're actually not planning to race there every week -- it's more of a coincidence that we've been there every night so far, really," Hull said. "But I'm not complaining. It's worked out great."

Call it coincidence or perfect timing that Hull, of Sikeston, rides an unmatched hot streak into today's National Championship Racing Association program, an event that carries a $20,000 total purse with $4,000 reserved for the winner of the night's finale. Street stocks and cruisers also will compete.

Hull likely will find himself in familiar company today. In addition to the track's regular weekly competitors expected, the event is expected to lure as many as 40 NCRA regulars from as far away as Texas and Ohio. They're racers Hull competed with last year when he followed the NCRA tour, a Kansas-based series.

"I like to travel and run different tracks," Hull said. "I get burned out running the same place over and over. We'll probably run most of the NCRA races this year because it's such a great series -- everybody's laid back, everybody gets along, and they don't travel every single week."

The ability to make that decision is a change Hull, who owns his own car and equipment, said he welcomes after spending three years driving for another team owner on the All Star Circuit of Champions, an Eastern U.S. series. That relationship ended after the 2001 season, and Hull spent the winter reassembling his own equipment and crew.

He went on to win 15 feature races in 2002 and was among the leaders in the NCRA standings before skipping a late-season event.

"It was tough getting started again last year," Hull said. "We had a lot of help, though. We got close to that first race date and didn't even have a trailer yet, so we had to borrow one. But once the season started, we had a blast.

"This winter we had time to get together two cars, two motors -- finally we have spares of things. We feel like we're finally set up this year."

That offseason work has translated to not only the points lead at ATPR, but also to the points lead at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway, which competes on Fridays. The NCRA circuit could keep him away from both tracks for much of the season beginning early next month.

As a sign of things to come, Hull's schedule this weekend takes him to ATPR tonight, West Union, Iowa, on Sunday and Beaver Dam, Wis., on Monday.

"I'm pretty excited about this whole weekend," Hull said, "but nothing would be better than to win close to home Saturday."

jhall@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 174