This weekend, the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) goes head-to-head with its most historic and longest-running regional division, the ASCS Sooner Region. Leading the Oklahoma-based pack is its all-time winningest driver and champion, Sean McClelland.
McClelland, 50, of Tulsa, OK, is a five-time Sooner Region champion, celebrating 30 years in the driver’s seat in 2025. From his humble beginning, jumping straight into a two-barrel 360 Sprint Car in 1996, McClelland has not been shy about recognizing the help he’s had on the road to becoming one of Oklahoma’s most respected 360 racers.
Down the side of his black/orange No. 1 reads ‘All American Forklift’ — the name of the business owned by his car owner, Robert McLain. He and McClelland have been in partnership on the track since the 2023 season, when McClelland last went to Victory Lane against the national Series at Creek County Speedway.
“I’ve got good people that support me and have supported me over my career,” McClelland said. “It’s been good. I’ve had a lot of good car owners over the years who have helped me, and it’s really important to have good financial support behind you.”
2025 commemorates 20 years since his first Sooner Region Feature win and first Sooner Region championship earned in 2005 on the strength of five wins and 18 top-10s in 20 races. The names, faces, and cars have changed plenty since then, but one thing remains constant in McClelland’s racing career — the will to compete at his potential.
“I’m a very competitive person. I don’t like to lose at anything that I do, and I think that’s what drives me,” McClelland said. “Turning 51 next week, I still want to go out and compete and be the best I can. Of course, we want to win.
“We’re not disappointed if we run second, we’re not disappointed if we run fifth. The car owner is not, but I am. I want to win every night. So, the competitive spirit, the burn, the urge and desire to win is 100 percent still there.”
McClelland and his local roots play a part in representing the best of the Sooner Region, which has operated under the American Sprint Car Series banner since its establishment in 2001. Since his debut with the region in 2002, McClelland has collected 24 Feature wins, beating the best from around the area, including several national ASCS champions.
“Back then, it really was the most competitive region that ASCS had,” McClelland said. “Any time the national guys would come and run against the Sooner Region guys, they knew they were in for a fight because it was so competitive. There’s been a lot of great race car drivers come through the Sooner Region ranks. It’s always been the toughest.
“I don’t think it’s fell off. The Sooner Region is just as tough now as it ever has been. There’s a lot of great racers around Oklahoma, Arkansas, the Missouri area, and Kansas. It’s always been competitive.”
McClelland has been competitive against the national Series in 2025, most notably garnering a third-place finish to Seth Bergman and winner Sam Hafertepe Jr. at Salina Highbanks Speedway in April. Since then, he’s been to Victory Lane in Sooner Region action at Creek County in September, and currently leads the region’s points standings, trying for a sixth championship.
He’s not beaten the national stars since Creek County in 2023, but is confident another big win is right around the corner.
“We’re putting ourselves in the right spot to have a chance to win, we’ve just kinda fell short come Feature time a couple times where we thought we had a real shot at winning,” McClelland said. “We just fell short on setup, or maybe driver error, or something like that. It’s not the equipment that we’re falling short on — it’s usually driver related, or setup related. But we’ve been competitive with the national guys everywhere we’ve showed up this year.”
McClelland and the rest of the Sooner Region regulars will need to be at their best when the national ASCS stars come to Tulsa Speedway for the inaugural Double Down in T-Town this Friday–Saturday, Oct. 17–18. The brand-new event combines the area’s best in 360 Sprint Car racing with the regulars of the Mid-West Drag Racing Series, who will race during the dirt track program at the adjacent drag strip.
For $25 per carload, fans can attend and walk between the two facilities to check out what both motorsports disciplines have to offer.
“I think it’s awesome,” McClelland said. “I think we should have a good crowd. Some dirt people may go over and check out the drag racing side of it, if they’re racing a little bit before or after us. I think that’s good for the sport of drag racing, and vice versa. I think some of the drag people may come over and check us out — people that may have never went to a dirt race or something.
“I think they’re going to have a good crowd because they’re advertising it really well here in Tulsa. I think it’ll be a good event. The more people we race in front of, the more we get juiced up to go out there and put on a show.”
General admission tickets for both days of the Double Down in T-Town are free for all ages; fans will be charged by the carload at $25 per vehicle of any size upon arrival. If you can’t make it out to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
