OBERLIN -- It's hard to deny the fact Luke Cranston is a force to be reckoned with at the Belleville High Banks. His track record in the United Rebel Sprint Series at the track proves it. In four races at the track, Cranston has won three times — including the last three times the Rebels have competed on the famed half-mile bowl-shaped track in Belleville, located in north-central Kansas. “We've just been real fortunate there,” said Cranston, who has eight career URSS victories. “We've had a lot of things go our way there. It's a set-up we're real comfortable with on the car there, and we have some confidence there.” The only other driver to win at Belleville was Ray Seemann, who won the first URSS race at the track Aug. 5, 2010. Since, it's been all Cranston.

That's the way the Plains driver hopes things stay this weekend as well. The Rebels will compete in the inaugural URSS 305 Belleville Nationals on Friday and Saturday.

There will be separate shows each night, with Friday paying $600 to win and $150 to start the A-main. On Saturday, the winner will pocket a hefty $2,000 for taking the checkered flag. Those making the feature will make $300. The two-day show will be run along with the Belleville Midget Nationals, giving fans non-stop, high-speed action during the weekend.

“You know there will be big-time guys there,” Cranston said. “But we've gone really good there. If we can go good, I definitely wouldn't bet against us. With Kirk (Reinert) and Lonnie (Hornung) and all our sponsors we have, we've got a great car to do some things with.”

The High Banks features one of the fastest tracks the Rebels compete on all year. It's unique bowl shape with high-banking corners topped off with an unforgiving guard rail at the top allows drivers to maneuver wherever they'd like on the wide track. “The track is probably 30 or 40 yards wide,” Cranston said. “You always see pictures of cars running three or four wide, and that seems huge. … The bottom of the track has to be so much slower for the top to be so much faster because it's a long way around there.”

When the Rebels have competed on the track in the past, they've been supported well by the fans in the stands, leaving very few seats empty — proving the track is a hotbed for racing fans for many years. It also provides a challenge for drivers to keep their sprint cars headed in the right direction.

“It's definitely one of the tracks where you've got to keep it straight,” Cranston said. “It's a big momentum circle. If you get back into traffic, you have to be patient and working to move by them. If you get stuck, you have to be patient and try to keep it where you're not slowing down and weave your way through lap traffic.”

The only change for URSS drivers this time will be the pit area. With the Belleville Midget Nationals and carnival also this weekend, URSS drivers are asked to pit on the infield of the track. All enclosed trailers will need to be unloaded and taken out of the infield prior to action beginning in order not to block the viewing of the fans. All open trailers can be left in the infield during the races.

If you are unable to attend the two-night slugfest, you can listen to all the nonstop action at www.racinboys.com with Michael Wilson — the voice of the Rebels.