Holtgraver, just 22 years of age, drove from his 16th starting spot around Byron Reed with five laps to go to take the lead and his ninth overall win of the season.
 
“What an unbelievable weekend…what an unbelievable night. I watched the B-main and the dash and it was pretty much no passing and a little dusty. Then we go out for the feature and the track just got awesome. To come from 16tth with just one yellow…I still can’t believe the car was that good,” said Holtgraver beside his Kargo Quality Cars and Trucks/Alternative Power Sources/Spinneweber Auto Sales, VRP Shocks backed #D4.
 
“It definitely helps having Brian Kemenah (five time All Star mechanic of the year) setting this thing up. I know when I get in the car it’s going to be good. Brian gives me the confidence to just go out there and drive the wheels off the thing. I’ll be in the #98 car next weekend, but Brian has taught me what to do to the car and if I have any questions he’s only a phone call away,” added Holtgraver.
 
Dean Jacobs and David Gravel would bring the field to the green for the 30-lap feature with Jacobs, from nearby Wooster, Ohio, jumping into the lead with Gravel, Byron Reed and Tim Shaffer in tow. Holtgraver would grab four positions on the first lap.
 
On the second circuit, Jacobs, who the previous night led the first 36 laps before running out of fuel, would hit a slick spot on the track and blast into the pit area nearly full speed, handing the lead to Reed, with Grave, Shaffer, Dale Blaney and Sheldon Haudenschild in tow. Meanwhile Holtgraver had worked his way up to sixth by lap 7.
 
Shaffer would drive around Gravel into the runner-up spot on lap eight with Haudenschild taking fourth from Blaney. Holtgraver would drive around Blaney on lap 10 to move into the top five. Holtgraver would move around Haudenschild for fourth on lap 13 and passed Gravel for third a lap later. He would take the runner-up spot at the half-way point.
 
Quickly, the 10 car length lead Reed had evaporated as Holtgraver closed. And with just a handful of laps remaining, Holtgraver worked the inside of Reed but to no avail. With five laps to go, Holtgraver slipped past Reed on the high side and drove away for the win. Reed would come home second with Gravel third. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Stevie Smith would score his third straight fourth place finish, with Shaffer rounding out the top five.
 
Shaffer’s run would increase his lead in the UNOH All Star point standings as he looks to become only the third driver in series history to win four straight championships. He also is closing in on Ohio Region point leader Dale Blaney.
 
There’s just something about the NAPA Auto Parts Wayne County Speedway that brings out the best in Reed.
 
“For some reason we always run good here. We qualified well and that really helps,” said Reed beside his Crown Battery/Reebar Diecasting backed #5. “When I looked at the scoreboard and saw that #4 there…I knew he had come from a ways back. Then, when I saw his nose wing I knew I was in trouble. I thought when we got to a bunch of lapped cars and they were all running the bottom and I could get around them up top that I could pin him down there, but he got around them as good as I did. But, we will take second…it’s something positive to build on for the rest of the season.”
 
For Gravel, his third place finish – his ninth top five of the season - was just what the team needed.
 
“We’re getting better. To be honest we weren’t very good at Mercer, Lernerville or Attica. We made some changes to the car and it felt a lot better. I’m sick of these finishes though…we need a win,” said Gravel beside his P&M Transportation/Musco Fuel and Heating/Modelcraft/IGA Hometown Wheels backed #89G. “Hats off to Danny…he and Brian are working well together. He was just so much better than the rest of us.”
 
Smith was somewhat dejected with his third straight fourth place finish.
 
“I would say we probably had a second place car,” said Smith. “I don’t say things like that much, but I really felt as if our car was that good. We’ve just been stuck in fourth position. We certainly got a lot better towards the end of the race and I found our race car’s best line around the top of the track. It was a good night but we really need to get over the hump and win another race. We’ll head out to Pennsylvania for the Tuscarora 50 and try to get win number three out there.”

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