Kreitz earns third career Tuscarora 50 win at Port Royal
PORT ROYAL, PA (Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013) By Brian Liskai – Don Kreitz Jr. didn’t forget how to get around Port Royal Speedway. The Sinking Springs driver hadn’t won at Port Royal Speedway in nearly four years. But, he led all but three laps to earn his third Tuscarora 50 which was worth $13,200 as he led 47 of the 50 laps.
It was the second University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions victory of 2013 for Kreitz who took a series win in April at Williams Grove Speedway. Kreitz now has eight career UNOH All Star wins.
Kreitz dominated the race, starting second and jumping into an easy lead and extending it as the first half of the race wore on.
“Davey (Brown) had this thing locked down tonight. That thing in clean air was unbelievable, said Kreitz of his Henry R. Sherman Builders/Kreitz Oval Track Parts/RV Workshop.com/Schannauer #69k.
Kreitz was in clean air…a lot. He took the lead from Ryan Smith coming out of turn 4 to complete lap 1 and by lap 6 had built a straightaway lead.
The race was divided into two 25-lap segments. While Kreitz dominated at the front, all eyes were on Brian Montieth as he charged from dead last – 24th. Montieth was flying inches from the fence and took eighth from Friday night’s winner Greg Hodnett on lap 13 and blew by Cap Henry for seventh two laps later. He continued his assault, driving by Danny Holtgraver on lap 19 and dispatching Lance Dewease for fourth on lap 22.
At the half-way point, crews were allowed to make changes but no one could touch Kreitz when the green flew again as he again opened up a straightaway advantage over Smith and Montieth by lap 30.
It appeared the race was over but Kreitz struggled in lapped traffic which allowed Smith and Kreitz to close.
“Well, the first time I got to lapped traffic I tried to roll around them,” said Kreitz who was also the Tuscarora 50 champion in 1993 and 1999. “I got one but I couldn’t do anything. The second time, I would kind of hang in the middle and couldn’t do anything.”
Montieth seized the opportunity, crushing the cushion to shoot by Smith in turn two on lap 37 and ripped past Kreitz coming out of turn four on the same lap. But, the experienced Kreitz wasn’t done. He got by the lapped car and chased down Montieth. Kreitz moved up a lane, hit the middle and split Montieth and a lapped car entering turn three on lap 40 and opened up a big lead a lap later.
“We changed the car a little bit at the break and when I saw Montieth go by my heart sank a bit. Once I wiped my tears away I figured I needed to pick up the pace. We were lucky to get by him,” said Kreitz. “We’re just so excited to be here in victory lane. When we came here, we didn’t think it would be possible.”
Danny Dietrich stormed from his 15th-place starting spot to take second from Montieth on lap 42. He looked to be cutting into Kreitz’s lead until the caution came out on lap 45 for Blane Heimbach. Kreitz was too good on the restart and pulled away for the win.
“We were really, really fast. We got to second and I thought we could make a run on him until the caution came out. We ran really hard but when the race went back green the tires sealed over. We had a good car and 15th to second…we’ll take it,” said Dietrich of his Gary Kauffman Racing #48 with sponsorship from Sandoe’s Fruit Market/Racers Used Parts Warehouse/Mark Bell Trucking/Drop of Ink Tattoo and Body Piercing/Mortiz Machine Repairs/Hickory Run Orchards.
“We were really, really fast. Us and the 21 (Montieth) came up through there. I think we could’ve won this thing. We were using the fence to get the car straight. If it gets you to the front, that’s what you have to do. I’m glad it’s in one piece. We wanted to win, but we’ll take coming from 15th,” added Dietrich.
Montieth would come home third.
“Honestly, this place, I don’t like being that high. But what are you going to do? Starting back where we started, I’ll definitely take it,” said Montieth beside his Premier Auto Works/Auto Locator/Beer Hill Gang/Hanover Toyota/Bricker’s/Golf Cart Services/Pancho’s Racing Products/All Star Performance/Triple X Race Co. backed #21.
With his fifth place finish, Lance Dewease locked up the UNOH All Star’s Eastern Region championship and its $20,000 payday. Dewease also took the regional title in 2011.
The point battle for the UNOH All Star’s national and Ohio Region titles are heating up with just three races remaining in 2013. The series heads to Fremont Speedway for a double-header on Friday and Saturday before wrapping up the season at Eldora Speedway on Oct. 12.
Go to www.allstarsprint.com for more information.
Port Royal Speedway - 9/7/2013 UNOH Night
All Star Circuit of Champions (40 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
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All Star Sprint Series
The All Stars are one of the premier sprint car sanctioning bodies in the USA. It is owned by an Illinois businessman, and now in their 30th year of operation, the All Stars take pride in their reputation of providing highly competitive, fair, exciting racing for outlaw sprint cars with many different winners in a year. About 400 drivers participate in All Star races yearly in front of an average of 5,000 spectators per event. Currently 40+ races are scheduled in numerous states, such as Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Kansas.
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Ohio Sprint Speedweek proves to be one of the most competitive weeks in racing during the 2010 All Star season. Tough battles happened in the 2010 Ohio Sprint Speedweek season, as it included nine straight nights of racing action in the buckeye state, it challenged the best of the best, but young David Gravel- DDR Motorsports was crowned the 2010 champion.
PORT ROYAL, PA (Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013) By Brian Liskai – Don Kreitz Jr. didn’t forget how to get around Port Royal Speedway. The Sinking Springs driver hadn’t won at Port Royal Speedway in nearly four years. But, he led all but three laps to earn his third Tuscarora 50 which was worth $13,200 as he led 47 of the 50 laps.
The All Stars are one of the premier sprint car sanctioning bodies in the USA. It is owned by an Illinois businessman, and now in their 30th year of operation, the All Stars take pride in their reputation of providing highly competitive, fair, exciting racing for outlaw sprint cars with many different winners in a year. About 400 drivers participate in All Star races yearly in front of an average of 5,000 spectators per event. Currently 40+ races are scheduled in numerous states, such as Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Kansas. 
Ohio Sprint Speedweek proves to be one of the most competitive weeks in racing during the 2010 All Star season. Tough battles happened in the 2010 Ohio Sprint Speedweek season, as it included nine straight nights of racing action in the buckeye state, it challenged the best of the best, but young David Gravel- DDR Motorsports was crowned the 2010 champion.