By Brian Liskai
 
 
ROSSBURG, Ohio (Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013) – In one of the most exciting University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions races of the season, Wooster, Ohio’s Jac Haudenschild edged Randy Hannagan by half a car length to claim his third series win of 2013 at Eldora Speedway.
 
The last 5 laps of the 30-lap feature saw Haudenschild, Hannagan and Shane Stewart slicing and dicing through lapped traffic and trading sliders. When the checkered flew Haudenschild had scored his 26th career UNOH All Star win. Haudenschild, who won the series event during Ohio Sprint Speedweek at “The Big E,” now has 9 career All Star wins at Eldora.
 
A last lap pass for third propelled Dale Blaney to his fourth career UNOH All Star championship. Blaney now joins Frank Kerr, Chad Kemenah, Kenny Jacobs and Tim Shaffer with four series titles.
 
Also, unofficially – pending a thorough review of the year’s points – Blaney edged Shaffer for the $20,000 championship for the UNOH All Stars Ohio Region by one point.
 
Haudenschild, who is a master around the half-mile Eldora Speedway, jumped into the early lead from his pole starting spot and battled early with Swindell. Haudenschild narrowly avoided disaster on lap eight as the lapped car of Caleb Helms flipped right in front of the race leader. Haudenschild would execute a 360 spin and kept going to maintain the lead. Swindell wasn’t so lucky. He too would execute a pair of 360 spins to keep going, but his top wing was damaged and he would slide back through the field.
 
Once Haudenschild hit lapped traffic again at the half-way point, Hannagan and Stewart closed quickly. Stewart would take second on lap 21 and with five to go was trading sliders with Haudenschild with Hannagan right on both of their rear bumpers. Stewart would actually lead lap 27 by a front bumper before getting hung up on a lap car on the next circuit allowing Haudenschild and Hannagan to slip by.
 
As they took the white flag and with heavy lapped traffic coming into play, Haudenschild and Hannagan raced down the back stretch. Haudenschild, who normally runs that high, ragged edge next to Eldora’s infamous concrete wall, opted to try the middle of the track and Hannagan seized the opportunity to blast to his outside. Haudenschild would drift up coming out of four to the checkers and Hannagan turned under. The drag race to the finish had Haudenschild win by literally less than half a car length.
 
“Boy that was fun. I knew someone was there and when we got to three and those lapped cars I picked the middle and it nearly cost me,” said Haudenschild beside his Southern Pacific Farms/Rick’s Auto Body backed #59.
 
“Bonzai had the car awesome tonight. I have to thank Tom and Sherry Leidig for giving me this opportunity to drive their car. I think I have another 10 years of this left in me,” added Haudenschild.
 
Hannagan knew he only had one shot at Haudenschild.
 
“If anyone has ever watched Haud here….it’s nearly impossible to beat him at Eldora. I got excited when I saw him go to the middle in three on that last lap. He left the outside open and I gave it all I could,” said Hannagan beside his Ed Neumeister owned, Kenny’s Components/Upper Auto Parts backed machine.
 
For Blaney, the third place run and the championships wasn’t easy. His Ti22 Performance/GF1 Chassis machine had to undergo an engine change following the dash.
 
“Thanks to everyone who helped change that motor. That got us the championship. The car really came on late…wish we had another five laps. But, I had a heck of a view of Haud and Randy…the fans got their money’s worth,” said Blaney.
 
“To win four All Star championships…I got three with Tim Hughes and now one with George (Fisher) and to do it with Kenny Jacobs here and to be in the company of great drivers like him and Shaff (Tim Shaffer) and Frankie and Chad…it’s awesome,” added Blaney.
 
The event wrapped up Eldora’s 60th season and was the 132nd visit of the UNOH All Stars to the famous facility. The UNOH Sprintacular gave the fans their money’s worth as there were 199 sprint cars signed in for the three classes which included not only the All Stars but the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series non-wing warriors and 27 of the K&L Ready Mix NRA Sprint Invaders 360 sprints.
 
Broken Arrow Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon would compete in all three A-mains and scored the BOSS victory. Tony Beaber would start the night getting upside down in hot laps. He would jump in his dad’s car and race his way into the BOSS feature and would claim the 2013 series championship.
 
Kevin Swindell would score his first ever Eldora win in the NRA Sprint Invaders main.
 
Eldora Speedway  - 10/12/2013
UNOH Night
 
All Star Circuit of Champions (37 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
 
Qualifying - Kistler Engines
1. 59-Jac Haudenschild, 13.032; 2. 45-Danny Holtgraver, 13.153; 3. 22-Cole Duncan, 13.172; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 13.186; 5. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.197; 6. 9X-Rob Chaney, 13.218; 7. 2-Dale Blaney, 13.237; 8. 71-Kevin Swindell, 13.246; 9. 11N-Randy Hannagan, 13.281; 10. 3G-Shane Stewart, 13.305; 11. 9W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.319; 12. 13-Mark Dobmeier, 13.334; 13. 81-Lee Jacobs, 13.369; 14. 83-Tim Shaffer, 13.382; 15. 24H-Brandon Wimmer, 13.390; 16. 7K-Justin Henderson, 13.391; 17. 55-Trey Starks, 13.443; 18. OO-Jim Nier, 13.470; 19. 99-Brady Bacon, 13.480; 20. 15M-Mitch Harble, 13.518; 21. M1-Mark Smith, 13.530; 22. 33M-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.565; 23. 40-Caleb Helms, 13.569; 24. 57X-Andrew Palker, 13.583; 25. 71M-Paul May, 13.622; 26. 2S-Nathan Skaggs, 13.648; 27. 5T-Travis Philo, 13.764; 28. 35-Ronnie Blair, 13.806; 29. 15-Brandon Ferguson, 13.884; 30. 13M-Brandon Matus, 14.092; 31. 54-Cap Henry, 14.135; 32. 51-Roger Campbell, 14.230; 33. 33-Brent Matus, 14.420; 34. 59J-Kirk Jefferies, 14.497; 35. 6N-Cody Gardner, 14.706; 36. 80-Trey Gustin, 14.935; 37. 22S-Brandon Spithaler, 99.999
 
Heat 1 - Kears Speed Shop (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 59-Jac Haudenschild[6] ; 2. 81-Lee Jacobs[3] ; 3. 18-Ian Madsen[5] ; 4. 11N-Randy Hannagan[4] ; 5. 55-Trey Starks[2] ; 6. 71M-Paul May[7] ; 7. 22S-Brandon Spithaler[10] ; 8. 33-Brent Matus[9] ; 9. M1-Mark Smith[1]
 
Heat 2 - All Pro Aluminum Heads (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 83-Tim Shaffer[3] ; 2. 3G-Shane Stewart[4] ; 3. OO-Jim Nier[2] ; 4. 9X-Rob Chaney[5] ; 5. 33M-Sheldon Haudenschild[1] ; 6. 45-Danny Holtgraver[6] ; 7. 2S-Nathan Skaggs[7] ; 8. 13M-Brandon Matus[8] ; 9. 59J-Kirk Jefferies[9]
 
Heat 3 - Dragon Race Fuel (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 40-Caleb Helms[1] ; 2. 99-Brady Bacon[2] ; 3. 9W-Lucas Wolfe[4] ; 4. 24H-Brandon Wimmer[3] ; 5. 2-Dale Blaney[5] ; 6. 22-Cole Duncan[6] ; 7. 5T-Travis Philo[7] ; 8. 6N-Cody Gardner[9]
 
Heat 4 - Kinsler Fuel Injection (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 15M-Mitch Harble[2] ; 2. 57X-Andrew Palker[1] ; 3. 13-Mark Dobmeier[4] ; 4. 71-Kevin Swindell[5] ; 5. 7K-Justin Henderson[3] ; 6. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[6] ; 7. 80-Trey Gustin[9] ; 8. 51-Roger Campbell[8] ; 9. 35-Ronnie Blair[7]
 
Dash - Outerwears Performance Products (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature
1. 59-Jac Haudenschild[4] ; 2. 71-Kevin Swindell[2] ; 3. 11N-Randy Hannagan[1] ; 4. 9X-Rob Chaney[6] ; 5. 18-Ian Madsen[5] ; 6. 2-Dale Blaney[3]
 
B-Main - MSD Ignition (12 Laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 22-Cole Duncan[2] ; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[3] ; 3. 45-Danny Holtgraver[1] ; 4. M1-Mark Smith[4] ; 5. 71M-Paul May[5] ; 6. 80-Trey Gustin[16] ; 7. 5T-Travis Philo[7] ; 8. 51-Roger Campbell[12] ; 9. 33-Brent Matus[13] ; 10. 6N-Cody Gardner[15] ; 11. 13M-Brandon Matus[10] ; 12. 2S-Nathan Skaggs[6]
 
A-Main - University of Northwestern Ohio (30 Laps)
1. 59-Jac Haudenschild[1]; 2. 11N-Randy Hannagan[3]; 3. 2-Dale Blaney[6]; 4. 3G-Shane Stewart[7]; 5. 83-Tim Shaffer[14]; 6. 9X-Rob Chaney[4]; 7. 45-Danny Holtgraver[11]; 8. 9W-Lucas Wolfe[8]; 9. 18-Ian Madsen[5]; 10. 71-Kevin Swindell[2]; 11. 33M-Sheldon Haudenschild[22]; 12. 81-Lee Jacobs[10]; 13. 22-Cole Duncan[12]; 14. 24H-Brandon Wimmer[15]; 15. 55-Trey Starks[17]; 16. 99-Brady Bacon[19]; 17. 13-Mark Dobmeier[9]; 18. M1-Mark Smith[21]; 19. 57X-Andrew Palker[24]; 20. 7K-Justin Henderson[16]; 21. OO-Jim Nier[18]; 22. 15M-Mitch Harble[20]; 23. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[13]; 24. 40-Caleb Helms[23]
Hard Charger: 33M-Sheldon Haudenschild[+11]