Camargo, IL (8-10-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – The O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions announced today that there has been a schedule change for the Weekend of August 23rd. As the schedule now stands the All Stars will be staging a thrilling double header weekend with racing action scheduled at Riverside International Speedway on Saturday, August 22nd and Tennessee National Speedway on Sunday, August 23rd.

Camargo, IL (8-9-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – With just a few hours remaining the drivers of the All Star Circuit of Champions are ready to answer the test they will be put to during the Front Row Challenge. On Monday night August 10th the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions will be making their way to Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA where one lucky driver who gets the pole will have the opportunity to start from the back and win $50,000.

Out of the All Star regulars the driver that has the most starts at Southern Iowa Speedway ironically is Daron Clayton. He has two A-main starts at the track in non-wing competition. Veterans of the Front Row Challenge include Tim Shaffer and Greg Wilson who each have one A-main start to their credit.  Last year Daryn Pittman who is currently 10th in the All Star point standings won the $10,000 dollar prize in a thrilling event that brought the crowd to their feet. When asked about this year’s Front Row Challenge where is what the drivers of the All Star Circuit of Champions had to say:

Tim Shaffer

“Any time we get to go racing, I definitely look forward to it. I heard the track has changed a little bit so I am really excited to head over there and it sounds like the track will be pretty racy.”

“It makes it exciting for everyone from the drivers to the team owners. He gives away products and it’s a neat deal. I’ve seen him give away rear ends, front ends, steering boxes, wheels, it just amazing what he does.”

“We’re having a good year and hopefully we can make a great year out of it We have a great team with Brian Kemenah and the guys. That makes it fun again.”

Greg Wilson

“We’re really looking forward to it, especially with the All Stars being a part of it this year. Terry (McCarl) and the guys out there do an awesome job promoting that event. It’s always fun to go out there and run.”

“If you can get unloaded and get rolling from the get-go that usually means a pretty good week barring no problems. It’s as tough as it gets right now. This is the busiest time of the year and hopefully it will be good for us.”

Ryan Bunton

“We’re really looking forward to that track. This year we have really started liking the half-miles (tracks). When we got into this, I think I had only run two half-miles in my entire life. They were a little bit of a scary thing at first, but we are getting used to them. We’re really looking forward to Monday night and it should be a very well run show.”

“It’s one of the hard things. There is nothing like going into a race with 40 or 50 of the greatest cars and driver, like at Pevely the other night. It’s tough and humbling as well, but I think it will be worth it in the end.”

Daron Clayton

“It’s a real cool race track and I’m really looking forward to getting back there with the wing on.”

“It was a rough patch at the start, but I’ve gotten past having the wing on and used to it. We’ve come a long way and have done some things different. We’ve been pretty good so now it’s a factor that is out of our way”

“That’s the biggest thing and that’s what hurt us at the beginning of the year missing races. It was killing me not getting laps on the track. Now we are making shows and making lots of laps and getting better and better all the time.”

David Gravel

“It’s a pretty famous track and I’m really looking forward to going over there”

“This past week during the Thunder in the Plains being on the road for about a month racing against a lot of really good guys taught us a lot. It was fun and I’m always learning.”

“I’ve seen a big improvement in myself in the last few weeks, getting better and better. At Huset’s (Speedway) we were fast both nights. I’m getting more confident and we are getting things together.”

Brandon Wimmer

“I’m really looking forward to it. We have been going pretty good here lately in the Rick Ferkel (No) 0 car. It seems like every race we get better and better. We just finished up the Thunder in the Plains with the All Stars and did really well there and are really looking forward to Oskaloosa.”

“Having been on the road helps you adjust to tracks really quick. You just watch some of the good guys that are running there and see what lines they are running and kind of go from there. That is something my Grandpa told me that if you don’t run against the best you won’t get better and we are looking forward to Oskaloosa Monday.”

Daryn Pittman

“It’s one that we tried to win for a lot of years and led a lot of laps and should have won two years prior in a row and finally got it done last year. He’s putting up more money this year and anytime that promoters want to put up more for 410 winged sprint cars is a great thing.”

“It is nice to go and have a good time. Seeing the fans enjoy themselves and be at a completely different atmosphere than we are used to at a race track. You definitely have to applaud his ingenuity on the promoter’s side and it’s a good time for the fans. It definitely spills over to the race track.”

Ticket Information

All grandstand seats will be reserved for this event with adult seats running $25 and kids 12 and under running $15. Infield party passes will also be available for $25 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. For more information on the event or to order tickets call 515-957-0020, or visit www.oskychallenges.com.

For the most up to date information on the All Star Circuit of Champions, bookmark www.allstarsprint.com on your computer.  

Camargo, IL (8-7-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – Before you walk, you must crawl. In the case of the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions race at I-55 Raceway they got a chance to warm up on the 1/3-mile bullring for 30 laps tonight, before taking on the Ironman 55 Lap challenge tomorrow night. Tonight, Craig Dollansky was the hottest driver on the track racing three-wide for most of the thrilling A-Main event to take the win.

Dollansky took the point from the pole position leading the race early on grabbing the lead in Turn 1. Jason Myers and Donny Schatz would follow right on his tail. When Dollansky first encountered traffic on Lap 6 he was able to easily hold on to the lead, but the second place battle heated up. Schatz and Meyers would fight tooth-and-nail over the next part of the race. Schatz would get an edge on Lap 12 and pick up the second position and began his march to the front.

On Lap 15 Schatz would use lapped traffic to attempt to take the top spot, but Dollansky muscled back at the line to hold on to the lead. On the following lap Schatz would take the top spot as the two split a lapped car. The first and only caution period of the event was on Lap 19.

When the field restarted Schatz sprinted out to the lead, leaving Meyers and Dollansky to battle for second. With ten laps to go Jason Sides would join the battle as he got around Meyers for the third position. With six laps to go Schatz was in heavy traffic trying to defend his lead. These lapped cars allowed both Dollansky and Sides to close on him.

On Lap 25 Dollansky would get a run going off of Turn 4, nearly taking the top spot away. On the following lap he took the lead in turns one and two from Schatz as Sides joined the fray and the trio ran side-by-side. With the White Flag unfurled the trip had one Lap to decide it. At the line it would be Dollansky getting the edge over Sides and Schatz, Myers and Daryn Pittman would round out the Top-five.

The top finisher in the top-ten in the All Star point standings was Daryn Pittman who finished fifth. Stevie Smith who currently holds the ninth place in All Star points placed sixth in the event. Other drivers who put in a valiant effort carrying the banner for the All Star Series in the A-main  included: Tim Shaffer, Greg Wilson, and Kody Kinser.

For the most up to date information on the All Star Circuit of Champions, bookmark www.allstarsprint.com on your computer.  

Top Three Quotes

Winner Craig Dollansky - “It’s a great total team effort. We had a good starting spot, but when you have a good starting spot you have to capitalize on it. We were running a good pace early and Donny (Schatz) got by us in the middle of (turns) three and four. Once he got by us, I tried to be patient on the restart and work ourselves back up in there. Fortunately for our entire race team we were able to get the win. We all had good race cars and everybody was fighting for the lead. I was just trying to go where my car felt best. I started working the middle in (turns) three and four somewhat and then went back to the top. We could hammer the top pretty good and felt good up top.”

Second Place Jason Sides – “We had a great car tonight. I am so proud of my guys. They have been working hard all season and to run strong is great for this whole team. We were able to really get on up through there and the track was very racy for the feature.”

Third Place Donny Schatz - “That was an exciting race for the fans. It would have really been fun if that had been 40 laps. We just got a little caught up there in traffic and those guys were right there. We’ll come back tomorrow and see if we can’t get a couple more spots with the big money on the line.”

Camargo, IL (8-7-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – What driver will be daring enough to take the challenge? Everyone in racing loves to see the fastest car come from the back and win and this is exactly what the Front Row Challenge does. On Monday night August 10th the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions will be facing just that test at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA. The lucky driver who gets the pole will have the opportunity to start from the back and win $50,000.

This year will be the 14th running of the exhilarating event that features the best in sprint car racing dueling for a $10,000 payday, but one driver, the fastest in the field, can take on the challenge for a chance at $50,000. Past champions of the event include: Terry McCarl who won the inaugural event in 1996, two time winners Tyler Walker, Jeff Shepard, and Lance Dewease, and in 2008 Daryn Pittman.

Last year there was plenty of breathtaking moments though out the event. Mark Dobmeier won the King of the Hill challenge, featuring one-on-one match races amongst the top eight qualifiers through the heat races. In the final, he narrowly beat Joey Saldana. After Dobmeier deferred the $50,000 challenge to win from the back after the contest for the pole position, Saldana decided to take on the challenge and started 24th on the field. Dobmeier would take the lead early in the event, but would end up with no where to go when another car flipped on track ending his night. Daryn Pittman would inherit the lead and hold off challenges from both Roger Crockett and Tyler Walker to take the victory.

Ticket Information

All grandstand seats will be reserved for this event with adult seats running $25 and kids 12 and under running $15. Infield party passes will also be available for $25 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. For more information on the event or to order tickets call 515-957-0020, or visit www.oskychallenges.com.

• Terry McCarl - Brad Grey 1996
• Canceled Due to Rain 1997
• Tyler Walker - Walker Airsep Racing 1998
• Jac Haudenschild - Jack Eldon 1999
• Jeff Shepard - Double L Motorsports 2000
• Lance Dewease - Joe Harz 2001
• Tyler Walker - Ledford 2002
• Lance Dewease - Al Hamilton 2003
• Jeff Shepard - Barry Jackson 2004
• Danny Lasoski - Tony Stewart 2005
• Kenny Jacobs - Barry Jackson 2006
• Rob Chaney - Hammer-Hunter 2007
• Daryn Pittman - Reeve Kruck 2008

Camargo, IL (8-8-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – You could say for Joey Saldana the number 13 does not carry the bad luck connotation that it normally does since he collected his thirteenth victory of the season at a race that is the longest race on the O’Reilly All Star schedule. In a race that was 55 laps around 55 Speedway it truly took an ironman and a little luck to make his way to Victory Lane.

At the drop of the Green Flag Jason Meyers jetted out to the lead going into the first two turns of the marathon event, but the race would not stay green for long as Lance Dewease slowed on track bringing out the Yellow Flag causing a complete restart of the event. This moved Craig Dollansky to the pole position and when the race resumed he got a jump going into Turn 1 taking the lead with his teammate Saldana who started fourth quickly sliding his way into the second position.

The Kasey Kahne racing teammates had the field covered the whole event, with Dollansky leading early on, working his way through lapped traffic beginning on Lap 6. Saldana would spend the first eighteen laps of the event in his tire tracks as they weaved their way through lapped traffic. On Lap 19 is when Saldana made his move. After Dollansky was held up by a lapped car, Saldana closed and used a textbook slide job coming off of turn four to take the lead. Saldana would never look back keeping an iron fist on the top spot for the final 27 laps of the race.

Throughout the rest of the race Saldana would have to contend with lapped traffic allowing Dollansky to close on his teammate, but he would never be close enough to steal back the top spot. With the Checkered Flag looming after a grueling 55 Laps, Saldana would take the victory with Dollansky, Danny Lasoski, Donny Schatz and Jason Sides rounding out the top-5.

Of the O’Reilly All Star drivers in the event, it was point leader Tim Shaffer carrying the banner for the series. After starting 22 “the Steel City Outlaw” showed that he was truly was made of steel as he was the hard charger of the race picking up 14 spots to finish eighth. The rookie of the year battle tightened up a little more as second place Daron Clayton finished one position in front of leader Ryan Bunton. The only Midwest All Star that made the A-main was Kody Kinser who transferred from the B-main and held his own in the A-main.

Next up for the All Star Circuit of Champions is the Front Row Challenge Monday night August 10th when the series travels to Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA where one lucky driver who gets the pole will have the opportunity to start from the back and win $50,000. All grandstand seats will be reserved for this event with adult seats running $25 and kids 12 and under running $15. Infield party passes will also be available for $25 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. For more information on the event or to order tickets call 515-957-0020, or visit www.oskychallenges.com.

For the most up to date information on the All Star Circuit of Champions, bookmark www.allstarsprint.com on your computer.  

Top Three Quotes

Winner Joey Saldana - “This is a very important race. It’s the first one and nobody ever forgets who won the first one. Thanks to everyone for going through all of the hard work to make this event and the track preparation that’s what made it a great race tonight. Thanks to the fans that stuck with us and made it happen.  It was a good run for us. We got a flat tire there and luckily we held on. We lost a race and a whole race car at Paducah (International Raceway in Kentucky) earlier this season because we blew a tire in the same situation. I’m glad it held air here tonight.””

Second Place Craig Dollansky - “It was a great run for Kasey Kahne Racing to have both cars one and two in a big race, it’s pretty neat. It was a good effort by both race teams. Joey (Saldana) and I were nose to tail there all the way through the race. He got me there on the bottom in (turns) three and four and it looked like the bottom was good at that point of the race. I just was on top running up there and he just snuck by us.”

Third Place Danny Lasoski - “We really had a fast car.  We knew that both the Kasey Kahne cars would be up on the fence and we locked our car for the bottom. Thanks to Ray (Marler) and his crew for working this track and making it like it was. Kenny Schrader is a racer and Ray Marler is a racer. I used to work for him before I started racing. To have this race here at what is the best track in Missouri is a pleasure, especially being from Missouri.”

Camargo, IL (8-5-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – Normally when the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions make their way out for the feature event, they have 30 laps of thrilling racing action. Friday night August 7th they will be battling for 30 laps, but when they return to I-55 Raceway for a second night of racing action the rules will change.

On Saturday night August 8th the drivers of the All Star Series will be ready for a grueling 55 lap showdown known as the Ironman 55 at I-55 Raceway. In its inaugural running the Ironman 55 will present a new challenge to drivers and teams alike as they see who can go the distance around the 1/3-mile bullring for a $20,000 payday at the end of the night.

The last time the All Star Circuit of Champions raced at I-55 Raceway was in 1989 for a special event that featured twin 25-lap features. The winner of both feature events was Sammy Swindell. Since then the 1/3-mile bullring has been absent from the All Star Schedule, but the series will be making a long awaited return to the venue for their third race in series history.

Current Circuit of Champions point leader Tim Shaffer has fourteen starts I-55 Raceway, but out of all those events he only has two top-5 finishes.  The last time he raced there in 2008 he got one of those finishes when he came home in the fourth position. Second place point runner Greg Wilson has four A-main starts at the famed 1/3-mile with two being top-five finishes. In his last start at Pevely in 2006 Wilson drove the Warnimot w20 to a third place finish.

Of the All Star Circuit of Champions 2009 Rookie-of-the-Year Contenders only one driver will be a true “rookie” at I-55 raceway this weekend. David Gravel is the only title contender who does not have a previous start on the high banks. Point leader Ryan Bunton has one A-main start at the 1/3-mile oval. Daron Clayton has two previous starts with one being a top-ten finish. The “rookie” that has been most successful at the Pevely track is Brandon Wimmer. He has six starts there with a win there in 2006.

Ticket Information

On Friday, August 7th admission tickets will be $27, with reserved tickets $29. The pit gates will open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand gates also opening at 4 p.m. with hot laps set for 6 p.m. Central. Two-day tickets are available if purchased before Thursday, August 6 for $50 and includes a pit pass for Saturday. Saturday, August 8th general admission tickets will be $35 with reserved tickets $37. The pit gates will open at 2 p.m., with the grandstand gates also opening at 2 p.m. and hot laps set for 6 p.m. Central For more information or to reserve your tickets call I-55 Speedway at 636-479-3219 or visit www.i55raceway.com.

For the most up to date information on the All Star Circuit of Champions bookmark www.allstarsprint.com on your computer.

Camargo, IL (8-5-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – Today the All Star Circuit of Champions released the date for the make-up event at the Terre Haute Action Track. The race, which was originally scheduled for July 4th, and rained out twice, will now take the Green Flag on Saturday night September 26th, making it the finale for the 2009 season.

Ticket Information

Adult reserved grandstand tickets for the race are $25, with general admission grandstand running $20, bleacher seats running $15 and Adult infield running $10. A child’s reserved grandstand seat is $15, with general admission grandstand running $10, child’s bleacher and infield tickets are $5. The track is also offering a $25 family pack, which will get two adults and up to four children infield seats.

The track is also running promotions with local vendors where you can get free children’s reserved grandstand or general admission grandstand seats free at any First National Bank or with your Kroger Plus Card at the track. The ticket office will be opening at 3:00 pm with the gates opening to fans at 4:00 pm and hot laps beginning at 6:00 pm. For more information call 812-236-7951 or visit www.theactiontrack.com.

Camargo, IL (8-5-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – The All Star Circuit of Champions announced today that the race scheduled for August 29th at Waynesfield Motorsports Park has been cancelled by the track.

Camargo, IL (8-2-09) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – On the last night of the marathon event of Thunder through the Plains there was not only a storm of action going on at Husets Speedway, but there was also a storm approaching the track creating almost as much thunder and lightning in the sky as the drivers of the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions did on the track. At the end of the 30 Lap event, it would be Terry McCarl outrunning the storm and the fierce All Star competitors to collect a $10,000 payday.

On the initial drop of the Green Flag it was pole sitter Tim Shaffer who blew past Terry McCarl to take the lead, but before a lap could be scored there was a melee in Turn 1 involving four cars. When the dust settled Ryan Bunton, Mark Dobmeier, Greg Wilson and Greg Hall’s sprint cars were all stopped against the Turn 1 wall. All four cars retired for the night with too much damage to continue on.

The incident caused a complete restart and this time when the Green Flag was unfurled it was outside pole sitter Terry McCarl who breezed past Shaffer into the lead. In the early laps of the event there were several breaks in the racing action. On Lap 4 the first caution flag of the night flew when the 9x of Gary Wright slowed and came to a stop on the track. A second Yellow Flag would fly again on Lap 6 when the 23w of Scott Winters also came to a stop on the track.

On Lap 6 the Red Flag would fly with the 89g of David Gravel got into the wall exiting Turn 2 and sent him tumbling down the back stretch. When the Green Flag was presented to the field McCarl got a jump and held on to the lead with Shaffer, Tim Kaeding, Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Shane Stewart in his tire tracks. The top –five would try to track down McCarl, but he opened up a significant lead until he encountered lapped traffic.

On Lap 18 the Red Flag would come out again. This time it was for the 4 car of Chad Myer. Going into Turn 3 his car got upside down and landed between Turns 3 and 4. Without anywhere to go the 92 of Daron Clayton would make contact with Myer, but would return to the track at the back of the field after changing a right rear tire.

McCarl led the field to the Green Flag with Shaffer in second and Hafertepe who had slid his way into the top-3. McCarl retained his lead and had the field covered until he started encountering lapped traffic which set up a finish that brought the crowd out of their seats.

When the White Flag was unfurled Shaffer had closed on McCarl and as they passed the start finish line Shaffer pulled to the inside of McCarl to execute the pass. McCarl would block his first attempt. While those two battled it allowed Hafertepe to close on the two. On the last turn of the last lap Shaffer sized up McCarl and made his final bid for the win. As Shaffer pulled to McCarl’s inside Hafertepe threaded the needle going between the two. At the finish line it was McCarl picking up the win with Hafertepe barely beating Shaffer to the line. Tim Kaeding and Gary Bakker would round out the top-five.

This is his 13th career All Star Circuit of Champions victory. Some of the biggest movers of the night were Gregg Bakker who finished fifth after starting 19th, Troy Myer who finished eighth after starting 20th, and Jody Rosenboom who finished tenth after starting dead last.