CAMARGO, IL (11-14-12) By Brian Liskai. – The University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) All Star Circuit of Champion Sprint Cars will blast open the 2013 racing season with five big events “down south” beginning with the Third Annual Winter Freeze Thursday, Feb. 7 at Screven Motor Speedway. The UNOH All Stars will then head to Bubba Raceway Park on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8 and 9 and the wrap up their southern swing at Volusia Speedway Park Wednesday and Thursday Feb. 13 and 14.
 
“We consolidated our events in the south this year. It will save the fans and race teams some money as our races are being held over two weeks,” said Guy Webb, President/CEO of the UNOH All Stars.
 
Screven Motor Speedway – also known as “The Action Track of the South” – is located on Georgia Highway 21 between the towns of Newington, Ga. and Sylvania, Ga. It is a 3/8th mile clay track that began operations in 2997.
 
Action begins at Screven on Feb. 6 for the Third Annual Winter Freeze and runs through Feb. 9. The UNOH All Stars will battle on Thursday, Feb. 7 for a $5,000-to-win affair to kick off the touring group’s season. During the Winter Freeze, Screven will also host the World of Outlaw Late Models, national late models, the Florida mini-sprints and possibly a non-sanctioned winged sprint car even during the four-day Winter Freeze.
 
“We’re excited to have the All Stars down here. We normally run fendered cars so this will be a real treat for our fans,” said Screven Motor Speedway Owner James “Red” Griffin.” “We only have one night for the sprints this year, but it’s a better deal for those teams as they go to Ocala the following two nights and then to Volusia the next week. Hopefully putting the events closer together will entice more of the northern sprint car teams to come down here and give our fans a thrill.”
 
Last year at Screven, Pittsboro, Indiana’s Daryn Pittman opened the UNOH All Star season by holding off UNOH All Star regular David Gravel and young charger Logan Schuchart for the win. Pittman would go on to pick up the UNOH All Star’s Eastern Region Championship in 2012, and will now pilot one of Kasey Kahne’s machine’s in 2013.
 
On the second night of competition, 3-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart would drive to the high side of a frozen track – where no one else dared to go – and passed Jason Sides on the last lap to pick up his first ever UNOH All Star sprint car win.
 
For more information about Screven Motor Speedway go to www.screvenmotorspeedway.com
 
The UNOH All Stars then travel a little further south to Ocala, Florida to Bubba Raceway Park for a two night stand, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8 and 9.
 
Bubba Raceway Park is a unique, 3/8th mile D-shaped, semi-banked clay track. It began operations in 1952, making it the oldest track in the State of Florida.
 
Nationally syndicated shock jock Bubba “The Love Sponge” Clem – a lifelong race enthusiast – purchased the former Ocala Speedway in 2011. A race car driver himself, Clem, 46, hosts his five-day-per-week, talk-only radio show out of FM 102.5 in Tampa. He has made several improvements to the track since taking ownership.
 
The 2013 Bubba Army Winternationals will take place Jan. 28-Feb. 23 and not only features the UNOH All Stars, but the World of Outlaw Late Models, UMP Open Wheel Modifieds, winged 360 sprints, and the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars.
 
In 2012, Bubba Raceway Park hosted the UNOH All Stars for three nights of racing. On the first night, Danny “The Dude” Lasoski, a multi-time Knoxville Raceway champion and Knoxville Nationals winner, scored the win over Dale Blaney, who would put together a nine-win UNOH All Star season in 2012, securing the Ohio Region Championship along the way. Tim Shaffer, who would go on to record his fourth consecutive UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions national title, would come home third.
 
On the second night of competition, Blaney, who sits second on the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champion’s all-time win list with 93 victories – just five shy of tying National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member Kenny Jacobs – would take the win over Pittman and Sam Hafertepe Jr.
 
Lasoski, who calls Ocala home during the winter months, would wrap up the three-day affair at Bubba Raceway Park, with another victory over Aaron Ott and young UNOH All Star charger Danny Holtgraver.
 
For more information about Bubba Raceway Park, go to www.bubbaracewaypark.com
 
Once again, the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions will be a part of the 42nd Annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. The UNOH DIRTcar Nationals will take place Feb. 12-23 with the UNOH All Stars competing Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 13 and 14. The Nationals include the World of Outlaw Sprint Cars and World of Outlaw Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds, UMP Modifieds and DIRTcar Late Models.
 
Every night is a double-header during the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals and there are free fan pit passes with every ticket purchase every night. Gates will open nightly at 5 p.m. with heat races beginning at 7:30 p.m.
 
Last year at Volusia, Lasoski would open the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals with the UNOH All Star win over Kraig Kinser and Shaffer. It was Lasoski’s 18th career win at the track as he leads all other drivers in victories at Volusia.
 
On night #2 for the UNOH All Stars, “The Crowd Pleaser” Craig Dollansky – who would finish second in the World of Outlaws points in 2012 – came home the winner over Pittman and Lasoski.
 
For more information on Volusia Speedway Park – one of the world’s fastest half-mile dirt ovals – go to www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com. For more information about the 42nd Annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment, go to www.dirtcarnationals.com
 
The five races for the UNOH All Stars – Feb. 7 at Screven, Feb. 8 and 9 at Bubba Raceway Park, and Feb. 13 and 14 at Volusia – are Eastern Region Point events. The champion of the Eastern Region at the end of 2013 will earn $20,000.
 
For more information about the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions go to www.allstarsprint.com

FREMONT, OH (9-15-12) By Brian Liskai– Tim Shaffer was sick of finishing second and third. The Aliquippa, Pa. driver took out his frustrations on the field at Fremont Speedway Saturday, dominating the last half of the 50-lap Jim Ford Classic Presented by Ludwig Propane to claim the $10,000 pay day.
 
The win was Shaffer’s 12th career victory at “The Track That Action Built,” and his sixth win of 2012 with the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions. Shaffer, who leads the series’ national points with just one race left, now has 51 career UNOH All Star victories. Shaffer is aiming to become only the third driver in series’ history to win four straight championships. He is also inching closer to Dale Blaney for the Ohio region championship.
 
“This feels so good. It’s been awhile. This year it seems like we’ve run seconds and thirds which is not a bad year. But, you want to win…you’re used to winning, it just feels great,” said Shaffer beside his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned #83.
 
“It was just one of those nights…it was my night and it worked out. My hats off to my guys and this CH Motorsports team. I have great owners and a great crew and it’s really fun to be back up here,” said Shaffer about his Kistler Engines/VRP Shocks backed machine. “We have just kept working harder and harder at it. It feels great…it feels back like it used to be. It just takes time for people to work together and gel together.”
 
“I really love running this place because it changes throughout the night and you have to move around. It seems to fall in my hands. For the fans this is a great race track and Farmer (Rich, promoter) and the guys did a great job of prepping the track,” added Shaffer in the Engine Pro Victory Lane.
 
Current Fremont point leader Craig Mintz, who broke bones in his hands earlier in the week in a non-racing related incident, would drive from his 12th starting position to end up second.
 
“I like the track like this. When it gets black and slick you have to pedal it and it makes for great racing. We didn’t have anything for the 83 car. These guys behind me…Real Geese Decoys/Keller Chevrolet/Erie Shore Propane/R2C Filters/Kistler Engines/Ti22/Wasserman Construction…all these guys help out,” said Mintz.
 
“My hand is thumping pretty good right now but when you end up on the front stretch it makes the pain go away,” added Mintz.
 
Danny Holtgraver of Pittsburgh, Pa. has been one of the hottest UNOH All Star drives of late, and he would bring his Kargo Quality Cars/Alternative Power Source/DKW Transport machine home in third.
 
“This is the first time I’ve ever been standing up here talking to you after a feature at Fremont. We will take it. We had a heck of a race going there for a long time…it was fun,” said Holtgraver.
 
In the 50-lap UNOH All Star feature, Dean Jacobs and Shaffer would bring the field to the green with Jacobs getting the jump. Shaffer, Brad Bowman, Byron Reed, Stevie Smith, Holtgraver, Chris Andrews and Bryan Sebetto would be in pursuit. With three laps in, Smith would spin in turn three to bring out the caution with the running order now Jacobs, Shaffer, Reed, Bowman, Holtgraver, Sebetto, Andrews and Mintz.
 
Jacobs would pull away slightly when the green reappeared, but Shaffer would track him down and began applying pressure by lap six. But, Danny Smith would stop in turn four with engine problems to bring the yellow back out. Again on the restart Jacobs would pull away from Shaffer with Reed having his hands full with a charger Sebetto while Holtgraver, Andrews, and Mintz waged a terrific battle for fourth.
 
Sebetto would take the third position on lap 14 as Shaffer began closing on Jacobs. By lap 16, Shaffer and Jacobs were racing side-by-side in turns three and four as Reed rebounded to regain third from Sebetto. As they completed lap 17, Shaffer would drive under Jacobs in turns one and two to take the lead.
 
By lap 20, Shaffer raced into lapped traffic as now Jacobs had his hands full with Sebetto for second. Sebetto would grab the runner-up spot on lap 21 and two laps later, Holtgraver would blast under Jacobs for third, bringing Andrews and Mintz with him. At the half-way point Shaffer held a four car length lead over Sebetto with Holtgraver, Andrews, Mintz and Cap Henry in pursuit. Over the next four laps the crowd was treated to a fantastic battle for third between Andrews, Holtgraver, Mintz and Henry.
 
On lap 29, Holtgraver would drive under Sebetto to take the second spot and with 19 laps to go, Mintz would follow suit to take third. Meanwhile, Shaffer was steadily picking off lapped cars and lengthening his lead. The battle for third was still intense involving Mintz, Sebetto, Andrews, Henry and 19th starter Dale Blaney.
 
The caution would fly on lap 37 for Caleb Helms who stopped on the outside of turn three. Shaffer had three lapped cars separating him from Holtgraver. On the restart, Mintz would drive under Holtgraver to take second and started to close on Shaffer. Stuart Brubaker would bring out the final caution on lap 40.
 
On the ensuing restart, Shaffer only had one lapped car between him and Mintz with Holtgraver, Sebetto, Andrews and Blaney in tow. With a clear track, Shaffer was able to pull away from Mintz as Holtgraver ran comfortably in third while Sebetto, Blaney and Andrews continued to race hard four fourth.
 
Shaffer drove away to the win over Mintz, Holtgraver, Blaney and Andrews.
 
It was the sixth appearance of the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions for 2012 at Fremont Speedway and the 105th by the series at the track in its series.

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FREMONT, OH (9-15-12) By Brian Liskai– All it took was one very little mistake by Dale Blaney on a restart with four laps to go Friday at Fremont Speedway and Bryan Sebetto was there to pounce. Sebetto executed a perfect slide job in turns three and four to take the lead and went on to score his 22nd career win at “The Track That Action Built.” While the win against the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions is the third of his career, it was the first for Sebetto’s car owners Randy and Lisa Hammer.

Blaney came into the weekend at Fremont having won all four of the UNOH All Star events at the track in 2012. But, Sebetto gave notice in the dash that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with on the opening night of the Jim Ford Classic weekend presented by All Pro Cylinder Heads. Sebetto hounded Blaney the entire distance of the six lap race and Blaney knew come feature time he would have his hands full with Fremont Speedway’s 2011 champion and the recently crowned Kistler Racing Products Fremont Attica Sprint Title (FAST) champion.

The victory was the second straight at Sebettto’s hometown track. Overall Sebetto has nine wins in 2012 – 4 at Attica Raceway Park.

“I was winning Gressman (Scott, the engine builder) an All Star race. That was my mind on that restart…I’m not running second,” said Sebetto beside his Hammer Pallets/Crown Batter/Gressman Powersports/Meggit Powder Coating/OC Shocks backed machine. “I told Blaney he wasn’t winning all the All Star shows at Fremont this year. I say the same thing every time…this team is just so freaking awesome. We’ve had such awesome luck and I have such great people behind me. It was a great honor to win the Jim Ford Classic last year. I knew Jim Ford personally and I want to make it two in a row. I know we’ll have our hands full tomorrow night, but this team can get it done.”

For Blaney, who has nine UNOH All Star wins in 2012, he was pleased with his car.

“I just made a mistake on that restart. We were really maneuverable and traffic was really good for us. If we don’t get into open area those last four laps we’re probably okay. I didn’t catch it real good down in one and two and I should have protected myself going down into three. I thought half way down the back straight away I should have turned left and drive across. I had a feeling he was probably coming but I thought if I got it in there hard and beat him into four I’d be okay. I didn’t do it…I just made a mistake and he ran a good race,” said Blaney beside his Ti22 Performance #2.

David Gravel, who finished second with the UNOH All Stars last week at Port Royal Speedway, would come home third, and was happy with how he is progressing at Fremont.

“We usually qualify here really well but have trouble in the heat race or B-main or something happens in the feature. But, it was a smooth night. I’m excited about 50 laps tomorrow because we got a lot better towards the end of that race. I want to get good consistently here and I think we’re getting closer to that,” said Gravel beside his P&M Transportation/Musco Fuel Services/Model Craft backed #89G.

Blaney and Sebetto would bring the field to the green for the 30-lap UNOH All Star feature, but before they could exit turn two, third place starter Stevie Smith would take a tumble, ending his night. On the complete restart, Sebetto would drive into the lead with Blaney, Brad Bowman, Gravel, Chris Bell, Tim Shaffer and Cole Duncan in tow. Sebetto and Blaney would pull away from the pack, setting a blistering pace, encountering lapped traffic by the fifth circuit.

It was in traffic that Blaney would make his move, driving under Sebetto to take the lead on lap eight. Bell would drive around Gravel on the second lap and then would take third from Bowman on lap 10, but one circuit later, he would spin in turn three. On the restart, again Blaney and Sebetto showed they were the class of the field, pulling away from Bowman, Gravel and 11th starter Rob Chaney, but the caution would fly again on lap 13 when Shaffer stopped in turn one. The running order was now Blaney, Sebetto, Gravel, Bowman, Chaney, Jody Keegan and 22nd starter Dean Jacobs.

With 12 laps to go, Sebetto began really putting pressure on Blaney while Gravel was comfortably in third with a tremendous battle ensuing for fourth involving Bowman, Chaney, Keegan and Jacobs. Chaney would move into fourth on lap 20. The action slowed on lap 24 when Craig Mintz stopped on the speedway. Now, Blaney and Sebetto had a four lapped car cushion back to third place running Gravel with Chaney and Jacobs rounding out the top five. Keegan’s good run would come to an end on lap 26 when he encountered trouble.

On the restart, Sebetto would drive to Blaney’s outside in turns one and two, but the “Low Rider” would slam the door. But, Sebetto kept up his momentum and drove into turn three extremely aggressive and executed the slide job for the lead. Gravel would pull away in third while Chaney, Jacobs, Bowman and 18th starter Brandon Martin were locked in a fantastic race for fourth. Sebetto would pull away the final three laps for the win with Blaney, Gravel, Chaney and Jacobs rounding out the top five.

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PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012) By Brian Liskai – Doug “The Hammer” Esh defended the PA Posse’s home turf against the invading University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Saturday at Port Royal Speedway to claim the 45th Annual AB Auto Glass Tuscarora 50.
 
Esh, from Lancaster, Pa., had to hold off a charging UNOH All Star driver “Dangerous” David Gravel to earn his first career UNOH All Star victory. Esh’s first win of the season was worth $11,450 for Esh.
 
But it was Owasso, Ok. native Daryn Pittman who took home the big money. With his sixth place finish, Pittman claimed the UNOH All Star’s $20,000 check for winning the series’ Eastern Region Championship.
 
Also, with his 10th place finish, Chad Layton was crowned the Port Royal Speedway 2012 champion.
 
Esh blasted around the Port’s top shelf aboard his Leach’s Automotive/Macri Concrete #30, and for a stretch of 11 laps he had the field right where he wanted them as the competition was bogged down in the lower and middle grooves.
 
“Unbelievable,” Esh said in victory lane beside his Fire Protection./Pete’s Bridge Street Motors/Pancho’s backed machine. “During the break, I figured if we could get to the top, we could smoke them. I used up the track.”
 
“Crew chief Rob Peters is one of the best around and Dick and Leslie Leach put one hell of a team together,” added Esh. “We’ve run second here pretty much many times and should have a couple wins here. This place owed us one. We were leading an All Star race here a couple of years ago and blew a tire. It feels good to be on the stage here.”
 
For Watertown, Connecticut’s David Gravel, it was a good run, though he wished there were not two lapped cars between he and Esh on the late race restart.
 
“I never got a shot at him…wished those lapped cars weren’t there because I had a great car,” said Gravel beside his P&M Transportation/Musco Fuels/Model Craft backed #89G. “We were fourth at the break (after starting 10th) and we put on a 200 (tire) on and went back a little bit. But late in the race the car really came on.”
 
“We broke a rear end in hot laps and had to thrash to get it fixed for qualifying. We didn’t even get a lap in hot laps. We went out and still qualified ninth and were able to transfer out of the heat and made the dash. We learned some things tonight,” added Gravel.
 
Mike Wagner and Mike Erdley would bring the field to the green for the 50-lap feature. Esh started eighth and plodded through the first 24 laps while Wagner, Erdley and Brent Marks asserted themselves at the front of the field. Wagner led the first 17 laps before Marks made his move. Marks took second on lap six and used the low groove through turns 1 and 2 to take over the top spot on lap 18.
 
Lance Dewease, the defending UNOH All Star Eastern Region champion, and Danny Dietrich were charging through the field when they made contact in turn 1 with 24 laps complete. Dietrich flipped to bring out the red and officials stopped the race for the midway break.
 
Esh restarted the race in sixth and rocketed into the top five at the drop of the green. He would pass Wagner for third on lap 29. Erdley was Esh’s next victim. The former Williams Grove National Open champion slid Erdley in turns 3 and 4 on lap 32 and shot around Marks coming out of turn 4 three laps later to take the lead.
 
“Once the tires heated up, we took off,” Esh said. “Awesome job in the car with adjustments. I have a great team…they did a good job. I’m sick of talking tires…they are what they are. We’ll see what happens next year with that, but I hope this team can stick together next year.”
 
Erdley would make up ground on the bottom, passing Marks for second on lap 42 and closing to within two car lengths of Esh with three laps to go. But, Esh dropped to the bottom and got around the lapped car of Danny Holtgraver to stretch his lead.
 
Erdley blew a tire on the last lap, ending any chance of victory. Marks also had a flat and fell back in the order.
 
Friday night’s winner, Dale Blaney, who handed the UNOH All Stars their first ever win against the PA Posse at Port Royal the previous night, would bring his Ti-22 Performance backed #2 home in third, while Wagner and Danny Lasoski completed the top five.
 
“Overall it was a pretty good weekend for us. We were good all night but I didn’t get the start in the feature I needed to…it was hard to pass. I didn’t want any part of where Esh was running. I don’t know how he did it up there, but he made it work,” said Blaney.
 

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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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