Gressman survives wild UNOH All Star event to tame Attica
ATTICA, OH (9-1-12) By Brian Liskai – It was a wild and wacky finish to the 2012 season at Attica Raceway Park Saturday. And when the rain started falling it was Fremont, Ohio’s Phil Gressman who was standing in victory lane for his fifth career University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car win.
The night started with a two hour rain delay. As officials pushed the show rapidly along, it appeared the 40-lap feature on Baumann Auto Group Night would be exciting. It turned into an event-filled race with five red flags and four cautions. And just when it looked like Dean Jacobs would earn the victory after leading the first 36 laps, he either ran out of fuel or suffered some other mechanical woe, handing the lead to Gressman. Gressman had to fend off Danny Holtgraver the final four circuits to score his 7th career Attica victory.
For Gressman, who destroyed a car a few weeks ago battling up front at Attica, it was his first win of the season. The UNOH All Star win is his first since 2004, with all five of his career series victories coming at different tracks.
“We will take them any way we can get them. I thought I had a pretty good car…I was just kind of bidding my time. I thought later in the race we would be better. I felt like before that tangle between Sebetto (Brian), Chaney (Rob) and Dale (Blaney) that I was closing in on them and I felt pretty good. Forty laps is a long time…we hung in there and here we are,” said Gressman beside his Ludwig Propane, Kear’s Speed Shop, Level Performance backed #53.
“I feel like I can still race with these guys…it’s just putting it all together. Marilyn Genzman has stuck behind us through thick and thin…without her this would be impossible and we greatly appreciate what she does. It’s a lot of hard work Monday through Friday…I don’t know why we had to wait until the last race of the year to get this win,” added Gressman.
Coming off his second UNOH All Star win of the season the previous night, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Danny Holtgraver would score a runner-up finish. Holtgraver earned his first ever series win at Attica in June.
“Everything has been going good. We struggled in our heat race but there wasn’t much passing going on. We didn’t make it through and had to run the B and made it. We really got lucky…we were pretty good but I couldn’t really run around the top like I probably needed to. A lot of good cars in front of us got wrecked but we’ll take it. I tried for it at the end but I knew I wouldn’t clear him so I didn’t try to take him all the way to the fence and take out a home town guy. I have to thank everyone, my dad, Brian (Kemenah), Pup, Chris…just everyone that helps us out,” said Holtgraver beside his Kargo Quality Cars/Alternative Power Sources/DKW Transport backed machine.
For the second straight night, Bellevue, Ohio’s Cap Henry made a charge from mid-pack to the front. The former UNOH All Star rookie of the year charged from his 14th starting position to a third place finish.
“We had a really good car. With that last red on the restart when Phil threw that big slider on me something broke in the bakes and I had no brakes. And then, with two to go something broke in the rear end and it was dragging the left rear frame rail. So I’ll take third,” said Henry beside his Lucas Oil/FK Rod Ends/Fragola Performance Systems/GME Nields Steering backed #54.
Because of the threatening weather, qualifying was cut to just one lap, and the dash was cancelled and replaced with a pill draw for the top six starting positions. Rob Chaney and Jacobs would bring the field to the green with Jacobs grabbing the lead over Chaney, Bryan Sebetto, Dale Blaney, Paul McMahan, Greg Wilson and Gressman. Sheldon Haudenschild would spin after the opening lap for the first caution.
On the restart Jacobs would pull away from a tremendous battle for second between Chaney and Sebetto with Blaney, McMahan, Wilson and Gressman in tow. Just as Jacobs was about to encounter heavy lapped traffic – racing three wide in front of him, Duane Zablocki would tumble in turn four.
UNOH All Star officials would open the red flag for crews to add fuel and check tire pressures.
Now, with a clear track in front of him, Jacobs would pull away slightly from that fantastic battle for second between Sebetto and Chaney with Blaney within striking distance while McMahan, Gressman, Wilson and Cole Duncan locked in a good fight for fifth.
Sebetto would take the runner-up spot on lap eight and was soon closing on Jacobs who again was getting close to heavy lapped traffic. Haudenschild would spin again on lap 14, again handing Jacobs a clear track.
On the restart Jacobs would have his hands full with Sebetto and Chaney. But after completing the 15th circuit, Sebetto would slip off the high side of turn two, and rocket back onto the track into Chaney with Blaney being collected and ending up on his side.
Now the restart order was Jacobs, Gressman, Duncan, McMahan, Wilson, Holtgraver and Henry. Again Jacobs would rocket away from the field on the restart with Duncan pressuring Gressman for second. And once again, just as Jacobs was going to have to figure out a way through heavy lapped traffic on lap 22, the red would fly when Andrew Palker tumbled off turn one.
The restart order was Jacobs, Duncan, Gressman, McMahan, Wilson, Henry, Holtgraver, Stevie Smith (up from his 19th starting spot), David Gravel and Danny Smith. This time Jacobs wouldn’t be able to run away when the green flew as Duncan stuck to his rear bumper. With 10 laps to go, Jacobs was about to hit lapped traffic again. But, on lap 32, Chris Andrews and Blaney made contact right in front of the leaders, with Jacobs narrowly getting by. Duncan wasn’t as lucky as he plowed into Andrews, flipping his mount.
That would put Gressman into second with Henry third followed by Holtgraver and Smith. When the green came back out it appeared Jacobs had the race in control, as he pulled away from the exciting battle for second between Gressman and Henry. Henry would take the runner-up spot on lap 35, but as they raced to complete the 36th circuit, the caution flew for a stalled Randy Hannagan.
On the restart, Jacobs would coast to a stop on the back stretch, handing the lead to Gressman with Holtgraver, Henry, Smith, McMahan and Haudenschild in tow. Gressman and Holtgraver would battle side-by-side over the remaining four laps with Gressman taking the checkered by half a car length over Holtgraver. Henry, Smith and McMahan would round out the top five.
The event closed the season for Attica Raceway Park. It was the 97th appearance of the UNOH All Stars at the track since 1988.
Holtgraver likes 'home cookin' at Lernerville...takes UNOH All Star win
SARVER, PA (Friday, Aug. 31, 2012) By Brian Liskai– Danny Holtgraver circled this weekend on his calendar two months ago. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania resident couldn’t wait for the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions’ event at Lernerville Speedway.
Holtgraver, a 2010 track champion at Lernerville, passed early leader Brian Ellenberger on lap 10 and survived a couple of late race restarts to score his second career UNOH All Star win Friday at “Savertown.” It marks the second consecutive win at Lernerville for Holtgraver and his fourth of the season at the track. He now had eight feature wins in 2012.
“I was so excited about this weekend. We’ve run well at Lernerville, so I knew we had a good shot at winning. And then we’re going to Attica (Saturday) where I got my first All Star win. The guys had the car awesome tonight. Everything went our way. We got tangled up in our heat and did some damage to the car (shock, jacob’s ladder) but was able to finish and transfer to the dash and that helped us start up front. We got through lapped traffic well,” said Holtgraver beside his Kargo Quality Cars & Trucks/Alternative Power Sources/Spinneweber Auto Sales/VRP Shocks backed machine.
Another former Lernerville champion – and three time UNOH All Star Champion – Tim Shaffer would score another runner-up finish aboard his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned, Kistler Engines backed #83.
“Give all the credit to Danny and his guys. He was just better than ALL of us tonight. I guess I’ll have to quit helping him out so much,” joked Shaffer, who leads the UNOH All Star national points and is closing in on Dale Blaney for the series’ Ohio Region points lead. “I don’t think I’ve ever complained so much about finishing second and third in a season. It’s just been one of those years. We’ll just keep trying…my guys are working hard and I’m not going to give up…they deserve some wins.”
For the second UNOH All Star event in a row, Cap Henry would pass a lot of cars – from his eight place starting spot – to score a third place finish.
“I guess I need to qualify better. I have to thank Paul Kistler…our engines are running well and we’re finally able to show how good our team is. A.J. (Havens) and Andrew (Barman) have been busting their butts,” said Henry beside his Lucas Oil/FK Rod Ends/Fragola Performance Systems/GME Nields Steering backed #54. “We are definitely getting better. I feel like a win or two are just around the corner.”
Ellenberger and Shaffer would bring the field to the green for the 30-lap feature with Ellenberger grabbing the lead over Shaffer, Holtgraver, Stevie Smith, David Gravel, Bryan Sebetto, Henry, Ed Lynch Jr., Jared Ridge and Pete Miller. Ellenberger would set a quick pace and hit lapped traffic by the sixth circuit.
Holtgraver would use the traffic to drive by Shaffer for second on lap six while Henry would use the bottom groove to drive into fifth. By lap 10, the leaders were in heavy traffic and Holtgraver used it to his advantage as he drove into the lead.
At the half-way point the running order was Holtgraver, Ellenberger, Shaffer, Henry, Smith, Lynch, Gravel, Sebetto, Caleb Helms and 17th place starter Danny Smith. A lap later Shaffer would get by Ellenberger for second. Henry would continue his charge to the front by taking third on lap 19.
With seven laps to go, the car on the move was 16th starter Dale Blaney, another former Lernerville champion, who had worked his way up to eighth. With five laps to go, Holtgraver led Shaffer, Henry, Ellenberger, Smith, Lynch, Gravel, Blaney, Smith and Carl Bowser.
There were a couple of late race cautions that would put Shaffer right on Holtgraver’s rear bumper, but the youngster, whom Shaffer has mentored over the past couple of years, was able to pull away for the win. Shaffer, Henry, Smith and Ellenberger would round out the top five.
UNOH All Star championship battle heats up with Labor Day weekend triple-header
CAMARGO, IL (8-26-12) By Brian Liskai– The battle for the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Region championship – and its $20,000 top prize – is heating up with just a handful of races remaining in 2012. And the pressure will mount as the teams prepare for a big Labor Day Weekend triple-header.
The teams will head to Sarver, Pa. to the Lernerville Speedway on Friday, Aug. 31. The following day they will help Attica Raceway Park close out its 2012 season on Saturday, Sept. 1, followed the next day, Sunday, Sept. 2, with the second appearance of the series at the NAPA Auto Parts Wayne County Speedway near Orrville, Ohio.
Three time UNOH All Star champion Dale Blaney currently leads three time series champion Tim Shaffer by just 73 points in the Ohio Region. Shaffer looks to become only the third driver in the history of the UNOH All Stars to win his fourth straight national title. Blaney had eight series wins in 2012 to run his career total to 92, just six away from tying hall-of-famer Kenny Jacobs atop the all-time win list. Shaffer has five series wins in 2012 and now has 50 for his career.
When the UNOH All Stars visit Lernerville, the event will certainly draw some of the tough Western Pennsylvania teams. Last season Shaffer picked up the win at Lernerville. But, don’t count out former track champions Blaney or Danny Holtgraver, who sits fifth in the Ohio Region points and scored his first career UNOH All Star win during the Ohio Sprint Speedweek. Through in Stevie Smith, Paul McMahan, Greg Wilson, David Gravel, Pete Miller and a host of other drivers on the famous Lernerville Speedway and it could be a barn-burner.
When the UNOH All Stars head to Attica on Saturday, they will again be faced with tackling the track’s tough weekly competition. Earlier this year, Craig Mintz, who looks to become the track’s champion for 2012 and has three wins this season, passed Blaney on the last lap to score his first ever All Star win. Blaney got a late race pass of Stevie Smith the previous night during the Spring Nationals, to score the win. Then, to open the Ohio Sprint Speedweek, Holtgraver took the win when race-long leader Cap Henry crashed with a lapped car late in the race. The night’s sponsor – the Baumann Auto Group – is putting up extra cash for the event as well.
Shaffer has picked up the Attica Ambush win the past two seasons, with Blaney and Stevie Smith winning in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
Throw in Bryan Sebetto, who has four wins at Attica in 2012; six-time track champion Byron Reed; Phil Gressman; former track champion Chris Andrews; Mike Linder, Travis Philo; 2011 champion Dean Jacobs; two time All Star champion Greg Wilson and a host of other contenders, and the UNOH All Stars will have their hands full.
The UNOH All Stars will wrap up the weekend with their second appearance of the season at the NAPA Auto Parts Wayne County Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 2. The track was instrumental in the creation of the All Stars back in the early 1970s. When the UNOH All Stars competed at Wayne County during the Ohio Sprint Speedweek, “Young Money” Kyle Larson scored the win in his first ever appearance at the track.
The NAPA Auto Parts Wayne County Speedway returned to weekly sprint car racing in 2012 and has seen fantastic racing. Again, the UNOH All Star competitors will have to battle the tough “regulars” like track champion Andrew Palker, Cole Duncan, Rob Chaney, Danny Mumaw, Chris Myers and a host of others.
For more information go to www.allstarsprint.com.
Pittman claims Western PA victory, third UNOH All Star win of 2012
MERCER, PA (8-25-12)By Brian Liskai – Daryn Pittman may want to consider following the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions next season. The Pittsboro, Indiana resident led wire-to-wire Saturday to claim the 23rd Western Pennsylvania Championship at Mercer Raceway Park.
It was Pittman’s third UNOH All Star win of 2012 and the second this month. The victory is Pittman’s eighth career series win, all coming in the last four years. He leads the $20,000-to-win Eastern Region of the UNOH All Stars, though the Mercer event was part of the series’ Ohio Region points.
“We've been struggling in Central PA, so it's just good to come out here and get a win," said Pittman beside his Mike Heffner owned #27 carrying Lelands.com, Pasquariello’s, Danny Auto Salvage sponsorship.
Pittman was ready to get to victory lane a little sooner than the officials would allow, however. He had miscounted the laps and was surprised to see 28 on the scoreboard when he thought the checkers should have fallen.
Pittman and current UNOH All Star national point leader Tim Shaffer would bring the field to the green in the 30-lap feature. But, it took three attempts to get the race under way. The initial start was nullified by a flip by Dr. Steve Collins in turn four. The second was set aside because Brandon Matus came to a halt on the backstretch.
When the green flag waived for good, Pittman bolted into the lead from his pole position. Tim Shaffer, who is looking to wrap up his fourth straight UNOH All Star title, slipped into second, with Rod George, Danny Holtgraver, Dale Blaney and David Gravel in hot pursuit. Behind them, there was a three-wide battle for positions just outside the top ten, involving Jack Sodeman, Jr., Scott Priester and Paul McMahan.
Pittman held a slim margin over Shaffer as the leaders entered lapped traffic with nine laps down. It took Pittman a lap or so to get by Bobby Howard, but Pittman did not get the relief he was seeking, as Shaffer remained close, and Holtgraver was nipping on his heels too.
Blaney worked his way past George just before the halfway mark, and started to close on Holtgraver, who was holding down the third position. A caution on lap 16 for debris was the final stoppage of the race.
The restart had Pittman on the point, with Shaffer, Holtgraver, Blaney and George right behind. At the drop of the green, Shaffer ducked to the inside of Pittman as they raced into turn one. Pittman had the momentum and he rode the cushion through the corners to pull ahead of his challenger.
Over the next 10 laps, Pittman started to open up a lead, and the others in the top five also began to achieve some separation. However, with five laps to go, Pittman was in lapped traffic again, and Shaffer closed to his rear bumper. Holtgraver followed suit, reaching Shaffer's tail.
Pittman drove by the slower machine and got some much needed breathing room with just two laps top go.
"I wasn't getting around the lapped cars as good as I would have liked at the end, so when you're behind a lapped car, you kinda figure that somebody must be coming behind you," Pittman explained.
However, it was Shaffer, who was not so fortunate. A lapped car slowed his charge, allowing Holtgraver to take the second spot away on the final lap.
"I was kinda lucky. Shaff got behind that lapped car, but you gotta take what you can get," said Holtgraver, who scored a feature win the previous night at Lernerville Speedway.
Holtgraver was aware of Pittman's difficulty getting past lapped machines, too.
“But, I don't know, even if we had a few more laps, if I could have gotten by him, he's pretty tough to pass, but at least we would have had a shot at him,” continued Holtgraver beside his Kargo Quality Cars, Alternative Power Source, DKW Transport backed machine.
"It's been one of those years," a disheartened Shaffer noted beside his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned, Kistler Engines backed #83. "It just don't seem to be working out."
Still, he was able to pad his national points lead a bit, as he did finish a notch ahead of Blaney. He is also closing in on Blaney for the Ohio Region point lead with just a handful of races left for 2012.
Rod George completed the top five, driving a car he's borrowed from Steve Lucas to finish out the year. Brandon Spithaler held his own throughout the race, crossing in sixth. David Gravel was seventh and McMahan in eighth. Cap Henry drove a remarkable race, passing 12 cars on his way to the ninth spot. Jack Sodeman, Jr., the new dad, completed the top 10.
Shaffer holds off Blaney for 50th UNOH All Star win
Quincy, MI (Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012) By Brian Liskai– Tim Shaffer, fresh off his University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Great Plains Regional Championship, held off season-long challenger Dale Blaney to earn his 50th career series win at the Butler Battlegrounds Speedway Saturday night.
The win is Shaffer’s fifth of the season with the UNOH All Stars and moves him just three victories away from tying Frankie Kerr for sixth on the series’ all-time win list. It also takes him one step closer to winning his fourth consecutive UNOH All Star championship, which has only been accomplished twice before – Kenny Jacobs (1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001) and Chad Kemenah (2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005). Shaffer was also able to nip into Blaney’s lead for the $20,000-to-win UNOH All Star Ohio Regional championship.
“The CH Motorsports team has been up and down and we’ve had a lot of seconds this year and we’re just trying to get some wins. We have Dave Lawrence on board now with James Chambers and we have some new guys on the crew and I think we’re really starting to gel and it’s a lot of fun,” said Shaffer beside his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned, Kistler Engines, J&J Auto Racing, VRP Shocks backed #83. “It was hard on tires tonight. I was getting a little worried there with that green, white checkered that guys would keep blowing their tires but luckily we got the race over
For Blaney, a three time UNOH All Star Champion, another top three keeps him on pace to take the Ohio Region championship with just seven points races left.
“We were good all night. We qualified well and put ourselves in a good position. We just got single file there 10 laps into it and couldn’t do much after that. That’s the way racing goes some times,” said Blaney beside his Ti22 Performance backed machine. “On those restarts, Tim wasn’t pushing it too hard and was trying to be easy on his tires and I was trying to be easy on mine…if there was a way I could sneak by him there when he was running easy…he would have picked up the pace if he would have saw me…he saw me once and picked up the pace. I was just trying to make him run a little bit harder but it didn’t work out.”
Track conditions caused a lot of frustration for third place finisher Randy Hannagan. It was the second straight year “The Hurricane” would finish third at Butler.
“The yellow flags killed us. We should have just left those race cars on the track there the first couple of yellows because we left them there the last two laps…the one down there in three and the one down there in one. I don’t know what the yellows were for previously…the cars were stopped so we could have raced around them like we did there,” said a frustrated Hannagan beside his FK Rod Ends, Integra Shocks, Brown E. Miller Racing Solutions backed #1x.
W. FARGO, N.D. (Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012)By Brian Liskai - Jac Haudenschild might have to change his nickname from "The Wild Child" to "The Rough Rider," the moniker of North Dakota, where the Wooster, Ohio native dominated the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions event at Red River Valley Speedway Wednesday.
The win is Haudenschild's first with the UNOH All Stars since 2006 and is his 23rd overall with the series, moving him into 24th on the all-time win list just one way away from tying Sammy Swindell and Keith Kauffman. Haudenschild becomes the 19th different UNOH All Star winner in 2012 with his first series win of 2012.
"I have to thank Tom Liedig for putting me in this car," said Haudenschild beside the Auto Electric Jupiter/Motter Equipment/Dan and Ruth Motter backed Maxim. "The car was really quick tonight on an awesome race track. I didn't know if Paul (McMahan) or anyone was coming, so I just ran it as hard as I could and we ended up on top."
It was a wild night at Red River valley, as the evening began with a quick rain shower that delayed the start of the program. However, the rain, along with several recent improvements to the facility, provided a lightning quick surface on the 3/8th mile dirt oval. McMahan established a new track record before a second rain shower halted qualifying two-thirds of the way through the order. When the shower passed, the cars returned to the track for a quick session of hot laps, followed with a single lap of qualifying. McMahan once again set the standard in the Tom Buch owned machine with a new track record of 12.045 seconds.
McMahan would continue his strong night by leading all six laps of the Outerwears Performance Parts Dash, holding off a strong challenge from Haudenschild for the win to earn the pole position of the feature.
But, when the green flew for the 30-lap feature, it was Haudenschild who seized command with McMahan trying to keep pace with Cap Henry and "The Hammer" David Gravel in pursuit. The race came to a halt on lap four when Henry slowed going down the backstretch. Local standout Mark Dobmeier couldn't avoid Henry and flipped the Lunstra/Dobmeier #13L.
On the restart Haudenschild once again pulled away and hometown favorite Donny Schatz - fresh off his sixth Knoxville Nationals win - took over third in the family-owned #15 powered by the Alternative 410 Motor Program engine. Unfortunately, his night would come to an end just three laps later when a mechanical failure forced him pitside.
Another red flag stopped brought the field back to Haudenschild, but when the green reappeared, he continued to set a blistering pace. At one point, Haudenschild jumped the cushion in turn three and still maintained a sizable advantage.
At the half-way point the running order was Haudenschild, McMahan, Gravel, Stevie Smith and Jason Sides.
When Haudenschild was racing through lapped traffic, Gravel worked his P&M Transportation #89G up to challenge McMahan for second, grabbing the position on lap 22. Smith started the CL Motorsports #19 eighth and took third from McMahan a lap later.
The final stoppage of the race came on lap 23 when disaster struck Gravel. He was trying to work through lapped traffic when contact resulted in a broken front axle. This started a chain reaction accident and brought out the third and final red flag.
Haudenschild had no problems the final seven laps with a clear track, while Smith and McMahan completed the podium.
"Fargo used to be the big half-mile track and now they've got it quite a bit smaller. I enjoy those too," added Haudenschild. "They had the track really nice tonight...good and heavy. So I think starting up front played to our advantage. I'd say it was our first heavy track all season. It was a great race track tonight and just goes to show you what can happen when a track works on them a little bit."
For Smith, the 2009 and 2012 Ohio Sprint Speedweek champion, a second place run continued his recent consistent finished.
"We're still getting very consistent results and that is absolutely key," said Smith of his DDNi/CJB Motorsports/Spectro Oils/KPC machine. "When we look at our finishes, it's really good to see long streaks of great finishes because that's what wins you championships. We're not running for a season long title this year, but 2013 is a whole different animal."
"We got a little bit behind in time trials but we still made the dash," continued Smith, who has 34 top10's so far in 2012. "Time Trials continue to be the most important part of the night. Where you get slotted in at has a lot to do with the amount of success you'll have at the track."
"My hat goes off to the Schatz family. They worked hard to give us a good place to race tonight. They were looking at trying to give us a great surface to race on and then Mother Nature added just a little bit more. We all had to race on the same surface and I hope the fans enjoyed it. It seemed like a heck of a race," added Smith. "The surface here was a lot like Chico (Silver Dollar Speedway) in that it was very wet and tacky. I think the rain ended up helping the surface a lot because the wind was fierce all day long and it kept that moisture locked in for a long time. Our car going until about 10 laps in...we didn't seem to take off well. But, after a few laps, we were one of the fastest cars on the track. I don't think we had anything for Jac because he was in his own zipcode. We did have some great battles with David Gravel and Paul McMahan."
McMahan was also pleased with his third place run.
"All in all it was a good night and I really want to thank Tom Buch for letting me bring his car out here," said McMahan. "The track was in terrific shape. We were fast early and set the track record twice on a night when I earned my first fast qualifier award of the year. If you had your race car right, this was one of the best tracks we've had all year. We were good, but just got bottled up there with some lapped traffic and lost second."
Sides, who won his first UNOH All Star feature two weeks earlier, would come home fourth ahead of three time UNOH All Star Champion Tim Shaffer, who started 13th. Shaffer would clinch the UNOH All Stars' Great Plains Region championship and its $10,000 prize.
Pittman dominates Front Row Challenge for UNOH All Star win
OSKALOOSA, Iowa – It’s been a tough year for Daryn Pittman. But the Front Row Challenge at Southern Iowa Speedway provided just the rest medicine for him and his team.
The Owasso, Oklahoma native led all 25 laps to earn his 7th career University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions victory and second series win of 2012. Pittman leads the UNOH All Star’s Eastern Region points,
“This belt just saved my job. My car owner (Mike Heffner) is adamant about trophies and after the year we’ve had I really wanted to get this for him,” said Pittman of his Lelands.com, Pasquariello’s, Danny’s Auto Salvage backed #27. “I pulled probably the biggest bone head moves of the season at the 360 nationals and killed a brand new car. But, my crew worked their butts off to build this car. They have worked hard all year and this is the best medicine for this team.”
Grain Valley, Missouri’s Brian Brown tried to hunt down Pittman the entire race, but just couldn’t catch him.
“Congratulations to Daryn, his team made the right changes and he was just better than us. I thought I would be better at the beginning of the race, but he was just too strong,” said Brown beside his Casey’s General Store, FVP, Searsboro Telephone Co. backed #21. “After the bangs and bruises that team has had this week…they deserved that.”
It was a very good night for Elk Grove, California’s Kyle Larson. He won the USAC non-wing preliminary feature and then charged from his 12th starting spot to finish third in the Front Row Challenge.
“The top was so fast and once we got to traffic I was able to pick off some guys. I was hoping for a caution late…that could have made it interesting, but we didn’t get it. This is a big momentum boost for us heading into the (Knoxville) Nationals,” said Larson beside his Abreau Vineyards, Stadelhofer Construction backed #1k.
Pittman and Brown would bring the field to the green for the 25-lap UNOH All Star feature by virtue of topping the “King of the Hill” match races. Both would also turn down the chance to go to the tail to try and claim the $50,000 bonus.
Pittman would lead the first lap with Brown, Mark Dobmeier, Jonathan Allard, Ryan Bunton, Bryan Sebetto and Tim Kaeding in tow. The caution would fly for a crash in turn two involving Brad Sweet, Sheldon Haudenschild and Jason Meyers, with Sweet going pit side. On the ensuing restart, Caleb Helms would spin. When the green came back out, something would break on Dobmeier’s car, as he made contact with the turn three fence.
When the green flew again, the race would go the remaining 24 laps caution-free.
Pittman would pull away from Brown, as Allard, Bunton, Kaeding and Larson battled for third. Pittman would catch lapped traffic by the fifth circuit, but Brown could not close. Allard would exit the track on lap seven, moving Bunton into third with Kaeding, Larson and David Gravel in pursuit. As Pittman and Brown ran away, Kaeding would take third on lap 15 with Larson into fourth. Larson would take third on lap 16, and started to close the game on the two front runners.
Once clear of traffic, Pittman would pull away for the win with Brown, Larson, Kaeding and Bunton rounding out the top five.
Lasoski gets UNOH All Star win in wild Huset's finish
BRANDON, SD (July 29, 2012)By Brian Liskai – When Danny Lasoski executed a 360 degree spin with just two laps remaining in Sunday night’s feature at Huset’s Speedway, he thought his chances of winning were over. But, as he gathered his car back up and raced down the back stretch in fourth, luck would be on his side.
When the caution flew for a stalled car, new race leader Mark Dobmeier’s right rear tire lost air pressure and second place Lynton Jeffrey went pit side with mechanical problems. That handed the lead to Tim Shaffer, who had started 21st, as the field readied for a green, white, checkered finish. When the green came back out, Lasoski blasted around Shaffer and went on to score the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions victory.
It marked Lasoski’s fourth UNOH All Star win of 2012 and the 37th of his career, placing him in a tie with Doug Wolfgang for 12 on the series’ all-time win list. For Lasoski, a three time Huset’s Speedway champion, it was his 41st victory at the track.
“That was a wild one. We went out and set the pace and I felt the rubber get down and I was just taking it easy and taking it easy. Then it started shaking real bad when I got behind a lapped car and Dobmeier ran over the front end there and turned me around and what ever happened and then he blew a tire and Timmy (Shaffer) got the lead. I waited until the last lap and I decided to go for broke and I got around the outside of him,” said Lasoski beside his Triple X Chassis, Kistler Engines, Klein Motors and RV’s, Creason Construction backed #33.
“I want to thank my guys, Triple X Chassis and Rich and my buddy Chris Straight. We have just a two man band and he works his tail off and we couldn’t do it without him. I want to thank Kistler Engines and the Michael Ross Foundation and Todd Creason…they make it possible for us to be here, added Lasoski.
“Probably from about lap 15 on I didn’t even push the gas. I was just babying it and when I got behind lapped cars it got real tight. Sometimes it’s just better to be running second. I’m just glad to be back home here,” concluded Lasoski.
For Shaffer, a three time UNOH All Star champion and current series point leader, it was another podium finish.
“I took it a little too easy trying to save tires and Danny snuck by. You know, 21st to second…we’ll take it,” said Shaffer beside his VRP Shocks, Kistler Engines backed, Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned #83. “It’s getting tougher and tougher…everyone seems to be getting better and better.”
Watertown, Connecticut’s David Gravel would also continue his good runs with a third place finish.
“My tire was really bald. My crew guys told me to take it easy and I did…I took it too easy throughout the whole race,” said Gravel of his P&M Transportation, Model Craft, Musco Fuels backed #89G. “But we finished and we finished on the podium and I can’t complain about that. I love this place, you have to be aggressive and up on the wheel and the fans are great.
Lasoski and Ian Madsen would bring the field to the green, but a multi-car pileup would halt the action. When the green came back out, Lasoski would grab the lead over Dobmeier, Gravel, Justin Henderson and Terry McCarl. Thanks to the opening lap crash, Shaffer, who started 21st, would be 12th after the first lap and would drive into 10th a lap later.
Lasoski, Dobmeier and Gravel would continue to hold down the top three positions while 15th place starter Lynton Jeffrey moved into fourth by lap four. Jeffrey would drive around Gravel for third on lap 14 while Shaffer had worked his way up to fifth. Shaffer would grab fourth from Gravel on lap 17.
With three laps to go, Lasoski and Dobmeier would begin battling for the lead, and when they got together in turns one and two, Lasoski executed a 360 degree spin, falling back to fourth and handing the lead to Dobmeier. A stalled car would bring out the caution to set up a green, white, checkered over-time finish. But, during the caution, Dobmeier’s right rear tire lost air pressure and new leader Jeffrey would suffer mechanical problems. That put Shaffer, who had been sitting in fourth on lap 28, into the lead with Lasoski now second, Gravel third, McCarl fourth and Henderson fifth.
Shaffer would lead the field to the white and as they hit turns three and four on the last lap, Lasoski drove around “The Steel City Outlaw” to take the checkered. Gravel would hold on to third with McCarl and Henderson rounding out the top five.
Inclement Weather has forced the cancellation of tonight's event at Red River Valley Speedway on 7-28-12. The All Star Circuit of Champions will be back in action at Red River Valley Speedway on August 15th. For More information please visit www.allstarsprint.com
The UNOH College of Applied Technologies' High Performance Department's reputation for producing highly-educated graduates means your diploma or associate degree will give you a distinct advantage in a competitive workplace.The University of Northwestern Ohio invented the high performance/motorsports program in 1992 and has been training students with the latest technology available in the industry since.
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.
Ohio Sprint Speedweek
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.
ATTICA, OH (9-1-12) By Brian Liskai – It was a wild and wacky finish to the 2012 season at Attica Raceway Park Saturday. And when the rain started falling it was Fremont, Ohio’s Phil Gressman who was standing in victory lane for his fifth career University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car win.
CAMARGO, IL (8-26-12) By Brian Liskai– The battle for the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Region championship – and its $20,000 top prize – is heating up with just a handful of races remaining in 2012. And the pressure will mount as the teams prepare for a big Labor Day Weekend triple-header.
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.