JACKSON, MN. (July 27, 2012) By Brian Liskai – Barlett, Tennessee’s Jason Sides picked up his first 410 sprint win of 2012 Friday and his first career University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions victory at Jackson Speedway.
The was the first ever appearance of the UNOH All Stars at Jackson Speedway and was part of the Jackson County Fair’s Sprint Triple Play which also featured 360 and 305 sprints as part of the 144th edition of the Jackson County Fair thanks to sponsorship from Jackson Sports and Donaldson Docks.
“Double Down” Jason Sides took the lead from Danny Lasoski on lap four and maintained a huge lead for the remaining 26 laps on the slick half-mile in front of a near capacity crowd.
“The car was good all night. We tried some things in the dash and it really didn’t go our way so we changed them back. My guys do a hell of a job all year long. Finchy (Shane Finch) and my brother Paul…can’t thank them enough,” said Sides beside his Wetherington Tractor Service, King Racing Products, VRP Shocks, Dancer Logistics backed #7s.
“The last couple of laps there I could feel the car getting loose. I was trying to stay in the rubber. You never know where Lasoski or Shaffer or those guys are behind you so I just had to push it as hard as I could,” added Sides, also thanking sponsor RE Technologies, Weld Wheels and Don Ott Engines.
Danny “The Dude” Lasoski, who scored three UNOH All Star wins earlier this season, would hold off three time series champion and current series’ point leader Tim Shaffer for second.
“The 7s car just out ran us…he had a better car. Sometimes it’s better to be running second. He did what he had to do and put a good pace out there. I was conserving tires and when I saw the 13 beside me I picked up the pace a little more. With the 100 degree weather we’ve had around here the track did a good job with what they had to work with. I hope we get to come back here,” said Lasoski beside his Triple X Chassis, Kistler Engines, Creason Construction and Klein Motors and RV’s backed #33.
Shaffer’s third place run would move him back atop the UNOH All Star’s Great Plains Region point standings as he battles for the $10,000 region championship.
“We started out pretty good with qualifying but then we stunk it up in the heat and dash. We made some changes but it really wasn’t that nice. We just hung in there. The track seemed to come to us. Tire wear was a big deal. I was just trying to maintain and take it easy but still try to be aggressive. We got lucky coming out of four and got the 13 car (Mark Dobmeier). We’ll take third. I got Dave Lawrence and James Chambers…they are doing a heck of a job on this car. There’s three of us out here on the road…it’s making it pretty tough,” said Shaffer beside his Kistler Engines backed Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned #83.
Dobmeier would come home fourth with NASCAR driver Brad Sweet earning the feature’s “hard-charger” honor by piloting his Kasey Kahne Racing machine from his 11th place starting spot to a fifth place finish.
Gravel continues hot streak with UNOH All Star victory
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA (July 26, 2012) By Brian Liskai- David Gravel is getting hot at just the right time. The Watertown, Connecticut driver scored his second career University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Thursday at the Red River Co-Op Speedway.
Gravel benefited from cautions that fell at just the right time to keep him out of heavy lapped traffic. He led all 30 laps to continue his impressive runs as of late. Earlier last week he had back-to-back runner-up finishes with the UNOH All Stars.
"The monkey is finally off my back. It's been awhile since we won...late last year against the Outlaws," said Gravel beside his P&M Transportation, Musco Fuels, Model Crafted backed #89G. "I got through traffic well...when they came to me it was in the right spot on the track to get by."
Former UNOH All Star rookie of the year Cap Henry, from Bellevue, Ohio, also continued his strong runs, as he would come home second after finishing third two nights earlier. The runner-up finish moves Henry into the lead of the $10,000-to-win Great Plains points and into fourth in the UNOH All Stars' national points.
"The cautions fell perfect for David...he ran a great race. I got to him once when two lapped cars were racing, but the rest of the time he would have just one lapped car and it was easy for him to get by. But, A.J. (Havens), Andrew (Barman) and everyone has been working hard and it's good to reward them with another top three," said Henry beside his FK Rod Ends, GME Nields Steering, Lucas Oil, K&N Filters backed machine.
Three time and defending UNOH All Star champion Tim Shaffer would run third the entire race. He too is getting hot when it counts, having scored two UNOH All Star wins, a pair of second place finishes, a third and a seventh in the last six races.
"That red flag didn't help us. There was too much loose crap up top in three and four so everyone had to run the bottom and everyone ran the top of one and two. We will take another top three and go on from here," said Shaffer beside his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook Motorsports, Kistler Engines, VRP Shocks backed #83.
Gravel and Henry would bring the field to the green of the 30-lap feature. Gravel would fly into the lead with Gravel, fourth-starter Shaffer, fifth starter Blaney and third starter Lou Kennedy in tow. Roger Darge would flip violently off turn two on lap 11, necessitating a lengthy open red while repairs were made to the fencing. A lap later, Cory Mack would also take a nasty flip down the back stretch.
When the green reappeared, the top five would stay Gravel, Henry, Shaffer, Blaney and Kennedy. With nine laps remaining, eighth place running Paul McMahan would stop on the front stretch with mechanical problems, ending his run.
When the green came back out, the race would not see another stoppage. On the restart, Mark Dobmeier would get around Kennedy for fifth. When the checkered flew, it was Gravel, Henry, Shaffer, Blaney, Dobmieier, Kennedy, Casey Mack, Lee Grosz, Thomas Kennedy and Austin Pierce completing the top 10.
Blaney earns 92nd All Star win by dominating at Hibbing
HIBBING, MN. (July 24, 2012) By Brian Liskai - Dale Blaney was in the right place at the right time. "The Low Rider" led all 40 laps Tuesday at Hibbing Raceway to claim his second straight University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions victory.
The win pads Blaney's point lead in the UNOH All Star's Great Plains Region, which will pay the champion $10,000 as part of the annual Thunder Through the Plains. It was his series' leading eighth victory of 2012 as the three time UNOH All Star champion has won nearly one third of the total features held this season. Blaney, who recorded eight UNOH All Star wins in all of 2011, now has 92 career victories with the series, just six away from tying hall-of-famer Kenny Jacobs for the most all-time wins.
"I was in the right place at the right time. The track was good for the heats, it was slick from top to bottom and you could pass. Then they went out and tilled just the bottom prior to the feature. Everyone ran down there and threw the dust up on the rest of the track so you couldn't run up there. So with everyone running the bottom, it took rubber and I was lucky enough to start on the pole," said Blaney beside his Ti22 Performance backed #2. "The track has great potential. It's a neat little joint....reminded me a lot of Waynesfield (in Ohio) or the old Lawrenceburg (in Indiana)."
Veteran Paul McMahan from Nashville, Tenn., would bring the Bryan Grove Racing #45 home in second.
"We have been going better as of late. We changed some things...got back to the basics. Right now it's just me and a buddy of mine out here. It's a lot of work, but it's what I do and the results are starting to come around," said McMahan of his Berlin Natural Bakery, Canton Erectors backed machine.
For Henry, who sits fifth in the UNOH All Star's National points and came into the event third in the Great Plains region, a third place run was just what the team needed.
"We've run good all year and just have had bad luck. The results haven't really shown what this team has accomplished. So, we will take a third and be thankful and move on to the next challenge. I can't wait till we get to Huset's (July 29 and Aug. 12)...I always run good there and now we have some momentum," said Henry beside his FK Rod Ends, Lucas Oil, K&N Filters backed #54.
Blaney and Paul McMahan would bring the field to the green for the first ever appearance of the UNOH All Stars at Hibbing Raceway, with Blaney grabbing the lead over McMahan, Cap Henry, Danny Lasoski and Cody Hahn, Mark Dobmeier and Jac Haudenschild in tow.
While the top four did not change the rest of the feature, Jac "The Wild Child" Haudenschild would make things exciting for the fans. After getting together with Dobmeier in the dash, Haudenschild would have to start sixth in the feature. He would fall back to 7th at the start, but would then move into sixth on lap three and take fifth the following lap, where he would finish.
Also thrilling the crowd was four time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz, who earned the feature's "hard-charger" honor by blasting from his 18th starting position to a ninth place finish.
Blaney back in victory lane to open Thunder Through the Plains
WILMOT, WI (July 21, 2012) By Brian Liskai– After having missed the last two University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions events due to mechanical issues with his team’s tow vehicle, Dale Blaney was chomping at the bit to get back behind the wheel of his Ti22 Performance machine.
Blaney, a three time UNOH All Star champion, dominated the early portions of the “Outlaw Sprintacular” co-sanctioned UNOH All Stars/Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series event Saturday at Wilmot Raceway. “The Low Rider” then had to hold off three time UNOH All Star Champion and current series’ point leader Tim Shaffer and IRA champion Bill Balog in the closing laps to score the win.
It was Blaney’s 7th UNOH All Star win of 2012 and the 91st of his career, moving him to within seven victories of tying hall-of-famer Kenny Jacobs for the series’ all-time win lead.
“I blew the rust off…it’s seems like it’s been three weeks since I ran last,” joked Blaney. “Seriously, I hung around David Gravel the last two races and watched. I think some times when you can just watch what other racers are doing; it can help make you a better driver.”
“We have been good just about every race this year. We were dominant most of the race, but the last couple of laps in traffic was a challenge. We got a little tight with two or three to go and the middle where I had been running blew off so I had to search around and try to get around traffic,” added Blaney.
The event was the first of the UNOH All Star’s annual Thunder Through the Plains, which features nine races and carries a $10,000-to-win point fund as part of the series’ Great Plains Region.
Shaffer, who had won the last two UNOH All Star events in New York, would settle for second.
“I started complaining because we didn’t win tonight and then I remembered we have been really good the last month. We have new personnel this year and that has put a lot of weight on me. But, Dave Lawrence and James Chambers are busting their butts and we are really starting to communicate well. I’ll gladly shoulder more responsibilities with the team when we are running well…we are having a lot of fun,” said Shaffer of his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook Motorsports owned machine.
“I heard a lot of negative stuff about this track…it was fantastic. The track was very racy. It was like any other track…it changed during the course of the feature and you had to move around and look for a better groove. Hats off to Dale and George (Fisher, crew chief). They have been together a long time and they work very well together. They had the better car tonight,” added Shaffer beside his Kistler Engines, VRP Shocks backed #83. “What a great atmosphere at this place. The attitudes from the fans were awesome. We stayed a long time after the races to talk to the fans. There’s something to build on here…I hope we can come back a lot more.”
Balog, who has won the last four IRA championships and has scored two of his series leading 9 feature events in 2012 at Wilmot, would earn the feature’s “hard-charger” honor by blasting his eighth starting spot to finish third.
“That was cool…it was a lot of fun,” said Balog, who hails from Brookfield, Wisconsin. “We blew a motor last night and it was our second one…we were done. I called a friend who had a fresh Shaver motor and convinced him to let us borrow it. Finishing third to Dale Blaney and Tim Shaffer…heck, they have won the Kings Royal and Knoxville Nationals between them…it doesn’t get much better than that.”
“We race here a lot and the All Star guys…most have never seen this place, so we had an advantage. But, they showed why they are some of the best in the business,” added Balog beside his Buesser Concrete, Hoeft Builders, Gleason Equipment backed #17B. “Lapped traffic was crazy tonight. It seemed like we were in traffic in the first lap. That makes it fun and challenging.”
Twenty-four drivers would accept the green flag for the 35-lap main event with UNOH All Star series drivers dominating the first four rows, holding down six of the top eight positions. Blaney, who sat on the pole, would outgun David Gravel, who had two runner-up finishes in the last pair of All Star events, to take the early lead. Shaffer had started in the third position and darted past Gravel for the second spot before the completion of lap two.
The lead duo of Blaney and Shaffer would check out on the field while Cap Henry would work by Gravel for the third position prior to the first caution which appeared for a spin by Wilmot Raceway regular Rusty Egan on lap 10. Egan would loop his ride again moments later forcing the second caution of the contest.
When the green reappeared, Blaney would again show the way as Shaffer worked past lapped cars while trying to close the gap on the leader. Balog began to use his knowledge of the track to pick off positions, working past Paul McMahan and Gravel to reach the fourth spot.
The pace would be slowed again on lap 21 when Marty Perovich came to a halt on the track. Four more laps went into the books before the first and only red flag of the event occurred when 2011 Wilmot Raceway champion Tommy Sexton flipped his mount heading into turn one. Sexton would emerge from his battered machine unhurt but the incident negated a solid top 10 showing for the popular local racer.
Under the red-flag, series officials allowed the pit crews to head trackside to add additional fuel and make adjustments for the final 10 laps.
The rest of the race would pass without any further interruption as Blaney negotiating through lapped traffic with Shaffer staying within striking distance.
Meanwhile, fourth running Balog brought the capacity crowd to their feet as he worked the high line. After taking the white flag, Balog would sweep past Henry for third and then make a daring attempt to get by Shaffer off the final turn. That effort would fall just short with Blaney taking the win by two car lengths over Shaffer who narrowly edged out Balog. Henry would settle for fourth followed by IRA regular Mike Reinke, who scored his second straight top five in IRA action.
Gravel and McMahan finished sixth and seventh respectively, while IRA Series regular Phillip Mock earned eighth. Perovich and Mike Kertscher would comprise the top 10 finishers.
Wilmot Raceway - 7/21/2012
All Star Circuit of Champions (38 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
Shaffer dominates Fonda field for second straight UNOH All Star win
FONDA, N.Y. (July 19, 2012) By Brian Liskai– In racing, a lot of drivers say you need some LUCK. But, many also know the definition of LUCK is when preparation meets desire. The later describes the Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook Motorsports sprint car and driver Tim Shaffer.
“The Steel City Outlaw” claimed his second consecutive University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions feature Thursday in front of a capacity crowd at Fonda Speedway. It was Shaffer’s fourth series’ victory of 2012. Shaffer led all 30 laps for his second straight victory at Fonda, having taken the win at “The Track of Champions” in 2011.
“Definitely, you have to be lucky, it all comes into play,” Shaffer said beside his Kistler Engines, J&J Auto Racing, VRP Shocks backed #83. “You have to have luck but you have to have a great car here. If you don’t have a great car here, I don’t care where you start; you end up in the back in a hurry. It is a tough track. When it gets slick you have to be patient but aggressive. It worked out for us again tonight.”
Shaffer and Greg Hodnett would bring the field to the green with Shaffer gaining the advantage. However, local contender Jessica Zemken of Sprakers, N.Y., would stay glued to Shaffer.
The caution would fly for Cap Henry as he spun off turn four. On the restart, Shaffer got a big jump and with a clear track, pulled away, leaving Zemken to battle with Hodnett and UNOH All Star regular David Gravel.
Shaffer’s lead evaporated on lap nine when Mark Coldren spun on the front stretch. However, Shaffer’s mount continued to be very stout as he pulled away again on the restart. The battle behind Shaffer tightened up between Zemken, Gravel, Hodnett and Tony Stewart.
Gravel found his way around Zemken for second on lap 17 and Stewart followed suit a lap later. Gravel and Stewart got a break with seven laps remaining as Coldren spun for the second time.
However, Shaffer was not to be denied as he handled the restart, pulled away and claimed his 49th career UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions victory.
The victory pads Shaffer’s lead in the UNOH All Star’s National point standings as he seeks his fourth straight series title. It also inches him closer to Daryn Pittman for the $20,000 top prize awarded to the UNOH All Star’s Eastern Region champion.
Gravel followed with his second consecutive runner-up finish with Stewart, Pittman and Zemken rounding out the top five. Hodnett, Logan Schuchart, Michael Parent, Danny Smith and Bobby Varan completed the top 10.
“We had a lot of family and friends down here tonight so to get a great run in front of them was awesome,” said Gravel beside his P&M Transportation, Musco Fuels, Model Craft backed #89G. “Tyler (Swank, crew chief) and Ripper (Kyle, car chief) have been busting their butts and I’m glad I can finally start paying them back with consistent runs up front.”
Shaffer holds off Gravel for Brewerton All Star win
BREWERTON, N.Y. (July 18, 2012) By Brian Liskai- Don't look now, but three time and defending University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions titlest Tim Shaffer is on a roll. "The Steel City Outlaw" scored his third series victory of the season Wednesday at Brewerton Speedway, holding off a hard-charging David Gravel. It was the first ever visit by the UNOH All Stars to Brewerton Speeedway and the first time 410 winged sprint cars have competed at "The D-Shaped Dirt Demon" in its long and storied history.
The win in front of a standing-room-only crowd gives Shaffer a slight lead in the UNOH All Star's National points standings, and inches him closer to Daryn Pittman for the series' Eastern Region points lead. It is Shaffer's 48th career UNOH All Star victory, leaving him only five wins away from tying Frank Kerr for fifth on the series all-time win list. Three time series champion Dale Blaney was unable to race due to mechanical issues with the team's tow vehicle.
Shaffer led all 30 laps aboard his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook Motorsports #83, but Watertown, Connecticut's David Gravel and Pittsboro, Indiana's Daryn Pittman didn't make it easy for the veteran from Aliquippa, Pa.
"It was a handful tonight with guys all around me," Shaffer said beside his Kistler Engines, J&J Auto Racing, VRP Shocks backed machine.
"Hats off to my guys, Dave Lawrence and James Chambers. There is just the three of us out here, doing what it takes to get up front. They did a great job on the track, they gave us a top and a bottom where ever we needed to run," added Shaffer
Shaffer would actually lose the lead briefly to Pittman as he had to avoid disaster when a lapped car slowed dramatically in front of him late in the race. But the caution would fly, handing him back the top spot. Then, on the last lap, Gravel would get a run on Shaffer, but lapped cars would prevent Gravel from taking the lead.
"Lapped cars presented a huge challenge. It was fun racing with Shaffer. He was good on the bottom in one and two and I was good up top and we both ran the same line in three and four. On the last lap I got a great run out of two, but when we got to three there were three lapped cars there and I had no place to go. I got by them and it was a drag race to the checkers and I came up just a little short. After our horrible Ohio Speedweek, this goes a long way to turning our team around for the Thunder Through the Plains. I'm excited to get back to racing with the All Stars," said Gravel beside his Musco Fuels, P&M Transportation, JRC Transportation, Model Craft, IGA Hometown Wheels backed #89G
Daryn Pittman would come home third in his Heffner Racing, Lelands.com, Pasquariello's, Rider Racing Engines #27.
Shaffer and Gravel would bring the 24 car starting field to the green with Shaffer grabbing the early lead. With five laps scored, Shaffer had built a quarter straightaway lead as Gravel, Pittman, Shawn Donath and Cap Henry gave chase. By lap 10, Shaffer and Gravel were in a tight battle for the lead as they also fought traffic. Pittman, Henry and Donath stayed close.
A caution on laps 13 and 14 slowed the pace just before the halfway point.
Shaffer avoided disaster on lap 19 as he had to get hard on the brakes for a car that got out of shape in front of him in turn one. That allowed Pittman to shoot by, but a yellow came out at the same time, allowing Shaffer to maintain the lead.
On the restart, Shaffer blasted away from the field. But, with nine laps to go, Shaffer bobbled in turn one, allowing Pittman and Gravel to close quickly. The trio raced hard through traffic before one last caution with six laps to go, putting Gravel, Pittman, Henry and Tony Stewart right with Shaffer.
With a clear track, Shaffer would dive to the bottom on the restart. But, his quick pace would put him in traffic on the final lap, and Gravel threw everything he had at Shaffer. The lapped cars would help Shaffer fend off Gravel as the duo had a drag race to the checkers. Pittman would come home third with Stewart and Cap Henry - who would celebrate his 22nd birthday the next day - rounding out the top five. Justin Barger would earn the "hard-charger" honor by driving from his 15th starting spot to a sixth place finish with UNOH All Star regular Paul McMahan, Greg Hodnett, Danny Smith and Donath rounding out the top 10.
UNOH All Stars ready to Thunder Through the Plains
CAMARGO, IL (July 16, 2012) By Brian Liskai – The teams of the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions got a little time off after the 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek. But they will go full throttle soon as the series gets ready for its annual “Thunder Through the Plains.”
The UNOH All Stars will “get back to work” with two shows in the Eastern Region points battle – Wednesday, July 18 at Brewerton Speedway in Brewerton, N.Y. and Thursday, July 19 at Fonda Speedway in Fonda, N.Y.
Daryn Pittman leads the UNOH All Stars’ Eastern Region points over three time and defending national UNOH All Star Champion Tim Shaffer, with Greg Hodnett in third, David Gravel fourth and three time national UNOH All Star champion Dale Blaney fifth. The Eastern Region champion will earn $20,000 at year’s end.
Shaffer and Blaney are tied atop the UNOH All Star’s national point standing with Paul McMahan third, Cap Henry fourth and David Gravel fifth.
Brewerton Speedway (www.brewertonspeedway.com) is known as “The D-Shaped Dirt Demon.” The one-third mile clay track has never hosted an All Star sanctioned event. Racing with the UNOH All Stars will be the SUNY Canton Sportsman division. Racing is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Adult general admission tickets are $25 and students aged 10 -16 are $10 with those 9 and under getting in free.
Last year at Fonda Speedway, Shaffer charged from his 11th starting spot to pass Fred Rahmer on the last lap to take the victory. In 2010, Pittman claimed the UNOH All Star win at Fonda over Tyler Walker and Jessica Zemken.
Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart, who scored his first UNOH All Star win earlier this year, is expected to compete at Fonda.
Earlier this year Zemken scored an Empire Super Sprints victory at Fonda (www.fondaspeedway.net).
Pit gates will open Thursday, July 19 at Fonda at 4 p.m. with front gates opening at 5 p.m. General admission is $30 with kids five and under free and those ages 6-11 at $3.
From New York, the UNOH All Stars will then head west for the traditional Thunder Through the Plains, which features at least nine races and carries its own $10,000-to-win point fund for the Great Plains Region.
It kicks off Saturday, July 21 at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wisconsin, in the Kenosha County Fairgrounds (www.wilmotraceway.com). The track is a semi-banked 3/8-mile oval
The UNOH All Star event at Wilmot is co-sanctioned with the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series. Tickets are $25 for adults with kids ages 8-11 $5 and those 7 and under getting in free.
The IRA sprints have raced at Wilmot three times in 2012 with multi-time series champion Billy Balog scoring two wins and Tommy Sexton taking the other.
The UNOH All Stars then head to Hibbing Raceway in Hibbing, Minnesota (www.hibbingraceway.com) for a Tuesday, July 24 event. There is a rain date of July 25 for this event. Motter Equipment is the night’s sponsor.
This is another new track for the UNOH All Stars. The track is a 3/8 mile semi-banked clay oval.
Tickets are $30 for those 12 and older; $5 for ages 6-12; and kids five and under get in free. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. with racing underway at 7 p.m.
The UNOH All Stars then make a return appearance to the Red River Co-Op Speedway in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Thursday, July 26 (www.victorylane.mb.ca). The high-banked 4/10 mile dirt oval hosted the All Stars in 2011 with Shaffer snagging the victory over Blaney and Greg Wilson.
Racing is scheduled to begin at Red River at 7:30 p.m.
On Friday, July 27, the UNOH All Stars head to Jackson Speedway in Jackson, Minnesota (www.jacksonspeedway.com). The event will also feature the JSTS Sprints and 305 sprints. Hot laps are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with tickets $20 for adults; $15 for students ages 13-17 with kids 12 and under getting in free.
The UNOH All Stars will next visit the Red River Valley Speedway in Fargo, North Dakota (www.redrivervalleyspeedway.com) on Saturday, July 28. Last year, Shaffer passed four-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz and went on to score the All Star victory. The previous year, Schatz passed Shaffer late for the series’ win.
Earlier this year Sammy Swindell won the World of Outlaws event at Red River Valley.
Husets Speedway in Brandon, South Dakota, will be next up for the UNOH All Stars on Sunday, July 29. It is the first of two shows for the UNOH All Stars during Thunder Through the Plains at Husets, the other coming Sunday, August 12. Gates will open for both shows at 5 p.m. with racing at 7 p.m. Go to www.husets-speedway.com for more information.
Husets boasts some very strong weekly competition. Terry “TMAC” McCarl leads the track’s point standings with three feature wins and is the track’s all-time winningest driver. Last year at Husets, McCarl passed race-long leader Cap Henry on the last lap to score the UNOH All Star victory.
Mark Dobmeier, who sits second on Huset’s all-time win list, sits second in the track’s 2012 points with one victory, that coming against the World of Outlaws. He scored his first career All Star win last season a Husets, holding off Shaffer and Blaney.
Gregg Bakker sits third in the track’s points and has one feature win. Jody Rosenboom, who is sixth in the points at Husets, has a pair of feature wins. Justin Henderson also has a win at Husets in 2012.
Following the first Huset’s show, the UNOH All Stars will once again be a part of the 17th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The event is a big crowd hit with a party atmosphere in the big infield. If the driver scheduled to start on the pole of the feature takes the challenge and goes to the tail and comes back to win, he will take home $50,000!
Last year Sammy Swindell scored his third straight Front Row Challenge victory in 2011 over Brad Sweet and Shane Stewart.
Following the running of the Knoxville Nationals, the UNOH All Stars travel back to Husets on Sunday, Aug. 12.
The Thunder Through the Plains wraps up on Wednesday, Aug. 15 at Red River Valley Speedway in Fargo, North Dakota. There is a rain date of Thursday, Aug. 16.
Last season, Donny Schatz, coming off the Knoxville Nationals victory, took the victory over Brad Sweet and David Gravel.
While the Thunder Through the Plains is wrapped up, the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions will continue to battle, as they travel back east to the Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, Michigan for an Ohio Region points race on Saturday, Aug. 18.
For more information go to www.allstarsprint.com.
Attica Spring Nationals on Sports Time Ohio television July 7
CAMARGO, IL (7-6-12) By Brian Liskai – Fans who couldn’t make it to Attica Raceway Park for the HD Supply Spring Nationals on April 6 and 7, missed two of the most exciting University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car events of the season. But, you can catch the action on Saturday, July 7 on television on the Sports Time Ohio network.
Sports Time Ohio crews captured the last lap pass by Dale Blaney to take the April 6 UNOH All Star win, with Craig Mintz scoring a last lap pass to win the second night of the Spring Nationals.
Tune in to Dish Network Channel 431, Direct TV channel 662 or check your local cable line for Sports Time Ohio at 3 p.m. Saturday. Sports Time Ohio is the television network that carries the Cleveland Indians baseball games.
For more information go to www.atticaracewaypark.com or www.allstarsprint.com
Congratulations to Stevie Smith the 2012 Speedweek Champion
Money on the line....Blaney is there to take it at Fremont for Ohio Sprint Speedweek finale at Fremont
Fremont, Ohio- By Brian Liskai (Saturday, June 30, 2012) – It was like dangling a carrot…put $10,000 out in front of Dale Blaney and he goes after it.
The “Low Rider” did just that at Fremont Speedway Saturday for the finale of the 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek. The Hartford, Ohio native chased down race-long leader Bryan Sebetto and passed him with seven laps to go in the 50-lap affair and went on to claim the finale.
For Blaney, it was his sixth University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions win of 2012. It was also his 90th career series victory, moving him to within 8 of tying hall-of-famer Kenny Jacobs for the All Stars all-time win lead. Blaney has swept the four UNOH All Star shows at Fremont in 2012 and now leads the series’ all-time win list at “The Track That Action Built” with 11 wins. It was also Blaney’s 16th career win at Fremont and the fourth series’ win this season at the track to keep him undefeated in All Star shows there.
“Shaff’s kind of owned this place the last couple of years and he still runs really, really good here and to beat him and sweep both of them here for Speedweek and add the Memorial Day weekend sweep…we kind of finally found Fremont again. The track was awesome…you could run any where you wanted to. My car was really good when it gets like this and George and Troy and Bobby, Rick and Junior and all the guys they put it together and I just drove it,” said Blaney beside his Ti22 Performance backed machine.
Blaney, who started 10th in the 50-lap feature, used lapped traffic to catch and pass Sebetto.
“I kind of found a little different line in four there…I was kind of hurting a little bit and I finally started to get patient and running it down off the middle and run down off the hill. In one and two I was a little bit better than he (Sebetto) was and in three and four he was better than me. I kind of had to run the top behind him for a little bit but then I got to running different lanes. You can do that when you are behind guys. It works out. If I was leading at that point…there’s a good chance I could have gotten taken advantage of,” added Blaney, a four time Ohio Sprint Speedweek champion and three time UNOH All Star Champion.
Blaney would finish third in the Ohio Sprint Speedweek points and continues to lead the Ohio Region points of the UNOH All Stars while holding second in the series’ national points.
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Stevie Smith would finish fifth and earn his second Ohio Sprint Speedweek championship, having won the title in 2009.
“I owe it to my guys. They’ve had me a consistent, good race car. This is great for the team. I wish this was a 100 lapper…I wish we were a little bit better and we could have gotten up there and raced with them. We tried our best and we did our best and it just wasn’t good enough,” said Smith beside his CL Motorsports/DDNI/CJB Motorsports #19.
Defending Ohio Speedweek champion and three time UNOH All Star Champion Tim Shaffer would race from his 11th starting spot to edge Sebetto at the checkered for a second place finish. Shaffer, who leads the national UNOH All Star points, would come home second in the speedweek points and trails Blaney in the Ohio region points battle.
“The car really came on those last 20 laps. The guys are doing just a great job…Aaron Call and Janet Holbrook, the Kistler Engines, VRP Shocks, J&J Chassis…it’s a package deal and it’s really coming together and it really feels fun again,” said Shaffer. “Me and Bryan (Sebetto) got to racing each other so hard there at the end Blaney got away from us. That had to be a hell of a race to watch…it was a lot of fun where I was sitting.”
Sebetto, who embarked on his first ever complete Ohio Sprint Speedweek event, lead from laps 1-42.
“Lapped traffic was a pain tonight. They were all over the place. There at the end them guys…they wouldn’t run in the same place any two laps. It was frustrating, but Dale got through it the best. I’m glad to bring it home in one piece and put on a heck of a show for the fans,” said Sebetto beside his Hammer Pallets, Crown Battery, R3 Nutrition, Crown Batter, Gressman Powersports backed machine.
“To end up fourth in the speedweek points…to go to tracks I’ve never raced on and never having to run a B-main…it’s says a lot about this team. We were fast all week…sometimes our finish didn’t show how good we were. I’m proud of this team and all the guys who work their butts off and Randy and Lisa Hammer for believing in me and spending the money to take me on the road,” added Sebetto, the defending Fremont Speedway champion.
Paul McMahan and Sebetto would bring the field to the green with Sebetto grabbing the lead over McMahan, Smith, Shane Stewart, Byron Reed, Mike Linder and Dean Jacobs. Sebetto would fly away out front while McMahan battled with Stewart, with and Reed for second. The caution would fly on lap four for a multi-car event involving Chris Andrews, Cory Crabtree and Cap Henry, who had worked his way from the 24th starting position up to 14th.
On the restart, with clean air, Sebetto would pull way. He would encounter lapped traffic by the 11th circuit with Stewart moving into second with McMahan, Smith, Blaney, Reed, Linder and Shaffer in pursuit. By lap 18, Stewart began to track down Sebetto with McMahan, Blaney, Smith and Reed right there to challenge. Blaney would move into third on lap 20, and just as Stewart began to pressure Sebetto for the lead, he would slide off the high side of turns three and four and drop back to third on lap 22.
As they neared the half-way point, Blaney was quickly closing on Sebetto who was dealing with heavy lapped traffic. By lap 27, Blaney was racing under Sebetto as the large crowd rose to their feet to watch the excitement. The two would continue to wage a great battle as they sliced and diced through lapped traffic with Stewart, Shaffer, McMahan and Smith in tow.
On lap 31, Sam Hafertepe would make hard contact with the front stretch wall and flip hard, though he would exit the car uninjured. On the restart, Sebetto, Blaney and Stewart would run nose to tail with two lapped cars separating them from Shaffer, McMahan and Smith. The red would bring about a fuel stop as well.
Now, with a clear track ahead of him, it appeared Sebetto was primed to win the biggest race of his career. He would pull away slightly on the restart with Blaney, Steward, Shaffer, McMahan, Smith, Reed and Greg Wilson in pursuit. Shaffer would drive under Stewart for third on lap 35.
With 10 laps to go, Sebetto would once again catch the rear of the field, allowing Blaney to close once again with Shaffer not far behind. Blaney would slide under Sebetto for the lead exiting turn two on lap 42 to take the lead. As Blaney picked his way through traffic, Sebetto now had his hands full with a closing Shaffer with Stewart, Smith and Reed in tow.
Blaney could not shake Sebetto or Shaffer, but he was able to negotiate through the traffic to take the win. Shaffer would drive under Sebetto on the last corner to take second with Stewart and Smith rounding out the top five.
Fremont Speedway - 6/30/2012
All Star Circuit of Champions (42 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
Stewart takes new team to Speedweek victory at Hilltop
MILLERSBURG, OH- By Brian Liskai (Thursday, June 28, 2012) – Shane Stewart took a new team to victory lane Thursday at Hilltop Speedway on Night #8 of the 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of champions.
Stewart, who joined the Fremont, Ohio based team on Sunday and promptly recorded a pair of third place finishes, drove the Level Performance, Kear’s Speed Shop, Hoy’s Bar, CA Kustoms backed Maxim, past Tim Shaffer on lap 12, and then benefitted from several cautions to keep him out of traffic on the small bullring, to score his seventh career UNOH All Star victory.
“This car has been fast since I’ve been in it and everything I’ve complained about Rich (Farmer) has gone to Shirley Kear’s or Kistler’s and bought it so I didn’t have any more excuses. I just can’t thank Daniel (Smith) and all the guys that work hard on this car,” said Stewart.
“It’ just got so dusty I couldn’t see the curb and actually jumped over it one time going into one. The curb got pretty nasty exiting turn four and I hit it a couple of times. Every time the yellow came out I was thanking the Lord. I have to thank Rich Farmer for putting me in this car this week and we have two more races to try and go and win. I want to thank Level Performance…they put a new motor in this thing two nights ago and it’s been fantastic. ProShocks and everyone that works hard there,” added Stewart.
It wasn’t easy for Stewart, as he first battled hard with three time and defending UNOH All Star champion Tim Shaffer, and then he battled the fast track as he escaped disaster on Lap 23 when he jumped the cushion in turns one and two and nearly smashed into the guardrail.
“Actually, after I got out of the fence I figured I must have a sizeable lead because I didn’t see that #83 (Shaffer) come zooming by me. It was just our night to win honestly…you just can’t make mistakes like that with those guys behind you and win every night,” added Stewart.
Shaffer would come home with his second consecutive runner-up finish.
“He did a great job and his guys did a great job and they deserve that win. We were just off a little bit and that’s all it takes. I didn’t like that yellow (on lap 23 that put four lapped cars between Shaffer and Stewart), but I was glad to see the red open up though that allowed us to make a few changes that helped us hang on to second,” said Shaffer beside his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook Motorsports, VRP Shocks, Kistler Engines backed machine. “But by then I had the right rear over heated and the party was over.”
The previous night’s winner, Dale Blaney, would bring the Ti22 Performance machine home in third after a spirited battle with Shaffer and Stevie Smith throughout the 30-lap affair.
“I’ve been on the front stretch here before…it’s not my best track…I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite. I enjoy coming here…it’s a challenge for us every time we come here. It seems like I don’t run my best here…it doesn’t suit my style. We ran alright tonight though. Our car has been good all week. We had one problem this week and got turned over at Waynesfield, but other than that we’ve been really good,” said Blaney.
Shaffer and Stewart would bring the field to the green, but before a lap could be completed, Paul McMahan and Mike Linder would get together with McMahan’s night finished. On the restart, Shaffer would slide into the lead with Stewart, Blaney, Stevie Smith and Cap Henry in pursuit. Shaffer could not shake Stewart as Blaney, Henry and Smith waged a terrific battle for third.
As Shaffer hit lapped traffic by the seventh circuit, Stewart and Henry closed, but the race would grind to a halt when Lee Jacobs got upside down in turn two. On the restart, Shaffer, Stewart and Henry battled for the lead while Blaney, Smith and Sam Hafertepe gave chase. Shaffer and Stewart raced side by side over the next four circuits before Stewart drove around Shaffer for the lead on lap 12 as they raced back into lapped traffic.
The caution would fly on lap 14 when Hafertepe slowed on the track with engine woes. The running order was Stewart, Shaffer, Henry, Blaney and Smith.
With a clear track ahead of him, Stewart blasted to a big lead as Shaffer, Blaney and Smith raced hard for second while Bryan Sebetto and Andrew Palker gave chase. But, Jason Dolick would tip over in turn four with Danny Mumaw spinning to avoid the crash a lap later. Henry would go pit side for work and would rejoin the field at the tail.
Again with a clear track, Stewart disappeared on the restart with Shaffer trying to hold off Blaney, Smith and Sebetto. Stewart would race into lapped traffic on lap 21 with Shaffer still trying to hold off Blaney and Smith. Stewart avoided disaster on lap 23, as he jumped the cushion in turns one and two and scraped the outside retaining wall. But, the leader was able to gather up his machine and continue to lead over Shaffer and Smith. The final caution would fly on lap 23 when Caleb Helms stopped off turn three.
Because of the number of laps run, the race was red flagged for a fuel stop. On the restart, Stewart had four lapped cars separating him and Shaffer. When the green reappeared, Stewart drove away as Shaffer, Blaney, Smith and Sebetto had to work through the lapped traffic.
Stewart would easily drive to the victory over Shaffer, Blaney, Sebetto and Smith.
For more information go to www.allstarsprint.com
Hilltop Speedway - 6/28/2012
All Star Circuit of Champions (28 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
Blaney holds off Shaffer to take #6 of Ohio Sprint Speedweek at Fremont
FREMONT, OH- By Brian Liskai (6-28-12)– Despite some mechanical woes over the past few races and some bad racing luck, Dale Blaney has remained confident. That was evident Wednesday at Fremont Speedway for night #6 of the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions’ 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek.
Prior to the night’s racing on JLH General Contractor’s Night, Blaney was calm and confident in the pit area, joking with fellow competitors, and letting them know he was taking ALL the money at “The Track That Action Built.”
“It was a great night…got a good qualifying lap and that just set the tone for it,” said Blaney beside his Ti22 Performance #2. “I’ll tell you what…to beat those two guys (Tim Shaffer and Kyle Larson) here…especially Larson. He’s unbelievable and we’re going to be watching him race on Sundays for a lot of years. It’s pretty neat to race with him right now. And to beat Shaffer…I saw that #83 on the board and I knew he was good. He gets up on the wheel for these races. We have a good time racing. Boy he shoved it in there in four. I thought I was okay…I was kind of getting held up there just a little bit…the 45 car kind of took my line a little bit. I don’t know if I was playing a little too cautious, but I got in there a little easier than I should of and he (Shaffer) got a run and boy I had to get between him and the curb and the curb was tall and I just caught it good. He could have just used me up but he raced me clean.”
Blaney, a three time UNOH All Star champion and four time Ohio Sprint Speedweek titlist, passed race-long leader Kyle Larson in heavy lapped traffic with just seven laps to go and then held off a valiant last lap effort from defending speedweek champion Tim Shaffer to score his fifth UNOH All Star win of the year. It was Blaney’s 10th career All Star win at Fremont, tying him with Jack Hewitt for the most all time series’ win at “The Track That Action Built.”
“It’s pretty cool to tie Jack. There’s no other place I really like to come to. This is one of my favorite places to come race. It’s a racing town and the fans are always great here. To win here is special and the fans have always treated me right,” said Blaney
Blaney’s 15th career win at Fremont Speedway, tightens the UNOH All Stars point standings for the national title as Shaffer came into the event with a narrow 12 point lead. The Ohio Sprint Speedweek points battle is also close as Stevie Shaffer and Blaney narrow the gap to leader Stevie Smith.
For Shaffer, the second place run just continues to show how his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook Motorsports team continues to grow and gel.
“I was trying my damnest…that was a hell of a race. You get Larson out front…that kid is awesome; he’s got a lot of talent. To stay up front at this track…it’s tough, the track changes and you have to move around a lot. When I got to third I thought I might have a shot at this. I kind of slid Larson down there earlier and it worked so I tried it just to see how close I could get to Dale and I tried it and got next to him and thought I needed to save that for later. I just came up a little short. What a heck of a race…that was a lot of fun,” said Shaffer beside his Kistler Engines, VRP Shocks backed #83.
“I can’t wait to race tomorrow… I just love racing every night. We have a great team with Janet and Aaron giving us great tools to work with. The J&J chassis and VRP shocks and Kistler Engines…it’s just starting to come together and it’s a lot of fun,” added Shaffer.
For Larson, who has won two Ohio Speedweek features in his first ever appearance in the event, third place was a bit disappointing.
“The cushion got tougher and tougher to run. I figured the Low Rider (Blaney) would be down on the bottom in one and two...it really got slick down there and you had to make sure you hit your marks. I didn’t want to take a chance of missing the bottom like I did when he got by me. I don’t know what happened there after that yellow…I just kept messing up and let him get close to me. I felt like I was getting through traffic good so I really didn’t want to see that yellow (only caution was on lap 25) I wanted it to go 40 laps nonstop. We will take two wins and almost a third last night and a third tonight…it’s not bad,” said Larson of his Abreu Vineyards/Stadelhoffer Construction/Butlerbuilt Seats backed #1k.
Larson and Blaney would lead the field to the green of the 40-lap feature with Larson blasting into the lead with Blaney, Shane Stewart, Sam Hafertepe, Shaffer, Stevie Smith, Lee Jacobs and Greg Wilson in pursuit. Larson set a blistering pace on the fast track, catching the rear of the field by lap seven. Looking like a seasoned veteran, Larson patiently worked his way through the heavy traffic and by lap 12 had some clear track and opened up a sizeable lead over Blaney, Stewart, Shaffer, Hafertepe, Smith and Craig Mintz.
But, just three laps later, Larson encountered traffic again, this time they were racing side by side in front of him. However, Blaney could not close as Stewart, Shaffer and Smith waged a terrific battle for third. Cap Henry and Jared Ridge would stop exiting turn four on lap 25 for the only caution. On the restart Larson had a lapped car separating him from Blaney who had two lapped machines between himself and Shaffer. On the restart Chris Andrews got upside down to bring out the red.
On the restart Larson used the clean air and the lapped cars to open up a lead again, but not for long as Blaney quickly disposed of the traffic. Larson handed Blaney the break he needed on lap 28 when the leader slid off the top of turn two. Meanwhile Shaffer got around Stewart and was closing on the top two cars.
Larson and Blaney raced into heavy lapped traffic on lap 31 with Shaffer closing, and after completing the 32nd lap, Blaney would dive under Larson in turns one and two and drive off the bottom into the lead. Larson would stay to Blaney’s outside and Shaffer joined the fun a lap later. With five to go, Blaney, Larson and Shaffer were within a car length of each other for the lead while Stewart, Smith and Wilson gave chase.
Shaffer would take second on lap 36 and quickly raced to Blaney’s inside. Blaney and Shaffer would battle side by the side to the white flag with Larson falling back slightly. As they raced into three and four toward the checkered, Shaffer blasted to Blaney’s inside and slid up, the two nearly banging wheels as they had a drag race to the finish with Blaney winning by half a car. Blaney, Larson, Stewart, Smith and Wilson would round out the top five.
“I hate to lead races early, especially with him (Larson) behind you. He watched me the other night at Wayne County…well he really didn’t watch me long, he just drove by me, but I watched him a little bit. He was really good on the bottom early in one and two and then he kind of stayed up top and after he run off the cliff there in two, I thought he’d move down a little bit but he didn’t. We just took advantage of him…we were running second and traffic just went our way,” said Blaney of his winning strategy.
Fremont Speedway - 6/27/2012
Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Sprints (40 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
Brandon Matus takes care of tires and claims his first ever UNOH All Star win at Sharon
HARTFORD, OH - By Brian Liskai(Tuesday, June 26, 2012) – After several attempts to finish the 30-lap feature at Sharon Speedway Tuesday night there were only three cars in front of the field that hadn’t blown tires. It was Wampum, Pennsylvania’s Brandon “The Wheel Man” Matus who nursed his tires enough to take his first ever University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions victory on night #5 of the 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek.
There were several attempts at a green, white checkered finish that resulted in race-long leader Tony Stewart finally blowing his right rear, followed by then leader Kyle Larson and Dale Blaney. When the green came out, leader Logan Schuchart raced around to the white flag, but his right rear tire let go and he kept going as Matus, who started 18th, drove by and went on to the biggest win of his young career much to the delight of the local crowd.
“I wish I knew how I saved enough of my tires. Everyone knows me for loving these slick tracks. Running up in the dust under cautions helped I know that, but just easy on the throttle…that’s it,” said Matus beside his Sobczak Electric, Matus Service Center, Miller Masonry, Gressman Powersports backed machine.
“I was a bundle of nerves those last couple of green, white, checkered attempts. There’s so many things going through your head…you have no idea. I didn’t know if the tire would last,” added Matus of his GF1 Chassis, Ti22 sponsored #13. “I have to thank my Mom, Dad, Sister…everybody.”
Paul McMahan would come back from an early flat tire to take second after restarting fourth on the final attempt at the finish.
“That was kind of our game plan. We didn’t have much tire left after the heat race. I thought maybe I might be able to save it but it just kept getting flatter and worse and worse. So I just decided to try and tear it up…it’s a bad thing to do but it’s what you have to do and it paid off for us tonight. We missed it by one spot. Congratulations to those guys (Matus)…he drove a heck of a race to save that tire for 30 laps…he did a heck of a job,” said McMahan beside his Bryan Grove Racing, Canton Erectors, Berlin Natural Bakery backed #45.
Another of the cars that did not require a tire change – Eric Williams of Greenville, Pa. – would come home third.
“Under that red flag (a fuel stop before the first attempt at a green, white, checkered finish) they told me I hardly had any air left in the right rear so they put some air in it and I was just hoping it would hold,” said Williams beside his Approved Toilet Rentals, McClung Auto Body, Rentools and Equipment backed #7. “I just tried to nurse it to the end. I was debating on coming here tonight…I’m glad I did.”
Tony Stewart and Dale Blaney would bring the field to the green of the 30-lap feature with Stewart blasting into the lead while Blaney had his hands full with the winner of the previous two nights, Kyle Larson with Caleb Helms, Logan Schuchart, McMahan, Tim Shaffer and Sam Hafertepe Jr. in tow. Stewart would pull away and hit lapped traffic by the sixth circuit with Blaney, Larson, Helms and Schuchart in tow.
With eight laps in the books, Stewart was mired in lapped traffic, allowing Blaney to close with Larson comfortably in third while Helps battled with Schuchart and Hafertepe for fourth. Once clear of traffic, Stewart again pulled away from Blaney, Larson, Hafertepe and Schuchart.
The tire situation began on lap 19 when Danny Smith suffered a flat to bring out the caution. On the restart Stewart would pull away from Blaney and Larson. Bryan Sebetto’s tire would let go on lap 23 for another yellow. And again, Stewart would blast away on the restart with Blaney, Larson, Hafertepe, Schuchart, Helps and McMahan in pursuit. With six laps to go, McMahan’s tire finally blew for another yellow. A lap and another flat, this time for Stevie Smith.
With five laps to go, the running order was Stewart, Larson, Blaney, Hafertepe, Schuchart and Eric Williams. This time the field was able to get two laps in before Stewart’s right rear left go and he retired pit side, handing the lead to Larson. But, the caution flew when several cars blew tires.
That set up the first attempt at a green, white, checkered. On the first attempt, Shaffer blew a tire, followed by Blaney on the second try, necessitating the fuel stop. On the restart, both Larson and second place running Hafertepe suffered flats, handing the lead to Schuchart, who, along with Matus and Williams, were the only cars left from the original start of the event that had not had a flat.
The green came out and Schuchart looked like he might nurse his car home to the victory. He raced around to the white, but when he entered turns one and two, his right rear let go as Matus, McMahan – who had come from the back of the backing the last five laps after getting a new right rear – and Williams applied pressure. Matus stayed glued to the rubber on the bottom and drove home to the victory.
McMahan, Williams, Mike Linder and Stevie Smith – the later two having changed flat tires late in the race – would round out the top five.
UNOH Night
All Star Circuit of Champions (43 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
ORRVILLE, OH- By Brian Liskai (Monday, June 25, 2012) – Kyle Larson made it two wins in two outings with the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions during the 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek. The Elk Grove, California native drove from his seventh starting spot to pass Dale Blaney for the lead on lap 13 and went on to score the victory at the NAPA Auto Parts Wayne County Speedway Monday.
Larson, 19, who picked up his first UNOH All Star win the previous night at Cannonball Speedway, scored his second consecutive victory at a track he had never laid eyes on. The victory impressed the packed grandstands and reminded many of the veteran fans of another youngster who came to Ohio Sprint Speedweek several years ago and won on tracks he had never seen – 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
“Three and four was elbows up like a lot of places are in California where they have a lot of moisture and rough so that was a lot of fun. I was getting a little wore out there…I usually don’t get tired but I had to take a second and catch my breath there under the yellow. I was really working hard there in three and four and in one and two I had to make sure I didn’t hit the tractor tires on the bottom,” said Larson beside his Abreu Vineyards, Stadelhoffer Construction, Butlerbuilt Seats backed #1k.
“The lappers were pretty tough to get by. They were just fast enough that I couldn’t get a run on them off the exit. Luckily I got a few of them before the yellow so I had a couple between me and Dale there on the restart,” continued Larson of the green, white checkered finish following that late race caution.
“Thanks to Davey, Dalton, Chuck for all their hard work. They built this car in a week and the first two nights out on it we got wins. This is great for Spike Chassis. I have to thank Jeannie and Brian Butler with Butlerbuilt Seats and Abreu Vineyards and Stadelhoffer Construction and everybody that helps out on this car…without them we wouldn’t be able to do it,” said Larson, who won in a stock car recently with the K&N Pro Series East Series.
“We will see if we can make it a hat trick and go three for three. This is really cool to come out here and get wins the first two nights of my speedweek. All the guys are really tough out here. I grew up reading about them and watching them on TV…they’re all really old compared to me…I’ve been keeping an eye on them for a long time,” joked Larson, who will turn 20 years of age next month.
For three time All Star Champion Dale Blaney – who has four Ohio Sprint Speedweek titles on his resume – a late race caution may have spoiled his chances, as he was reeling in the leader in heavy lapped traffic. But, when you consider the problems Blaney and his team have worked to overcome in the first three races of Speedweek, the runner-up finish was a shot in the arm.
“When I saw the #1 on the board I knew it was him (Larson) and he runs pretty good. My car was stumbling real bad in the corners and on restarts so it was hard for me to throttle it from the center off and I had to kind of run up a little bit where I had to keep my speed up. The car was pretty good all night and we didn’t have too many problems and we brought it home second. Hopefully we’re heading back in the right direction and the rest of the week we can do pretty well,” said Blaney beside his Ti22 Performance machine.
While Larson has two wins in his first two Ohio Sprint Speedweek events, Bixby, Oklahoma’s Shane Stewart has two third place finishes in his first two speedweek starts.
“You don’t ever want to start on the pole and fade by any means, but we’re going to have to figure out a way to slow Kyle down. We’re going to have to put a sniper in the trees and shoot one of his tires out. He’s a great talent and it’s always fun to watch him race. Hopefully when he makes it big he remembers all us poor sprint car drivers…he can come back and help us,” joked Stewart beside his Level Performance, Hoy’s Bar, Kear’s Speed Shop backed #29. “I lost my brakes in the middle of the race and was just kind of hanging on. Me and Stevie (Smith) had a pretty good race the last couple of laps and I was lucky to hang on to third which is a solid effort for this team and hopefully we can get a win before I have to go back to Pennsylvania.”
Stewart and Blaney would bring the field to the green with Blaney taking charge over Stewart, Paul McMahan, Bryan Sebetto, Stevie Smith and Larson. Just as Blaney was set to hit lapped traffic on the fifth circuit, the caution would fly for a tangle involving Stuart Brubaker and Ryan Davis.
On the restart, Blaney pulled away from a great battle between McMahan, Stewart and Larson. Larson would drive under Stewart for third on lap nine and around McMahan for second on the next circuit and quickly closed on Blaney. Danny Holtgraver would spin in turn two on lap 11, putting Larson right on Blaney’s rear bumper.
On the restart, Larson quickly dove under Blaney as they raced side by side through one and two, with Larson gaining the advantage down the back stretch. Larson would pull away as Blaney ran comfortably in second with the battle for third heating back up between McMahan, Stewart and Smith. Smith would take the third spot at the halfway point.
Larson would race into lapped traffic by the 18th circuit and began picking cars off one at a time. However, with eight laps to go, the lapped cars were racing side-by-side in front of Larson, and the veteran Blaney pounced on the situation to quickly close. Meanwhile, Smith, Stewart and McMahan continued to put on a great show for third with Cap Henry, Tim Shaffer and Tony Stewart in tow.
As the laps ticked off, Blaney pulled to within a couple of car lengths from Larson with Stewart moving into third with five to go. Just as it looked like things would get interesting as they took the white flag, Sam Hafertepe Jr. would bring out the caution, necessitating a green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart, Larson would have three lapped machines separating him from Blaney and would hit his marks perfectly to take the win. Blaney, Stewart, Smith and Shaffer rounding out the top five.
Wayne County Speedway - 6/25/2012 UNOH Night
All Star Circuit of Champions (45 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
Larson makes All Star Ohio Speedweek debut memorable
ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio- By Brian Liskai (Sunday, June 24, 2012) - Check another racing achievement off young Kyle Larson's already pretty impressive resume. The Elk Grove, California resident made his debut in the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek Sunday at Cannonball Speedway and thrilled the crowd by holding off three time and defending series champion Tim Shaffer to score the victory.
Larson, who has won in everything he has sat in from sprint cars to midgets to fendered late models, made his first appearance of the nine-night Ohio Sprint Speedweek at a track that hasn't hosted a sprint car race in over 10 years. However, the 20-year-old battled with Shaffer throughout the 30 laps, and was the beneficiary when David Gravel, who had driven past both for the lead on lap 17, slid into the turn two fence and flipped, before driving to his first UNOH All Star victory.
"Davey Jones had me hooked up tonight. We were good from the git-go. We were quick every time we were out there. It's a good thing I got the lead there on the start. I just had to make sure I hit my marks...the bottom was pretty narrow down there and tricky. I saw Shaffer get around me a couple of times in three and four...I had to make sure I hit the moisture there on the bottom. I started to open up my entry into three just to try and kill his momentum. It felt like it was taking rubber a little there so I could carry a little more speed," said Larson beside his Abreu Vineyards/Stadelhoffer Construction/Butlerbilt seats backed #1k.
"This was the debut for this Spike Chassis...it's a really good car. Hopefully we can get some more wins in it," added Larson.
Shaffer tried several times to drive around Larson's outside as the duo battled side-by-side down the front stretch several times. The Steel City Outlaw would come home in the runner-up position for his second consecutive podium finish.
"We are definitely starting to gel and work well together. Its new people and it's a time to learn each other and see what I like and what they like to do and that makes it tough. But Kyle did a heck of a job. I thought we had him a couple of times...I didn't need that last caution. But, it was a good race...we just came up short," said Shaffer beside his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned machine with backing from Kistler Engines/VRP Shocks/J&J Auto Racing. "Our main goal is to be consistent...to be up front and get a top five each night and build a team.
Also making his debut for the 2012 Ohio Sprint Speedweek was Bixby, Oklahoma's Shane Stewart aboard a new car fielded by a new team out of Fremont, Ohio. Stewart didn't disappoint, driving the Level Performance/Hoy's Bar/Kear's Speedshop #29 to a third place finish.
"Daniel Smith had the car very good and I have to thank Rich Farmer for inviting me to come and drive the 29. It was a good way to start off the four or five races I'm going to be in it. We've got a little motor issue and hopefully once we get that figured out we will have a pretty solid car," said Stewart. "My hats off to Kyle...he's a pretty good talent for his age. It was pretty cool to watch...they had a pretty good battle. I was having fun watching them. I wished I could have gotten up there and contended for the lead. We were just a little bit off, but I'm pretty happy with a third place finish for the first night in the car."
Shaffer and Lance Dewease would bring the field of 24 to the green on the .4-mile track, with Shaffer grabbing the lead while third starting Larson slid into second with Dewease, David Gravel, Cap Henry and Dale Blaney in tow
Larson would drive under Shaffer for the lead on lap two, but Shaffer would continue to drive to Larson’s outside exiting turn four lap after lap. Meanwhile, behind that fantastic battle, Dewease, Gravel and Henry were waging war for third.
The action would come to a fiery halt on lap eight just as the leaders were racing into lapped traffic, when Logan Schuchart drove to the infield with the rear of his car erupting in flames. The young Hanover, Pa. resident bailed out of his car unharmed as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze. During the red, Dale Blaney, who had been running sixth, ducked to the work area and would rejoin the field at the tail.
On the restart, again Larson and Shaffer would battle for the lead with Gravel now pulling away in third and closing on the leaders. With 13 laps in the books, it was now a fantastic three car battle for the lead with Larson glued to the bottom, Shaffer in the middle and Gravel blasting away up top.
Gravel would take second on lap 14 and raced to Larson’s outside for the lead as they hit lapped traffic again on the 16th circuit. Gravel would fly around Larson to lead lap 17, but as the 2010 Ohio Sprint Speedweek champion blasted around turns one and two, he slid up the track in the marbles and into the fence, flipping hard. Gravel was uninjured, but was visibly upset as it appeared he had the car to beat.
On the restart it was Larson over Shaffer, Henry, Dewease and Stewart, who had found something in the middle of the track. Shaffer would resume his drive to the outside of Larson for the lead as Henry no had his hands full with Stewart. Larson and Shaffer raced side by side over the next eight laps with Stewart taking third on lap 20.
Larson would pull away slightly from Shaffer the remaining four laps for the win with Shaffer unchallenged for second, Stewart third, Henry fourth and Blaney rallying to a fifth place finish.
Cannonball Motor Speedway - 6/24/2012 UNOH Night
All Star Circuit of Champions (34 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
Hard work finally pays off for "Black Bandit" Stevie Smith...takes Waynesfield UNOH All Star victory
WAYNESFIELD, Ohio- By Brian Liskai (Saturday, June 23, 2012) – Sprint car drivers are, by definition, highly competitive. This can lead to them pushing themselves too hard at times.
Such has been the case for Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Stevie Smith.
Though he is a veteran of many years of racing, 2012 brought a new team and many challenges for Smith. One of his goals was to get his 200th career victory. He admits it’s been a struggle to get to that magical number. But, his team has worked hard, and Saturday, it paid off as Smith passed race-long leader Cap Henry with eight laps to go to take night #2 of the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions’ 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek at Waynesfield Raceway Park.
“These guys have worked so hard. I need to thank everybody. Chris Luck started this team and kept it going and of course we have Chad and Jen Clemens and Renee North…we have the whole crew. We got Brian Bloomfield and Sparky and Kyle Luetters…it’s just a big crew…a big family. John Anthony is helping us this weekend and a lot of Brian’s family like Ed Haudenschild…it’s just a great group of people,” said Smith beside his CJB Motorsports/Digital Delivery Network Inc./Spectro Oils backed #19.
“I was just a little tight in the beginning. I had to keep telling myself ‘you need to calm down’ because I’m on the verge of tearing something up every night just trying to get this first win for this team. It’s not my style to get into this many bumps and bangs but I’ve been doing it…it’s been all on my own. Now we have our first win with the CL Motorsports team and we’re going to build off of that,” added Smith of his 17th career UNOH All Star victory. “That 54 car has been pretty darn fast and that team has been working hard and he’s getting hard to beat.”
For Henry, who led the first 36 laps of the Ohio Sprint Speedweek opener the previous night at Attica Raceway Park, only to get caught up when a lapped car flipped in front of him, possibly taking away his first All Star win, once again leading much of the race and coming home second was a bit of redemption.
“I was just trying so hard, especially knowing Stevie was behind me. I knew he had a good car when I got him at the start, but in traffic I knew it was going to be tough,” said Henry beside his Stanton Mopar/FK Rods/Lucas Oil backed #54. “This definitely helps heal some of the wounds from last night. I was having flash backs with 30 laps in. I thought ‘here we go again,” but it was a good night…I can accept this.”
Three-time and defending UNOH All Star champion Tim Shaffer waged a race long battle with Paul McMahan, Byron Reed, Bryan Sebetto and Sam Hafertepe Jr. before claiming the third finishing position.
“That was a really awesome race. To slide back and forth was fun. My guys gave me a really good car tonight…we really felt good tonight,” said Shaffer beside his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned, Kistler Engines/Kistler Racing Products backed #83. “Hopefully we’re getting back on track. We’ll take a third place….it’s going to be a tough week and we have a lot of tough competition…the kids are getting faster.
Smith and Henry, the later breaking Smith’s two year old Waynesfield qualifying record earlier in the evening, would pace the field to the green on the fast bullring. Right away, you somehow knew the race was going to be decided by these two as Smith led the opening lap by a nose before Henry blasted by. The huge crowd was also treated to a fantastic battle for third between Paul McMahan, Byron Reed, Sam Hafertepe, Bryan Sebetto, Greg Wilson and Shaffer.
Henry would pull away slightly and encountered heavy lapped traffic by the fifth circuit. The race would grind to a half on lap eight when Craig Mintz, Dale Blaney and Lee Jacobs tangled in turn two with Blaney ending up on his side. Blaney and Mintz would retire pit side while Jacobs rejoined the field after repairs.
On the restart, Henry had four lapped cars separating him from Smith with McMahan, Reed, Sebetto, Shaffer and Wilson in tow. Henry would fly away on the restart while Smith had to negotiate the four lapped machines. Henry would again catch the rear of the field on lap 15, but Smith could not close as McMahan, Reed, Shaffer, Sebetto and Hafertepe waged a tremendous battle for third.
Henry would continue to dice and slice his way through traffic, but by the 27th circuit, Smith was closing with McMahan, Hafertepe, Shaffer and Sebetto also narrowing the gap. As the field raced into turns one and two after completing the 31st lap, Smith dove under Henry to grab the lead down the back stretch. Shaffer would drive into third on lap 34 with Hafertepe and Sebetto continuing to apply pressure.
Smith was able to drive his Black Bandit machine any where on the track, and pulled away for the win while Henry would come home second, with Shaffer, Hafertepe and Sebetto rounding out the top five.
Waynesfield Raceway Park - 6/23/2012 UNOH Night
All Star Circuit of Champions (45 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
Holtgraver earns 1st UNOH All Star win to open Ohio Speedweek at Attica
ATTICA, OH By Brian Liskai (6 -22-12) – When race-long leader Cap Henry slid backwards off turn four trying to avoid a flipping car with just four laps to go, Danny Holtgraver was there to take advantage. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania resident held off Craig Mintz and Bryan Sebetto the last four laps to score his first University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions victory at Attica Raceway Park to kick off the 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek Friday night.
Holtgraver, the 2010 Lernerville Speedway champion, earned $6,000 for the victory on Ohio Caterpillar/Kistler Racing Engines Night, as engine builder Paul Kistler added an extra $1,000 because the winner had a Kistler Engine under the hood.
“I was shaken that last restart…I didn’t know what to do. I knew the top was good down here (in turns three and four) and Mintz is unbelievable here and Sebetto on the high side. I just didn’t know what to do. I just did the same thing I did the whole race and it paid off,” said Holtgraver beside his Kargo Quality Cars and Trucks, Alternative Power Source, DKW Transport backed machine.
“I think it would have been a good race…that sucks for him. That’s a tough break…he was good. But I think we could have made it interesting,” added Holtgraver about Cap Henry’s misfortune. “This is unbelievable…to get this first All Star win at Attica…there’s some of the greatest race cars in the world out here every week.”
For Mintz, who has three wins this season at Attica, including a last lap All Star victory in April, second was a great finish after starting 15th.
“We went out to qualify like the 35th car (out of 41) and the race track slowed down quite a bit. Qualifying is very important when you with the All Stars. We made a pretty good show out of it. There were a lot of slide jobs and lot of bumping and banging for an open wheel race car,” said Mintz beside his Real Geese Decoys, R2C Filters, Kistler Engines, Ti22 Performance backed #09.
“Danny was just too good on the bottom…I don’t think I had anything for him. We had a couple of things break on the race car but no excuses…that D4 car was fast. This GF1 car…we will keep working on it and get it faster,” added Mintz of his Wasserman Construction, Design Graphics Group, Erie Shore Propane machine.
Sebetto ran in the top three nearly the entire 40 laps, but struggled to find a balance in each corner with the car.
“I had to have my car free enough to roll the cushion in three and four but it was too free for me to roll the top where I felt like I was good in one and two. So I had to get the wing all the way back then I could roll one and two really nice but I was having to run the thing so deep into three trying to make momentum. I got the wing all the way back and I was just too tight in three and four and kept plowing through the cushion,” explained Sebetto beside his Crown Battery, JLH General Contractor, Hammer Pallets backed car.
“Congrats to Danny and Craig…that was a fun race. I would have loved to have seen no red flag…there were cars every where. A great night for the Hammer team and a good start to speed week,” added Sebetto of his Meggit Powder Coating, R3 Nutrition, Gressman Powersports, OC Shocks, Keizer Wheels backed machine.
Cap Henry, a former Attica and All Star rookie of the year, and Rob Chaney in a new ride, would bring the field to the green. But, before a lap could be completed, Chris Andrews would spin to necessitate a complete restart. When the green flew again, Henry would bolt into the lead with Sebetto, Chaney, Stevie Smith, Byron Reed and Danny Smith in tow.
Henry would set a blistering pace, encountering heavy lapped traffic by the eighth circuit, allowing Sebetto and Smith to close. But, Chad Blonde and Andrews would spin in separate incidents to give Henry a clear track. Again when the green came back out, Henry set sail, with Sebetto battling Smith for second while Smith moved into four and Chaney, Dean Jacobs, Reed, Mintz and Holtgraver giving chase.
Again, just as Henry would catch the rear of the field, the caution would fly for Tim Shaffer, who spun and would go pit side with front end damage. Henry would fly away on the restart while Sebetto and Smith continued their torrid battle for second with Smith, Jacobs, Chaney, Mintz and Holtgraver trying to keep pace. Smith would take the second spot on lap 17 with the caution flying again on lap 19 for a multi-car incident involving Mike Linder, Travis Philo, David Gravel, Brian Lay, Brandon Martin and Duane Zablocki.
When the green came back out, Henry was still able to pull away while Stevie Smith, Sebetto, Danny Smith, Jacobs, Mintz and Holtgraver raced hard for second. As they exited turn four, it was three wide for fourth with Jacobs doing a; 360 spin, bringing out the caution.
At the half-way point it was Henry over Stevie Smith, Sebetto, Mintz, Holtgraver and Danny Smith. Henry would hold a four car length lead as Smith tried to hold off Sebetto and a closing Mintz and Holtgraver. With 25 laps scored, Sebetto, Mintz and Holtgraver were locked in a heated battle for third.
As the laps began clicking off, Stevie Smith was slowly reeling Henry in as Sebetto, Mintz and Holtgraver continued their entertaining battle for third. With eight laps to go, Stevie Smith had caught Henry and as he tried to make the pass entering turn one, got side ways, dropping back to fifth.
Henry would encounter heavy lapped traffic with six circuits to go as Holtgraver drove around Sebetto for second with Mintz in fourth, Stevie Smith fifth and 18th starter Dale Blaney sixth. With five laps to go, Holtgraver and Sebetto had caught Henry. As they raced into turn three, Gravel would flip right in front of Henry who had no place to go and flew off the top side of the track backwards into the catch fence. No damage was done to the car, but Henry, who led all 36 laps, had to go to the tail, giving the lead to Holtgraver.
On the restart, Holtgraver stayed glued to the bottom groove with Mintz running the middle and Sebetto blasting the top cushion with Stevie Smith there to pounce. On each of the last four laps, Mintz would drive to Holtgraver’s outside, but could not make the pass.
Holtgraver would go on to take the close win – his first ever at Attica – over Mintz, Sebetto, Stevie Smith and Dale Blaney.
Attica Raceway Park - 6/22/2012 UNOH Night
All Star Circuit of Champions (41 Cars) [#]-Starting Position
Often imitated, never duplicated - UNOH All Stars ready for 30th Annual ...... Ohio Sprint Speedweek
Camargo, IL (6-15-12) Brian Liskai- When former Eldora owner Earl Baltes, former All Star president Bert Emick, promoter Jean Lynch and a handful of Ohio dirt track promoters sat down over 30 years ago and dreamed up the Ohio Sprint Speedweek, they probably had no idea how popular the event would become. It has often been imitated by other racing organizations in other states, but nothing can match the excitement of Ohio Sprint Speedway.
The 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek featuring the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions will kick off Friday, June 22 and will feature nine straight nights of racing across the Buckeye State. Each event will pay the feature winner $5,000 with the exception of the finale on June 30 at Fremont Speedway, which pays $10,000 to win.
The Friday Speedweek opener at Attica marks the 96th visit of the UNOH All Stars at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” venue since the track opened in 1988. As an incentive for the tough weekly competitors at Attica, the track has put up some bonus incentives. Kistler Engines is offering a $1,000 bonus to the feature winner if that driver is using a Kistler power plant. And, Attica Raceway Park is adding a $1,000 bonus if the winning driver is in the track’s top 10 in points after the June 15 Mid-Season Championship event.
There have been two UNOH All Star events at Attica in 2012, with three time series champion and current point leader Dale Blaney scoring a win with Craig Mintz getting a last lap pass of Blaney to score the other. Blaney and Mintz have both won three features at Attica in 2012 with Bryan Sebetto claiming the only other victory as of June 8.
Attica first began playing host to an Ohio Sprint Speedweek event in 1990. After falling victim to rain outs in 2008 and 2009, six-time track champion Byron Reed scored the speedweek win in 2010 with three time and defending All Star champion Tim Shaffer taking the victory in 2011 on route to the 2011 Ohio Sprint Speedweek championship. Blaney – a four time Ohio Sprint Speedweek champion – has two speedweek victories at Attica.
Defending Attica track champion Dean Jacobs – the 2001 Ohio Sprint Speedweek champion – scored a speedweek victory at Attica in 1998 and has two wins at Fremont Speedway in 2012.
Gates will open at 4 p.m. with racing underway at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults; $20 for senior citizens; $10 for teens ages 11-15; kids 10 and under get in free. Pit passes will be $30. For more information go to www.atticaracewaypark.com
On Saturday, June 23, the UNOH All Stars move to Waynesfield Motorsports Park (near Lima, Ohio). Last year the Ohio Sprint Speedweek event fell victim to rain. However, traditionally, the one-third mile bullring has provided some of the most exciting racing during Speedweek.
The last Ohio Sprint Speedweek event at “The Field” in 2010 saw NASCAR driver Brad Sweet pick up the win aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing machine. Sweet recently picked up his first ever World of Outlaws win in Iowa.
Pit gates will open at 4 p.m. with grandstand gates open at 5 p.m. and racing underway at 7 p.m. Go to www.waynesfieldmotorsportspark.com for more information.
Sunday, the UNOH All Stars head to Cannonball Motor Speedway near St. Clairsville, Ohio, on the Ohio River. The newly reconfigured 3/8 mile track located off State Route 40 near the Morristown exit of I-70, has not hosted the UNOH All Stars in many, many years.
Gates will open at 4 p.m. with racing to get underway around 6 p.m. For more information about Cannonball Motor Speedway go to www.cannonballspeedway.com
The fourth leg of the Ohio Sprint Speedweek finds the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions back at the NAPA Wayne County Speedway near Orrville, Ohio. The track has not hosted a speedweek event for a couple of years, but was one of the original speedweek destinations when the concept began 30 years ago.
The NAPA Wayne County Speedway, a 3/8 mile oval with long straights and wide, tight turns, was an important part of the creation of the All Stars in the 1970s. When the All Stars last competed at Wayne County for a speedweek event in 2010, Blaney scored the win.
So far in 2012, winners at Wayne County have included Andrew Palker, Caleb Helms, Danny Mumaw and Sheldon Haudenschild.
Gates will open Monday at 3 p.m. with racing underway at 7 p.m. For more information go to www.waynecountyspeedway.com
Sharon Speedway, another of the tracks that was part of the first Ohio Sprint Speedweek 30 years ago, will play host to the Tuesday, June 26 UNOH All Star event.
The 3/8th mile oval will host the 410 sprint cars for the first time in 2012 for the Speedweek event. After a five year absence, Ohio Sprint Speedweek returned to Sharon in 2010 Shaffer took the win, while last season Dale Blaney scored the victory.
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney, one of the owners of the track, is expected to compete as is Sharon’s all-time winner Ed Lynch Jr. who has 50 victories at the track.
Advance tickets are on sale, which will admit ticket holders into the facility for preferred seating at 3 p.m. – one hour before the tickets go on sale and the gates open. An order form for tickets is available by going to www.sharonspeedway.com, click “fans” and then tickets. Gates will open at 4 p.m. with racing under way at approximately 7:30 p.m. Adult admission is $22 with kids 13 and under free and pit passes at $35.
Wednesday, June 27 will find the UNOH All Stars making the first of two Ohio Sprint Speedweek stops at the historic Fremont Speedway. It will mark the 102nd visit of the UNOH All Stars at “The Track That Action Built,” since 1980.
At the two All Star shows at Fremont this season, Dale Blaney swept the Memorial Day weekend double-header for his third and fourth series wins of 2012, to run his career total to 88, second on the All Stars all-time win list behind Kenny Jacobs (98 wins).
Last year, Fremont was set to host two stops during Ohio Sprint Speedweek, but the Tuesday night event fell victim to rain. On the $10,000 to win Saturday finale, Shaffer would claim the top prize.
So far this season, Shane Stewart, Dean Jacobs (two wins) and Blaney (two wins) have posted victories at Fremont.
For more information go to www.fremontohspeedway.com On Thursday, June 28, Hilltop Speedway near Millersburg, Ohio, will host the UNOH All Stars for night #7 of Ohio Sprint Speedweek. The 3/8th mile high banked oval last hosted a speedweek event in 2010 with hometown driver Rob Chaney getting a last lap, last corner pass of David Gravel, the 2010 Ohio Speedweek champion, to score the win.
Hilltop has held one 410 sprint race in 2012, with Lee Jacobs scoring the victory.
Pit gates will open at 3 p.m. with general admission gates opening at 4 p.m. and racing underway at 7 p.m. For more information go to www.hilltopspeedway.com
The high banked quarter-mile of Limaland Motorsports Park will host the Friday, June 29 Ohio Sprint Speedweek stop. Last year, Kyle Sauder would score his first ever All Star win during the Limaland speedweek event. Sauder would go on to claim the track championship that year. In 2010, David Gravel would score his first ever All Star win during the speedweek event at Limaland on route to picking up the 2010 Ohio Sprint Speedweek championship.
Pit gates will open at 4 p.m. Friday with spectator gates opening at 5 p.m. and racing getting under way at 7:30 p.m. For more information go to www.limaland.com The 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek wraps up with the $10,000-to-win, 50-lap finale at Fremont Speedway. It will mark the 103rd visit of the UNOH All Stars to the one-third mile fairgrounds’ facility. There is a rain date of Sunday, July 1 if needed.
Gates will open at 4 p.m. with racing underway at 7 p.m. Go to www.fremontohspeedway.com for more information Ohio Speedweek always draws in the best talent from the Midwest, western Pennsylvania, along with the All Star regulars and usually a few surprises. Last season NASCAR Sprint Cup stars Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne competed at several speedweek events. Look for some of Pennsylvania’s best such as Lance Dewease and Stevie Smith and don’t be surprised to see a couple of others join in. Western Pennsylvania’s Danny Holtgraver, the 2010 Lernerville Speedway champion, along with Pete Miller III, have followed the All Star tour as much as possible the last two seasons.
After a slow start this season, Shaffer of Aliquippa, Pa. has picked up momentum with his first win at Mercer Raceway Park on May 12 followed by another victory at NY’s Utica-Rome Speedway. Blaney meanwhile has already won four All Star features this season and has racked up 88 in his career! Blaney also leads both the National and Ohio Region points for the All Stars. For more information go to www.allstarsprint.com.
Shaffer wraps up UNOH All Star Eastern swing with Utica Rome victory
VERNON, N.Y. (6-10-12) By Brian Liskai – Just like the summer temperatures, three time and defending champion of the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Tim Shaffer is getting hot. “The Steel City Outlaw” wrapped up a very successful weekend with the UNOH All Stars with his second series win of 2012 at Utica Rome Speedway Sunday.
The victory – Shaffer’s 47th with the UNOH All Stars – moves him to within striking distance of Dale Blaney for the series’ national points lead and Daryn Pittman for the $20,000 championship of the Eastern Region. While Shaffer posted a fifth place finish at Williams Grove and a seventh place finish at Lincoln to go with his win at Utica Rome over the weekend, Blaney, a three time series champion, struggled, not making the feature at Williams Grove, scoring an eighth place at Lincoln and dropping out of Sunday’s event while leading.
Once Blaney dropped out, Shaffer would drive into the lead and survived several late race cautions for the victory.
“It’s been awhile…we’ve got one win so far this year…they keep getting harder and harder to get. Everyone just keeps getting faster and faster and making us work harder. What a great job by my crew, Dave Lawrence, James Chambers and Craig Stephens…they’re all new on this team but one guy. We’re trying to gel together with new people and it’s starting to click,” said Shaffer beside his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned machine.
“Dale was pretty good tonight. I don’t know if we had anything for him later in the feature. He was gone. I thought I was still chasing him and the yellow came out and I looked on the board and thought ‘hey, we’re leading it.’ On those late cautions, you’re always concerned if someone is coming or not and you’re trying to pay attention to lapped cars where they are running in case rubber gets down. But, we were really good. Hats off to my guys, they gave me a great car. Aaron Call is doing a great job back at home. He’s getting this thing ready during the week for us to come out and play. Janet Holbrook giving us everything we need. I can’t thank everyone enough who has helped us through this…it’s been a tough season,” added Shaffer of his Kistler Engines/VRP Shocks backed machine.
Blaney and Shaffer would bring the field to the green Sunday, with Blaney seizing the top spot while third place starter Jessica Zemken drove into second, bringing fourth place starter Shawn Donath into third. Donath would grab second on the second circuit and would move past Blaney a lap later for the lead.
Shaffer would drive by Zemken into third on lap eight and a circuit later Blaney would do the same to Donath to take the lead. But, Blaney would coast to a stop on lap 11 with mechanical issues. On the restart, Shaffer would drive by Donath for the lead. Donath would bobble on lap 13, with Zemken, Stevie Smith and David Gravel getting by. The car on the move was 10th place starter Greg Hodnett as he would move into the top five by the half-way point.
Shaffer would continue to lead Zemken, who, before her sprint car days was a winner and champion at Utica-Rome Speedway in the dirt sportsman ranks. Smith ran third with Hodnett getting around Gravel for fourth on lap 16. The battle for fourth through 10th was a good one throughout the race as Cap Henry, Tony Stewart (who posted a third place finish with NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series earlier in the day at Pocono, Pa.), Paul McMahan, Fred Rahmer and Daryn Pittman joined the fun.
With 10 laps to go, the running order was Shaffer, Zemken, Smith, Hodnett, Gravel, Henry, Stewart, Rahmer, McMahan and Donath. The top nine would stay in that order until lap 25 when Gravel was able to get around Hodnett for fourth. Hodnett would return the favor with three to go.
Shaffer would drive away to the win over Zemken, Smith, Hodnett and Stewart who made a last lap pass to take fifth and the feature’s hard-charger honor after starting 19th.
Zemken, who has three 360 sprint wins at Utica-Rome Speedway, was thrilled with her runner-up finish.
“I’ll take second to Tim Shaffer any day. He’s a hell of a race car driver and I’ve learned a lot from him. And, he’s a really nice guy…kind of like a big brother to me. He’s the first guy I’d go to to ask for help when we’re struggling…he’s always one of the first guys to help out,” said Zemken. “I have to thank Corr-Pak Merchandising for sticking with me and the crew…the guys worked so hard tonight on tires…it was so hot. We had a really good car. We definitely didn’t have anything for Tim, that’s for sure. This is like a home track to me with my family and friends here so it’s great to run good here with the 410…my best finish with a 410.”
For Smith, the good weekend with the UNOH All Stars continued with his podium finish.
“We’re happy with third after starting 11th. Jessica did a good job…she never made a mistake and Tim took off and left us all,” said Smith beside his CL Motorsports/CJB Motorsports/DDNi backed machine. “I’m just happy with the way everything is going. We’re making progress and we’re going to keep working. I have to thank my car owners Chad and Jen and my crew. We started the season off pretty good and then went into a little bit of a slump. We made some changes with the personnel…it’s just been a kind of up and down so far. But I’m really proud of the guys working on the car. We’ve got Shane and Sparky who’s actually from New York and of course Brian Bloomfield and probably one of the best video guys in Kyle (Luetters). I really appreciate what everyone has done for me…they have assembled a great team here.”
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.
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA (July 26, 2012) By Brian Liskai- David Gravel is getting hot at just the right time. The Watertown, Connecticut driver scored his second career University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Thursday at the Red River Co-Op Speedway.
CAMARGO, IL (July 16, 2012) By Brian Liskai – The teams of the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions got a little time off after the 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek. But they will go full throttle soon as the series gets ready for its annual “Thunder Through the Plains.”
FREMONT, OH- By Brian Liskai (6-28-12)– Despite some mechanical woes over the past few races and some bad racing luck, Dale Blaney has remained confident. That was evident Wednesday at Fremont Speedway for night #6 of the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions’ 30th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek.
VERNON, N.Y. (6-10-12) By Brian Liskai – Just like the summer temperatures, three time and defending champion of the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions Tim Shaffer is getting hot. “The Steel City Outlaw” wrapped up a very successful weekend with the UNOH All Stars with his second series win of 2012 at Utica Rome Speedway Sunday.
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.