On the initial drop of the Green Flag, Brock Mayes grabbed the lead from the pole position, but as the fourth row entered Turn 1, a melee ensued, which forced Phil Gressman to climb the wall. The rest of the cars involved would continue on, but this ended Gressman’s night, setting up a complete restart of the event.

When racing action got underway it was fast and furious as Danny Smith got the jump and led the first lap of the event. He would be followed to the line by Mayes, Rob Chaney and Tim Shaffer. A few laps later Shaffer made his move in Turn 3 snatching the third position. Chaney battled back, but Shaffer had his car working in the top groove, holding him off.

By Lap 5 Mayes, took his turn in the top position briefly, but Smith quickly retook the lead. Mayes fell into the clutches of Shaffer as the top three traded positions back and forth. It seemed as if every time Mayes would catch Smith, Shaffer would close on the duo and join the battle. Shaffer appeared to be the best entering Turn 3 as he picked up the second position on Lap 11. Then a few laps later he would celebrate his 42nd birthday by taking the lead.

While the top three were battling Dale Blaney was on the move from his seventh place starting position, moving into the top-five and closing in on the lead pack as he passed Greg Wilson for the position. When the field started encountering traffic on Lap 14, Danny Smith dove under Shaffer for the lead. Shaffer would get held up by a lapped car letting Mayes get by for second. Using a lapped car as a pick, Mayes took the lead away from Smith on Lap 16. This is when Blaney really made his presence known on the track as he dove under Shaffer and Smith to take the second position on Lap 17.

Lap 18 will be one that goes down in infamy as Mayes, Smith, Shaffer and Blaney all led on the same lap. The top four could have been thrown under a blanket. Smith would out muscle his fellow competitors and establish himself in the lead on Lap 20 of the 40 Lap A main event. Blaney established himself in the second position, followed by Shaffer, Wilson, and Mayes.

Once Smith was in the lead, he pulled away from the fray. In the latter part of the event Wilson came to life picking off Mayes for fourth. When he caught Shaffer the two battled side-by-side until Wilson bobbled slightly. In the mean time Shaffer caught Blaney for second and started working on him. As the two battled it allowed Wilson catch up to the leaders again.

With five laps remaining Wilson made quick work of Shaffer diving under him in Turn 2 to take over the third position in the top line. Wilson then set his sights on second, catching Blaney using the high line. Wilson worked on Blaney each lap, but was unable to execute the pass. At the Checkered Flag it was Smith picking up the win, followed by Blaney, Wilson, Shaffer and Mayes.

This was Smith’s 30th All Star Circuit of Champions win, his second this season, and his second in All Star competition at Limaland Motorsports Park. His last win at the 1/4-mile bullring came in 1990 and the last time the All Star series raced at Fremont Speedway the sprint car veteran won.

The final night of Ohio Speedweek is on tap tomorrow night at Fremont Speedway. The gates will open at 4:00 pm and racing action is slated to begin at 7:00 pm. Tickets for the event start at $25 for adults, $15 for seniors, ages 16-11 are $10, while ages 10 and under are free. Pit Passes for the event will run $30. For more information on the event you can call the track office at (419) 333-0476 or visit www.fremontohspeedway.com. 

With Stevie Smith finishing ninth and Rob Chaney turning in a sixth place finish, the points for Ohio Speedweek champion is closer than ever. Don’t miss tomorrow night at Fremont Speedway to see who will emerge as Ohio Speedweek Champion. Keep yourself updated by visiting both www.allstarsprint.com and www.ohiospeedweek.com .

First Place Danny Smith – “I didn’t let Brock beat me on the second start. I was running around the top and was not sure how hard I should run going into the first turn. He chased me down, got by me, but I got my elbows up and fought back. They kept coming at me, slide jobbing and slide jobbing. It was great, but I am the one that gets to take home the check. I would like to thank all the great fans here tonight, without them we wouldn’t be here.”

Second Place Dale Blaney – “We were a second place car tonight. We had a heck of a race right there, Smith got by me at one point and he fought me back.  The high side was the place to be. There wasn’t a whole lot on the bottom to work with. With the way this week has gone we will take this and move on to Fremont.”

Third Place Greg Wilson – “I couldn’t get by traffic and get on the top side like I needed to in the final laps, but that is what you have to deal with when you start back a little ways. We had another great run here at Lima. I have to thank George Warnimont for a great race car. We had a little mishap today with the trailer, so to be able to leave with a good finish going into Fremont tomorrow night is great.”

Speedweek Fan Info

A great place to stay at Fremont Speedway is the Holiday Inn Express in Tiffin, Ohio. To make reservations visit www.holidayinn.com or call (419) 443-5100 and ask for the Ohio Speedweek racers rate.

During Speedweek the fans in attendance should check out the O’Reilly All Star Merchandise trailer as there are several new items. Special for Ohio Speedweek, ASI Sportswear has created several items including: 2009 Ohio Speedweek decals, 2009 Ohio Speedweek die cast, and an exclusive tye-dye 2009 Ohio Speedweek t-shirt. Also new to the trailer is 2010 All Star calendars with are 12X12, full color, and priced at $15. Also new is the 2009 O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions souvenir program, which is a must read for fans of the series. Also in the trailer is a host of the best and highest quality race wear that ASI Sportswear has to offer including new driver shirts for Greg Wilson, Ryan Bunton, Dale Blaney and Tim Shaffer.

Kistler Engines Qualifying

Car-Driver-Time

Heat Finishes (Started)

MSD Ignition Heat 1 –10 Laps

Kears Speed Shop Heat 2 – 8 Laps

All Pro Heads Heat 3 – 10 Laps

Outerwears Performance Products Heat 4 – 10 Laps

Rubbin Repair Dash – 6 Laps

C Main – 12 Laps

University of Northwestern Ohio B Main – 12 Laps

-       24h Chad Blond DNS

-       04 Cap Henry DNS

-       5t Travis Philo DNS

O’Reilly Auto Parts A Main – 40 Laps