Archive for Short Track
THUNDER NEWS
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Thunder on the Hill
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JULY 1, 2020
CONTACT: BOB MILLER 443 513 4456
THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES
CHRIS WINDOM & TYLER “SUNSHINE”COURTNEY TO RESUME BATTLE ON THE HILL . . . .
NOS ENERGY DRINK USAC NATIONAL MIDGET SERIES KEN BRENN MIDGET MASTERS AT GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY TUESDAY NIGHT, AUGUST 4
BECHTELSVILLE, PA JULY 13, 2020 . . . . . In 2019, the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series invaded the Grandview Speedway as part of the NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series. The thirty lap USAC Midget event, dubbed the Ken Brenn Midget Masters was nothing short of a barn-burner as Chris Windom and Tyler “Sunshine” Courtney battled for the victory. Windom of Canton, IL prevailed the winner to claim the first ever, Ken Brenn Midget Masters at Grandview. Both Windom and Courtney (Indianapolis, IN) will be in the field at Grandview on Tuesday night, August 4 when the USAC Midgets team up with the 358 NASCAR Modifieds for this Thunder on the Hill Double Header.
There is more on the line than just the feature win at Grandview, Windom is the current NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series point leader with “Sunshine” sitting third in the point chase. Nestled between these two USAC stars is rookie sensation Buddy Kofoid.
The midgets have a long and rich history at Grandview and many say, the Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, PA is the perfect track for the midgets.
This special night is being dedicated to Ken Brenn, an individual with a reputation rich in midget history and someone who once promoted midget racing at Grandview. Ken Brenn is an absolute “class act” and has been part of the local racing fabric for many years, enjoying much success as a modified car owner and a prior promoter of the Bridgeport Speedway. Some other surprises are being arranged as we honor Ken who is planning to be at this event and drop the first green flag of the night!
The 2020 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series is highlighted as Grandview Speedway opens the Pennsylvania Midget Speed Week on Tuesday night, August 4 that will include five consecutive nights of racing.
Time trials and qualifying events will lead up to the Ken Brenn Midget Masters 30 lap feature event paying $3,500 to the winner.
The 358 Modifieds will play an equally important part of this event with qualifying and a 30 lap feature that will $3,000 to the winner. Ryan Watt is hot off a Thunder on the Hill victory Tuesday night when he thrilled fans taking the win over a four car race for top spot. Jeff Strunk, Duane Howard, Craig VonDohren, Rick Laubach, Doug Manmiller, Brett Kressley, Kevin Hirthler to name a few.
The Tuesday night, August 4 Ken Brenn Midget Masters and 358 NASCAR Modified double-header will get underway at 7:30 PM with gates opening at 5 PM. Low, Down & Dirty is already hard at work planning the pre-race Meet and Greet. Some expected USAC Midget entries in addition to Chris Windom, Tyler Courtney and Buddy Kofoid include Tanner Thorson, Cannon McIntosh, Tanner Carrick, Justin Grant and Cole Bodine just to name a few.
Adult admission tickets are $28, Children 6 to 11 are $10, Children 5 and under will be admitted free. The pit fee is $40 and a license is not required. Advance tickets are available by calling 443 513 4456. Please speak clearly and provide your first and last name and the number of tickets you need. Tickets may be paid for and picked up at the WILL CALL window on race night. We ask that you please bring exact change. Advance ticket holders may enter the grandstands at 4:30 PM. Advance tickets orders will only be taken up to the day before the race. We apologize, but advance tickets will NOT be available on race day.
The conditions and requirements under the COVID-19 situation are ever changing and we will provide updates as we approach race night. To offer the safest possible conditions for our fans, competitors, officials, safety crew and track employees, we are making the following requests.
Please bring exact change when purchasing general admission tickets or pit passes.
We also advise that you wear a face mask, although not mandatory.
When possible, especially when standing in line, practice social distancing and be consideration of the individuals around you.
Also, as much as we want you to join us, if you are not feeling well, please do not attend.
2020 Thunder on the Hill Race Dates:
Tuesday, August 4 THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES 7:30 PM
USAC National Midgets Ken Brenn Midget Masters & 358 Modifieds*
Thursday, August 27 THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES 7:30 PM
Tony Stewart's All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprints & 358 Modifieds"
Saturday, October 17 THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES 6 PM
MODS AT THE MADHOUSE Trick or Treat Triple 20's & Sportsman
Grandview Speedway Contact Information
GPS USERS: 43 Passmore Road, Bechtelsville, PA 19505
Located less than a mile off Route 100, 10 miles north of Pottstown, PA
Speedway Phone: 610-754-7688
Thunder on the Hill Racing Series Phone: 443-513-4456
Series Website: www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com
Track Website: www.grandviewspeedway.com
Twitter/Instagram: @TOTHRACING
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thunderonthehill
About Thunder on the Hill Racing Series
The brainchild of Grandview Speedway owner Bruce Rogers, special events promoter Bob Miller and local driving star Dave Kelly, the Thunder on the Hill Racing Series celebrates 30 years of the most anticipated events of the racing calendar year after year. In 132 events, over $4.6 million dollars has been divvied up among the area's fastest racers. What started as a single 410 Sprint Car event in 1990 has blossomed to feature a variety of racing action including 358 Modifieds, USAC Wingless Sprints, All-Star Circuit of Champions, 360 & 410 Sprint Cars, Sportsman, Late Models, Midgets, Legend Cars, DIRTcar and ROC Modified events. The 2019 30th Anniversary Series of Thunder on the Hill is dedicated to Bruce Rogers.
About Grandview Speedway
Grandview Speedway is a high-banked one-third mile clay oval, celebrating their 57th Anniversary season in 2019. The facility offers free parking, quality food at reasonable prices (be sure to try the french fries), a program book, Grandview Speedway and Thunder on the Hill race wear and great viewing from every seat in the house. Race fans may take part in the Inside/Out promotion, where you can sign up (no charge) to watch warm-ups from inside turn four. Race fans are also invited to victory lane following the racing program and, race fans may enter the pits after the races to meet the drivers. Be ready to enjoy the spine-tingling fireworks salute on the feature event parade lap.
Pauch Redemption at New Egypt Speedway
Posted by: | CommentsDavid Gravel Wins At Wilmot, Helps Crew Chief Make History
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World of Outlaws
Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com
Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article
Winner David Gravel (Trent Gower Photo)
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: David Gravel claims fourth win at Wilmot Raceway
Philip Dietz earned back to back wins as a crew chief with two drivers in two different cars
WILMOT, WI – July 12, 2020 – David Gravel’s hometown is about 1,000 miles away from Wilmot Raceway, yet he’s starting to consider the Wisconsin raceway his new home track.
While occupying Victory Lane for the fourth time in his career at the raceway Saturday night, the Watertown, CT native even joked he’d consider moving there with how well the track has treated him in his career.
Gravel won his first three World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series appearances at the 1/3-mile track in 2014, 2016 and 2017. He then finished fourth in 2018 and second in 2019.
When the green flag waved for his sixth visit at the track, Gravel went flag to flag for another win. He led all 40 laps to claim his second win of 2020 with Jason Johnson Racing and pick up the $10,000 top prize for the night.
“This has been an awesome town for me,” Gravel said, causing an eruption of cheers from the grandstands. “It’s always awesome to come here. For some reason this place suits me really well. (Crew Chief) Philip (Dietz) gave me a great race car. The guys have been working really hard. I’ve been pretty hard to make happy here lately and tonight they did that.”
The win was another impressive accomplishment for Gravel, who had been struggling for consistency, but an even bigger one for Dietz. He's now in a rare category of being a crew chief that has won back to back races with two drivers in two different cars. He won with Parker Price-Miller at 34 Raceway the night before, with the Dietz Motorsports #14 car that he co-owns with his wife Brooke, and then with Gravel and the Jason Johnson Racing #41 at Wilmot.
“It feels great,” Dietz said about the accomplishment. “It’s kind of been a struggle the last few months to find a good balance that suits both cars. I feel like we’ve hit on something lately. It definitely showed last night with Parker and I feel like we were able to apply some of those things to David’s car. It definitely showed.”
Price-Miller also led ever lap at 34 Raceway, en route to his second career win and first for Dietz Motorsports. He finished sixth at Wilmot.
While Gravel dominated the 40-lap Feature, he had to outlast several cautions and red flags as some drivers struggled to tackle the technical bullring.
Sheldon Haudenschild flipped early, but his Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing crew, along with crew members from other teams, got his car repaired in time to get back on track. He fought his way to an impressive eighth-place finish.
One of the biggest surprises of the night was when reigning champion and current points leader Brad Sweet slowed to a stop in Turn 4 on Lap 16. The oil filter broke off of his car, ending his night early and forcing a 19th-place finish. With Logan Schuchart finishing third and 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz finishing fourth, Schatz is 84 points behind Sweet in second and Schuchart is 96 points back in third.
Gravel’s biggest competition of the night was Carson Macedo. The Kyle Larson Racing driver earned the pole for the Feature by winning the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash. However, when the Feature started, Gravel launched ahead of Macedo and ran away with the lead – averaging about a two second lead throughout the event.
Macedo closed in while Gravel battled traffic but faded once the Mesilla Valley Transportation #41 found clean air again. Heavy traffic became a factor in the closing laps, allowing Macedo to make one last charge at Gravel. Time favored Gravel, though. The checkered flag was presented to Gravel with Macedo 0.375 seconds back.
“My race car was really good, especially there at the end,” Macedo said. “I knew early I was a little bit on the snug side, but I knew that my race car would get better and better. They made good adjustments during the (open) red… It was everything I had and more. That was as hard as I could go. I was trying as hard as I could to get to him. I felt like I was faster than him and I could get to him. But I made a mistake there and lost so much ground.”
Gravel is out of the championship points hunt due to missing a race at Volusia Speedway Park at the beginning of the year to run an ARCA Series car at Daytona, but that hasn’t diminished his drive to win – no matter if it’s a “home track” or not.
"We’re going to keep racing, keep having fun and keep winning races because that’s all that matters,” Gravel said.
Or as Jaxx Johnson said while doing his wing dance celebration with Gravel, "That's how we do it!"
UP NEXT
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Sunday, July 12 concludes its triple-header weekend at the Terre Haute Action Track in Terre Haute, IN.
If you can’t make it to the race, you can watch all of the action live on www.DIRTVision.com.
Race Results: 7/11/20 – Wilmot Raceway
NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps) 1. 41-David Gravel [2][$10,000]; 2. 2-Carson Macedo [1][$5,500]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [11][$3,200]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [7][$2,800]; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman [3][$2,500]; 6. 14-Parker Price-Miller [8][$2,300]; 7. 17B-Bill Balog [9][$2,200]; 8. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [14][$2,100]; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser [13][$2,050]; 10. 7S-Jason Sides [5][$2,000]; 11. 7-Tim Kaeding [10][$1,500]; 12. 64-Scotty Thiel [6][$1,200]; 13. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [17][$1,100]; 14. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [15][$1,050]; 15. 5J-Jeremy Schultz [16][$1,000]; 16. 1A-Jacob Allen [12][$900]; 17. 2C-Wayne Johnson [18][$800]; 18. 29-Brayton Lynch [20][$800]; 19. 49-Brad Sweet [4][$800]; 20. 79-Blake Nimee [24][$800]; 21. 73-Jake Blackhurst [22][$800]; 22. 33M-Mason Daniel [19][$800]; 23. 70-Chris Klemko [23][$800]; 24. 9K-Kyle Schuett [21][$800]; Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-40; KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+8]
Qualifying – 1. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.981; 2. 41-David Gravel, 13.127; 3. 64-Scotty Thiel, 13.196; 4. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.222; 5. 2-Carson Macedo, 13.226; 6. 83-Daryn Pittman, 13.251; 7. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.258; 8. 14-Parker Price-Miller, 13.279; 9. 17B-Bill Balog, 13.306; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.31; 11. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.314; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.333; 13. 7-Tim Kaeding, 13.342; 14. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.349; 15. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 13.367; 16. 68-Dave Uttech, 13.4; 17. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 13.43; 18. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 13.443; 19. 33M-Mason Daniel, 13.445; 20. 79-Blake Nimee, 13.499; 21. 23-Russel Borland, 13.594; 22. 5J-Jeremy Schultz, 13.603; 23. 73-Jake Blackhurst, 13.604; 24. 29-Brayton Lynch, 13.715; 25. 10V-Matt Vandervere, 13.803; 26. 9K-Kyle Schuett, 13.834; 27. 6-Bill Rose, 14.037; 28. 70-Chris Klemko, 14.072; 29. 14M-Jack Routson, 14.438
DRYDENE Heat #1 (10 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides [2]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 4. 7-Tim Kaeding [5]; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser [4]; 6. 5J-Jeremy Schultz [8]; 7. 70-Chris Klemko [10]; 8. 68-Dave Uttech [6]; 9. 33M-Mason Daniel [7]; 10. 10V-Matt Vandervere [9]
DRYDENE Heat #2 (10 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer – 1. 2-Carson Macedo [2]; 2. 41-David Gravel [1]; 3. 14-Parker Price-Miller [3]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [4]; 6. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [6]; 7. 9K-Kyle Schuett [9]; 8. 14M-Jack Routson [10]; 9. 79-Blake Nimee [7]; 10. 73-Jake Blackhurst [8]
DRYDENE Heat #3 (10 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer – 1. 64-Scotty Thiel [1]; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman [2]; 3. 17B-Bill Balog [3]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [4]; 5. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [5]; 6. 2C-Wayne Johnson [6]; 7. 29-Brayton Lynch [8]; 8. 23-Russel Borland [7]; 9. 6-Bill Rose [9]
DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (8 Laps) – 1. 2-Carson Macedo [1]; 2. 41-David Gravel [4]; 3. 83-Daryn Pittman [2]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [3]; 6. 64-Scotty Thiel [5]
Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer – 1. 33M-Mason Daniel [2][-]; 2. 29-Brayton Lynch [5][-]; 3. 9K-Kyle Schuett [4][-]; 4. 73-Jake Blackhurst [11][-]; 5. 70-Chris Klemko [3][-]; 6. 79-Blake Nimee [8][-]; 7. 10V-Matt Vandervere [10][$300]; 8. 14M-Jack Routson [6][$250]; 9. 23-Russel Borland [7][$225]; 10. 6-Bill Rose [9][$200]; 11. 68-Dave Uttech [1][$200]
Cale Conley wins Lou Blaney Memorial for first-ever All Star victory
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Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
Winner Cale Conley ( All Star Media Photo)
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com
Cale Conley wins Lou Blaney Memorial for first-ever All Star victory
HARTFORD, Ohio (July 12, 2020) - Officially etching his name into the Series’ history book, Vienna, West Virginia’s Cale Conley is now an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 main event winner, accomplishing his storied feat during Lou Blaney Memorial competition at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, on Saturday, July 11. The win, Conley’s seventh top-ten finish of Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires, was worth $7,500.
Although forced to withstand pressure from the likes of Rico Abreu, Brock Zearfoss and Cory Eliason during the 30-lap contest, Conley would prevail, eventually leading every lap while remaining patient on an ultra-quick and choppy surface that proved relentless for much of the field. In total, eight caution periods were recorded inducing three red flag stoppages, one for fuel on lap 19.
Conley’s campaign at the front of the field commenced right from the drop of the initial green, getting the early jump over fellow front row starter, Brock Zearfoss, as well as Rico Abreu and Gerard McIntyre. It would not take long for the leaders to reach the back of the field, already getting trapped behind slower cars on lap four. A caution on lap five, and again on lap six, would prove to save the day for Conley, negating any chance for a battle in traffic on a narrow groove.
A similar situation would arise on lap 11, and again on lap 18, as cautions would end the potential for a battle among slower cars. Still in command, Conley’s biggest threat occurred after a red flag incident on lap 26, ultimately giving St. Helena, California’s Rico Abreu and Rudeen Racing’s Cory Eliason an opportunity to pounce with only five circuits remaining. Fortunately for Conley, a battle between Eliason and Abreu would break out allowing the West Virginian to escape unscathed in clean air.
Eliason would get by Abreu to secure second on the final circuit, followed by Abreu, Tim Shaffer and a hard-charging Danny Dietrich, who advanced 12 spots to finish fifth.
Brock Zearfoss, who was racing in the runner-up spot at the time, was the reason for the red flag stoppage on lap 26, as right-front suspension damage caused the familiar No. 3Z to dig itself in and end up upside-down in turn two; Zearfoss walked away from the incident.
“That was a long race,” Conely said out of breath in Sharon Speedway victory lane, driver of the Ravici Racing No. 3C. “It was hot out there and I was just ready to see the laps wind down. It took us a while, but I’m so happy to win here during the Lou Blaney Memorial. It’s such a special night for my wife’s family. Our little boy’s name is Louie, so this is really cool. To get my first All Star win in front of such an awesome crowd is cool. I was just asking God on those restarts to help me focus because I had some really good guys behind me. I was just trying to hang on for dear life.
“This race car was so good, and it’s the first night out for this car; it’s a brand new car,” Conley continued, who is married to the granddaughter of Lou Blaney, Dave Blaney’s daughter, Emma. “We tore one up last night at Portsmouth, so we had to put together a whole new car. That just goes to show how lucky I am to get to work with Brian Kemenah. This is just unreal. Brian always finds ways to make my job really easy. I really can’t show how appreciative I really am.”
What’s Next:
Tony Stewart’s Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will conclude the 2020 edition of Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires with a second consecutive visit to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, on Sunday, July 12, this time for the $6,000-to-win Justin Snyder’s Salute to the Troops program. For those seeking additional information, please visit Sharon Speedway online at www.sharonspeedway.com.
Online Coverage:
Each and every event on the 2020 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 schedule will be broadcast live exclusively at www.floracing.com. To access live and on-demand racing action from the All Star Circuit of Champions, visit www.floracing.com and become an annual PRO subscriber. The subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. To check out exclusive content, visit https://bit.ly/2XR863e.
Contingency Awards/Results: Sharon Speedway - July 11, 2020:
Event: Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires
Entries: 44
C&R Racing Warm-Ups: Cory Eliason - 12.826
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Rico Abreu - 12.720
Ford Performance Heat #1 Winner: Brock Zearfoss
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2 Winner: Dan Kuriger
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3 Winner: Zeb Wise
Mobil 1 Heat #4 Winner: Tim Shaffer
Kistler Racing Products Heat #5 Winner: Michael Bauer
Kear’s Speed Shop Dash #1 Winner: Brock Zearfoss
Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Dash #2 Winner: Cale Conley
Classic Ink USA Screenprinting & Embroidery B-Main Winner: Skylar Gee
Rayce Rudeen Foundation First Non-Transfer: Jack Sodeman Jr.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet A-Main Winner: Cale Conley
Hercules Tire A-Main Hard Charger: Danny Dietrich (+12)
Qualifying
Group (A)
1. 3C-Cale Conley, 12.896; 2. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 12.898; 3. 83M-Broc Martin, 12.995; 4. 27K-Jeremy Kornbau, 13.270; 5. 23p-Darren Pifer, 13.310; 6. 23S-Russ Sansosti, 13.531; 7. 33-Brent Matus, 13.589; 8. 19-Steve Haefke, 13.835; 9. 21j-Jeffrey Neubert, 14.549
Group (B)
1. 24-Rico Abreu, 12.720; 2. 10-Dave Blaney, 12.844; 3. 23-Cole Macedo, 12.941; 4. O8-Dan Kuriger, 13.207; 5. 40-George Hobaugh, 13.265; 6. 21N-Frankie Nervo, 13.390; 7. 3J-Trey Jacobs, 13.445; 8. 38-Leyton Wagner, 13.501; 9. 13M-Brandon Matus, 13.532
Group (C)
1. 26-Cory Eliason, 12.813; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich, 12.945; 3. 11-Zeb Wise, 12.991; 4. 23JR-Jack Sodeman Jr., 13.000; 5. 70M-Henry Malcuit, 13.066; 6. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 13.075; 7. 7k-Dan Shetler, 13.096; 8. 35-Stuart Brubaker, 13.131; 9. 81-Lee Jacobs, 13.197
Group (D)
1. 17-Josh Baughman, 12.801; 2. O7-Gerard McIntyre, 12.893; 3. 70-Sye Lynch, 12.959; 4. 28-Tim Shaffer, 12.967; 5. 5K-Adam Kekich, 13.044; 6. 99-Skylar Gee, 13.154; 7. 55-Gary Kriess, 13.185; 8. 18J-RJ Jacobs, 13.496; 9. 14H-Jeremy Hill, 99.62.5
Group (E)
1. 11B-Carl Bowser, 12.971; 2. 13-Paul McMahan, 12.980; 3. 22-Brandon Spithaler, 13.132; 4. 46-Michael Bauer, 13.187; 5. 9-Dean Jacobs, 13.244; 6. 4-Cap Henry, 13.323; 7. 19R-Jordan Ryan, 13.390; 8. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.399
Heat #1 - Group (A) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [3]; 2. 3C-Cale Conley [4]; 3. 23P-Darren Pifer [5]; 4. 33-Brent Matus [7]; 5. 27K-Jeremy Kornbau [1]; 6. 19-Steve Haefke [8]; 7. 23S-Russ Sansosti [6]; 8. 21J-Jeffrey Neubert [9]; 9. 83M-Broc Martin [2]
Heat #2 - Group (B) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. O8-Dan Kuriger [1]; 2. 10-Dave Blaney [3]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu [4]; 4. 23-Cole Macedo [2]; 5. 3J-Trey Jacobs [7]; 6. 40-George Hobaugh [5]; 7. 21N-Frankie Nervo [6]; 8. 13M-Brandon Matus [9]; 9. 38-Leyton Wagner [8]
Heat #3 - Group (C) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 11-Zeb Wise [2]; 2. 26-Cory Eliason [4]; 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel [6]; 4. 48-Danny Dietrich [3]; 5. 23JR-Jack Sodeman Jr. [1]; 6. 7K-Dan Shetler [7]; 7. 81-Lee Jacobs [9]; 8. 70M-Henry Malcuit [5]; 9. 35-Stuart Brubaker [8]
Heat #4 - Group (D) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 28-Tim Shaffer [1]; 2. O7-Gerard McIntyre [3]; 3. 5K-Adam Kekich [5]; 4. 70-Sye Lynch [2]; 5. 99-Skylar Gee [6]; 6. 17-Josh Baughman [4]; 7. 55-Gary Kriess [7]; 8. 18J-RJ Jacobs [8]; 9. 14H-Jeremy Hill [9]
Heat #5 - Group (E) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 46-Michael Bauer [1]; 2. 22-Brandon Spithaler [2]; 3. 13-Paul McMahan [3]; 4. 9-Dean Jacobs [5]; 5. 4-Cap Henry [6]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [8]; 7. 19R-Jordan Ryan [7]; 8. 11B-Carl Bowser [4]
Dash #1 (4 Laps)
1. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [2]; 2. 13-Paul McMahan [1]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu [5]; 4. 23-Cole Macedo [3]; 5. 10-Dave Blaney [4]; 6. O8-Dan Kuriger [6]
Dash #2 (4 Laps)
1. 3C-Cale Conley [1]; 2. O7-Gerard McIntyre [2]; 3. 28-Tim Shaffer [6]; 4. 26-Cory Eliason [3]; 5. 46-Michael Bauer [4]; 6. 11-Zeb Wise [5]
B-Main (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 99-Skylar Gee [4]; 2. 7K-Dan Shetler [8]; 3. 4-Cap Henry [6]; 4. 17-Josh Baughman [1]; 5. 23JR-Jack Sodeman Jr. [3]; 6. 40-George Hobaugh [9]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [10]; 8. 18J-RJ Jacobs [17]; 9. 21N-Frankie Nervo [14]; 10. 55-Gary Kriess [12]; 11. 23S-Russ Sansosti [15]; 12. 38-Leyton Wagner [20]; 13. 14H-Jeremy Hill [19]; 14. 3J-Trey Jacobs [7]; 15. 11B-Carl Bowser [2]; 16. 81-Lee Jacobs [13]; 17. 70M-Henry Malcuit [16]; 18. 27K-Jeremy Kornbau [5]; 19. 21J-Jeffrey Neubert [18]
A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 3C-Cale Conley [2]; 2. 26-Cory Eliason [8]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu [5]; 4. 28-Tim Shaffer [6]; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich [17]; 6. 22-Brandon Spithaler [13]; 7. 5K-Adam Kekich [14]; 8. O7-Gerard McIntyre [4]; 9. 99-Skylar Gee [21]; 10. 13-Paul McMahan [3]; 11. 7K-Dan Shetler [22]; 12. 70-Sye Lynch [18]; 13. 33-Brent Matus [20]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [1]; 15. 11-Zeb Wise [12]; 16. 17-Josh Baughman [24]; 17. 23-Cole Macedo [7]; 18. 87-Aaron Reutzel [15]; 19. 46-Michael Bauer [10]; 20. 4-Cap Henry [23]; 21. 10-Dave Blaney [9]; 22. 9-Dean Jacobs [19]; 23. 23P-Darren Pifer [16]; 24. O8-Dan Kuriger [11]
Lap Leaders: Cale Conley (1-30)
2020 Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires Standings: (As of July 11, 2020):
1. Aaron Reutzel - 1122
2. Cale Conley - 1076
3. Paul McMahan - 1056
4. Cory Eliason - 1040
5. Skylar Gee - 994
6. Zeb Wise - 990
7. Josh Baughman - 954
8. Tim Shaffer - 954
9. Greg Wilson - 906
10. Gerard McIntyre - 896
2020 All Star Circuit of Champions Driver Standings: (As of July 11, 2020)
1. Aaron Reutzel - 3008
2. Cory Eliason - 2874
3. Paul McMahan - 2790
4. Zeb Wise - 2776
5. Skylar Gee - 2626
6. Josh Baughman - 2606
7. Greg Wilson - 2570
8. Brock Zearfoss - 1898
9. Danny Dietrich - 1818
10. Tony Stewart - 1702
2020 All Star Circuit of Champions Winners:
Volusia Speedway Park, Fla. (2/5/2020): Brad Sweet
Volusia Speedway Park, Fla. (2/6/2020): Aaron Reutzel
East Bay Raceway Park, Fla. (2/10/2020): Aaron Reutzel (2)
East Bay Raceway Park, Fla. (2/11/2020): Kyle Larson
Park Jefferson International Speedway, S.D. (5/29/2020): Aaron Reutzel (3)
Park Jefferson International Speedway, S.D. (5/30/2020): Austin McCarl
Red Dirt Raceway, Okla. (6/5/2020): Aaron Reutzel (4)
81 Speedway, Kan. (6/7/2020): Kyle Larson (2)
Lawton Speedway, Okla. (6/8/2020): Kyle Larson (3)
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Texas (6/10/2020): Kyle Larson (4)
Southern Oklahoma Speedway, Okla. (6/11/2020): Brock Zearfoss
Monarch Motor Speedway, Texas (6/12/2020): Danny Dietrich
Lonestar Speedway, Texas (6/13/2020): Aaron Reutzel (5)
Chatham Speedway, Louisiana (6/14/2020): Dominic Scelzi
Port Royal Speedway, Pa. (6/24/2020): Anthony Macri
Volunteer Speedway, Tenn. (6/27/2020): Aaron Reutzel (6)
SW: Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (7/3/2020): Cap Henry
SW: Fremont Speedway, Ohio (7/4/2020): Buddy Kofoid
SW: Fremont Speedway, Ohio (7/5/2020): Aaron Reutzel (7)
SW: Wayne County Speedway, Ohio (7/6/2020): Cap Henry (2)
SW: Brushcreek Motorsports Complex, Ohio (7/8/2020): Kyle Larson (5)
SW: Muskingum Co. Speedway, Ohio (7/9/20): Rico Abreu
SW: Portsmouth Raceway Park, Ohio (7/10/20): Kyle Larson (6)
SW: Sharon Speedway, Ohio (7/11/20): Cale Conley
About the All Star Circuit of Champions:
All Star Enterprises, LLC, wholly owned by Tony Stewart, d/b/a the All Star Circuit of Champions, is a winged sprint car series. The All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series is one of the oldest traveling 410 sprint car organizations and is a staple of grassroots, open-wheel racing. Formed in 1970 by Bud Miller, the series has largely been considered the first 'outlaw' Sprint Car organization of the modern era. Motorsports entrepreneur Tony Stewart agreed to terms with Guy Webb to become the sole owner of the original winged sprint car tour in January of 2015.
About Ollie’s Bargain Outlet:
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, Inc., founded in 1982, is one of America’s largest retailers of closeouts and excess inventory, offering real brands at real bargain prices. Famous for its signature catch-phrase Good Stuff Cheap, Ollie’s has a huge variety of famous brand-name merchandise in every department – food, books, housewares, toys, electronics, domestics, clothing, furniture, health and beauty, flooring, seasonal items and so much more – at up to 70 percent off the fancy stores’ prices. You never know what you’ll find at one of Ollie’s 366 “semi-lovely” stores in 25 states. For more information, visit www.ollies.us. Like us on Facebook or find us on Twitter at @OlliesOutlet. Ollie’s is a publicly-traded company on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol OLLI.
About Mobil 1:
The world's leading synthetic motor oil brand, Mobil 1™ features anti-wear technology that provides performance beyond our conventional motor oils. This technology allows Mobil 1 to meet or exceed the toughest standards of car builders and to provide exceptional protection against engine wear, under normal or even some of the most extreme conditions. Mobil 1 flows quickly in extreme temperatures to protect critical engine parts and is designed to maximize engine performance and help extend engine life.
For more information, visit mobiloil.com, on Twitter @Mobil1 and, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mobil1.
Mobil, Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Racing are registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
About FloSports:
Founded in 2006, FloSports is a venture-backed subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of competition events across 25+ vertical sport categories in the US and abroad. FloSports’ mission is to give underserved sports the love they deserve. With a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more, FloSports has established itself as an innovator and leader in sports streaming. Finally, your sport has a home. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv.
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Photo Credit: All Star Media
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com
Harli White Makes History With Lucas Oil ASCS At Riverside International Speedway
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ASCS National Sprint Series
Harli White Makes History With Lucas Oil ASCS At Riverside International Speedway
Bryan Hulbert – WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (July 11, 2020) A historical night for Oklahoma’s Harli White, the driver of the Life of Hope Ministries/Champion Brands No. 17w parked in Victory Lane at the famed Riverside International Speedway to become the first woman to ever top the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series National Tour presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.
Winner Harli White (Scott Frazier Photo)
Harli is the 152nd different winner with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series National Tour presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network since 1993, and the fifth winner on the 2020 season. Co-Sanctioned with the ASCS Mid-South Region, the win counts as her second with the regional tour.
“This has been a long time coming. I feel like we finally got the Gorilla off our back. I can’t describe how good it feels to finally get this done. We had so many times where luck just didn’t go our way, something would happen to the car, or on the track, and tonight everything went right,” stated a jubilant Harli White in SawBlade.com Victory Lane.
“I can’t thank my parents and Johnny [Herrera] enough for believing in me and always pushing me and everyone on this car. Without them, none of this would be possible.”
Leading the opening two circuits, White nearly went around off the second turn on Lap 3. Able to recover, Harli has the task of running down Derek Hagar. Getting into slower traffic, Harli paced the bottom of the Arkansas quarter-mile.
Reeling in the No. 9jr, the two danced around a slower car off the second turn on Lap 7 with White able to secure the point. Weaving through the back markers, Hagar was able to take several shots at the lead but was unable to get back to the front.
Caution on Lap 16 for Scott Bogucki and Danny Sams III, clean racetrack allowed White to steadily pull away. Working the low and middle grooves as she raced back into slower traffic, it was not enough to allow Hagar a run, as Harli found the checkered flag with a 1.766-second advantage.
Battling with Howard Moore over the final five laps, Hagar held on for the runner-up spot with Moore in third. Roger Crockett made up two spots to fourth with Sam Hafertepe, Jr. moving up 12 positions to fifth after having to race through the first BMRS B-Feature.
Marshall Skinner crossed sixth with Brad Bowden advancing from 14th to seventh. Dale Howard grabbed eighth, followed by Blake Hahn who advanced 11 positions to finish ninth. Zach Pringle completed the top ten.
A field of 37 drivers was on hand at Riverside International Speedway. Five SCE Gaskets Heat Races went to Harli White, Marshall Skinner, Jeffrey West, Jr., Roger Crockett, and Travis Reber. BMRS B-Features were topped by Sam Hafertepe, Jr. and Scott Bogucki. Provisionals were utilized by Matt Covington, Garet Williamson, and Ernie Ainsworth.
The next outing for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series National Tour presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network is Friday, July 17 at U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborne, Mo.
Live coverage is available for those who cannot make the trip on www.racinboys.com.
For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation in 2020, log onto www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, on Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).
Race Results:
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by MAVTV and ASCS Mid-South Region
Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, Ark.)
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Car Count: 37
SCE Gaskets Heat Races (Top 16 in Passing Points advance to the A-Feature)
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 17W-Harli White[7]; 2. 3-Howard Moore[8]; 3. 61-Cody Howard[1]; 4. 77X-Alex Hill[6]; 5. 24-Garet Williamson[4]; 6. 21-Spencer Meredith[5]; 7. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 8. 9-Chase Randall[3]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 26-Marshall Skinner[1]; 2. 9JR-Derek Hagar[5]; 3. 44-Ronny Howard[2]; 4. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 5. 28-Scott Bogucki[7]; 6. 27J-Joseph Poe Jr[3]; 7. 95A-Asa Swindell[6]; 8. 30-Joseph Miller[8]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 24W-Jeffrey West Jr[2]; 2. 4S-Eddie Gallagher[1]; 3. 8Z-Zach Pringle[6]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 5. 91A-Ernie Ainsworth[3]; 6. 1X-Tim Crawley[7]; 7. G6-Cody Gardner[5]
Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 11-Roger Crockett[2]; 2. 47-Dale Howard[3]; 3. 14-Jordon Mallett[4]; 4. 24D-Danny Sams III[7]; 5. 99-Blake Jenkins[6]; 6. 0-Mike Vaculik[1]; 7. 10K-Dewayne White[5]
Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 88-Travis Reber[1]; 2. 94L-Layne Himebaugh[3]; 3. 2-Brad Bowden[4]; 4. 72K-Rick Kahler[2]; 5. 13-Chase Howard[5]; 6. 21K-Kevin Hinkle[7]; 7. 17B-Ryan Bickett[6]
BMRS B-Feature (Top 3 from each advance to the A-Feature)
B Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 2. 1X-Tim Crawley[5]; 3. 61-Cody Howard[1]; 4. 91A-Ernie Ainsworth[4]; 5. 27J-Joseph Poe Jr[7]; 6. 95-Matt Covington[8]; 7. G6-Cody Gardner[9]; 8. 0-Mike Vaculik[6]; 9. (DNF) 99-Blake Jenkins[3]; 10. (DNF) 13-Chase Howard[10]; 11. (DNS) 30-Joseph Miller
B Feature 2 (12 Laps): 1. 28-Scott Bogucki[2]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn[1]; 3. 9-Chase Randall[10]; 4. 72K-Rick Kahler[3]; 5. 21K-Kevin Hinkle[5]; 6. 24-Garet Williamson[4]; 7. 95A-Asa Swindell[7]; 8. 21-Spencer Meredith[6]; 9. 17B-Ryan Bickett[8]; 10. (DNF) 10K-Dewayne White[9]
Sawblade.com A-Feature
A Feature (30 Laps): 1. 17W-Harli White[1]; 2. 9JR-Derek Hagar[2]; 3. 3-Howard Moore[4]; 4. 11-Roger Crockett[6]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[17]; 6. 26-Marshall Skinner[7]; 7. 2-Brad Bowden[14]; 8. 47-Dale Howard[9]; 9. 52-Blake Hahn[20]; 10. 8Z-Zach Pringle[8]; 11. 24W-Jeffrey West Jr[3]; 12. 4S-Eddie Gallagher[12]; 13. 24D-Danny Sams III[11]; 14. 14-Jordon Mallett[13]; 15. 9-Chase Randall[22]; 16. 91A-Ernie Ainsworth[25]; 17. 77X-Alex Hill[15]; 18. 88-Travis Reber[5]; 19. 28-Scott Bogucki[18]; 20. 24-Garet Williamson[24]; 21. 44-Ronny Howard[16]; 22. 94L-Layne Himebaugh[10]; 23. 61-Cody Howard[21]; 24. 95-Matt Covington[23]; 25. 1X-Tim Crawley[19]
Lap Leader(s): Harli White 1-2, 7-30; Derek Hagar 3-6
Hard Charger: Sam Hafertepe, Jr., +12
High Point Driver: Harli White
Provisional(s): Matt Covington (Points); Garet Williamson (Points); Ernie Ainsworth (Regional)
Special Event Note
Before tonight's races at Riverside International Speedway, all ASCS National Tour Drivers in attendance were called to a meeting to vote on a matter concerning Dylan Westbrook. With his Uncle passing away, he has returned to Canada to be with family and cannot return to the United States for 14 days due to COVID-19 Travel Restrictions.
As we have done in the past, when extenuating circumstances keep a team from attending, they are awarded Show-Up Points for the night upon the affirmative vote of their peers. This is the fourth occurrence in the past 15-years.
All teams voted in the affirmative, and Westbrook/Hills Racing Team will receive 50 points tonight.
Driver Point Standings (Top 15): 1. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 858; 2. Roger Crockett 814; 3. Harli White 770; 4. Jordon Mallett 763; 5. Blake Hahn 729; 6. Scott Bogucki 701; 7. Matt Covington 698; 8. Dylan Westbrook 661; 9. Chase Randall 597; 10. Justin Sanders 578; 11. Garet Williamson 569; 12. Danny Sams III 562; 13. Alex Hill 558; 14. Travis Reber 511; 15. John Carney II 481;
2020 A-Feature Winner(s): Sam Hafertepe, Jr. – 3 (2/29 – Canyon Speedway Park; 6/25 – Caney Valley Speedway; 6/27 – I-30 Speedway); Matt Covington - 1 (2/28 - Canyon Speedway Park); Brad Sweet – 1 (3/6 – Merced Speedway); Andy Forsberg – 1 (3/8 – Petaluma Speedway); Harli White – 1 (7/11 – Riverside International Speedway);
POWRi Results: McCarthy Wires Valley Speedway to Take Second Career Victory
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POWRi Racing
Winner Ace McCarthy (Ryan Black Photo)
Grain Valley, MO - In what was an eventful POWRi Lucas Oil National and West Midget League feature event at Valley Speedway, Ace McCarthy had to fend off several challenges as he wired the field for his second career POWRi victory. McCarthy's Valley Speedway victory was his first driving for Dave Mac Motorsports.
Taking the early lead from polesitter Zach Daum after going three-wide into turn three, McCarthy took control of the 30-lap feature event coming out of turn four to lead lap one. Enduring several cautions early, McCarthy consistently pulled away from the field on the restarts as the field jockeyed for position on back.
The biggest threat to McCarthy's momentum occurred with nine laps in, as Ethan Mitchell spun a 360 in turn four while running third, Amber Balcean flipped wildly through turn four bringing out the open red. Returning to racing, McCarthy switched from running the ledge all the way around to rolling the bottom in one and two, while continuing to rip the lip in three and four.
All the while as McCarthy remained out front, the top three jockeyed for position with Michael Buddy Kofoid eventually working the third position away from Zach Daum. Coming down to the final turn, second running Daison Pursley threw everything he had with a slider into three, but McCarthy powered on to victory. Pursley tied his career-best finish of second with Kofoid completing the podium. Cannon McIntosh and Andrew Felker rounded out the top five.
"Towards the end we started getting pretty tight in three and four and I was just trying not to mess that up," commented Ace McCarthy. "There's a little rut up there and I was just trying to stay in it and get that drive off. I knew if I kept it down in one and two, Daison wouldn't get around me. He was definitely putting some pressure on me. That's where I won here last year. On the bottom in one and two and the top in three and four. You just had to be patient and get in easy in three. Cody Cordell, Robby, and Matt gave me a great car tonight. I can't thank Dave Mac enough for giving me a car to drive."
"Congrats to Ace and Dave Mac Motorsports," said Daison Pursley. "It was a good race there. I wish we wouldn't have had that red. I would have ran the bottom and tried to pass him, but we had the red flag and had the opportunity for Cody to tell Ace we were running the bottom down there.
"I knew the bottom at the last half was basically the place to be in one and two," stated Michael Buddy Kofoid. "I could run it so good, and honestly, I think I was better that first and second on the bottom. We were about even on the top in three and four. Towards the end, I saw some guys rolling the bottom, so I moved down there and caught them. The track just made it tough to gain any ground. I think if we actually got third in that heat race, it would have helped us. But I don't know what the deal was there. I think one spot in the heat race could have made the difference, but we'll come back here tomorrow and try to be two spots better."
Midgets
Auto Meter Heat 1 Winner: 15 - EMERSON AXSOM
KSE Racing Products Heat 2 Winner: 28 - ACE MCCARTHY
Advanced Racing Suspensions Heat 3 Winner: 19M - ETHAN MITCHELL
Schoenfeld Headers Heat 4 Winner: 71K - CANNON MCINTOSH
Racing Electronics Heat 5 Winner: 97 - JESSE LOVE
PAC Schroeder Torsion Bars High Point: 5D - ZACH DAUM
Rod End Supply Semi-Feature 1: 2H - LUKE HOWARD
AFCO Semi-Feature 2: 7U - KYLE JONES
TRD Hard Charger: 3N - JAKE NEUMAN
Lucas Oil Feature Winner: 28 - ACE MCCARTHY
POWRi Lucas Oil National & West Midget League Feature Results (30 laps): 1. 28 - ACE MCCARTHY 2. 9 - DAISON PURSLEY 3. 67 - BUDDY KOFOID 4. 71K - CANNON MCINTOSH 5. 44S - ANDREW FELKER 6. 15 - EMERSON AXSOM 7. 3N - JAKE NEUMAN 8. 5D - ZACH DAUM 9. 7M - CHANCE MORTON 10. 97 - JESSE LOVE 11. 21K - EMILIO HOOVER 12. 7U - KYLE JONES 13. 00 - TREY GROPP 14. 2H - LUKE HOWARD 15. 72 - SAM JOHNSON 16. 08 - NOAH GASS 17. 19M - ETHAN MITCHELL 18. 84M - KADE MORTON 19. 71 - KAYLEE BRYSON 20. 26 - TRISTIN THOMAS 21. 3B - SHELBY BOSIE 22. 10 - AMBER BALCAEN 23. 49 - JOE B MILLER
Winner Ace McCarthy (Ryan Black Photo)
For further information, visit www.powri.com, "Like" POWRi on Facebook and follow @POWRi_Racing on Twitter. Catch each night's LIVE action via subscription broadcast from POWRi.TV at www.powri.tv.
Bacon Repeats as $20,000 Corn Belt Nationals Champion
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Saturday night's Brandt Corn Belt Nationals feature winner, Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, Okla. (Rich Forman Photo)
BACON REPEATS AS $20,000 CORN BELT NATIONALS CHAMPION
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Knoxville, Iowa (July 11, 2020).........A three-and-a-half hour rain delay and an engine swap just prior to the feature couldn't deny Brady Bacon from Brandt Corn Belt Nationals domination for the second consecutive year in the second annual event that concluded in the wee hours of early Sunday at Iowa's Knoxville Raceway.
A heavy half-hour-long storm doused the half-mile dirt oval with moisture just prior to hot laps, forcing a lengthy delay that set back the start of hot laps until about a quarter to 11pm Central time.
When things wrapped up just after 3am with a non-stop, green-to-checkered feature, the Corn Belt king had reclaimed his throne and a $20,000 winner's share as he captured his 33rd career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature victory, moving him past 1973 champ Rollie Beale for sole possession of 12th all-time.
Bacon and the crew on his Dynamics, Inc./Fatheadz Eyewear - DriveWFX.com/Triple X/Rider Chevy made the engine change before the feature as more of a preventative measure due to a persistent oil leak. With some down time between races, the decision was made, and they decided they weren't going to take any chances risking it. After all, the "backup" engine has some clout all its own; it was the same engine Bacon used in his recent July 4 victory at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind.
"(The crew) said it puffed some smoke," Bacon recalled after finishing third in the second qualifying race. "We looked under the hood and there was quite a bit of oil under there. We found out where it was leaking - a fitting that goes right into the block - and we tried to take it out and put a bunch of tape on it to try to get it to seal up. We put it back in, fired it up again and it was still leaking. We didn't want to take any chances. There's a lot of money on the line here, so we just put our other motor in."
Bacon started his 30-lap race from the pole position, sliding from bottom to top between turns one and two, then settling in a groove up top as Justin Grant put began his racelong chase of Bacon. Grant took a peek to the inside of Bacon in turn three on the seventh lap, but quickly fell back into line behind Bacon on the high line.
Grant remained within earshot of Bacon throughout, and on the 11th lap, Bacon played the role of offense as he split the narrow gap between Glen Saville and Dustin Clark at the tail end of the field in turn three to gain some breathing room from Grant.
"I took it a little easy the first few laps and I saw (Justin)'s nose on the (video) screen," Bacon recalled. "I was like, 'alright, I better pick it up a little bit,' and I wanted to give myself a little gap getting into lapped traffic because I knew that was going to be tricky. Thankfully, we were able to make some pretty good moves in lapped traffic and hopefully keep the gap safe."
Yet, through the middle section of the race, Grant remained just three to four car lengths back of Bacon, and if there was any ounce of a misstep by Bacon, Grant was there to pounce. Yet opportunities were scarce with the front of the pack running lockstep on the cushion.
"Keeping the gap safe" was the name of the game, and on lap 18, Bacon once again split the alley between Wyatt Burks and another at the rear of the pack just when Grant got as close as he'd get all race, nose-to-tail off turn two and down the back straightaway.
With 10 laps to go, Grant got a tad sideways above the cushion between turns three and four where he lost a measure of ground to Bacon but would reload and resume his everlong pursuit.
However, there was no slip-up, hiccup or crack-up that was going to deter Bacon on this night as the Broken Arrow, Okla. native separated himself from Grant by a 1.6 second margin with five to go and the lapped cars of Riley Kreisel and Logan Seavey now serving as the buffer between the pair.
Bacon finished off his series-high fourth feature victory of the year by 1.212 sec. over point leader Grant, who secured his 11th consecutive top-five finish to begin the season. C.J. Leary finished third following a pass for position with five laps remaining while Chris Windom took fourth and Friday night Corn Belt winner Tyler Courtney was fifth.
"The Knoxville crew worked really hard getting the track ready for us," Bacon commended. "Obviously, I thought the track was pretty good, but it was a little treacherous up on the cushion. I was like, 'man, when is that white flag coming out?' I didn't even have time to look at the (video) board because the exits were so tricky, you'd pop a wheelie and push into the fence if you weren't careful."
'(The crew) said it puffed some smoke,' Bacon recalled after finishing third in the second qualifying race. 'We looked under the hood and there was quite a bit of oil under there. We found out where it was leaking - a fitting that goes right into the block - and we tried to take it out and put a bunch of tape on it to try to get it to seal up. We put it back in, fired it up again and it was still leaking. We didn't want to take any chances. There's a lot of money on the line here, so we just put our other motor in.'
(Rich Forman Photo)
The win was the fourth of Bacon's career at Knoxville, the same place where he made his first career USAC starts 14 years ago in a midget during the 2006 season. Success came naturally to Bacon at Knoxville those particular nights, finishing as the runner-up on back-to-back occasions as a 16-year-old, a run of success that continues to this day.
"I've always loved racing here," Bacon said. "My first ever USAC race was at Knoxville. I think I just have a lot of laps here. I think that adds to me getting around here pretty good and I can kind of read it when a lot of these guys really haven't gotten to race here much. Last night didn't really play a big role, but tonight, I think I was able to work through traffic a little bit better knowing what I could and couldn't get away with."
Meanwhile, Robert Ballou set two brand new track records for sprint cars without a wing at Knoxville. His 10-lap performance in the third heat race of 3:09.379 lowered the previous record set by Richard Griffin in a 1991 CRA event by more than 10 seconds. Ballou's 16-lap time during the semi-feature of 5:25.068 broke the former record at Knoxville set by Eddie Leavitt in 1978 by a whopping 18 seconds.
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 11, 2020 - Knoxville Raceway - Knoxville, Iowa - 1/2-Mile Dirt Oval - Brandt Corn Belt Nationals - Co-Sanctioned by Lucas Oil POWRi WAR Sprint Car League
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Dustin Clark (#75 Clark), 2. Chase Stockon (#5s KO), 3. Shane Cottle (#74x Hodges), 4. Chris Windom (#19 Hayward), 5. Tyler Courtney (#7BC Clauson/Marshall/Newman), 6. Dave Darland (#36d EZR/Curb-Agajanian), 7. Wesley Smith (#12s Helm), 8. Steve Irwin (#0s Flying Zero), 9. Terry Richards (#18 TR), 10. Josh Castro (#4T Terzich/Gile), 11. Steve Thomas (#27 Thomas), 12. Brandon Stevenson (#0 Stevenson), 13. Robert Bell (#71 Bell). 3:12.100
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Matt Westfall (#33m Marshall), 2. Ryan Bernal (#17GP Dutcher), 3. Brady Bacon (#69 Dynamics), 4. Carson Short (#71p Daigh/Phillips), 5. Don Droud Jr. (#1m Burch), 6. Riley Kreisel (#91 DKR), 7. Glen Saville (#19L Leyton), 8. Justin Zimmerman (#9w Williams), 9. Anthony Nicholson (#16 Nicholson), 10. Lane Stone (#ST1 Stone), 11. Clinton Bruns (#7 Bruns), 12. Jason Billups (#2 Billups). 3:12.177
AUTOMETER THIRD QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Robert Ballou (#12 Ballou), 2. Tanner Thorson (#19A Reinbold/Underwood), 3. Justin Grant (#4 TOPP), 4. Wyatt Burks (#11w Burks), 5. Nick Bilbee (#17 Bilbee), 6. Brandon Mattox (#28 Mattox), 7. Jack Wagner (#77J Hockett), 8. Paul Dues (#87 Dues), 9. Braydon Cromwell (#4A Cromwell), 10. Zach Clark (#2c C & C), 11. Mitch Wissmiller (#29 RMB). 3:09.379 (New Track Record)
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr. (#9K KT), 2. C.J. Leary (#30 Leary), 3. Dennis Gile (#13 Gile), 4. Logan Seavey (#19AZ Reinbold/Underwood), 5. Jake Swanson (#34AZ Team AZ), 6. Dustin Smith (#77 Smith), 7. Clinton Boyles (#90 Smith), 8. Samuel Wagner (#73 Wagner), 9. Neal Matuska (#48 Matuska), 10. Max Grogan (#66m Grogan). 3:12.071
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Justin Standridge (#8D Schlattweiler) & Brian VanMeveren (#24 VanMeveren)
C-MAIN: (10 laps, top-6 transfer to the semi) 1. Braydon Cromwell, 2. Brandon Stevenson, 3. Josh Castro, 4. Clinton Bruns, 5. Neal Matuska, 6. Zach Clark, 7. Steve Thomas, 8. Robert Bell, 9. Jason Billups, 10. Chuck Alexander, 11. Max Grogan. 3:25.199
INDY METAL FINISHING SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Robert Ballou, 2. Dennis Gile, 3. Shane Cottle, 4. Dave Darland, 5. Don Droud Jr., 6. Glen Saville, 7. Steve Irwin, 8. Dustin Smith, 9. Brandon Mattox, 10. Jack Wagner, 11. Justin Zimmerman, 12. Josh Castro, 13. Paul Dues, 14. Anthony Nicholson, 15. Samuel Wagner, 16. Brandon Stevenson, 17. Braydon Cromwell, 18. Clinton Bruns, 19. Zach Clark, 20. Steve Thomas, 21. Neal Matuska, 22. Terry Richards, 23. Clinton Boyles, 24. Lane Stone. 5:25.068 (New Track Record)
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brady Bacon (1), 2. Justin Grant (2), 3. C.J. Leary (3), 4. Chris Windom (5), 5. Tyler Courtney (4), 6. Ryan Bernal (8), 7. Carson Short (6), 8. Robert Ballou (19), 9. Chase Stockon (7), 10. Jake Swanson (10), 11. Tanner Thorson (14), 12. Riley Kreisel (15), 13. Logan Seavey (13), 14. Nick Bilbee (9), 15. Wyatt Burks (11), 16. Kevin Thomas Jr. (12), 17. Don Droud Jr. (23), 18. Shane Cottle (21), 19. Matt Westfall (17), 20. Dennis Gile (20), 21. Dustin Clark (16), 22. Wesley Smith (18), 23. Glen Saville (24), 24. Dave Darland (22). 10:19.560
**Brian VanMeveren flipped during practice. Mitch Wissmiller flipped during the third heat. Lane Stone flipped during the semi.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Brady Bacon.
USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-744, 2-Chris Windom-674, 3-Brady Bacon-668, 4-C.J. Leary-653, 5-Chase Stockon-645, 6-Kevin Thomas Jr.-623, 7-Carson Short-595, 8-Dave Darland-520, 9-Brandon Mattox-464, 10-Mario Clouser-373.
OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-60, 2-Tanner Thorson-57, 3-Logan Seavey-54, 4-Justin Grant-41, 5-Cannon McIntosh-32, 6-Andrew Layser-31, 7-Kevin Thomas Jr.-30, 8-Brady Bacon-29, 9-Chase Stockon-28, 10-Tanner Carrick-27.
FINAL CORN BELT NATIONALS PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Robert Ballou-11, 2-Logan Seavey-11, 3-Ryan Bernal-10, 4-Don Droud Jr.-10, 5-Wesley Smith-9, 6-Shane Cottle-7, 7-Chris Windom-6, 8-Chase Stockon-6, 9-Tanner Thorson-6, 10-Justin Grant-3.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: July 24, 2020 - Gas City I-69 Speedway - Gas City, Indiana - 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval - NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Simpson Race Products First Qualifier Winner: Dustin Clark
Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Qualifier Winner: Matt Westfall
AutoMeter Third Qualifier Winner: Robert Ballou
Indy Race Parts Fourth Qualifier Winner: Kevin Thomas Jr.
Indy Metal Finishing Semi Winner: Robert Ballou
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Robert Ballou
Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher: Logan Seavey
Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer: Steve Irwin
ProSource Hard Work Award: Dave Darland
Jerry Medlin 20th Place Finisher: Dennis Gile
