Archive for Short Track
Schatz Slips by to Win at Vegas
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World of Outlaws
Contact: Brendan Capria
World of Outlaws PR
704-425-5368 | bcapria@dirtcar.com
Schatz Slips by to Win at Vegas
Rico Abreu battles his way from the back to finish on the podium
LAS VEGAS - March 9, 2017 - As the sun sank below The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday night, a cool breeze drifted through a near-capacity crowd. Specifically on the half-mile course, the intense crosswinds from the track were the product of 42 World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series winged-sprints. The No. 15 Tony Stewart-Curb/Agajanian Racing car of Donny Schatz was the fastest in the field, taking the first night of the FVP Outlaw Showdown.
Schatz earned his 10th career series win at the track, which has hosted the tour for 20 years sporadically. The stop marks the series' fifth consecutive multi-day event at the track, which is an extension of its 36 total appearances since 1996. Schatz's first victory came in 1999.
"If it wasn't for this Stewart-Curb Racing team, we wouldn't be up here so hats off to them," said Schatz with his team looking-on in victory lane. "They worked their tails off all winter long and it's getting better."
Though the eight-time series champion has reaped the riches several times at the track, this victory offered a purse larger than years passed. A $5,000 winner's bonus was awarded to the North Dakota-native, as a part of a four-show sponsorship from Badlands Motor Speedway. Badlands will offer a $5,000 purse to winners of the Vegas stretch and at its multi-day event, the Outlaw FanFest - a total of $20,000. Schatz earned a grand total of $15,000 for his victory, including the stack of cash presented to him in Victory Lane.
"Thank you Badlands Motor Speedway," Schatz said. "Any time you get the extra money, out of courtesy you thank them for their support - like all you fans in the seats. It sure makes it fun to be standing up here."
Not only did the victory have a larger payout, but it also tested a driver who has won four of the first five shows in 2017. Schatz got the best case scenario in a photo-finish at the line, winning by a narrow 0.046-second margin. He started the 26-lap feature in fourth position, and used a series of restarts to gain ground on each of the podium spots ahead of him. When the green flag dropped, he made his move into the podium and had his sights set on second.
Schatz contested for the runner-up spot in the opening laps, challenging Brian Brown from the bottom. Brown shut down his advances exiting Turn 1 for the first three laps until a red flag reset the field. Shane Stewart, who led the 25-car field into the green flag, got tangled-up in lapped traffic entering turn two of the sixth lap. The aftermath of the wreck forced Stewart to forfeit the top spot, bumping the field up by one position. Schatz thereon targeted Brown for the lead.
It only took one lap for Schatz to wedge his racecar underneath Brown's No. 21 FVP/Casey's General Stores car in turn two. Schatz widened the gap to nearly one-second over Brown, while Jason Johnson moved into the final podium spot by Lap 16. A red flag on that lap regrouped the field yet again; at this point, three of the top-five drivers were series regulars (Schatz, Johnson and Sheldon Haudenschild).
Several battles transpired on the restart, as Brown challenged Schatz for the lead from the bottom, and Johnson and Ian Madsen rubbed tires barreling out of the front-stretch. While Johnson was successful, Brown was not as he was penalized for an early start; he was docked one position. The field regrouped for the race's third restart with Schatz and Johnson - the only two to win a feature event in 2017 - side-by-side in the first row.
In the closing laps, Schatz built a cushion - that did not last. Brown reclaimed second position over Johnson within the final 10 laps of the feature. The race's final caution extended the 25-lap feature by one lap by virtue of a green-white-checkered. In the final lap, Brown launched his car to the outside of Schatz. The two barreled down the front-stretch to the checkers, and it was Schatz by a nose.
"I always want to win ones like those," Brown said. "We got a good run [at Schatz], but when you race with a guy like him you need to make a split-decision at 130 miles per hour. I felt like I got through turns one and two pretty well, but on the backstretch I probably should've done something a little different. He got a good run off of four and I was like, 'Gosh darn it, I'm not going to win this race.' To be up there and race with guys like Donny Schatz is an honor. He's the Steve Kinser of today."
Rico Abreu, who was awarded the KSE Hard Charger award, rounded-out the podium in his No. 24R Abreu Vineyards/Priority Aviation car. Starting 21st in the feature, Abreu swiftly navigated through the pack and eventually bested Johnson in the closing laps. Abreu said, "You just simply need to learn how to breathe and make good decisions."
"When the race gets kind of strung-out, you have to pace yourself," Abreu said. "You just need to be patient at times and be aggressive on those restarts. I knew we were going to get a few restarts where we could get a breather. Schatz and Brown are the best guys right now besides Jason [Johnson]. It feels good just to get a good finish."
Stewart, who won his heat race and the Craftsman Club® Dash, rebounded not only from mechanical issues from earlier in the night but also from an unfortunate wreck in the feature. Stewart climbed his way into ninth, recording his second top-ten finish of the season.
Johnson, who ultimately recorded his fourth top-five performance of the season, set the night's quick-time in time trials. He was roughly one-hundredth of a second off Danny Lasoski's track record of 13.719. Five of the 42 drivers in time trials posted a lap time less than 14 seconds, recording an average time of 13.948 - nearly two-hundredths of a second off the record pace Lasoski set in 2004.
The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Notebook
RACE NOTES: Donny Schatz earned his fourth victory in the series' first five events Thursday night, winning the first night of the FVP Outlaw Showdown at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway - by a 0.046-second margin. In a race to the finish, Brian Brown was short by a nose to finish second on the night. Rico Abreu, the KSE Hard Charger award-winner, climbed his way up from 21st position to round-out the podium.
CONTINGENCY WINNERS: MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Terry McCarl; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Kerry Madsen; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; VP Racing ($50 cash):Shane Stewart; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Sheldon Haudenschild; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Joey Saldana;Cometic Gaskets ($50 cash):Daryn Pittman; Super Flow ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; Craftsman Club Fast Five ($100 cash): Jason Johnson, Joey Saldana, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild;Craftsman/Sears: Brian Brown; KSE Hard Charger: Rico Abreu; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Donny Schatz; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Greg Wilson; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Aaron Reutzel
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 4 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, LoneStar Speedway on March 3, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 9); Jason Johnson - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17)
World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nev.; March 9, 2017
Feature - (26 Laps due to green-white-checkered finish) -1. 15-Donny Schatz [4] [$10,000]; 2. 21-Brian Brown [2] [$5,000]; 3. 24R-Rico Abreu [21] [$3,000]; 4. 41-Jason Johnson [5] [$2,700]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [7] [$2,500]; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [3] [$2,200]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [9] [$2,000]; 8. 2M-Kerry Madsen [14] [$1,800]; 9. 2-Shane Stewart [1] [$1,600]; 10. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [8] [$1,450]; 11. 49-Brad Sweet [12] [$1,300]; 12. 17-Joey Saldana [6] [$1,200]; 13. 19-Brent Marks [20] [$1,100]; 14. 9-Daryn Pittman [10] [$1,000]; 15. 73-Brady Bacon [23] [$950]; 16. 5-David Gravel [16] [$900]; 17. W20-Greg Wilson [11] [$850]; 18. 21X-Carson Macedo [17] [$750]; 19. 17B-Josh Baughman [19] [$725]; 20. 4-Paul McMahan [25] [$]; 21. 87-Aaron Reutzel [13] [$700]; 22. 7S-Jason Sides [15] [$700]; 23. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [22] [$700]; 24. 24-Terry McCarl [24] [$700]; 25. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [18] [$700];Lap Leaders:Shane Stewart 1-6; Brian Brown 7, 25; Donny Schatz 8-24, 26; KSE Hard Charger Award: 24R-Rico Abreu [+18]
Qualifying -1. 41-Jason Johnson, 13.875; 2. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.975; 3. 15-Donny Schatz, 14.021; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 14.049; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 14.145; 6. W20-Greg Wilson, 14.160; 7. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 14.181; 8. 7S-Jason Sides, 14.213; 9. 24R-Rico Abreu, 14.226; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen, 14.236; 11. 21X-Carson Macedo, 14.227; 12. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr, +; 13. 18S-Jason Solwold, 14.352; 14. 17B-Josh Baughman, 14.361; 15. O-Bud Kaeding, 14.370; 16. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 14.523; 17. 3C-DJ Netto, 14.555; 18. 99T-Skylar Gee, 14.981; 19. 9Z-Jared Goerges, 15.098; 20. 22-Cori Andrews, 15.172; 21. Y69-Randy Waitman, 15.630; 22. 21-Brian Brown, 13.903; 23. 2-Shane Stewart, 13.990; 24. 17-Joey Saldana, 13.996; 25. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 14.055; 26. 9-Daryn Pittman, 14.056; 27. 5-David Gravel, 14.067; 28. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 14.082; 29. 49-Brad Sweet, 14.125; 30. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 14.146; 31. 19-Brent Marks, 14.231; 32. 24-Terry McCarl, 14.316; 33. 41X-Dominic Scelzi, 14.332; 34. 49X-Tim Shaffer, 14.343; 35. 73-Brady Bacon, 14.345; 36. 29-Willie Croft, 14.422; 37. 13-Clyde Knipp, 14.429; 38. 49D-Shawn Dancer, 14.465; 39. 51-James McFadden, 14.501; 40. 90-Lance Norick, 15.128; 41. 4-Paul McMahan, nt; 42. 21P-Robbie Price, nt
Heat 1 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the feature) -1. 41-Jason Johnson [1] ; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [2] ; 3. 11K-Kraig Kinser [3] ; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel [4] ; 5. 21X-Carson Macedo [6] ; 6. 24R-Rico Abreu [5] ; 7. 18S-Jason Solwold [7] ; 8. O-Bud Kaeding [8] ; 9. 3C-DJ Netto [9] ; 10. 9Z-Jared Goerges [10] ; 11. Y69-Randy Waitman [11]
Heat 2 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the feature) -1. 18-Ian Madsen [1] ; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2] ; 3. W20-Greg Wilson [3] ; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [4] ; 5. 17B-Josh Baughman [7] ; 6. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr [6] ; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [5] ; 8. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [8] ; 9. 99T-Skylar Gee [9] ; 10. 22-Cori Andrews [10]
Heat 3 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the feature) -1. 21-Brian Brown [1] ; 2. 17-Joey Saldana [2] ; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [3] ; 4. 2M-Kerry Madsen [4] ; 5. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [5] ; 6. 24-Terry McCarl [6] ; 7. 29-Willie Croft [8] ; 8. 21P-Robbie Price [11] ; 9. 90-Lance Norick [10] ; 10. 49D-Shawn Dancer [9] ; 11. 49X-Tim Shaffer [7]
Heat 4 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the feature) -1. 2-Shane Stewart [1] ; 2. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [2] ; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4] ; 4. 5-David Gravel [3] ; 5. 19-Brent Marks [5] ; 6. 4-Paul McMahan [10] ; 7. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [6] ; 8. 73-Brady Bacon [7] ; 9. 51-James McFadden [9] ; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [8]
Craftsman Club Dash - (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of feature) -1. 2-Shane Stewart [4] ; 2. 21-Brian Brown [2] ; 3. 18-Ian Madsen [3] ; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [5] ; 5. 41-Jason Johnson [1] ; 6. 17-Joey Saldana [6] ; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart [7] ; 8. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [8]
C-Main - (10 Laps - Top 2 finishers transfer to the Last Chance Showdown) -1. 51-James McFadden [4] [-]; 2. 3C-DJ Netto [1] [-]; 3. 4-Paul McMahan [8] [$150]; 4. 49D-Shawn Dancer [2] [$150]; 5. 99T-Skylar Gee [3] [$150]; 6. 21P-Robbie Price [10] [$125]; 7. Y69-Randy Waitman [9] [$125]; 8. 22-Cori Andrews [7] [$125]; 9. 90-Lance Norick [6] [$125]; 10. 9Z-Jared Goerges [5] [$125]
Last Chance Showdown - (12 Laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to the feature)- 1. 24R-Rico Abreu [1] [-]; 2. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [4] [-]; 3. 73-Brady Bacon [8] [-]; 4. 24-Terry McCarl [2] [-]; 5. 51-James McFadden [13] [$300]; 6. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr [5] [$250]; 7. 49X-Tim Shaffer [6] [$225]; 8. 18S-Jason Solwold [7] [$200]; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen [3] [$200]; 10. 29-Willie Croft [10] [$200]; 11. O-Bud Kaeding [9] [$200]; 12. 3C-DJ Netto [14] [$200]; 13. 13-Clyde Knipp [12] [$200]; 14. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [11] [$200]
Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series Driver Profile – Stefanie Palmai Carberry
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Stefanie Palmai Carberry (WoS photo)
The lady racer from Allentown, NJ began her career racing champ karts at Wall Stadium's inner oval, in 2003 at the age of 11. Stefanie, her sister Erika, and younger brother Nandi competed against each other at numerous tracks before moving up into the Micro Sprint division at Airport and Bridgeport Speedways. Stefanie has been wheeling Sprint Cars since the beginning of the Racesaver era in the Mid-Atlantic region, which started in 2010 under the TSRS banner. In her first year, she earned Rookie of the Year and third place in championship points. Within that time period, she has gained two feature wins, both coming from Bridgeport Speedway, countless top five's, and she is known to always be in contention to win when the opportunity arises.
"I'm excited to start the year off at Bridgeport Speedway on April 30th, which is a place that I have been very successful at in my career in previous years," the newly married twenty-four year old driver said. "With a clear mind and determination to accomplish more great things for this 2017 season, I am just eager to see what this year will bring. We are planning on running the full MASS schedule, and I can't wait to get to tracks that I have never raced at such as Williams Grove, Georgetown, Susquehanna, and Delaware International."
"We have a really good group of guys helping our team this season, and we are just very thankful for all the hard work that MASS has been doing in order to make racing fun for everyone again," Carberry said. "All of the contingencies and cash sponsors that are going to be dispersed this season, as well as the diverse and 'working man' friendly schedule are things that appeal to my team, and I know appeal to other MASS teams as well."
Stefanie mentioned that while she is a huge advocate for women in motorsports, and has always admired female drivers like Gloria Katona, Mares Stelfox and Becca Anderson who have paved the way for girls like herself, she said "it is very important to me that people know that when that helmet goes on, we are all drivers chasing the same trophy".
"I have been very fortunate to have earned the respect as a driver from my peers and other competitors, and I hope that I can be viewed as a role model for other young girls hoping to chase their dreams, just as I did when I was a little girl watching my role models race," Stefanie said.
Returning onboard sponsoring the #99 this season is AFD Performance, A Cut Above the Rest Trucking and Excavating, www.wheelsofspeed.com, Iron's and Anchor's Salon, and Erb's Garage.
"This year, I am hoping to add some more wins to my name, as well as learn as much as I can. You can never stop learning, and with the new places we are planning on visiting this year, I'm sure we will be learning a lot, while having fun of course!"
Schatz Sweeps the Show at LoneStar
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Contact: Brendan Capria
World of Outlaws PR
704-425-5368 | bcapria@dirtcar.com
Schatz Sweeps the Show at LoneStar
Sheldon Haudenschild records first podium finish in rookie season
KILGORE, Tex. - March 3, 2017 - There is a crater wrapped around turns one and two of LoneStar Speedway - now a reinvented third-mile dirt course. Shortened from a 3/8-mile oval since the last time the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series visited there in 2010, the "Greatest Show on Dirt" competed on the equally as fast bullring Friday night for the first time at the new length. Wheel-to-wheel with 23 other cars, Donny Schatz avoided the expected dangers of short-track racing and took the checkered flag without a hitch.
Schatz led all 35 laps in his victory, taking home not only the trophy but also a gold-toned Limited Edition Craftsman wrench set for the company's 90th anniversary. Though Schatz established his dominance throughout the program - setting the night's quick-time, and winning his heat and the Craftsman Club Dash - it did not come as easily as it seemed on paper. From an assumingly unlikely challenger - in terms of their resumes - the eight-time series champion was challenged by Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender Sheldon Haudenschild throughout the night.
"[Sheldon] was there from the start and did everything he needed to do," Schatz said. "It's an experience thing. Obviously he is a good, young driver. He's got a bright future ahead of him. But we try not to focus on what someone else is doing. We have to focus on our own stuff to try to stay ahead of these young guys."
Haudenschild, 23, was less than a tenth of a second off Schatz's quick-time, and he also won his way into the dash. The two started on the front row of the feature, where the son of the "Wild Child" Jac Haudenschild would have his chance to make his own name in the series. He wasted no time.
"I had a good starting spot, but it was just difficult to pass," Haudenschild said. "I tried to make it happen early when I slid [Donny] twice, but just didn't have the speed in the corners to do it. I just need to be there in the end. I'm happy with the performance. To get a good run early in the season is a confidence-booster, and we'll try to carry that momentum. I know I have a really great car and crew. Getting in these dashes is a big part of it."
Haudenschild, starting to the right of Schatz's No. 15 Tony Stewart-Curb/Agajanian Racing machine, dipped under him once the green flag dropped. He challenged Schatz on the bottom, but the top proved to be the quickest route to shutting down Haudenschild's advances. Schatz and Haudenschild tangoed briefly, but the defending champion quickly opened-up his lead to a 1.345-second margin.
Thereon, Haudenschild was sandwiched in-between two drivers that have wins in 2017 - Schatz and 2016 Knoxville Nationals Champion Jason Johnson. Haudenschild's No. 93 Southern Pacific Farms/ Rico Abreu Racing car escaped Johnson's challenge for second with 20 laps remaining. Haudenschild distanced himself from Johnson, gaining more than a one-second advantage over his No. 41 Priority Aviation/ Mesilla Valley Transportation racecar.
The race's first caution five laps later regrouped the field; Johnson took advantage. Barreling out of turn four, Johnson overtook Haudenschild. By this time, the top-five was all series regulars - Schatz, Johnson, Haudenschild, Brad Sweet and David Gravel respectively. Through two more cautions in the feature, Johnson managed to close the gap between him and Schatz to as narrow as a .733-second margin. He could not capitalize.
"You're racing the best guy in the business (Schatz)," Johnson said. "He's not going to make any mistakes. Those guys are clicking and doing a great job. But my guys have done a great job making great, consistent Maxim cars, and we communicated over the winter with Paul Kistler about the motors we had success with in 2016. We have great communication, and I'm in the best physical shape in my life as far as racing. Mentally, I'm in a great position because of the Jason Johnson Racing- Marshall Racing merger."
The tour concludes its first stint in Texas with the Gator Bash at Gator Motorplex on Saturday, March 4. For ticket information, visit SLS Promotions, LLC.
LoneStar Speedway Notebook
RACE NOTES: Donny Schatz swept the East Texas Lone Star Shootout program Friday, putting the exclamation point on the feature by leading all 35 laps. Sheldon Haudenschild, a Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender, dominated alongside the eight-time champion with a strong showing. The two started in the front of a 12-row feature field, where Haudenschild contested for the lead. Nearing the second-half of the feature, Jason Johnson catapulted his racecar to second place; Haudenschild was unable to reclaim his spot.
CONTINGENCY WINNERS: MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Clyde Knipp; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; VP Racing ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Daryn Pittman; Cometic Gaskets ($50 cash): Parker Price Miller; Super Flow ($50 cash): Joey Saldana; Craftsman Club Fast Five ($100 cash): Sheldon Haudenschild, Jason Johnson, Brad Sweet, Paul McMahan; Craftsman/Sears: Tim Shaffer; KSE Hard Charger: Chad Kemenah; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Jason Johnson; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Brent Marks; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Paul McMahan
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, LoneStar Speedway on March 3); Jason Johnson - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17)
World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; LoneStar Speedway, Tex.; March 3, 2017
Feature - (35 Laps) - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1] [$10,000]; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [3] [$5,500]; 3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [2] [$3,200]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [4] [$2,800]; 5. 5-David Gravel [7] [$2,500]; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [14] [$2,300]; 7. 99-Brady Bacon [12] [$2,200]; 8. 49X-Tim Shaffer [5] [$2,100]; 9. 4-Paul McMahan [6] [$2,050]; 10. 9-Daryn Pittman [10] [$2,000]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [20] [$1,500]; 12. 18-Ian Madsen [11] [$1,200]; 13. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [8] [$1,100]; 14. 17-Joey Saldana [15] [$1,050]; 15. W20-Greg Wilson [17] [$1,000]; 16. 17B-Josh Baughman [23 ][$900]; 17. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr [22] [$800]; 18. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr [19] [$800]; 19. 19-Brent Marks [21 ][$800]; 20. 87-Aaron Reutzel [16] [$800]; 21. 7S-Jason Sides [13] [$800]; 22. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [24] [$800]; 23. 2C-Wayne Johnson [9] [$800]; 24. 13-Clyde Knipp [18] [$800]; 25. 1S-Logan Schuchart [25] [$]; Lap Leaders: Donny Schatz 1-35; KSE Hard Charger Award: 11K-Kraig Kinser [+9]
Qualifying - 1. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.170; 2. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 12.247; 3. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.350; 4. 41-Jason Johnson, 12.387; 5. 49X-Tim Shaffer, 12.393; 6. 4-Paul McMahan, 12.415; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.427; 8. 18-Ian Madsen, 12.464; 9. 17-Joey Saldana, 12.469; 10. 9-Daryn Pittman, 12.476; 11. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 12.527; 12. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 12.534; 13. 5-David Gravel, 12.548; 14. W20-Greg Wilson, 12.578; 15. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 12.633; 16. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 12.670; 17. 2-Shane Stewart, 12.719; 18. 99-Brady Bacon, 12.789; 19. 7S-Jason Sides, 12.818; 20. 17B-Josh Baughman, 12.876; 21. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr, 13.061; 22. 19-Brent Marks, 13.070; 23. 71A-R.J. Johnson, 13.137; 24. 17G-Dustin Gates, 13.334; 25. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.471; 26. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.482; 27. 13-Clyde Knipp, 15.322; 28. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, nt
Heat 1 - (8 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the feature) - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1] ; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [2] ; 3. 5-David Gravel [5] ; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [4] ; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [7] ; 6. 87-Aaron Reutzel [6] ; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [3] ; 8. 19-Brent Marks [8] ; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9] ; 10. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [10]
Heat 2 - (8 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the feature) - 1. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [1] ; 2. 49X-Tim Shaffer [2] ; 3. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [4] ; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [3] ; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [6] ; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [5] ; 7. 17B-Josh Baughman [7] ; 8. 71A-R.J. Johnson [8] ; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen [9]
Heat 3 - (8 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the feature) - 1. 4-Paul McMahan [2] ; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1] ; 3. 2C-Wayne Johnson [4] ; 4. 99-Brady Bacon [6] ; 5. 17-Joey Saldana [3] ; 6. 13-Clyde Knipp [9] ; 7. 17G-Dustin Gates [8] ; 8. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr [7] ; 9. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr [5]
Craftsman Club Dash - (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of feature) - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1] ; 2. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [2] ; 3. 41-Jason Johnson [4] ; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [6] ; 5. 49X-Tim Shaffer [5] ; 6. 4-Paul McMahan [3]
Last Chance Showdown - (12 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the feature) - 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr [2] [-]; 2. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1] [-]; 3. 19-Brent Marks [5] [-]; 4. 82-Kevin Thomas Jr [4] [-]; 5. 17B-Josh Baughman [3] [-]; 6. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [10] [-]; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [9] [$300]; 8. 17G-Dustin Gates [7] [$250]; 9. 71A-R.J. Johnson [6] [$225]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart [8] [$200]
The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Craftsman (Official Tool), Arctic Cat (Official Side-by-Side Recreational Vehicle), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Morton Buildings (Official Building), Sears (Official Home Store), The Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience (Official Racing Experience) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Penske Shocks, and Superflow Dynos; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Impact Racing Products, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, and TNT Rescue.
Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, N.C., is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.
SCHUERENBERG ESCAPES TO VICTORY LANE IN WINTER DIRT GAMES VIII FINALE
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
SCHUERENBERG ESCAPES TO VICTORY LANE IN WINTER DIRT GAMES VIII FINALE
Ocala, Florida......... A seventh-place starting position and a 360 degree spin at the midway point was not enough to deter Hunter Schuerenberg on the path to a "Winter Dirt Games VIII" victory Saturday night at Bubba Raceway Park.
The 27-year-old Sikeston, Missouri native steadily moved his way toward the front of the field throughout the 30-lap event before surging into the lead with seven laps remaining to collect his first USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature victory in nearly three years since a 2014 victory in McCool Junction, Nebraska as well as his ninth career series triumph, joining Mario Andretti and Robbie Stanley for 47th on the all-time list.
At the drop of the green, though, outside front row starter Thomas Meseraull held the point, fending off a furious challenge from previous night's winner Justin Grant and defending USAC Silver Crown titlist Chris Windom for the first pair of laps.
Following a yellow brought about by a Kyle Cummins spin after contact with Isaac Chapple in a battle for the seventh position, Windom used a massive run on the restart to slide up in front of Meseraull and snare the lead away in turn one, instantly stretching out his lead by the tenth lap as Meseraull and Grant battled for second.
At the feature's midway point, Schuerenberg and Carson Short fought side-by-side for the fourth position. In turn four, the two made contact, vaulting Short's right rear over the nose of Schuerenberg's ride. Short landed on all fours before sliding front-bumper-first into an infield tire marker, stopping him in his tracks. Meanwhile, Schuerenberg was sent into a complete 360 spin, but kept his foot on the gas and continued down the front straightaway as the yellow flew for the stopped car of Short.
"The bottom started going away there," Schuerenberg recalls. "I whoaed up there too much trying to hit the bottom and I think Carson just had a head of steam. It was one of those racing deals. I don't think he really meant to do it partially because I slowed down quite a bit trying to hit my marks."
Hunter Schuerenberg
(AL STEINBERG PHOTO)
Schuerenberg restarted fourth with 15 to go, joining Grant and Meseraull in their pursuit of race leader Windom who began to pull away in the latter stages to a one second advantage with a mere 10 laps remaining, but a lap 21 caution bunched up the field at the front of the pack for the ensuing restart.
On this occasion, Windom was unable to break way as Grant challenged low and a surging Schuerenberg ripped the top-side to remain within the shadows of the orange No. 5 that paced the field. Suddenly, though, Windom's right rear tire appeared to be going flat, but the determination of Windom refused to deflate after both Grant and Schuerenberg completely surrounded him, both low and high, on lap 22.
Grant clawed his way along the bottom of turn three to briefly occupy the top spot, yet Windom was able to duck back under Grant to retain a lead of the narrowest of margins at the stripe. On the 23rd lap, Schuerenberg used the momentum on the cushion to ride his way to the front and, one lap later, Windom's quest for victory vanished as the tread on his right rear tire gave way, resulting in a yellow with just seven laps to go.
When racing resumed, it was all too clear Schuerenberg was the class of the field on this night as he constructed a lead that grew to nearly two seconds on the final lap to score the win in his Roof Bolt Racing/Eddie Gilstrap Motors - Roof Bolt Xpress/Eagle/Tranter over Grant, Meseraull, Chad Boespflug and Brady Bacon, who earned $700 in cash for the BC Badass Passing Award this weekend courtesy of the Hughes Family and the Indiana Mafia.
Saturday night marked the first USAC victory for the Roof Bolt Racing team and Schuerenberg's first career USAC victory at Ocala, a place in which he has scored six top-five finishes in his 11 most recent starts at the 3/8-mile D-shaped dirt track.
"We've got a different car this year and we've got some new partners involved," Schuerenburg explained. "Being away from non-wing racing for a while and doing the wing thing, there were things I took from that and applied to the non-wing car, which is quite a bit different than what I've typically done in the past. I've been rebuilding engines myself and learned quite a bit with making more power where I think I needed it. It's nice to take the perspective of driving the car and then learning more about engines, you can apply what you learned on them to what you feel with your foot."
Hunter Schuerenberg
(Rich Forman PHOTO)
"Justin has many of the same tendencies as me," Schuerenberg asserts. "If he gets the chance and he's racing somebody, he's probably going to be on the top. When Windom's tire was going down, I noticed that and I knew going into the first corner, Justin was probably going to the outside to try and get Windom. I thought if Windom got through that corner quick enough, I could follow him to get around Justin when he left the bottom open and, from there, I'd just have to worry about getting by Chris. I knew Windom would go to the bottom in (turns) three and four, so I went to the top to try to beat him in one. I've been racing with Chris and Justin for 10 years now. You kind of know those guys' habits, where they're going to go and what they're going to do. They know the same things about me too. It's nice because you don't have to worry about those guys running over you, but in that situation, it kind of helped me because I knew what I thought they were going to do. Sometimes it works out; sometimes it doesn't. I tried what I was thinking that time and it worked out, but it may not work out the next time. It was just a hold-your-breath type of race, but it was a fun one. If you're going to win one, I'd rather win it like that rather than just lead the whole thing."
Ione, California's Justin Grant followed up Friday night's winning performance with a solid second place run and takes ahold of the early season point lead in his Sam McGhee Motorsports/Mike McGhee & Associates - Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Maxim/Foxco.
"Obviously, we wanted to win," Grant acknowledged. "Second place is a good night. It was good for points and we've set out to chase the points deal this year, so I took what I could get. I made a couple mistakes throughout the race, but I think those guys were just a little better than we were. Had I run a perfect race, we were good enough to beat them. But missing a step here and there, it just got away from us. Sam gave me a great car again and it seems like we're close every night. It's nice when it feels like we missed, yet we were still able to run second."
San Jose, California's Thomas Meseraull captured the victory in the 2016 "Winter Dirt Games" finale. Although the results from 2017's event did not include a victory celebration, Meseraull was extremely pleased with his third-place finish in his debut weekend performance aboard the Rick Pollock/Bates Commodities - Jonathon Pollock Engines/Maxim/Pollock.
"The car was great," Meseraull exclaimed. "It was a big difference from yesterday when it was my first time in the car and I was still getting a feel for it and getting on the same page as Rick. We did that tonight. We knew we had to qualify better, but we had a little bit of timing problems. We just worked it out. It just needed more timing and the difference was night and day. I'm really excited to run top-three. I thought we had a fourth or fifth-place car, but Windom blew a tire and that helped us out. I just got up on the wheel and was able to keep Chad (Boespflug) and Chase (Stockon) behind us. I'm just happy to get out of Florida in one piece."
Contingency award winners Saturday night at Bubba Raceway Park include Carson Short (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Max McGhee (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Landon Simon (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Chase Stockon (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Dave Darland (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Brady Bacon (KSE Racing Products/ProSource Hard Charger/BC Badass Passing Award) and Tyler Courtney (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 25, 2017 - Ocala, Florida - Bubba Raceway Park - "Winter Dirt Games VIII"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Carson Short, 21, RCM-13.955; 2. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-14.056; 3. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-14.072; 4. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-14.083; 5. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-14.138; 6. Thomas Meseraull, 21x, Pollock-14.178; 7. Justin Grant, 11, McGhee-14.239; 8. Hunter Schuerenberg, 2, Roof Bolt-14.264; 9. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-14.279; 10. Dave Darland, 71p, Phillips/Curb-Agajanian-14.325; 11. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-14.365; 12. Chad Boespflug, 69, Dynamics-14.374; 13. Max McGhee, 4J, 4J Motorsports-14.398; 14. Brady Bacon, 63, Dooling/Hayward-14.403; 15. Tyler Courtney, 23c, TOPP-14.425-14.425; 16. Jerry Coons, Jr., 20N, Nolen-14.477; 17. Landon Simon, 24, LSR-14.492; 18. Aaron Farney, 15F, DCT-14.511; 19. Shane Cottle, 44, Pace-14.704; 20. Jeff Bland, Jr., 17GP, Dutcher-14.716; 21. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-14.782; 22. Joe Liguori, 44D, Staab-14.964; 23. Rob Caho, Jr., 78, Caho-14.965; 24. Dallas Hewitt, 16, Kaser/Seeling-15.179; 25. Frank Carlsson, 20, Carlsson-16.468; 26. Robert Bell, 71, Bell-17.044.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. McGhee, 2. Grant, 3. Short, 4. Windom, 5. Coons, 6. Darland, 7. Cottle, 8. Liguori, 9. Carlsson. 1:55.37
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Simon, 2. Schuerenberg, 3. Andretti, 4. Bacon, 5. Cummins, 6. Bland, 7. Caho, 8. Bell, 9. Leary. 1:56.62
CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Stockon, 2. Courtney, 3. Boespflug, 4. Meseraull, 5. Chapple, 6. Hodges, 7. Farney, 8. Hewitt. 1:53.91
INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Darland, 2. Farney, 3. Cottle, 4. Hodges, 5. Bland, 6. Caho, 7. Hewitt, 8. Leary, 9. Bell, 10. Carlsson, 11. Liguori. 2:54.00
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Hunter Schuerenberg, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Thomas Meseraull, 4. Chad Boespflug, 5. Brady Bacon, 6. Chase Stockon, 7. Dave Darland, 8. Kyle Cummins, 9. Jarett Andretti, 10. Carson Short, 11. Shane Cottle, 12. Jerry Coons, Jr., 13. Tyler Courtney, 14. Isaac Chapple, 15. C.J. Leary, 16. Chris Windom, 17. Jeff Bland, Jr., 18. Josh Hodges, 19. Max McGhee, 20. Rob Caho, Jr., 21. Dallas Hewitt, 22. Landon Simon, 23. Aaron Farney. NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-2 Meseraull, Laps 3-23 Windom, Laps 24-30 Schuerenberg.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/PROSOURCE HARD CHARGER: Brady Bacon (13th to 5th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Tyler Courtney
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Grant-155, 2-Schuerenberg-144, 3-Boespflug-141, 4-Stockon-139, 5-Bacon-128, 6-Meseraull-120, 7-Leary-99, 8-Andretti-99, 9-Windom-96, 10-Coons-96.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: April 1 - Lawrenceburg, Indiana - Lawrenceburg Speedway
Mark Smith is Once Again The King of the 360’s
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ASCS Sprints
Mark Smith is Once Again The King of the 360's
TAMPA, Fla. (February 25, 2017) For the second time, Pennsylvania's Mark Smith ended his weekend at Tampa's East Bay Raceway Park as the King of the 360's with the Lucas Oil ASCS Southern Outlaw Sprints.
While Smith gave chase early on, the race on the start saw outside pole starter, Shawn Donath, taking the early advantage over Travis Rilat. Slowed on Lap 3, Rilat was not to be counted out as the No. 29 stole the advantage by just over two tenths before the caution flew again.
Slowed again with five laps compete, Rilat had company on the restart as fourth starting, Mark Smith, began his run on the point. Giving chase and challenging until Lap 13, the following revolution saw the No. M1 advance into the top spot.
Keeping pace with Smith, the race for the lead came quickly as the top two ran to slower traffic. Trading slide jobs at both ends of the East Bay Raceway Park, Smith was able to return the favor for every pass by the No. 29.
With varying slower traffic in play, that allowed Smith to gain a small advantage before the red lights blinked on for Caleb Helms on Lap 31. Helms was able to walk away unhurt. Two attempts at the restart, and both times Travis Rilat railed the cushion to a side-by-side race with Smith. Retaking the lead on the second attempt, Travis peddled hard on the high side with Smith patiently working the hub.
With the run on the thirty-fourth round, Smith rocketed back to the lead the following lap and would not be contested for his second King of the 360's title. Battling in the closing laps with a hard charging, Thomas Kennedy, the No. 21k advanced to the runner-up spot with Travis Rilat completing the night's podium.
Falling back in the early goings, Terry McCarl was able to rebound to finish fourth with Tampa's A.J. Maddox coming from 16th to complete the top-five. Chad Kemenah came home sixth with Danny Martin, Jr. seventh. Jason Sides was eighth with Tim Shaffer and Rico Abreu completing the top-ten.
East Bay Raceway Park begins their regular season on March 3, 2017. The full lineup of events can be found at www.eastbayraceway.com.
The Lucas Oil ASCS Southern Outlaw Sprints returns to action at Southern Raceway in Milton, Fla. on March 11, 2017. For continued updates on the American Sprint Car Series, log onto www.ascsracing.com.
Race Results:
ASCS Southern Outlaw Sprints
East Bay Raceway Park - Tampa, Fla.
King of the 360's - Finale
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Event Car Count: 63
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 27-Greg Hodnett[2]; 2. 2C-Wayne Johnson[1]; 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel[3]; 4. 01-Shane Morgan[5]; 5. 26-Marshall Skinner[6]; 6. 19G-Todd Gracey[4]; 7. 88-Brandon Blenden[7]; 8. 99-Tanner Witherspoon[8]; (DNS) 29-Kyle Amerson; (DNS) 07-Jacob Wilson
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 17W-Harli White[1]; 2. 28X-Phil Gressman[3]; 3. 6-Carson McCarl[2]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[4]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[5]; 6. 43-Terry Witherspoon[6]; 7. 83-Mark Ruel Jr[8]; 8. 38-Ryan Moore[7]; 9. 00-Tristan Lee[9]; (DNS) 116-Nick Snyder
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 23B-Brian Bell[2]; 2. 28FM-Steve Poirier[5]; 3. 14C-Coleman Gulick[1]; 4. 43H-Derek Hagar[3]; 5. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[4]; 6. 77X-Alex Hill[7]; 7. 6S-Robbie Smith[6]; 8. 61-Parker Evans[8]; 9. 9-Lane Whittington[9]; (DNS) 10-Terry Gray
Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 24M-Danny Martin Jr.[1]; 2. 4-Danny Smith[3]; 3. 2-Parker Price-Miller[4]; 4. 17-Caleb Helms[2]; 5. 10J-C.J. Jones[6]; 6. 22-Shawn Murray[7]; 7. 4M-Michael Miller[5]; 8. 09-Timmy Thrash[8]; (DNS) 21B-Brandon McLain
Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 21K-Thomas Kennedy[2]; 2. 24R-Rico Abreu[1]; 3. 28-Tommy Bryant[4]; 4. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[3]; 5. 1-Freddie McCall[6]; 6. 49-Shawn Dancer[5]; 7. 22G-Johnny Gilbertson[8]; 8. 59-Johnny Petrozelle[7]; 9. 52-Cody Karl[9]
Heat 6 (8 Laps): 1. 7S-Jason Sides[1]; 2. 49X-Tim Shaffer[2]; 3. 84-Brandon Hanks[4]; 4. 3A-A.J. Maddox[5]; 5. 10B-Mitch Brown[6]; 6. 82-Matt Kurtz[3]; 7. 14-Tony Stewart[8]; 8. 67-Steve Collins[7]; (DNS) 24D-Danny Sams III
B Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 49X-Tim Shaffer[2]; 2. 3A-A.J. Maddox[5]; 3. 2-Parker Price-Miller[3]; 4. 28FM-Steve Poirier[1]; 5. 87-Aaron Reutzel[4]; 6. 43H-Derek Hagar[6]; 7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[8]; 8. 10B-Mitch Brown[10]; 9. 10J-C.J. Jones[7]; 10. 22-Shawn Murray[9]; 11. 22G-Johnny Gilbertson[11]; 12. 38-Ryan Moore[14]; 13. 99-Tanner Witherspoon[13]; 14. (DNF) 00-Tristan Lee[15]; 15. (DNF) 88-Brandon Blenden[12]; 16. (DNF) 52-Cody Karl[16]; (DNS) 10-Terry Gray
B Feature 2 (12 Laps): 1. 2C-Wayne Johnson[2]; 2. 6-Carson McCarl[4]; 3. 14C-Coleman Gulick[5]; 4. 28-Tommy Bryant[3]; 5. 28X-Phil Gressman[1]; 6. 1-Freddie McCall[7]; 7. 14-Tony Stewart[11]; 8. 49-Shawn Dancer[10]; 9. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[8]; 10. 6S-Robbie Smith[12]; 11. 61-Parker Evans[13]; 12. 59-Johnny Petrozelle[14]; 13. (DNF) 82-Matt Kurtz[9]; 14. (DNF) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[6]; 15. (DNF) 9-Lane Whittington[15]; (DNS) 24D-Danny Sams III; (DNS) 07-Jacob Wilson
B Feature 3 (12 Laps): 1. 24R-Rico Abreu[2]; 2. 4-Danny Smith[1]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[5]; 4. 01-Shane Morgan[4]; 5. 26-Marshall Skinner[6]; 6. 84-Brandon Hanks[3]; 7. 17-Caleb Helms[7]; 8. 77X-Alex Hill[8]; 9. 4M-Michael Miller[12]; 10. 83-Mark Ruel Jr[10]; 11. 67-Steve Collins[15]; 12. 43-Terry Witherspoon[9]; (DNS) 19G-Todd Gracey; (DNS) 09-Timmy Thrash; (DNS) 29-Kyle Amerson; (DNS) 21B-Brandon McLain; (DNS) 116-Nick Snyder
A Feature (40 Laps): 1. M1-Mark Smith[4]; 2. 21K-Thomas Kennedy[11]; 3. 29T-Travis Rilat[1]; 4. 24-Terry McCarl[5]; 5. 3A-A.J. Maddox[16]; 6. 10H-Chad Kemenah[6]; 7. 24M-Danny Martin Jr.[10]; 8. 7S-Jason Sides[12]; 9. 49X-Tim Shaffer[13]; 10. 24R-Rico Abreu[15]; 11. 23B-Brian Bell[9]; 12. 27-Greg Hodnett[7]; 13. 4-Danny Smith[18]; 14. 53-Shawn Donath[2]; 15. 2-Parker Price-Miller[19]; 16. 89-Robbie Stillwaggon[3]; 17. 14C-Coleman Gulick[20]; 18. (DNF) 17W-Harli White[8]; 19. (DNF) 17-Caleb Helms[22]; 20. (DNF) 95-Matt Covington[21]; 21. (DNF) 2C-Wayne Johnson[14]; 22. (DNF) 6-Carson McCarl[17]; 23. (DNF) 4M-Michael Miller[23]
Lap Leader(s): Shawn Donath 1-3; Travis Rilat 4-13, 32-34; Mark Smith 14-31, 35-40;
BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY TO HONOR DOUG HOFFMAN WITH SEASON OPENER
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Bridgeport Speedway
BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY TO HONOR DOUG HOFFMAN WITH SEASON OPENER
In just a few short weeks, the Bridgeport Speedway will honor one of its own when the Fifth Annual 60 Over Special | Doug Hoffman Memorial Weekend opens the 2017 season on the 5/8th mile speedway.
Many credit Doug Hoffman for the resurgence of the Bridgeport Speedway.
The four time track champion took over the reins for the 2012 speedway. After meeting with track owner, Brian Ramey, it was clear that Doug Hoffman was the man for the task at hand.
The Big Block Modifieds had been removed from the Saturday night schedule as a last ditch effort on the part of Jay James who had tried just about everything to be successful at the Logan Township race track. James decided to leave the speedway at the end of the 2011 season, leaving the future of the Bridgeport Speedway as a big question mark as the New Year approached.
Ramey met with several interested parties but it was clear that Hoffman was the right man for the job. “I didn’t know Doug well,” Ramey explained. “Doug approached us to discuss the possibility of him taking the reins for the 2012 season. We had several people pursuing the opportunity but none of them had the insight that Doug had. There was no doubt that he (Hoffman) was the best fit since his heart was in Big Blocks and that is what Bridgeport was designed and built for.”
Hoffman first met with fans and competitors at the Motorsports Show in Oaks, PA in January. It was a very optimistic and enthusiastic Hoffman that met with the press on Friday night of Motorsports. He outlined some of his plans for the coming season – the return of the Big Block Modifieds, the introduction of the Poker Series, his plans to make the speedway racier as well as several promotions that were directed for the benefit of the fans at the front gate.
“When people say that Bridgeport is too fast, what they really mean is that there is too much traction,” Hoffman explained. “We have to produce good racing. We need a slick surface from top to bottom. It can’t take down rubber. It can’t be a one lane track.” Hoffman talked about how drivers like Tobias, Brightbill, Horton, Pauch and himself as well, traveled to other tracks and won big races, making people sit up and take notice of the drivers who regularly competed at the Bridgeport Speedway. “It needs to be cool as hell to win at Bridgeport,” Hoffman told the crowd. He compared it to his induction into the DIRT Hall of Fame in 2011. “That was freakin’ neat – that’s the feeling we need to create at Bridgeport.”
Afraid that he wasn’t able to meet with everyone during the trade show, Hoffman set up all day meetings the following Saturday at the local Holiday Inn.
As the end of the 2012 season approached, Hoffman could take great pride in what he had accomplished. Nearly fifty Big Blocks were on hand for the season opener that year – a Race of Champions on Dirt event. The Poker Series was a huge success when introduced to the fans at Bridgeport. Hoffman combined efforts with 410 Sprint Car owner, Mike Heffner, to bring the 410s to the Bridgeport Speedway. He brought the racers to the fans by having the starting line-up stage behind the grandstands, giving the fans a very up close and personal look at the competition. And he continued a Bridgeport tradition of bringing the top five finishers behind the grandstand after each feature event – a tradition that Hoffman, himself was not a fan of when he competed at Bridgeport. “I got a lot of heat for that and I deserved it,” Hoffman said of his lack of cooperation as a driver. “Everybody makes mistakes and I made one with the fans at Bridgeport when I raced there.” As a promoter, Hoffman saw the other side of the story.
When Hoffman criticized the track preparation during the season, he was told to do it himself – so he did. If a job needed to be done – cut the grass, pick up trash, talk to a competitor – whatever it was, Hoffman did whatever was needed.
Looking back on the 2012 season, Hoffman said, “The track has raced another year and it didn’t fold on our watch.” “We’ve had good racing. I think we put to bed the rumor that you can’t have good racing on a big track.” Four drivers captured their career first wins that season in Big Block Modified competition – Mike Barone, Eric Kormann, Jesse Hill (with a Small Block) and Stan Frankenfield, Jr.
With ninety-two Bridgeport feature wins and four track championships, Doug Hoffman knew what needed to be done. While he only had one season as the track’s promoter, there is little doubt that he laid the foundation for what the Ramey family, Keith Hoffman, Dave Adams and Danny Serrano have continued for the last four seasons.
The Bridgeport Speedway will open the gates on the 2017 season with the running of the fifth annual 60 Over Special | Doug Hoffman Memorial Weekend on March 24th and 25th. While it is the fifth year of the race honoring the former track champion and promoter, this will be the first time that the event will be run as a two day event.
Friday night action will see the return of the 358 Small Block Modifieds for a twenty-five lap, $2500 to win main event. It will be the first race of the season for the DA’s Auto Body & Repair Rookies on the 5/8th mile track. All divisions will have the opportunity to participate in the open practice sessions on Friday night so that they can prepare for Saturday’s racing action. Pit gates will open at 3pm with grandstand access at 6pm. Racing will get underway at 7:30pm.
On Saturday night, the Spirit Auto Center Big Block Modifieds will compete in qualifying events for a forty-four lap feature event with $4,400 going to the winner. The Stewart Stainless Crate/Sportsman and PennCo Tech Outlaw Stocks will run qualifying events and features as well. Saturday’s race card will be the first hand of the 811 Dig Safely/Colonial Pipeline 2017 Poker Series. Pits will open at noon, grandstands at 2pm and racing will get underway at 4pm. (There is a rain date set for Sunday, March 26th should it be needed.)
The Bridgeport Speedway is committed to maintaining a safe, fun, family atmosphere, creating life-lasting memories of excitement.
OCALA USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RESULTS: Feb. 24, 2017
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
GRANT THE TOP GUN ON NIGHT ONE OF WINTER DIRT GAMES VIII
Ocala, Florida.........Justin Grant's most recent visit to Bubba Raceway Park prior to Friday night's USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship 2017 season-opener ended in heartbreak.
One year later, despite late-race contact that nearly spelled disaster for the Ione, California native, the 26-year-old Grant swiftly exorcised those demons to capture night one of "Winter Dirt Games VIII."
Since joining forces last August, Grant and the Sam McGhee Motorsports team have been stellar in USAC competition. In a mere seven starts, the combo has already amassed five top-five finishes and their first two series victories together: last September's "4-Crown Nationals" at Eldora Speedway and now at the three-eighths-mile, D-shaped speedway in Ocala, Fla.
"I really felt like we came in here with a lot of momentum," Grant said. "With the same car, the same engine and the same whole program we ended with last year, it felt just like we left it. Last year down here was a heartbreaker. We were leading going into turn three on the last lap and blew a tire. I've been really close here several times, but something always happened. It feels really good to finish one off and get the first win of the season. I really like winning for these guys. They work their butts off and they've got a ton of passion for what we do. It makes it that much better to win with them."
A washout one night earlier provided a heavy racetrack for the 22 cars and drivers lined up for the 30-lap feature event, which saw pole sitter Dave Darland and outside front row starter C.J. Leary wage war in a side-by-side battle with Darland able to nip Leary at the line to take the point at the conclusion of lap one.
A two-man race quickly turned into a three-wide feast of speed on the second circuit with Boespflug sneaking along the bottom, Darland in the middle and Leary on the outside. Darland once again emerged from the fray where he escaped to the head of the pack where he would hold serve throughout much of the first third of the event.
Meanwhile, Grant quickly emerged as a contender, springing to the second spot by the end of lap two from his sixth starting position. Grant, who earlier in the evening established a new one-lap track record in ProSource Qualifying, then began his pursuit of race leader Darland.
By lap nine, Grant caught Darland and was able to scoot by as the two encountered the tail end of the field. Darland refused to go away quietly as he and Grant searched for an avenue to tiptoe their way around the lappers. The pair split around Isaac Chapple, allowing Darland to reclaim the top spot at the stripe on lap 10.
The see-saw battle for the lead hit its peak on the 11th lap as Grant returned the favor and took the spot back from Darland, but Darland was able to storm back on the bottom of turn three to briefly hold the lead as Grant dipped back underneath to rip the number one position away from Darland.
"I kind of got into Dave a little bit off turn four going for the lead," Grant recalls. "I didn't really want to get into him, but we were in lap traffic and when the track's fast and kind of one lane, you can't let an opportunity like that get away from you. We got in there together and I kind of leaned on him. I'm sure that didn't make him happy, but I've got a mortgage to pay and kids to feed."
By the midway point, Grant began to pull away from the rest of the field, holding nearly a half-straightaway lead before the stopped car of Jeff Bland, Jr. between turns three and four brought the action to a halt on lap 19 and bunched up the field for the ensuing restart.
Darland was able to poke a nose under Grant when action resumed, but was unable to make the bid stick as Grant maintained his advantage. One lap later, Boespflug wrestled the second spot away from Darland exiting turn two. On the 21st lap, Darland slipped out of the top-three as Carson Short grabbed the position with an outside pass exiting turn four.
Meanwhile, Grant was on cruise-control and seemingly had everything in check. However, lapped traffic would nearly play a pivotal role in determining the winner with five laps in this instance. As Grant approached the lapped car of 16th-running Tyler Courtney, the two made contact on the backstretch, putting both cars sideways as they both fought to maintain control. The two continued after the hair-raising fracas, though Grant would lose a bit of track position, thus allowing second-running Boespflug to close the gap.
"It was a close call," Grant acknowledges. "At the front, the sway bar tube is folded back around the car. He (Courtney) half-spun in front of us and I plowed him in the left rear which straightened him out and kept him going, I think. I about spun out and ended up in the infield. I was like 'oh no, here we go.' We made pretty hard contact, hard enough that it bent our frame."
Justin Grant
(AL STEINBERG PHOTO)
With just three laps to go and Boespflug continuing to clamp down on Grant, the caution flag flew as the machine of early leader and sixth-running Darland went up in a ball of flame that was quickly extinguished, but would sideline the series' winningest driver for the final run to the finish.
A three-lap shootout for the victory was in store between Grant and Boespflug on the lap 28 restart. Boespflug took to the bottom, attempting to slide up in front of Grant who was able to cling to the momentum up top. On lap 29, Boespflug threw it in even deeper, but was unable to secure the spot as Grant motored away to distance himself from Boespflug heading into the final lap, completing the 30-lap mission in grand fashion by 0.675 seconds over Boespflug, Chase Stockon, Brady Bacon and Leary. Carson Short originally took third, but was repositioned to the tail of the field due to missing the scales after the feature.
After seeing a pair of late-race leads slip through his fingers over the past few seasons, Grant finally captured that elusive first "Winter Dirt Games" victory Friday night for his fifth overall USAC National Sprint Car win, and his second for the Sam McGhee Motorsports team, in his Mike McGhee & Associates - Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Maxim/Foxco.
"Chad (Boespflug) and I raced pretty hard during those final laps," Grant remembered. "On the restart, I knew if I could keep him behind us on the restart, we would be okay. But those restarts always concern you, especially when the track is rough and heavy. Chad got under me all the way in turns one and two one time and I put a pretty big chop on him and kept him behind us for a lap or so before I could get it opened up a little bit. Chad and I have been in that exact same scenario before and both of us ended up hanging from the fence, but he raced me really clean and gave me plenty of room. In turns three and four, he very easily could've leaned on me and knocked me up the racetrack and gotten by me that way. But he didn't and he left me plenty of room."
Hanford, California's Boespflug came home second after a hard-charge in the final laps of Friday night's feature, a solid debut as the full-time pilot of the Dynamics, Inc./Mean Green - PAC Springs/Maxim/Claxton.
"Before that yellow, we were definitely in some heavy lap traffic," Boespflug said. "I didn't know if I was happy to see that yellow come out or not. We got to the rear of Justin (Grant) and he was having a tough time with those lappers. I was happy to see it, but then again, I don't know. I gave it all I had on that restart. I got underneath him in turns one and two a couple of times. I feel if we could've just gotten in front of him, maybe we would've had something to hold him off. He was really good through the center of turns one and two and off of turn two. It was just a good overall night for us, for not necessarily a new team, but new sponsors and everything. I'm just happy to put the Hoffman No. 69 back up front where it finished last year and for ourselves as well."
Fort Branch, Indiana's Chase Stockon took third-place in his 32 TBI Racing/Superior Tank & Trailer - Crescent Electric Supply/DRC/Fisher, starting off the season on the right foot one year following a career-best runner-up finish in the series point standings.
Contingency award winners Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park include Justin Grant (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Carson Short (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Chris Windom (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Chase Stockon (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Max McGhee (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Brady Bacon (KSE Racing Products/ProSource Hard Charger) and Shane Cottle (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 24, 2017 - Ocala, Florida - Bubba Raceway Park - "Winter Dirt Games VIII"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Justin Grant, 11, McGhee-13.683 (New Track Record); 2. Hunter Schuerenberg, 2, Motsinger-13.731; 3. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-13.839; 4. Max McGhee, 4J, 4J Motorsports-13.913; 5. Chad Boespflug, 69, Dynamics-13.958; 6. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-13.981; 7. Dave Darland, 71p, Phillips/Curb-Agajanian-13.992; 8. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-14.045; 9. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-14.053; 10. Carson Short, 21, RCM-14.060; 11. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-14.097; 12. Shane Cottle, 44, Pace-14.171; 13. Thomas Meseraull, 21x, Pollock-14.211; 14. Tyler Courtney, 23c, TOPP-14.318; 15. Jerry Coons, Jr., 20N, Nolen-14.355; 16. Brady Bacon, 63, Dooling/Hayward-14.366; 17. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-14.393; 18. Aaron Farney, 15F, DCT-14.433; 19. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-14.580; 20. Dallas Hewitt, 16, Kaser/Seeling-14.612; 21. Landon Simon, 24, LSR-14.709; 22. Jeff Bland, Jr., 17GP, Dutcher-14.751; 23. Cooper Clouse, 14, Clouse-14.848; 24. Rob Caho, Jr., 78, Caho-15.056; 25. Joe Liguori, 44D, Staab-15.142; 26. Robert Bell, 71, Bell-16.204; 27. Frank Carlsson, 20, Carlsson-16.371.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Short, 2. Meseraull, 3. Darland, 4. Grant, 5. Bacon, 6. McGhee, 7. Chapple, 8. Liguori, 9. Bland. 1:56.78
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Windom, 2. Schuerenberg, 3. Andretti, 4. Boespflug, 5. Hodges, 6. Courtney, 7. Hewitt, 8. Bell, 9. Clouse. NT
CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Stockon, 2. Coons, 3. Cummins, 4. Leary, 5. Farney, 6. Cottle, 7. Simon, 8. Caho, 9. Carlsson. 1:55.60
INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. McGhee, 2. Courtney, 3. Chapple, 4. Cottle, 5. Simon, 6. Liguori, 7. Bland, 8. Hewitt, 9. Caho, 10. Carlsson, 11. Bell. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Justin Grant, 2. Chad Boespflug, 3. Chase Stockon, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. C.J. Leary, 6. Hunter Schuerenberg, 7. Josh Hodges, 8. Chris Windom, 9. Jerry Coons, Jr., 10. Thomas Meseraull, 11. Jarett Andretti, 12. Shane Cottle, 13. Tyler Courtney, 14. Aaron Farney, 15. Landon Simon, 16. Joe Liguori, 17. Max McGhee, 18. Dave Darland, 19. Kyle Cummins, 20. Isaac Chapple, 21. Jeff Bland, Jr., 22. Carson Short. (Short originally finished third, but was repositioned to the tail of the field after missing the scales). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-8 Darland, Lap 9 Grant, Lap 10 Darland, Laps 11-30 Grant.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/PROSOURCE HARD CHARGER: Brady Bacon (16th to 4th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Shane Cottle
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Grant-81, 2-Boespflug-74, 3-Stockon-72, 4-Schuerenberg-67, 5-Bacon-65, 6-Leary-64, 7-Windom-57, 8-Hodges-56, 9-Coons-53; 10-Meseraull-50.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: February 25 - Ocala, Florida - Bubba Raceway Park - "Winter Dirt Games VIII"
