Archive for Short Track
The Storylines: Indiana Midget Week
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. making his first Indiana Midget Week appearance in 13 years is one of the plethora of storylines to take note of as the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets head into a weeklong set of races in the Hoosier state June 16-21. (Rich Forman Photo)
THE STORYLINES: INDIANA MIDGET WEEK
Speedway, Indiana (June 15, 2020).........With six races in a six-night span, the storylines and scenarios run rampant with the possibilities of what can and will transpire over this next week of USAC Nos Energy Drink National Midget racing June 16-21, Tuesday at Paragon, Wednesday at Gas City, Thursday and Friday at Lincoln Park, Saturday at Lawrenceburg and Sunday at Kokomo.
That's why we love it, and that's why we watch. One of the ultimate tests of racing, the 16th annual edition of Indiana Midget Week, has finally arrived.
THE OUTSIDERS
Okay, okay, they're not really outsiders, per se. But what makes Indiana Midget Week competition so grand is witnessing those individuals who are regulars in series outside of USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget competition battling against those who run with the series on a regular basis.
For instance, Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, Calif.), who will compete in all six events of 2020 Indiana Midget Week for Tucker-Boat Motorsports as he aims for his first career title in the mini-series. He's arguably the hottest driver in all of racing right now with five consecutive wing sprint car wins between the World of Outlaws and All Stars. But, likewise, he's won the three most recent USAC Midget races he's entered as well, as well as the only two he's run in the state this year at the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Okla.
Daryn Pittman, the 2013 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion, will compete in a single event at Gas City, the same place he made his last Indiana Midget Week start eight years earlier in 2012.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a former USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year and Talladega and Daytona 400-mile NASCAR Cup series winner, will compete in the first four events of IMW, his first appearance in the weeklong series since 2007.
Carson Macedo, he too a past USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year and also a World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year, will compete in three of the six IMW events at Gas City, Lincoln Park Night #1 and the final night at Kokomo.
FIELD FILLED TO THE BRIM
In a taxing mini-series such as Indiana Midget Week, it's a pleasure to see how many teams can weather the heat, the elements, the long nights and the mechanical and emotional hardships that can come with traveling and racing night-after-night. Entering this year's IMW, 36 teams have announced their intentions to compete on the full trail throughout the Hoosier state.
WHO'S GOT NEXT
Four USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget regulars have all won feature events with the series in 2020, all of whom have had their share of total victories with the series in their careers: Tanner Thorson (15), Tyler Courtney (14), Justin Grant (5) and Chris Windom (3), and all of whom are aiming to win their first career Indiana Midget Week championship. With all having stellar seasons thus far across the board, perhaps this is their year.
BACON & KLATT
Brady Bacon is the dirt driver on Terry Klatt's 2019 USAC Silver Crown owner championship team. This time, however, Bacon will wheel a midget for the successful Nebraska car owner whose teams have won 17 career USAC National Midget races, but none since 2012 with Bobby East on the pavement at North Carolina's Ace Speedway.
THOMAS' NEW DIGS
Kevin Thomas Jr. and Petry Motorsports have switched over to the DRC chassis for Indiana Midget Week after recent results that have placed the six-time career series winner outside of the top-ten in each of the past three races after producing two top-seven results in the first two events of 2020 in Ocala, Fla.
HERE COME THE CHAMPS
Four past Indiana Midget Week champs have intentions of competing during the week including the champ of the first two years in 2005 and 2006, Shane Cottle, who has pre-entered to race in the Paragon opener on Tuesday. Another two-time IMW champ, Rico Abreu (2014-15) will compete in the first three at Paragon, Gas City and Lincoln Park Night #1 before returning for the finale at Kokomo.
Shane Golobic has made it a tradition in making the annual cross-country trek to Indiana Midget Week, where he'll contest the full series and try to repeat his 2017 IMW title. Only Cottle and Abreu have previously gone back-to-back with consecutive IMW championships, and Logan Seavey intends to become the next to accomplish the feat this year with the team that claimed the other Indiana USAC weeklong championship race last year, Indiana Sprint Week.
J-MAC IS BACK
Jason McDougal revealed his plans to move back to the state of Indiana to resume his driving career after briefly stepping back from full-time driving at the conclusion of the 2019 season. He showed little rust in his one series start at Port City this past May, qualifying 4th before ultimately falling back to 13th at the checkered and now will get plenty of extra work in behind the wheel for all six nights of Indiana Midget Week in Steve Reynolds' and Flea Ruzic's No. 21KS.
FORMER WINNERS
Of the 29 different drivers who've won an Indiana Midget Week feature since its inaugural year in 2005, 14 of them are entered to compete this coming week. Kyle Larson leads all active drivers with 5 victories, four behind the all-time mark of 9 set by Bryan Clauson. With the streak Larson is on at the moment, who knows? That record may very well be attainable in this six-race set. Rico Abreu has four, while Shane Cottle, Tyler Courtney and Tanner Thorson each have three. Nine different drivers possess at least one IMW triumph, including Brady Bacon, Steve Buckwalter, Dave Darland, Zach Daum, Justin Grant, Logan Seavey, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Thomas Jr. and Chris Windom.
WHAT'S ON ORDER FROM THE VENUE
This year's Indiana Midget Week slate has taken a slightly different look than in recent years with Paragon Speedway becoming the first new track addition to IMW since Montpelier in 2016. Not only that fact, but no drivers on this year's list have any midget experience at Paragon, creating a new ballgame for all. Forged out of necessity is the first-ever occasion in the 16-year history of IMW that a single track has hosted multiple races within the same week, Lincoln Park Speedway on Thursday, June 18, and Friday, June 19. This situation came about due to Friday's original venue, Bloomington Speedway, being restricted to holding no fans due to COVID-19.
THE ROOKS
Indiana Midget Week can be a grind. And when it comes to those attempting the week for the first time, it can be the ultimate challenge in many respects. We've seen the potential from a few who could be contenders for a victory, and possibly a championship with the likes of Gio Scelzi, a World of Outlaws winner and USAC National Midget victor late last year at Placerville (Calif.) Speedway, plus top series Rookie Buddy Kofoid, who's third in the overall standings after five events and has had no finish worse than 11th in that span. Daison Pursley, too, a Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammate to Kofoid who has shown flashes in limited runs thus far but resided 9th in the points.
WESTERN CONTINGENT
A mass of western contingent is on its way to IMW to compete throughout the entire week, namely USAC Western series champions Ronnie Gardner (2013-14-15-16-17 Western States Midget), Brody Roa (2009 California Dirt Focus Midget, 2016 West Coast Sprint and 2019 Southwest Sprint) and Jake Swanson (2017 West Coast Sprint), Western series winners Chase Johnson and Maria Cofer, plus Dylan Ito, nephew of longtime TQ Midget success George Ito.
All Indiana Midget Week events will follow state guidelines, limiting seating capacity to 50 percent at all venues. Tickets are expected to sell fast and will only be available online at www.usactickets.com while they last. In fact, the Paragon and Gas City events have already sold out.
There, you will be provided the option to upgrade to a pit pass. You will also have the option to purchase tickets for the full week of Indiana Midget Week events.
On the screen, there will also be a space to reserve children's tickets. All children's ticket prices will be based on each track's policies. Children's tickets will count toward the capacity level and we can keep track of all the numbers to stay within the 50 percent capacity guideline.
There's also an option to order an Indiana Midget Week shirt that you can pick up at one of the Indiana Midget Week events you are attending.
All nights of IMW, along with all USAC National events in 2020, will be live on FloRacing.
2020 INDIANA MIDGET WEEK SCHEDULE
Tue., June 16: Paragon Speedway - Paragon, Indiana
Pits open at 4pm Eastern, grandstands at 5pm and hot laps at 6:30pm
Wed., June 17: Gas City I-69 Speedway - Gas City, Indiana
Pits open at 3pm Eastern, grandstands at 5pm and hot laps at 6:45pm
Thu., June 18: Lincoln Park Speedway - Putnamville, Indiana
Pits open at 3pm Eastern, grandstands at 4:30pm and hot laps at 6:30pm
Fri., June 19: Lincoln Park Speedway - Putnamville, Indiana
Pits open at 3pm Eastern, grandstands at 4:30pm and hot laps at 6:30pm
Sat., June 20: Lawrenceburg Speedway - Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Pits open at 3pm Eastern, grandstands at 5pm and hot laps at 6pm
Sun., June 21: Kokomo Speedway - Kokomo, Indiana
Pits open at 3pm Eastern, grandstands at 5pm and hot laps at 6pm
INDIANA MIDGET WEEK CHAMPIONS: (2005-2019)
2005: Shane Cottle
2006: Shane Cottle
2007: Jerry Coons, Jr.
2008: Tracy Hines
2009: Bryan Clauson
2010: Tracy Hines / Brad Kuhn
2011: Bryan Clauson
2012: Darren Hagen
2013: Christopher Bell
2014: Rico Abreu
2015: Rico Abreu
2016: Bryan Clauson
2017: Shane Golobic
2018: Spencer Bayston
2019: Logan Seavey
ALL-TIME INDIANA MIDGET WEEK WINS: (2005-2019)
1. (9) Bryan Clauson
2. (5) Christopher Bell & Kyle Larson
4. (4) Rico Abreu
5. (3) Spencer Bayston, Shane Cottle, Tyler Courtney, Darren Hagen, Brad Kuhn, Michael Pickens & Tanner Thorson
12. (2) Jerry Coons, Jr., Davey Ray & Brad Sweet
15. (1) Brady Bacon, Chad Boat, Steve Buckwalter, Dave Darland, Zach Daum, Jay Drake, Justin Grant, Tracy Hines, Levi Jones, Johnny Rodriguez, Logan Seavey, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Kevin Swindell, Kevin Thomas, Jr. & Chris Windom
410 Sprint Car Feature | Port Royal Speedway 6.14.2020
Posted by: | CommentsSchnapf Shot: It’s a First-Time USAC Sprint Winner at Tri-State!
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
#61m Stephen Schnapf, a first-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature winner Sunday night at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. (Rich Forman Photo)
SCHNAPF SHOT:
IT'S A FIRST-TIME USAC SPRINT WINNER AT TRI-STATE!
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Haubstadt, Indiana (June 14, 2020).........Stephen Schnapf knew he had the speed at Tri-State Speedway. He just had to finish that final third.
After last year's oh-so-close second-place finish in midsummer to Kyle Cummins in which Schnapf led all but the final four laps, the Evansville, Ind. native felt a victory on the big stage was just within reach, but just needed to close it out Mariano Rivera style.
"I knew last year we were fast," Schnapf remembered. "I knew we were able to get out and roll early, but Cummins got us every time last year. That last third of the race, he'd always be quicker and was able to get around us and we just couldn't quite hang on."
Sunday night, Schnapf finally found that final third to finish off his first career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory in the Midwest Sprint Car Series co-sanctioned "Showdown" at Haubstadt, Indiana's Tri-State Speedway, a monumental victory for the 31-year-old just one day shy of his 32nd birthday.
"This is like 22 or 23 years I've been racing now," Schnapf recalled. "We've won local championships, state championships, and have run well. I've been close to a feature win on the national level and this is honestly, truly, my first ever national feature win in any type of race car. It's taken so many years to finally get it, and I've had so many great people behind me over those years, and things just weren't quite able to work out. Finally, tonight, the stars just lined up for me. Tonight, it was kind of destiny, and it was going to be hard to be beaten."
Right from the get go, Schnapf was on point. Despite Schnapf starting from the pole, Cummins, who swept all nine Sprint Car feature victories in USAC and MSCS competition at the ¼-mile dirt oval track in 2019, was the odds-on favorite from the third starting spot and was already challenging Schnapf for the lead at the conclusion of lap one.
Schnapf withstood Cummins' challenge and burst off the top of turn four to beat Cummins to the line and, from there, extended his lead lap-after-lap, eventually carving out a half-straightaway lead in the first half of the 30-lapper.
As Schnapf fenagled his way through the back half of the field, Cummins began to reel him in, shaving a second off Schnapf's 1.6 second lead. On the 20th lap, Schnapf encountered Max Adams, attempting to put him a lap down, but Schnapf was caught up just enough to nearly allow Cummins to take full advantage of the door he left open underneath.
However, Schnapf secured his grasp, denying what ultimately became Cummins' last shot. Leading USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Rookie Anton Hernandez slowed moments later to bring out the caution, thus putting the intensity of traffic and the immediate pressure of Cummins' presence off Schnapf for the time being.
With that said, Schnapf was in a rhythm, and some drivers loathe the thought of restarts. Not so much for Schnapf, who considered it a blessing in a way with how well he could launch each time he saw the green.
Cummins was able to stay within a couple car lengths of Schnapf in the ensuing laps following the last restart, which started the final, crucial third of the race, but Cummins wasn't quite able to get a run. With six to go, however, any thought of Cummins making a run at a 10th consecutive Tri-State victory vanished.
Cummins was disposed of by Donny Brackett for second off turn four on the 24th lap, then a half-lap later, was overtaken for third by Robert Ballou. Suddenly, it was apparent something was amiss as Cummins slowed dramatically and pulled into the infield with an engine issue, ending his astounding winning streak with a 22nd place finish.
With the victory, Schnapf became the initial first-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature winner of 2020, and the first since Logan Seavey at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway in August of 2019. Schnapf was also the first first-time USAC Sprint winner at Tri-State since Carson Short in 2016. (Rich Forman Photo)
Schnapf stretched his lead out over Brackett and Ballou and appeared headed for surefire victory when 16th running Kendall Ruble spun to a stop in turn two, presenting a green-white-checkered finish, and another instance of Schnapf having to display his prowess this night on another restart.
"I knew I could restart," Schnapf confidently stated. "The motor was firing really good and I knew that just getting a restart, we got an opportunity to put three or four car lengths between us. I was happy to see that one, but with two go, I really wasn't as excited to see the caution. But I knew that, even there, just get a good start and don't miss the bottom, and it was ours."
And it was. Schnapf zipped away from the pack, leaving the battle to be fought for the runner-up position. Insanity ensued on the final corner of the final lap behind Schnapf when second-running Brackett, headed for his best career USAC finish, spun sideways in turn four, recovering only by driving through the infield and soldiering on to an 11th place result while Ballou, Kevin Thomas Jr., Carson Short and Justin Grant freight-trained by to take the remainder of the top-five spots at the checkered.
Following a relatively tough start to the night, Schnapf credits his ongoing building of experience to help him forge forward in diagnosing changes to take his ride from a good car to a winning car.
"Tonight, we actually came in way too tight; I couldn't keep the front end down on the ground," Schnapf admitted. "But, now with a few years of experience, we were able to keep traction and make a few tweaks just to make it driveable. That's where it was. It was hard to see Kyle drive away last year. All year, we searched to find that extra speed and we were never able to find it. Even though we didn't find it last year, we finally found that little bit of extra speed we needed here."
With the victory, Schnapf became the initial first-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature winner of 2020, and the first since Logan Seavey at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway in August of 2019. Schnapf was also the first first-time USAC Sprint winner at Tri-State since Carson Short in 2016.
Dave Darland's 61st career fast qualifying time during Fatheadz Eyewear time trials moved him past Tracy Hines for second all-time in series history. Darland, the all-time winningest driver in series history now ranks just four behind Tom Bigelow's record of 65 fast qualifying times.
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 14, 2020 - Tri-State Speedway - Haubstadt, Indiana - "The Showdown" - 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval - Co-Sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR/ADDICTION SOLUTIONS VINCENNES QUALIFYING FLIGHT ONE: 1. Donny Brackett, 4B, Brackett-13.749; 2. Carson Short, 71p, Daigh/Phillips-13.770; 3. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-13.816; 4. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-13.843; 5. Kendall Ruble, 17, Ruble/Martin-13.939; 6. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-13.948; 7. Jadon Rogers, 14, Rogers-13.963; 8. Kevin Thomas Jr., 9K, KT-13.989; 9. Shane Cottle, 74x, Hodges-14.128; 10. Brayden Fox, 53, Fox-14.158; 11. Jonathan Vennard, 54, KO-14.193; 12. Dustin Clark, 75, Clark-14.224; 13. Stan Beadles, 84, Beadles-14.392; 14. Anton Hernandez, 5, Baldwin-14.490; 15. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-14.543; 16. Mario Clouser, 6, Clouser-14.662; 17. Logan Seavey, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-14.732; 18. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-14.926; 19. Harley Burns, 16, Burns-14.938; 20. Mitchell Davis, 56, Davis-15.406; 21. Sam Scott, 7, Scott- 15.648; 22. Robert Bell, 71, Bell-16.490; 23. Eric Perrott, 45, Perrott-16.984.
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR/ADDICTION SOLUTIONS VINCENNES QUALIFYING FLIGHT TWO: 1. Dave Darland, 36d, EZR/Curb-Agajanian-13.647; 2. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-13.717; 3. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-13.787; 4. Stephen Schnapf, 61m, Edwards-13.904; 5. Dakota Jackson, 17G, On The Gass-14.003; 6. Chris Windom, 19, Hayward-14.078; 7. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-14.159; 8. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-14.184; 9. Chayse Hayhurst, 20, Hayhurst-14.243; 10. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-14.276; 11. Max Adams, 5m, Adams-14.314; 12. Critter Malone, 5s, KO-14.363; 13. Aric Gentry, 10, GBR-14.407; 14. Brady Short, 11p, Short/Pottorff-14.484; 15. Chris Phillips, 6p, Phillips-14.492; 16. Brandon Morin, 98, Morin-14.610; 17. Dustin Smith, 77, LG-14.623; 18. Kent Schmidt, 5K, KO-14.638; 19. Kurt Gross, 1x, Gross-15.050; 20. Ryan Bond, 7R, Bond-15.282; 21. Anthony D'Alessio, 01, D'Alessio/Parallax-15.655; 22. Steve Thomas, 27, Thomas-16.495.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Donny Brackett, 2. Robert Ballou, 3. Jadon Rogers, 4. Jonathan Vennard, 5. Shane Cottle, 6. Jarett Andretti, 7. Logan Seavey, 8. Harley Burns, 9. Sam Scott, 10. Eric Perrott, 11. Kendall Ruble, 12. Stan Beadles. 2:21.816
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. C.J. Leary, 2. Brady Bacon, 3. Dustin Clark, 4. Carson Short, 5. Kevin Thomas Jr., 6. Anton Hernandez, 7. Brayden Fox, 8. Mario Clouser, 9. Mitchell Davis, 10. Matt Westfall, 11. Robert Bell. 2:23.946
AUTOMETER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Kyle Cummins, 2. Aric Gentry, 3. Chase Stockon, 4. Dakota Jackson, 5. Dave Darland, 6. Max Adams, 7. Chris Phillips, 8. Dustin Smith, 9. Kurt Gross, 10. Chayse Hayhurst, 11. Anthony D'Alessio. NT
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Stephen Schnapf, 2. Chris Windom, 3. Brandon Mattox, 4. Justin Grant, 5. Kent Schmidt, 6. Charles Davis Jr., 7. Brandon Morin, 8. Brady Short, 9. Ryan Bond, 10. Steve Thomas, 11. Critter Malone. NT
C-MAIN: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the semi) 1. Mario Clouser, 2. Kent Schmidt, 3. Brandon Morin, 4. Logan Seavey, 5. Mitchell Davis, 6. Dustin Smith, 7. Kurt Gross, 8. Matt Westfall, 9. Anthony D'Alessio, 10. Sam Scott, 11. Steve Thomas, 12. Eric Perrott, 13. Ryan Bond, 14. Robert Bell. 2:26.686
INDY METAL FINISHING SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr., 2. Kendall Ruble, 3. Charles Davis Jr., 4. Max Adams, 5. Brady Short, 6. Anton Hernandez, 7. Dave Darland, 8. Brandon Morin, 9. Mario Clouser, 10. Shane Cottle, 11. Kent Schmidt, 12. Critter Malone, 13. Stan Beadles, 14. Brayden Fox, 15. Chayse Hayhurst, 16. Chris Phillips, 17. Logan Seavey, 18. Jarett Andretti. 2:56.830
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Stephen Schnapf (1), 2. Robert Ballou (2), 3. Kevin Thomas Jr. (15), 4. Carson Short (4), 5. Justin Grant (5), 6. Chris Windom (9), 7. Chase Stockon (11), 8. Brady Bacon (10), 9. Jadon Rogers (12), 10. Brady Short (21), 11. Donny Brackett (6), 12. C.J. Leary (7), 13. Brandon Mattox (16), 14. Charles Davis Jr. (14), 15. Kendall Ruble (13), 16. Max Adams (17), 17. Aric Gentry (20), 18. Kent Schmidt (24), 19. Dustin Clark (19), 20. Logan Seavey (23), 21. Dakota Jackson (8), 22. Kyle Cummins (3), 23. Anton Hernandez (22), 24. Jonathan Vennard (18), 25. Dave Darland (25), 26. Chayse Hayhurst (26). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Stephen Schnapf.
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-368, 2-Chris Windom-353, 3-Brady Bacon-344, 4-C.J. Leary-320, 5-Kevin Thomas Jr.-291, 6-Chase Stockon-283, 7-Carson Short-270, 8-Logan Seavey-253, 9-Dave Darland-234, 10-Robert Ballou-207.
NEW OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Andrew Layser-31, 2-Logan Seavey-29, 3-Kevin Thomas Jr.-25, 4-Tanner Thorson-23, 5-Chris Windom-23, 6-Brady Bacon-20, 7-Mario Clouser-19, 8-Daison Pursley-18, 9-Tyler Courtney-16, 10-Tyler Thomas-16.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: June 26, 2020 - Plymouth Speedway - Plymouth, Indiana - 3/8-Mile Dirt Oval
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Fatheadz Eyewear/Addiction Solutions Vincennes Fast Qualifier: Dave Darland
Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Donny Brackett
Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner: C.J. Leary
AutoMeter Third Heat Winner: Kyle Cummins
Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner: Stephen Schnapf
Indy Metal Finishing Semi Winner: Kevin Thomas Jr.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Brady Short (21st to 10th)
Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher: Brandon Mattox
Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer: Dave Darland
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
Winner Dominic Scelzi (Tim Aylwin Photo)
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com
Dominic Scelzi scores first-ever All Star victory during Thunder Through The Plains finale at Chatham Speedway
CHATHAM, La. (June 14, 2020) - Just 24 hours following his near-tie for second-place at Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas, eventually resolved over a friendly game of rock-paper-scissors with Rudeen Racing’s Cory Eliason, Fresno, California’s Dominic Scelzi did two spots better on Sunday evening and scored a first-ever Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory during the Cometic Gasket Thunder Through The Plains presented by Hercules Tire finale at Chatham Speedway in Chatham, Louisiana.
Including his win, Scelzi ended the eight-race Thunder Through The Plains schedule with five top-five finishes.
“I’ll tell you what man, this is big for me. We’ve really been hitting our strides the last couple of nights and it’s really shown,” Dominic Scelzi said, driver of the SE Inc./Red Rose Transportation/No. 41S sprint car. “Jimmy, Marty, Aaron, Brandon; these guys have really busted their asses this week, going to a bunch of new places we’ve never been to before. I’m not even sure I ever made an All Star dash before this week. For me, this is every bit as big as winning the World Challenge. I have one more mark to add to my resume and that’s an Outlaw win. Hopefully we can do that real soon.”
The $5,000 triumph was accomplished in exciting fashion, first working underneath fellow California-native and race leader, Justin Sanders, at the exit of turn four with eight laps complete, then surviving multiple single-file restarts before holding off two-time All Star champion and Kilgore winner, Aaron Reutzel, in a drag race to the final checkers. The drag race, separated by a mere-.2 seconds, was initiated by a caution and a restart with two circuits remaining.
Justin Sanders, who actually retook command from Scelzi for a single circuit on lap 27, doing so by using the bottom groove to sneak below the familiar No. 41s at the exit of turn four, held on to finish third at Chatham, followed by Zeb Wise and Paul McMahan.
“We were lucky to hang on those last two laps, especially with Aaron (Reutzel) breathing down our neck,” Scelzi continued. “Getting a little love tap at the end from Aaron, and Paul (McMahan) and everyone giving me a thumbs-up, it just goes to show how big of a following and friends I have in this sport. I haven’t won a lot of races, but this is a big one. I just want to thank the big man upstairs. I’m going to get really drunk tonight.”
What’s Next:
After a much needed rest, the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will continue their 2020 campaign with a visit to Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday evening, June 24. The rescheduled Keith Kauffman Classic will be the main attraction awarding a $6,000 top prize. For those seeking additional information, please visit Port Royal Speedway online at www.portroyalspeedway.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: Chatham Speedway - June 14, 2020:
Event: Cometic Gasket Thunder Through The Plains presented by Hercules Tires
Entries: 20
C&R Racing All Star Warm-Ups: Aaron Reutzel - 12.988
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Aaron Reutzel - 12.743
Ford Performance Heat #1 Winner: Josh Baughman
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2 Winner: Justin Sanders
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3 Winner: Channin Tankersley
Kear’s Speed Shop Dash Winner: Justin Sanders
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet A-Main Winner: Dominic Scelzi
Hercules Tire A-Main Hard Charger: Tony Stewart (+7)
Qualifying
1.87-Aaron Reutzel, 12.743; 2. 26-Cory Eliason, 12.761; 3. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 12.778; 4. 11-Zeb Wise, 12.782; 5. 23B-Brian Bell, 12.832; 6. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 12.927; 7. 17-Josh Baughman, 12.930; 8. 13-Paul McMahan, 12.975; 9. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 13.007; 10. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.012; 11. 16A-Justin Sanders, 13.019; 12. 17g-Channin Tankersley, 13.024; 13. 14-Tony Stewart, 13.057; 14. 48-Danny Dietrich, 13.086; 15. 99-Skylar Gee, 13.098; 16. 70-Roger Crockett, 13.111; 17. 10m-Morgan Turpen, 13.221; 18. 9-Chase Randall, 13.448; 19. 4-Danny Smith, 13.453; 20. 10-Terry Gray, 14.105;
Heat #1 (8 Laps) - Top 8 Transfer
1. 17-Josh Baughman [2]; 2. W20-Greg Wilson [1]; 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel [4]; 4. 11-Zeb Wise [3]; 5. 14-Tony Stewart [5]; 6. 70-Roger Crockett [6]; 7. 4-Danny Smith [7]
Heat #2 (8 Laps) - Top 8 Transfer
1. 16A-Justin Sanders [1]; 2. 13-Paul McMahan [2]; 3. 26-Cory Eliason [4]; 4. 48-Danny Dietrich [5]; 5. 23B-Brian Bell [3]; 6. 10M-Morgan Turpen [6]; 7. 10-Terry Gray [7]
Heat #3 (8 Laps) - Top 8 Transfer
1. 17G-Channin Tankersley [1]; 2. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [2]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [3]; 4. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [4]; 5. 99-Skylar Gee [5]; 6. 9-Chase Randall [6]
Dash #1 (6 Laps)
1. 16A-Justin Sanders [1]; 2. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [6]; 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel [3]; 4. 17-Josh Baughman [4]; 5. 26-Cory Eliason [8]; 6. 11-Zeb Wise [7]; 7. 23B-Brian Bell [2]; 8. 17G-Channin Tankersley [5]
A-Main (40 Laps)
1. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [2]; 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel [3]; 3. 16A-Justin Sanders [1]; 4. 11-Zeb Wise [6]; 5. 13-Paul McMahan [9]; 6. 23B-Brian Bell [7]; 7. 14-Tony Stewart [14]; 8. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [12]; 9. W20-Greg Wilson [11]; 10. 17G-Channin Tankersley [8]; 11. 10M-Morgan Turpen [17]; 12. 48-Danny Dietrich [13]; 13. 26-Cory Eliason [5]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [10]; 15. 9-Chase Randall [18]; 16. 17-Josh Baughman [4]; 17. 99-Skylar Gee [15]; 18. 70-Roger Crockett [16]; 19. 4-Danny Smith [19]; 20. 10-Terry Gray [20] Lap Leaders: Justin Sanders (1-7), Dominic Scelzi (8-26), Justin Sanders (27), Dominic Scelzi (28-40)
2020 All Star Circuit of Champions Driver Standings: (As of June 14, 2020)
1. Aaron Reutzel - 1594
2. Cory Eliason - 1554
3. Danny Dietrich - 1534
4. Brock Zearfoss - 1526
5. Zeb Wise - 1524
6. Paul McMahan - 1482
7. Tony Stewart - 1442
8. Greg Wilson -1404
9. Skylar Gee - 1396
10. Josh Baughman - 1378
2020 Thunder Through The Plains FINAL Standings: (As of June 14, 2020)
1. Cory Eliason - 1306
2. Aaron Reutzel - 1298
3. Danny Dietrich - 1264
4. Zeb Wise - 1264
5. Dominic Scelzi - 1264
6. Brock Zearfoss - 1246
7. Paul McMahan - 1214
8. Greg Wilson - 1190
9. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. - 1182
10. Tony Stewart - 1180
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, La. (6/14/2020): Dominic Scelzi
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 363 “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 www.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: www.flosports.tv.
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Photo Credit: Tim Aylwin
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com
New Surface At Georgetown Speedway Did Not Disappoint
Posted by: | Comments410 Sprint Car Feature | Lincoln Speedway 6.13.2020
Posted by: | Comments3RD ANNUAL VP RACE FUELS ROGERS MEMORIAL SET FOR GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY ON JUNE 20
Posted by: | Comments
Grandview Speedway
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NEWS FROM ROGERS FAMILY GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY, Bechtelsville, PA
Presenting Saturday night NASCAR stock car racing plus a variety of special events. Our 58th consecutive season.
Track office: General Manager: Tina Rogers @ 610.754.7688 - Public relations: Ernie Saxton Email: Esaxton144@aol.com – Cell phone: 267.934.7286
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THIRD ANNUAL VP RACING FUELS BRUCE ROGERS MEMORIAL PAYING $7,500 TO WIN SET AT GRANDVIEW JUNE 20
BECHTELSVILLE, PA June 14, 2020. . . Practice is over and racing, actual racing, is ready to be run.
The Third Annual VP Racing Fuels Bruce Rogers Memorial Money Maker is set for Saturday, June 20 at Grandview Speedway and it rewards the winner with at least $7,500 and that is quite an incentive for the dozens of racers expected to be on hand. The big money event will mark the official start of the 58th consecutive season of stock car racing at the Berks County clay oval. Every racer that makes the starting field earns $1,000 or more. And there just may be more money offered before race day. However the honor of winning the 50-lap Small Block/Big Block Modified race could very well mean more to the winner than the big bucks.
Rogers, the man who built the one-third-mile, banked clay track along with his father, was one of the most respected auto racing promoters in the business. And he was very well respected by the competitors. During his 55 years of running the popular auto racing facility he was able to bring it to national notoriety. It is one of the most successful short track racing operations in nation and has continued under the operation of members of the Rogers family since he passed away.
Many well-known racing talents have expressed interest in being a part of this event which will kick off the 58th consecutive season of stock car racing at the Bechtelsville oval. In addition to track regulars such as Duane Howard, Jeff Strunk, Craig Von Dohren, Doug Manmiller, Jared Umbenhauer, Colt Harris, Mike Lisowski, Skyler Sherrif, Dan Wasenpacher, and others. There are a number of visitors expected to be part of the action.
A full series of qualifying events will lead up to the 50-lap main event. Sportsman stock cars will be featured as the second part of the show. Rules can be found at www.grandviewspeedway.com.
Racers planning to participate are requested to pre-enter (no entry fee) by telephoning or texting 484-256-4375. There is no license required and it is a non-point event. Please provide driver’s name, contact information and phone number to assist in the promotion of the event. Complete details, information sheet, can be found at www.grandviewspeedway.com at Bruce Rogers Memorial.
Drivers and owners are asked to please go to www.grandviewspeedway.com and print off the W-2 form and return it to the pit office on opening day. A W-9 form must have been provided to officials in order to participate in the pill drawing.
Ticket prices for the June 20 special event are $28 for adults, $5 for youngsters 6 thru 11 and those under 6 will be admitted FREE. Pit admission is $40. Spectator gates open at 5:30 p.m. with racing action getting the green flag at 7:30 p.m. Pits open at 4 p.m.
It is recommended that all attending wear a mask when they cannot practice social distancing but it is not mandatory. Also there is no COVID-19 waiver to be signed for the event.
Fans that are not sitting with family members are asked to practice social distancing. There are ample seating areas to do that when possible.”
Attendees are being asked, if possible, to provide exact change for tickets, pit passes and items being purchased at concession stands.
In addition it is suggested that those who do not feel well or feel uncomfortable being around others please do not attend.
Non-smokers are reminded that their section is located within the non-alcohol section of the grandstands.
Anyone wishing to camp may do so Saturday overnight. All campers must be off the property the next day.
Coming up on Saturday, June 27th, is a tripleheader show featuring the T.P.Trailers Modifieds, T.P.Truck Equipment Sportsman and Blast from the Past Vintage racers starting at 7:30 p.m.
Information on Grandview Speedway can be found at www.grandviewspeedway.com, Facebook or at 610.754.7688.
The one-third-mile, banked clay track is located on Passmore Road, just off Route 100, 10 miles north of Pottstown.
