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Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
Twin 20's Feature Winners Aaron Reutzel (right) and Lance DeWease (left)(Foto Bomb Productions Photo)
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com
Aaron Reutzel leads All Stars to victory during Jack Gunn Memorial at Williams Grove Speedway; Dewease gets redemption during second 20-lapper
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (August 23, 2019) - For the first time in Series history, the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 defeated the Pennsylvania Posse at Williams Grove Speedway, doing so in dramatic fashion during the first of two Jack Gunn Memorial, 20-lap main events on Friday night, August 23.
Aaron Reutzel, the defending All Star Circuit of Champions titleholder, as well as the current Series point leader and season win leader, led the charge from the pole position during the first 20-lapper at the world-famous half-mile, securing his place in Williams Grove Speedway history books by leading all 20 circuits, all while holding off the track’s all-time win leader and six-time champion, Lance Dewease. In addition, Reutzel’s $4,000 victory snapped a 35-race winless streak at The Grove for Tony Stewart’s All Stars, a stretch that dates back to 1970.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited for an All Star win,” an ecstatic Aaron Reutzel said in victory lane, driver of the Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports/Folkens Brothers Trucking/Fischer Body Shop/No. 87 sprint car. “I think this goes to show how tough it is here and how hard it is to win here. I said it yesterday - we beat the Posse at Grandview, but I don’t think you actually ‘beat the Posse’ until you do it at Williams Grove. It’s pretty special to come in here and do that.”
Despite starting from the pole position, it was a hard-fought 20 laps for the Clute, Texas-native, forced to battle wheel-to-wheel and wing-to-wing with Lance Dewease during much of the second-half of the main event. Things only intensified as lap traffic increased, and by the time the leaders hit halfway, the lapped cars were stacked two and three wide.
Although Dewease and Paul McMahan, who battled in the runner-up spot until Dewease drove by the Nashville-native on lap 11, kept tabs on Reutzel in traffic, it was not until lap 14 when Reutzel received his first threatening challenge.
Attempting to utilize a slider between turns one and two, Dewease did his best to take control over Reutzel, only to be denied by the defending champion a half-lap later at the exit of turn four.
Despite being out-drove during the first Jack Gunn Memorial main event at Williams Grove Speedway, it did not take long for Fayetteville’s Lance Dewease to find his way back to All Star Circuit of Champions victory lane, ultimately winning the second of two $4,000 paydays and bumping his Williams Grove Speedway win count to 97. Impressive enough, Dewease now owns 39 All Star victories, eight of which accomplished at the Cumberland County paperclip.
“We just keep plugging away with this race car,” Lance Dewease expressed, driver of the Don Kreitz, Jr.-owned/Schannauer Plumbing and Heating/Hess Iron/No. 69K sprint car. “The guys have been working hard since Knoxville. We weren’t too happy with how things ended out there, but we were pretty good all night tonight. I think I may have been a little too timid during the first feature, but I was able to be a little more aggressive during the second.”
By virtue of a six-position inversion draw, Lance Dewease started fifth on the second Jack Gunn Memorial main event grid. Although it took six circuits for Dewease to advance his first position, it was smooth sailing from that point forward. Just one circuit later, Dewease was able to drive by Adam Wilt for third, next setting aim on Ryan Smith and race-long leader, Kyle Moody.
By lap 12, Dewease was all over Smith for second, eventually taking the spot before the pair got back to the flagstand. It would only take Dewease two more laps to solidify his place at the top of the running order, the result of a massive dive into corner number three to get by Moody on lap 14.
“That’s my favorite corner around this place,” Lance Dewease said about turn three and four. “We can do that stuff pretty good when we are right.”
Ryan Smith drove by Moody to steal second before the final checkers, followed by Moody, Adam Wilt and Chad Trout.
Fans should note that the Jack Gunn Memorial will be aired on MAVTV Motorsports Network on October 20.
The ‘Fabulous’ Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania, will have their fair share of All Star competition on Saturday evening, August 24. Similar to their visit to Grandview two nights prior, the All Stars will chase a $5,000 winner’s share in the Pigeon Hills.
Lincoln Speedway will open pit gates at 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 24. Action will commence with a mandatory drivers meeting at 6 p.m., followed by hot laps at 6:45 p.m., sharp. Those seeking additional information should visit Lincoln Speedway live on the Web at www.lincolnspeedway.com.
Contingency Awards/Results:
Williams Grove Speedway - August 23, 2019:
Event: Jack Gunn Memorial Twin 20’s
Entries: 31
C&R Racing All Star Warm-Ups: Dale Blaney - 16.879 seconds
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Dale Blaney - 16.717 seconds
Ford Performance Heat #1: TJ Stutts
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2: Paul McMahan
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3: Kyle Moody
Mobil 1 Heat #4: Adam Wilt
JE Pistons Dash #1: Aaron Reutzel
Fatheadz Eyewear Dash #2: Paul McMahan
Classic Ink USA Screenprinting B-Main Winner: Cory Haas
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet A-Main Winner #1: Aaron Reutzel
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet A-Main Winner #2: Lance Dewease
MSD Performance Hard Charger Award Feature #1: Chad Trout (+5)
Cometic Gasket Most A-Main Laps Led Feature #1: Aaron Reutzel (1-20)
Cometic Gasket Most A-Main Laps Led Feature #2: Kyle Moody (1-13)
Rayce Rudeen Foundation First Non-Transfer: Tony Stewart
(Lincoln Electric, MSD Performance, Fatheadz Eyewear, Rayce Rudeen Foundation, Cometic Gasket: Need decal to qualify for contingency award)
Qualifying
Group (A)
1. 11-Dale Blaney, 16.717; 2. O7-Gerard McIntyre, 16.876; 3. 11S-TJ Stutts, 16.989; 4. 1-Logan Wagner, 17.003; 5. 70-Brock Zearfoss, 17.110; 6. 55K-Robbie Kendall, 17.127; 7. 98H-Dave Blaney, ---
Group (B)
1. 69K-Lance Dewease, 16.737; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich, 16.771; 3. 72-Ryan Smith, 16.860; 4. 13-Paul McMahan, 16.882; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri, 17.010; 6. 39-Cory Haas, 17.044; 7. 17B-Steve Buckwalter, 17.480; 8. 14-Tony Stewart,
Group (C)
1. 21-Brian Montieth, 16.747; 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 16.841; 3. 99M-Kyle Moody, 17.151; 4. 99-Skylar Gee, 17.187; 5. W20-Greg Wilson, 17.251; 6. 91-Kyle Reinhardt, 17.388; 7. 40-George Hobaugh, 17.684; 8. 12w-Troy Fraker, 18.019
Group (D)
1. 1X-Chad Trout, 17.106; 2. 51-Freddie Rahmer, 17.114; 3. 26-Cory Eliason, 17.200; 4. 15-Adam Wilt, 17.253; 5. 5-Jeff Halligan, 17.438; 6. 70X-Justin Peck, 17.439; 7. 47K-Kody Lehman, 17.826
Heat #1 - Group (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer
1. 11S-TJ Stutts [2]; 2. 1-Logan Wagner [1]; 3. 11-Dale Blaney [4]; 4. 70-Brock Zearfoss [5]; 5. O7-Gerard McIntyre [3]; 6. 55K-Robbie Kendall [6]; 7. 98H-Dave Blaney [7]
Heat #2 - Group (B) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer
1. 13-Paul McMahan [1]; 2. 72-Ryan Smith [2]; 3. 48-Danny Dietrich [3]; 4. 69K-Lance Dewease [4]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri [5]; 6. 39-Cory Haas [6]; 7. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [7]; 8. 14-Tony Stewart [8]
Heat #3 - Group (C) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer
1. 99M-Kyle Moody [2]; 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel [3]; 3. 21-Brian Montieth [4]; 4. W20-Greg Wilson [5]; 5. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [6]; 6. 99-Skylar Gee [1]; 7. 40-George Hobaugh [7]; 8. 12W-Troy Fraker [8]
Heat #4 - Group (D) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer
1. 15-Adam Wilt [1]; 2. 26-Cory Eliason [2]; 3. 1X-Chad Trout [4]; 4. 51-Freddie Rahmer [3]; 5. 70X-Justin Peck [6]; 6. 5-Jeff Halligan [5]
Dash #1 (4 Laps)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel [1]; 2. 69K-Lance Dewease [3]; 3. 99M-Kyle Moody [2]; 4. 1-Logan Wagner [5]; 5. 11-Dale Blaney [4]
Dash #2 (4 Laps)
1. 13-Paul McMahan [2]; 2. 72-Ryan Smith [1]; 3. 15-Adam Wilt [4]; 4. 26-Cory Eliason [3]; 5. 11S-TJ Stutts [5]
B-Main (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 39-Cory Haas [1]; 2. 55K-Robbie Kendall [2]; 3. 5-Jeff Halligan [4]; 4. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [5]; 5. 14-Tony Stewart [10]; 6. 99-Skylar Gee [3]; 7. 40-George Hobaugh [6]; 8. 12W-Troy Fraker [9]
A-Main (20 Laps)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel [1]; 2. 69K-Lance Dewease [3]; 3. 13-Paul McMahan [2]; 4. 72-Ryan Smith [4]; 5. 15-Adam Wilt [6]; 6. 99M-Kyle Moody [5]; 7. 1-Logan Wagner [7]; 8. 1X-Chad Trout [13]; 9. 11-Dale Blaney [9]; 10. 26-Cory Eliason [8]; 11. 48-Danny Dietrich [12]; 12. 21-Brian Montieth [11]; 13. 70-Brock Zearfoss [14]; 14. 51-Freddie Rahmer [15]; 15. 11S-TJ Stutts [10]; 16. 39M-Anthony Macri [18]; 17. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [19]; 18. 70X-Justin Peck [20]; 19. W20-Greg Wilson [16]; 20. 39-Cory Haas [21]; 21. O7-Gerard McIntyre [17]; 22. 5-Jeff Halligan [23]; 23. 99-Skylar Gee [25]; 24. 12W-Troy Fraker [26]; 25. 55K-Robbie Kendall [22]; 26. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [24]
Lap Leaders: Aaron Reutzel (1-20)
A-Main (20 Laps)
1. 69K-Lance Dewease [5]; 2. 72-Ryan Smith [3]; 3. 99M-Kyle Moody [1]; 4. 15-Adam Wilt [2]; 5. 1X-Chad Trout [8]; 6. 48-Danny Dietrich [11]; 7. 21-Brian Montieth [12]; 8. 13-Paul McMahan [4]; 9. 87-Aaron Reutzel [6]; 10. 1-Logan Wagner [7]; 11. 51-Freddie Rahmer [14]; 12. 26-Cory Eliason [10]; 13. 39M-Anthony Macri [16]; 14. 70-Brock Zearfoss [13]; 15. 11S-TJ Stutts [15]; 16. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [17]; 17. 70X-Justin Peck [18]; 18. 39-Cory Haas [20]; 19. O7-Gerard McIntyre [21]; 20. 5-Jeff Halligan [22]; 21. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [26]; 22. W20-Greg Wilson [19]; 23. 12W-Troy Fraker [24]; 24. 99-Skylar Gee [23]; 25. 11-Dale Blaney [9]; 26. 55K-Robbie Kendall [25]
Lap Leaders: Kyle Moody (1-13), Lance Dewease (14-20)
2019 All Star Circuit of Champions Driver Standings (After 8/23/2019):
1. Aaron Reutzel - 3626
2. Dale Blaney - 3606
3. Cory Eliason - 3544
4. Paul McMahan - 3496
5. Brock Zearfoss - 3396
6. Greg Wilson - 3336
7. Gerard McIntyre - 3232
8. Skylar Gee - 3154
9. George Hobaugh - 2768
10. Tony Stewart - 2152
2019 All Star Circuit of Champions Winners:
Bubba Raceway Park, Fla. (1/31/2019): Tim Shaffer
Bubba Raceway Park, Fla. (2/1/2019): Tim Shaffer (2)
Bubba Raceway Park, Fla. (2/2/2019): Tony Stewart
Volusia Speedway Park, Fla. (2/6/2019): Shane Stewart
Volusia Speedway Park, Fla. (2/7/2019): Brad Sweet
Virginia Motor Speedway, Va. (4/11/2019): Cory Eliason
Port Royal Speedway, Pa. (4/13/2019): Lance Dewease
Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (5/24/2019): Aaron Reutzel
Fremont Speedway, Ohio (5/26/2019): Aaron Reutzel (2)
Outlaw Speedway, N.Y. (6/7/2019): Brock Zearfoss
Stateline Speedway, N.Y. (6/8/2019): Dale Blaney
Weedsport Speedway, N.Y. (6/9/2019): Danny Dietrich
Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (6/14/2019): Kyle Larson
Muskingum County Speedway, Ohio (6/16/2019): Dale Blaney (2)
Wayne County Speedway, Ohio (6/19/2019): Aaron Reutzel (3)
Wayne County Speedway, Ohio (6/22/2019): Buddy Kofoid
Dirt Oval at Route 66, Ill. (6/29/2019): Aaron Reutzel (4)
Lernerville Speedway, Pa. (7/5/2019): Aaron Reutzel (5)
Sharon Speedway, Ohio (7/6/2019): Dale Blaney (3)
Utica-Rome Speedway, N.Y. (7/12/2019): Aaron Reutzel (6)
Orange County Fair Speedway N.Y. (7/13/2019): Danny Dietrich (2)
Lebanon Valley Speedway N.Y. (7/14/2019): Brock Zearfoss (2)
Plymouth Dirt Track, Wis. (7/25/2019): James McFadden
Jackson Motorplex, Minn. (7/26/2019): James McFadden (2)
Knoxville Raceway, Iowa (7/27/2019): Gio Scelzi
34 Raceway, Iowa (7/28/2019): Tony Stewart (2)
I-96 Speedway, Mich (8/16/2019): Cory Eliason (2)
Plymouth Speedway, Ind. (8/17/2019): Aaron Reutzel (7)
Grandview Speedway, Pa. (8/22/2019): Aaron Reutzel (8)
Williams Grove Speedway, Pa. (8/23/2019): Aaron Reutzel (9)
Williams Grove Speedway, Pa. (8/23/2019): Lance Dewease (2)
About MAVTV Motorsports Network:
MAVTV Motorsports Network is a television network with its roots deep in the automotive world. MAVTV offers an unparalleled line-up of exclusive motorsports that includes prestigious events such as the Chili Bowl, the AMA Pro Motocross series, and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). But MAVTV also covers a multitude of grassroot racing from the US and across the globe including drag boats, sprint boats, drag racing, pro pulling, rally racing, drifting, dirt racing, ice racing and everything in between plus a package of automotive reality and custom build shows. If it has a motor, it's on MAVTV. For more information, visit www.mavtv.com
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. In 2019, MAVTV Motorsports Network will continue to be the official television home of the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 and will broadcast ten high-profile events.
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 330 “semi-lovely” stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. 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.
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Photo Credit: Foto Bomb Production
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com
Carson Macedo wins $20K at Black Hills Speedway with Kyle Larson Racing
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World of Outlaws
Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com
Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article
Winner Carson Macedo (DB3 Photo)
ROOKIE RISING: Macedo wins $20K NOS Energy Drink Showdown at Black Hills
Carson Macedo overtakes Shane Stewart on an early restart for the lead and powers to his third win of the season
RAPID CITY, SD – Aug. 23, 2019 – Carson Macedo’s goal entering his World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series rookie year was to run well each week and pick up a couple of wins by the end of the season.
Friday night at Black Hills Speedway for the $20,000-to-win NOS Energy Drink Rushmore Outlaw Showdown he picked up his third win of the season – in his first race at Black Hills – and second top-five in-a-row.
“It’s pretty cool,” Macedo said. “To win races was my main goal. I thought if I could get out here and win some races and at least show I could maybe have the speed to contend at one point that my team would get happy and we could all stick together for a few years. I think we can really build something great here.”
Macedo, of Lemoore, Calif., had speed with his Kyle Larson Racing team all night. He charged from sixth-place to second in his Drydene Heat race. Then followed that up with another runner-up finish in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash.
At the start of the 25-lap Feature, Macedo charged after the lead with the aggression of a hungry young cub. Hammering the throttle around the cushion, Macedo stayed side-by-side with polesitter Shane Stewart through the first turn. By the exit of turn two the two left inches between their tires, but Macedo never lifted and launched to the lead down the backstretch.
However, before Macedo could complete the first lap and make the lead change official, the red flag came out for Kevin Ingle flipping on his side in turn two.
When the race went green again, Stewart wasn’t going to let the rookie best him. He shot to the lead in front of Macedo into turn one. Daryn Pittman charged from fourth-place to third down the front stretch and tried a Hail Mary slide job into the first turn to take the lead, but Stewart and Macedo powered by him on the outside.
Stewart then held command of the lead for the next nine laps, putting close to a half of a track distance between he and Macedo. The Oklahoma-native was hungry and determined for a win. His last and only win his year came in June at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. But his joyride out front was cut short by a caution for Ian Madsen cutting a tire and hitting the wall with 16 laps to go.
The field lined back up two-by-two. When it did, Stewart chose the outside line. A mistake. Macedo got the better jump on the restart running the bottom and drove past Stewart down the front stretch.
“I obviously should have picked the bottom,” a dejected Stewart said after the race. “I felt like my right rear (tire) needed to be in grip. I slid my tires a little bit on the initial start and let Carson get a run on me. I didn’t want to do that again. My motor stumbled just a little bit, but it was enough for him to get a run on me.
“We haven’t been worth a crap in a long time and we finally have a good car and I flat just threw it away on the restart. Just can’t thank my guys enough. They’ve stuck through thick and thin and continue to work hard. Just messed up.”
Macedo pulled away from Stewart after taking the lead, but in the final few laps Stewart was putting together better laps than Macedo. On the final lap through the final corner, Macedo slid up the track, almost hitting the wall. That allowed Stewart to cut the lead in half.
But time ran out for the KI Crossbow No. 5. Macedo throttled his Chevrolet Accessories No. 2 past the waving checkered flag with a close to half a second lead.
“I was really struggling to get off of (turn) two,” Macedo said. “Then I’d get tight in turns three and four and I didn’t really know what to do. I know we started to fade there a little bit. I tried to keep my pace as best I could. My guys did a really good job. I say it all the time, this sport is weighed on mechanics and they do a really good job.”
Behind Macedo and Stewart, 2019 Knoxville Nationals winner David Gravel charged his was from sixth-place to third – his third podium finish in-a-row.
“I cost our team a win in the Dash,” said Gravel, who finished sixth in the Dash.
If he was able to start at least fourth in the Feature, he said he felt like he could have possibly contended for the win. However, his podium finished helped him gain points on the top two in the championship point standings.
With points leader Donny Schatz finishing seventh, Gravel currently sits 112 points back from the lead. Brad Sweet, who sits second in points, finished eighth and is 26 points behind Schatz.
Macedo had hoped to break into the top-five in points by the end of the year, but knows there’s an uphill battle to do so, sitting sixth in points, 160 points behind fifth-place. However, being able to grab big wins at tracks he’s never been to before, or only a few times, is a big confidence booster.
“It’s huge,” Macedo said. “It’s hard to win these Outlaw races. They’re not easy to win. These are the best drivers in the world. Your car has to be good. You have to be good. You have to make good decisions throughout the race. You have to have good starts. It all goes hand and hand. I think if we can continue to do that we’ll see ourselves up here more often.”
UP NEXT:
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Saturday, Aug. 24, will be at Big Sky Speedway in Billings, Mont. for The Brawl at Big Sky Speedway. Get tickets and more information.
As always, if you can’t make it to the race you can catch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.
Race Results: 8/23/19 – Black Hills Speedway
NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 2-Carson Macedo [2][$20,000]; 2. 5-Shane Stewart [1][$5,500]; 3. 41-David Gravel [6][$3,200]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [4][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [8][$2,500]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3][$2,300]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz [5][$2,200]; 8. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$2,100]; 9. 19-Brent Marks [11][$2,050]; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser [13][$2,000]; 11. 18-Ian Madsen [10][$1,500]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen [12][$1,200]; 13. 7S-Jason Sides [9][$1,100]; 14. 3-Mike Pennel [17][$1,050]; 15. 4-Adam Speckman [16][$1,000]; 16. 2K-Kevin Ingle [14][$900]; 17. 88-Travis Reber [15][$800]; 18. 8X-Randy Dolberg [18][$800];
Lap Leaders: Shane Stewart 1-9, Carson Macedo 10-25;
KSE Hard Charger Award: 41-David Gravel[+3]
Qualifying – 1. 41-David Gravel, 14.824; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 14.905; 3. 5-Shane Stewart, 14.951; 4. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.013; 5. 83-Daryn Pittman, 15.013; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 15.014; 7. 7S-Jason Sides, 15.044; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen, 15.102; 9. 18-Ian Madsen, 15.105; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 15.114; 11. 15-Donny Schatz, 15.117; 12. 2-Carson Macedo, 15.134; 13. 19-Brent Marks, 15.171; 14. 2K-Kevin Ingle, 15.968; 15. 3-Mike Pennel, 16.992; 16. 88-Travis Reber, 17.046; 17. 4-Adam Speckman, 17.066; 18. 8X-Randy Dolberg, 18.101
DRYDENE Heat #1 (8 Laps) – 1. 41-David Gravel [1]; 2. 5-Shane Stewart [2]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [6]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [3]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 6. 19-Brent Marks [7]; 7. 18-Ian Madsen [5]; 8. 3-Mike Pennel [8]; 9. 4-Adam Speckman [9]
DRYDENE Heat #2 (8 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1]; 2. 2-Carson Macedo [6]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [3]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [4]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5]; 7. 2K-Kevin Ingle [7]; 8. 88-Travis Reber [8]; 9. 8X-Randy Dolberg [9]
DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (6 Laps) – 1. 5-Shane Stewart [1]; 2. 2-Carson Macedo [3]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 4. 83-Daryn Pittman [6]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 6. 41-David Gravel [4]
Qualifier (12 Laps) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1][-]; 2. 83-Daryn Pittman [3][-]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4][-]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2][-]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [5][-]; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [9][-]; 7. 19-Brent Marks [7][]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [6][]; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser [8][]; 10. 2K-Kevin Ingle [10][]; 11. 88-Travis Reber [12][]; 12. 4-Adam Speckman [13][]; 13. 3-Mike Pennel [11][]; 14. 8X-Randy Dolberg [14]
Seavey Sings a Winning Tune at Smackdown Night 2
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Logan Seavey celebrates his first career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature win following Friday's Sprint Car Smackdown VIII night two at Kokomo.
(Ryan Sellers Photo)
SEAVEY SINGS A WINNING TUNE AT SMACKDOWN NIGHT TWO
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Kokomo, Indiana (August 23, 2019).........One night after claiming a victory in Sprint Car Smackdown's annual karaoke contest, Logan Seavey was singing a different tune Friday night on the track at Kokomo Speedway, ending it on a high note in victory lane following his first career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car triumph.
The reigning USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget champion used his voice to win karaoke hardware with Garth Brooks' "That Summer" after a broken wheel cover ended a solid run on track on Thursday. For the Sutter, Calif. native, however, tomorrow would come, and he'd use his right foot to capture an even bigger trophy, a bigger payday and the prestige of becoming the series' first "first-time" winner of the 2019 season.
Along the way, Seavey cut a new record, ripping 30 laps around Kokomo Speedway 33 seconds quicker than the previous USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car track record for that distance at the quarter-mile, a record formerly held by Bryan Clauson set during Smackdown in 2013, at six minutes and 48.92 seconds.
Seavey is emerging as a jack of all trades following three wins thus far on the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget tour, then recently winning the pole and finishing fourth in last Sunday's ARCA Stock Car race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, and now jumping into a sprint car and taking it right to the front with limited seat time. Despite all the accolades, Seavey remains humble and appreciative of the opportunity, and the fun that comes along with it.
"Just to be racing Sprint Cars with USAC and to get to run good racecars with a family like this, is pretty crazy for me," Seavey admitted. "We just race and have fun. We normally end up pretty good and, the more fun we're having, the better we run. Finally, it all came together tonight. We've had that speed the last two nights, and it all finally came together."
Perhaps, most impressively, was that Seavey was making just his second start of the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint car points season, the first of which came just 24 hours earlier. Seavey picked up a win behind the wheel of a Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports machine in USAC Southwest Sprint Car competition in April at Arizona Speedway. And, as it turns out, Friday of Smackdown has a special significance to Seavey, as this is the same night in which he first met team co-owner Andy Reinbold a year ago, kicking off a winning connection that certainly paid its dividends on this night.
"Friday night of Smackdown last year was the first time I met Andy," Seavey remembered. "We got together and ran a few races last year together out west. We came into this year knowing he had a full-time USAC car and that was going to take up a lot of his time. He told me early in the year that, in the big races, he wanted to bring out another car from Arizona to run Smackdown, Western World and the Oval Nationals."
Seavey made it all look relatively easy, comparatively, Friday night, although it's certainly never the case. With teammate and USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point leader C.J. Leary trying to hunt him down for the entire duration of the event, Seavey had to be flawless - flawless on the start, flawless on the cushion and flawless through traffic to ace the 30-lap test and become the second-straight first-time winner on the second night of Smackdown following Tyler Thomas' victory in 2018.
"For me, I feel like running a sprint car is a little bit harder than running a midget," Seavey explained. "These guys are so good that you have to adapt quickly. Luckily, I've been here a few times and I've been here in a sprint car a couple times. Even racing midgets, it seems to be one of the most technical racetracks we go to and it seems like the guys with a lot of experience do really well here. It's pretty crazy to think that I'd win my first USAC National Sprint Car race here. I definitely wasn't expecting that and didn't know if I would even ever win one."
Seavey began the main event from the pole and led a trio of nineteens on the opening lap aboard his No. 19s while leading the 19 of Kevin Thomas, Jr. and the 19AZ of Leary. Leary made quick work from his fourth starting spot, rushing into second by lap three past Thomas and began the hunt to track down Seavey.
Leary tried high, sought the middle, looked low, and even cut a diamond groove off turns one and three. Leary chopped into Seavey's advantage and gained ground off the corners on each go-around, pulling side-by-side in turns two and four each lap for several laps early on before Seavey utilized the topside momentum to surge ahead and maintain his lead.
By the 10th lap, Leary's exit plan on the low line became stifled with a bevy of traffic occupying the bottom, hindering his path as he pursued Seavey. At the halfway mark, Seavey maintained a three car length lead as he seemingly ran his own race up top and, with no cautions in sight, kept traffic as part of the equation and allowed the top lane to be wide open for Seavey all by his lonesome where he was most comfortable running, up against the cushion.
Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports' one-two finish between Logan Seavey and C.J. Leary was the first time teammates have occupied the top-two positions in a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature on dirt since July of 2008 when Keith Kunz Motorsports' stable of Cole Whitt and Darren Hagen finished first and second, respectively, during the Indiana Sprint Week round at Gas City.
(Ryan Sellers Photo)
Seavey had to be perfect and execute flawlessly as a hungry Leary sought his first series victory in 20 starts. Yet, Seavey managed to up the interval in the final ten laps, from a half-second, to three quarters of a second, to more than a second on the final lap, closing out a superb performance with a 1.114 second win over Leary, Tyler Courtney, Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Justin Grant.
Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports' one-two finish was the first time teammates have occupied the top-two positions in a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature on dirt since July of 2008 when Keith Kunz Motorsports' stable of Cole Whitt and Darren Hagen finished first and second, respectively, during the Indiana Sprint Week round at Gas City I-69 Speedway.
Justin Grant leads the Sprint Car Smackdown VIII points entering Saturday's finale. Grant (Ione, Calif.), the defending Smackdown main event feature winner, is one of eight drivers locked into Saturday night's feature as well as the King of the Hill, along with fellow drivers Tyler Courtney, Thomas Meseraull, C.J. Leary, Chase Stockon, Logan Seavey, Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Kyle Cummins.
Contingency award winners Friday night at Kokomo Speedway were Thomas Meseraull (Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier), Jason McDougal (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Shane Cottle (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Josh Hodges (AutoMeter Third Heat Winner), Chase Stockon (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner), Brady Bacon (Crume Evans Insurance/KSE Racing Products Hard Charger & Brady Bacon (ProSource Hard Work Award), Hunter Schuerenberg (Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier), Jarett Andretti (Saldana Racing Products/Hoosier Racing Tire First Non-Transfer), Scotty Weir (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Logan Seavey (Elliott's Custom Trailers & Carts/Tony Elliott Foundation Winning Bonus) and Matt Westfall (American Racing Ministries Final Semi Transfer).
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 23, 2019 - Kokomo Speedway - Kokomo, Indiana - Sprint Car Smackdown VIII
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR QUALIFYING GROUP ONE: 1. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-12.549; 2. Dave Darland, 36D, Darland/Curb-Agajanian-12.572; 3. Carson Short, 21, RCM-12.645; 4. Logan Seavey, 19s, Reinbold/Underwood-12.695; 5. Jason McDougal, 71p, Daigh/Phillips-12.732; 6. Chris Windom, 5G, Goacher-12.783; 7. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-12.927; 8. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-12.966; 9. Timmy Buckwalter, 7, LNB-13.008; 10. Shane Cottle, 2E, Epperson-13.042; 11. Anthony D'Alessio, 01, D'Alessio-13.054; 12. Sterling Cling, 34, Cling-13.063; 13. Clinton Boyles, 57, Hazen-13.088; 14. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-13.117; 15. Max Adams, 5m, Adams-13.184; 16. Corey Smith, 66s, CS-13.277; 17. Carmen Perigo, 21p, Perigo-13.326; 18. Tye Mihocko, 5, Mihocko-13.494; 19. Brad Wyatt, 41w, Wyatt-13.888.
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR QUALIFYING GROUP TWO: 1. Thomas Meseraull, 47, Eades-12.549; 2. C.J. Leary, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-12.652; 3. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall/Newman-12.656; 4. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 19, Hayward/Thomas-12.669; 5. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-12.797; 6. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-12.853; 7. Hunter Schuerenberg, 19BS, Reinbold/Underwood-12.919; 8. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-12.956; 9. Scotty Weir, 4p, Pedersen-13.091; 10. Cole Ketcham, 41, Ketcham-13.199; 11. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-13.209; 12. Dustin Smith, 77, Smith-13.269; 13. Travis Hery, 21H, Hery-13.362; 14. Dustin Christie, 75, Christie-13.502; 15. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-13.521; 16. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-13.579; 17. Ty Tilton, 42, Tilton-13.602; 18. Brian VanMeveren, 24, VanMeveren-13.825; 19. Lee Underwood, 24L, Underwood-13.829.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Jason McDougal, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Timmy Buckwalter, 4. Isaac Chapple, 5. Max Adams, 6. Carson Short, 7. Clinton Boyles, 8. Anthony D'Alessio, 9. Carmen Perigo, 10. Brad Wyatt. 2:12.73
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Shane Cottle, 2. Chris Windom, 3. Dave Darland, 4. Logan Seavey, 5. Jarett Andretti, 6. Brandon Mattox, 7. Sterling Cling, 8. Corey Smith, 9. Tye Mihocko. 2:12.97
AUTOMETER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Josh Hodges, 2. Thomas Meseraull, 3. Scotty Weir, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. Tyler Courtney, 6. Kyle Cummins, 7. Hunter Schuerenberg, 8. Travis Hery, 9. Ty Tilton, 10. Lee Underwood. 2:13.60
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Chase Stockon, 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 3. C.J. Leary, 4. Dustin Smith, 5. Cole Ketcham, 6. Dustin Christie, 7. Matt Westfall, 8. Matt Goodnight, 9. Brian VanMeveren.
C-MAIN: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the semi) 1. Corey Smith, 2. Carmen Perigo, 3. Tye Mihocko, 4. Matt Goodnight, 5. Brian VanMeveren, 6. Lee Underwood, 7. Brad Wyatt. 2:20.57
SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Tyler Courtney, 2. Kyle Cummins, 3. Carson Short, 4. Hunter Schuerenberg, 5. Cole Ketcham, 6. Matt Westfall, 7. Jarett Andretti, 8. Brandon Mattox, 9. Clinton Boyles, 10. Max Adams, 11. Anthony D'Alessio, 12. Dustin Christie, 13. Tye Mihocko, 14. Matt Goodnight, 15. Carmen Perigo, 16. Corey Smith, 17. Travis Hery, 18. Sterling Cling. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Logan Seavey (1), 2. C.J. Leary (4), 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (2), 4. Tyler Courtney (7), 5. Justin Grant (5), 6. Jason McDougal (10), 7. Thomas Meseraull (6), 8. Chris Windom (12), 9. Kyle Cummins (9), 10. Brady Bacon (22), 11. Chase Stockon (11), 12. Carson Short (8), 13. Scotty Weir (16), 14. Dave Darland (3), 15. Isaac Chapple (14), 16. Shane Cottle (19), 17. Cole Ketcham (18), 18. Matt Westfall (15), 19. Timmy Buckwalter (17), 20. Josh Hodges (20), 21. Hunter Schuerenberg (13), 22. Brandon Mattox (23), 23. Dustin Smith (21). 6:48.92 (New Track Record)
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**Tyler Courtney flipped during qualifying. Sterling Cling flipped during the semi.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Logan Seavey.
CRUME EVANS INSURANCE/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Brady Bacon (22nd to 10th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Scotty Weir
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Jarett Andretti
ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Hunter Schuerenberg
PROSOURCE HARD WORK AWARD: Brady Bacon
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-C.J. Leary-1,638, 2-Brady Bacon-1,512, 3-Tyler Courtney-1,511, 4-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-1,469, 5-Justin Grant-1,464, 6-Chris Windom-1,446, 7-Chase Stockon-1,429, 8-Jason McDougal-1,248, 9-Carson Short-1,246, 10-Isaac Chapple-958.
NEW PROSOURCE SMACKDOWN VIII PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-13, 2-Brady Bacon-12, 3-Carson Short-8, 4-Tyler Courtney-7, 5-Jason McDougal-7, 6-Hunter Schuerenberg-4, 7-Scotty Weir-4, 8-Shane Cottle-3, 9-C.J. Leary-2, 10-Justin Grant-2.
NEW SMACKDOWN VIII POINTS (TOP-8 LOCKED INTO SATURDAY'S FEATURE): 1-Justin Grant-324, 2-Tyler Courtney-323, 3-Thomas Meseraull-320, 4-C.J Leary-301, 5-Chase Stockon-295, 6-Logan Seavey-294, 7-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-293, 8-Kyle Cummins-290.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 24, 2019 - Kokomo Speedway - Kokomo, Indiana - Sprint Car Smackdown VIII
Long And Disappointing Night At Grandview Speedway
Posted by: | CommentsTHUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES
Posted by: | Comments
Thunder on the Hill
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AUGUST 23, 2019
CONTACT: BOB MILLER 443 513 4456
THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES
LEVAN MACHINE AND TRUCK EQUIPMENT NIGHT BEATS ALL ODDS. . . . . .
AARON REUTZEL ROMPS IN THE RAIN FOR HODNETT CUP TRIUMPH, MIKE GULAR POCKETS $3,000 FOR MODIFIED CHECKERED FLAG AT GRANDVIEW
BECHTELSVILLES, PA (August 22, 2019) – It was a wet and wild night of racing at Grandview Speedway on Thursday night, as Levan Machine and Truck Equipment presented the Inaugural Hodnett Cup as part of the NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series. Aaron Reutzel was the winner of the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions feature earning $5,000 as Mike Gular won the NASCAR 358 Modified main event.
An unexpected rainstorm popped up just after All Star Sprint Car time trials, delaying the action for nearly 2 hours. Track crews worked vigorously, and with the help of drivers and teams, heat race events rolled out just before 10 PM. With a good crowd on hand everyone was determined to make every effort to get the show in and they did.
“We just want to race,” Reutzel said graciously thanking everyone during victory lane ceremonies. “I can’t thank the fans and the track team enough. We were lucky – and some days I’d rather be lucky than good.”
Luck was definitely on Reutzel’s side, starting the 35-lap event from the front row alongside Nashville, TN’s Paul McMahan. McMahan attempted to slide in front of Reutzel on the initial green flag start – but couldn’t complete the pass.
“I’m just glad I was able to get out in front of Paul,” Reutzel explained. “If he was able to get me at the beginning this would’ve turned out differently.”
Reutzel powered away to full straight-a-way lead, while Danny Dietrich, Ryan Smith, and Ryan Taylor battled for the third position.
With drivers settling in on an ultra-fast race track, lapped cars proved to a real challenge for Reutzel, a Clute, TX-native – closing the gap between him and McMahan, as laps clicked away.
“The lapped cars weren’t really cooperating with me today,” Reutzel offered in victory lane. “The track was fast and that was challenging.”
While McMahan, aboard the No. 13 machine, was able to lessen the leader’s advantage, he would pressure Reutzel, but couldn’t get close enough to really challenge.
The yellow flag flew for the final time on lap 26 – a huge benefit to Reutzel – who charged on to claim his second consecutive NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill All Star Sprint Car victory. Reutzel earned $5,000 for his efforts and added his name to the Hodnett Cup.
McMahan settled for the second position, Danny Dietrich finished in third, Ryan Smith finished in fourth, and Ryan Taylor rounded out the top five.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Sprint Car Heats were swept by Pennsylvania drivers Ryan Taylor, Brock Zearfoss and Danny Dietrich. Aaron Reutzel set the quick time with 23 cars signing in for action.
Mike Gular of Harleysville, PA picked up the $3,000 win in the NASCAR 358 portion of the evening’s event.
Dylan Swinhart and Alex Yankowski made up the front row of the 30 lap feature event – but it was Gular who took the lead heading down the backstretch of the one-third-mile dirt track, with Duane Howard moving into the second position just one circuit later.
Gular and Howard dueled for the top spot for the first half of the event, before a lap 16 yellow flag slowed the action and reset the field.
A three-car battle for the win between Gular, Howard, and Jeff Strunk brought the event down to the wire.
Door-to-Door drag racing to the checkered flag, Gular picked up the win with Howard in second, Jeff Strunk in third, Craig VonDohren in fourth and Jared Umbenhauer in the fifth position.
Modified Heat races were won by Doug Manmiller, Jeff Strunk, and Dylan Swinehart. 29 NASCAR 358 Modifieds were signed in to compete.
The NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series returns on Saturday, October 19 with the Modifieds in a Big Block and Small Block Showdown, Sportsman, and MASS 305 Sprint Cars.
For more information visit www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com
All Star Circuit of Champions
Time Trials 1 Aaron Reutzel 11.851 2 Ryan Smith 12.075 3 Cory Eliason 12.1 4 Gerard McIntyre 12.230 5 Ryan Taylor 12.233 6 Skyler Gee 12.246 7 Anthony Macri 12.271 8 Tony Stewart 12.288 9 Dale Blaney 12.290 10 Paul McMahan 12.292 11 Danny Dietrich 12.302 12 Justin Peck 2.339 13 Alan Krimes 12.364 14 Dave Blaney 12.391 15 Brandon Rahmer 12.425 16 Brock Zearfoss 12.514 17 Anthony Fiore 12.565 18 Freddie Rahmer 12.571 19 Kyle Reinhardt 12.573 20 Jeff Halligan 12.626 21 Greg Wilson 12.640 22 George Hobaugh 12.77 23 Brett Michalski 12.851
Heat 1 (10 Laps) – 1. Ryan Taylor 2. Gerard McIntyre 3. Ryan Smith 4. Aaron Reutzel 5. Tony Stewart 6. Anthony Fiore 7. Skylar Gee 8. Anthony Macri
Heat 2 (10 Laps) – 1. Brock Zearfoss 2. Paul McMahan 3. Justin Peck 4. Alan Krimes 5. Freddie Rahmer 6. Jeff Halligan 7. Brett Michalski
Heat 3 (10 Laps) – 1. Danny Deitrich 2. Dave Blaney 3. Cory Eliason 4. Dale Blaney 5. Kyle Reinhardt 6. Brandon Rahmer 7. Greg Wilson 8. George Hobaugh
Dash (6 Laps) – 1. Aaron Reutzel 2. Paul McMahan 3. Ryan Taylor 4. Danny Dietrich 5. Ryan Smith 6. Dave Blaney 7. Brock Zearfoss 8. Gerard McIntyre
Feature (35 Laps) – 1. Aaron Reutzel 2. Paul McMahan 3. Danny Dietrich 4. Ryan Smith 5. Ryan Taylor 6. Dale Blaney 7. Dave Blaney 8. Tony Stewart 9. Brock Zearfoss 10. Cory Eliason 11. Freddie Rahmer 12. Kyle Reinhardt 13. Brandon Rahmer 14. Anthony Macri 15. Jeff Halligan 16. Greg Wilson 17. Skylar Gee 18. Brett Michalski 19. Anthony Fiore 20. Gerard McIntyre 21. Alan Krimes 22. George Hobaugh 23. Justin Peck
NASCAR 358 Modifieds
Heat 1 (10 Laps) – 1. Doug Manmiller 2. Billy Pauch Jr. 3. Craig VonDohren 4. Ryan Watt 5. Briggs Danner 6. Louden Reimert
Heat 2 (10 Laps) – 1. Jeff Strunk 2. Jared Umbenhauer 3. Richie Pratt, Jr. 4. Alex Yankowski 5. Rick Laubach 6. Kevin Hirthler
Heat 3 (10 Laps) – 1. Dylan Swinehart 2. Duane Howard 3. Danny Erb 4. Mike Gular 5. Ryan Grim 6. Jack Butler
Feature (30 Laps) – 1. Mike Gular 2. Duane Howard 3. Jeff Strunk 4. Craig VonDohren 5. Jared Umbenhauer 6. Alex Yankowski 7. Brett Kressley 8. Rick Laubach 9. Briggs Danner 10. Ryan Watt 11. Richie Pratt Jr. 12. Dylan Swinehart 13. Brian Hirthler 14. Ryan Beltz 15. Doug Manmiller 16. Kevin Hirthler 17. Ryan Grim 18. Louden Reimert 19. Justin Grim 20. Ron Kline 21. Jordan Henn 22. Danny Erb 23. Billy Pauch Jr. 24 Jack Butler 25. Don Norris Jr.
SPECIAL NOTE: The staff and management of the Grandview Speedway and Thunder on the Hill Racing Series would like to thank all the race fans, drivers and car owners who each played a special part in getting this event completed. It was a most challenging night but we did present the full show. A thank you also goes out to the hard working track crew that turned around a near impossible challenge. Thank you to all!
T-Mez Turns it Up at Smackdown VIII Opener
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, Calif.) is all smiles after capturing Thursday night's victory in the Sprint Car Smackdown VIII opener at Kokomo Speedway.
(Ryan Sellers Photo)
T-MEZ TURNS IT UP AT SMACKDOWN VIII OPENER
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Kokomo, Indiana (August 22, 2019).........Time after time, Thomas Meseraull has proven every time he straps into a racecar, he's a threat to win.
One night after leading 12 laps in Simon Racing's No. 23s at #GYATK Night, the San Jose, Calif. native stepped into Tom Eades' No. 47 Thursday night for the Sprint Car Smackdown VIII opener and never skipped a beat, racing to his first USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory of the year, and first for Eades, a Kokomo, Ind. native in his first year of owning a sprint car.
The win was a sense of redemption for Meseraull who had a particularly rough showing in the car during the series' most recent visit to Kokomo during Indiana Sprint Week in July where he started 13th and finished 21st. Meseraull knew he had to put together a complete night to provide himself his best shot to collect a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car win for the fifth-straight year, something accomplished only by five other drivers: Brady Bacon, Justin Grant, Chase Stockon, Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Chris Windom over the same time span since 2015.
"After (Indiana) Sprint Week, we got our ass handed to us, flat out," Meseraull admitted. "We just got beat. It was a little unexpected. I had to qualify a little better tonight, and I did, which put us up front. Track position in these deals is everything. It's everything."
Meseraull began his journey from the outside of the front row, but it was Bacon who took control early on, sliding from his pole starting position to the top in turn one to lead the opening seven circuits with Meseraull in tow, trailing the two-time series champ a couple car lengths behind.
The first stoppage of the night came on lap seven when the night's ProSource Hard Work Award winner and 19th running Josh Hodges flipped upside down in turn four. He'd walk away uninjured but was finished for the evening.
Once racing resumed, Meseraull stuck right with Bacon, and on the ninth lap, made his bid for the lead, dipping to the bottom of turn one and sliding up in front of Bacon for the top spot. With tension high and the competition at a peak level, Meseraull knew there was no time to putt around in second.
"It was so slick to the curb, and the curb was on the wall. It was as tall as me, I swear," Meseraull recalled. "It was so big out there, I knew I couldn't waste any time. After the red flag, we ended up parking there right off of three and realized that it wasn't slick to the curb. It had a big hole before the curb, like the track had gotten ate up and it had this big dip and my car was evil up there. I'd hit it and it'd get up on two wheels. I just started going in above it in three and cheating across it and driving to the slick. That hole got Brady one lap, and I knew I had to just bomb it in there and hope to God that it would stick, and it stuck."
Meanwhile, as the battle for the lead switched hands, fourth-running C.J. Leary biked entering on the bottom of turn one. The series point leader miraculously saved his mount without flipping or making contact, but the landing is what got him, flattening his left rear tire before slowing to bring out the yellow. Leary restarted from the tail after getting fresh rubber in the work area, and, ultimately, finished 14th, ending his streak of 21 consecutive top-tens to begin the season.
On the tenth lap restart, Bacon went to work on the bottom underneath Meseraull for the lead in turn one, however Meseraull retained the momentum on the high side as did Courtney back in third. While Bacon trekked the low line, Courtney stuck to the top and raced around the outside to nip Bacon at the line for second and nail down the position exiting turn two.
The victory was the 10th of Meseraull's USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car career, moving him past Mario Andretti, Hunter Schuerenberg and Robbie Stanley on the list and into a tie with Tony Stewart for 49th all-time. Three of Meseraull's 10 wins have come at Kokomo.
(Ryan Sellers Photo)
Courtney put the chase on Meseraull, diamonding off the third turn as well as following him on the top shelf to find a way to close the gap. On the 12th lap, though, Courtney got in above the cushion a bit off turn four, allowing Meseraull to jump away and build his lead to nearly a full straightaway (2.729 seconds) just after the midway point.
On the 17th lap, 7th running Logan Seavey slowed to a stop on the bottom of turn one, erasing Meseraull's substantial advantage just prior to hitting lapped traffic.
It hardly seemed to make a difference to Meseraull once the green flag dropped on the restart with 13 to go where he once again utilized the high line to break away from Courtney, holding a half-straightaway advantage down the stretch with only lapped traffic to contend with in the final five-lap push.
Meseraull skimmed the outside concrete in turn two with two to go, with no tiptoeing around the outside of the lappers occurring whatsoever, as he closed out a sterling performance in his Tom Eades Racing/Physical Medicine Consultants - 1-Way Technologies/DRC/Stensland Chevy with a 1.339 second victory over Courtney, Justin Grant, Brady Bacon and Chase Stockon.
The victory was the 10th of Meseraull's USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car career, moving him past Mario Andretti, Hunter Schuerenberg and Robbie Stanley on the list and into a tie with Tony Stewart for 49th all-time.
Contingency award winners Thursday night at Kokomo Speedway were Tyler Courtney (Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier & Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Isaac Chapple (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Carson Short (AutoMeter Third Heat Winner), Kyle Cummins (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner), Chris Windom (Crume Evans Insurance/KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Josh Hodges (ProSource Hard Work Award), Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier), Brandon Mattox (Saldana Racing Products/Hoosier Racing Tire First Non-Transfer), Dave Darland (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Thomas Meseraull (Elliott's Custom Trailers and Carts/Tony Elliott Foundation Winning Bonus) and Cole Ketcham (American Racing Ministries Final Semi Transfer).
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 22, 2019 - Kokomo Speedway - Kokomo, Indiana - Sprint Car Smackdown VIII
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR QUALIFYING: 1. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall/Newman-12.635; 2. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-12.706; 3. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-12.815; 4. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-12.820; 5. C.J. Leary, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-12.825; 6. Thomas Meseraull, 47, Eades-12.834; 7. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-12.837; 8. Logan Seavey, 19s, Reinbold/Underwood-12.882; 9. Scotty Weir, 4p, Pedersen-12.918; 10. Hunter Schuerenberg, 19BS, Reinbold/Underwood-12.928; 11. Dave Darland, 36D, Darland-13.038; 12. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-13.073; 13. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 19, Hayward/Thomas-13.175; 14. Dustin Smith, 77, Smith-13.187; 15. Jason McDougal, 71p, Daigh/Phillips-13.193; 16. Shane Cottle, 2E, Epperson-13.204; 17. Chris Windom, 5G, Goacher-13.284; 18. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-13.304; 19. Carson Short, 21, RCM-13.329; 20. Carmen Perigo, 21p, Perigo-13.416; 21. Corey Smith, 66s, CS-13.447; 22. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-13.468; 23. Max Adams, 5m, Adams-13.535; 24. Timmy Buckwalter, 7, LNB-13.549; 25. Tye Mihocko, 5, Mihocko-13.780; 26. Sterling Cling, 34, Cling-13.950; 27. Cole Ketcham, 41, Ketcham-13.955; 28. Brian VanMeveren, 24, VanMeveren-13.959; 29. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-13.996; 30. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-14.061; 31. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-14.080; 32. Ty Tilton, 42, Tilton-14.251; 33. Dustin Christie, 75, Christie-14.258; 34. Travis Hery, 21H, Hery-14.448; 35. Brad Greenup, 4G, Greenup-14.455; 36. Anthony D'Alessio, 01, D'Alessio-NT.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Tyler Courtney, 2. C.J. Leary, 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 4. Scotty Weir, 5. Tye Mihocko, 6. Chris Windom, 7. Dustin Christie, 8. Matt Goodnight, 9. Corey Smith. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Isaac Chapple, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Thomas Meseraull, 4. Hunter Schuerenberg, 5. Brandon Mattox, 6. Josh Hodges, 7. Dustin Smith, 8. Sterling Cling, 9. Travis Hery. 2:12.79
AUTOMETER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Carson Short, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Brady Bacon, 4. Jason McDougal, 5. Chase Stockon, 6. Max Adams, 7. Jarett Andretti, 8. Cole Ketcham, 9. Brad Greenup. NT
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Kyle Cummins, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Carmen Perigo, 4. Shane Cottle, 5. Matt Westfall, 6. Ty Tilton, 7. Brian VanMeveren, 8. Timmy Buckwalter. NT
SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Chase Stockon, 2. Chris Windom, 3. Dustin Smith, 4. Max Adams, 5. Josh Hodges, 6. Cole Ketcham, 7. Brandon Mattox, 8. Corey Smith, 9. Jarett Andretti, 10. Tye Mihocko, 11. Timmy Buckwalter, 12. Sterling Cling, 13. Ty Tilton, 14. Brian VanMeveren, 15. Matt Westfall, 16. Matt Goodnight, 17. Dustin Christie, 18. Travis Hery, 19. Anthony D'Alessio. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Thomas Meseraull (2), 2. Tyler Courtney (6), 3. Justin Grant (5), 4. Brady Bacon (1), 5. Chase Stockon (7), 6. Hunter Schuerenberg (10), 7. Chris Windom (16), 8. Scotty Weir (9), 9. Kyle Cummins (4), 10. Carson Short (18), 11. Jason McDougal (14), 12. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (12), 13. Dave Darland (11), 14. C.J. Leary (3), 15. Logan Seavey (8), 16. Dustin Smith (13), 17. Isaac Chapple (17), 18. Max Adams (20), 19. Shane Cottle (15), 20. Carmen Perigo (19), 21. Dustin Christie (24), 22. Brian VanMeveren (23), 23. Josh Hodges (22), 24. Cole Ketcham (21). NT
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**Corey Smith flipped during the first heat. Brad Greenup flipped during the third heat. Josh Hodges flipped on lap 7 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-8 Brady Bacon, Laps 9-30 Thomas Meseraull.
CRUME EVANS INSURANCE/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Chris Windom (16th to 7th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Dave Darland
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Brandon Mattox
ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Kevin Thomas, Jr.
PROSOURCE HARD WORK AWARD: Josh Hodges
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-C.J. Leary-1,563, 2-Brady Bacon-1,464, 3-Tyler Courtney-1,445, 4-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-1,398, 5-Justin Grant-1,394, 6-Chris Windom-1,390, 7-Chase Stockon-1,380, 8-Carson Short-1,202, 9-Jason McDougal-1,185, 10-Isaac Chapple-920.
NEW PROSOURCE SMACKDOWN VIII PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-9, 2-Carson Short-8, 3-Tyler Courtney-4, 4-Hunter Schuerenberg-4, 5-Jason McDougal-3, 6-Justin Grant-2, 7-Chase Stockon-2, 8-Max Adams-2, 9-Thomas Meseraull-1, 10-Scotty Weir-1.
NEW SMACKDOWN VIII POINTS: 1-Tyler Courtney-168, 2-Justin Grant-164, 3-Thomas Meseraull-163, 4-Brady Bacon-156, 5-Chase Stockon-156, 6-Kyle Cummins-151, 7-Hunter Schuerenberg-148, 8-Scotty Weir-145, 9-C.J Leary-139, 10-Chris Windom-137.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: August 23-24, 2019 - Kokomo Speedway - Kokomo, Indiana - Sprint Car Smackdown VIII
