Photo courtesy of Mike Horne

Las Vegas, NV…….Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif. came from 15th starting position to win Thursday night’s 30-lap “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” USAC Amsoil National/CRA Sprint feature at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track. Gardner didn’t crack the “top-10” until lap 19, then methodically chased down the leaders and took the lead from Dave Darland on lap 28. He pulled away from the field in his Pace Lighting Eagle/Shaver to beat Darland, Chris Windom, Tracy Hines and fast qualifier Jerry Coons Jr. Gardner leads the National standings entering Saturday night’s “Sokola Shootout” at the Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway, but trails Coons by two points in the new CRA standings. Gardner also won the two National series openers in Tampa, Fla. earlier this month. 

  QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Jerry Coons Jr., 69, Hoffman-19.191; 2. Tracy Hines, 4, Hines-19.358; 3. Chad Boat, 30, Boat-19.430; 4. Henry Clarke, 67, Kunz-19.710; 5. Greg Bragg, 92, Sertich-19.918; 6. Chris Windom, 11, Walker-20.038; 7. Ricky Williams, 11w, Williams-20.132; 8. Johnny Herrera, 45x, Herrera-20.144; 9. Casey Shuman, 4G, Cook-20.165; 10. Brett Burdette, 17B, Burdette-20.237; 11. Robert Ballou, 81, MPHG-20.259; 12. Dave Darland, 67k, Kunz-20.262; 13. Levi Jones, 20, Stewart/Curb Agajanian-20.509; 14. Brad Sweet, 49, Kahne-20.517; 15. Cody Kershaw, 38, Crossno-20.602; 16. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-20.752; 17. Danny Sheridan, 18, Kittle-20.972; 18. Damion Gardner, 71, DG-21.060; 19. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-21.075; 20. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-21.125; 21. Kyle Cummins, 4u, Wild Ride-21.167; 22. Blake Miller, 7, M-M-21.266; 23. Bryan Clauson, 2B, RWB-21.341; 24. Rusty Carlile, 51, Carlile-21.464; 25. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-21.491; 26. Keith Bloom, 27, Kaeding-21.580; 27. Cory Kruseman, 21k, Kruseman-21.731; 28. Bret Mellenberndt, 97, Mellenberndt-21.763; 29. Shane Hmiel, 17, 56 Inc.-21.778; 30. Brad Loyet, 05, Loyet-21.859; 31. Seth Wilson, 1x, Wilson-21.993; 32. Austin Mero, 71k, Kruseman-22.100; 33. Mathew Shedarowich, 9, Shedarowich-22.410; 34. Jimmy Crawford, 11x, Crawford-22.510.

 
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Jones, 2. Spencer, 3. Hmiel, 4. Sheridan, 5. Shuman, 6. Bragg, 7. Coons, 8. Cummins, 9. Shedarowich. NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Gardner, 2. Sweet, 3. Windom, 4. Miller, 5. Hines, 6. Burdette, 7. Bloom, 8. Crawford. NT

THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Clauson, 2. Ballou, 3. Kaeding, 4. Boat, 5. Kruseman, 6. Wilson, 7. Kershaw, 8. Ricky Williams. NT

FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Darland, 2. Herrera, 3. Clarke, 4. Mellenberndt, 5. A.Williams, 6. C.Williams, 7. Mero, 8. Carlile. NT

  SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Coons, 2. Shuman, 3. Hines, 4. Wilson, 5. Ricky Williams, 6. Burdette, 7. Mero, 8. Kruseman, 9. Crawford, 10. Bloom, 11. Cummins, 12. Bragg, 13. C.Williams, 14. Shedarowich, 15. A.Williams. NT

  FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Damion Gardner, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Chris Windom, 4. Tracy Hines, 5. Jerry Coons Jr., 6. Seth Wilson, 7. Bryan Clauson, 8. Johnny Herrera, 9. Henry Clarke, 10. Robert Ballou, 11. Mike Spencer, 12. Casey Shuman, 13. Brad Sweet, 14. Blake Miller, 15. Bud Kaeding, 16. Chad Boat, 17. Shane Hmiel, 18. Danny Sheridan, 19. Bret Mellenberndt, 20. Cory Kruseman, 21. Brett Burdette, 22. Cody Williams, 23. Levi Jones, 24. Ricky Willliams. NT
 
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Darland, Laps 2-7 Ballou, Laps 8-27 Darland, Laps 28-30 Gardner.

NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Gardner-259;2-Coons-225;3-Clauson-221; 4-Jones-193; 5-Darland-188; 6-Ballou-188; 7-Clarke-172; 8-Hines-171; 9-Windom-131; 10-Brady Short-122.  

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINTS: 1-Coons-124; 2-Gardner-122; 3-Clauson-103; 4-Kaeding-97; 5-Hines-96; 6-Ballou-96 7-Clarke-90; 8-Jones-89; 9-Darland-87; 10-Windom-86.

NEXT AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL SPRINT RACE: February 27 – Perris (CA) Auto Speedway – “Sokola Shootout”

NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT RACE: February 27 – Perris (CA) Auto Speedway – “Sokola Shootout”
 

                                 Shaffer Shines in ASCS Rebel Opener at East Bay

                                                     
                                                                                    Photo courtesy of Mike Horne

Feb 24 2010
                      CLAUSON EYES 3-FOR-5 PERRIS RECORD AT “SOKOLA SHOOTOUT”
  
 Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind. will aim for his third victory in his last five Perris Auto Speedway Sprint races when the USAC Amsoil National/CRA Sprint series combine for this Saturday night’s “Sokola Shootout” at the half-mile dirt California oval.

  Clauson won last year’s season “Glenn Howard Memorial” finale and a “Perris Oval Nationals” prelim three weeks earlier. He will pilot the Rotondo Weirich/Benic Enterprises RWB Motorsports Maxim/Gaerte Chevy in Saturday night’s event, which also includes the USAC Mopar National/Western Midgets.

  Clauson is coming off a dynamic 2009 season which saw him win eight USAC National races and he’s one of four drivers who has finished in the “top-10” in each of the first three races of 2010. He was second and seventh in the openers at Tampa, Fla. and sixth last Sunday at Tucson, Ariz. The series is scheduled to compete at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway dirt track this Thursday before heading to Perris.

  Saturday’s events honor the memory of former CRA President & USAC official Gary Sokola and his son Mark. Qualifying begins at 3 pm and racing gets under way at 5:45.

  Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif. leads the 2010 National standings and defending USAC National Champ Levi Jones of Olney, Ill. leads the CRA points entering Thursday’s races at Las Vegas. Gardner swept both Tampa features and Jones captured last Sunday’s race at Tucson. Gardner is the all-time USAC/CRA victory leader at Perris with 22 career wins. Jones earned his initial Perris win in a Perris Oval Nationals prelim last November.

  Rickie Gaunt of Torrance, Calif. is the defending “Sokola Shootout” champion and one of 10 different USAC Sprint winners at Perris in a dozen 2009 races.


Feb 23 2010

Hockett Set to Defend Ronald Laney Memorial Win
 
Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla.  (February 23, 2010) – The American Sprint Car Series lifts the lid on an action-packed 2010 season of approximately 200 events with this weekend’s ASCS Rebel action at East Bay Raceway Park’s 34th Annual Winter Nationals.  The three-night stand in Tampa, FL, concludes with Saturday’s $10,000-to-win Ninth Annual Ronald Laney Memorial on Saturday night.
 
And, set to defend his crown in the season opener, is Warsaw, Missouri’s Jesse Hockett, who became the ninth different winner of East Bay’s “Kings” portion of the Winter Nationals by storming to victory lane last year.
 
Fresh off a Mexico honeymoon, Hockett enters this season with a new, yet familiar look.  Back to the familiar No. 75, this year’s VKCC Motorsports entry will sport a black and blue scheme reminiscent of earlier renditions of the popular team.
 
While Hockett returns to the familiar No. 75 in his bid for the 2010 Lucas Oil Sprint Car crown, he hopes to ride a new engine/chassis combination to victory lane this weekend with a Don Ott powerplant bolted into an A.R.T. chassis.
 
Hockett will face a sturdy field of challengers that includes Hooks, TX, ace Gary Wright, the only driver to top the East Bay event on more than one occasion.  Wright, a four-time Lucas Oil Sprint Car National champion, topped the inaugural Kings event in 1999 before adding a second win in 2007.
 
Other past event winners include 2008 Lucas Oil Sprint Car champion Jason Johnson (2008), Terry McCarl (2006), Chad Kemenah (2005), Sport Allen (2003), Jason Sides (2002), Jeff Shepard (2001) and Ronald Laney (2000).
 
After last year’s East Bay opening night was rained out, Sarasota, Florida’s Danny Martin, Jr., topped the Friday night preliminary before chasing Hockett, Jason Sides and Gene Lasker to the stripe in the Saturday night finale.
 
That strong opening weekend performance launched a championship drive by “The Hammer”, as Martin, Jr., went on to become the third ASCS Rebel Region champion in as many years, outdistancing Jacksonville, Florida’s Matt Kurtz for the crown by 68 markers.
 
All three nights of competition at East Bay Raceway Park are slated to go green at approximately 7:15 p.m.  A Wednesday night practice session will precede the weekend triple.
 
Tampa’s East Bay Raceway Park is located off I-75 Exit 250, then two miles west, then 1.2 miles north on US 41, then right 1.3 miles on Old US 41 to Burts Road.  For more information, contact the track at 813-677-7223.
 
In its 19th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing, the American Sprint Car Series brings the best of Sprint Car racing to approximately 100 different tracks throughout 30 states and Canada.  Anchored by the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of eleven different Regional Tours throughout the nation.

Feb 22 2010

ONE JACKPOT UNDER HIS BELT, JONES HEADS FOR LAS VEGAS
Defending three-time USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Champion Levi Jones of Olney, Ill. hit the jackpot Sunday in Tucson, Ariz. and now heads for the “home” of jackpots, Las Vegas, Nev., for Thursday night’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track.

  Jones, bidding to become USAC’s first-ever four-time National Sprint Champ, moved to within 19 points of series point leader Damion Gardner after winning Sunday afternoon’s 40-lap Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” feature at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. Jones trailed Chris Windom for the first 38 laps but took over the lead when Windom’s car ran out of fuel on the white-flag lap!

  Gardner, who won the two series openers in Tampa, Fla., enters the Las Vegas races as the point leader and seeks to better his 2009 Las Vegas finish of sixth. 

  Mike Spencer of Temecula, Calif., the defending two-time Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Champion, holds the 1-lap LVMS track record of 17.015 seconds going into Thursday’s National/CRA competition at the 1/2-mile dirt oval. Spencer finished 12th in Sunday’s Tucson feature. The National track record at LVMS is 17.334 seconds, set last year by Jon Stanbrough.

  Thursday’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” events get under way with practice at 3 pm and also includes the USAC Mopar National/Western Midgets. Fans are encouraged to meet their favorite USAC stars during the autograph session on the Dirt Track’s midway from 5:15-6:15 p.m.

Feb 21 201

JONES GRABS “COPPER ON DIRT” SPRINT FEATURE AS WINDOM RUNS OUT OF FUEL

Tucson, AZ…….Levi Jones of Olney, Ill. led the final two lps of Sunday’s Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” 40-lap USAC Amsoil National/CRA Sprint race at USA Raceway. He trailed Chris Windom for the first 38 laps but inherited the lead when Windom’s car ran out of fuel on the white-flag lap! Windom was relegated to a 17th-place finish! Trailing Jones and his Tony Stewart Racing Bass Pro Shops/Chevy Maxim/Kistler Chevy at the checkered flag were Jerry Coons Jr., Bud Kaeding, Damion Gardner and Robert Ballou. Gardner’s finish helped him retain the National series point lead entering Thursday night’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” events in Nevada. Jones emerged with the early lead in the CRA standings entering the race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track. Kaeding was Friday’s fastest sprint qualifier and rains washed out Saturday’s events, moving them to Sunday.

  SEMI: (12 laps – Held Feb. 21) 1. Coons, 2. Gardner, 3. Ricky Williams, 4. Mellenberndt, 5. Crawford, 6. Gulick, 7. Shedarowich, 8. Clark, 9. Sussex, 10. Elliott, 11. Reinbold, 12. Ogle, 13. Loyet, 14. Helberg, 15. Miller, 16. Lane, 17. Cummins, 18. Sheridan, 19. High, 20. Evans, 21. Hmiel. NT

  FEATURE: (40 laps – Held Feb. 21) 1. Levi Jones, 2. Jerry Coons Jr., 3. Bud Kaeding, 4. Damion Gardner, 5. Robert Ballou, 6. Bryan Clauson, 7. Rick Ziehl, 8. Henry Clarke, 9. R.J. Johnson, 10. Casey Shuman, 11. Tracy Hines, 12. Mike Spencer, 13. Charles Davis Jr., 14. Jimmy Crawford, 15. Blake Miller, 16. Bret Mellenberndt, 17. Chris Windom, 18. Ronnie Clark, 19. Brad Sweet, 20. Coleman Gulick, 21. Chad Boat, 22. Dave Darland, 23. Danny Sheridan, 24. Mathew Shedarowich, 25. Ricky Williams, 26. Keith Bloom. NT

  FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-38 Windom, Laps 39-40 Jones.

  NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Gardner-191; 2-Jones-172; 3-Clauson-171; 4-Coons-167; 5-Ballou-148; 6-Clarke-127; 7-Darland-123; 8-Brady Short-122; 9-Hines-113; 10-Shane Cottle-88.

  NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINTS: 1-Jones-68; 2-Kaeding-68; 3-Coons-66; 4-Ballou-56; 5-Gardner-54; 6-Clauson-53; 7-Clarke-45; 8-Johnson-43; 9-Shuman-38; 10-Hines-38.

  NEXT AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RACE: February 25 – Las Vegas (NV) Motor Speedway Dirt Track – “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic”

  NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT RACE: February 25 – Las Vegas (NV) Motor Speedway Dirt Track – “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic”

Feb 20 2010

CLAUSON, SWEET, JONES CLAIM “COPPER ON DIRT” POLES

 Tucson, AZ…….Bryan Clauson, Brad Sweet and Levi Jones earned pole starting positions in Saturday night’s Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” feature events by winning Friday night’s dashes in USAC racing action at USA Raceway. Clauson, of Noblesville, Ind., will start from the pole in Saturday’s 30-lap USAC Mopar National/Western Midget race, while Sweet, of Grass Valley, Calif., is on the pole for the 40-lap USAC Amsoil National/CRA Sprint race. Jones, of Olney, Ill., starts from the pole in Saturday’s 50-lap USAC Silver Crown feature at the 3/8-mile dirt oval. A total of 90 race cars competed in Friday’s preliminaries, with Sweet (Midgets), Bud Kaeding (Sprints) and Jones (Silver Crown) posting the fastest qualifying times. Midget heat races were won by Darren Hagen, Henry Clarke, Jerry Coons Jr. and Tanner Swanson, while Sprint heats went to Bud Kaeding, Clauson, Mike Spencer and Robert Ballou.

 AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: February 19, 2010 – Tucson, Arizona – USA Race Park – Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt”

  QUALIFICATIONS: (Held Feb. 19) 1. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-16.281; 2. Jerry Coons Jr., 69, Dynamics-16.283; 3. Dave Darland, 67k, Kunz-16.596; 4. Rick Ziehl, 8, BRAT-16.643; 5. Levi Jones, 20, Stewart-16.648; 6. Brad Sweet, 49, Kahne-16.655; 7. Chris Windom, 11, Walker-16.677; 8. Damion Gardner, 71, DG-16.738; 9. Bret Mellenberndt, 97, Mellenberndt-16.741; 10. Charles Davis Jr., 50az, Massey-16.788; 11. Ricky Williams, 11w, Williams-16.828; 12. Robert Ballou, 81, MPHG-16.856; 13. Chad Boat, 30, Boat-16.857; 14. Henry Clarke, 67, Kunz-16.865; 14. Tracy Hines, 4, Hines-16.888; 16. Ronnie Clark, 6, Clark-16.905; 17. R.J. Johnson, 15, Martin-16.917; 18. Bryan Clauson, 2B, RWB-16.921; 19. Shane Hmiel, 17, 56 Inc.-16.922; 20. Keith Bloom Jr., 27, Kaeding-17.007; 21. Danny Sheridan, 18, Kittle-17.017; 22. Mathew Shedarowich, 9, Shedarowich-17.070; 23. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-17.071; 24. Nathan High, 0, Price-17.136; 25. Brandon Lane, 9a, Lane-17.180; 26. Jimmy Crawford, 11c, Crawford-17.219; 27. Andrew Reinbold, 19, Reinbold-17.330; 28. Casey Shuman, 4G, Cook-17.331; 29. Tony Elliott, 8m, Minks-17.422; 30. Blake Miller, 7, Priestley-17.444; 31. Coleman Gulick, 14, Gulick-17.556; 32. Thomas Ogle, 48T, DAR-17.573; 33. Rip Williams, 3, Jory-17.645; 34. JoJo Helberg, 75, Minks-17.753; 35. Stevie Sussex, 21az, Sussex-17.867; 36. Brad Loyet, 05, Loyet-17.894; 37. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-18.321; 38. Lance Norick, 90, Norick-18.333; 39. John Evans, 23, Astenius-19.838; 40. Kyle Cummins, 4u, Wild Ride-NT.

  FIRST HEAT: (10 laps – Held Feb. 19) 1. Kaeding, 2. Johnson, 3. Jones, 4. Boat, 5. Sheridan, 6. Mellenberndt, 7. Elliott, 8. Lane, 9. C.Williams, 10. Rip Williams,

  SECOND HEAT: (10 laps – Held Feb. 19) 1. Clauson, 2. Davis, 3. Clarke, 4. Sweet, 5. Crawford, 6. Helberg, 7. Norick, 8. Shedarowich, 9. Coons, 10. Miller. NT

  THIRD HEAT: (10 laps – Held Feb. 19) 1. Spencer, 2. Hines, 3. Windom, 4. Darland, 5. Ricky Williams, 6. Gulick, 7. Hmiel, 8. Reinbold, 9. Sussex, 10. Evans. NT

  FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps – Held Feb. 19) 1. Ballou, 2. Bloom, 3. Ziehl, 4. Shuman, 5. Gardner, 6. Loyet, 7. Clark, 8. Ogle, 9. High. NT

  DASH: (8 laps – Held Feb. 19) 1. Sweet, 2. Windom, 3. Jones, 4. Ziehl, 5. Darland, 6. Kaeding. NT


Feb 17 2010

JACK HEWITT WILL "DO IT" AT THE COPPER ON DIRT

Jack Hewitt, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee and undoubtedly one of the greatest open wheel drivers of all time, will make his way to Tucson’s USA Raceway were he will be honored as Grand Marshal for the 4th running of The “Copper on Dirt”. 

  Hewitt, the first and only driver to win the elusive 4-Crown at Eldora Speedway, will also be in action on the track!  The famous two-seat sprint car will be on hand and attendee’s of the event will have a rare opportunity to ride along with the legendary Jack Hewitt.

  Two USAC Silver Crown Championships are just a few notables on a very renowned racing career.  Known for his straight talking no-nonsense personality, Hewitt is one of the most respected drivers in the history of the sport with several hundred victories to his credit and sits at the top of the all time win list in USAC Silver Crown competition.  Hewitt also ranks in the top spots for all time career USAC Sprint Car feats and ultimately achieved a life long quest when he finished 12th in the 1998 Indianapolis 500.

  “This is a once in a life time opportunity to have such a great racer come to USA Raceway and we are extremely excited for him to be part of the Copper on Dirt,” said Benji Lyons of USA Raceway.  “I can not wait to see the face’s on the people that are brave enough to get in and take a ride in the back seat of a sprint car with Jack Hewitt at the wheel.”

  The 4th Annual “Copper on Dirt” featuring USAC Silver Crown, USAC National/CRA Sprint Cars and USAC National/Western States Midgets all taking part in a sensational racing spectacle at Tucson’s USA Raceway’s for two nights on February 19th and 20th marking USA Raceway as one of only two dirt track venues to host USAC’s Triple Crown all in one event.

  As the 2010 racing season goes into to full swing, USAC championship hopefuls will make their way west to start the year off at one of the premier events of the season.  More than a hundred of the nations top open wheel teams are anticipated to take part in the 4th Annual “Copper on Dirt” making this a must see event of 2010.

7 DIFFERENT SPRINT WINNERS IN A ROW AT USA RACEWAY?
ROSEMONT COPPER “COPPER ON DIRT” THIS WEEKEND

Nobody has yet been able to grab a second checkered flag in USAC Sprint racing at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. That could change this weekend when the Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” unfolds at the 3.8-mile dirt oval.

  The six previous USAC Sprint races at the track have yielded six different winners. One of those was 2010 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car point leader Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif. Gardner comes to Tucson with an unblemished 2010 record, leading all 60 laps of the two 30-lap series openers last week in Tampa, Fla.

  The other USAC winners at USA Raceway have been Jesse Hockett in 2005, Josh Pelkey and Cory Kruseman in 2006 and Charles Davis Jr. and Scotty Weir in 2007.

  Gardner has a 15-point lead over Brady Short in the 2010 standings and is a former USAC/CRA Sprint Car Champion (2005). He has 35 career USAC/CRA victories to lead the all-time standings over Kruseman, who has 28.

  Kruseman, however, set the 1-lap USAC/CRA Sprint car track record of 15.582 seconds at USA Raceway in 2005.

  The USAC Amsoil National and CRA Sprints join the USAC Silver Crown and USAC Mopar National and Western Midgets for this weekend’s “tripleheader” with preliminaries on Friday and semis and feature events on Saturday.

  Former “Copper on Dirt” Sprint champions include Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Shane Cottle and Darren Hagen.

4th “COPPER ON DIRT” NATIONAL/CRA SPRINTS AT TUCSON

Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif. takes an unblemished 2010 record to USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. this weekend for this year’s 4th Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt.” He led all 60 laps in winning the two 30-lap features comprising the “Bubba Army Sprint Nationals” at Tampa, Fla.’s East Bay Raceway Park last week.

  Gardner, the 2005 USAC/CRA Champion, leads the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car standings into the “tripleheader” at the 3/8-mile dirt oval. The program features the USAC Silver Crown, Amsoil National and USAC/CRA Sprints and the USAC Mopar National and Western Midgets. Preliminaries are Friday, with semis and feature events on Saturday. A 40-lap Sprint race will be joined by a 30-lapper for the Midgets and a 50-lapper for the Silver Crown series.

  Darren Hagen is the defending Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” Sprint champion, passing Kevin Swindell five laps from the end of last year’s race at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the 2007 inaugural and Shane Cottle won in 2008.

  Gardner, who has six Arizona USAC victories to his credit, five at Manzanita and one in 2006 at Tucson, trails A.J. Foyt and Dave Steele by just two wins for the all-time Arizona USAC lead. Mel Kenyon and Jerry Coons Jr. each have seven Arizona USAC wins.

   Jones is aiming for a record fourth USAC National Sprint Car championship after claiming titles in 2005, 2007 and last year. Mike Spencer of Temecula, Calif. is trying to win a third consecutive USAC/CRA Sprint car title, having swept championships in 2008 and 2009.

  USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT SERIES POINT STANDINGS

  1-Damion Gardner-137; 2-Brady Short-122; 3-Bryan Clauson-118; 4-Levi Jones-104; 5-Dave Darland-101; 6-Jerry Coons Jr.-101; 7-Robert Ballou-92; 8-Shane Cottle-88; 9-Jon Stanbrough-84; 10-Henry Clarke-82.

Feb 12 2010
The Tower City Tornado Mark Smith was standing tall in Victory Lane at East Bay Raceway Park
 
Camargo, IL   By Kelly Brown Public Relations Director  At the
end of the night The Tower City Tornado Mark Smith was standing tall in
Victory Lane. Tonights A-Main was chaotic as the event saw six Yellow
Flags and two Red Flags unfurled during the 30-laps. At the end of the
night though a veteran celebrated in Victory Lane while a newcomer to the
All Star series picked up his best finish in a 410 Sprint Car.

The night would begin with Brandon Wimmer and Tim Shaffer on the front row,
but tonights main event would quickly see the yellow as Wimmer wiggled on
the start and Paul McMahan touched wheels with him, sending McMahan into
the wall at the Start/Finish Line. There would be two more attempts to get
tonights A-Main underway, but a single car spin by Spud Gustin and a
second incident with Gustin and David Gravel would delay the start of the
racing action.

When the Green Flag finally flew, Shaffer quickly sprinted out into the
lead leaving Wimmer, Wayne Johnson, Mark Smith, and Dale Blaney to fend for
track position. Within five laps the leader would encounter lapped traffic,
but he was able to execute passes with perfection as Johnson and Wimmer
fought for second. Wimmer favored the low side as Johnson worked up high.
The two ran nose-to-tail for several laps before a little bobble in traffic
would keep Wimmer ahead. Behind them Blaney was all over Smith for the
fourth position.

On Lap 12, the next Caution Flag of the night would fly. This time it was
for Zack Zimmer who spun. At the restart it would be Shaffer once again
setting sail with Wimmer, Johnson, Smith and Terry McCarl in tow. Once
again Johnson was all over Wimmer as the two dueled with an open racetrack
in front of them. Behind them McCarl was working on Smith for fourth. Lap
16 would see the next Caution Flag fly when Wimmer, while running second,
would run into the wall in Turn 2.

On the restart, McCarl was a man on the move as he picked up two spots to
take over the third position. With just ten laps to go Johnson had reeled
Shaffer in and was catching him in traffic. Johnson would try the inside
line, but fall back as McCarl jumped at the opportunity to try to get
around Johnson, but he held strong. At this point as the leaders were
trying to pass Freddie Rahmer, as he slowed on the track. With no-where to
go Shaffer would make contact with Rahmer, spinning the 51 car in Turn 4.
Johnson would also get into the spinning action and was sent to the tail.

With just six laps to go Shaffer had the lead with McCarl, Smith, Blaney
and rookie Cap Henry in the top-five. On the restart McCarl would go low
trying to get around Shaffer in Turn1, but as the two running side-by-side,
exited Turn 2 the two would make contact as McCarl attempted to execute a
slide job on the 83 car. It ended both of their nights. At this point the
Red Flag came out for a fuel stop.

On the restart, Smith would inherit the lead with Blaney, Henry, Greg
Hodnett, and Lance Dewease running in the top-five. When the green was
shown Dewease would get a jump sliding under Hodnett to pick up third. A
lap later another Red Flag would fly as Blaney flipped in Turn 2 after
making contact with the wall.

When racing action resumed the battle was for fourth as Hodnett and Stevie
Smith battled for the position. Hodnett would get loose exiting Turn 2
allowing Stevie Smith to take the position, but Hodnett would battle back
as he put a slide job on Smith in Turn 4 to retake the position. With the
Checkered Flag waving in the cold Floridian night air, Mark Smith would
pick up the victory with Henry, Dewease, Hodnett and Stevie Smith rounding
out the top-five.

Smith would pick up his third career All Star win and would record his
first All Star Winter Nationals Victory at East Bay Raceway Park. For
Rookie-of-the-Year contender Cap Henry this would be not only his best All
Star Circuit of Champions, but his best finish in a 410 Sprint Car.

Tomorrow night, Friday February 12, admission will be $25 and pit passes
will be $32. On the final night of race action tickets can be purchased for
$30 and the pit passes will be $35. The track is offering a three-day
general admission race package, which will run $70.

Top Three Quotes

Winner Mark Smith, To win was going to be a lot easier without Dale
(Blaney) behind me. When you have him behind you, you know it is going to
be tough. I do not like win races this way, but we will take it. You can
move around on the track a lot here. There is a top and a bottom and it is
not that bad as long as everyone races smart and keeps their line. We did
not have the best car, but we are standing here up front.?

Second Place Cap Henry, AJ and I, this is less than fifth race together
and this is just awesome. I really do not know what to say. It is my best
run in a 410 and to do it with the All Stars running for Rookie-of-the-Year
just makes it that much better. I wish we could have passed Mark, but I did
not want to be greedy. I was really just trying to hold my position and I
did not want to blow it trying to pass Mark. He was really quick the whole
race and I guess that is experience. I was just trying to hold on to
second, because it means a lot to us.?

Third Place Lance Dewease, We were terrible, but tonight was survival of
the fittest. We made the A, and a lot of guys didn?t.  We had a good
restart the last time, but I guarantee we will be faster tomorrow night. At
the beginning when we had all the yellow flags it seemed like every time we
got a good start the yellow came out. Then when we had our worst start it
stayed green. Our car was not the best, but it will be better tomorrow
night.?

Those who cannot attend the event can tune in on the internet. RACE CAST
LIVE, an online live motorsports video website will be carrying the event
online. RACE CAST LIVE uses a Pay-by-the-Hour system through the TodoCast
platform and features HD. This isnt a race with one camera; a play-by-play
announcer will be piped in with high quality footage on multiple cameras.
Check it out at www.racecastlive.com.

Kistler Engines Qualifying
Car-Driver- Time

1.2 Dale Blaney 12.008
2.13 Paul McMahan 12.134
3.51 Fred Rahmer 12.184
4.39 Doug Esh 12.206
5.30c Lance Dewease 12.209
6.0s Wayne Johnson 12.211
7.83 Tim Shaffer 12.222
8. 0 Brandon Wimmer 12.226
9.24 Terry McCarl 12.247
10. 7m Mark Smith 12.293
11. 45 Rob Chaney 12.296
12. 04 Cap Henry 12.297
13. 3b Brad Greer 12.345
14. 22 Greg Hodnett 12.352
15. 1 Stevie Smith 12.413
16. 89g David Gravel 12.429
17. 97 Dean Jacobs 12.457
18. 12 Jared Ridge 12.532
19. 17 Daryn Pittman 12.536
20. 9x Gary Wright 12.541
21. 80 Spud Gustin 12.554
22. 6r Bill Rose 12.563
23. 94 Zach Zimmerly 12.581
24. w20 Greg Wilson 12.66
25. 4b Tom Busch 12.718
26. 1j Bronson Maeschen 12.728
27. 39w Alex Shanks 12.773
28. 11t T.J. Winegardner 12.779
29. 1x Kurt Gross 12.984
30. 6w Brad Wickham 13.071
31. 02 Gene Lasker 13.119
32. 66 Shane Wade 13.155
33. 6x Mark Cole 13.492
34. 23 Todd Rittenhouse, Jr. 13.846
35. 18l Shawn Lawler 14.706

Heats
Finished car# Driver  (Started)

MSD Ignition Heat 1 10 Laps
1.  24  Terry McCarl (4)
2.  2 Dale Blaney (6)
3.  30c Lance Dewease (5)
4.  80 Spud Gustin (2)
5.  3b Brad Greer (3)

Kears Speed Shop Heat 2  10 Laps
1.  6r Bill Rose (1)
2.  7m Mark Smith (4)
3.  0s Wayne Johnson (5)
4.  13 Paul McMahan (6)
5.  12 Jared Ridge (2)

 
All Pro Heads Heat 3  10 Laps
1.  17 Daryn Pittman (2)
2.  94 Zach Zimmerly (1)
3.  45 Rob Chaney (3)
4.  1 Stevie Smith (3)
5.  83 Tim Shaffer (5)

Outerwears Performance Products Heat 4  10 Laps
1.  9x Gary Wright (2)
2.  w20 Greg Wilson (1)
3.  04 Cap Henry (4)
4.  89g David Gravel (3)
5.  0 Brandon Wimmer (5)

University of Northwestern Ohio B Main  12 Laps
1.  51 Freddie Rahmer (1)
2.  22 Greg Hodnett (3)
3.  1j Bronson Maeschen (4)
4.  39 Doug Esh (2)
5.  4b Tom Bush (5)
6.  39w Alex Shanks (7)
7.  23 Todd Rittenhouse Jr. (8)
8.  1x Kurt Gross (9)
9.  6w Brad Wickham(6)
- DNS 97 Dean Jacobs
- DNS  11t TJ Winegardner
- DNS 02 Gene Lasker
- DNS 66 Shane Wade

OReilly Auto Parts A Main 30 Laps
1.   7m Mark Smith
2.   04 Cap Henry
3.   30c Lance Dewease
4.   22 Greg Hodnett
5.   1 Stevie Smith
6.   39 Doug Esh
7.   45 Rob Chaney
8.   w20 Greg Wilson
9.   17 Daryn Pittman
10.  51 Freddie Rahmer
11.  0s Wayne Johnson
12.  6r Bill Rose
13.  12 Jared Ridge
14.  89g David Gravel
15.  94 Zach Zimmerly
16.  1j Bronson Maeschen
17.  2 Dale Blaney
18.  83 Tim Shaffer
19.  24 Terry McCarl
20.  0 Brandon Wimmer
21.  80 Spud Gustin
22.  3b Brad Greer
23.  13 Paul McMahan
24.  9x Gary Wright

Feb 11 2010


2010 All Star Circuit of Champions edition of Winter Nationals Concludes this Weekend at East Bay

Camargo, IL (2-8-10) by Kelly Brown Public Relations Director With three
thrilling nights of racing action in the history books, it is time for the
OReilly All Star Circuit of Champions to move to East Bay Raceway Park to
wrap up the 2010 version of the Winter Nationals. After a seven-year
absence from the track, this weekend promises to be a grand return to the
The Clay by the Bay.
    The last time the All Stars raced at East Bay was in 2003 when the All
Stars ran three nights straight with victories going to: Danny Lasoski,
Jeff Shepard, and Craig Dollansky. The All Stars have a long history with
East Bay as the first time that the drivers of the All Star Series hit the
track was in 1984 during the second running of Winter Nationals when Lee
Osbourne, Joe Saldana, Bobby Davis Jr. and Sammy Swindell celebrated in
Victory Lane. The 2010 edition promises to be better than ever featuring:
The Steel City Outlaw, Tim Shaffer, Dale Blaney, Greg Wilson, and many
more. 
   The All Stars will be making their landmark return to East Bay Raceway Park
on Thursday, February 11th with $3,000 up for grabs, Friday, February 12th
with $5,000 on the line, and on Saturday, February 13 with $7,000 being
awarded to the winner. Do not forget that one lucky fan will win $1,000
each night just for attending.

Ticket Information
   On Thursday, February 11th the tickets will run $20, with pit passes
running $30. Then on Friday night admission will be $25 and pit passes will
be $32. On the final night of race action tickets can be purchased for $30
and the pit passes will be $35. The track is offering a three-day general
admission race package, which will run $70.

Race Cast Live
   Those who cannot attend the event can tune in on the internet. RACE CAST
LIVE, an online live motorsports video website will be carrying the event
online. RACE CAST LIVE uses a Pay-by-the-Hour system through the TodoCast
platform and features HD. This isn?t a race with one camera; a play-by-play
announcer will be piped in with high quality footage on multiple cameras.
Check it out at www.racecastlive.com.

Official Hotel Information
   Open to both fans and racers the Days Inn Tampa North will be offering a
racer special that is $45.00 a night and a free hot breakfast will be
included.

Days Inn Tampa North
701 East Fletcher Ave
I-275 & Fletcher Ave Exit 52
Tampa, FL 33612
For Reservations Call (813) 977-1550 or (866) 895-6584 or
EmailDaysinn05280@aol.com
*Racer Fan Special $45.00 (1-2 people)*

Either at the track or at home the OReilly All Star Circuit of Champions
allows fans to enjoy the racing action at East Bay Raceway Park. For the
most up to date information on the All Star Circuit of Champions and the
2010 edition of Winter Nationals, bookmark www.allstarsprint.com on your
computer.


ASCS Rebel Go at Hendry County Cancelled

 
QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Jerry Coons Jr., 69, Dynamics-15.039;
2. Henry Clarke, 67, Kunz-15.086; 3. Kurt Gross, 1x, Gross-15.126; 4. Jeff Bland Jr., 38, Bland-15.143; 5. Damion Gardner, 71, DG-15.159; 6. Shane Cottle, 10E, Edison-15.162; 7. Dave Darland, 67k, Kunz-15.169; 8. Brady Short, 36, Short-15.197; 9. Ricky Williams, 11w, Williams-15.264; 10. Thomas Meseraull, 4G, Cook-15.267; 11. Bobby East, 5, Klatt-15.270; 12. Shane Hmiel, 17, 56 Inc.-15.282; 13. Brett Burdette, 17B, Burdette-15.310; 14. Bryan Clauson, 2B, RWB-15.328; 15. Chris Windom, 11, Walker-15.339; 16. Caleb Armstrong, 7, Tucker-15.347; 17. Kent Christian, 1c, Christian-15.389; 18. Levi Jones, 20, Stewart-15.399; 19. Robert Ballou, 81, MPHG-15.412; 20. Jon Stanbrough, 53, Fox-15.424; 21. Casey Riggs, 37, Indiana Underground-15.433; 22. Kyle Cummins, 4u, Wild Ride-15.606; 23. Tracy Hines, 24, Parker-15.642; 24. Eric Smith, 14, Smith-15.688; 25. Justin Grant, 5B, Baldwin-15.695; 26. Alex Shanks, 39w, Wade-15.780; 27. Mike Weber, 22w, Weber-16.220; 28. Shane Wade, 66, Wade-16.641; 29. Dwayne Spille, 71s, Spille-16.798; 30. Rob Chaney, 9x, SC-16.959; 31. Shawn Lawler, 18L, Lawler-17.425; 32. Hunter Schuerenberg, 2, Epperson-20.813.

  FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Christian, 2. Williams, 3. Gardner, 4. Coons, 5. Riggs, 6. Burdette, 7. Grant, 8. Spille.

  SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Jones, 2. Clauson, 3. Clarke, 4. Meseraull, 5. Cottle, 6. Shanks, 7. Cummins, 8. Chaney.

  THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Ballou, 2. Darland, 3. Hines, 4. Gross, 5. East, 6. Weber, 7. Lawler, 8. Windom.

  FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Hmiel, 2. Bland, 3. Short, 4. Stanbrough, 5. C.Armstrong, 6. Wade, 7. Smith, 8. Schuerenberg.

  SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Windom, 2. Cottle, 3. Burdette, 4. C.Armstrong, 5. East, 6. Cummins, 7. Riggs, 8. Smith, 9. Shanks, 10. Chaney, 11. Grant, 12. Weber, 13. Wade, 14. Lawler, 15. Spille.
Spille flipped during the semi-feature.

  FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Damion Gardner, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 4. Brady Short, 5. Levi Jones, 6. Jeff Bland Jr., 7. Bryan Clauson, 8. Robert Ballou. 9. Henry Clarke, 10. Brett Burdette, 11. Tracy Hines, 12. Jon Stanbrough, 13. Shane Hmiel, 14. Shane Cottle, 15. Thomas Meseraull, 16. Bobby East, 17. Ricky Williams, 18. Kyle Cummins, 19. Kurt Gross, 20. Kent Christian, 21. Casey Riggs, 22. Caleb Armstrong, 23. Chris Windom. NT  

 FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Gardner.

 NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Gardner-137; 2-Short-122; 3-Clauson-118; 4-Jones-104; 5-Darland-101; 6-Coons-101; 7-Ballou-92; 8-Cottle-88; 9-Stanbrough-84; 10-Clarke-82.

 
NEXT AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RACE: February 19-20 – Tucson, AZ – USA Raceway - “Copper on Dirt”

 O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions

Camargo, IL by Kelly Brown – Public Relations Director –With three thrilling nights of racing action in the history books, it is time for the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions to move to East Bay Raceway Park to wrap up the 2010 version of the Winter Nationals. After a seven-year absence from the track, this weekend promises to be a grand return to the “The Clay by the Bay.”
     The last time the All Stars raced at East Bay was in 2003 when the All Stars ran three nights straight with victories going to: Danny Lasoski, Jeff Shepard, and Craig Dollansky. The All Stars have a long history with East Bay as the first time that the drivers of the All Star Series hit the track was in 1984 during the second running of Winter Nationals when Lee Osbourne, Joe Saldana, Bobby Davis Jr. and Sammy Swindell celebrated in Victory Lane. The 2010 edition promises to be better than ever featuring: “The Steel City Outlaw,” Tim Shaffer, Dale Blaney, Greg Wilson, and many more.

The All Stars will be making their landmark return to East Bay Raceway Park on Thursday, February 11th with $3,000 up for grabs, Friday, February 12th with $5,000 on the line, and on Saturday, February 13 with $7,000 being awarded to the winner. Do not forget that one lucky fan will win $1,000 each night just for attending.

Ticket Information

On Thursday, February 11th the tickets will run $20, with pit passes running $30. Then on Friday night admission will be $25 and pit passes will be $32. On the final night of race action tickets can be purchased for $30 and the pit passes will be $35. The track is offering a three-day general admission race package, which will run $70.

Race Cast Live

Those who cannot attend the event can tune in on the internet. RACE CAST LIVE, an online live motorsports video website will be carrying the event online. RACE CAST LIVE uses a Pay-by-the-Hour system through the TodoCast platform and features HD. This isn’t a race with one camera; a play-by-play announcer will be piped in with high quality footage on multiple cameras. Check it out at www.racecastlive.com.
 

Feb 9 2010 

                                      Rebels Open 2010 ASCS Season with Florida Events

 Feb 8 2010  
  FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Hmiel, 2. Hines, 3. Christian, 4. Short, 5. Darland, 6. East, 7. Wade, 8. Riggs.

  SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Clarke, 2. Clauson, 3. Cummins, 4. Bland, 5. Stanbrough, 6. Meseraull, 7. Gross, 8. Chaney.

  THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Grant, 2. Williams, 3. Jones, 4. Gardner, 5. Burdette, 6. Windom, 7. Weber, 8. Carlsson.

  FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Schuerenberg, 2. Coons, 3. Ballou, 4. Cottle, 5. C.Armstrong, 6. Shanks, 7. Smith, 8. Spille.

  SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Riggs, 2. Windom, 3. Stanbrough, 4. C.Armstrong, 5. Darland, 6. Burdette, 7. East, 8. Gross, 9. Smith, 10. Chaney, 11. Shanks, 12. Wade, 13. Weber, 14. Carlsson, 15. Spille, 16. Meseraull. NT

  FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Damion Gardner, 2. Bryan Clauson, 3. Brady Short, 4. Shane Cottle, 5. Jon Stanbrough, 6. Casey Riggs, 7. Levi Jones, 8. Robert Ballou, 9. Dave Darland, 10. Shane Hmiel, 11. Tracy Hines, 12. Jerry Coons Jr., 13. Henry Clarke, 14. Chris Windom, 15. Justin Grant, 16. Hunter Schuerenberg, 17. Kent Christian, 18. Brett Burdette, 19. Caleb Armstrong, 20. Bobby East, 21. Kyle Cummins, 22. Ricky Williams, 23. Jeff Bland Jr. NT 
 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Gardner.

  NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Gardner-69; 2-Clauson-69; 3-Short-65; 4-Cottle-59; 5-Riggs-51; 6-Stanbrough-50; 7-Jones-48; 8-Ballou-45; 9-Hmiel-41; 10-Hines-38.

 
NEXT AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RACE: February 9 – Gibsonton, FL – East Bay Raceway Park – “Bubba Army Sprint Nationals"


Feb 5 2010

Saldana Sizzles at Volusia Speedway Park 

From, allstarsprint.com
Camargo, IL (2-4-10) – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director –Tonight Saldana won his first race of the season in a convincing fashion after running second on the previous night at Volusia.
    Starting on the front row of tonight’s feature event was Craig Dollansky and Greg Hodnett. When the green banner waved over the A-main, Hodnett quickly took the lead. Drag racing down the back stretch on the first lap Saldana was able to move up to second, after beginning his night in the fifth position, while Dollansky settled into third. It only took until the second revolution of the track for Saldana to take the lead in Turn 4. Hodnett would fight back in the low line, while Saldana stayed high. For about three laps the two traded the lead in about every corner, but Saldana was able to establish himself in the lead. 
    While the top two were battling, Dollansky was being pursued by Donny Schatz as the two fought for third. Dollansky would get the edge, and Schatz would fall into the clutches of Steve Kinser. Kinser would get around Schatz for fourth momentarily. The two then ran wheel-to-wheel for a lap, but Schatz got the edge retaking the fourth position. Just as Saldana and Hodnett were running side-by-side in traffic, the first caution flag of the night came out on Lap 8. It was for Doug Esh who has slowed in Turn 1 with a flat tire. 
    On the restart, the track did not stay green for long. One lap was recorded before Hodnett who was running second at the time slowed with a flat left rear tire. When racing resumed, it would be Saldana, Dollansky, Kinser, Lasoski and Schatz lining up in the top-five. The Green Flag would fly again, but almost instantly the track went yellow as Schatz slowed with a flat right rear and a missing right front tire.  
    When the Green Flag flew, Saldana would favor the high side and stretch out his lead using his chosen high line. At the halfway point of tonight’s race the leader began to encounter traffic again. Dollansky began to close on the number 9 Budweiser car, but on Lap 17 the Yellow Flag would fly again as Esh came to a stop on the course. At this point there had been so many laps run under caution, the officials of the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions decided to unveil the Red Flag for a fuel stop. 
    On the restart both Lucas Wolfe and Sam Hafertepe Jr. were on the move as both got past Lasoski to pick up the fourth and fifth positions on the track. At the front Saldana was stretching his lead out again, but it was erased with another Yellow Flag with eight laps to go. Lance Dewease slowed on the track with a flat tire and was unable to make it to the pit area.  
    The next time the Green Flag was unveiled, Kinser would reel in Dollansky for second, but their battle had to be put on hold when the final caution of the night came out on Lap 26 when Jac Haudenschild had a flat tire. When the field restarted Saldana held on tight to the lead leaving Dollansky and Kinser to continue their skirmish. As Kinser ran low and Dollansky ran high, Wolfe caught the two and joined the battle. 
    With the Checkered Flag in the air, Saldana picked up his first win of the 2010 season and his seventh win overall at Volusia. Behind him it would be Dollansky holding on to second, while Kinser would cross the line in third, with Wolf and Hafertepe rounding out the top-five. 
    One of the hardest chargers of tonight was Tim Kaeding who started the race on the tail of the field after having a fuel leak prior to the Green Flag. He was able to climb all the way to ninth before the end of the race.
    Carrying the banner for the All Stars was Dale Blaney who turned in another remarkable race. After starting twenty-second he was able to pick up twelve spots to finish tenth. 

From, allstarsprint.com
Camargo, IL – By Kelly Brown –Public Relations Director – Entering tonight’s event there were a lot of unknowns for Craig Dollansky. He was beginning the 2010 season with a new team, car, and even the Goodyear Tires on his car were new to him. Some drivers may be daunted by a scenario like this, but Dollansky adapted very quickly as he picked up the victory in O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions action at Volusia Speedway Park.

After setting quick time, Dollansky would begin the night on the pole position with Jason Sides to his right. On the drop of the Green Flag Dollansky would take the lead on Lap 1 coming out of the second turn. Behind him Joey Saldana was on the move as he picked up four positions, moving from his eighth place starting position to fourth in just one circuit of the track. When the dust settled after the first lap the top-five were Dollansky, Sides, Lucas Wolfe, Saldana and Donny Schatz.

Tonight the track was lightening quick, which made it difficult to pass . On Lap 5, Dollansky would first encounter traffic for the first time which gave Sides an opportunity to close in. The following lap Dollansky was having trouble getting around lapped traffic, which allowed Wolfe to catch the top-two and battle for the top spot. It also allowed Saldana to sneak up on the top-three and steal third from Wolfe.

At this point Saldana was all over Sides for the second position, while Dollansky stretched out his lead. At the half way point the top five were Dollansky, Sides, Saldana, Schatz, and Wolfe. Just one lap later the first caution flag of the race would fly for Doug Esh, who came to a stop in Turn 3.

On the restart, Steve Kinser was on the move as he moved his way into the top-five and began pursing his teammate. One of the best battles on the track was between Saldana and Schatz as they sized each other up. When the leaders started to encounter traffic again, Sides was closing in on Dollansky. On Lap 24, Sides caught Dollansky and got on the outside in Turn 1. The duo would run nose-to-tail down the back stretch. On the 26 circuit of the course Sides would beat Dollansky to the line and take the lead.

Two laps later disaster would strike for Sides as first sparks were reported over the radio, then his racecar slowed and came to a stop high in Turn 3 with rear end damage. On the drop of the green Dollansky set sail, while Saldana and Schatz battled, but just before Dollansky could take the checkered flag the Red Flag flew for Tim Kaeding who had flipped exiting Turn 2. This set up a second Green, White, Checkered situation. On this restart, Dollansky powered into the first turn leaving Saldana and Schatz to decide second. When the Checkered Flag flew it would be Dollansky picking up the win with Saldana, Schatz, Kinser, and Stevie Smith just eking his way into the top-five at the end.

Tonight Dollansky collected his sixth career All Star win and his first in All Star Winter Nationals action since 2001 when he won at Volusia. Overall it was the third time in his career that he celebrated a 410 sprint car win in Victory Lane at Volusia.

Next up is a second night of thrilling racing action at Volusia Speedway Park. Thursday, February 4th General Admission for the event is $29 with a Pit Pass running $40. Reserved seats can be purchased on race day for $2 more per seat. This year Volusia is extending a one of a kind chance to get close to the racing action to fans, as they will have unprecedented access throughout the racing program. Every ticket purchased is a FREE Fan Pit Pass. All fans have to do is show their grandstand ticket and sign in to at a table near the pit entrance, and they will be free to visit the pit area at any time during the course of the race night to see the best sprint car drivers in the world, their cars and their crews hard at work. For tickets and more information visit: www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call Volusia Speedway Park at 386-985-4402.

For up to date information as the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions take on five more nights of racing during the 2010 edition of Winter Nationals visit www.allstarsprint.com.

 Top Three Quotes

Winner Craig Dollansky – “It was a great team effort with my brand new race team. It is always a team effort when you make it to Victory Lane. I could not be happier for everyone involved. This was our first night running on the Goodyear Tires. Some other teams have tested, but we did not, so we are pretty happy that we could win on our first night with them. It is a great win for everyone who stands behind this team. We have a great support system.”

Second Place Joey Saldana – “We had a great car and it was really great in lapped traffic. We could really move around. We had a good start, but with an open track like that it is hard to make up any ground especially on a guy like Craig. Put a guy like that up front it is hard to pass them unless lapped traffic comes into play. If we had been in lapped traffic, I think we would have been good enough to win. We have quality cars. I started eighth, so I will take a second and come back tomorrow.”

Third Place Donny Schatz – “The track was so fast on the restart is about the only time you had a chance to pass unless someone makes a mistake. Some nights you have to deal with that. We had a decent race car, but there were a lot of decent racecars out there tonight. I wish we could have stayed in traffic a little longer. That is where races are won and lost. We saw Jason Sides sneak by in it. We have five more nights of racing to go, so we will keep on plugging away.”

Kistler Engines Qualifying 
    Car#-    Driver-        Time
1.    7                 Craig Dollansky    13.206
2.    7s               Jason Sides           13.209
3.    17              Daryn Pittman       13.294
4.    6                Danny Lasoski       13.380
5.    63              Chad Kemenah      13.395
6.    15              Donny Schatz        13.430
7.    11              Steve Kinser         13.440
8.    1                Stevie Smith         13.446
9.    r19             Lucas Wolfe           13.447
10.    30c           Lance Dewease     13.448
11.    49            Brad Sweet            13.460
12.    3c            Cale Conley            13.482
13.    6r            Bill Rose                 13.518
14.    9             Joey Saldana           13.531
15.    14           Jason Myers             13.539
16.    83           Tim Shaffer              13.544
17.    6f            Bob Felmlee             13.548
18.    0             Brandon Wimmer     13.553
19.    15h        Sam Hafertepe Jr.    13.554
20.    89g       David Gravel             13.566
21.    0s         Glenn Styres             13.576
22.    91        Cody Darrah              13.578
23.    24        Terry McCarl             13.579
24.    39        Doug Esh                   13.582
25.    1j         Bronson Maeschen    13.594
26.    7m       Mark Smith                13.604
27.    22        Greg Hodnett             13.630
28.    w20     Greg Wilson               13.679
29.    4         Cap Henry                   13.682
30.    22e     Brian Ellenberger       13.683
31.    51       Freddie Rahmer         13.685
32.    83jr    Tim Kaeding               13.694
33.    2b      Ben Gregg                   13.701
34.    13      Paul McMahan            13.713
35.    11e    Mike Erdley                13.877
36.    2        Dale Blaney                14.005
37.    6w     Brad Wickham            14.291
38.    12     Jerrod Ridge               14.602
39.    97     Dean Jacobs                15.215
40.    11t    TJ Winegardner          16.124
NT    11k    Kraig Kinser            

 Heat Finishes (Started)
MSD Ignition Heat 1 –8 Laps
1.  0s Glenn Styres (1)
2.  7 Craig Dollansky (6)
3.  6f Bob Felmlee (2)
4.  r19 Lucas Wolfe (4)
5.  2b Ben Gregg (9)
6.  11k Kraig Kinser (10)
7.  04 Cap Henry (8)
8.  1j Bronson Maeschen (7)
9. 63 Chad Kemenah (5)
10. 6r Bill Rose (3)
-    6w Brad Wickham (DNS)

Kears Speed Shop Heat 2 – 8 Laps
1.  91 Cody Darrah (1)
2.  9 Joey Saldana (3)
3.  0 Brandon Wimmer (2)
4.  15 Donny Schatz (5)
5.  7s Jason Sides (6)
6.  30c Lance Dewease (4)
7.  13 Paul McMahan (9)
8.  22e Brian Ellenberger (8)
9. 7m Mark Smith (7)
10. 12 Jared Ridge (10)
 
All Pro Heads Heat 3 – 8 Laps
1.  24 Terry McCarl (1)
2.  15h Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
3.  11 Steve Kinser (5)
4.  51 Freddie Rahmer (8)
5.  14 Jason Myers (3)
6.  17 Daryn Pittman (6)
7.  22 Greg Hodnett (7)
8. 49 Brad Sweet (4)
9. 97 Dean Jacobs (10)
10. 11e Mike Erdley (9)

Outerwears Performance Products Heat 4 – 8 Laps
1.  39 Doug Esh (1)
2.  3c Cale Conley (4)
3.  1 Stevie Smith (5)
4.  83 Tim Shaffer (3)
5.  83jr  Tim Kaeding (8)
6.  6 Danny Lasoski (6)
7.  w20 Greg Wilson (7)
8. 11t TJ Winegardner (10)
9. 89g David Gravel (2)
10. 2 Dale Blaney (9)

University of Northwestern Ohio B Main – 12 Laps
1.  17 Daryn Pittman (1)
2.  6 Danny Lasoski (2)
3.  30c Lance Dewease (3)
4.  49 Brad Sweet (4)
5.  22 Greg Hodnett (8)
6. 1j Bronson Maeschen (6)
7.  7m Mark Smith (7)
8. w20 Greg Wilson (9)
9. 13 Paul McMahan (12)
10.  22e Brian Ellenberger (11)
11. 04 Cap Henry (10)
12. 6r Bill Rose (5)
13. 12 Jared Ridge (13)
14. 97 Dean Jacobs (14)

O’Reilly Auto Parts A Main – 30 Laps
1.  7 Craig Dollansky             (1)
2.  9 Joey Saldana                (8)
3.  15 Donny Schatz             (3)
4.  11 Steve Kinser               (6)
5.  1 Stevie Smith                (5)
6.  r19 Lucas Wolfe              (4)
7.  17 Daryn Pittman           (11)
8.  14 Jason Myers              (9)
9.  30c Lance Dewease        (13)
10.  15h Sam Hafertepe Jr. (17)
11.  24 Terry McCarl           (20)
12.  3c Cale Conley             (7)
13.  51 Freddie Rahmer      (22)
14.  6 Danny Lasoski           (12)
15.  83 Tim Shaffer             (10)
16.  49 Brad Sweet             (14)
17. 6f Bob Felmlee              (15)
18.  2b Ben Gregg              (24)
19.  83jr Tim Kaeding         (23)
20.  7s Jason Sides             (2)
21. 91 Cody Darrah            (19)
22.  0s Glen Styres             (18)
23.  39 Dough Esh             (21)
24.  0 Brandon Wimmer     (16)

Feb 2 2010

Lucas Oil Sprint Bandits TNT 2010 Schedule Revealed