On night #2 of the 35th Annual WinterNationals at Volusia Speedway Park, 37 cars signed into the pits with the All Star Circuit of Champions. With Jac Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, and Brooke Tatnell joining the talent already present at the Volusia County Speedway, making the 24 car starting field would again prove to be a tall order. Greg Hodnett would get the night started by setting quick time in qualifying, and backed that up with a run to the front to win the first heat race. The other three heats were won by Bob Felmlee, Donny Schatz, and Jeff Shepard. The Al Hamilton owned #77 again showed they would be the team to beat as Hodnett took the All Star dash. For the second straight night Brock Mayes led the B feature to the checkers.
New track record holder Chad Kemenah and night one’s hard charger Joey Saldana would lead the 24 car starting field to the green. The duo would battle side by side for the first five laps with Kemenah running the bottom line and Saldana running the same top groove that proved so effective the night before. A lap 6 spin by Lance Dewease would bring Donny Schatz into the fold. When the green fell for the restart, Schatz was too much for Saldana to hold off. A caution for Daryn Pittman’s motor expiring on a lap 11 would set up an exciting duel to the finish between early race leader Kemenah and the hard charging Schatz. With the two encountering lapped traffic, Kemenah was forced to move the #15K off the bottom groove where he had been so fast, and as Schatz searched the track for a faster line the gap between them quickly closed. As the laps wound down Schatz was able to work the higher line around Kemenah and hang on for his first career All Star Circuit of Champions victory.
RESULTS
Volusia County Speedway - All-Star Circuit of Champions
