Camargo, IL (6-26-09) – One thing that fans will remember tonight’s race for is the fact that during Lap 18 four different cars took turns leading the race. From the time that the Green Flag flew on night five of Ohio Speedweek at the Limaland Motorsports Park 1/4-mile bullring, it was some of the best racing the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions had encountered all week as the event ran almost wire-to-wire.

On the initial drop of the Green Flag, Brock Mayes grabbed the lead from the pole position, but as the fourth row entered Turn 1, a melee ensued, which forced Phil Gressman to climb the wall. The rest of the cars involved would continue on, but this ended Gressman’s night, setting up a complete restart of the event.

When racing action got underway it was fast and furious as Danny Smith got the jump and led the first lap of the event. He would be followed to the line by Mayes, Rob Chaney and Tim Shaffer. A few laps later Shaffer made his move in Turn 3 snatching the third position. Chaney battled back, but Shaffer had his car working in the top groove, holding him off.

By Lap 5 Mayes, took his turn in the top position briefly, but Smith quickly retook the lead. Mayes fell into the clutches of Shaffer as the top three traded positions back and forth. It seemed as if every time Mayes would catch Smith, Shaffer would close on the duo and join the battle. Shaffer appeared to be the best entering Turn 3 as he picked up the second position on Lap 11. Then a few laps later he would celebrate his 42nd birthday by taking the lead.

While the top three were battling Dale Blaney was on the move from his seventh place starting position, moving into the top-five and closing in on the lead pack as he passed Greg Wilson for the position. When the field started encountering traffic on Lap 14, Danny Smith dove under Shaffer for the lead. Shaffer would get held up by a lapped car letting Mayes get by for second. Using a lapped car as a pick, Mayes took the lead away from Smith on Lap 16. This is when Blaney really made his presence known on the track as he dove under Shaffer and Smith to take the second position on Lap 17.

Lap 18 will be one that goes down in infamy as Mayes, Smith, Shaffer and Blaney all led on the same lap. The top four could have been thrown under a blanket. Smith would out muscle his fellow competitors and establish himself in the lead on Lap 20 of the 40 Lap A main event. Blaney established himself in the second position, followed by Shaffer, Wilson, and Mayes.

Once Smith was in the lead, he pulled away from the fray. In the latter part of the event Wilson came to life picking off Mayes for fourth. When he caught Shaffer the two battled side-by-side until Wilson bobbled slightly. In the mean time Shaffer caught Blaney for second and started working on him. As the two battled it allowed Wilson catch up to the leaders again.

With five laps remaining Wilson made quick work of Shaffer diving under him in Turn 2 to take over the third position in the top line. Wilson then set his sights on second, catching Blaney using the high line. Wilson worked on Blaney each lap, but was unable to execute the pass. At the Checkered Flag it was Smith picking up the win, followed by Blaney, Wilson, Shaffer and Mayes.

This was Smith’s 30th All Star Circuit of Champions win, his second this season, and his second in All Star competition at Limaland Motorsports Park. His last win at the 1/4-mile bullring came in 1990 and the last time the All Star series raced at Fremont Speedway the sprint car veteran won.

The final night of Ohio Speedweek is on tap tomorrow night at Fremont Speedway. The gates will open at 4:00 pm and racing action is slated to begin at 7:00 pm. Tickets for the event start at $25 for adults, $15 for seniors, ages 16-11 are $10, while ages 10 and under are free. Pit Passes for the event will run $30. For more information on the event you can call the track office at (419) 333-0476 or visit www.fremontohspeedway.com.

With Stevie Smith finishing ninth and Rob Chaney turning in a sixth place finish, the points for Ohio Speedweek champion is closer than ever. Don’t miss tomorrow night at Fremont Speedway to see who will emerge as Ohio Speedweek Champion. Keep yourself updated by visiting both www.allstarsprint.com and www.ohiospeedweek.com .

First Place Danny Smith – “I didn’t let Brock beat me on the second start. I was running around the top and was not sure how hard I should run going into the first turn. He chased me down, got by me, but I got my elbows up and fought back. They kept coming at me, slide jobbing and slide jobbing. It was great, but I am the one that gets to take home the check. I would like to thank all the great fans here tonight, without them we wouldn’t be here.”

Second Place Dale Blaney – “We were a second place car tonight. We had a heck of a race right there, Smith got by me at one point and he fought me back. The high side was the place to be. There wasn’t a whole lot on the bottom to work with. With the way this week has gone we will take this and move on to Fremont.”

hird Place Greg Wilson – “I couldn’t get by traffic and get on the top side like I needed to in the final laps, but that is what you have to deal with when you start back a little ways. We had another great run here at Lima. I have to thank George Warnimont for a great race car. We had a little mishap today with the trailer, so to be able to leave with a good finish going into Fremont tomorrow night is great.”

Speedweek Fan Info A great place to stay at Fremont Speedway is the Holiday Inn Express in Tiffin, Ohio. To make reservations visit www.holidayinn.com or call (419) 443-5100 and ask for the Ohio Speedweek racers rate.

During Speedweek the fans in attendance should check out the O’Reilly All Star Merchandise trailer as there are several new items. Special for Ohio Speedweek, ASI Sportswear has created several items including: 2009 Ohio Speedweek decals, 2009 Ohio Speedweek die cast, and an exclusive tye-dye 2009 Ohio Speedweek t-shirt.

Also new to the trailer is 2010 All Star calendars with are 12X12, full color, and priced at $15. Also new is the 2009 O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions souvenir program, which is a must read for fans of the series. Also in the trailer is a host of the best and highest quality race wear that ASI Sportswear has to offer including new driver shirts for Greg Wilson, Ryan Bunton, Dale Blaney and Tim Shaffer.

Kistler Engines Qualifying Car-Driver-Time
1. 7k Rob Chaney 11.484
2. 2h Tim Hunter 11.527
3. 1x Randy Hannagan 11.561
4. 92 Daron Clayton 11.577
5. 83 Tim Shaffer 11.629
6. 78 Todd Kane 11.658
7. 1 Stevie Smith 11.707
8. 11b Brock Mayes 11.719
9. 11m Brandon Martin 11.784
10. 4 Danny Smith 11.804
11. 97 Dean Jacobs 11.821
12. 2 Dale Blaney 11.831
13. 9x Phil Gressman 11.839
14. w20 Greg Wilson 11.852
15. 3c Cale Conley 11.867
16. 45au Steven Lines 11.874
17. 312 Mike Linder 11.880
18. 63 Chad Kemenah 11.895
19. 0 Brandon Wimmer 11.991
20. 35 Ronnie Blair 12.003
21. 20x Craig Mintz 12.027
22. 5r Byron Reed 12.084
23. 24h Chad Blonde 12.093
24. 22 Cole Duncan 12.167
25. 89g David Gravel 12.218
26. 59 Lee Jacobs 12.225
27. 93 Sheldon Haudenschild 12.283
28. 7c Neil Shepherd 12.297
29. 10 Brad Haudenschild 12.326
30. 04 Cap Henry 12.394
31. 28 James Horton 12.399
32. v92 Matthew Reed 12.423
33. 56r Ryan Myers 12.446
34. 6s JR Stewart 12.456
35. x Mark Keegan 12.518
36. 6r Ryan Bunton 12.523
37. 5t Travis Philo 12.531
38. 22d Dennis Yoakam 12.653
39. 17 Jared Horstman 12.656
40. 5w Jeff Williams 12.685
41. 11 Tim Allison 12.777
42. 60 Jody Keegan 12.783
43. 7au Roddy Bellbowen 12.870
44. 69 Scott Curran 12.873
45. 40 Mark Imler 12.898
46. 1w Kent Wolters 13.005
47. 57j Mike Dunlap 13.430
48. 55 Scott Carter 13.609
49. 43g Chad Greer 14.585

Heat Finishes (Started)

MSD Ignition Heat 1 –10 Laps
1. 312 Mike Linder (2)
2. 9x Phil Gressman (3)
3. 83 Tim Shaffer (5)
4. 20x Craig Mintz (1)
5. 7k Rob Chaney (6)
6. 89g David Gravel (7)
7. 56r Ryan Myers (9)
8. 10 Brad Haudenschild (8)
9. 5t Travis Philo (10)
10. 40 Mark Imler (12)
11. 11 Tim Allison (11)
12. 43g Chad Greer (13)
13. 11m Brandon Martin (4)

Kears Speed Shop Heat 2 – 8 Laps

1. 63 Chad Kemenah (2)
2. 5r Byron Reed (1)
3. 4 Danny Smith (4)
4. w20 Greg Wilson (3)
5. 2h Tim Hunter (6)
6. 59 Lee Jacobs (7)
7. 78 Todd Kane (5)
8. 22d Dennis Yoakam (10)
9. 6s JR Stewart (9)
10. 1w Ken Wolters (12)
11. 60 Jody Keegan (11)
12. 04 Cap Henry (8)

All Pro Heads Heat 3 – 10 Laps
1. 0 Brandon Wimmer (2)
2. 97 Dean Jacobs (4)
3. 3c Cale Conley (3)
4. 93 Sheldon Haudenschild (7)
5. x Mark Keegan (9)
6. 1x Randy Hannagan(6)
7. 7au Roddy Bellbowen (11)
8. 28 James Horton
9. 17 Jared Horstman
10. 24h Chad Blonde
11. 1 Stevie Smith
12. 57j Mike Dunlap

Outerwears Performance Products Heat 4 – 10 Laps
1. 2 Dale Blaney (4)
2. 22 Cole Duncan (1)
3. 35 Ronnie Blair (2)
4. 11b Brock Mayes (5)
5. 45au Steven Lines (3)
6. 7c Neil Shepherd (7)
7. 92 Daron Clayton (6)
8. 6r Ryan Bunton(9)
9. 5w Jeff Williams (10)
10. v92 Matthew Reed (8)
11. 55 Scott Carter (12)
12. 69 Scott Curran (11)

Rubbin Repair Dash – 6 Laps
1. Tim Shaffer (2)
2. 11b Brock Mayes (1)
3. 2 Dale Blaney (6)
4. 7k Rob Chaney (4)
5. 2h Tim Hunter (3)
6. 4 Danny Smith (5)

C Main – 12 Laps
1. 60 Jody Keegan (4)
2. 1w Ken Wolters (8)
3. 17 Jared Horstman (1)
4. 5w Jeff Williams (2)
5. 40 Mark Imler (7)
6. 55 Scott Carter (10)
7. 69 Scott Curran (6)
8. 43g Chad Greer (11)
9. 7au Roddy Bellbowen (5)
10. 11 Tim Allison (3)
11. 57j Mike Dunlap (9)

University of Northwestern Ohio B Main – 12 Laps
1. 59 Lee Jacobs (8)
2. 1x Randy Hannagan (1)
3. 1 Stevie Smith (4)
4. 92 Daron Clayton (2)
5. 7c Neil Shepherd (9)
6. 89g David Gravel (7)
7. 10 Brad Haudenschild (10)
8. 56r Ryan Myers(14)
9. 6r Ryan Bunton (16)
10. 60 Jody Keegan (19)
11. 6s JR Stewart (15)
12. 28 James Horton (12)
13. 1w Kent Wolters (20)
14. v92 Matthew Reed (13)
15. 78 Todd Kane (3)
16. 22d Dennis Yoakam (18)
17. 11m Brandon Martin (5)
- 24h Chad Blond DNS
- 04 Cap Henry DNS
- 5t Travis Philo DNS

O’Reilly Auto Parts A Main – 40 Laps
1. 4 Danny Smith (2)
2. 2 Dale Blaney (7)
3. w20 Greg Wilson (9)
4. 83 Tim Shaffer (4)
5. 11b Brock Mayes (1)
6. 7k Rob Chaney (3)
7. 1x Randy Hannagan (11)
8. 63 Chad Kemenah (16)
9. 1 Stevie Smith (13)
10. 3c Cale Conley (10)
11. 97 Dean Jacobs (6)
12. 0 Brandon Wimmer (17)
13. 20x Craig Mintz (19)
14. 5r Byron Reed (20)
15. 312 Mike Linder (15)
16. 59 Lee Jacobs (22)
17. 92 Daron Clayton (12)
18. 45au Steven Lines (14)
19. 2h Tim Hunter (5)
20. 22 Cole Duncan (21)
21. 35 Ronnie Blair (18)
22. 93 Sheldon Haudenschild (23)
23. x Mark Keegan (24)


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