by Scott Porter – FAST Public Relations
MAUMEE, OH (7-27-10)
The long, hot summer stretch of the Kistler Racing Products Fremont / Attica Sprint Title (FAST) Championship Series presented by SRP Pistons & Engine Pro continues on as many point battles intensify in the race for the Kistler Cup. The unfortunate loss of several notable teams from weekly competition has lead to gains for other teams competing for the Northern Ohio sprint car championship. While the faces in the top-10 have looked familiar for the past few weeks, many of the positional battles have tightened with just six more events remaining for FAST in 2010.
Monclova, Ohio’s Byron Reed is at the top of the standings and his dominance at Attica Raceway Park and consistency at Fremont Speedway have put a 166-point strangle-hold on his quest for the series’ sophomore title. With a win on Friday night at Attica and a 6th place run at Fremont the following night, “The Monclova Missile” continues to lead all competitors with an average finish of 4th-place. Match that with series leading 5 victory lane visits and failing to finish inside the Top-5 only 3-times (all at Fremont), it’s easy to see why Reed has led the FAST Kistler Cup Point Standings since week two.
While Reed’s lead may seem too enormous for Mark Keegan to overcome, the veteran of the two clay ovals in Northern Ohio knows a lot can change in racing when things have to be settled at speeds over 100-mph. Reed may have won Friday night, but the driver of the Midwest Transportation backed #X JEI was right behind him finishing in 2nd place. Keegan followed that up with a 10th place finish at Fremont after charging from a 18th starting position to keep Reed on his radar. A few more trips to victory lane like on June 11th at Attica would help Keegan close the gap on Reed, but capitalizing on any possible wrong moves by the B&S Racing crew seems like the only opportunity for Keegan to add a FAST Championship to his racing resume.
Inaugural FAST Champion Craig Mintz finds himself in 3rd place and still looking for his first feature win of the season after collecting four checkered flags last year. The Bobby’s Truck and Bus Repair, Real-Geese.com, DGGI #20X Maxim has been a constant figure inside the Top-10 when the dust settles and he backed that up with a 7th place run at Attica and a 9th at Fremont. The pair of Top-10s has helped the Gibsonburg, Ohio native inch to just 45-points behind Keegan.
With the help of seven Top-10 finishes (3 inside the Top-5) in the last eight FAST events, “The Sulfur City Outlaw” Kevin Lee has made a mid-season charge into the Top-5 in points for the first time. The JD Automotive, Papa Jimmie’s BBQ & Pizza, King’s Den #3J Motorsports driver has shown that a “sophomore slump” is only a myth and seemed to pass the most cars over the weekend en route to another pair of Top-10 finishes.
Rounding out the Top-5 in Kistler Cup Points is Sandusky, Ohio’s Chris Andrews. While Lee may have gained a slight advantage on Andrews for fourth place there are still just 18-points that separate the two. After posting his first win of the season at Fremont Speedway, the K&N Filters, Lucas Oil, Goofy Golf backed #15C has only been seen back inside the Top-10 once coming this past Saturday night at Fremont (8th). While the struggles may seem to be continuing for Andrews, the team has turned a corner since Ohio Sprint Speedweek and looks to regain his form that helped him collect a career high four 410 sprint car wins in 2009.
Knocking on the door in 6th place is “The Ohio Gas Man” Phil Gressman who has inched back to just 6 points behind Andrews after a pair of incidents took the Genzman Racing Enterprises #53 out of contention. Gressman stormed back with a pair of Top-5 finishes over the weekend and seems to be a likely candidate to join Byron Reed as a multiple FAST feature winner in 2010.
Separated by mere 90-points are Dean Jacobs, Bryan Sebetto and Jody Keegan for seventh through ninth. Aboard the Northwest Towing and Recovery, NAPA Truck and Auto Center #97, Dean Jacobs has easily passed the most cars in 2010 and with one feature win to his credit the Seeling Racing team looks to be a contender for a Top-5 finish in points before it’s over. After posting his first FAST feature in grand fashion on Saturday night, Bryan Sebetto looks to finish strong in 2010 in the Stephen Mapus Tools, Burmeister Racing #16 after failing to finish out the end of 2009 due to injury. An easily forgettable weekend by Jody Keegan may have proved costly as he falls to 9th place.
The tenth position is a slugfest between 410 sprint car veterans Mike Linder and Todd Heller who are currently tied. The two will be the first to tell you that their seasons have been sub-par by their own standards, but sitting just 33-points behind Jody Keegan either driver could make a late season charge in the standings. Both should be watching their backs though as current Cub Cadet FAST Rookie of the Year presented by KS Sales & Service points leader Shawn Valenti sits only 28-points away from climbing his way into the Top-10.
The competition continues this weekend for the Kistler Racing Products FAST Championship Series with events at Attica Raceway Park on Friday, July 30th and then Saturday, July 31st at Fremont Speedway for the fire-breathing 410 Sprint Cars. There is a lot to be gained or lost over the course of these final weeks as a large sum of cash and prizes will be handed out at the 2010 Fremont/ Attica Sprint Title banquet on October 16th. All drivers finishing in the Top 10 are reminded that they are required to attend and drivers finishing 11th through 20th are encourged to attend to be eligible for door prizes and other awards throughout the evening. More details will be released when they become available.
For more information on admission prices, start times and directions to either Northern Ohio track visit www.atticaracewaypark.com or www.fremontohspeedway.com for more information.
Visit www.fastondirt.com to find out more about the F.A.S.T. Championship Series, the drivers, the rules, the schedule, the sponsors, and more.
THEY’RE GOIN’ FAST… LESS THAN 100 REMAIN:
Don’t miss out on your chance of getting your hands on some Fremont Attica Sprint Title merchandise before it is sold out! Fans can purchase the 2010 FAST Series T-Shirts (designed by Arizona Sport Shirts) FOR JUST $15.00 at the Action Photos booth at Attica and Fremont or order them online at www.fastondirt.com. Show your support for those who go FAST in Northern Ohio as all sales go right into the 2010 points fund! Other items that are still available include the Kistler Racing Products FAST Championship Series & FAST 305 Championship Series decals and the 2009 Season-In-Review DVDs, which includes 4 hours of racing action in a 2-DVD set for just $15.
FAST on Dirt, Inc. would like to thank the following contributors to the 2010 FAST Championship Series point fund:
Kistler Racing Products, Engine Pro, JE/SRP Pistons, Design Graphics Group, Inc, KS Sales & Service, Engler Machine & Tool, Oliver Rods, Henry MotorSports Inc., J&F Construction, Black Swamp Media Group, MyHeroCards.com, Kears Speed Shop, Computer Man, Inc., SCS Gearbox, RockAuto.com, Hoserville Ohio, Hoseheads.com, Level Performance, R&R Auto Wrecking, Reebar Diecasting, The King’s Den, FSR Radiator, Real Geese, Buckeye IT Services, High Vista Video, Racers Racing for a Cure, Gressman Powersports, NAPA (Bryan, OH), Gaerte Engines, Action Photos, PostNet (Fremont, OH), New York Life (Jeremy Shambaugh), Young’s RV Center, October Hills Farms, and OC Shocks
Also, a very special thanks to all of our contingency award sponsors:
R2C Filters, Hepfner Racing Products, TQ Fiberglass, Fuel Safe, Racing Optics, Rocket Headers, Wings Unlimited, VRP Shocks, Kinsler Injections, RAM Engineering Midwest, PRO Shocks, ButlerBuilt, Zemco Headers, Kinser Filters, Outerwears, Inc, DMI Race Components, Keizer Wheels, Linders Speed Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, XXX Race Components, Randy’s Racing Filters, Hinchman Indy Uniforms, King Racing Products, Golden Graphics, OC Shocks, Weld Wheels, KSE Steering, Competition Suspension, Inc, Ti22 Performance, All Pro Heads, FSR Radiator, Speed Meets Art, Productive Tools & Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts, and Fisher Performance