From Brian Liskai
Wilmot, WI — (Saturday, July 19, 2014) — Dale Blaney only gets to visit Wilmot Raceway once each year – when the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions pays a visit during the series’ traditional Thunder Through the Plains. But, the track has to rank among one of his favorites after the Hartford, Ohio driver found himself in victory lane for the third straight year in the UNOH All Stars vs. Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints Showdown.
Blaney watched Jac Haudenschild and then 6 time IRA champion Bill Balog lead early. But, the current UNOH All Star point leader and four time series champion, would methodically work his way forward using his familiar bottom groove and would take the lead late. Blaney would drive to his 7th All Star win of 2014. He has now won six of the last eight All Star features and moves his career win total to 106 with the series.
“I got better and better and better as the race went on. I was really good on the bottom of three and four…the track came to me,” said Blaney beside his Kennedy Cattle/Ti22 Performance/Penske Shocks backed #14k. “We’re just on an incredible roll right now and I want to do my part to keep it going.”
Balog, who had five straight IRA wins coming into Saturday’s event and has won the last six straight series titles, would come home in second.
“I got beat by the Low Rider. He showed me his wheel a couple of times and I probably should have moved down a lot sooner. All the yellows and reds hurt me but Dale was just so good on the bottom,” said Balog beside his Buesser Concrete/Rocky Rococo Pizza/Vapor Trail Clothing/Super Shox/XYZ Machining/Hepfner Racing Products backed #17B.
Fellow All Star competitor Jac Haudenschild, who led the first third of the race, would come home third.
“I just had a third place car tonight. Blaney is so good in the black slick middle of the track. We’re okay…not great right now, but okay and getting better,” said Haudenschild beside his Rick Rogers Construction/Mondak Portables/Triple X Racing/Renegade Rentals/Champion Oil backed #9w.
Haudenschild and Tim Kaeding would bring the field to green for the 35-lap feature, but action would grind to a halt before a lap could be completed. On the restart Haudenschild would drive into the lead over Kaeding, Balog and Blaney. Sheldon Haudenschild would spin after two laps were recorded.
On the restart Haudenschild would blast to his familiar high line to continue to lead over Kaeding, Balog and Blaney. Shortly thereafter, Balog would drive into second as the leaders prepared to encounter lapped traffic. Balog, a native of Fairbanks, Alaska who calls Hartland, Wisconsin home now, would use traffic to take the lead a few laps later.
But, Bill Rose would bring out the caution shortly thereafter with Balog leading Haudenschild, Blaney and Kaeding. With just 10 laps in the books the action would grind to a halt for another red flag. On the restart Balog continued to lead Haudenschild, Blaney and now Tommy Sexton and Kaeding.
With Balog leading, Blaney would drive under Haudenschild for second a few laps into the restart. Following another quick caution, Balog knew he had to deal with a low riding Blaney. As the pair began battling for the lead Jim Moughan and Scott Neitzel would tangle, sending both upside down. Meanwhile Sheldon Haudenschild had stormed his way back from his early spin into the top 10.
On the restart Balog and Blaney began their battle for the lead with Blaney using the bottom of turns three and four to take the top spot soon after the green had reappeared. Another caution would fly soon after, keeping the leaders out of heavy lapped traffic. Blaney would lead Balog, Haudenschild, and Kaeding.
With 27 laps in another caution would bunch up the field. Blaney would pull away when the green flew and drove to the win over Balog, Jac Haudenschild, Sexton and Todd Daun who had charged to fifth from his 20th starting position.
For more information on the UNOH All Stars go to www.allstarsprint.com
Wilmot Raceway – 7/19/2014
UNOH Night
All Star Circuit of Champions (38 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Qualifying – Kistler Engines
1. 14K-Dale Blaney , 13.340; 2. 9W-Jac Haudenschild, 13.408; 3. 1MM-Jim Moughan, 13.434; 4. 17B-Bill Balog, 13.507; 5. 11K-Rick Kelsey , 13.630; 6. 7F-Lance Fassbender, 13.772; 7. 6R-Bill Rose, 13.780; 8. 23-Russel Borland, 13.865; 9. 59-Tim Kaeding, 13.886; 10. 83-Tommy Sexton, 13.888; 11. 56-Ryan Irwin, 13.912; 12. O2-Mike Reinke, 13.915; 13. 2W-Scott Neitzel, 13.949; 14. 5J-Jeremy Schultz, 13.958; 15. 35-Ben Schmidt, 14.030; 16. 50-Rusty Egan, 14.068; 17. 1M-Phillip Mock , 14.071; 18. 7-Scott Uttech, 14.118; 19. 41-Dennis Spitz, 14.179; 20. 48H-Sheldon Haudenschild , 14.190; 21. 65-Jordan Goldesberry, 14.190; 22. 10V-Matt Vandervere, 14.350; 23. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski, 14.357; 24. 19-Todd Daun, 14.476; 25. 53W-Bill Wirth, 14.535; 26. 94-Brandon Thone, 14.581; 27. 64-Scotty Theil, 14.584; 28. 79-Blake Nimee, 14.612; 29. 5H-Patrick Haynes, 14.727; 30. 23D-Trey Datweiler, 14.749; 31. 43-Jereme Schroeder, 14.915; 32. 5W-Brian Walters, 14.921; 33. 4K-Kris Spitz, 14.946; 34. 68-Dave Uttech, 15.110; 35. 25-Steve Muth, 15.517; 36. 71-Chad Tessman , 16.183; 37. 16-Don Durham, 99.998; 38. 72-Dave Maynard, 99.998
Heat 1 – Kears Speed Shop (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 59-Tim Kaeding[4] ; 2. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[1] ; 3. 14K-Dale Blaney [6] ; 4. 1M-Phillip Mock [2] ; 5. 2W-Scott Neitzel[3] ; 6. 11K-Rick Kelsey [5] ; 7. 5H-Patrick Haynes[8] ; 8. 4K-Kris Spitz[9] ; 9. 53W-Bill Wirth[7] ; 10. 16-Don Durham[10]
Heat 2 – All Pro Aluminum Heads (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 7-Scott Uttech[2] ; 2. 83-Tommy Sexton[4] ; 3. 5J-Jeremy Schultz[3] ; 4. 9W-Jac Haudenschild[6] ; 5. 10V-Matt Vandervere[1] ; 6. 7F-Lance Fassbender[5] ; 7. 23D-Trey Datweiler[8] ; 8. 94-Brandon Thone[7] ; 9. 68-Dave Uttech[9] ; 10. 72-Dave Maynard[10]
Heat 3 – Dragon Racing Fuels (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 41-Dennis Spitz[2] ; 2. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski[1] ; 3. 35-Ben Schmidt[3] ; 4. 64-Scotty Theil[7] ; 5. 56-Ryan Irwin[4] ; 6. 6R-Bill Rose[5] ; 7. 1MM-Jim Moughan[6] ; 8. 43-Jereme Schroeder[8] ; 9. 25-Steve Muth[9]
Heat 4 – Kinsler Fuel Injection (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 17B-Bill Balog[6] ; 2. 19-Todd Daun[1] ; 3. 48H-Sheldon Haudenschild [2] ; 4. O2-Mike Reinke[4] ; 5. 79-Blake Nimee[7] ; 6. 23-Russel Borland[5] ; 7. 50-Rusty Egan[3] ; 8. 5W-Brian Walters[8] ; 9. 71-Chad Tessman [9]
Dash – Howard Johnson Hotel – Lima, OH (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature
1. 9W-Jac Haudenschild[2] ; 2. 59-Tim Kaeding[1] ; 3. 14K-Dale Blaney [4] ; 4. 17B-Bill Balog[6] ; 5. 83-Tommy Sexton[5] ; 6. 56-Ryan Irwin[3]
B-Main – MSD Ignition (15 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 1MM-Jim Moughan[1] ; 2. 11K-Rick Kelsey [2] ; 3. 6R-Bill Rose[4] ; 4. 50-Rusty Egan[6] ; 5. 7F-Lance Fassbender[3] ; 6. 53W-Bill Wirth[7] ; 7. 23-Russel Borland[5] ; 8. 94-Brandon Thone[8] ; 9. 4K-Kris Spitz[13] ; 10. 43-Jereme Schroeder[11] ; 11. 68-Dave Uttech[14] ; 12. 5H-Patrick Haynes[9] ; 13. 23D-Trey Datweiler[10] ; 14. 71-Chad Tessman [16] ; 15. 5W-Brian Walters[12] ; 16. 25-Steve Muth[15] ; 17. 16-Don Durham[17] ; 18. 72-Dave Maynard[18]
A-Main – University of Northwestern Ohio (35 Laps)
1. 14K-Dale Blaney [3]; 2. 17B-Bill Balog[4]; 3. 9W-Jac Haudenschild[1]; 4. 83-Tommy Sexton[5]; 5. 19-Todd Daun[20]; 6. O2-Mike Reinke[10]; 7. 10V-Matt Vandervere[18]; 8. 59-Tim Kaeding[2]; 9. 48H-Sheldon Haudenschild [16]; 10. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski[19]; 11. 6R-Bill Rose[23]; 12. 35-Ben Schmidt[14]; 13. 64-Scotty Theil[21]; 14. 11K-Rick Kelsey [12]; 15. 79-Blake Nimee[22]; 16. 5J-Jeremy Schultz[13]; 17. 56-Ryan Irwin[6]; 18. 1M-Phillip Mock [15]; 19. 1MM-Jim Moughan[11]; 20. 2W-Scott Neitzel[9]; 21. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[17]; 22. 41-Dennis Spitz[7]; 23. 50-Rusty Egan[24]; 24. 7-Scott Uttech[8]
Hard Charger: 19-Todd Daun[+15]