Shaffer Wins Speedweek Feature at Sharon

Tim Shaffer
Tim Shaffer

From Sharon Speedway

HARTFORD, Ohio (June 24, 2010) – Dale Blaney recorded two wins in the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Sprint Speedweek before Rob Chaney got some hometown luck at his hometown track, breaking Blaney’s win streak and recording a win at Hilltop in Millersburg.

Blaney was hoping that hometown track luck would strike for him at his hometown Sharon Speedway, the seventh of nine stops during Ohio Sprint Speedweek. It looked like it’d be another night for Blaney following qualifying, when Blaney qualified first, running a 13.853 second lap on the 3/8-mile dirt oval at Sharon Speedway.

The All Stars ran four heats: MSD Ignition Heat winner was Dean Jacobs, the Kear’s Speed Shop Heat Winner was Tim Shaffer, the All Pro Aluminum Heads Heat winner was Lee Jacobs and Jack Sodeman Jr. (North Jackson, Ohio) won the Outerwear’s Performance Products Heat.

Brad Sweet and Bob Felmlee ran side-by-side through the first lap of the All Star Sprints Rubbn’ Repair Dash before Felmlee took the lead in the six-lap event. Sweet was closing the gap on Felmlee, diving in in turn four on the last lap, but it was in vain. Felmlee took the checkered flag in the World of Wheels #6, followed by Brad Sweet, Tyler walker, David Gravel and Tim Shaffer.

Bill Rose took the initial lead in the The University of Northwestern Ohio 12-lap B-Main, but the cars were brought to a red-flag stop on the track on the first lap. Broc Martin (Wooster, Ohio) got loose on the top side of turn three, flipping the yellow 410 Sprint and landing it upside-down on the wing.

Rose got the lead on the restart, followed by Byron Reed in second and Stevie Smith in third before a caution on the first lap. Rose, Reed and Smith were single file, while Sheldon Haudenschild and Greg Wilson battled it out for the fourth and final transfer spot. Across the line on the 12th and final lap, it was Haudenschild.

When the green flag dropped in the 30-lap, 24-car O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Sprint A-Main Tyler Walker (Los Angeles) went to the lead, but Sharon Speedway veteran Scott Bonnell (Fairview, Pa.) didn’t fall far behind. Brandon Wimmer (Fairmount, Ind.) held onto the third position until lap eight, when Tim Shaffer (Aliquippa, Pa.) made a move to the inside of turn one.

The yellow came out on lap 12, setting up a single file restart and Shaffer tried to make a move on the outside of Walker for first, forcing them to run side-by-side until Shaffer gained momentum out of turn two to take the lead.

On lap 18, Wimmer got a chance to pass Walker for second place position in turn two when Walker went wide. Blaney was running fourth, patiently waiting for his chance to pass Walker when Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, Cali.) closed the gap and was looking for that fourth place position.

Shaffer, the reigning All Star overall points leader, was setting the pace and avoiding lap traffic with five laps to go and was able to hold onto that lead to take the checkered flag in the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Sprint feature.

“I just tried to be careful, it seemed like I was ripping the tires off that thing. I just tried to keep the tires under me and look for the checkered,” Shaffer said after the race.

Shaffer took first and first in O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Sprint Speedweek, followed by Wimmer, Walker, Blaney and Sweet. Ed Lynch Jr. (Apollo, Pa.) moved up from his 20th place starting position to finish sixth.

The Limited Sprint A-Main event ran green-to-checkered caution-free and saw Jason Scoville (Warren, Ohio) and division points leader Guy Griffin (Greenville, Pa.) on the first row. Griffin went wide to take the lead on the first lap as Justin Whitesell (Austintown, Ohio) got a good run to move into the second position.

While the three leaders set up a sizable advantage, Adam Anderson, Robert Felix Jr. and Jim Morris III ran close through the first six laps, before Anderson backed off the throttle and found AJ Albrecht knocking on his door for sixth, taking the position on the tenth lap.

Griffin and Scoville caught up to some lap traffic and Whitesell was gaining momentum, but there wasn’t enough time for Whitesell to catch Griffin – giving the former track champion and current points leader his third win of the season at Sharon Speedway.

“I couldn’t hear him but I kept watching the board and I saw he was running second. He keeps getting better and better and better, ” Griffin said of Whitesell in a post-race interview.

Limited Sprint heat winners were Griffin and Morris.

O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Sprints A-Main: 1.) Tim Shaffer 2.) Brandon Wimmer 3.) Tyler Walker 4.) Dale Blaney 5.) Brad Sweet 6.) Ed Lynch Jr. 7.) Scott Bonnell 8.) Daryn Pittman 9.) Byron Reed 10.) Dean Jacobs 11.) David Gravel 12.) Bill Rose 13.) Bob Felmlee 14.) Cale Conley 15.) Greg Wilson 16.) Kevin Lee 17.) Lee Jacobs 18.) Danny Holtgraver 19.) Danny Mumaw DNF: Rob Chaney, Cap Henry, Jack Sodeman Jr., Brock Meyers, Jody Keegan

All Star Sprints The University of Northwestern Ohio B-Main: 1.) Bill Rose 2.) Byron Reed 3.) Stevie Smith 4.) Sheldon Haudenschild 5.) Danny Holtgraver 6.) Jared Ridge 7.) Matthew Reed 8.) Eric Williams 9.) Travis Philo 10.) Brandon Spithaler 11.) Cole Duncan 12.) Pete Miller 13.) Matt Butler 14.) Russ Sansosti 15.) Jamie Miller 16.) Stevie Smith 17.) Brendon Matus 18.) Brent Matus 19.) Aaron Middaugh 20.) Broc Martin 21.) Chris Andrews DNF: Jack Whitmore

All Star Sprints Rubbn’ Repair Dash: 1.) Bob Felmlee 2.) Brad Sweet 3.) Tyler Walker 4.) David Gravel 5.) Tim Shaffer DNS: Brandon Wimmer

All Star Qualifying: 1.) Dale Blaney 2.) Bill Rose 3.) Brad Sweet 4.) Tyler Walker 5.) Daryn Pittman 6.) Brandon Wimmer 7.) Byron Reed 8.) Stevie Smith 9.) Scott Bonnell 10.) Jody Keegan 11.) Sheldon Haudenschild 12.) Bob Felmlee 13.) Danny Holtgraver 14.) Tim Shaffer 15.) David Gravel 16.) Eric Williams 17.) Dean Jacobs 18.) Brock Mayes 19.) Kevin Lee 20.) Jack Sodeman Jr. 21.) Cale Conley 22.) Danny Mumaw 23.) Lee Jacobs 24.) Ed Lynch Jr. 25.) Travis Philo 26.) Broc Martin 27.) Rob Chaney 28.) Cap Henry 29.) Jared Ridge 30.) Chris Andrews 31.) Brandon Spithaler 32.) Matt Reed 33.) Russ Sansosti 34.) Greg Wilson 35.) Pete Miller 36.) Brent Matus 37.) Aaron Middaugh 38.) Jack Whitmore 39.) Jamie Miller 40.) Matt Butler 41.) Cole Duncan 42.) Brandon Matus

Limited Sprints: 1.) Guy Griffin 2.) Jason Whitesell 3.) Jason Scoville 4.) Jim Morris III 5.) AJ Albrecht 6.) Rob Felix Jr. 7.) Adam Anderson 8.) Adam Kekich 9.) Chad Matthews 10.) Joel Trent 11.) Jonathan Frederick.

6 PAK Saturday racing will resume June 26 with points racing for the Gibson Insurance Agency 410 Sprints, Governor Insurance Inc. Big Block Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Pro Stocks, Limited Sprints and E-Mods. Tickets for 6 PAK Saturday are $13 for adults ages 14 and older, $5 for teens from ages 9 to 13 and kids 8 and under are free. Family passes, for two adults and up to four students, are available for $32. June 26 will also be the Twin-State Auto Racing Club night.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 6 PAK Saturday June 26, July 10, 17 and 24. Friday Night Thunder July 9 and 16. O’Reilly Allstar Sprints Ohio Speedweek June 24, Lou Blaney Memorial July 7, Northwest Pa. Truck & Tractor Pullers July 25. World of Outlaws Late Models and Fastrak Late Models on July 28. Fastrak Late Models, again, July 28.

Sharon Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt oval located in Hartford, Ohio. Sharon Speedway is one of the oldest, continuously running weekly racetracks in the United States. Visit sharonspeedway.com for a complete schedule, directions to the track and the latest news. “Buckle Up and Hang On” as Sharon Speedway brings you dirt track racing at its finest!