By Brian Liskai
FREMONT, Ohio – Craig Mintz has struggled in 2010. The defending Kistler Racing Products Fremont Attica Sprint Title (FAST) champion has had a difficult time adapting to the new Goodyear tires and then his crew chief had to take time off due to medical issues. But, the past couple of weeks things have started to look up and it culminated Saturday, July 31 with a 410 sprint win at Fremont Speedway on Kistler Engines Night.
“Everything kind of fell into place. We made the inversion and they drew a four which put us closer to the front. I couldn’t have had a more pathetic start. I think we went from fourth to seventh or eighth. It was one of those deals where you had to be patient. This Maxim, KS Sales and Service, Erie Shore Propane, Bobby’s Truck and Bus Repair…on the bottom I couldn’t ask for a better race car,” said Mintz in the Engine Pro Victory Lane. “I have to thank my dad and Brad and Kevin Shammo and everybody who helps out on this car. Also have to thank Kistler Engines…they put a heck of a bullet in this thing.”
Mintz took the lead on lap 9 with a low move off turn four on Todd Heller, and was able to hold off late race challenges from Lee Jacobs to secure his fourth career Fremont victory. The win also keeps Mintz atop the track’s point standings for the Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Sprints.
“I’ve never won a track championship in a sprint car. We were blessed enough to win a FAST championship last year. I want to get in the record books with all the people that have ran here…it would be quite an achievement,” added Mintz, who hails from Gibsonburg.
In the Fremont Federal Credit Union 305 Sprint feature, Bradner, Ohio’s Nate Dussel led all 25 laps, but it was far from an easy win. With 7 laps to go he was in heavy lapped traffic and veterans John Ivy and Paul Weaver closed. Dussel was patient with the lapped machines and was able to pick his way through and take his fourth career victory at “The Track That Action Built.”
“I knew I had to be aggressive in lapped traffic when you look up at the scoreboard and see Paul Weaver and John Ivy behind you. Then when that last caution came out (with three laps to go) and I heard them say I had lapped cars between me and them I could breathe a little easier,” said Dussel beside his Berrier Fabrication, Dussel Welding, Kistler Racing Products #1. “We finally got to start up front and that was the difference. My hats off to Rich Farmer (speedway promoter). They worked hard on this track this week and gave us a great surface.”
Fremont Speedway – 7/31/2010
Kistler Engines Night
Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Sprints (26 Cars)
Qualifying – Kistler Engines
1. 16-Bryan Sebetto, 12.59; 2. 5R-Byron Reed, 12.69; 3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 12.74; 4. 15C-Chris Andrews, 12.77; 5. X-Mark Keegan, 12.85; 6. 3J-Kevin Lee, 12.86; 7. 11M-Brandon Martin, 12.88; 8. 20X-Craig Mintz, 12.91; 9. 9Z-Duane Zablocki, 12.92; 10. 312-Mike Linder, 12.93; 11. 2+-Brian Smith, 13.01; 12. 1X-Matt Linder, 13.03; 13. 24H-Lee Jacobs, 13.04; 14. 53-Phil Gressman, 13.09; 15. 5M-Jamie Miller, 13.19; 16. 14H-Todd Heller, 13.21; 17. 97-Dean Jacobs, 13.32; 18. 28-Shawn Valenti, 13.33; 19. 70-Steven Lines, 13.37; 20. O6-Brandy Bower, 13.45; 21. 51-Roger Campbell, 13.61; 22. O-Bill Morrison, 13.63; 23. 40-Mark Imler, 13.69; 24. 24-Jeremy Keegan, 14.01; 25. 36-Brent Coffman, 14.68; 26. 27-Scott Euler, 15.38
Heat 1 – Heat 1 (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 24H-Lee Jacobs; 2. 14H-Todd Heller; 3. 11M-Brandon Martin; 4. 16-Bryan Sebetto; 5. 70-Steven Lines; 6. 15C-Chris Andrews; 7. O-Bill Morrison; 8. 36-Brent Coffman; 9. 312-Mike Linder
Heat 2 – Bell Racing Products (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 20X-Craig Mintz; 2. 97-Dean Jacobs; 3. 53-Phil Gressman; 4. X-Mark Keegan; 5. 5R-Byron Reed; 6. 2+-Brian Smith; 7. 27-Scott Euler; 8. 40-Mark Imler; 9. O6-Brandy Bower
Heat 3 – Heat 3 (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 28-Shawn Valenti; 2. 5M-Jamie Miller; 3. 3J-Kevin Lee; 4. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild; 5. 9Z-Duane Zablocki; 6. 51-Roger Campbell; 7. 24-Jeremy Keegan; 8. 1X-Matt Linder
B-Main – (10 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 15C-Chris Andrews; 2. 312-Mike Linder; 3. 1X-Matt Linder; 4. 2+-Brian Smith; 5. 27-Scott Euler; 6. 40-Mark Imler; 7. 51-Roger Campbell; 8. O6-Brandy Bower; 9. O-Bill Morrison; 10. 36-Brent Coffman; 11. 24-Jeremy Keegan
A-Main – (30 Laps) [#]-Starting Position
1. 20X-Craig Mintz[4]; 2. 24H-Lee Jacobs[3]; 3. 5R-Byron Reed[6]; 4. 16-Bryan Sebetto[5]; 5. 97-Dean Jacobs[17]; 6. 53-Phil Gressman[16]; 7. X-Mark Keegan[9]; 8. 15C-Chris Andrews[8]; 9. 3J-Kevin Lee[10]; 10. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[7]; 11. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[12]; 12. 312-Mike Linder[13]; 13. 28-Shawn Valenti[18]; 14. 70-Steven Lines[19]; 15. 2+-Brian Smith[14]; 16. 14H-Todd Heller[1]; 17. 11M-Brandon Martin[11]; 18. 5M-Jamie Miller[2]; 19. 27-Scott Euler[20]; 20. 1X-Matt Linder[15]
Hard Charger: 97-Dean Jacobs[+12]
Fremont Federal Credit Union – 305 Sprints (26 Cars)
Heat 1 – Heat 1 (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 312-Alvin Roepke; 2. 8K-Zack Kramer; 3. 10X-Dustin Stroup; 4. 94-John Ivy; 5. 2N-Brian Neeb; 6. 80-Jake Trevino; 7. 9-Jimmy Colvin; 8. 87-Ryan Hetrick; 9. 77J-Jim Sipe
Heat 2 – Bell Racing Products (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. M28-Josh Muntz; 2. 1-Nate Dussel; 3. 1W-Paul Weaver; 4. 11F-D.J. Foos; 5. 35-Stuart Brubaker; 6. 19R-Steve Rando; 7. 67M-Matt Ferrell; 8. 81-Bobby Clark; 9. 10S-Roger Shammo
Heat 3 – Heat 3 (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 51-Brad Bowman; 2. 71-Bill Kraylek; 3. 55-Benny Bowman; 4. 30-Adam Ollom; 5. 8J-Jess Stiger; 6. 25-Jason Keckler; 7. 3B-Tim Bottles; 8. 83X-Nate Reeser
B-Main – (10 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 19R-Steve Rando; 2. 80-Jake Trevino; 3. 67M-Matt Ferrell; 4. 81-Bobby Clark; 5. 9-Jimmy Colvin; 6. 10S-Roger Shammo; 7. 25-Jason Keckler; 8. 87-Ryan Hetrick; 9. 77J-Jim Sipe
A-Main – (25 Laps) [#]-Starting Position
1. 1-Nate Dussel[2]; 2. 1W-Paul Weaver[6]; 3. 94-John Ivy[3]; 4. 8K-Zack Kramer[4]; 5. 71-Bill Kraylek[9]; 6. 312-Alvin Roepke[7]; 7. 10X-Dustin Stroup[5]; 8. 11F-D.J. Foos[1]; 9. 80-Jake Trevino[17]; 10. 35-Stuart Brubaker[14]; 11. 81-Bobby Clark[19]; 12. 51-Brad Bowman[11]; 13. 55-Benny Bowman[12]; 14. 9-Jimmy Colvin[20]; 15. 2N-Brian Neeb[13]; 16. 67M-Matt Ferrell[18]; 17. 19R-Steve Rando[16]; 18. 8J-Jess Stiger[15]; 19. M28-Josh Muntz[8]; 20. 30-Adam Ollom[10]
Hard Charger: 80-Jake Trevino[+8]