From J&J
McKENZIE, TN (Oct. 13) – Winning races is always a big part of earning championships. Last weekend, Tim Shaffer and the CH Motorsports team capped a tremendous championship season with the All-Star Circuit of Champions by winning the Hoosier Fall Classic event at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway. Lane Whittington captured his second consecutive championship as well, by winning the CAJUN Sprinters Association Floyd Clausen Memorial Louisiana State Championships event. While seasons are coming to a close in the United States, Sprint car action is just getting started in Australia and Ben Akinson raced Gary Rush’s J&J to victory in Round One of Round One of the Tyrepower Sprintcar Track Championship at Parramatta City Raceway near Sydney, Australia.
ALL-STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS
Since joining forces with the No. 83 team midway through the 2008, Tim Shaffer and Brian Kemenah have proven to be a formidable combination. Shaffer raced the Aaron Call and Janet Holbrook owned CH Motorsports Kistler powered No. 83 J&J to the 2009 All-Star Circuit of Champions title, and this season had an even better campaign.
The Aliquippa, Pa., driver closed the All-Stars schedule on Saturday night with his 21st victory of the season and 16th in All-Star competition. Shaffer started sixth and despite a number of yellows, he kept making bids for the lead and finally seized control of the race. Once in front, he controlled the race and zoomed off to score the win at the high-banked 3/8-mile dirt oval.
“This year has just been a fantastic year, it seems like everything is going right. But tonight…I’ll tell you they made me earn it tonight,” said Shaffer, a strong candidate for National Driver of the Year. “This is the best year I’ve ever had…it’s been so much fun It’s just amazing when you put a great team together what you can do. Janet and Aaron have allowed us to go race. Brian and I have a such good chemistry. It’s easy for us to talk and we really have a lot of the same ideas on how to make things work. The crew is made up of some guys that can travel and some that just help around home and no matter who is with us we are strong. I hate to see this year coming to an end.””
“I can’t say enough about the equipment we are using. The J&J cars. The motors from Kistler have been great. Our shocks from Vince and the guys at VRP…it just goes on and on. We’ve had a great season and we’re thrilled to be champions again.”
The team scored their first All-Star triumph of 2010 in early April at Attica Raceway Park. Shaffer earned his first Canadian triumph in June at Autodrome-Granby in Quebec. The team earned three All-Star wins during the Ohio Speedweek, including the finale at Fremont (Ohio) Speedway which started a string of eight straight top-three finishes with the All-Stars. Wins in New York and at Tri-City Speedway near Pittsburgh helped the surging team through mid-July. The CH Motorsports team won four straight All-Star events during the Thunder through the Plains tour and then won the World of Outlaws event at I-55 Raceway prior to their dramatic Knoxville Nationals triumph.
The success continued following the Nationals win as they reeled off four more wins, twice sweeping weekend events. This past Saturday’s win at Lawrencburg gave him five straight victories with the All-Stars and the win was his ninth victory in the final 10 All-Star races in 2010. Remarkable numbers that any team would be thrilled to have accomplished.
Shaffer wasn’t the only J&J racer on the podium Saturday night at Lawrenceburg. Dean Jacobs raced a brand new J&J car from the 20th-starting spot to fourth in the 30-lap race. Jacobs, who drove the Midwest Towing and Recovery, NAPA Truck and Auto Center sponsored No. 97 Kistler-powered J&J, moved up to third following a post-race miscue by Bill Balog.
CAJUN Sprinters Association
Lane Whittington had two goals for 2010. The first was to repeat as CAJUN Sprinters Association (CSA) champion, and the second was to win his 100th career CSA feature event. After winning his 100th career CSA Feature on Sept. 25, the goal in this past weekend’s Floyd Clausen Memorial Louisiana State Championships at Baton Rouge Raceway (Baker, La.) was to win another CSA title.
Whittington raced the Tim’s Engine/All-Pro Maintenance/Wilson Oysters/PC Tate Construction/Southland Truck Center sponsored No. 9 J&J to a heat race win to start the program. Disaster nearly struck Whittington on the opening lap as he was collected in a crash. He rejoined the field and raced his way back to the front and overtook Michael Herrington on the final lap to pick up the victory and seal up the championship.
This marks the third consecutive CSA title for Whittington. He has earned a total of five during his career.
TYREPOWER PARAMATTA CITY RACEWAY
Ben Atkinson was impressive winning the Pick ‘n Payless Sprintcar Round One of the Tyrepower Sprintcar Track Championship on Saturday night. Atkinson raced the No. 2 J&J into the lead following an early six-car accident and lapped up to fourth place during the main event.
“John [Barrett] and Tim [Gleeson] devote their whole life to this car – this is for them,” said Atkinson following his first ever A-Main driving for Garry Rush.
Roddy Bell-Bowen gave J&J a pair of top-five finishers by racing the No. 7 J&J to a fifth-place finish.
OTHER J&J WINNERS…. J&J Auto Racing would like to congratulate Chris Graf of Glencoe, Minnesota racer on a successful 2010 season. The driver of the No. 20g J&J was a nine-time winner including a win in the Upper Midwest Sprint car Series Mighty Axe Nationals.